We finally started painting our porch. Boy has it needed it for a long, long time. The whole house needs painting. When we’ll ever get around to all of it is beyond me. But…at least we started on the porch this week.

Here are a few things I’ve learned:

1. We have a HUGE porch. I recognized that fact after we’d been painting it for several hours and only had a tiny bit of it covered with primer. And also, when I stopped by my friend’s house yesterday I noticed what a cute little porch they had. And it was cement. With a metal railing. No paint needed. I sighed deeply and had a few moments of jealousy (which I quickly repented of because truly I do love my big old house).
2. Twelve year olds are a great help when it comes to painting. Everyone should get themselves a twelve year old.
3. Four year olds really want to help too, but really don’t have what it takes to actually make the paint go from the bucket to the brush to the porch without ruining their church shoes, their sweat pants, their hair and their mother’s sanity. (Don’t ask me how he got out there with his church shoes on in the first place.)
4. Seven year olds do pretty well with a paint brush just long enough to get the paint brush painty. Then they get tired and want to go do something else. Then you have another paint brush to clean at the end of the day.
5. Nine year olds can be good help except for when they really just want to hurry through the job and go play. Eventually it’s best to assign the nine year old to babysitting the four year old in an area far, far away (see #3 above).
6. When you work on painting the porch, everything else in the house sort of falls apart. This was not a good week for me to not have a menu plan.

Having said all of that…I’ve decided that I’m not going to paint anymore for a few days. (Did I mention that I’m trying to get ready for company?)  I figure that any amount of painting that I got done is less for Matt to have to do. Yay…I helped.

And also, based on the fact that having all four boys out there at once helping me paint looked a little like a Three Stooges episode (like where I would reach over to help one kid not drip paint from the bucket to the place he was painting…and simultaneously, another kid would drag their paint brush right across my back side…) I think it’s best for me to put away the brushes for a while so that I continue to love my children the way a mother should (the way that doesn’t involve yelling).

I now have white highlights in my hair. I’m not sure if it’s paint or from the stress of painting with the stooges. Or both.

Today, I am going to catch up on green bean picking and cleaning and cooking and kid snuggling. There may still be some Three Stooges episodes  going on…but at least no church shoes will be ruined in the process. 

Well, we can hope anyway.