Marriage Counseling...

In the NorthernToddler household, home improvement projects can cause some tension among family members. You have NorthernDaddy, who has a good idea of how things should be done. Then there's NorthernMommy, who has her own idea of how the work should flow. Add in NorthernToddler, who has no idea of what's going on - but really wants to help, and you end up with a perfectly competent crew!

Our project was to hang a wallpaper border in NorthernToddler's room. We're slowly transitioning from the original "Baby" decor to something more along the lines of "Toddler Sophisticated". NorthernMommy purchased a really neato border a couple of months, and we finally decided to tackle the project today. Installation was pretty straightforward...even though both NorthernMommy and Daddy are not very experienced with wallpaper.

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NorthernToddler was in charge of quality control.

Here, NorthernToddler and Daddy take some measurements to correct a slight mistake that NorthernMommy made.....

....seventeen feet short of making it around the room!

With NorthernToddler's help, we came up with a plan on how much more material we need, and how we'll finish the project.

This small project either qualifies as marriage counseling or will cause us to enter marriage counseling. Here are some lessons learned:

1. Toddlers love to walk all over wallpaper borders as you try to measure/cut them.
2. Yelling at NorthernToddler to get off of the border only makes NorthernMommy stressed out.
3. We need to clean out behind NorthernToddler's bed a little more often: we found toys, clothes, and a whole lot of socks stashed back there with all the dust and dirt!
4. NorthernMommy should not trust the store clerk to help convert her measurements (in linear feet) to roll measurements (in yards). (NorthernMommy says that it's because NorthernToddler helped her measure the room...)
5. Wallpaper paste is slippery,slidey, and icky!
6. NorthernToddler is very good as slamming shut his bedroom door just as his parents head in carrying wet wallpaper. (Little jerk!)
7. Home improvement projects are fun when you get them (mostly) done.

As we tackle more projects together, NorthernMommy and Daddy will get better at working together (seven years of marriage, and we're not good at working together?!), and NorthernToddler will learn to really help with the projects!