the sparkly life: That Time We Took A Wrecking Ball to Our Own Backyard (Plus, A Giveaway!)

Monday, December 9, 2019

That Time We Took A Wrecking Ball to Our Own Backyard (Plus, A Giveaway!)

Thank you to Abrams Books for sponsoring this post.

When my daughter recently picked up Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball, the latest book in the super popular Wimpy Kid series, I was reminded of our most recent home renovation project. As you may remember, last summer, we totally redid our backyard. And as part of that renovation, we built the treehouse you see here for our kids! (Well, we didn't build it--we have no talent in that area--a carpenter did!) All in all, we learned a ton during that backyard home improvement project, namely that...we hate home improvement projects!

I can't help it. Though we love the end result, the whole process definitely had its downsides. First, it started months after the proposed target start date--and then took months to complete. For that reason, my kids couldn't use our backyard (old version or new) at all for literally the entire summer. Then, there was the constant arguing with the contractors (when they randomly wouldn't show up or when they'd say things like "Oh? You didn't want to leave the tree house with just bare, unpainted plywood? Ok, then that's going to cost a lot extra.") And the money! Oh em gee, after our actual house, the entire backyard project was probably the most money we've ever spent at one time--and costs seemed to increase daily with every big and little decision we made. It was a rough time.  

But with all of that said, the expense and the constant headaches were ultimately worth it. We love our backyard! My kids have an awesome tree house--one that I would have killed for when I was a kid--and we have a great place to entertain. (And let me tell you: At every party we have, the adults always want to climb up and check out the treehouse, too!)

And now that my kids have seen a glimpse of what's possible, let's just say, they've got some big renovation dreams of their own these days. My daughter recently told me that she'd like to add a rock wall to her bedroom and a roller coaster to our backyard. (Lol.) Oh, and she wants to redo all of our floors so that they are "the same floors as roller rinks." Yeah, #notgoingtohappen. 

This new installment of Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid series (book #14!) tells the story of Greg Heffley and his family's attempts to do some renovations on their own home. They encounter even bigger issues than we did like mold and unwanted critters (!), but it's still a definite reminder that home improvement is never as easy as the TV shows may make it seem. 

My nine- year-old daughter--already a huge fan of the series--loved the book. She just finished her second reading of it and said it is "so funny!" And my six-year-old, early-reader son actually started it himself just the other day! He's going to be thrilled when I let him know that there are actually 13 other books in the series that he can now go back and read. :)

Now, as any mom knows, any book that holds both of my kids' interests, that they can't put down, and that they actually want to read more than once is a bit of a unicorn. For that reason, I really wanted to share the love, and I will be choosing one winner to win a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball courtesy of Abrams Books. To enter, please click here and follow the instructions in my Instagram post

Thank you, good luck, and happy reading (or renovating)!


28 comments:

Chelsae said...

When I was a teacher my kids always loved that series of books!

Unknown said...

Home improvement projects are so stressful - and always turn out more expensive that the plan. So glad that the end result is such a big success though and your kids will get years of joy from the tree house!

Amber said...

This is so cool and looks so fun!

Farrah said...

This is such a cool idea! I always wanted a treehouse when I was growing up. *-* I like your daughter's idea of the rock wall, haha, but understandable as to why that can't happen. :P

Dawn said...

Rock wall in the house?! Yes please! Awesome project!

Beth said...

It looks beautiful! Construction is a pain but the end result is amazing!

Unknown said...

We love books in our house! I've heard of this series before!

Unknown said...

I love these books

Unknown said...

These books are very interesting.

Unknown said...

I love reading these books. Helensanders_92

Vcresante said...

My daughter is obsessed! vcresante

Georgia said...

We love these books

melissa chapman said...

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is such a good series. Home renovations are always hard but usually worth it in the end.

Heather D said...

My kids would just love a treehouse like this one. We don't have any trees large enough. Love wimy kid books/movies too.

Marcie W. said...

Building a treehouse would be such a fun family project. It definitely serves as a perfect place to read.

Tammy said...

I haven’t heard of this series. The grand kids would love this.

AiringMyLaundry said...

I love this treehouse! I always wanted one as a kid. I wish we had a tree in our backyard for one.

Brianne said...

The Diary of a Wimpy kid books have provided hours of fun reading in the past. I want to get this book! Also, what an awesome tree house!

Authentic Food Quest said...

Home improvements projects are a chore, but it is always worth effort. That' s a great treehouse for your kids. Even though I've never heard of this series of books, it's always great when kids find their theme of books and are captivated by them. Beats watching TV any day :)

Agnes Dela Cruz said...

I wish we have a space for a backyard kids house. My daughter is a fan of that book!

Kathy said...

That turned out amazing! My daughters have always wanted a treehouse. I wish we had the right trees to do that. Also, my oldest is a fan of these books. I'm sure she'd love to read this one.

Terri Steffes said...

Whoa! That's incredible. What a great experience and one that is true to life. Love that you did this. Read these books to my students every year I was a teacher.

Wendy Polisi said...

I have always wanted a tree house. This is such a beautiful idea! I love those books too.

Lisa Favre said...

So cute! First of all, your backyard is the ultimate in backyard goals. Second, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has the best books for kiddos. I can't wait until my little one starts to read so that he can get into the series.

Ruth I said...

Oh I like this book series. And love your backyard house! It's so cool!

Rika said...

That's a fun backyard! My kids have always wanted a tree house, it sounds fun!

Leanne Wong said...

Interesting book series, thanks for the review. Also what a nice tree house you've built!

Kirtika Saha said...

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