Children make Useful Tenants.

Maybe! Certainly I believe that they don't necessarily present a health hazard to a rental property in the way most agents and landlords would really like to be able to believe (and we so struggled getting accepted for a house this time - odds are, that was why!!!).

This house has had a terrible dirt patch problem the size of the space behind Little H#1 (above) since we moved in. The pavers were wrecked by the previous tenants (no children involved, just adults parking a car on pavers that weren't meant for it... and sinking the pavers very deeply - as we discovered after the boys, Daddy and Grandpa shovelled and moved all the potting mix stuff that was thrown over the hole after the pavers were removed).

It was an unsustainable situation for us. Had to be re-paved. We took the house "as is" I suppose, and knew it wasn't worth asking the Landlord to re-pave. Though he should have I am sure! Anyway, we got permission to put all the pavers back  - they were just piled up around the side of the backyard, so we didn't have a great deal of trouble with sourcing the bricks.

Grandpa is the experienced one among us so he knew what needed to be done, and set about with Matthew and the two eldest Little H's while I took the other 2 out for most of the day.

Little H#1 with the space to be paved behind him. Grandpa flattening the space. Matthew was involved but behind the camera for all these photos!!

Boys working with Grandpa!

Little H#1 shifted all of these himself for Grandpa and Daddy. The bricks also had to be cleaned before they could be relaid, and all old soil etc scraped off them. Another job the boys did very well.

Little H#2 laying his own pavers. He worked out the geometric pattern, and did a good deal himself. Fantastic for his age. 6!!! Well actually I think fantastic for any age!!

Little H#2 concentrating hard on laying the bricks in place.

Little H#3 was home in time to lay the final brick and hammer it in with the rubber mallet. So glad he got this job!

He looks pretty pleased with it himself! Sacrificial for the boys to let him do that too, I was proud of them for (amongst many other things) allowing him to do the last brick and finish "their" job.

Filling the gaps with sand / metal before coming in for tea. They wouldn't come in till they'd finished their work. Thankfully they worked so hard and the job was finished by 5pm!!!

A major day's work and a major achievement for our family, especially our boys. The hardest they have ever worked. Ever. No complaints, no problems, brilliant teamwork and totally dependable.

Whilst homeschooling probably can't take the credit, what I do know is that if it hadn't opened our minds to expecting more from children and what they are capable of, allowing them to do "real things" and teaching us - as well as them - that they can make a valuable contribution to Real Life, they probably wouldn't have done (or learned) half of what they did this Easter Saturday.

Just fantastic. :)