Handy Mommy..plus plus

The one thing about home-making that I learned from my father is basic home repairs. My dad had a tool box that would put any plumber to shame. Truth be told, he had enough tools to put an electrician and mechanic out of business. I remember he had this huge wooden barrel slash bar that he turned into his tool shed. He had a set of shot glasses filled with all sorts of screws, nuts and bolts, and all sorts of small metal parts that he saved up from old appliances. Yup, he was OC that way.

Other than changing a light bulb, I learned to rewire, change a flat, tweak a car’s idling, and plumbing. So when I started making my own home, I assembled my own tool kit that would do my Papa proud.

I have my set of screwdrivers, wrenches, several pliers, llaves, torque wrenches, pipe wrenches….etc etc. I also have a ready set of teflon and small pipe implements for those emergency plumbing jobs. And the list goes on.

This morning my kids saw me doing some plumbing in the laundry area. I was installing the abang for the new washing machine that I would be buying. From the dining room they were observing how I methodically assembled a 2-way faucet (with small pipes and my ever-reliable teflon), closed the water main, and screw the assembly into the wall.

What happened next was testament to the many hats that I wear in this household.

Me : “Just in case we don’t have money anymore, I can always take on tubero jobs.”
Gaby : “Yah, di ba they’re so expensive?” (I think she overheard a conversation between me and the hubs about the exorbitant tubero rates)
Me : “Yup. We will become rich if I become a tubero. Then we will put up signs on all the postes.”
Adi : “I WANNA HELP! I WANNA HELP!”
Me : “Everyone can help. Even Ate Arlyn.”
Gaby : “Mama, you should add Driver, Chef, and Tutor to your signs para more people will hire you. Then we’ll be really really rich!!’