DIY Nerf Target Rig

Nerf: It's what's for dinner.

...no wait, that isn't right.


Nerf: when you care enough to send the very best...

no, not that either.


Nerf: The happiest place on earth.

I feel like I'm getting closer. One last try:


Nerf: don't leave home without it.



hmmm, perhaps I'll get it figured out by the end of this. However it goes, what good is playing with Nerf guns if you have nothing to shoot at? Godzilla (he's 8 and doesn't care for the nickname much any more, we're going to have to come up with something new soon)loves his Nerf guns. We've amassed a small stockpile of arms over the last few years, and he keeps a small tactical bag full of empty TP rolls and water bottles to set on ledges for target practice. It works, well enough, but we usually end up with these "targets" littering the floor when he's done and he constantly has to stop to reset the range. So the time came when we had to step up our game. This is how we took Nerf target shooting to a whole new level.

It starts with PVC pipe, and it ends with cardboard. I know, it's a long parts list, but I have confidence you can keep up. Seriously, the whole thing came together for about $10.

The boys and I ran out to Lowes one morning and gathered the pipe we needed. It's a simple frame, with stabilizing legs on either side of the base. We started with 2, 10 foot 3/4 inch pipes, and enough 90 degree and "T" fittings to make all the joints. You could use a smaller diameter pipe, but you will lose some of the rigidity of the frame, so we stuck with 3/4 inch. You also need to pick up three 1 inch to 3/4 inch "T" fittings. These will slide loosely over the top bar of your frame and allow the targets to swing freely when hit with the Nerf dart. The smaller opening on these fittings will still fit snugly to your pipe and serve as the arm which will hold your eventual targets.

To assemble the Nerf target rig, measure and cut your PVC carefully. Our legs are about 3.5 feet tall, with a 3 foot gap, and 8 inch feet. Be sure when you are planning the lengths, to account for the target arms. We went a little taller than we should have, and ended up needing to use part of a third pipe we already had laying around the house to finish filling out the target arms. Once everything is cut to size, simply dry assemble the rig by sliding the pipes into the fittings, making sure to press them securely into place. You can use an adhesive if you don't want to ever take it apart, but we've found it's nice to be able to take the feet off to store the rig under a bed or at the back of a closet.


When it comes to the targets, you need some stiff corrugated cardboard and a child with the desire to draw or at least color in concentric circles. My daughter busted out some markers and a few coffee cans/tape rolls/paint cans to get the ball rolling on targets to hang, and eventually, we had a full range of targets to hang. I even knocked out a classic comic "BAM!" to add to the mix. To get the targets on your rig, slice tiny wedges into the PVC target arms. They need to be thick enough at the opening to slide the cardboard into, but thin enough up the pipe to hold it snugly.

All that is left now, is to set it up and load up your Nerf gun, then watch the darts fly! Oh, and I remember how the saying goes now:

Nerf: Mikey likes it!

What I bring to the table...

As our kids' birthdays came close, my wife and I began talking about what we could do for them for gifts this year. Nat was turning 11, and Godzilla would be 7. Every year we take a family trip in leu of throwing a party, and the kids love it. We have done zoos and water parks and resorts and museums, all requiring a long drive, and most needing a night in a hotel (hello, pool!) This year would be no different, as we planned a day at Holiday World in southern Indiana. Apart from the trip, we wanted to give them something that would be fun and used daily around the house, and so we started looking at Lego tables.

Who doesn't love Lego? We have tubs of the little plastic bricks, and no real dedicated place to play with them. The best options are usually either the kitchen table, or the toddler height train table. Seeing as how we like to eat at the kitchen table, and our toddler height toddler likes to put things in his mouth, neither of those options are actually good options for a Lego table for our house.

So, we settled on making a table which would solve those two problems, Pinterest is full of ideas on how to create a table for use with Lego bricks. Unfortunately, most of them include this instruction: "Glue multiple base plates to a table." Have you priced Lego base plates? Have you counted how many you would need to cover a table large enough to actually give your growing kids room to play? The answers to those questions told me to find a better way. So here's my response.

The Neverending Roof

When you own a house, you own everything that comes with it, and that includes leaky roofs. After putting it off for as long as we possibly could, it was time to bite the bullet and install a new roof. Unfortunately, having someone else install a new roof on your house is expensive, and my budget couldn't quite cover it this year. Obviously, there is another option, but after two weeks, it is one I would never suggest anyone take: DIY.

I'm not saying it can't be done. I'm simply saying that your old body will regret ever taking on such a challenge. My knees always hurt to begin with, but after spending 8-12 hours on a roof, I'm amazed when they show up still attached. The same thing goes for my back, because there is no way one can install a new roof without doing a significant amount of bending over.

Building a Kids Tool Box

See, just a little guy!

Ever since he was just a little guy, Godzilla has been in love with tools. It started when he was just walking, and he picked up my cordless drill (no bit in it of course) and carried it around with him, with the biggest grin on his face. We knew right then, what he would be getting for Christmas that year.

Fast forward four years to today. He got some money for his birthday, so we made a trip to Toys R Us. What did he find to buy, but a tool set. While we had looked at everything, from Lego to superheros to cars and trains, once we found a real tool set with a real tool belt, and a wooden dump truck he could build with it, the decision was made.

Then we came home and he let me know in no uncertain terms that he would not be building his truck until he had a tool box to keep his new tools in.

Milk Planets

I opened the fridge today and found we had a ton of milk. Now, this is an odd occurrence, but I had an idea on how to make the most of it. We have been collecting bottle lids all summer, planning to use them to make milk planets. It doesn't take much, and it has a little science lesson to go along with it.

You start with a little milk (whole is better than skim - see the science below for why), three or four food colors, several lids, some dish soap and a few cotton swabs.

6 Days in a 7x7 Room Never Looked so Good

So, my bathroom got renovated this past week. Not being the richest family in town however, I needed to stick to a budget and do the work myself. Thankfully my Father-in-Law, Dave came to help, and there's a Lowe's store just up the street.

To give you an idea of what we were working with before getting started, I took a page from all the home-reno shows on cable and took before, during, and after pictures. To give you an idea of what I was working with before, here is a shot of the sink and toilet. Please excuse the smiling child in front of both.

The walls were a pale purple and we had a flowery shower curtain. The toilet was known to rock when you sat on it and was stained beyond belief much to my wife's chagrin whenever we had company. The cabinet doors stuck if you ever tried to open them. The bathroom also serves as our laundry room, and the open shelves over the machines were simple planks of wood, that were forever dirty and disorganized.

Kate and I have been eyeing a remodel for several months and had fixtures picked out and budgeted for. We knew it was a small room, and that would help, plus we decided to wait on changing out the tub until next year.

Here is the vanity we wanted at first, but budget won out and we got this one instead, with matching mirror. I can't say we minded the downgrade, but are really happy with the results. We also quickly picked out a toilet, vinyl floor tiles, and paint.

That was the easy part!