How do you do it with kids?

This is a question we get asked a lot.  I mean A LOT.

So ladies and gents, below are our top three secrets for how we make a reno work with little people:  

1. We have help.

LOTS OF HELP.  My parents, his parents, our siblings, our cousins, kids that I teach at school...seeing a trend here?  Basically, if someone offers help we take it.  If we can work for an hour without having to worry about our little ones, we will do it.

2.  We take the kids.

I grew up in renovations and honestly have no problems dragging my kids into them too.  Frankly, I think it is good for them.  They are learning how to work (yes, we make them work!) and we are building something amazing as a family with our bare hands.  It's pretty cool.

Our kids have learned how to remove wallpaper, break up tile, pull carpet staples, and paint (noticing a demo trend here?).  They have also hauled more trash than I could have ever imagined possible.  They'll work for a bit and then play for a bit.  Please, don't get me wrong, our kids have also whined, watched a lot of TV and played a lot of games while we work beside them.  But, we love being there together as a family.

3.  Sometimes we just don't go.

Yep, you read that right.  Sometimes our boys need their momma and/or daddy to stay home, hold them, play with them and just spend an evening with them.  Remember, we are doing this for our family, to help give us freedom to be together more.  So on those days when our kids need some extra love, we give it to them.  If we don't stop and cherish the moments now, when will we?