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A dad's MacGyver moment
Filed under: Just For Dads, Toys
Yesterday I wrote about my search for the perfect birthday present for my 3-year-old daughter. Today, I come to you victorious.
I bought a sandbox. It's odd, because I was looking for something small, and something that didn't have to live at our house. The large, green, plastic turtle that will eventually get filled with 100lbs of sound is neither, but -- given how much my daughter obsesses over the sandbox at the park -- I figured it'd be a fun present. (Plus, it was only $30, which leaves plenty of birthday budget available for other, more practical things.)
But the joy of finding such an awesome gift quickly subsided when I discovered that large, green, plastic turtles that are meant to hold large amounts of sand are very difficult to fit in Mazda sedans.
So there I was, standing in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, holding my enormous turtle box, and wondering what to do.
I tried to shove it in through the backdoor behind the driver's seat -- no luck. I tried to shove it in the trunk -- even less luck. Then I took the turtle out of the box (I'd been working for about 10 minutes at this point), and tried to shove that in the backseat -- foiled again!
That's when I discovered that the radius of the circle was such that it would just barely fit, width-wise, into my trunk. Ok. The problem was, the trunk wasn't deep enough, so the sandbox stuck out of the back, making it impossible to close the trunk. And, unfortunately, I didn't have any string to tie it down, because, in all honesty, I figured I'd be purchasing something that would fit in a backpack, and never imagined I'd standing in the parking lot while a giant plastic reptile consumed my car.
However, I did have a kite, and a deflated helium balloon (I never clean out my vehicle). The kite was old and broken because my daughter always lets go of it -- but the string was still more or less intact. I didn't have any scissors, or a knife, but I was able to use my keys to "cut" a length of string, and used that to tie down the trunk. But that string was thin, and looked a little precarious, so I re-enforced it with the ribbon from the deflated balloon, which sufficiently secured the sandbox for the duration of the trip back to my house.
Viola! The turtle now lives at my house, and I feel like MacGyver. Huzzah.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-06-2007 @ 11:16AM
TuscanMom said...You go Jonathon!
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 11:29AM
Tamyu said...Very very timely. My son will be 3 on Friday, and we plan to buy him a sandbox.
Unfortunately... My car is probably even smaller than yours. A trunk? What`s that?!
But I figure as I have fit an entire plastic outdoor playhouse in there, I can fit a sandbox in. Right?
Wish me luck.
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 11:40AM
queenoqueens said...After a rough morning, you just made me laugh. Sometimes the universe just goes "Machiavelli" on your ass, and conspires against you getting the simplest tasks done. I feel that I'm in MacGyver mode much of the time. One such recent moment was when I was tasked at the last minute with putting together a craft project for 15 girl scouts. I was *determined* to do it with only items I had in the house. I did it, and the project was a success (and I was singing "We are the Champions" in my head after that).
So here's a pat on the back Johnathon.......good job! 1 point for Johnathon....0 points for the "malevalent universe".
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 1:44PM
whheydt said...Which goes to show that you should always carry some line--anything from "parachute cord" to 1/2" nylon rope in the car. You never know when you'll need it.
I once helped someone get a disabled car off the freeway using multiple strands of 1/4" line. Use enough of them, and you can successfully tow another vehicle--at least a short distance.
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 1:43PM
Jill said...Now, bonus points in a year if you've kept the neighbor's cats out of it, enough rain out of it that it hasn't molded, and she's still enjoying it in a year. I failed (as you might have guessed).
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 5:30PM
Amy said...That sand box will live forever! I bought one, used, for my son when he was 1. He's almost 18. The sand box, minus eyes now, lives at my sister's house for her kids. When my kids bless me with grandkids, I expect the turtle to find its way back home!
Enjoy the sand and make sure you put the cover on every night!
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 10:21PM
Alice said...My 3 year old and 1 year old have that same box too, we got it from a family on freecycle. It's awesome, they love it.
Reply