Backyard Play Day

So this morning I woke up and it was blue skies to the east and I was hopeful when I got out of the shower and clothed myself in a pair of capris.  By nine it was getting darker and darker, by nine thirty it was a snow globe outside.  By eleven it was done snowing and it was forty eight.  I dressed the boys in some warmer clothes and sent them out to be boys.  All this snow and cold weather has been dampening their play time.  I peeked out on them and ran for the camera...

Some kids get those stick horses to ride on... not Riah, a snow shovel is all he gets.

No fear... in him that is, in me - well that is just another story!

My boys all love playing with the swim goggles, Riah is no exception.

This is a little peek in to my world with Zeke and Ki - Check out Zeke's face and then check out Ki's... LOL

Like I said - Ki is a breed of his own!

Some Pictures

Everything here is going well.  We have been busy... with what I am not sure but I feel like the last week or two have been a total whirlwind. 

Riah Bug

My three men!

Another common Ki look - "Whatever mom!"

Zeke's funny face

Ki copying brother Zeke's funny face

Riah at the track - it was windy and cold and we lasted all of ten minutes... BURR

The aftermath of 97 mile an hour winds that hit last Wednesday and then brought what was supposed to be a skiff of snow and wound up being like six inches.

Kulow Silliness

As you can see we got a lot of snow... and this was only the first day.

Here Michael is shoveling.  Granted I am sitting in my front living room nice and warm but you can see just how much snow we got.  Craziness!

Okay... I was super bummed I was over exposed on this picture so a little color editing and this is what I got.  This is a very common Ki look... "Really MOM."

Ki's nice smile!

Since Riah has begun walking I have been putting shoes on him, as you can see he is not a fan.

My baby

A Kulow look - this is a family trait... the tongue

Ki guy playing with his Nerf gun.  Protection comes first.

Riah has discovered books.  He is not the most gentle but he sure does love to sit and flip pages.

My Ki guy!

Zeke has been sneaking off a lot lately to come and sit in his room.  He has told me that he is needing some "me time" and I am okay with that.  Books are the best place to spend "me time",

Suggestions please!

I am about to send my middle son to Kalamazoo!  He has been potty trained for a while now, both number one and number two.  In the last week every number two has been in his pants.  He will pull down his pants and pee, then pull up his pants and poop.  I am going crazy - needless to say monster mom has come out more than once.  Any suggestions?  I do think that he is growing, he spent two weeks ago eating about everything in sight and now he is sleeping a ton, super grouchy and not eating much more than a bird's meal.  Could that effect potty training issues?  I never had this problem with the older one, once he was potty trained it stuck! 
Sincerely,
Monster Mom

Happy Valentines Day

Warning... the cynic in me will be present in this post!

I suppose that is not the best first line when it comes to saying "Happy Valentines Day".  My husband and oldest son got into a little discussion last night it went something like this... "Dad, you did nothing for mom for Valentines day!"  "Well Zeke if I did my job well the rest of the year then Valentines day is just another day."  To which Michael looked at my and smiled and said, "Right, honey?"  To the sentiment I agree!

I grew up in a house where Valentines day was not really a big deal.  My dad would bring home a little something for us girls some years and others he wouldn't.  One year sticks out particularly in my head... My dad came home from running errands and carried in a VHS of Cindy Crawford's workouts.  His justification was the fact that Cindy was wearing a red bathing suit and it indeed resemble that of a heart on her shapely body.  My mom thankfully received the gift her husband of ten years brought her.  Oh, but my aunt to be was NOT!  The fumes that came from her ears that evening as mom displayed her Valentines gift on the kitchen counter were enough to fog up the house!  I remember that night was spent with my mom explaining to my aunt to be that she liked the gift, it was practical and she knew that her husband thought about her and thought she would find the gift useful.  I can't remember if even to this day if my now aunt has gotten over the shock of that Valentines gift, however it left an impact on me.  If the person that I ever ended up with gave me anything, I would hope that it was practical and useful, not a silly bouquet that would die and stink up a vase, or a box of chocolates that would add pounds to my backside.  

With that being said, I have been married for five and a half years.  In those years I have never gotten a Valentines gift on the actual day.  I think know Michael has an internal rebel that will not allow him to purchase anything on the over commercialized holiday.  Our first year of marriage Michael made me dinner and we sat down at the table and enjoyed dinner and a bottle of sparkling cider.  Our second year of marriage "Zeke" purchased me a rose bush the week before.  It has been a little dry the last few years... However yesterday I walk into our office and on my desk is a "Living Social" couples massage coupon.  I sent Michael a text thanking him and he replies back, "For what?"  "Well, Kulow for the gift... the practical and much needed massage that you bought not only for me but for you, which means a date night."  It didn't stop at the purchase of the couples massage but this morning as he was leaving for work he actually said, "Happy Valentines Day."  I almost wonder if it tasted bitter, because saying it on the actual day is not his forte!  

With all of that said, I hope that every day is a special day for you and your significant other and that they don't wait for February 14, 2013 to show you again how special you are! 

Super B-Complex

Have you been thinking that your diet is missing something?  

I didn't until I had a massive meltdown about a week ago.  I know it sounds much more serious than it really was - but I was a mess.  Ever since having Riah my hormones have been a total mess.  Simply put, I have been "off" for a year now.  Last Tuesday was the epitome of it and I sat down at my computer and started researching "Hormone help during premenstrual cycle".  I found a lot of information but one that I decided that I would first try and go from there was a B-Complex vitamin supplement.  The next morning I was expressing my frustrations to a  friend and she said that she too takes it and she calls them her "happy pills".  I was convinced so that morning I went directly to Costco and purchased a bottle of Super B-Complex vitamins.  Now a week later I can attest to the fact that they are wonderful.  If you are struggling with your hormones and like me go from happy to crying to screaming in an hour time frame give it a try... $16.33 with taxes is not too bad. 
My next step is to get a workout routine going.  That has been a hard hurtle to face!  With the weather what it has been here and my schedule with the boys leaves little to no energy left.  I do have a friend that has said she would meet me and walk/run with me but even that sounds too intimidating since she has run a half marathon and I jokingly say the only time I will run is if I am being chased and even then it is questionable. 
Although in all seriousness - if you are struggling with your hormones give the B-Complex vitamin a try, it is cheap and easy start - I am glad I did, I feel more in control of the waves of emotions inside me.

House Hunting

You want to know a sure fire way to drive me crazy... HOUSE HUNTING!  UGH!  Welcome to the Kulow weekends.  I spend the week watching the MLS listings and then if I see ones that look like good potentials I email them to Michael and then he looks at them and then if he likes ones that I have sent him then I send them to our Realtor and we spend our weekends looking at houses. 
Don't get me wrong I like the idea of us owning our own home.  I like the idea of finding a place to call ours and not have to worry about painting the walls or planting things in the backyard - because it is ours...  But the process is enough to drive me to the loony bin! 
This past weekend I was expressing my frustrations to Michael about this process and I said something to the effect of, "Why can't we take one thing from this house and one thing from this house and another from this house and put it all together on this house's lot?"  Michael just looked at me and said, "Well that is called building a house!"  Well I know that but sakes alive I find one or two things about each house that I like and then there is usually one or two deal breakers in the same house!  Phew!  It is just plain exhausting. 
We did find a house last week that we really liked.  It was listed on Wednesday and due to the price, the lot and the pictures we scheduled a showing with our Realtor for the next day.  We saw it, liked it and made an offer on it!  I was thinking that our house hunting process was coming to an end... nope - they countered back and we went back to the house yesterday and decided that for the amount of "home improvement" things that they did that were half ass we were concerned about what was unseen that was done in the same poor manner.  So we are back to square one! 
We got home yesterday after looking at four homes and rather than feeling defeated I just had to say, "There is a home out there for us!  It might not be for a few more months but we can keep looking and it will come up."  Michael felt bad for saying we were pulling the plug on the house we made an offer on but I know that he wants a house just as much as I do and we will find it - someday!
So until then we are thankful that we have the home that we are living in now.  We have been blessed that in the three years that we have lived here the landlord has not increased our rent and she is really been flexible with us and all the work that has needed to be done on the house.