Garage Bee-U-tified!

My children have three weeks off from school for the winter holidays. I am super excited! We have a long list of things to do. One of the top things my kids wanted to do...Paint a room in our new house. Say what?!?!

I painted the hall bathroom and didn't let the kids help at all. (i will post pictures of the bathroom later) Mainly because they were at school and it's a bathroom so we don't all fit. Ever since then, they have been begging to paint a room too. I decided the garage would be the best place for my kids to practice their painting skills. :)

Monday morning they woke up ready to work. They put on their "painting clothes" and thought we would immediately start. They were shocked when I told them that First we had to clear out the garage. They were good sports. Everyone pitched in to help. Even the Baby carried tools out of the garage. It was raining outside, so we put most of the stuff in our fourth bedroom. Chemicals and gasoline stayed in the garage. So did a beautiful new bookcase I just bought. It was too heavy for me and the kids to move. We just wrapped a blanket around it to avoid paint splatters.

An hour and a half later the kids were ready to start painting. They were shocked again when I informed them that we First had to prep the garage. What!!! They didn't know what to think at that point. I explained that the walls have to be wiped down, cobwebs cleared away, and dirt washed off, otherwise the paint won't stick properly. The explanation worked. They helped wash the walls while I removed nails and screws left by the previous occupants. We were done in under thirty minutes.

Again, they were super excited to start painting. Nope, I replied. First the holes where the nails and screws were have to be patched. That was too much for them. They decided they needed a break. So they went in to watch a movie while I patched the holes in the walls. That was really fine with me, since I'm the only one tall enough to reach the holes and I'm the only one I trust with a spackle knife and spackle. ;)

I got all the holes patched in twenty minutes. Then I joined them to watch the movie. Hey! I needed a break too!

By the time the movie ended the baby was ready for a nap. I put him down and told the kids they could paint. Such joy! Such happiness! Such excitement! It's a wonderful feeling knowing your kids are happy to do work. It took two days to paint the garage. The first day we painted the ceiling. We could have done the walls too, but the spackle needed to dry overnight. On the second day we finished up the ceiling and the walls. My children are such good workers!

Painting the ceiling

The kids also took turns distracting the baby. This was a great help, because, frankly, I am the best and quickest painter. ;)

Ummm. Who's distracting Who?

The Painted Garage

The Painted Garage...Different Angle

Yes, I know it looks like a powdery blue. I happen to Like Blue! It is one of the best colors ever. And if you disagree, you should never go outside again. Because all you'll see is this color blue. Haha! Seriously, don't worry about the color. I'm not done with the garage yet. I'll post pictures as I finish more. :)