what we eat.

soooooo we eat like total shit 90% of the time. This makes me extremely sad. I mean...we're the only ones that can change that or do anything about it and yet we don't. 



most recently, we've been trying to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, increased organic ingredients, make smoothies, eat less processed foods, eat all the salads - although, we can never eat it fast enough and then it seems to go bad:/ - cut down almost entirely on fast foods...but itttttt.isssss.hardddddddd! There are so many days that become 'the last day' we: go to Subway/eat ice-cream/feed the kids Mac&Chs for lunch. And then we vow to start all over again the next day...only to fail miserably all over again after a day or two!

our biggest motivation for continuing to try and make better food decisions are the kids. I mean...Jacob and I can hardly remember eating out during our childhood. McDonald's was a serious 'treat'. So why has it become a bi-weekly habit for us now? Well, we are lazy assholes, is the answer to that. And our kiddos deserve better. It kinda makes me ill to think of the shit I'm putting in their bodies daily because of pure laziness on my part! They deserve better and I damn sure can do better! 

anddddd we're in our 30's (VERY early, younggggg hawt 30's;) and some of this shit is going to start catching up with us. My husband has one of those stomachsssss/belly's??? and it's not a vanity thing...we both just want to be able to run and play with the kids - and not feeling the need to wear Tshirts in the pool would be cool too;). 
And I'm having babies in my 30's and I need to be healthy...as much fun as it is to gain 55lbs per pregnancy...it's just not necessary;) AND being healthy in those pregnancy months has a lot of benefits, overall - healthier baby/birth/recovery!

anyhoo.

where I think we're failing is...overwhelming ourselves. Every time we come up with a plan, it's like 2 pages long. I think we need to be a bit more focused on one area and go from there. Make some small goals, implement them and then build upon them.

what I'm hoping to do - and I'll let Jacob in on this as soon as he gets home;) - is:

- exercise at least 3 days a week
whether that be a quick run (no better time of year to be starting:), 10min of yoga or any googled work-out that you can follow, an hour long walk...blah, blah:)
I've found a lot of these 10min workouts to be amazing...I can get the kids down for a nap, do my workout and still sometimes get a nap in myself...OR if your kids, like mine, hardly ever sync up nap times...10min is the perfect amount of time before everyone is balling;)



- MORE water

- cut a few things out entirely
NO fast food. NO soda (which is something we already cut out of our household a few years ago!!!!) - Although, I do still drink soda if we're out to eat - pizza and water, ewwww!?!?!?;) or at a get-together but now I'm cutting that out as well. NO ice-cream.
What will this life BE without Ben&Jerry's?!?!?!?!! SAD.FACE:(
BUT an alternative way to look at it isn't by what you can NOT have...but what you CAN have. Start brainstorming replacements. If I can't have ice-cream in the afternoon - really;) - what can I replace that with? Fresh strawberries...frozen or dried bananas...yogurt, etc.

- ONE cheat day per week
I don't want to set us up for failure. I realize that it's going to be hard. It's been hard...SO, I'm allowing a slip-up once a week. I'm not sure if we'll put guidelines on that or not but once we cheat, we mark it on the calendar and must get another 5-7 days under our belt before we can cheat again.

here's a simple video that kinda helped motivate me. 

and really...when I really think about it...this has been a long time coming. I want to make these changes. I want our days to be healthier. I want us to feel better and FEEL all the benefits of being healthier!!! 
And just getting up a tad earlier in the morning. Meal planning. Being more active. I feel SO amazing when I do these things. So why am I not making that a daily priority? And bottom line...you are what you eat and so that means we are, basically, a bowl of Mac&Chs with an added can of Cream of Mushroom Soup - HOLY SHITTTTT!?!!?!;) EW.

i'll report back on our progress. I know it's not going to be easy and a lot of this we're already doing on some level but I want to REALLY start being intentional about this list. 
And there's something about putting our goals out there, feeling like you guys are holding us accountable, that motivates me.

i'm hoping that the next time you hear from me, I'm sitting on the couch at noon, writing up my follow-up blog post, with my gallon jug of water sitting next to me - 1/2 empty;) - after having just finished a quick work-out;)

PLEASE share any tips, healthy recipes/treats/snacks and your goals!!!

- casey

work/nap/date night.

we're back at it. WORK NIGHT:) I think I missed a week. Last week was our 'Work Night' and that consisted of Jacob and my dad putting a header in the entry/foyer area...that we plan to remodel completely...someday. But they got that up and the wall is completely open now - YAY:) Meanwhile, I had pina colada slush and schmoozed with my Friend...yay, Work Night!!!;)

tonight we had 9 kids and since it was so nice, we packed some sandwiches and juice and headed to the park. 

my - we're 'in-charge' of 9 kids and a dog, where's my beer - face:)

found beer.

we always end the night with popcorn or ice cream or snickers or gummy worms and movies. I don't take photos of that portion of the night. I assume you can trust me when I say that thattttt is happening;)

next week we're hoping to utilize our time for a Date Night!!!:) We'll be a few days out from my birthday and we may mix things up and have Courts watch the kids during the daylight hours!!

happy Friday, friends:)

- casey

grocery shopping is/for dummies.

you know what's delusional funny?! Thinking it'll be fun to take all the kids and a husband grocery shopping;)

so far, I'm a lost cause in the kitchen. I'm starting to familiarize myself with the crock-pot. Occasionally, I'll throw on the adorable - completely unnecessary - apron I was gifted (probably as a joke, knowing that I don't cook - thanks, Carrie;) at my bachelorette party and then toss in some chicken/lime/??/rice concoction. 

i'm sort of a lost cause in those steps leading up to cooking, as well.

think about cooking. 
don't cook. 
nap. 
too late too cook - apparently, the crock-pot takes HOURS!??!. 
wait for Jacob to come home and save the day.

i make a pretty long list of things we 'need' or are out of. None of which actually make a meal. And then I go to the grocery store and come home hours later with an excessive amount of peanut butter and several more cans of black olives to add to the abundance of black olives we already have at home. 

Andddd completely exhausted.

tonight Jacob came along to supervise:) I think we did okay. We're gonna stay married;) I didn't get my ice-cream and Jacob converted me from Brown Sugar Poptarts to Toaster Strudels. So I'd say it was a win-win-WIN for him:)

here's to hoping - cause I'm a crazy dreamer - that I wake up before the kids tomorrow to get my smoothie made and someeeeething in the crock-pot;)

and now we need 3 carts!!!

the only casualty - after hounding Homer constantly not to hit anyone in the ankles with his cart - was me hitting Homer in the ankles with my freaking cart. And you would have thought I ran him completely over...the kids gonna get an A in drama;)

this was Wednesday. It is now Thursday and here's the recap:

- we got home only to realize we'd forgotten 2 gallons of milk beneath the cart!:/

- our dog ate my loaf of bread while I was gone this afternoon - ANGRY FACE!!!!!

- Jacob never grabbed toaster strudels. 

- i did notttt wake up before the kids this morning;)

- i DID prep smoothies for the next few weeks...so I'm all set for a few meals and chicken is currently in the crock-pot for tomorrow. BOOM.

- casey

a day on the {frozen} lake.

yesterday was one of those days that was prettyyyyyyy neat from start to finish! I did have to make about a bajillion calls and pull out my best stuff in order to get things arranged the way I hoped - everyone else seemed to have other plans (Courts was gonna spend all day cleaning and mom and dad were already headed in another direction). BUT I got um'. I WORE UM' DOWN!!!!;)

and so we started by visiting our grandpa and having lunch with him:) Then we headed to Eau Pleine to walk around for a bit! I was glad I thought ahead and put rubber boots on - as well as the kids - because they were great for puddle jumping on the lake!:)

it was just one of those afternoons that felt so so relaxing. We walked around. The breeze actually felt warm at one point. Baby strapped to my chest. Kids running ahead of us. Snowball fights that didn't end with tears - these kids have it so easy these days (or dad's become a softie;) cause that's not how that shit would have ended in my day;). Beer in hand. Sun shining. It was just.so.nice:)

it was 50 degrees in WI yesterday. Today is down to 37 but Jacob's home all day and the kids are currently playing and coffee is going and so I'm hoping we have ourselves a real nice Sunday:)

21 days till Spring, friends:)

- casey

work/nap/date night.

week 4 of the Work Nights. Tonight we have kids. 9 total. Kids. 

why does it feel like we've been doing this for all of eternity? Did Court and Dave ever pick the kids up last time or...!??!;)

9PM - the agreed upon time to wrap-up Work/Nap/Date Night - is coming a little slower than last week;) We are down a few children...the older, most helpful ones!!! BUT totally worth it because Jacob and I already hope to use our next Work Night for a meeting of the minds at Buffalo Wild Wings;)

and a dinosaur movie to get us through the home-stretch. Boom.

a little video of our night, below:)

- casey

supper prep island

Monday, February 8

coffee mornin at the island often turns into supper at the island. sometimes the entire mess isn't cleaned up from breakfast and supper prep spills over other messes. literally. milk has been spilled here more times than I can count!

33rd Birthday Wishes.

so I want all the things. The end;)

i'll be 33 in 28 days. That's not really blowing my mind at all. 33 sounds like a total snooze-fest. Like telling someone you're 33 feels like such an annoying thing to have to do. 

Hi. I'm Casey and I'm the most boring age that there is to be.
I'm TOTALLY going to forget I'm 33 the entire time I'm 33 and then Jacob's going to blow my mind with that information when I turn 34, and he'll have to console me because I'll feel like I've lost an entire year of my life;)

again...the wanting of all the things...here's a quick Birthday Wish List. 

- just thought of something that Jacob can add to that 'list of things I'm good at' that he's supposed to be putting together for me...for real, I asked him to do that and I haven't heard back about it in at least a year;)...

Making Lists Of Material Things I Want Like A Total Asshole

don't get me wrong...I want there to be more trees and kindness and better health-care/insurance and a few more date days in the year with my husband and family vacations with the kids...

but in the meantime. A funny book and a candle. :)

book $6.99 . phone case $12.99 . candle $18

sharkT $25.60 . cute&psycho $34.90 . watch $189