Girls Turn!!

Mikey Built the boys an amazing Bunk bed. and Lizzie was way jealous! Because Lizzie is so artistic and imaginative, he wanted to give her something more her style. so after a sweet little drawing of a tree house sort of design that would accommodate a toddler below and Lizzie above, we approved. Then he locked the door and began his project. Now Mikey can't just stick with a plan. His brain keeps going, and as he worked the thing grew, and grew. (You think we would have learned our lesson with the boys massive tower thing) So three weeks later and a whole lot of work, we have a one of a kind awesome Tree house/play house/art center, that takes up over half the room! The girls love it, Jo is in heaven, and now the Boys are jealous. It huge and nothing else really fits in the room but Lizzie Loves it, so I'm happy. It really is spectacular.
Again, I cant fit the whole thing in one picture. Below on the left is a kitchen for Jo to play in, on the right is a little door for her to enter into. Above, behind the tree on the left, is Lizzie's bed and an artist easel and desk that drops down from the wall. This way Lizzie can have her 'special place' without Jo getting into it.
oh and the swing in front for Jo. Life is good for the Girls at the Roberts Place!

Day trip Rain trip

The Kids have been wanting to go camping again for ever. Every Sunday we talk about maybe Next weekend, but this or that has to be done instead. This last weekend, even though it was a holiday weekend it just seemed to disappear quickly, till we were only left with Monday. well we said, 'lets just do a day trip up to Payson and play in the water and have fun in the nature for a bit.' ( since I'm not so keen on the actual dirty, buggy, smokey, kids whiney, no real potty Camping, I was so for this!) So we packed up the kids, the car, the snacks and off we went up into the "mountians" for some fun in the cooler sun. it took us an hour and a half to drive, then it took us about 20 minutes to decide where to park, then 15 minutes to walk through the "I think this might be a trail" to the waterfront, only to find it ridden with trash and mosquitos. Another 15 minutes back to the car, 5 minutes down the road to a 'better spot", and finally we were out in the water launching the boats they made, (with spare wood from the bunkbeds), and Panning for Gold. (Mamas got a mortgage to pay) Great fun. five minutes later, we heard the thunder, then sprinkles...and before the boats and pans and kids could be collected it was pouring. great giant painful drops of rain, and dont forget the lighting! we got ten minutes out of the car. The kids had a great laugh. well, until they realized we were leaving so we wouldn't get bogged down in the mud, and water that was rising around us. Life is Always an Adventure!

3 Lunches in 5minutes!

We are working on a whole new way of living here at the Roberts Home this year, One thing we are doing this year is making our own lunches! I can make three school lunches in less then five minutes. "Go Mom - Go Mom!" On Sunday I take a whole loaf of bread from my freezer, because I bought a bunch last week when they were on sale, and I grab the PB&J. I sit down at the Table and spread all the slices out on a cookie sheet. I spread Peanut butter on every slice, (spreading PB on frozen bread is sooo easy!) then I put Jelly on every other one. (PB on both sides stops the jelly from seeping through the bread) put the two together and then back into the freezer on the cookie sheet. After an hour or so, I pull them back out and put each in its own bag, then into the freezer sandwich bin for Monday morning! Now Stevie doesn't like PBJ and so for him I do meat and cheese, same frozen bread, some meat, a slice of cheese (shredded cheese works best) and in the baggy then freezer it goes. NO Mayo! Mayo doesn't freeze and well, its just wrong. Sam's Club sells those little packets of Mayo in bulk, but Steve grabs a few at QT when he goes. :) I freeze the Capri Suns as well (sale 2 weeks ago) so it works as a freezer pack and then nice and chilled by lunch. For fruit I have grapes already plucked and washed in a big bag, and sliced up apples in Orange Juice. They don't brown, they stay juicy and it last all week! I can make 3 full lunches with snacks and fruit in under five minutes!! Woot Woot!