I shampooed his carpet while Jeff, Jim, Ceara and Conor began opening boxes to look for instructions. They got 5 boxes opened and still nothing. Then it was Pizza time. Jim and the kids went to get pizza while Jeff and I opened and emptied the 2 remaining boxes. The directions were in the 6th box we opened.
We began taking the "bed" pieces into the bedroom to put them together. Then we broke for pizza. After eating, Jim was tired and decided to go home. I teased him that all it took was 2 hours at our crazy house for him to want to be alone again! :)
Then Jeff, Ceara, Conor and I began the construction. Jeff showed Conor how to use the screw-driver and help us. We got the 2 beds put together when Jeff got pretty tired - around 8:30. He decided to take a "nap" and wanted to get up at 10:30pm so that he could help us finish. I took the kids with me to go and get a coffee (yep, that late at night, there was a lot more work to do on the bed!). We went through the drive thru, though, because I had not bothered to shower that day and was looking mighty scraggly.
When we returned home, Conor went to bed with his Daddy, and Ceara and I set about finishing the bed. We put the "hutch" together, then the desk, then the shelves - all out in the living room because there wasn't any room left in the bedroom with the beds in there. Then we lugged all the pieces into the bedroom and set the desk, shelves and drawers in a position so that we could put the top bunk on. I wasn't sure we would be able to do it because the bed was heavy and I wasn't sure Ceara could lift it. But she did! We put it up on top, then had to lift the mattress up there. Then we put the lower bed into place and put the mattress and box-spring onto it. Then we had to put up all the tents, which Ceara did most of.
After getting all done, it was around 12:30. No, Jeff did not get up at 10:30. He hit snooze on the alarm clock. I had tried to wake him several times, but he would not get up, so I just let him sleep. I didn't mind, but I knew if I didn't try he would ask me why I hadn't tried to wake him up when I knew he didn't want to sleep all night. :)
Now for the clean up. Uggghh. There was Styrofoam all over the living room - between Conor and the dogs, it was pretty torn up. I went to get the vacuum cleaner and a screw fell out of the handle. So I got the screw driver and fixed the handle so that I could us it.
Ceara said, "You know, your kinda like that Mr. Mom, but the female version - Mr. Dad. Usually it is the man who puts everything together and fixes stuff."
Me: "Do you mean Mrs. Dad?"
Ceara: "Yeah, that's it!"
Now, a couple of years ago Ceara complained that yard work and other types of chores were a "boys job" and she didn't want to do it. So we have tried to break her from any type of "girls don't do that kind of work" thoughts. She has come a long way since then, because she certainly got into putting the bed together with me! Heavy lifting, moving and putting together - and she did not complain once. She volunteered to help, kept doing it when we (Jeff and I) took breaks and everything. So I responded with:
Me: "There isn't anything that girls/women can't do if you set your mind to do it and teach yourself (or learn from someone) how to do it. I lived alone for a while, and I do not have the most patience waiting on someone to do something for me when I want it done. So I taught myself to do a lot of things that are normally pegged "boys/men" jobs. Don't ever let someone tell you that you cannot do something because you are a girl."
I think I got my point across, and it made me feel good that she said it in an admirable way, so hopefully she will not limit herself to only learning "girl" things in life. :)
But now I guess I am Mrs. Dad. :)
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