I'm kicked out of the house today. My choice - I'd rather stay away than be trapped in the basement with the fumes. 
I'm sorting house-related correspondence and working on the Into the Woods choreography at a Starbucks. The boys are both in school. I figure Sam and I can get lunch out, then play at the library in the afternoon.
Today our floors got their smooth finish sanding and a coat of sealer. Rather than be stuck in the basement all afternoon, we are entertaining ourselves outside the house. Sam and I picked up Jack and played at his school playground. Then some errands, then had dinner at Tokyo Joes with Ben. With 30 minutes left until socks can walk on the floor, the boys get a special dessert.
The floors should be done tomorrow - a day early! I'm looking forward for a few days of quiet. Even if we can't move back into the main floor until next week, I won't have vacuums and sanders droning overhead all day.
Update - got home, they are gorgeous! Stinks though. Would have been nice to have warm weather with open windows and fresh breezes.
Things are moving along on schedule. The floors are installed up to the kitchen and the kitchen has been patched. Ben had the displeasure of taking all our laundry to a laundromat for cleaning. House repairs make you appreciate things you take for granted. I had forgotten about hoarding quarters to wash our clothes.
Ben and I used a date night to look at backsplash tile and countertops. I think I've settled on a design scheme. Then we ate and Red Robin and got home in time to put the kids to bed.
Yesterday we saw Hidden Figures at a theater in Stapleton. The Alamo will always be my favorite theater, but this new one, Harkins, has babysitting! It was fantastic. For $6 per kid they got movies, video games, crafts, toys, and unlimited popcorn and water in the play center in the lobby. I got a silent pager in case they needed me during the movie. I wish more places would offer services like this! The movie was great too. Not especially factual, but fun and full of good feelings and great period costumes.
Tomorrow the boys are off of school for MLK day. If they're good and my cold and injured back are not worse, I'll take them swimming. They've been good sports about the house. They deserve a treat.
It's a big relief to see something being built up instead of torn down. We're on the other side now. Bonus picture of Sam being entertained by a spinny chair in the Daltile showroom.
You would think that losing a chunk of hair would teach you not to run your new car over your head.
Sam didn't learn from his Christmas Day mistake, and this time doubled it!
The main floor is truly in tatters now. Electric has been installed and left a patchwork of holes in the kitchen. The floors are being demolished. Aside from a leaky washer faucet we have been lucky to find no major problems.
They think the floor demo will be done today and they can start laying down the new wood. Then three passes of sanding, then stain and finish. If we stay on schedule it will be done by Friday next week.
This is how we live now.
We are lucky to have a comfortable basement with a mini sink and fridge. I sort of feel like I'm living in the dorms again :-). We even have a long trek to the bathroom like the dorms, which is two levels above us now. In the mornings I prepare breakfast downstairs, then carry it on a tray to the little masters upstairs. They eat in their toy room before dressing for school. This system works well, but emphasizes my servent role. I imagine myself in black and white uniform as I carry the tray up, expecting Mrs Crawley at the top.
Let's go back in time, to a place before Ben's birthday, before the house started to get torn apart. After sad good-byes to pets and endless class parties. We flew to sunny Florida to a Waterhouse vacation in the Walt Disney World Resort!
I have a ton of pictures on my Flickr account and posted some favorites here - sorry they are backwards order. I still can't figure out how Wordpress uploads (maybe it defaults to reverse chronological order?).
The park was crazy crowded as we expected. Despite that, we had some great meals, rode more rides than I expected, and had a great time with family. We did some new things, like character meals and meeting Chewbacca, that were fun and unexpected! We did some old favorites like Star Tours, Haunted Mansion, and Soarin.' I loved the newer rides, like Toy Story Mania and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
We were exhausted and stuffed with memories by the end of the trip. On Pena Boulevard Sam asked if we were headed to Disneyland (his general term). Sorry kiddo, it's time to go back to real life.
