Home Ideas

So, we have three kids and need more space in our house. However, I happen to be a pretty conservative accountant / financial analyst / consultant / tight-wad and can't comfortably recommend picking up a new house with an extra bedroom for a measly $500,000 in incremental expense. Instead we are going to embrace our small carbon footprint, be happy with what we have, take some killer vacations (Napa, Oktoberfest anyone?), and make our house (which is in just about the best location in SoCal you could ask for) work for us.

And with that, we're kicking off "Mildly Extreme Homemakeover: SoCal Caprons Edition" - and when I say "mild" I mean slow, low budget and perhaps a bit more "aspirational" than the much more popular ABC equivalent.

So to start, we're seeking input on some minor tweaks we might make. Here's my initial vision. Open to suggestions. The manlier the better. Let us know what you think - or if you have some money-saving alternatives we could slap into place quickly. Only rules are that recommendations cannot include the words, "cinder block," "two by four," "milk crate," "particle board," or "bean bag." Other than that, sky's the limit. Let the games begin.

Walker!

Proof! We've got another walker in the house!

Walker!
Originally uploaded by leslie_capron

Lessons Learned

8 things mom learned during our first school project

1) Andrew loves spray paint

2) Spray paint is very hard to get off from skin (see item 1). I recommend not spray painting before having to go anywhere, like church for example.

3) Do not leave projects outside to dry and forget about the sprinklers

4) Start projects early (see item 3)

5) The size of the mess is directly proportional to the amount of fun

6) He liked it when I just sat next to him and watched him do it

7) Let the kid do the project!

8) It's best not freak out when you arrive at school and see another kid's project and it looks like a Rembrandt (see item 7). I am going to have to work on this one.





I think he really liked the project.