Our kids have been struggling to fall asleep lately, and I think it's because of the extra daylight we're getting. Their bedrooms are so bright all day long it's like we live on the Sun.
Kyle recently had two super-star naps while we were at friends' houses, and in both cases the rooms had blackout blinds/shades. So I've been talking about getting something like that for a while. Warren wants to shop around at places like Home Depot, Rona and Canadian Tire, but we never have time for that. Plus, he's not exactly the 'install-anything-other-than-a-lightbulb' kind of guy.
Today I was at my wits end, so I took matters into my own hands and called Budget Blinds (we bought solar shades and faux wood blinds from them back in 2009). They are coming tomorrow to see if there is room to put in blackout shades behind the wood shades and to give us an estimate.
Whenever we are getting a job estimated we, as a couple, try to agree on a price. What would be our top-end amount we'd be willing to pay, so that when the estimate comes in there is less arguing...
Amanda: So, how much do you think we would pay for blackout shades, professionally installed, in the boys rooms?
Warren: (holds up some fingers indicating his number).
Amanda: (shakes her head, and holds up HER number, which is higher than his).
Warren: Hmm...I don't know about that.
Amanda: Well, okay then. But let's think of it this way...if we end up NOT getting the shades from them, then what are our options? Especially considering you have...no...installation skills?
Warren: (raises his eyebrows thoughtfully) Garbage bags and duct tape!
Amanda: (slumps her face into her hands and tries not to weep)
Warren: Okay, okay...ELECTRIC tape, because it's black and would match the bags.
Amanda: (looks up at him, lips pouting)
Warren: How about flags? A Heineken flag, or maybe a British Flag?
Amanda: (still speechless)
Warren: I know! Tin Foil!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
A Conversation With Warren
Posted by Amanda at 8:38 PM
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6 comments:
We do 3 layers of large white poster paper (so it doesn't look super tacky from the outside of the house - since we have our drapes lined with white fabric so it doesn't really look any different than usual) and it's stuck up with scotch tape.
We do this because I hated the quotes I got for classy blinds :) Also, Shane and I do the same thing when we source out quotes by each giving our high ends! Less arguments like you mentioned and less shock when they wind up higher because we know it's not even an option.
Also, have you considered adding black our fabric to the back of some drapes in the boys' rooms? It might be a good option if there's no room for the shades behind your blinds.
PS. Gave my iPad to warren last night so he could 'approve' this post - which I always do with the conversation posts - so that I know I recounted it accurately. This was his stream of comments as he read it...
"Living on the SUN? Really? One minute you're complaining that our house is dark and dingy, and then it's too bright".
"Heheh...this is funny stuff. Comedy gold."
"I actually said Metalica flag, but British flag is good too".
Also, he said " I'll have you know I have trouble with light bulbs too'.
Metallica flag? Well, that changes EVERYTHING! ;)
Doesn't it feel like you would pay ANYTHING to get your kids to sleep? If the blackout shade doesn't work you could try black out fabric on curtains. That's what we did and it worked really well. Good luck!!!
I love your conversations.
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