Hell 4am... We look good together!

Hello, 4am. I haven't missed you but I do think we look quite good together. Going to bed at 9pm and getting up at 4am may be on my new list of things to do, however wee man if you are reading this and want to sleep til 7 totally uninterrupted that is TOTALLY fine by this mama. But if you don't its no surprise here your daddy has sleep issues too. I needed a few minutes to plop some thoughts down anyway. 

My family is stressed. My aunt who has been battling cancer basically her entire life is on the verge of entering heaven. We all thought it would have been days ago but as a typical Hagen she is still here! Her kidney's shut down last week but she is such a fighter, my mom who I consider the death angel in a good way is there. She told me at 4:15am it wouldn't be long. For my aunt's sake I hope it isn't long, I can't imagine her world right now. I like to think she is arguing with God saying "Look God, I am NOT ready. Send me back down" but I think God is telling her "You're body is ready, come home" at least I hope that is how the conversation goes. I imagine she is cussing a storm and stomping her feet, her personality true to the core. I can feel tears welling up as I write this. Cancer runs thick in my family, its taken A LOT of them to heaven a little too soon. Esophageal Cancer, is what runs the thickest through the bloodlines, it hits both male and females and has now hit my dad. I love my dad. I mean like I have a new and different appreciation for my dad. Growing up was tough we battled A LOT. I was rebellious and stubborn and obnoxious, my dad was tough, determined and a believer in who I was not going to be. I never made his fears come true, I am thankful for that. I probably could have but for reason they didn't. Instead after I turned about 25, was engaged, soon to be married we hit a smooth patch. One that has made me love every single minute I spend with my dad. I so love watching him interact with my son and my husband and myself. I love seeing him and my brothers have conversations over politics although I am learning we hardly see anything the same politically. I always thought I was a DIE HARD conservative. I come from a DIE HARD CONSERVATIVE family. If we could have Rush Limbaugh to Christmas dinner my dad would be in heaven. Forget the rest of us, he and Rush have things to discuss! :-), I could do with out Rush. I see so much of myself in my dad and so much of my husband in my dad - they do say that you marry someone like your father. I did. But, in so many of the ways that they both make me crazy, I could just squeeze and hold on to them forever. I see my dad in my son, everyday. My son and my dad, they look to antagonize others, sometimes I do the same. I work on it. It's not the best way to be. My dad is standing in the door way as his second sister, second to youngest sister is taken away from us by cancer. He is in his last two weeks of Chemo, he has been so sick, and yet he still brought me a little Valentine's Day present. Whether he meant for it to be a Valentine's Day present or not it was. Cookbooks, "real home cooking for real people not this creme brulee crap that no one eats but real food for real people" and I decided if I ever do a cookbook that is what I am going to call it! "Real Food for Real People". Oh, that makes me smile. My dad is the cook in the family, I need to spend a day making his recipes, learning his way. I never had an interest in cooking before, now I am addicted. I love the smells it creates, the smiles it brings to my friends faces as they take a bite of something delicious and the way it makes me feel. I love it when someone asks "is this from scratch?" why yes it is or  "Did you make this?!?" Why yes I did! I had a friend growing up and she was always the chef, she is still is. That girl can cook. But she makes weird shit (Sorry Lil Moore) but its true in my book. The weird shit is always AMAZING but its weird. I am just trying to cook what's good for my family. What will make them happy and keep their bellies full. I hear kids sleep longer if they have full bellies, I so hope that is true! 

Damn 5:17 doesn't look or feel as good as 4am. Guess I better bust out and get some stuff done while my house is quiet and I can! 

Slacking it up!

I have been slacking it up! I'm sorry. I just haven't had ten seconds! But I am BACKKKKKK! Tot School this week has been AMAZING! We have been having so much fun! I think my favorite time of the day is circle time, watch the kiddo's all sit together, watching each other watching us singing songs and clapping just makes it all worth while! The big kids are doing an AWESOME job helping out and reminding the little ones to stay close! I can tell my little guy is really exploding from this opportunity as his language is making leaps and bounds! We've been doing some fun stuff, we popped out to the Museum of Transportation which was  HUGE HIT! I mean two crying, stomping their feet little boys when it was time to go. Just like I like em'! 

I don't have a ton to write because I am getting a date night... Yes mama's did you hear that a night out with my husband ALONE! Oh dear Lord, whatever shall we do! Well let me tell you it will include a LONG hot shower (BY MYSELF with out my little on banging on the door, swinging open the shower curtain or knocking over every bottle in the shower), Dinner at my FAVORITE restaurant in town Chimichangas (I know I am easy to please!) and bed by roughly 10pm to SLEEP solid til I wake up tomorrow! I haven't slept through the night solid in 3 weeks WOOT WOOT!!! Tot School has been busy and changing. I have taken on a co teacher and will be doing an LLC and getting state certified! I never do anything half way I don't know why I ever think for a second I would! Anyway, last week we made Valentine's for our friends, painted with cars (which when the tell you to use a Ziploc bag, listen!), did a sensory box with dried hashbrowns, and snuck out to a local park! We have completed our C is for Cars work and will be moving on to E is for Earth Day! 

C is for Cars!!!!

I epically failed today, I didn't take any pictures! Damn... that's terrible. I have a sick little guy who is down and out with this HORRENDOUS stomach flu. I am so thankful that he is almost two and this is our first round however it has made up for the last two years! Trying to teach a two year old to aim in the potty is so hard whether its the attic or the basement we are aiming with! Little Jimmy Neutron reference there... did you catch it?!? Probably not. I am probably the only grown adult in the world that still will sit down and watch that show and laugh my butt off! There has not been a lot of sleeping around here, I am realizing the less sleep I get the more stuff I get done. This week is C for Cars or S for Sick however you want to look at it! 

I can't focus on blogging right now. I am too caught up on my new project for the week... I want to make HUGE rugs for my basement playroom so I am really concentrating over HERE! I will write more tomorrow after I do more for letter C! 

In the mean time, hug your kids, kiss your husband, and always say I love you!

Recap of letter B

So my plans went to hell in a handbasket when KJ  started feeling sick on Wednesday (throwing up, fever, etc) So we spent the day vegging out and sleeping (and throwing up).  Thursday I worked all day, but Daddy took off to take care of the sick kiddos. Friday- still sick.  Saturday KJ had the slightest bit of energy and asked to do some crafts. So we made a - Ball and Bat  and Bumblebee.  KJ actually picked out the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? when I asked if he wanted to read some books (watching TV was getting old!)  KJ pointed out the letter B in the books.  We did a Letter B matching game (This Site has great coloring sheets and activity pages)  We rounded out the weekend by playing  w/ "sensory box" of white beans w/ a spoon, and some Tupperware.)  We had chicken and dumplings (biscuits) for dinner.
I'm not sure if KJ is understanding the letter "B" or if he just knew the answer to all my "What letter does this word start with?" question "B!"

First week = success.  

Clockwis from top left:  KJ with his bumblebee and baseball and bat (his eyes were so swollen that that is him opening his eyes!).  Playing w/ the beans. Matching the letter "B" with pictures of things that start with B.  Bubby holding up his baseball bat!

(Can you tell he's sick?)
 (More pics later?!?!  If I can find them!)

Bubby, Bugs, Balls, BBB

So, I wrote the below post on Tuesday - and I didn't post it!!! 

Here is Wacky land we have taken a slightly different approach to our letter of the week.  We are doing a lot of different "B" activities.


We talk a lot about what we are doing - it was gorgeous outside yesterday so we went out to play with out balls (soccer ball, baseball, tennis ball) and bat.  We also played on our bicycle. Bubby and I talk a lot about what we are doing. I say to him "We are dribbling a soccer bbb ball. What does Ball start with?  Ba ba ba" "What else starts with B?"


Monday - we didn't really do a whole lot but talk about B words (S had to go to the doctor - she has RSV and I had to work).  Bubby did eat 2 1/2 banana's!


Tuesday - Playing with Balls, Buzz Light year, bats.  We made brownies and colored the Printable Letters  B (with a Bee and a Bear)  I walked to B about trying to color just the letters that were on the page.  We talked about Big B and little b - we then looked for letters around the house.  WE didn't find a whole lot but we did find some on my shirt.  B then started to ask about all the letters - What letter is that?  and  What does Dadeo start with?  
We also sang "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee" and at naptime - "Be with me Lord, when I am in trouble, Be with me lord, I pray"

Wednesday - Crafts!
Ball and Bat  craft which emphasizes lacing which is great fine motor and hand eye coordination practice.  Singing take me out to the ball game and baseball food - hot dogs, nachos (chips and cheese) and popcorn!
(pics to come soon!)

Think good  thoughts.   Kiss your Kids.  Smile louder. Love the Lord.
 

Arctic Animals Day 2!

Day 2... We survived! Or should I say we made it! Magnus and I woke up LATE... I mean we slept til 7:55 and my first kiddo arrives around 8! Goodness, I barely had my brain turned on today! Thankfully I did because we had a fantastic morning! Today, since I had 14 month old, a 2 year old and my 22 month old I wanted to adapt my activities for everyone! Its so easy to adapt activities to include all the children. The first activity we did and we did it while Baby M was sleeping because it involved ice but we did an Arctic Sensory Box! I had popped over to Hobby Lobby on Saturday and using a 40% off coupon I picked up a container of Arctic animals, Eskimos and an igloo for only $5.50! Woot woot go me! Anyway, I had a bag of ice left over from a recent party and I poured that into the sensory box and dumped the animals in! THEY LOVED IT! I would say easily this activity lasted 45-60 mins off and on of course! I showed them how to tell a story with the characters by sort of acting one out, how the Eskimos would live in the igloo and we talked about how COLD the ice was. I think if I had used cotton balls which I will probably do tomorrow it would have lasted longer but alas they still had a blast! Ps the photo of Magnus holding up the cariboo he goes "Ho Ho's dog!" BAHAHAHAHAHAH so funny to me. He calls Santa Ho-Ho's and I will be sad when he stops doing that! 

 The second activity we did is my favorite form of paint ever! Its so easy! I used a ketchup bottle today that I picked up at the dollar store to use as our "brush". I found a snowflake template online that I will link to again when I can find it. We call this "Puffy Paint", basically its 2 parts shaving cream, one part glue, and a quarter size of paint. You can use any container you can think of I have even used bowls and spoons before to paint with it. I loved using the ketchup bottle today, one it was mess free and two EVERYONE even Baby M got to do it! I put in the shaving cream, then the glue and kept tapping the bottle on the counter then I added the paint and stirred with a an old tooth brush. I did not ask for any tot help as they were still playing with the ice box and I did not want to interrupt their fleeting moments of positive interactive play! We LOVE this paint because it dries fluffy, it feels awesome! I mean I LOVE IT and I am 28 years old. We used blue paint of course to stick with our color theme of the week and talked repeatedly that we were painting with BLUE and that the shape we were painting was a snowflake and that lots of snow makes ice! Puffy paint is diverse in my life because I can have the older kids help make the paint, everyone can squeeze it out and everyone loves the final result. Tater and I worked on following the lines of the snowflake this is great way to start working on tracing for letter writing! Ps Tater is my almost 3 year old little cousin - he and Magnus are second cousins (even though I HATE that phrase because cousins are cousins are cousins)!

I also embarked on making homemade bread but more about that later!

A is for Arctic Animals!

Hey Everybody! I wanted to really quickly jump on here and drop my post about our week! Tomorrow is Wednesday and its flying so quickly! On Monday, the boys and I did some jingle bell painting! It was so much fun! I used blue paint which is the color of the week, a cereal box that I grabbed from our recycle bin, paper I cut into circles (I used a pie tin for my template) and jingle bells I had around the house. I wanted to use marbles but I couldn't find them so I improvised! I first sent all of my little boys outside to play and brought them in one at a time to paint! Of course they ended up clustering but they really loved it! Basically, I put the paper in the box and the jingle bells and they told me where to drop the paint. A few key things to remember for next time I think I will water down the tempera paint and I will make sure to have something that rolls better than jingle bells however, they LOVED the music it made and they still ended up with very pretty pictures! We talked about the color of course, the shape of our paper and the motions we were doing while painting. Ps the bottom picture, I caught Magnus being so sweet and hugging our new friend M so I had to take a pic!

Early in the morning before our friends arrived Jay and I busted out a quick and I mean quick batch of healthy muffins! Its so easy! We call them Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins, and they are delish! They barely make it longer than 48 hours! All they are is a box of spice cake and a can of pumpkin and half a bag of chocolate chips! This week at Walgreens, I was able to get 3 cans of pumpkin on clearance for 14 cents a can! I bought the last 3 they had sorry ladies! I also like puree green vegetables and mix them in with the pumpkin and then into batter. I feel like its a sneaky way to do but whatever it gets my boys a full serving of vegetables! I pretty much puree a ton of vegetables and sneak them into every dish I make! I can get two pans of mini cupcakes out of one batch. If you are into couponing you can almost always get the boxes of spice cake for just a $1 during Dierbergs 10 for $10 and I stock up! I never know when I am not going to feel like busting out a big breakfast for the boys and these are such an awesome go to! Check out my adorable helper as well! 

I also must warn you I am big and I mean big into sensory boxes! I do one every day, I could do a whole blog on just sensory boxes. On Monday and Tuesday we did rice and cheerio's mainly because someone... dumped out the entire rice bucket from last week so we substituted with cheerios!  I dig through the cabinets and give them spoons and little cups and set it out on the patio and let them go to town! Anything they spill isn't such a big deal because the squirrels eat it and I buy the rice at the $1 store. We do work on keeping the materials inside the box though just because its important to start early with rule following. I LOVE sensory boxes because they encompass so many skills in one ten minute cycle of play! They encourage sensory of course touching different textiles, fine motor skills, gross motor skills and hand eye coordination. On Thursday we will be doing an ice sensory box, I have bought some arctic animals that I will set out for play on the little containers of ice I have made inside the sensory box. Ps Any plastic box will work AWESOME for a sensory box, you can often find something at the teacher recycle store or my favorite store The Upcycle Exchange which I so highly recommend you check out! They are a pay as you wish store on all kinds of materials they also have an awesome Facebook page! Other great items to put inside a sensory box are marshmellows, newspaper shreds, bottle caps (the plastic ones not the metal ones), pom poms... pretty much anything you can think of! 

During our in between times and things I did not get pictures of was reading books about arctic animals, coloring the letter a, doing our wooden Melissa and Doug puzzles that I totally recommend you invest in HERE is the link. I also keep all of our wooden puzzles up high in a closet not because I don't want them to be easily accessible but because I really don't want to lose any pieces and I have found when puzzles are in the play area the pieces magically get eaten by the couch!


Now that my little boys are starting to figure out my groove and I am getting caught up on all the great things I want to do with them we are going to start doing task boxes. You mama's will love them and I will explain what they are next week! 


Thanks for reading!

B is for....

Tomorrow starts our first week of tot school.....   Here at that Wacky W's we will working on the letter B.....boys, brothers, baseball, bugs, bumblebees, birds, butterflies and so on.... what things can you identify that starts with B?   My favorite is Bubby!!!  I can't wait to start with him tomorrow!!
Check it out to see what we are doing!
Think good  thoughts.   Kiss your Kids.  Smile louder. Love the Lord.

p.s. S is still sick - looks like we are going to the doctors!

Sick Kiddos

As S's temp rose to 102.8 and I began to get just a little frantic, I couldn't help but thinking how thankful I am that this is a once in awhile thing.  My baby girl will get better. There are some babies that are sick constantly.  I continue to pray them and their parents.   My brain/imagination tends to run wild.  As I'm rocking S and singing her songs, I start thinking that she could die in one of those freak weird illnesses where within 24 hours they baby dies.  (So of course  start crying)... then I realize I have very little to be worried about.  I mean yes at the time I can worry plenty, but...

do you find yourself stressing out majorly that you have work to, kids to feed, bathe, play with, and get into bed.  A spouse/relationship to keep nurturing.  house to clean. laundry to do. food to make.  family to see. friends to talk to.  facebook friends to stalk. pins to pin. blogs to blog. and life is just too much.   But really, how many people would love have such problems.  How many women can have children or miscarry?  How many single girls or guys are looking for someone they can trust and marry.  (Yes he/she might annoy the shit out of you and drive you nuts, but when the chips are down they are by your side.  your best friend. your partner. your spouse.)  I might not have gotten any sleep b/c of a sick baby girl. but there are parents out there who wish they had only a few nights with a sick baby.

So, I know it's super hard when your in the trenches, but remember this is our choice.  We are so lucky. Thank God for all your for blessings (sometimes in the disguise of these stresses).

Think good  thoughts.   Kiss your Kids.  Smile louder. Love the Lord.

Favorite bloggers...

I am a die hard blog reader... I can't help it. I have started to shy away from photographer blogs it just fills my head with too much stuff but there are some AMAZING women that I read almost daily. I feel like I am friends with them.. does that make me a loser? I do email and correspond with them so I think can count them as my friends. They are inspirational, funny and real. Their lives down end happy everyday, they share struggles I didn't know existed. They rock so I highly recommend you check them out! 

1. Katherine Marie, she does the coolest things with her kids and posts rockin' photographs to display it all check her out HERE!

2. Sara Denckoff - She is a Saint Louis mama and is SO FUNNY! I mean seriously the trials and tribulations with elementary kids that she talks about is so funny! She also did a NYE scavenger hunt around STL and it looked amazing... we should think about this for next year! HERE


3. Ashleyann... I want my blog to be as beautiful as her's! I mean its awesome! (Side note my house is about to get very busy any minute so I probably won't actually post this til tonight... what a shame!) Anyway, Ashleyann is a rockin' photographer, mom to 3 boys and a girl and is in the process of adopting a baby from China! She documents her life in ways that would drive my husband CRAZY but I long to document and love the way she does it! HERE 


4. Lyndsay Stradtner (most of my blog reading starts with photographers but ends up on their personal blogs because they are just so amazing!) This mama is one to be reckoned with! She just recently took her daughter who has food allergies out of the public school and is homeschooling her because of the school's lack of commitment to keep her daughter safe. I know most of aren't to school age yet but the school's suck when it comes to food allergies... I don't know why they are so behind on the times but they are.. that will be a post for another day. Anyway, scroll back through some of Lyndsay's older posts she is also an incredible activist for what is going into our food and has really opened my eyes (she started my whole CSA action). HERE


5. Erin Cobb - Oh her adorable blonde haired children you could just eat up they are so cute! They live in Alabama, Erin is a photographer just bought a little house just for her photography studio (she has her own home but now she has another house too!) She is just cool. Everything about her. HERE


6. The Anderson Crew - They are new to my little blog life (lol) but she is a mama with a ton of kids and I love her for that. She is so adorable and really lays life out like it should be. HERE


7. Karen Russell - THIS WOMAN IS AMAZING! Her husband is in Afghanistan, she writes comically, and at the end of every post has a tag line just for Josh Downs her husband. She is so fabulous! I mean her kids are hilarious and the way she documents her life is so inspiring.. she is stuck with me as a blog reader for life. HERE 

Well that is all I have for now but not all I love! Maybe a part two will come later! 

"Talk to each other like you are talking to Jesus"

A few things I should just comment on really quickly, I don't have a lot of time to blog. I sometimes hardly have time to breathe or even take a shower (Comment if you can think of when the last time was you took a shower :P) Anyway, I type like I talk. I will probably have TERRIBLE GRAMMAR and I AM SO SORRY for that! Seriously, its not intentional and I am sure if I went back and re-read what I wrote it wouldn't be as awful but the chances of that happening are slim to none. Please feel free to comment if its just absolutely killing you and you hate to read my posts because of it. I will promise I will find an online editor.

I am posting a picture of Magnus. I love him and you should too. I also hate posting with out posting a picture, it bugs me and haunts me. So here he is. Ps if you need a rocking photographer check me out HERE. I am awesome. 

Let me address my post title. Today, I had a house full of boys and it was busy. (If you have boys, or are having a boy plan on getting yourself a train table it is absolutely the best investment I have ever made) They were entertained ALL MORNING by the train table and it encompasses all ages which is another reason I love it. Granted we are going to use an air gun to nail down our track and trains because well its just a hot mess every night and the Mac Daddy aka my husband is getting really tired of putting it back together so I gave in and told him he can nail the bad boy down. Totally off topic. I heard from a person on THE TALK (which if you are looking for a show to fill your soul at 1pm weekdays you should totally check it out) anyway she said something along the lines of "I talk to people like I am talking to Jesus and if I get angry and I blow up I get down and apologize right there before they have a chance to walk away" and I. can't. stop. thinking. about. it. I mean really, I can't. I am obsessed with it. What an amazing way to think about every conversation I have with someone. I am not a die hard religious freak, in fact the last time my little family of 3 stepped into a church was the day my son was baptized when he was 6 weeks old. It's not really the way I want his childhood to grow up however, I tend to work on Sundays or if I am lucky I get to sleep in! Sorry God but this mama needs to sleep! As my boys were whining and arguing I started to tell them "Let's think about this, talk to each other as if you are talking to Jesus" now these are school age kids I am talking to not my toddlers. I am not sure it made a difference for them because they aren't actually my kids but I can see myself repeating that phrase to my own little one's for years to come. I think its a good thought just to hold on to, to me it is not anything similar to those "WWJD" bracelets that were so in for a minute but really more about a conscious effort to watch my tongue. I would never tell Jesus to "eff off" nor should I tell the people I love to eff off even if I want too or mutter it under my breath. I am a work in progress and I like it that way. 

Ps I am making my first CSA fruit/vegetable purchase tonight it opens back up at 11 and I will be able to pick it up on the 25th! 

We also did Meatless Monday's, I am not sure who started it but a friend of mine on Facebook posts about it all the time! Last night I made a mac and cheese bake with black beans and sauteed onions in beef bouillon it was SO GOOD! I mean to take a picture but then I started eating it. 

On Friday I am going to be making home made bread and vanilla soy milk. Make sure you check back to see how that goes, I am hoping to get some help from my boys but as busy as they are I imagine it will be more mess than fun! But messes are fun... right?!?! Feel free to comment and let us know if you are doing the CSA too!

This sums it up -holy cow!!

"By investing more time in our children, we are helping them mount up over inertia, over laziness, bad habits, self-centeredness and giving them practice at developing good habits, skills, abilities, all of which need to be intentionally nurtured, taught, modeled and trained into them by their parents" posted today on  The Better Mom - seriously awesome website!

Meeting me - read if you have time.

Let's just start by saying I'm crazy.  It shows it what I say, how I write, what I do and so on.  Let's also just say, I hope you have ADD because when I write/speak/think, my brain jumps from place to place and back again. (I also have this horrible habit of not editing or reading what I wrote!)   That is me!    I am a momma of two wonderfully energetic stubborn happy children. (wife, daughter, friend, etc. but I am mostly a woman of God.)   Now  (see how I just can't keep on on thought?!?!), that you have met me, - wait we didn't meet.  I am Kathy .  There done.  you now know me. Good night.  .

What were you expecting more?!?!

I'm thinking you might want to stop reading now... the rest is probably just going to be a spewing words

oh okay.  So when I think of who I am, I like to say that I thrive on craziness.  The more I have to do, the more I get done and the better I feel   For the past few years, I've fallen into a funk.  I am in a me centered, lazy state; wherein I should get what I want beacause I deserve it - WHAT?!?!?  what happened to that old me who liked to give back and not be lazy?  I'm not sure, but the me I have become or should I say am becoming is someone I can love.)  I"m not sure I always love myself; certainly not my body.  But darn it (trying to keep it kid friendly - most likely the only time I will remember b/c I tend to have  mouth like sailor (well I've reformed a bit)) (side note - I open lots of parenthasis but don't always close them- just an fyi)) - let's throw in a few more to make sure I've closed them all. ))))))))))))))))))))    I"m going to learn (see how I cam back to it and finally finished that thought - I'm so sorry!)

I have realized, decided, and committed myself (no not committed myself - haha) to being a better mom, wife, friend and person.  I know not very specific, however....  I've always  heard that once you believe you are going to loose weight you will do it- attitude is half the battle.  Bull shit.   Well, that's what I used to think: bullshit, but in the last 3 weeks I realized it's not bullshit - I seriously feel like I have the Jesus rays coming off me. AHHHH moment!  I've been afraid of being the real me.  I won't be me if I loose weight.  NOT TRUE!   See I get off on these tangents.  Back to my goal of being a better me; first and foremost me (No, this not all about me) - I will get to my point!   I'm exercising and eating better.  I want to be able to play with my kids.  Run with them,  not just sit on the sideline watching them.  I want to jump up when they do and not feel like I have the help myself up.  I want to teach them to be healthy eaters.  All food is okay, you just need to control it!   I already know that K has a ridiculous metabolism, but that doesn't mean he should he fast food and junk b/c one day it will go away and then where will he be?!?!   We should take care of this beautiful body God has given us- he made me just this way (sometimes I'm not sure why, but hey - God has a plan).

Next (and the biggest focus)a better mom -  I am creating an safe environment of love, learning, exploring and fun for K & S (my kiddos) (at least that's what I want to work towards).   I always wanted to be a stay at home mom, but it's hard work and I want to give my best.  Just like any job where there are performance reviews, bonus and goals, I too have them.... are my kids thoughtful, generous and kind? (performance- check), bonus - hugs and kisses.  Goal- me not killing them or me.   So, I want to stay focused (don't laugh too loud).  I know that my house will always be messy, but I feel so much better and get more done when its straightened (like now, I can write bc the toys are put away - granted its midnight)), however if I focus and get the cleaning done (and not just sit and watch tv or play on the computer) I will have more time to play/laugh/explore with my kids. 

To channel that focus while laughing, learning and exploring, we came up with the tot school.  I don't just want to do random activites (although random is good), I want semi structured random.

There is so much more to say, but I'm pretty sure you didn't have time to read this ridiculously long post  about mostly nothing. So, go get something done, say a prayer or get some sleep.  

Think good  thoughts.   Kiss those Kids.  Smile louder. Love the Lord.

Changes. I want to make some changes in my life. I want to eat healthier, I want to exercise more and I want to believe in myself to make those changes. I want to engage Magnus in growing up believing being healthy is one of the only options and that skipping McDonald's and Taco Bell are easier done then said. I want him to ask for more grapes instead of candy and to want to ride his bike instead of playing video games. I think we are headed in that direction but I want those things for me too and for my husband. I want to run a 5k in 2012, whether I am the last to cross the finish line or somewhere in the middle I want to do it for me. Thanks to Pinterest (which if you are a blog reader and you aren't on Pinterest dear Lord let me know I will send you an invite) I am able to find a TON of awesome rocking recipes and ideas. I stumbled upon this blogger tonight who I am in love with and she talks about eating healthy and it being affordable check it out HERE I mean isn't that the whole reason we don't eat healthier? It's too expensive, or I will remember to buy that produce co -op $20 box of vegetables and fruit that will feed a family of 4 for two weeks next week, damn I need to remember to do that. I am trying to keep it fresh in my mind. I feel like expenses is why I always choose the FREE Mac and Cheese I got at Target with my coupons over something I could do homemade. My favorite excuse I make for myself is that my refrigerator is too small, it is too small it barely holds the boxed crap now, and then I think what if there was no boxed crap. What if my refrigerator was filled with beautiful colors of fresh vegetables and fruits? Then I think well it would be filled with pesticides is Organic really organic? or are they master's of disguise in getting you to purchase CRAP that they claim to be organic? These are the questions and the thoughts that roll through my head when I think about eating healthier. Now, I am a mama who has my own kiddo and a few friends during the week, I want to be making sure I am making the right choices for not only my little one but for my Tot School little one's too. I want to be inspired by my food choices to make things from scratch and I want to have the resources here in the bible belt to do so. I want to teach Magnus that vegetables come from the ground, fruit comes from the trees and the meat we choose to consume not that it has to be with every single meal every day is created as humanely as possible. If you haven't had a chance to read the book "Skinny Bitch" you should, it will haunt your thoughts. My husband doesn't get any of this, he thinks its a ton of crap... I think he is full of crap (he is. He eats like crap). His idea of a good meal is Chicken Fried Steak (someone explain that to me in the comments), Green beans with loads of butter and garlic salt, white bread and a big fatty piece of pie for dessert. All amazing things and yes I am equally guilty of knocking that out like its no big deal but its really time for a change. A time to get back to our roots. In honor of making that change, I just put in my first cart order at Community Helpings, which is a group ordering system for local fresh produce.. You can find it HERE!

Hey its Kate! For now we are going to try different fonts and different colors to distinguish between us til I get us a really cool blog! So just hang with us for a little bit! I have about 15 minutes before I have to bust out the door run some errands, tutor and clean my house but I wanted to tell you a little about my guy Magnus. My little guy Magnus will be two, on April 4th! It is all happening so fast and he is growing up so quickly! A few things I want to remember he did this weekend is learned to jump with both feet off the ground AND yesterday he said "I squeeze" and then said "This is hard" in regards to a potato he was trying to squeeze. Little snot. Sometimes I just don't know what to do with that kid and I know its only going to get harder as he grows up. Ahhh! Anyway, Magnus started sitting at 4 months, crawling at 6 months to the day and walking by 9 months. He could carry a gallon of milk at 10 months and could literally push anything in the world he wanted the coffee table, stools etc by 11 months, we started calling him Magnus. I know many of you reading this know his real name but I feel like with so much openess on the internet there needs to be a little bit held back and I am going to start that with my little one for his safety and protection. So last week we hadn't started Tot School officially yet but I had two very busy boys T is almost 3 and O is almost 1 and I had Magnus! Needless to say with the snow we were stuck inside and going crazy. So we did a few things to pass the time, we made chocolate chip cookies and ate them with milk fresh from the oven, I made a rice box using two bags of rice, some spoons and a plastic container and I let them go to town making a mess of it. We also played with glowsticks in the bathtub AND I made colored ice cubs with food coloring and we painted in the bathtub! They loved that it turned the water green! Oh boys... so easily amused by messing things!

Welcome to tot school! We will share with you all the awesome amazing things our kids are doing and what we are doing to help them along the way! We will share our curriculum, what worked what didn't work and things you should definitely try at home! Some days will be about Tot School, other days will be about our kids, our families and of course our husbands! Get ready to hop on this wild ride with us because its going to be a good one!