Q&A
Do you plan your meals in advance?
Yes. I have a dinner calendar that I put our weekly dinners on, that way I don’t have to think too hard when bedtime and dinnertime are rapidly collide. It also helps me make my weekly grocery list.
What kind of camera do you have?
Canon Rebel t2i
What’s been your biggest accomplishment in life thus far?
My sweetest little babycakes – Adrienne Bren.
Does your hubby cook for you? Do you think it’s important that men learn to cook, or do you think it’s better to let the ‘natural chef’ make most of the meals?
Meeker would definitely cook for me if I asked him to. I LOVE cooking, I look forward to making dinner all day long – and the husband knows that, so he usually just lets me do my thing. There have been several special occasions (anniversary, birthday, etc.) where he has surprised me by cooking, but for the most part, I’m the cook and I love it.
I think it’s important that guys can “fend for themselves”- usually in our house that means scrounging together some sustenance for a Sunday night meal (I usually don’t cook on Sunday nights). Most guys I know can manage to throw some meat on a grill or pour a bowl of cereal, and that prevents them from starving when the girls aren’t around.
What kind of food processor do you have?
A beloved Kenmore Elite. Works like a gem, but it’s hard to clean.
How tall are you?
I’m 5’8” – but I have always wanted to be shorter! I am by far the shortest person in my family, and I love it!
What’s your favorite comfort food?
Any creamy dessert does it for me. Bread pudding would probably be #1.
What is your favorite cake?
Oh, I love them all so much! I think my absolute favorite is a good old chocolate cake with white icing. But I don’t know if I’ve ever met a cake I didn’t like.
What’s your favorite movie?
It’s a tie between Shawshank Redemption and The Departed
Is ‘Meeker’ your husband’s real name?
No – his name is Michael, but I’ve never called him that.
What does your hubby think of the blog?
He loves that I love blogging. He (usually) reads it, and I know he appreciates the fact that I have joined him in being a “computer nerd”. He also likes the free food samples that come along with the job!
How did you evolve and learn to eat such healthy foods? Were you raised that way or is it self-taught?
Ahh, loaded question! I grew up on smoothies, natural peanut butter, whole grain bread, and broccoli. My family doesn’t eat much meat – and vegetables were present at every meal. I also grew up being EXTREMELY athletic – I played every sport known to man, so I was always hungry, and I got away with eating massive portions. However, when I went to college, my activity level and healthy food consumption both plummeted. No joke, my diet consisted mostly of pizza, beer, and ice cream. I put on some unwanted chub, and I felt awful. After my freshman year of college, I went on The South Beach Diet and saw major success. I lost all the weight I had gained in only 2 months – and then I kept going. A series of unfortunate events in my life (death of several friends, my grandparents, and a very stressful summer job) caused me to become obsessive about controlling my diet, and eventually I made the decision to just stop eating. That’s right – the day my grandfather died, I remember thinking: I just can’t eat anymore. For about 2 years, I ate as little as possible. I was a malnourished, grumpy skeleton for the last 2 years of college, and by the grace of God – I still managed to finish school, get married, and get a job. My incredibly supportive family stood by my side every step of the way, and eventually I came back around to what I think is a healthy lifestyle. To be honest, I still struggle with body image, and I can’t fathom not exercising, but like I mention on my About Me page – I am slowly learning that my identity is more than my appearance and there are more important things in life than what size jeans I wear.
If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comment section, and I’ll be sure to add them!
[...] Q&A [...]
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you applied to over 200 jobs when looking for a teaching job. Sheesh! I don’t know if I ever told you, but I was a teacher’s assistant for a 3rd grade class during college (just for some fun volunteer work) and I thought it had to be the perfect grade for all the same reasons you stated.
haha – I didn’t know you called Meeker that. I just thought that was his blog identity!
Just found your site, and LOVE third grade for the same reason that you do! It’s the perfect grade!
My bias comes from the fact that I too teach third grade… 
I agree with you – elementary school is perfect to teach! I am going into high school and know that teachers get a lot of attitude from students in middle school and probably high school too. I don’t know exactly what I want to be when I grow up, but if I became a teacher I would prefer elementary school.
This is a really long comment…I like your blog! Haha!
-Erika
really enjoyed learning more about you! i am a huge fan of broccoli slaw, too!
I love this Q&A, so glad I found your blog!! PS, I also love having another CO blogger…I was starting to feel like the only one!
Hi….I have another question for you. I am a Kindergarten teacher and have just set up my own blog. I like how you have incorporated simple stories about the amazing (and not so amazing) things the kids do. Have you ever had a problem with parents seeing your blog? What was their feedback? Other teachers/district personnel? I live in a city of 20,000 in Canada and I have so far kept my teaching day to day out of it, but I love how you have balanced it so well. Thanks
Jenn
As for the “third grade world” section of my blog, I do have some parents that read my blog (and actually MOST of the teachers at my school read it, too) and I haven’t had a problem. I try to keep names (and pictures of kids) out of it, and I try to keep it funny/positive 90% of the time so that when the parents of those kiddos DO read it, they aren’t ever offended by my attitude. Like I said, I haven’t had a problem, and I hope I don’t…I teach at a charter school with some pretty high maintenance parents, so I really have to mind my Ps and Qs.
Where are you from? I ask because you mentioned King Cake recently and bread pudding above… any chance you’re a N’awlins native?!
Nope, Colorado born and raised!
hi katie- love your blog! as a 2nd grade teacher i can definitely relate to all your quirky and crazy kid stories!
i have been wondering (and don’t feel obligated to answer if you don’t want to!) about your concerns regarding baby weight.. are you worried you’ll fall into an unhealthy eating pattern once the baby is born? i have struggled with disordered eating for the last 5 years and falling back into a restrictive eating pattern is on of my biggest fears.
thanks!
Thanks so much for your comment!
You know, I was a little worried about baby weight. I kept telling myself that I had to gain weight…not for myself. I had prepped myself from the FIRST day I found out I was preggo (actually, before that) And to be honest, it hasn’t been an issue. I lost weight the first trimester (just because I was so sick), and when I started gaining weight in my second trimester, it wasn’t very noticeable.
Now, in my 3rd trimester, I’m gaining a little bit more – but it’s all in my belly (looks like I swallowed a basketball), so I haven’t really been to upset about it. It is kind of hard to see that number on the scale at the doctor’s (I don’t own a scale at home) going higher than it’s ever been…but my husband keeps reminding me (and I tell myself often) that it’s 100% for the health of little Baby Cakes. For some reason it’s been easier than I thought to mentally handle the extra poundage. Maybe because I’m just to excited about having a little baby.
I’m a little worried about postpartum…I’m very eager to give birth and get back into my regular clothes. I’m just trying to take it a step at a time, and I know I have to keep baby’s health in mind above my own concerns and fears. I”m planning on breast feeding, so those extra calories will be necessary even after she’s born. I don’t know why (maybe it’s just a psychological shift into being a mom) but it’s been easier than I had anticipated to not freak out.
Good luck – I hope I put your mind at rest a little bit!
katie- thank you SO much for your response! your words really helped put my mind at ease.
you are so kind and strong, you are going to be a WONDERFUL mother. i know you can’t wait to meet your little one. not long now!
I’m so glad I could ease your mind a bit! Thanks so much for your sweet words.
I loved reading your Q&A-you seem so much like me and I look forward to reading your blog each day (I just re-discovered it, somewhere along the lines I had forgotten about you for a good 4 months or so…but I’m back and full swing lovin’ this blog!) My boyfriend is super tech nerdy too so we’re kinda alike in that sence.
Plus, I’m 16 so I still AM growing up, but I’m definitely super active and eat really healthfully too…and for that reason after reading your college experience, I sure as heck better watch what I do when I enter college next year. Ah I’m super mega excited though and I really love your blog!
Hooray, glad you enjoy my blog…I’m flattered! Hopefully you can avoid some of the silly things I did in college and just sail smoothly through without issue!
I’m glad that I now have found someone else who can find no foods that fill them up for breakfast! lol. I’m like clockwork-unless I’m busy, no amount of breakfast will hold me over and I end up eating again 2 hours later. I swear-I’m a bottomless pit.lol. (which, lemme tell ya, sucks because I will be on a plane for 12 hours tomorrow, and I’m quite the picky eater…..) ;P
Many of the items you make are gluten free but it does not appear that you completely avoid gluten. If you don’t mind me asking, is there a reason that you try to avoid gluten? Thanks!
Thanks for the question, Caroline! I have never really discussed it on the blog, but I have terrible IBS. I have tried so different cures through my diet, and I have the best results when I cut gluten and dairy out together. I was completely gluten and dairy free for almost a year, but then I got pregnant and my IBS issues disappeared completely! Hallelujah! However, since giving birth, they’ve returned a little bit, so I am trying to keep as much gluten and dairy as I can out of my diet. I don’t have as many issues as I did previously, so I don’t feel like I need to completely erase it from my diet, but on those days when my GI tract is giving me trouble, it really helps to avoid thing like bread.
I’ve also heard (I have no research to back it up) that giving up gluten reduces inflammation throughout your body, making you have more energy and in better overall health. I don’t know enough about it to substantiate that, but I know some people try to eat less gluten and it helps their energy levels.
What advice do you have for someone who is trying to get into teaching?
Teaching is something you definitely need to WANT. I went to school for it, and then applied for over 200 jobs before I got my one and only interview. Things are pretty tight in my district, so many schools weren’t hiring, but it took a lot of perseverance and desire to stick with it. But BEFORE I got into teaching, I did as many jobs with kids as possible: swim lesson teacher, nanny, camp counselor, etc. It gave me so much good experience and helped me really be sure that I was on the right track for my career. Good luck!
Hi! I just discovered your blog and I love it! You have such a sweet and honest “voice”! I am starting to think about having a baby and I was wondering which prenatal vitamins you used? There are like a million out there!
xo
Karen
Hi there! I just found your blog through Cait’s Plate and I love it so far! Love getting to know you from this page and I very much relate to your last question and answer in regards to the under eating part and it getting out of control. And loved your response above in the comments section about how you’re perspective has shifted with the extra weight from being pregnant. I had a history of disordered eating and though now better, body image struggles and those issues will always be with me, but it’s how we react to them and deal with them that’s made us stronger! Your attitude is very inspiring and I really look forward to reading more of your blog! And your baby girl is absolutely precious…congrats again and I can already tell you’ve become a fantastic mom!
Btw, my hubby and I are currently trying and since it’s taken us awhile per Doctor’s orders I’ve had to lessen my exercise in the hopes of upping our chances to conceive sooner…if you don’t mind me asking, did you have any troubles with this or wrote a post about it? It’s helpful to know others people’s stories regarding this since I’ve been struggling…it’s a tough time. Thank you again
I stumbled upon your blog through “How Sweet Eats” and stayed for your honest and very readable writing style! As many other women can, I relate to your struggles with food/weight (not to mention that I’m a fellow Coloradan and active Mama of two), and commend you for being willing to talk about it here. Also, I’m a fitness instructor AND professional baker, so like you, I’m a big fan of staying balanced.
So after reading your About Me and Q&A sections, I couldn’t help but pass on a couple of blogs that have been really helpful for me in figuring out how to feed my family (and myself) without passing on any crappy eating issues to my kids. (I’m in no way tied to these bloggers…they’ve just been really helpful for me!) Maybe you’ve heard of them already, but if not, I hope you find them as supportive in this new Mama time as I have with my littles!
http://familyfeedingdynamics.com/
http://www.ellynsatter.com/
All the best to you and your family!
Do you ever post the nutritional facts? Love the blog!
I’ve just found your blog and I love it so much! I can totally relate to the whole growing up really healthy, starting to eat junk food, freaking out and getting way too obsessive. Exactly what happened to me! SO pleased like me you are now in love with food! Very much looking forward to reading more!
Hi there! I am a new fan of your blog (referred by the always lovely Amybites) so I have a quick question: the “t” measuring reference in your recipes; teaspoon or tablespoon? Thanks!
The little “t” is teaspoon the big “T” is tablespoon