Home improvement always looks really easy and simple when you watch it on any type of home improvement show on TV, but is it not really that easy in reality.

Improving your home is not always as easy as it looks on TV. My parents have been working on stuff around our house to paint and remodeled. They asked me if I would be willing to help them when I was home on my Christmas break from school. I said yes, of course, but little did I know what I was in for. Now, I'm not saying that any of this is bad, but if you are going to do anything around your house to improve it, make sure you prepare everything before you start doing any of the work. Also, I'm not a professional, so I can't answer all of your questions relating to doing things around your house, but this is just what I've learned.

First off, if you're painting, make sure you know all of the spots in your house that you want to paint. If you're changing the color, great, enjoy! If you're not and you want to keep it the same color, color match it. Make sure you take a sample with you when you go to the store. But be careful when you take your sample off of the wall. If not you'll end up like me and make a little gash in the wall that will have to be filled later. After you've gotten your paint and you've made sure that you have all your supplies, make sure to clean the walls, otherwise, the dust can make it really hard to paint...I may have made that mistake and had to backtrack. Now, I know it may sound easy, but be prepared because once you get in a swing and start painting whole rooms, it can get really tiring, so be ready. Also, be warned, your arms may be sore the next day. There are many other ways that you can improve your home, but this is just what I have been taking a part in so far.

When it comes to cleaning out your house, I had a wonderful adventure of traveling to the local dump in the rain. Some advice for going to the dump is to first off make sure you know the qualifications for your dump and how they want you to be able to bring your stuff. Also, make sure you know if they want it covered or not and all of that fun stuff. After you've gotten all your info figured out, if what you're taking sticks out of the back if you are just using a car, make sure you tie it down. It's okay to be crafty and inventive with your tying down, to keep all of the stuff from falling out of your car. If it is raining, like it was for me, and your ties go over you back windshield, DO NOT turn on your back wiper. That accidentally happened and a few minutes of "Is the bungee chord still on? Are we good? Is anything flying away?" conversations occurred. So don't freak yourself out unintentionally, it is not fun.

Just some last minute reminders, watch out for things that could poke your hands, wear gloves, make sure everything is tied down, make sure you have all of your supplies and if you are going to the dump, double check you have all the stuff you wanted to take there.

Happy Home Improving!