Repairs – Blessings Multiplied

Let’s just say 2010 was in some ways….painful…..at least when you look at it from a budget standpoint. Our budget was (ouch) way off after many unforeseeable major repairs and events. There are some things that happen in life that are completely out of our control and as a person that likes to plan ahead it can really catch me off guard. Many of the repairs were out of our hands and we were doing exactly what we thought God wanted us to do with our lives, however, there can be a turns up ahead in life that will guide us in directions that we did not necessarily expect. How we react and choose to move forward when we come to a crossroad is where the true test comes especially if we don’t like the direction the road is taking. The amazing part is God gave us peace and after many months of praying He gave us a very vivid answer to some of our questions. I am grateful everything continued working as long as it had, however, there for a few months it was like the domino effect around our house. I felt like anything I touched broke. We almost always buy used items and several things had been acting up for several months or years. Thankfully I have an wonderful husband who budgets and has planned ahead enough to have an emergency fund. Although we went over our small emergency fund during the last few months I know with God’s help, planning, sticking to the budget, and cutting back we can overcome these speed bumps.

What type of items started this drum roll effect?

Car Purchase – Jake was rear ended in November 2009 at a stop sign by the person behind him who failed to stop until she hit his car. His car was sandwiched between two cars and totaled. Thankfully he was wearing his seat belt. The insurance gave us some money to compensate for his car. Unfortunately his car was paid off and we had to adjust to having one car with business events, meetings, kids, school, and everything else for several months. We couldn’t find a car within the allotted price range so we continued to look. The market for used cars in our price range was low plus the “Cash for Clunkers” took additional used cars out of the market. Finally, in March 2010 we were able to locate a usable car within our budget that he could drive. I am thankful he now has a reliable car to drive.
Business Expenses – several years ago we started our business as a way to help others and LOVE it, however, in 2010 the expenses were higher than anticipated and God showed us clearly the direction he wanted our family to take. It has been an amazing journey seeing His hand working in our hearts, lives, and the business.
Jake’s Surgery – with the car accident from November 2009 Jake continued to have issues, we were hoping and praying that he would get better on his own, however, he had surgery in April to repair the damage. Thankfully, after the surgery and a few months of physical therapy he is doing better even though like any injury the damage is done and continues to have a ripple effect. We still haven’t been able to get the medical expenses covered from the person running into him (even though it has been over a year) but hopefully it will be done in 2011.
Roof Repair – in August 2010 we after a pretty steady period of rain storms we had a tree fall on our house. It was a domino effect of insurance, adjusters, roofers, and many more people trying to get it repaired before it rained again. We were thankful to have an acquaintance do the majority of the repairs and roof. It is amazing that you are required to pay insurance on time every month to get coverage, however, when you have a claim on it takes months to get the issue resolved. We still have a few minor repairs remaining but we are thankful to have a roof over our heads and the majority of the work completed.
Laptop – I have been fortunate enough to never have to purchase a new laptop. My husband has always been able to piece together a desktop or laptop for me to use from what he has available from doing work for others. This year the hand-me-down machine died and the laptop was slowly wearing out with a major crack in the screen. For my birthday I got my first ever new computer which has been a true blessing.

I will continue with the domino effect of repairs we had in the last few months of 2010 later this week. Thankfully we all made it to 2011 healthy and happy despite the adventure along the way.

Loosening My Grip is a series on areas in my life I am learning to let go of slowly. A couple months ago I was studying Jonah and one of the phrases that popped out at me was “Whatever you are holding on to in this life, hold it loosely so it won’t hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away.” I have found that in some areas God has had to pry my fingers off of whatever I am holding onto one finger at a time. There are areas in my life that I feel like I need control over and hold onto them tightly. I have been learning how to let go and hold loosely so God can do His work in my life.

As our kids got bigger we began to notice a trend pop up. Their toys began to break, batteries died, books got torn and so forth. Almost daily (or at least it seemed) our girls were bringing “broken” toys to have us fix for them whether it was gluing a broken toy, taping a book, sewing, or replacing batteries it took time to get fix them. The girls would often hover around during the fix up process causing more delays in getting them fixed or shedding in tears when the toy truly was broken beyond repair.

In our effort to streamline the toy repair in our house we created an “Ouchy Toy Box”. When a toy, book, or game broke, required repair, or was due for new batteries they would bring it to us like in the past but instead of fixing it on the spot or having it sit on our desk for days we would put the toy in the Ouchy Toy Box. Once a month or when the box was full we would set aside time to fix the toys in the Ouchy Toy Box. The best sight to see is an empty Ouchy Toy Box!

To create an Ouchy Toy Box find a cardboard box, crate, or any container that will hold a dozen or so toys. We use a small cardboard box with the words Ouchy Toy Box written on the outside. When a toy is broken the girls ask to put it in the box. Our box is up high on a shelf in the office so they cannot look into or dig through the box. The saying “Out of Sight Out of Mind” works well in this situation.

Here are our steps to repairing the toys (once a month or when the box was full):

The night before, after the kids are in bed, we go through the Ouchy Toy Box and clean out all the toys that were broken beyond repair and throw them away. Many times they have been in the toy box for at least a couple weeks and the girls no longer remember them or ask about them. This helps us clean out the broken ones without the trauma and tears over the broken toy.
The next day we set aside time in the evening to fix the broken ouchy toys, usually after dinner and baths. We begin the process while the girls are awake so they can see what we do to fix the toys. It gives us the opportunity to talk about why the toys are broken and how to take care of the things God gives us.
We lay the toys out on the table or desk with a combination of tools such as glue, batteries, screwdrivers, tape, needles, thread, scissors, and anything else that we may need so we are ready to fix the toys. (This allows us to get all the repair tools out only once a month instead of getting them out and putting them away every day).
We begin fixing the toys. As they are fixed the girls have an opportunity to play with them and then put them away in the toy box or book shelf. Depending how many toys you have to fix and the extent of the repairs we do several while they are watching us. We often start on the minor repairs first in case not all of them are fixable. (ie. taping a page in a book, sewing a button back on a stuffed animal, etc…)
We tuck the girls in bed before finishing all of the toys. Typically, it is much quicker to repair once they are in bed especially if you need a steady hand, are using a drill or other sharp tools.
Once the toys have been repaired we line them up on the table or fireplace for them to enjoy in the morning. It spreads the excitement and they have fun reunited with their toys. It helps teach them that it takes time to repair the toys, to trust us to fix their toys, and an appreciation for what they have.
They will often play with the toys for hours after being fixed Which is another added bonus. Rarely do we have to fix the same toy multiple times.

One of the most interesting effects of this system, which we didn’t anticipate happening when we first started doing it, was that they have fewer and fewer toys that need to go into the Ouchy Toy Box. It could be that they have learned to take better care of their toys (turn them off after using so the batteries don’t wear down, be gentle with their books, pick up the toys so they are not stepped on), maybe they don’t like going without them for several weeks, or it could be something entirely different. Whatever the reason, it is has worked at extremely well with our kids.

Doing this monthly or regularly once the box is full streamlines the process especially if you have all the tools ready to complete the task at hand. It prevents the tear shed of toys that have to be thrown away and it allows an opportunity to teach a lesson about taking care of the toys. You are not pressured to fix it now since you have a system in place. Many people that have come into our home office have laughed initially at seeing a box labeled Ouchy Toy Box, however, several of them have since adopted the system for their own families. It works, try it!