changes

Last weekend we had family photos taken. I get a picture done every fall. I love to look back and see how we have grown.

fall of 2008, Penelope was still living in my stomach

fall of 2009, We were freezing our butts off.

fall of 2010, It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

My how the children have grown, Mr Tripp and I too. On that note I start weight watcher next week. So you can all expect to see less of me.

More of this years picture to come.

xxoo

Thrift Store Fiinds

As usual I stopped at Encore to see what deals there were to be had. I'v been looking for large mason jars with hinger lids but no luck today. Well I was there I ran into a friend of a friend and her two little girls. I would like to ask her to be friends, how do you ask some to be your friend as a adult? I have a hard time with that. Any ways back to encore. I didn't leave empty handed.

sewing hops $1 each / milk glass goblets. I saw them 2 mns. ago and have been thinking about them ever since $7.50 for the set.

boots for the baby $2.00

Ikea dish rack $2.50 / brand new back pack, $2 / vintage (like the 80's) neckless $4

$20 total. I'd say it was a good day at the thrift store.

xxoo

Swedish love

One word. IKEA! You probley fall into one of two categories when you hear this world. Love, Of the store, the organization, the Swedish or Hate, of the store, the organization and the Swedish. I love it and go way more than I should. I recently took a trip up there to get magazine racks to help with school paper organization. Last Year was a mess. Library books, home work folders and permision slips were alway missing. But this year will be different! Everthing will be keep in one place. Organized and neat.

I also wanted a bench for my dinning room. My good friend Nikki took me to her childhood home and in her mothers large country kitchen was a long wooden table with benches on both side. She said her 4 siblings and herself would eat, play, do homework and fall off the benches all the time. There was nostalgia in her voice when she spoke about family time around that wooden table and on those benches. I have wanted a bench for my dinning room table ever since. So I took my birthday money, my girls and my sister to Ikea to get a bench (yes I'm 30 and still get b-day cash.) Let the falling begin.

xxoo

Penelope playing at Ikea / magazine racks a.k.a. school paper organization

Ella playing in the bunk bed thats on my wish list for the girls room.

Ikea play

My new bench. All three boy share it. I put Ben in the middle and told he he is the peace keeper.

Crime and Punishment

I would like to think my children are each others best friends. However that is not alway the case. Ben and Matt play the best together and when Ella's in the right mood she plays very well with Penelope. If no one is around Matt will play with Ella as long as she doesn't give him her "girl germs". Ben and Ella fight like cats and dogs. Ben love Penelope more that anything in the world and can't help but kiss and hug on her all the time. Sadly foe Ben Penelope doesn't feel the same way. PJ doesn't play well with anyone. Her would prefer it if every would just sit quietly and watch him play. I often wonder why and how our family dynamic is this way and if it will change as time passes and he kids grow.

.....

The picture is Matt and Ella in a time out. They were fighting with each other (I think "girl germs' were involved) so Mr. Tripp put them in a time out and they had to hold hands the whole time. This was harder for Matt than Ella. Even if they are being punished, there aren't many thing that I think are as sweet as when my kids hold hands with each other. I am not big on touchy feely stuff but I do love a good hand holding. Mr. Tripp has my favorite hands to hold. But please don't tell the kids this, every time I am holding one of their hands, no matter who's I always whisper to them that their hand is my favorite to hold. And At that moment in time it is.

xxoo

Bad parenting

Let me start of by saying this weekend was cray! Mr Tripp had to work both saturday and sunday all day long. Me and the kids missed him very much. When he is home with us on the weekend it like a mini vacation for me. He helps clean and cook and take care of the kids. Unfortunately with him gone this weekend I had one or two less than spectacular mothering moments.

I had sent the big kids out side with popsicle and Penelope was watching them out the back door. I was watching netflix, great parenting right? Any ways as I was watching TV I here a crunching sound coming for the back door. Well my big kids helped themselves to popsicles Penelope was helping her self to some frozen peas. Yummy! Lucky no harm was done. And really who doesn't like frozen peas?

Sure I had poor parenting moments this weekend but I had some outstanding moments too. I took the kids shopping, to the bike path (with some help from Grammy June) and I got everybody to Church on time.

We all agree that the weekends are better when Mr Tripp is home with us.

xxoo

back to school

Their back. All three boys are back to school. All day long. The bus comes at 7:45 and I pick them up at 3:15. Thats 7 1/2 hours of boy free time. I dreaded this day all summer long but now that it has come I am finding the joy in my boy free days. my house is quiet and clean. It's nice.

But I still miss all my little Mr Tripp's.

xxoo

Making a Bed

I have been in love with a Pottery Barn bed forever. You all know the one with the storage cubbies underneath it. I really want it but its a little out of my garage sale budget. So Mr. Tripp and I put our heads together and came up with this.

It's not quite pottery barn but it fits the budget.

we started with closet maid closet organizing shelfs.

we assembled them and laid them on their sides

then we arranged the shelfs to the dementions of our bed / Mr. Tripp built extra suport blocks out of 2x8, so that way the bed will hold all of our jumping monkeys or anything else that the bed may need to hold up to.

next we topped our platform with plywood. The strong stuff.

Mr. Tripp showing me how "well made" my new bed is.

YEAH!!! finished. We didn't put the box spring under our mattress. Those old box springs were shot any away. Now I think its time for new bedding.

xxoo

last hurrah

The kids go back to school tomorrow. I say that with my sad face on. I love having them at home with me and if I had the heart of a teacher I would home school but I know that they will get a better education from public school them from me. So over the past week I have sqezzed in as much fum as possible. Swimming at the pool, Picnics in the park, Sleep over with friends and bowling.

I'll be honest taking my 5 kids plus my 10 year old brother in law bowling was quite a job. I was pooped when it was all said and done. However the kids all loved it. We bumper bowled and the littlest kids used a ramp to push the ball down the lane. I don't know why I don't do things like this more often with them. Yes, it's TONS of work to do anything with 5 kids but it's worth making memories with my kids.

xxoo