A Great Accomplishment

The gym was booked solid this morning for childcare so I thought I would get to things that I had been putting off.

Like getting a bookcase for all those books that seem to multipy and hide everywhere: in the living room, the kitchen table, in the bathroom, the laundry basket, the foyer . . . well, you get the point. Everywhere.

But getting a bookcase is just not as easy as it seems.

First I need to lay sutle hints for a month, or two to ease Brad into the idea of spending money on another piece of furniture.

Then I need to convince him that the one that I have cased out (because I naturally am a researcher, for every item in our house!) is the right one, the best value for our money, and the one we need . . . now. That part is pretty tricky.

When I finally got the "go-ahead", I piled all the kids in the car and zoomed off to Ikea, making a pit stop at the pool for swimming lessons.

(By the way, getting two boys changed in a gross change room while holding a 17 lbs baby in one arm and juggling a cell phone, car keys, two towels, a massive purse, and four shoes is a work out in itself. That is why I normally just take them home sopping wet. But not today.)

We got to Ikea and I thought I could minimize my excess baggage by dropping the kids off at the free daycare . . . only to find out that they don't let them in unless they are wearing socks!

The boys, and even Avery, were actually pretty good shoppers . . . if you can forget the part of both boys hanging off the cart, making it near impossible to steer clear of people or displays . . . all while carrying 17 lbs of baby in one arm.

The bookcase itself was all right. I actually ended up going for a completely different one, that felt like it was made of solid steel. (Of course it wasn't, this is Ikea, and things are only build of the cheapest material that they can find.)

I sat through a long line up with three wiggly, starving children to find out that the lady wouldn't help me find someone to just bring the bookcase to the check out. I had to go out on the floor, find someone, and then cart everything, and everyone, back to a line that was now double what I had already stood through.

That was one feat. (Or four if you are a mother to young children and consider the facts that: I convinced my husband to budget for a bookcase, and that I even left the house, went swimming and changed, and zipped around Ikea with three kids and no a dad great accomplishments in themselves.)

Getting to the car I soon realized that I should have been more specific in my requests. Instead of just asking for help loading the bookcase into my cart, it might have been handy to have someone help me lift it into my car.

Fortunately, a lady passing by helped me out and we made it home without any injury occuring to Jackson who had to sit right beside/underneath the bookcase.

To get it out of the car and into the garage, I flipped it over itself several times. Then I just took it out of the box and carried pieces upstairs.

The directions said, "Two People Needed to Assemble."

That was pretty odd for Ikea furniture. Should I really wait for Brad to have some free time to do it with me? I was a bit nervous, especially since the last piece from Ikea that I tried to do in my impatience was our coffee table and it never once stood sturdy.

Whatever. When was I going to find time for Brad to be around? And besides, it is a bookcase. How hard can that be?

I may not have another adult around, but a 5 year old and 3 year old could suffice, right?

I must admit, I love to put things together. It must stem from my early woodshop days--if you forget the time I almost severed my thumb off with the bansaw. It just provides me with a sense of accomplishment.

Ikea stuff, however, is usuallly disheartening. You follow the picture directions perfectly and can still end up with something that looks like a piece of junk. (Case in point, our current coffee table.) But, it was cheaper than anything else I could find and I was sick of shoving books into corners or tubs.

Putting the shelf together was a major workout.

I really mean, major.

I am more sore from putting this bookcase together than from my first day in spinning class, or after a weight training class.

Even with Jayden's help pushing on one side and using all the leverage I could find, I had a heck of a time joining plywood planks together close enough to put it together properly. (Because if you have ever build anything from Ikea you know that if you don't screw things in right the first time, you've wasted your money. It will never be sturdy.)

The boys had a great time "helping". Jayden brought me the pieces that I needed and put a bit of muscle in when I needed it; Jackson was in charge of suppling me with the screws and wood pegs . . . and sometimes got a little carried away and placed them in random holes for me.

But we did it.

Without an extra person, or a man. And I was even wearing a skirt.

It actually looks good. Especially with all the books on it.

I stand amazed that we actually had that many books! No wonder I was going out of my mind!

The boys helped me organize the books onto each shelf and so far (crossing my fingers) they have been very good about putting each book back in its place . . . with the spine facing out.

We'll see how long that lasts though.

It is nice to see a finished product for my 5 hours of work. But the biggest bonus? Hearing that in spite of swimming lessons, going out for lunch at Wendy's, or playing with toys, building the bookcase was the highlight of the boys' day.

Now that is a great accomplishment. And it makes all the exhaustion through the day worthwhile.