How to Turn the Inconvenience of a Kitchen Remodel into a Family Adventure

Any mother with little children floating around the house knows how a slight diversion from a structured routine can add levels of stress you never thought were possible. Kids react differently to adults when confronted with changes to routine and most don’t handle those upsets as well as you’d like.

So then, you know you need to remodel that outdated kitchen to make life easier on you going forward, but what can you do to maintain a healthy balance while the work is being completed? How about making that inconvenient kitchen remodel into an adventure to be enjoyed? Here are a few tips on how to manage that.

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Plan the Remodel During Warmer Months of Summer

Unless literally everything in your kitchen stops working or springs a leak in the dead of winter, the key to surviving a kitchen remodel is to plan it for a time when the weather is warm enough to spend a great deal of time outdoors. You will have workers trudging in and out of your home, often leaving doors open where the little people can quickly escape through, and much of your time will be rounding up escapees. If you plan that remodel during the summer, you can spend days at the park or visiting friends so that they are not underfoot while the work is being completed.

Family Barbeques Are an Absolute Must!

You will often hear advice that says to put a microwave, convection oven or even a hot plate in another room so that you can cook while the new appliances are being installed. While that is a good idea, don’t let that be your only option in cooking. Since summer is the time of year when everyone likes to barbeque every week or two, why not barbeque several nights out of the week and then build a bonfire in the firepit for the kids to make S’mores with a campfire recipe. These tasty treats are a huge hit and most little people can’t wait to go camping just to make their own sweet treats over the fire.

Backyard Camping to Complete the Adventure

Backyard camping in the summer is often a way to keep the little ones entertained in between times when vacations away from work are not possible. For stay-at-home moms, this isn’t an issue because any time is a good time to get away to go camping, but when dad works, waiting to get away can be unbearable on the kids. While you obviously can’t get away while workers are in the house remodeling the kitchen, you can plan your backyard camping adventure to coincide with the days they will be on the premises doing what contractors do! Dad can enjoy the time as well because he can come home at night to a burger grilled to perfection and those tasty S’mores the kids are impatient to take turns making.

These are just a few ideas on how to turn the inconvenience of deviating from that all-important structure kids need into an adventure. With a little time to plan and a bit of creativity, you can find ways to keep the kids occupied (and on schedule) while the work is being done. Once back in that lovely new kitchen, it’s time for mom’s adventurous pursuit of the culinary arts to begin anew.