Kids Who Like To Do It Themselves

Jennifer Walker-Journey — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:00:50 +0000

One of my son’s last temper tantrums happened when he was outside and I was inside working on dinner. Just before walking out the door he said, “I’m going to make a hot tub,” and I said something like, “OK. Have fun.”

A few minutes passed and my son called out to me. “Mommy,” he said, “ where’s the shovel?” I said, “Why do you need a shovel?” He said, “I’m making a hot tub and I need a shovel to dig the hole where the water will go.” This got me out of the kitchen and I looked down on him from the deck. “What? You’re doing what?”

“A hot tub. I told you that a million times! I need a shovel. Please get me Daddy’s shovel.”

I said no, and that’s when he started to lose his cool, doing that wailing and whining thing and it was several minutes before I could sit him down and explain that hot tubs require a little more than a shovel to make. They require heavy equipment and, well, professionals who know what they’re doing. This didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to make it himself and though that hot tub tantrum was several months ago, my son still insists he will one day put a hot tub in our backyard.

Truman’s do-it-yourself attitude was the first thing I thought of when someone shared this funny New Zealand Do-It-Yourself video with me. Take look. It just may bring a smile to your face as well.

Video, YouTube, YepitsCharlie

Post from: Blisstree

Kids Who Like To Do It Themselves

Callin’ On Collin

kadi — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:59:38 +0000

Are you the type of person who likes to tackle household tasks on your own? Do you cringe at the thought of having to hire paid help to change an air filter or unclog a pipe? My husband sure does. He will try to do just about any fix it job, whether he has experience in dealing with it, or not. Sometimes it ends up costing us more in the long run, after the cost of redoing the job several times, until it is just right (he’s a perfectionist.) He has, however, done some amazing things around the house, all by his own sweat and blood (and yes, there has been blood.) When I showed my husband Collin De Ruyck’s “Tool Belt Tips” blog, he almost fell out of his chair. “There are blogs about do it yourself-ing?” He was amazed. I’ve caught him reading Collin’s blog on several occasions and muttering “Yup” and “Ohhhh,” under his breath. It is the first thing I’ve ever seen him regularly read online, besides the NBA stats. When I found out that Collin’s blog was only a few doors down from this one, I got excited because it meant that I would get to interview him for my Three Doors Down project. Here is the interview that I conducted on Collin and his “do it yourself-ing”:

Would you say that you’re more like Tim The Toolman Taylor, or Al
Borlin from the old sitcom “Home Improvement,” and why?
~I am a perfect fit between the both of them. I have a sensitive side
just like Al and love tools and get very excited to work with them and
try new ones out, like Tim.

Do you ever wish that you could have an assistant like the ones on
“Tool Time?”
~No, I am a strong believer that safety has to come first with everything
we done at home and with tools, having a a hot babe around would only
cause injuries from distractions.

What made you want to blog about fixing stuff?
~Well after 15 years of being in the trades I thought that it may be a
good time for me to share what I know. There was an opportunity with in
the b5media group that I read about on Pro Blogger Job Boards to start
this blog so I figured I would try it out, and now I am loving it.

Wouldn’t you agree that there comes a point when you just need to
admit failure and call a professional? My husband doesn’t think so.
~Yes, I will be covering this topic on site as well. There are certain
projects that are just to big for the home owner to handle so knowing
how to hire a contractor is very important. Example of this is my water
service replacement I had to go through in the past months. There was no
way I could do it, have your husband watch the video series and let me
know if he could of done that!

Favorite tool?
~Milwaukee Hatchet Sawzall

What is one tool that you wish someone would invent to fix
something in your life?
~Well I don’t have enough money so a money making machine would be a good
tool I think to have, don’t you?

What is the biggest home renovation project you’ve tackled, so far?
~Removing a closet, pushing back a bathroom or basically making a whole
new one and building a stair case in home home to open up an area and
make the bathroom more practical.

What is some advice that you have for rookies?
~Get a good support system, one you can draw answers from when you run
into problems and have that support group in place before you start a
project.

How is being a parent similar to fixing a household object?
~Both cause high levels of stress so in short, both can give you Grey
hairs at a fast pace.

So, if you’re anything like my husband, or know a man who is (possibly one that shares your bed,) send him over to Collin’s place. It is a great way to pick up some neat tips and get insider info on how to correctly execute home repairs (which may save you hundreds of dollars in the long run!) Now I’m off to pick up some static filters, as Collin suggested. I advise you to do the same, after you read about why they are so smart, over at “Tool Belt Tips.”

Post from: Blisstree

Callin’ On Collin

Blisstree » do it yourself

Kids Who Like To Do It Themselves

Callin’ On Collin