Construction Mama

When your husband is a general contractor and you build your own house, you get to do a lot of the work yourself.  You should all be jealous because its awesome.  My days are spent 50/50 being a mom and a construction laborer.  It bothers me to do all of the grunt work, but I also realize that this is all I'm qualified to do in construction.  But let me just say that there's a reason construction laborers have few brain cells.  There's no way anyone with any smarts at all would do something like that all day every day.  No way.

What do I get to do?  Well, I've helped dig holes, mix concrete, and pour footings for our deck.  I've learned how to hold a laser level thing so that we can grade the driveway.  I've done some framing (move lumber, roll out floor joists, and Jake even lets me be his cut guy now).  I got to hang windows again (still have nightmares from doing it on our last house).  This time it went better than last.  I attribute this to my huge muscles.  Today I got to spend the whole day throwing out junk and sweeping the house so that we were ready for our inspection.  It was strangely satisfying to see the house cleaned up.

So, as you can tell, I can pretty much build a house on my own now.  Who needs Jake?  Ok, totally untrue.  I would have no idea what to do without him.  But I am proud of my measuring and cutting abilities (Zack had to show me how to use a tape measure).  And it still stresses me out when Jake gets a level out and asks me to tell him which way something needs to go to be level.  They should teach classes on this.

And finally, the following photo is now how I dress most days.  Jake always complains that all he wears is construction clothes.  Well, I now understand.  I realize that this is the most unflattering picture in the world.  I look like I weigh 500 pounds, which I probably do.  But let me see some stick skinny girl survive as a construction mama.  I think not.  So I just tell myself all day that the other subs look at me and think "Holy crap.  Jake sure is lucky to have a wife like that."  I mean how could they not when I look like this.

PS- Today at lunch I asked Jake if I look like a construction worker.  He said yes.  Despite what I've said on here, this kind of freaks me out.