BOTB 1.30.16

By Kate Riley January 30, 2016

Weekend hellos! Not much happening in my world this weekend other than the assembly of a trampoline in the backyard. I protested for a year but was outvoted and now there’s a giant 8 x 14’ eyesore that I see from my kitchen window.

I breathe slowly in and out and remind myself it’s only for a few years…. just like that phase when ugly baby toys littered my home. The kids love it and it’s great exercise, but I’m a worrier when it comes to safety, we’ve all heard the stories. I sound like a broken record, “Kids, is it zipped up?” Fellow parents, have you ever had a trampoline? Ease my troubled mind.

This weekend is another round of ‘Best of the Blogosphere’ featuring favorite projects and spaces from around the web, enjoy!

I love Erin’s beautiful basement makeover at Elements of Style.

 basement makeover elements of style

   

Sarah’s black & white bathroom renovation is stunning, how lovely is that tile medley!

black and white bathroom reno

   

Tour Jenna’s kitchen makeover with cheerful touches of color!

 cheerful kitchen reno jenna burger

   

How adorable is this kid’s cabin bed? Build it with Ana White’s plans and Jen’s tutorial at House of Wood.

 cabin-bed-house of wood

   

Joni shares a great resource for vintage images (and how to turn them into inexpensive artwork) at Lay Baby Lay.

 vintage print resource

   

Organize the kids’ bikes and scooters with this DIY rack, instructions at Her Tool Belt.

 bike scooter rack

   

Craft a charming wood block desk calendar with Brittni’s tutorial at Curbly.

 diy wood block desk calendar

 

Many thanks to Amanda who helps me scout out these projects around the blogosphere, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~ Kate

23 comments

  1. I feel your anxiety. I am still sporting a scar on my chin from a trampoline spring when I was a kid. Best wishes and may they safely bounce away.

  2. I used to have that issue with the mega-primary colored children’s playthings.
    The only things that “went” well (as well as anything does, scattered all over house) in the house, were wooden blocks! Same with bath toys!

    The kids are grown,but I have the same problem, just with dog toys.

  3. My trampoline story would not ease your mind. We sold it and let the kids split the money, to ease their sadness about losing it.

    • I don’t think I want to know Traci :( Great idea about splitting the cash when you sold it. :)

  4. Thanks so much Kate + Amanda for sharing my kitchen remodel. It’s an honor to be amongst all the features! xo Jenna

  5. When my oldest was two we invested in a “Springfree” trampoline. I was hesitant to do it. I got injured on an old style tramp in middle school, but my husband grew up with one and loved it.

    We had a small back yard at the time and needed a good way for her to get her wiggles out. I’d zip her in there and she’d run and bounce and play and even learned to write her letters using chalk on the black surface.

    We don’t let our kids play on other people’s typical trampolines (one of my best friends is a pediatric nurse with lots of stories) but Springfrees are safe and we have a strict one person rule.

    Four years later we consider it one of our best parenting investments.

    • That’s what my brother says to Sarah, he says his trampoline was the best way for his kids to get exercise and they had a strict rule too, no other kids allowed. :)

  6. My sister gave me good advice many, many years ago. “Never put the swing set in the yard where you can see it from the kitchen window. No mother needs to see her child hanging upside down by their knees from the top bar.” I think the same kind of advice would apply to trampolines too. If you want I can ask my sister. :)

  7. I worked beside a skilled orthopedic surgeon for a few years and asked him about trampolines. He was always fixing children injured from them. He said they are most dangerous when multiple children are using them because that is how the smaller ones get thrown around and injured. If they are jumping single then it is fine. He let his kids have one as well. We are going to have one buried in our yard which is common around here to avoid wind damage. Maybe that would be a fix for your eyesore?

    • I’ve heard of those Ginger, those are great! I was looking at it today, it’s not SO bad, you can see through the net and the base is dark green so it blends in better than I thought :)

  8. We have had an in ground trampoline for 23 years and no major accidents. The kids and now grandkids love it. Best investment I ever made.

    • Noooooo Kimm!!!! I’m so SO sorry that’s my worry too. I know a dozen families, my brother included, with trampolines, thankfully no injuries to report if ALL safety rules are followed… I’m terrified a kid will forget to zip up the enclosure :(

  9. I grew up with a trampoline in the backyard and loved it. That was back before the days of enclosed trampolines. My kids have one now. I do worry about them getting hurt…we have a strict one person at a time rule. Won’t 100% protect them but keeps them safer:)

  10. It stressed me out at first too but it’s been 3 years now and no injuries yet! I somehow don’t even notice it anymore when I look out into the backyard.:-) Great round up as always, Kate!! Have a great rest of your weekend! xo

  11. The last few emails I’ve received from you the photos above the links are not viewable on my iPad or iPhone. I wasn’t sure if anyone else has this trouble?

  12. If you really want to know about accidents that occur from trampolines ask anyone who works in an ER. Or you can chose to ignor which would give you peace of mind but not reality. The unsightly appearance is the least of your worries.

  13. My children are all grown now, but we had a trampoline in my yard for many years. They make a net to go around the top of it and stands about six feet high. I know what you are thinking why would I want this net, to look yet at another ugly thing. You do know that every time a child is on it an adult needs to be there spotting them, which means all your free time you will be standing there, making sure no one is wearing shoes and only two people are on at a time. My kids loved having it, I hated it. Please be very careful.

  14. I had a two year old at the time of our trampoline purchase and within mere minutes of being assembled he got his leg broken from an older child jumping on it. A year or so later another daughter suffered from a broken arm that required surgery. My then two year old is now 22 and in spite of these two incidences I would still have a trampoline. We in fact still have the same trampoline 20 years later and it has provided hundreds of hours of entertainment.

  15. We’ve had one for 3 years-all 4 of our kids love it. It is a Springfree and of course, has the net around it. Our biggest rule is only kids of the same size (so my teens can’t be on with my 7 year old) and just a few kids at a time. It’s great exercise, it’s really fun for playdates and when we entertain, and my big kids and their friends enjoy it as much as my younger kids.

  16. My son broke his leg going down the fireman’s pole on the school playground when he was 6. I figured a trampoline couldn’t worry me any more. We’ve had ours nearly 4 years and just bought a new enclosure for it to replace a worn out one, we all love the trampoline. We don’t let more than 2-3 kids on at a time and no little ones with a big one. We also have a no shoes rule and no flips. (We do let my oldest do flips, but only if he is alone and a parent is watching.) I send my two kids out to the trampoline when they need to get their energy out. We call it the big kid “playpen!” We had our trampoline staked down, but the wind was still able to pick it up and blow it across the yard (now that was scary for me trying to rope it to a tree in 40mph winds). We now have it staked down with poles 2 ft. in the ground. (It gets really windy in the spring here.)

  17. My parents bought us a trampoline when I was 10, which was over 30 years ago….WAY before trampolines were trendy or even easy to come by. I have to say….soooo many of my childhood and teenage memories involved that trampoline. Our house was the home that everyone wanted to hang out at. My parents dig a hole and put the tramp into the ground and built a deck around it (back then there was no such thing as safety nets). Now, every time I go back home to Oregon, it’s the first thing my kids want to do. I love that they are making memories the same way I did. Side note: I broke two toes and my sister broke her arm on our trampoline but we turned out fine!!!

  18. I have to admit that I never got one for my kids – they asked, begged, pleaded but I resisted. They turned out ok!
    On the other hand, the neighbours behind us have one right beside the fence we share. It’s awful during a beautiful summer evening dinner on our outside patio (or while entertaining) to hear the springs groaning as several teens and friends bounce and make faces over the fence at us. Or stay up all night bouncing on that noisy thing!! Yes they have had all night sleepover parties on it in the summer!!!
    I’m not a fan…

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