Anyway, without any patience left I've been systematically tackling things that have been long overdue. Today's little thorn that was plucked from my side? The (would-be) sandpit. My son is a sand devil at daycare. He comes home with the stuff in his hair, in his shoes, in his underwear and, most distressingly of all, in his ears*. When we built Charlotte's fort (which I've just realised I never documented! Stay tuned!) it seemed logical to include a sandpit. And I built a very sturdy one using thick sleepers bolted together with galvanised iron brackets...which then proceeded to languish empty and unused throughout the winter.
Given that the Viking is three the sandpit days in our house are probably numbered so high on my list of "spring cleaning" activities was finishing this job so it did actually get used as a sandpit at some point rather than languishing as a lawn ornament before graduating to veggie patch or compost bin. Let me give you some advice now. If you need something to break you out of child-related procrastination, there's nothing quite like the child themselves to motivate you. Tell a three-year-old he's getting a sandpit this weekend and by golly you better pony up a freakin' sandpit this weekend woman.
I foolishly mentioned we might finish the sandpit over the weekend on Friday night. I spent all Saturday cleaning like a demon and was then out until three in the morning with a friend on Saturday night (not even drinking mind you, but three in the morning is still three in the morning). The last thing I felt like doing today was hauling sand. But when the Viking jumped on me early in the morning the first thing he said was, "it's time to get up and make my sandpit Mama". My choices were somewhat limited to produce the sandpit already or face Armageddon.
I had the frame, I had the weed mat, I just needed a huge amount of sand. You can buy sandpit sand for $15 a sack at my beloved Bunnings. Unfortunately I would have needed 20 sacks minimum. You can, however, buy it in bulk from your friendly landscape supplier for much, much cheaper ($30 for a quarter of a cubic metre, $52.50 for half). First thing's first though, I needed a trailer. For which I called my brother and sister in-laws, Jenny and Chris. Chris was on his way out with a load of green waste and asked me if I wanted him to swing past, collect me and we'd grab the sand at the same time. Sure, I said, but that means you have to hang around until I've finished shifting it. No problem, Chris replied, I'll help you do that.
I love, love, love Chris. What a champ! :) So in fairly short order I found myself swinging back home with a trailer full of sand for my sandpit. Photos and tips? Absolutely!
1.) Use weed mat. It's tempting to think that half a foot or more of sand will kill the grass and its ambitions for world domination. Ever seen a sand dune? Put the weed mat down. In fact, make it double thickness and make sure it goes under the walls of your pit if you can.
2.) Be careful with how much sand you actually get. I figured I'd need about a third of a cubic metre but showing up to the landscape supplier I realised it came in quarter or half measures. Hmm. I dithered a bit. It's a big sandpit, not sure a quarter will cut it...then I thought sand's pretty heavy and I've had at least one popped-tyre experience previously hauling wet sand. In the end I decided to play it safe and I went the quarter. Best decision EVER. As soon as it landed in the trailer I wondered whether it would even fit in what was beginning to seem like quite a small sandpit.
3.) Make sure you have sandpit toys and a cover on hand. The kids are going to want to land in it immediately and play up a storm. When they're done you need to cover that stuff up before it becomes the local urinal for the kitty population. Not to mention sticks, leaves and other assorted debris. Keep your sand in tip-top condition with a handy cover.
That's Chris and Jenny's daughter (Cousin) Chloe playing with Miss Pink and the little Viking. Quite the good time had by all accounts. One more long overdue task off the list for the cost of $30 and whatever I decide to get Chris to say thank you for being such a hero. Next up? Laundry shelving...
* "Me and Livvy were seeing how much sand we could fit in our ears."
