One in college and three entering kindergarten

Today is a big day for me, but a bigger one for Lotte. No tearful college dorm drop-off this year since she's spending her first two years at a community college. 

She will move out and live with her dad soon though. It's closer to college and out of some of The Tripped Up Castle craziness, which will make it easier for her to focus on classes, lessons, practicing, rehearsals, performances, and a job. Not to mention the whole, making new friends and "figuring out the rest of her life" as she puts it.

I don't want to say a lot about today because I don't want to get all teary again. (I think I've done enough of that all summer long). I'm still amazed at this girl, this wonderful, nearly perfect in every way girl, who is all grown up now. 

She's awesome. She's compassionate, loving, kind, talented, smart, and hopeful. She really is on her way and going to all sorts of fabulous places. (And hold onto your hat because the little three go to kindergarten next week.)

And it's not even breakfast time for Mommy yet

The best I can say about today so far is at least it's happening after coffee... even if it is before I get breakfast.

Today's most often used phrases so far today (and it's not even noon):

1.  "No, stop eating the book." 
2. "You may read the book, hold the book, look at the book. Do not rip the book. Do not eat the book."
3. "You may not break the book binding. We read books this way."
4. "Breaking light bulbs is dangerous!"
5. "Stop! Give me the broken light bulb. No, not in your mouth."
6. "No we may not unscrew lightbulbs."
7. "Come back downstairs. You may not be upstairs without Mommy."
8. "You may have water, not juice."
9. "No juice. Water, would you like water? Have some water."
10. "You may not hit your sister."
11. "Where is your barrette? Take your barrette out of your mouth."
12. "Stop licking the puzzle pieces."

It feels like a Pica heavy day today. Is this transitional behavior? Who knows? It sure could be. We're transitioning in our ABA therapy, school, speech, and OT therapy. Plus, we just sent 1/6 of our family to Europe yesterday. I think you can safely say our life is tumultuous today.

Next stop Europe...

Well, for Lotte anyway. One-sixth of the Tripped Up Family is heading to Chicago now and then boards a plane to Warsaw, Poland to begin a 15-day European Choral Tour. She's competing in the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia as part of her high school's European Tour Choirs. They will visit Prague, Vienna, and Budapest along the way. If you're interested, you can follow along with the Rockford Choirs via Twitter, their Facebook page, Instagram, and of course their blog.

Today's office

No pictures of Lotte leaving for Europe today because when you're holding onto two 5-year-olds' hands while keeping track of where the other 5-year-old wanders with periodic glances, not only do you not have hands to take a picture, but you also don't have the eye focus. That's okay, I would have gotten water (tears) all over my phone anyway. How can I end up not crying during graduation but end up balling when I drop her off for her Europe trip?

Closely averting two meltdowns while 57+ people gathered with all of their luggage and send-off people (on a windy day that even Pooh would find slightly mentionable) and still managing to get Lotte there early and well prepared, I'd say that was an afternoon of work. Here's hoping today's office environment will calm down all the rest of the emotions, for Tripped Up Mama and all three triplets, one of whom cried the whole way home because she didn't want to leave her sister. Mabybe later I'll just take another look at those photos of Prague & dream of seeing it all myself.

Transitions, transitions

Tripped Up Daddy and I both accepted new full-time gigs this past week. His new job with a local company, offers a nice salary, excellent benefits and an easy commute. Mine offers really, really long hours, crappy pay, no benefits to speak of, yet somehow the rewards are amazing. Tripped Up Daddy will take his computer geekiness self out of the house to work full-time at the company he just recently joined. At the same time, I begin my role of full-time Mommy/education director/recreation supervisor/chauffeur/cook/household manager/domestic goddess, and part-time blogger/freelance writer/communication specialist/marketing strategist.

It sounds like we're all in for some big changes. Tripped Up Daddy has not been away from the triplets for 8 to 10 hours a day since they were just a year old. Me? Well, I haven't spent 8 to 10 hours a day with them alone since they were 15 months. The 3 months between 12 months and 15 months are kind of a blur. He was home, yet not, as we worked through the beginning of a long two year transitional period that encompassed unemployment, job search, full-time schooling, full-time work, internship, part-time single parenting, and so much more. Our triplets are nearly three years old - it's a different world for both of us - for all of us.

I think it's pretty amazing that my younger daughters had the opportunity to spend so much time with their daddy early on in life like that. I hope they each established a strong relationship with him that will always hold an extra special bond. Recently I have been fascinated by the role playing Sunshine triplet is doing in her play. Her Barbie-type dolls have a Daddy and a Mommy, with a small girl. Daddy is the doll who holds the little girl and comforts her. While the Mommy doll gets plenty of hugs and kisses from her too, it's still the Daddy she gravitates toward. And, for some reason, there are more Daddy dolls than Mommy dolls in the container (not sure exactly why... these are leftover toys from Lotte's younger years that Sunshine simply happened upon one day). It's interesting to watch your kids play and reflect their life - I hope it means that my daughters will grow up to expect their own children's fathers to take an active part in the child-rearing.

I used to think we were a fairly non-traditional family - a blended family with multiples, a Mr. Mom family. In fact, we're not that unusual at all. More and more families have a stay-at-home dad because of the recession. This television season is filled with pilots that feature stay-at-home dads in some way. However, our Mr. Mom is headed back to work full-time, and Mama is coming home to take care of the kids again while working from home. Maybe we do still buck the trends a bit as we head back toward traditional while it seems like others are doing the opposite. Who knows? Anyway, I hope you're ready to take a ride with us as we move through all these transitions. It ought to be fun!

Between = In the meantime

When I think of the word between, it evokes transition to me - like when someone says, we're between sitters right now, or I'm between sizes, or all too often in these economic times, he's in between jobs. Transition, in the meantime, or meanwhile - they're all words I use a lot these days. Actually I think it's an excellent description of The Tripped Up Family. We're in transition in so many places, sometimes it's hard to keep count of all of them.

Sometimes the sands pass slowly

Now that Tripped Up Daddy has officially graduated, we're in a between space for him. He's looking for work, working part-time from home and watching after the triplets - which will all change, we hope, once he obtains a new job in his field. He lives now in the meantime.

I'm in my own between space with my career. I'm blogging as I can pull time away from other responsibilities. I contract full-time as a writer in an eCommerce department of a local company. I expect that will continue as a long-term assignment, but don't know how a new job (as yet unknown) for Tripped Up Daddy may affect my activities. I contemplate going back to school for an advanced degree - for what, I'm not sure or exactly how that may change my career path. I live now in the meantime.

As a child of divorce and a blended family, our teen Lotte also lives in a between space of her own. She travels between her father's house and our house regularly. As an only child in one home and the oldest of 4 in the other, she bounces between lifestyles often. She's starting to think about career choices and colleges and requirements and applications. In her own estimation, life really doesn't begin until you can drive and date, both of which aren't allowed until she's 16. She lives now in the meantime.

Our triplets are all moving forward on their milestones, some quicker than others, but they are slowly beginning to catch up. Still, there are activities that are tough to do right now because of their developmental stage (think potty training for Angel and Princess). They are roaming the house much more freely now, and that has led to both joy and frustration as they learn what's appropriate and what's not (climbing into booster seat on her own - good, climbing onto counter to pull knife out of butcher block - not a good plan). Someday our 3 busy toddlers will be really good at following directions, but we're not there yet. They live now in the meantime.

I don't know how long each of these meantime situations will last, but I know they won't last forever. I hope I can live in the present enough to learn every valuable aspect I should while we live in the meantime.