Moms and Women: Handyman Tools You Must Have at Home for Easy Repairs!

Being separated or being a single mom for more than seven years made me acquired some skills as handyman, [handy-mom] exclusive in our home only. I am proud to say that I am able to fix most minor repairs and some major repairs at our own home. Although now, I am not single anymore, because I fall in love again, but now to a Foreign man--an American, but he most of the time is away. He is in his State working and comes back here three or four times a year. That being said, I am the only capable adult, the mom who maintains our home and also perform repairs.

Having my own set of tools that I keep using all these years give me a feeling of accomplishment. Also, my tools keep on growing in number because once I fix or repair things myself I will figure out that I need to get another tool that will help me fix/repair easily next time. I am thankful that most groceries nowadays have a section where you can get tools and those sections of tools are very convenient for me, I assume as well for other moms, women like me. I always find myself checking the tools section, because just being there will remind me of what tools--big or small that I can or should get for my next repair.

When my foreign love comes home, he won't have any issues finding the tools he needs for an easy repair, because I have these basic tools. He always find something to fix when he's here. I thought I did fix everything before he comes home, I was trying to because I was hoping that when he's here we will just spend most of our time cuddling together, but still he's finding something to fix, I guess it's his way of relaxing or taking a break.

I am almost convinced that that's the way men are, they love to build and repair things. It makes them more masculine and happier when they know they can build and fix some things, so when I see that he's content and happy using the tools we have at home, that makes me even happier. Also, I am confident that he's so proud that I am able to fix things myself and I can say that's one of the things he admires about me, because I am an independent mom with acquired skills of a handy-mom, I think.

Few years back when I was fixing things myself, I look at it as a burden. I feel emotionally bad and devastated, because I used to feel and thought, "I am not supposed to be fixing those repair that a man are supposed to do." Before, I was fixing things because nobody else was around but me to fixed and worked on those small repairs. I was renting an apartment, so then when things were needed to be fixed and when I call the maintenance, the landlord, my dad, my brother--it will take them few days or even weeks before they show up.

There are small serious repairs that can't wait, so then I have no choice but to learn and try to fix them myself, because those people that I asked to come to fix those issues takes forever to show up. There are some small issues at home that yes you can ignore, but I am telling you when those small issues started to file up, then I feel that they are all yelling at me, so then those issues that were yelling at me forced me to try to fix them myself that later on I became skillful I can claim. The repair jobs that I used to hate before, now I really enjoy doing and after seeing that I accomplished--able to fix things, I feel this accomplishment. It always gives me the feeling of being proud, feeling of being more valuable, adaptive, independent mom and woman.

Now, let me tell you what are the tools, major tools, big or small that I find very helpful and I look at them as necessity at home.

I still remember the day when I didn't have a single tool at home. I still laugh at it when I remember what provoked me to get a hammer and set of nails--my very first set of tools at home. I bought a small painting and I wanted to hang it on the wall, because I have no hammer that time, I knocked to one of my neighbors next door to borrow a hammer.

There was already a trace of hole and a nail that was attached on the wall, all I need to do was to pull the nail a little bit and then make it to a point where I can hang the frame. When I was pulling the nail, it was so old that it broke leaving the half part of it under the wood, so then I have no choice but to get a new nail to cover that unpleasant hole and to hang my frame. I knew I had no spare nail in my home that time, so I just decided to knock on my other neighbor, because I feel awkward to ask the same neighbor who lent me the hammer. I felt that it's not good to ask favor twice, so then I just try different neighbor.

Believe me or not, I ended up knocking to my few neighbors door before I finally found the spare nail that I felt was a good fit for my frame. That incident of knocking in few different doors to ask for a spare nail was an eye opener for me. That made me realized that not very many people or household bother to keep tools on their home. Most of my neighbors I asked for a spare nail that time ended up telling me that they also just borrow or ask from neighbors too if they need to repair something. I don't want to go around again borrowing tools, so then I told myself it's a good investment to have those basic handyman tools.

This is one of my favorite handyman tools, a Philips Screwdriver. I find this tool very helpful almost all the time. I use this mainly in fixing light switch, handle of kitchen cabinets, closet and a lot more. When I am fixing fluorescent bulbs or any light bulbs, I have no problem opening the light switch that's normally attached in the wall using Philips screwdriver.

It's also advisable to have some spare screws because there are times that you will accidentally lost your screws while you are fixing anything, so then if you have lost one or two, you will not worry because you know that you have extra screws that you can grab to replace those lost screws. Also, it's a good investment to have at least two different types of screwdrivers at home, a Flat head screwdriver and Philips screwdriver are commonly use, although I keep noticing that I use my Philips screwdriver more often than the Flat head.

I love adjustable wrench because I can use it at home, in my car and my children's bicycles. I also notice that Long Nose Pliers works well with Adjustable Wrench or in my observation they can always work good together as a team although they can be each use alone. I just happen to observe that when I need to use my Adjustable Wrench, I need to have my Long Nose Pliers within my reach. There are times that I use solely my Adjustable Wrench in fixing faucet, sinks and pipes, but there are also times that I normally grab my Long Nose Pliers with my Adjustable Wrench when I have to fix my car battery or any small minor tightening and maintenance with my car and my children's bicycles.

I use this tool mainly for safety. I can't emphasis enough how this tool helps me so much in regards of being safe. Because I am not tall, I am just an average Filipina, about 5 feet and 1 inch tall, when I need to change light bulbs, I don't want to risk myself standing on top of a table or chair to reach high places. The fact that I stand on top of table or chair still doesn't make me tall enough to reach those high places and ceilings, so then I really find this tool very useful. Also, even if you are tall this tool is always a good investment, I look at this tool as my assurance of safety.

There are other tools that I have and I very much find useful, but these few tools that I've described above I consider them as necessity, because I normally use them a lot, so then it is highly recommended for every mom, woman to invest or keep these tools around, whether there is or there is no man in the house you will find all these tools helpful. These tools enable me to be more confident, more independent and also save me money in the long run, because I don't have to pay somebody else to fix those minor repairs that I can fix myself.

Also, I am not getting frustrated anymore when there is a repair needed to be fixed in the sense that I don't have to keep waiting or I don't have to keep calling for a real handyman to show up. When there are things needed to be fixed at home, I will try to fix them myself first and when I was not able to fix them, then that's the time I know it's a serious fix then an experienced or professional maintenance person is needed.

For all moms, women out there, try investing on basic tools and try using them yourself, but precede with caution, you might enjoy fixing or repairing things at home like I do and you will find it's very good feeling of accomplishment when you're able to fix things yourself that you always thought a man's work which in fact it can be done by mom and woman like us.