Building Knowledge Is My Business

The original intent of this blog was to track my journey of renovating, starting a business, and beginning a family.  I have posted several times about the first and third, but barely touched on what type of business I am doing.  When J and I moved here from the sunshine state I was teaching 4th grade and had decided that my passion was definitely with the younger age group, namely preschool and kindergarten.  I discovered that due to a series of local budget cuts preschool was getting the proverbial boot to cover the state wide switch to all day kindergarten.  This essentially left me with two options: complete my master's degree so my out of state license would be transferable or use my business savvy and years of experience to start my own preschool.  While I still intend to complete my Master's degree I could not do so in the 6 months between us deciding to move and actually packing up and trekking north across the Mason Dixie line so beginning a business it was!


The house when we purchased it.

The only reason I can think of as to why we decided to renovate is because we're insane, but in the meantime I needed to generate some income and build a reputation so that when the doors of my pre-k studio open I will have an established foundation.  This is the part that makes me really crazy!  Not only did we make the choice to stay with my parents during this renovation process, but I also work with my mom.  She's had an in-home daycare since I was 8 years old and working with her allowed me a rent free space and the luxury of working under somebody else's license while I learned the ropes.

The walk out basement my mom uses for her daycare.

 

It hasn't always been easy because we are essentially running two different businesses under one roof, but the payoff has exceeded my expectations.  There have been difficult moments like 90 degree days with only a window AC unit, a flooded basement, and the addition of a Taj Mahal size dog crate in an already tight space thanks to our Million Dollar Puggle. In the end though I was able to build up a solid client base and because I originally started out with three kids my mom's kids provided them with valuable social interaction during our daily free play.

Our first school year has been over since last month and I am thankful for my lax schedule this summer as we move toward the final push to complete our house.  With my experience in a Core Knowledge School I did not think twice about ordering and adhering to their curriculum and with a plethora of ideas on Pinterest it was a blast planning my thematic units each week.  I am looking forward to expanding my business and becoming a contributor in the community but when I look back I know I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this first year and the kids that I was lucky enough to have as my students!

My first three Preschool kids!  So excited two will be here in the fall, but sad to lose one to Kindergarten.

Hitting a Wall

We've hit a wall! While many people spent their Fourth of July weekend/week manning a grill, working on their tan, and enjoying time with family and friends, we spent our week working.  Never will be too soon to see rolls of fiberglass insulation and foam board, in fact I would probably go into convulsions just seeing cotton candy which I have sworn off for life after rolling it's close cousin into my 83 year old balloon framing.  Here's a crash course on what we did and why:

Notice the white color between the wall studs.  We lined each stud cavity with a polystyrene product that acts as an insulation and seals the walls to prevent air infiltration.  To really seal it up we used spray foam which I highly recommend following the directions for and using tight fitting gloves because my fingers were black in areas where it made contact with my skin!  We put the foam in first, then spray foamed around the perimeter of each piece and also around any areas air could get in or out of the house such as plumbing pipes and electrical boxes.  The white pieces in the ceiling that look like inverted egg crates are called baffles.  The baffle creates a small tunnel like cavity to allow air to flow between the soffit and the roof vent. Unlike the walls you want to allow air flow in your ceiling to prevent ice damming which creates unwanted moisture and icicles of mammoth proportions!

After we had foamed and sealed everything it was time to roll the fiberglass insulation.  While the fiberglass rolls would have been sufficient in the walls we went the extra mile with the foam to get a higher R value which means we are limiting the airflow in and out of the house so you get less heat loss and gain which is a huge energy savings!  You could not skip to this step in the ceiling though because without baffles the fiberglass would clog the soffits and create moisture problems of epic proportions!  There was nothing baffling with our choice on that one:)

The blue walls you see is 1/2 inch polyisocyanurate which has a reflective foil that is installed facing the exterior.  This serves to reflect the suns radiant heat so the heat from the sun stays outside and the temperature of the house is controlled by your thermostat not the exterior climate conditions.  Having a professional spray foam this area will yield only slightly better results for approximately 3x the cost.

Rolled insulation is exactly what it sounds like.  It comes in large hay bale like rolls and can come faced or unfaced.  The facing is like a craft paper covering on one side which is pictured.  This unfortunately did not cut down on the itch factor and even wearing a mask, long sleeves, jeans, and leather gloves in 85 degree heat did not stop the small fiberglass fibers from bestowing on us what can only be compared to full blown allergy season.  Itchy eyes, cotton mouth, and prickling skin were the unwelcome side effects of working with this innocent looking pink fluff!

After a week of sweating and swearing we passed our insulation inspection and waited for drywall to begin.  We waited, waited, and waited.  After yet another ugly go-around with our builder we are finally moving forward and the walls and ceiling are going in!  Meanwhile... since patience in not one of my virtues and construction had hit a wall, I hit back!

Before:1930's Coal Room

After: Goodbye coal room, hello office space!



ACL is an Acronym for Accounts Crested (their) Limit

The Million Dollar Puggle strikes again!  It has been one week today since Milo was put under to have his torn ACL repaired and half of his meniscus removed.  Seven days of carrying him outside to do his business then lending a supporting hand on his hind quarters so he doesn't topple over while assuming the squatting position.  One hundred sixty eight hours of removing and replacing his cone of shame every time he eats, drinks, or nature calls.  Eight hundred twenty five milligrams of pain medication dispensed, four shot of morphine, and two follow up visits to the vet.  Total hours of sleep?  Milo = 120; Me = 30

As I type this at 11am I consider spiking my coffee just to get through the day.  I fail to understand why Milo gets a script but I don't.  I am exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, sleep deprivation, incomplete though processing, and infrequent but sometime extreme bitchiness! Today I found myself getting upset when I saw another dog at the vet having it's sutures removed for the same operation as Milo, meanwhile my little guy looks like he's knocking on heaven's door.

With all the costs we have incurred with this pup in addition to our ongoing money pit of a house, J and I sat down and had the heartbreaking discussion of our snuggle puggle's possible end of life plan.  Our amazing veterinarian and longtime family friend interceded and offered his services gratis so we would only need to cover the expenses of the equipment and materials used.  I could have cried I was so relieved and in exchange for his generosity J and I offered to help prepare the clinic for their upcoming 25 year anniversary party.  He graciously accepted and we spent 10 hours of our weekend stripping, waxing, and polishing floors.

This would be the perfect happy ending except Milo is notorious for his mischief and took advantage of my complete exhaustion late last night.  After a wonderful time catching up with some out of town family and treating ourselves to a gourmet meal we drove home refreshed and renewed.  Milo was apparently not so relaxed and insisted on ramming his plastic cone against the bars of his crate for 20 minutes straight.  My sympathy prevailed over logic and I removed his cone to give him a brief reprieve and within seconds he was sawing logs and dreaming of frolicking in the waves of his beloved dog beach.  At some point I dozed off on the couch and woke to the sound of licking which I instinctively knew was not a good sign.

During my brief cat nap Milo had managed to pull his wrap down past his sutures and the cotton was strewn haphazardly across his bed as if he had just gutted one of his favorite toys.  I immediately woke J and we assessed the damage.  While the area appeared to be irritated from the friction of the licking, it seemed to still be intact so I used what I had on hand and frog taped the wrap back together knowing in less than 8 hours he would be at the vet for his recheck.

What I just discovered is that in 8 hours canine saliva can wreak havoc on a wound and cause inflammation and infection.  So now through his morphine haze Milo sits next to me in his crate gazing at me as I massage my temples and pray for and end that doesn't include a wheel or another swipe of plastic because my accounts and sanity have crested their limit!