FLUFF MAIL!

It's official.

The decision has been made.

We're doing it.

The switch to cloth diapers has begun!

Seriously, how fricken cute are these colors?!

More posts on cloth diapering to come!

Ratatouille.

Like most people who have seen the movie, Ratatouille,

I took one look at that little mouse and fell in love!

But you can get your last dollar that if I ran into

a real house, I'd be plotting ways to catch and kill it.

I digress....

So I decided to make Ratatouille this weekend!

We don't eat vegetarian very often in our house, so I knew

getting the kids on board would be a battle, but

I had to at least try.

So I went for it...

There's was some serious prep work involved (lots of vegetable

chopping) but the more work that went into it, the more excited I got.

And it actually turned out okay! Stupid me forgot to take a picture

of the finished product...but it looked pretty much exactly like the

photos from the recipe I used (see link below).

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/

I even served it over couscous (I had never made that before either)

like the recipe suggested.

I'll definitely make it again, and tweak a few things, but for

my first shot at it, I'm happy with the results.

The kids preferred the couscous over anything else,

but at least they tried it too.

:)

Hank the Tank.

JP's full name is John-Patrick William.

Hopefully he doesn't hate us when he's older for giving him such

a long name. But he got the best of everything.

I think I touched on this once before, but in summary:

John is my Dad's name.

Patrick is Jay's Dad's name.

William is Jay's Grandpa's name.

He can go by whatever he wants when he's older.

JP. John. Pat. Will. Hank.

But until/if he decides otherwise, it's JP.

Hank? I know Hank is often a nickname for William.

And to the best of my knowledge, Jay's Grandpa

has always gone by Hank.

Calling JP "Hank" never crossed my mind...

Until he started growing at the speed of sound.

Now Hank the Tank seems rather fitting.

And he is, by any definition, a tank.

He's 7 months (how the hell did that happen?) and completely

in 12 months clothes.

He's probably getting close to 24, maybe even 25 pounds.

And he has officially been upgrade from the baby carrier

to the big boy car seat.



Where, oh where, has my little baby disappeared to?

Weekend Recap.

We have had some terrible weather around here lately.

Minnesota is anything BUT predictable, and this winter has been no exception.

For example, it was below zero all of

last week, and in the middle thirties this week... can't we

just split the difference and hang out in the twenties?!

Is that too much to ask?!

Jay and I both had a working Sunday, so there's very little to report

from Sunday. I could go into great detail about cleaning my kitchen

and the 3,786 times I picked up my son's train track.

No?

Side note: this is EXACTLY how I feel most days in regards to

cleaning my house.

Anyway... Saturday.

There were errands to run (which I PASSIONATELY hate

doing on the weekends), but we managed to make

Saturday as much about family as possible.

Cabin fever is setting in, but we braved the elements (I think it

was 19 or so degrees out- nothing life threatening) and

made our way outside for some fresh air.

I LOVE that hat Eva's wearing! She got it for Christmas from my parents.

It's a giraffe! How cute?!

Then, in true cold weather style, we had soup for lunch to

help warm everyone back up.

Spoons are for fools.

And here's a little JP goodness!

I could seriously kiss his face off! He's so damn cute!

:)

It happens in 3's.

I can remember my mother saying this, and after talking to several

co-workers and friends, it's not just my mom that has this theory.

Everything happens in 3's.

Or at least all of the bad/less-then-ideal shit happens in 3's.

I'm not going to go into huge detail, but the cosmic God's shit on us

last week, and it was a 3 part series.

(Sorry for the language...there may be more of it.)

I bet if you look back at events in your life, you'll find a 3 link chain of garbage.

1. Truck battery is dead.

2. Truck tire is mysteriously losing air.

(The previous two "issues" may not seem like a big deal to everyone,

but when you have 3 kids, places to be, and things to do, having

your vehicle out of commission is a big fricken deal. Especially when

on Wednesday it was the battery, and Thursday the tire.)

3. Someone doesn't do their job, and f***s things up... seriously.

I'm not going to elaborate on the last one too much, but in short

why can't some people do the job they're paid to do? DAMN!

If you tell someone that you took care of it, you better make damn sure

 you actually took care of it.

I just needed a little rant.

That is all.

:)



Weekend Recap.

My husband and I were able to sneak away for a date night

Sunday night, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

They are few and far between in our house, so we soaked up every second.

I'm not a big drinker (I rarely have even ONE drink, let alone

finish said drink), but I couldn't turn down a kid-free beer.

Thankfully it's $467 price tag didn't ruin it's taste. Okay, it was "only"

$9... but still, for one beer? That's a lot.

Dinner consisted of a SUPER healthy Philly and beer

at Xcel before the game started.



And I just love these Peanuts characters! Wild games are typically a family event

for us, and these guys only add to the family-friendly atmosphere.

All-in-all we had a great night!

Wild won.

Zach Parise got his first franchise goal.

And Jay and I got some time to ourselves.

I'm looking forward to the next hockey game- a date night with my Cammers!

A letter to my 16 year old self.

Dear Katie,

Someday, you will be 25. No joke. You're 25 now. It's hard to imagine all of the changes and experiences you'll have over the next 9 years, but you will prevail. Never doubt yourself.

First of all, stop worrying about your body imagee. It seems like the most important thing in the world right now, but your body is going to go through some major changes in a few years. So stop worrying, and just be healthy. Enjoy your abdominals, because in 5 years, they will only be a memory. But I promise, you're beautiful son is worth every stretch mark.

You think you know what love is, but you have no idea. Nothing that you've felt up until now is "real" love. So when a relationship ends, close the door, pick your head up, and move forward. An incredible man is waiting for you. He will take care of you and help you build a life you can't even begin to imagine at this point in time.

Take a year off from school before going to college. Let's be honest, you don't have a clear direction in your head, and some time to think straight and experience life will help you find a path. Or... go to La Crosse, and drink and party away $7,000 like you did the first time. But please, don't. You'll pay for it.

Build a better relationship with God. I'm not saying you should be going to church every Sunday, but make a better habit of it. You will be tested. You will question. And it will be hard to accept things as part of His plan. But through prayer, you will come out a head. I promise. It gets better and every set back will make you a better woman, wife, and mother.

Don't set aside your hopes and dreams of being a mother for fear that you'll "jinx" yourself. You're going to be a great Mom. Keep your dreams of babies close to your heart. The 3 babies waiting to enter your life will be your greatest achievement.

Speaking of babies.... get better with surprises. I know you think you hate them now, but surprises will eventually become a part of your daily life. Every single day with children is a surprise. And here's a heads up, a surprise child will blow your thoughts of a family of 4 totally out of the water. Baby #3 will be such a blessing and the from the moment you see his face, you'll never be able to imagine life without him.

Always speak up for yourself. At the end of the day, you are your biggest advocate. Don't let anyone walk on you or take advantage of your kindness. People will try, and they will succeed. But you'll eventually be able to weed out the true friends from the in-the-moment friends.

Live freely, love openly, and laugh as often as you can. The life you build, the love you share, and the ability to find the humor in things will help you through your darkest days. You are capable of changing things for the better, and I'm telling you, things are going to be pretty sweet come your 25th birthday.

You have so many blessings a head of you!

Your Quarter-Century old self,
Katie

#throwbackthursday

I love looking at old pictures.

I love going back to that moment, and

soaking in every second of what that day was like

and how that moment felt.

So, here's a little #throwbackthursday for you...

Pictures of my babes! <---shocker.

APRIL 2011

How tiny does my daughter look?!

I die from the cuteness every time I see this picture!

Me. Today.

Nothing could describe me better today, then this.

Over slept.

Cray-cray hair.

No shower.

And I'm at work!

Awesome...



HOCKEY = LIFE

Or at least in my house it does.

My family LOVES hockey. When I say "loves" I mean

having withdrawls with the recent NHL lockout.

Even my 3 year old noticed that hockey hasn't be on and

he hasn't been to any games.

Thank the hockey Gods that it's over!

My husband is chomping at the bit to get his hockey fix.

It's Tuesday, the first game is Saturday, and I'm pretty sure

we've talked about the game 6,387 times since the

schedule was released.

Who am I kidding though? I've gotten really into hockey

over the past years too... so I'm pretty excited myself!

I pretty much melt every time I see this picture!

That's my husband walking Cameron and Eva into Xcel Energy Center

last season for a Wild VS Bruins game.

Watching the game in their WILD gear! :)

My BIRTHDAY!

My birthday was only 3 weeks ago...so it's not like this post is late or anything.

Honestly, now that I have kids, and Christmas is a BIG deal again

I hardly even think about or realize that my birthday is in the works too.

December 28th.

It never got lost in the shuffle growing up, but it sure does now.

(Side note: I can't even begin to tell you how often someone

would say to me when I was younger, "Wow, that much suck

to have a birthday so close to Christmas." Actually, it doesn't.

But thanks, jerk.)

So anyway, my birthday. It was a Friday. I worked.

I went home. My kids and hubby had made me a cake.

My husband left cash and instructions to just order pizza.

My house was clean.

And the birthday cards causing me to burst into tears.

It was pretty much as perfect as a birthday could be... given

I had to work, as did my husband.

I'm 25!

BatGIRL.

Who needs Batman, when I've got BatGIRL?!

Is this not the cutest BatGirl you've ever seen in your life?!



Blogger...

I just about dumped this blog all together with all of the problems I've had with uploading pictures! Thankfully switching to HTML vs COMPOSE to upload a picture worked... for now.

Thanks for all the "help" Google Help. UGH!

Back to Bloggity-Bloggin'...

TRAINS.

Does a love for trains come standard in Boyland?

From the moment we picked up our new Thomas train track,

all the boys have been in love with it!

CAMERON LOVES IT.
JP LOVES IT.
DADDY LOVES IT.

EVEN EVA LOVES IT.

I knew Cam-Jam liked trains, but I didn't expect the

track to be as big of a hit as it was!

Watching Cameron show JP how to set trains on the track and listening
to him talk to his little brother about all of the trains' names
is EXACTLY how I pictured them from the MOMENT I found
out baby #3 was a boy.

Life is good.



Weekend RECAP.

What a lame weekend.

We had lots of little things that needed to be done around the house so we spent

pretty much all weekend cleaning and doing miscellaneous things.

My poor kids didn't do much of anything fun either.

We can write this weekend off as a Mom fail.

Saturday: cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and errands.

I HATE running errands on the weekend.

If I haven't already said this, my husband and I work opposite shifts, so

he's home Mon-Fri during the day with the kids, and then I take over in the evenings.

I bust my butt during the week to take care of as much as possible so that

weekends aren't wasted doing things around and the house and running errands.

Well, I apparently needed the weekend to catch everything up now that

the holidays are over and life as finally settled down.

So, like I said, lots of cleaning and errands on Saturday.

Sunday: more CLEANING and cooking.

Yesterday was a little better in terms of "fun".

I tested a couple new recipes and they both turned our AMAZING!

I've had so many Pinterest recipes fail, so it was super exciting to have

two hits in one day.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll-ups and Crock Pot Apple Crisp.

Bomb recipes to save for the future.

Hopefully I'll be better at keeping up with the domestic duties this week

so that we can maximize next weekend.

MERRY MONDAY!

2013 Goals

I've decided to call them "goals" this year instead of "resolutions".

It all just seems more achievable that way. Here's my current list of 2013 

Goals... In no particular order.

1. Consume less, save more. I love to shop. I love to shop for my kids.

We enjoy spending money on our children. This year, I would like to focus more

on what we have, and less on what we want. 

I want to explore any and all options on being more of a self-sustaining unit.

I think I just made up my mind in regards to cloth diapering.

So, with all the money we are no longer spending on excess consuming,

I would like to build a nest egg. We could certainly save more, and not just for an

emergency, but for our future.

2. Make healthier habits for myself and my family.

Our vegetable and fruit intake is not where it should be and 

is something I really want to work on.

We cook a lot as it is, but part of healthier habits is cooking more from 

scratch. That way, we know exactly what is in the food we eat.

And duh, we could all get more exercise.

3. Be a better friend.

I get so consumed with my children and my husband that its like

I'm a hermit! I am perfectly content putting everything I have to give

into my family. It's not that I want to give less to my family, 

but I need to figure out how to balance friends and family better.

I've been a lousy friend. I know it.

4. PRINT photos. 

I take loads of pictures, but almost never print them. 

God forbid something eat my computer, or my camera memory cards

wipe out all the photos store on them. 

I would be devastated.

5. Establish a legal will.

This is the LAST thing in the world I want to think about because

I currently plan on living until I am 583... But we have 3 little babies,

and having a plan in place for their care isn't just responsible, it's important.

6. Take a weekend family trip.

I know I said I want to save money, but a weekend away doesn't have to

cost a fortune. We are all very deserving of getting out of our normal

surroundings for a break every once and awhile.

So that's it. Hopefully I can make good on all of them!

Happy Friday!

...or is it?
Remember when Friday's and weekends were something to look forward to?! All the fun stuff you had planned? Where did that time go? Okay, okay, I'm being a bit dramatic... but Friday's and weekends aren't what they used to be now that I have kids and responsibilities.

I know I won't be sleeping in. Typically during the week I get up and start the day between 4 and 4:30. So technically if all children sleep until 5, I'll get to "sleep in".

I'm already mentally counting how many loads of laundry are waiting for me and contemplating if I can tackle all of it tonight. It sure is worth a try.

Then there of course will be grocery shopping and meal planning for the week. Honestly, how the hell do people get by without meal planning? I bet I would spend more time each meal standing in front of an open refrigerator trying to come up with something then I would actually preparing it, if I didn't have a plan in place. I need to meal plan. It's worth the time saved through out the week.

And the usual house cleaning. I have three children and a husband... that house sure as hell isn't going to clean itself.

I'm sure I'll find several other miscellaneous errands to run as well. Pick up something from here, drop something off there.

IF I'm lucky, I will be able to accomplish all of this on Saturday.... leaving hope for Sunday.

:)

to CLOTH or NOT to cloth.

This has been weighing heavy on my mind for months.

I know, how terrible it must be to worry about something so minor,

but it feels like such a big change and commitment.

I can't decide if we should switch to cloth diapers, or stick to disposables.

I know of a few people who have recently cloth diapered their children

or who are currently cloth diapering, but I'm not close to any of them...

so it's hard to let their opinions play too big of a factor. Maybe if

it were more common in my area, it would seem more like a no-brainer.

But I honestly am on the fence.

REASONS TO SWITCH:

1. Cost. Duh. In the long run, it would save us money.

Side note: We currently use Up & Up diapers, so disposable

diapers are about as inexpensive as it can get right now.

2. Cut down on garbage. Since we've had kids, our garbage

output is grotesque. Our garbage can is practically

overflowing by the time pick up rolls around each week!

We have TWO in diapers, so diapers make up a large part

of our weekly waste.

3. I should probably say "the chemicals and junk used to make disposables"

but I'm not losing sleep over it. Does that make me a bad Mom?

We used disposables on all three of our kids, and I don't "regret" it.

4. They are DAMN CUTE!

I've watched a boat load of Youtube videos on cloth diapering.

I totally get how Moms (& Dads) get addicted to buying cloth.

(See my hoarding baby products post: cloth diapering will likely lead to new addictions.)

REASON WHY WE HAVEN'T MADE THE SWITCH:

1. My husband. He flip-flops... and I can't change up everything

without his support. One minute he's on board, the next

he's unsure. (Unsure? Must be something in our water.)

2. The upfront cost. If I do it right, I can build up a stash

without spending an incredible amount of money. BUT, it's

still going to be a couple hundred bucks...and that's a bit of a commitment.

3. Time. I know the act of changing the diapers really doesn't take

much more when using disposables vs. reusables. It's the

washing, washing, and drying I'm worried about. Because my husband and

I work opposites (let's face it, if our 3 kids were in daycare, it would cost us

more then our mortgage... and if I'm going to be spending

an additional mortgage payment a month on ANYTHING,

it better be lake-front), I already feel strapped for time each night. How will I

find the time for MORE laundry?!

I'm sure I could keep going, but that pretty much sums it up.

To cloth or not to cloth...that is the question.



Ridiculousness.

Should I be concerned?

He's also been asking for a skateboard.



I'll just start saving for ER trips now.

Rock-a-bye baby.

JP will grow up listening to AC/DC.

He will be well versed in 80's and 90's rock music.

So his natural mohawk is only fitting.

Crawling? What the?!

This kid is on the verge of crawling!

I am not ready for mobility...

Though, I will secretly enjoying watching

him steal back his toys

when the trolls try to snatch them away.

Note the carrot-stained mouth. Mom fail.

I swear I wiped him up after lunch!



Too cute not to share!

I took my daughter on a solo trip to run a couple errands.

This is a rarity and a treat in our house.

A trip away from the chaos with just Mom?

Eva was totally on board.

But... errands proved to be too much for her.

How do kids do this? How do they just fall asleep anywhere?!



Princess of the Palace.

I've said it before...

And I'll say it again...

There's something very special about having a daughter.

I can't explain it.

I don't think I could even begin to understand it.

It's just different.

I love all my children equally. I swear!

Maybe it's because I could never

actually picture myself with a

DAUGHTER.

I'm a lucky Mommy.

She is a girly-girl to the core!

She's always worried about her "lipstick" (cherry Chapstick).

She's always wearing sparkly ballet flats.

And I mean "always" in the the sense that she

cries when we make her take them off for naps and bedtime.

And she INSISTS on wearing her bath robe around the house.

She's our little diva princess.

And I'm eating up every second of it.

:)

brothers.

As much as I complain about

how quickly my children are growing up,

I can't wait to watch Cameron and JP grow up

together.

Cam loves his little brother.

I hope that they're always close.

Maybe even best friends.



He who sits.

Did I already mention that I got ripped off

in the baby department?

My little man is gone.

I have a toddler trying to diguise himself as a baby.

Maybe it's time to start thinking about a 4th....

Maybe not.



Real life.

I am going to bitch slap the next first-time parent that tells me

their baby never cries.

Let's be clear, parenting for two months has

given you NO insight into what "crying a lot", "crying a little",

and "never crying" really means.

I had a baby that never cried too. Cameron was the happiest,

sweetest little babe this side of the Mississippi...

and his baby brother is following in his footsteps.

Heed my warning: a baby that NEVER cries, is in no way

an indication of things to come.

All children cry. All children get upset. All children throw fits.

Your baby that "never cries" will follow suit.

This is real life.

photo bomb.

As I was taking pictures of JP in his new bouncer...

I caught this little gem.

That would be Miss Eva and Cameron, fighting over

a toy... that isn't even either one of theirs!

I suppose they can't be angels all the time... or even

a small majority of the time.

:)



2012 in closing.

2012 was a great year!

We were all happy and healthy all year long,

and as a Mother, I couldn't ask for much more!

TOP 5 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF 2012:

1. Welcoming our sweet baby John-Patrick.

2. Eva knocking her teeth out. I could have done without

this, but I'll sure as hell never forget it.

3. Watching Cameron soak in every second of being a brother.

"Sometimes being a BROTHER is better then being a SUPER HERO."

^truth^

4. Finding new appreciation and love for Jason. He is such an amazing man.

I don't know many men who stay home with their

3 children during the day (him and I work opposites)...

he's a Saint.

5. Our spontaneous trip to Detroit Lakes.

I wish we could get up their more often.

Jason has a great family! I'll take any chance

to spend time with them that I can!

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is infinitely more fun when you have children.

I cannot even begin to explain how exciting it was, now

that Cameron understands the Santa concept.

And the whole Elf on the Shelf thing, genius.

Jake, our Elf, may have to come back a little early next year.

I'm not too good to admit that we used Jake as tool. He was always watching.

So Santa was always watching.

How do you get your children to finish dinner in December?

Tell them Jake is watching.

How do you get your children to stop fighting in December?

Tell them Jake is watching.

Jake, you are an official member of the family. Feel free to stay all year!

Christmas Eve is almost more exciting then Christmas Day!

Jay and I spent more and bought more then we originally had planned,

but it was SO worth it!

The majority of the gifts came from us.

The "big" gift and of course the stockings, were supplied by Santa.

We made a big dinner.

We drove around town to see the Christmas lights.

We opened gifts.

I cleaned up boxes and gift wrap. :)

We made cookies and left out milk for Santa.

We watched The Polar Express.

And then we hopped into our new Christmas Eve pajamas

and made our way to bed.

Christmas morning was PERFECTION.

The kids slept until 6 a.m.

We opened gifts.

We made a special breakfast.

Jay and I sipped on coffee.

It was everything I hoped it would be.

All I wanted was to spend time with my beautiful children and incredible husband...

so I got everything.