Saturday, January 5, 2008

forced family fun

This is an extraordinarily unusual picture. It is a family work day and our daughter is smiling!!!
I thought we were having a hard working day, until I reviewed the photos on my camera. Apparently we had a fashion photo shoot: There was singing in the shower: Sitting down on the job:
And, of course, texting:
Roxanne has been looking for a job at the mall. I don't know why. She is so good at manual labor.
This was a great project for Dave and I and an unfortunate project for the kids. We talked to them a few months ago about vacationing over the school break. There wasn't much enthusiasm. They already had activities in mind with their friends, no one wanted to miss New Years Eve (which was nothing to have been worried about - all of us had an extremely uneventful New Years Eve). After exhausting many trip ideas, we suggested that we remodel the kitchen over the break. That idea was a go for everyone. We have been planning on a remodel for a couple of years. Many things have kept this from happening, but $ is now in place and all we need is a little time and some slave labor - perfect for teenagers out of school.
As it ended up, the company that is going to do the work for us couldn't meet our schedule and it won't happen until February. So -- as a back up plan, we decided to upgrade our bathrooms. Both bathrooms needed a new shower and tub. So we dug into our bathroom first. As with most construction projects, there are many unforeseen complications and set-backs. We spent the rest of the week finishing our shower (which is incredible) then ran out of time - Dave had to go back to work.
S0 -- the kids got no vacation trip, no new kitchen and their bathroom is still in need of repair.
However, on the flip side - Dave and I are ecstatic about our new shower. Apparently, that's just the kind of parents we are.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

so - did you finish watching that wife-swap w/the foolish husband who sobbed because the "new wife" made his kids FOLD CLOTHES&WASH DISHES?!

Work can be a lot of fun. There is a satisfaction with a completed job and the acquisition of a new skill that doesn't compare to anything else. There really is a sense of team-work when it's family chore time; I think most of these efforts can be sabotaged by parents losing their temper - we have a challenge to keep it motivating and show pride in the good job accomplished with good helpers.

I once worked with a girl who never let her kids do anything in the house because she felt it wouldn't be done properly AND kids should have fun playing video games. Her 16 yr old daughter had NEVER even baked a batch of cookies. There should be a hefty fine for something like that.

Furthermore, I've seen that shower. You could charge a usage fee; I'm willing to pay...

Shando said...

Looks like "SuperDave" has spawned himself some "SuperDaughters"!

I especially love the photo of Rachel texting unger the guise of cutting tile!?!

Shando said...

Looks like "SuperDave" has spawned himself some "SuperDaughters"!

I especially love the photo of Rachel texting unger the guise of cutting tile!?!

Cynthia said...

yeah, well . . . it's just a very sharp tile saw that can take off several fingers at once.
Multi-tasking????