Our Week – The One with Trunk or Treat and Halloween

We had another great Halloween, and I’m recapping that plus the rest of our week today.  Let’s jump right in, y’all!

Monday, October 27

Monday morning, Jacob had a sore throat, so we kept him home just to be safe.  He ended up feeling fine by lunchtime, so he probably could have gone to school, but we were just being extra cautious just in case he had germs.  Brian and I already had plans to vote after dropping the kids at school, so we ended up sticking to our plans and we dropped Olivia off, we went inside our church to grab food donation bags, we grabbed a PSL from Starbucks (for me), and then we went to vote.  I love that they allow early voting in all the elections now because we can go any time, walk in, vote, and walk right out… no waiting in line!

After we were done there, we headed home.  It was cold and rainy Monday, so it was the perfect day to hole up at home and not go anywhere.  I worked on my blog post for Tuesday and did laundry all day, Jacob watched TV and worked on schoolwork he missed, and I also helped him pull up his PSAT scores and get some more Confirmation paperwork done.

Before picking up Olivia, I swung by the library to grab some books and return a couple, and I also got my friend, Jeannine, to fill out a form since she’s going to be Jacob’s Confirmation sponsor. 

After school, Olivia and I headed home.  The kids worked on homework, and I did my quiet time and read my book a little bit.  Then, I tidied the kitchen and helped Jacob research banned books… his upcoming assignment for Lit & Comp is to read a banned book, and he settled on The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

Brian left to grab a few things from Walmart after that, and I got started on dinner.  We had beef and parmesan pasta with zucchini and garlic cheese bread.  I really wanted to walk since the rain had stopped, but it was windy and cold, and it was still misting a bit, so I ended up cutting my walk short and heading home.  I got showered, and then I put the laundry away while the kids showered.

Then, I finished my blog post for Tuesday, we finished Is it Cake? Halloween, and then Brian and I ended the night with an episode of Nobody Wants This.

 

Tuesday, October 28

Tuesday, Brian took the kids to school for me since I had a hair appointment.  I skipped my usual morning shower since I was going to have to wash my hair again anyway, and I skipped right over to breakfast and got to work as soon as Brian and the kids left. 

I started some laundry, got organized for the day, and started my blog post for Wednesday, and then I got my hair done.  I got my hair highlighted and cut, and it was MUCH NEEDED.  Gosh, my hair grows so fast now I can hardly keep up with it anymore.  It feels so good to have it done, though.

After that, I got showered and ready for the day, and then I ate lunch and finished my blog post for Wednesday.  I placed a Target order, put some gas in my car, and then I ran to my friend, Jen’s, apartment because she had brought back souvenirs for all of us girls from her trip to Italy.  She gave us each rosary beads that were blessed by Pope Leo and I will treasure them forever.  I stayed at her apartment for a few minutes and chatted and then it was time to pick up Olivia.  Jacob had e-sports, so he didn’t come home with us.

When we got home, Olivia did her homework and I got a Bible study done, and then Olivia got all dressed up for her Halloween dance week.  She wore her actual Halloween costume for this year on Tuesday night… she was Hermoine from Harry Potter!

After I dropped her at dance, I headed home to walk, and it was soooo cold again – misty rain, gloomy, and windy, too – but I stuck it out and got the whole walk done. 

Brian got home with Jacob right before I got home from my walk, so I caught up with them for a few minutes and then got showered.  I got the house all cozy with oils in the diffuser, twinkle lights on, cocktail jazz on the speaker, and a glass of wine in my hand, and I made dinner.  Tuesday evening, I made a recipe I hadn’t made in a while – it’s a one pan meal made with chicken, rice, and green beans and I happen to love it, but the rest of the family doesn’t get overly excited about it.  Hence the reason I don’t make it often.  Haha.

Brian picked up Olivia while I cooked, and Jacob got showered, and then we all sat down to eat when B and Olivia got home.  While Olivia showered, Brian and I chatted with Jacob, and we had a really great conversation with him.  I do miss having teeny babies, but having older kids sure is so much fun, y’all!  The teenage years aren’t always as scary as people make them out to be… or least they haven’t been for us… YET. 

I dried Olivia’s hair after her shower and then we wrapped her ankle.  She’s been having pain in her right ankle on and off for several weeks now, but she never injured it or anything like that, so we’re thinking it’s tendonitis or something like that.  It hasn’t hindered her much, but if it doesn’t stop soon, I guess we’ll be visiting a doctor. 

After the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched another episode of Nobody Wants This, and then we went to bed.

 

Wednesday, October 29

Wednesday, it was cold, rainy, and gloomy yet again, so I was happy not to have anywhere to be other than dropping the kids off at school… in the pitch-black darkness.  Those morning drives to school in the dark are not my favorite.

When I got home, I grabbed a cup of hot tea, a snack, and I cozied up in my electric blanket at my desk to get some stuff done.  I caught up on blog reading and emails, I got organized, and I did various other random tasks that have been on my list.

After lunch, I cleaned the countertops and the toilets throughout the house, I put all the laundry away, and then I tidied a bunch of stuff around the house before I picked the kids up from school.

It rained all the way home, so we cozied up again.  The kids did their homework, and I did a Bible study, and just before we had to leave for dance, the sun had finally decided to come out to play for the first time all week.  I knew it was supposed to rain again on Thursday, so I used my last few minutes before dance drop off to finish tidying the house and take pictures of all of our Halloween décor for my Halloween home tour.

Olivia wore an old flapper girl type of costume from one of her old recitals for dance on Wednesday evening since they had Halloween week and she looked so cute!  She and two of her dance friends had all planned to wear various old flapper dance costumes so they could be triplets, and it worked out so well!

When I got home, the boys and I all had beef and parm pasta leftovers for dinner and then I went out for another walk.  It was still cold, but at least the sun was finally shining! 

When I got home, I watered all the plants inside and outside, and then I got showered. 

Jacob has been learning how to program games into his TI-84 calculator, and he had finished programming Pac-Man, so he showed that to me when I was done.  He definitely has his daddy’s brain… I could never do anything like that!  Haha.

Afterward, I sat downstairs and watched Wheel of Fortune with Brian and Jacob… Brian has started turning that on in the evening when he works out, so I’ve started sitting in sometimes now that I’m not walking anymore that late. 

Jacob got in the shower right after Brian left to pick up Olivia from dance and I read my book, and then he and I turned on some Halloween tunes while we put together our fall puzzle.  Brian joined us for a bit when he got home, and Olivia got showered.

After the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched another episode of Nobody Wants This, and then it was bedtime.  The mom in that show is the mom from the movie Hocus Pocus, and in one of the episodes this season, they had to dress up for Purim, and she dressed up like Madonna just like she did in the Hocus Pocus movie for Halloween.  Did anybody else catch that?!  ICONIC.

Thursday, October 30

Thursday, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed home to do some work.  I got some pictures transferred from my phone to my computer, I got them organized, and then I finished my blog post for Friday.  I had to run to the doctor at 10:30 and then I swung by Publix on the way back home.  I wrapped up the afternoon catching up on blog reading, dusting, vacuuming, and washing all bathmats before picking up the kids from school.

The kids had music lessons after school, and I sat in with Jacob as he practiced Pachelbel’s Cannon and a couple of other songs.  When we got home, the kids tackled homework, and I mopped the floors and did my quiet time.  After that, we put on our It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown record and we made breakfast for dinner. 

It was really cold, and I wasn’t feeling 100 Thursday, so I skipped my workout in exchange for a cozy evening in.  While the kids showered, I got everything organized for Friday, I got an Amazon return ready, I got some other paperwork ready, and I got the car packed for all the errands.  I did peek outside at the sunset, though.  I love my sunset walks!

We finally had time to carve our pumpkin Thursday evening just in the nick of time!  Whew!  And we unlocked a new parenting level as the kids carved the pumpkin themselves!  They decided to carve a “mewing Chad” (if you have middle schoolers or high schoolers then you will understand this reference, LOL), so they found what they wanted online, and I helped them sketch it on the pumpkin.  They then took turns carving, and it turned out so good!!

The kids headed to bed after that, and then Brian and I ended the evening with an episode of Nobody Wants This.

 

Friday, October 31

Friday, I dropped the kids at school and then I parked and headed to the high school parking lot to help set up for Trunk or Treat.  Our school started doing Trunk or Treat back in 2020 after our trick-or-treating through the halls tradition had to be canceled during the pandemic, and it ended up being one of the best things to come out of the pandemic. 

All of the high school students choose a theme and they dress up and decorate their trunks for the theme.  Then, all the rest of the kids (ages 1 – eighth grade) come around and trick-or-treat.  I helped hand out candy to all of the high schoolers and then I continued replenishing throughout the morning.  When Olivia came out to trick-or-treat, I walked with her… I have always done that and I thought for sure she wouldn’t want me to walk with her this year now that she’s in middle school, so I was so happy when she told me she did want me to walk with her.

The high schoolers went all out this year as they always do, and there were some great themes… I really loved the Ghostbusters and the Smurfs!  And one girl brought a LIVE GOAT, y’all!  Trunk or treat was bittersweet this year because it was the first year that Jacob got to hand out candy rather than trick-or-treat.  And the weather was gorgeous and absolutely perfect for Halloween.  It was clear and coooold Friday morning, and then the temp maxed out in the low 60s.

I finished up at the school around 10 AM and then I ran a few errands – the church office to drop off some paperwork, Old Navy to return something, Target to return something (and to grab some Halloween plates since I’d forgotten to get them), and then Jimmy John’s to pick up lunch for one of my friends who was recovering from a medical procedure.  I ate lunch with her, and we chatted (and had Austin Powers on in the background like old time’s sake when we were young – haha), and then I headed home once she was all settled.

When I got home, Brian helped me peel the oranges and cut the pineapple for my candy corn fruit skewers and then I had a short few minutes to sit in my office with a cup of tea and get some work done. 

I picked up the kids in the car line, and Olivia’s friend, Maren came home with us since she was going to trick-or-treat with us.  The kids were all hopped up on sugar from school, and they were SUPER excited for Friday night, so it was a wild car ride home.  Haha.

When we got home, Olivia and Maren started trading candy, Jacob played video games, and I finished my book while enjoying another cup of tea.  After that, it was time to prepare for our guests.  We had my parents, my father-in-law, Maren, and our friends, Khristina, Ian, and Noah over for the evening, and they were all coming to eat and trick-or-treat.

I kept the menu simple – mummy dogs, mac n cheese, storebought potato salad, Cheetos, chips, and the orange, pineapple, and marshmallow skewers that look like candy corn.

Everyone arrived around 5:15/5:30, we ate, and then we did our annual Halloween pictures in the front yard followed by trick-or-treating.  Jacob’s costume might have been his best creepy costume yet… those two heads were ridiculous.  Lol.  And he even got extra candy at a few houses because our neighbors told him to take extra for his second head.  Hahahaha.

We wrapped up around 7:45 and headed home.  The kids all traded candy and the adults sat around and chatted for a bit.  Then everyone else left and we headed to the school to drop Maren off at the playoff football game.  Her brother plays for the team, so her parents were already there.  We were too tired to stay, but our school did end up getting the win!

We were home by 9 PM and we gave the kids their little gifts from us for Halloween.  Olivia loved her ghost belt bag so much… just look at that face! 

We all got into Christmas PJs after that – well, Jacob, Olivia, and I did, anyway – and then we had our annual viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and I scrolled through social media to see everyone’s costumes.  I always love social media on Halloween night because I love to see what everyone does and how everyone dresses up!

The kids went to bed shortly after that, and then Brian and I watched two more episodes of Nobody Wants This before heading to bed.

 

Saturday, November 1

Saturday morning, I was up at 8:15 which is slightly earlier than usual for the last couple of years since I started taking my vertigo meds.  My nighttime dose always made me super sleepy, so on the weekends, I was sleeping in until 8:45-ish most mornings (sometimes 9), but I officially took my last dose of my vertigo medicine Thursday night, and I popped right up Saturday morning ready to go rather than sleeping in later and feeling groggy.  I have to say, it’s nice to finally be off those meds, but unfortunately, as I type this (on Tuesday morning) I think my body is going through withdrawals because I have felt awful the few days, hence the reason I had no blog post yesterday.

I also had to start an antibiotic Friday night, though, that I’m wrapping up today, so I don’t know if it’s the antibiotic, the withdrawals from the vertigo meds, or a combination of both, but the last couple of days have been BRUTAL – constant nausea, dizziness and unsteadiness that’s so bad I’m unable to drive again, night sweats, muscle twitches, weird brain zaps (don’t know how else to describe them), louder tinnitus than ever, rapid heart rate at random times when I’m just being still, weird vision issues (which is why I couldn’t finish this blog post for yesterday), and just feeling generally antsy, but also… unwell? 

And of course, all of that is giving me major anxiety since I don’t know how long it’ll last.  Poor Brian has had to take the reigns yet again as I cannot drive (I can barely walk), so I’m praying I’m back to normal soon.  I’m having major PTSD from when I started having vertigo in July 2023 and it is killing me.  The worst part is that my doctor who is overseeing all of this just went out on maternity leave, so she’s not around.  She has someone covering for her, but the other doctor doesn’t know my history, hence the reason I haven’t called yet.  But if I don’t feel better by Thursday morning (to give the antibiotic time to clear out of my system), I’ll be calling the office to see if I need to do anything.

Anywayyyy, Saturday morning, I woke up feeling great other than nausea from the antibiotic.  The kids were already up, so the first order of business was cleaning up the mess from Halloween.  We had literally left everything out (other than the food), so there were dirty dishes, candy wrappers, costume pieces, koozies, décor, small treats that the grandparents had brought for the kids, and random other stuff – all over the entire downstairs.  I did all the dishes, tidied all the things, wiped down all surfaces, and got everything back in order.  Then I made waffles for breakfast. 

We had the entire day from start to finish with not a single place to be, and we also had   25-hour day ahead of us on Sunday because of the time change, and that, my friends, is peak adulthood at this time in our lives.  Slow days are so rare these days, so I cherish every single one.

Unfortunately, we have YouTube TV, so we woke Saturday to no ESPN or ABC stations – on college football Saturday – so Brian bought a SlingTV day pass for $4.99 and it was worth every penny, my friends.  We sat and watched ESPN College GameDay for the rest of the morning.

At noon, Brian wanted to get our antenna ready for ABC as a backup since our game was on that station.  When we first moved to our house 16 years ago, we didn’t have access to cable, so we had to use DirecTV + an antenna for local stations, so we had a very old one, and y’all, it wouldn’t pick up ABC for anything.  Brian and I worked for 30 minutes to get it to pick up ABC, and we finally had success after trying a backup antenna he had in his office.  The things we do for college football, y’all!

After we got the football situation squared away, I gathered all the dirty towels, tidied the rest of the house, and then we had lunch.

After lunch, the kids wanted to put up their Christmas trees, so that’s exactly what we did.  They both decorated their own… I just had to help with the tree toppers.  Olivia also made some paper Christmas wreaths to put around her mirror as well as some other Christmas décor for her room.  Look at those cute little hats she made for her stuffies!  She is just like her momma!  She loves to be festive. 

Once that was done, I got showered and basically into another pair of PJs (LOL) and then we watched the Georgia vs. Florida game.  That’s always a big rivalry game every year, and this year’s game ended up being yet another heart attack game.  I thought we weren’t going to pull off a win, but we managed to come back yet again.  My goodness.

During the game, I got my planner ready for November, and I stress cleaned a couple of things including my makeup brushes… that was LONG overdue.  During halftime, I did my quiet time, and then we had pizza delivered in the third quarter. 

We all ate together, and the kids got showered.  I felt pretty yuck all day from my antibiotics, so I was pretty lazy most of the day, but I got a little burst of energy in the evening, and I took down a bunch of our Halloween décor and put up the Christmas mantle.

We took a short break from football after the Georgia game was over to watch the episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with Taylor Swift, and then we finished an episode of Lego Masters Jr. that we’d started several days prior.  The kids also did more candy trading while we watched everything.  

I took down more fall décor after that, and then the kids went to bed.  Brian whipped up a new cocktail for us, but it was a dud IMO.  It tasted kind of like a hot toddy, but cold, so I think that threw off my vibes since I always drink them hot. 

We watched a whole lot more college football after that, and then we went to bed at our usual time (pre-time change) because I always like to use my extra hour on Sunday to get stuff done.

 

Sunday, November 2

Sunday morning, we were up at 7:40 AM (the new time), and I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  After breakfast, I got my entire blog post for Monday done from start to finish.  I usually get that done on Friday, but I didn’t have any time Friday because of the holiday.  It was nice to have that extra hour because that’s what I used it for.  Haha.

After that was done, I transferred pictures from my phone to my computer, and then I got the pictures organized and started this blog post.  I did my quiet time, showered, made the bed, and then we headed to lunch at my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s house.

After lunch, we swung by Publix and UPS to drop a return, and then we headed home.  I worked for a bit longer while I watched Serendipity, and then we went to church at 5 PM. 

We drove Mama Cass from church to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and we had a yummy dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and broccoli.  That’s one of my favorite meals that my mom makes, and I’m always so happy when we get to have it.  Comfort food at its finest!

We celebrated my uncle’s girlfriend’s birthday while we were over there, and she requested banana pudding for her birthday dessert, which is also one of my favorite desserts.  We ate a lot on Sunday, needless to say! 

We ended our long, relaxing weekend with the final episode of season two of Nobody Wants This, and then we got in bed early.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!