The kids wrapped up their school year last week, so it was filled with tasks, appointments, awards ceremonies, and checking tasks off the to-do list. But they are officially out for summer break and we are SO excited!! Here’s how our week went!
Monday, May 18
Monday morning, I snoozed an extra time and then I got ready and got Olivia to school. Jacob was exempt from all his finals, so he was officially DONE with school and he got to sleep in, that lucky boy!
When I got home, I had a million things to catch up on, so I immediately got started on my list for the day:
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Catch up on emails
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Get my planner ready for the week ahead
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Get my planner ready for June
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Transfer all photos from my phone to my computer
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Organize all photos and videos
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Wash towels
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Tidy my office
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Tidy primary bedroom, bathroom, and closet
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Tidy the kitchen (the whole house was a complete
wreck after our busy weekend)
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Arrange all of Olivia’s recital flowers in vases
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Work on blog post for Wednesday
Unfortunately, I had so many photos and videos from Olivia’s recital that
my phone and computer couldn’t handle the transfer, so it took three tries and
most of the morning to get them all over.
Many of the files were broken when they transferred and a lot of them
were also missing, so I had to go one by one and email myself all the broken
and missing files. It took
foreverrrr. I really wish my phone and
my computer would learn to play nicely together, but I just don’t think that’s
ever going to be the case.
Safelite also came to repair my windshield crack from a couple of weeks ago, and unfortunately, the technician said that it can’t be repaired and that my entire windshield is going to have to be replaced which means my appointment went from being free, quick, and at home to super expensive, very long, and at a Safelite location. Sigh.
Jacob wanted me to wake him up before 9 AM and after he got up and had breakfast, he played video games for a bit. I took a break from doing all the things to help him clean out his school stuff since he was done. He got his backpack and all his binders cleared out, he saved a few special projects for his keepsake box, and he recycled the rest.
After that, I went back to organizing photos and he put my Monster’s Inc. Lego set together for me. I now have Sully, Mike, and Boo sitting on my desk and they are the cutest things!
The boys and I ate lunch together during a break between Brian’s meetings and then I finished organizing my photos while Jacob did his laundry.
I had something to return to American Eagle, so I ran over there before picking up Olivia, and then when we got home, I read for a bit and had a snack before working on my blog post for Wednesday.
We had some leftover pizza joes in the freezer, so I thawed those, warmed them up, and served them over fresh burger buns with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, along with some garlic bread and fresh fruit. While the meal baked, I made a meal plan and grocery list for the next two weeks, and then we all ate dinner together.
When I picked Olivia up from school, the first thing she said when she jumped in the car was that she wanted to go to the school play that night because her friends were going. We had already planned to go Tuesday because I really wanted a day to get caught up and be home since we were on the go all last week and weekend, and Olivia was so disappointed when I told her we probably weren’t going Monday evening.
Well, I ended up getting enough done to feel somewhat caught up (although there was still a lot left to do), so we decided to go ahead and go Monday evening, and the look on Olivia’s face when I told her was just priceless. She ran over and gave me a HUGE hug, and it made me happy to see her so happy.
The middle and high school put on the play Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and they did a great job with it. Several of Olivia’s friends were in the play, hence the reason we went in the first place, and she brought each of them a flower after the show was over. It was so sweet.
Tuesday, May 19
Tuesday morning, the guy who does my hair was supposed to come, so Brian took Olivia to school for me. My guy ended up calling to delay by a day, though, because he was up to his eyeballs in kids end-of-the-school-year stuff. I can relate.
Instead, I worked on my blog post for the next day and then I got showered and ready so I could run a few errands – gas station, Walmart, and Publix. I asked Jacob if he wanted to go to get out of the house and he politely declined. Hahahaha. He is just so excited to be home and have some lazy time. I think we all are!
When I got home, I got all the groceries put away, and then I hung out with Jacob for the rest of the morning. For lunch, I made him a grilled cheese sandwich per his request, and then after we ate together, I worked on my blog post some more while he cleaned out his big basket full of art supplies and old art projects that we keep in the kitchen. He is definitely his mother’s child. ;o)
I had to run to the library and the school office on the way to pick up Olivia and then when we got home, I finished my book that I’d been reading. I’m happy to report, I’m rolling right along through my library holds despite the fact that we’ve been so busy!
After that, I worked on my blog post for the next day some more, and then it was time to make dinner. I tried a new recipe Tuesday evening (thank you, Emily!!) – chicken, spinach, and orzo in a creamy lemon sauce – and it was easy and delightful! I love a good one pan meal, and this one was a keeper. Brian and I liked it, and the kids said it was “pretty good” so that’s always a win in my book since they’re such picky eaters. Haha.
After dinner, Brian needed to mow, so I cleaned up the kitchen and Jacob and Olivia hung out together while she made some stickers. She is always up to something crafty!
I went for a walk after that – my full route! – and it was soooo hot. The summer weather finally kicked in, and it has felt extra hot all week since it was so cool for so long.
After everyone was ready for bed, we started watching Miss Congeniality with the kids and I was so excited about that one because it’s one of my faves!
After they went to bed, Brian and I continued watching Your Friends & Neighbors, and then we headed to bed, too.
Wednesday, May 20
Tuesday night, my hair guy told me that his truck broke down, so we had to reschedule for Friday, which meant no hair appointment on Wednesday either.
I took Olivia to school and then I headed home to tackle another to do list:
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Place an Amazon order for a few items we needed
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Blog housekeeping stuff
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Update Mediavine ad text
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Catch up my email inboxes (again)
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Call the doctor about a bill we received that wasn’t
billed with insurance
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Work in my planner
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Start and finish my blog post for Friday
Late in the morning, I helped Jacob clean the rest of his stuff up – he
had a small pile of cards and gifts from Confirmation that needed to be filed,
put away, etc. which led to him wanting to clean out a couple of spaces in his
room. We then looked at his yearbook
together since I hadn’t had the time to take a peek prior to that. Then we had lunch together.
I vacuumed the kitchen after lunch and then I washed all our new ice molds so I could get them in the freezer for poker night later in the week.
I spent the rest of my time after lunch tidying my office and the rest of the house, and then I picked up Olivia from school.
When we got home, the kids had snacks and built together in their Minecraft world, and I caught up on my devotional and did a Bible study before starting and catching up this blog post. We had a big afternoon thunderstorm with torrential rain, and it set the tone for a very cozy afternoon.
Olivia was also excited because she’d gotten her book that their sixth grade class had published. They all wrote short stories and their teacher had them published in a book, but the special part was that Olivia and three of her friends designed the cover! Olivia hand drew their class goose on the cover and she was so excited that her name was on the front. She is now a published author and illustrator!
I made sausage, peppers, and onions tacos for dinner along with chips and fruit and then I went out for a walk since the rain had cleared. The high temps had cleared out along with the rain, so it was cool although a little humid.
When I got home from my walk, Olivia was in the driveway with her iPad and a basketball and she was Facetiming with her friend, Maggie. I watched her for a few minutes to try to figure out what she was doing, and she told me that they were playing HORSE together since Maggie has a basketball hoop, too. Hahahaha. They would each set up their iPad to show each other the shots they had to make, and then they would take turns taking the shots as if they were playing together. So creative!
Brian and I finished the evening with a little more of Your Friends & Neighbors and then we went to bed.
Thursday, May 21
Thursday morning, I dropped Olivia at school and then I headed to Safelite to drop my car off to have the windshield replaced. Brian came to pick me up and then we headed to my upper cervical chiropractor appointment.
I already knew that my atlas was out because I’d started having issues a few days prior to that, and sure enough, he said that it was out and that it had likely just come out recently, but it was very mild which meant he only had to do a very small adjustment. Before he did that, he checked the rest of my back, and he only had to do one small tweak to my right SI joint, one small tweak to the middle of my back, and then he did five very light taps behind my right ear to fix my atlas.
I reminded him that my axis (C2) likes to come out sometimes when he does those atlas (C1) adjustments (which he remembered), and he told me that when he adjusted my atlas, he could feel the axis move with it so he knew I wouldn’t have trouble this time. The axis is supposed to move with the atlas when it gets adjusted, but those couple of times where my axis gave me trouble after adjustments it was because the axis didn’t move with the atlas like it was supposed to.
On the way home, Safelite called to let me know my windshield was done, so we headed there on the way home to pick up my car. While I was there checking out, I saw my old coworker, Jamal, from my movie theater days. We were really close the last year I worked there – he was like a little brother to me – but I hadn’t seen or heard from him in 25 years since I left. We never connected on social media either, so I hadn’t kept up with him over the years. We ended up chatting for several minutes and it was so good to see him! He has barely aged! I wish I’d thought to take a picture with him!
I did remember to take a picture with Sheepie, though… Olivia leaves Sheepie in the car when she goes to school so I often take her on my adventures and take pictures with her so Olivia can see what she was up to all day while she was at school. ;o)
After the ceremony was over, we were able to bust Olivia out of school about 30 minutes early (yayyyy!) and then we all headed home.
When we got home, I also snapped a picture of Jacob with his award since I had forgotten to take one after his ceremony.
Later in the afternoon, the side effects from my adjustment started kicking in (they were a bit delayed this time for some reason), so I went to lay down and rest my neck. I ended up getting super sleepy, so I napped for a good hour, and then I finally got up around 5:30 PM.
Brian and I made breakfast for dinner, and then after the kitchen was clean, he ran out to Sam’s and Walmart to grab a few things. I was going to tackle a few things around the house, but my mom posted some info in our family group chat that needed immediate attention. Sadly, my cousin who has been battling cancer for many long years has discontinued her treatment, and she is going to have a celebration of life this summer so she can say goodbye to all her family and friends. She had settled on a date, so I immediately hopped on my computer to start looking for flights while simultaneously chatting logistics with my mom and dad and my brothers and SIL.
We are all just so heartbroken for her and for her family. She is only two years older than me, and she will be leaving behind a son and a daughter who are Jacob’s and Olivia’s ages. She has fought so hard for so long, and our whole family is just devastated that it has come to this.
When Brian got back home from errands, I helped him unload and put everything away, and then after I watered my plant babies (I had accidentally neglected them all week), we sat down and started another movie with the kids – 10 Things I Hate About You! One of my all-time favorites! The best part? They both LOVED it.
We didn’t have time to watch the whole movie since Olivia had one more day of school Friday, so after the kids went to bed, Brian and I made toasted marshmallow Old Fashioneds and then we watched some more of Your Friends & Neighbors.
Friday, May 22
Friday morning, my hair guy was supposed to come do my hair, so I slept in until 6:30 AM and then dropped Olivia at school for her last day… a half day! My hair guy texted me shortly after to let me know that his car (that he’d just gotten back from being repaired) wouldn’t crank AGAIN Friday morning, so he wasn’t going to be able to do my hair again.
Instead, I settled in at my desk to tackle a few things – working on this blog post, catching up on my email inboxes, finishing my blog post for 6/12, correcting a few blog typos, updating a couple of spreadsheets, and tidying my office.
Mid-morning, I got showered and ready for the day and then I headed to the school to pick up Olivia… it was finally summer break! Last car line of the school year…
Brian was working from home Friday, and he got to be done at noon just in time for the holiday weekend, and then the four of us had lunch together.
After lunch, the kids tidied the whole house, they deep cleaned all the toilets, and they deep cleaned their countertops in their bathroom, and I worked a little more on cleaning out the kitchen.
After the kids were done cleaning and tidying, they worked some more in their Minecraft world, and I did my devotional and two Bible studies since I hadn’t done one in a few days.
It stormed for a lot of the afternoon, and that made for a very cozy little day. I had an hour before our friends were coming over, so I used that time to clean off my computer desktop, type up a couple of recipes that I’ve been wanting to put in my recipe book, and correct some blog typos that Brian found.
Then, I headed downstairs to prep for poker night – cleaning toilets, cleaning out the sink, clearing off the dining room table that had been temporarily housing all the items I cleaned out from the kitchen cabinets, tossing the salad, and laying everything out. Brian picked up pizza, and then everybody came over at 5 PM.
We whipped up some toasted marshmallow Old Fashioneds for those who wanted to try them, and we ate and played poker and hung out all night while the kids did the same. It poured down rain most of the evening, which wasn’t an ideal way to kick off summer break, but we were all just happy to be done!
After the kids went to bed, Brian and I stayed up a little longer to watch some more of Your Neighbors & Friends, and then we went to bed laaaate. But that’s okay because it’s officially summer break!!
Saturday, May 23
Saturday morning, I rolled out of bed at 9 AM which is late for me, and I made waffles for breakfast. We all cleaned up the kitchen afterward, and then the kids got started on laundry while I tackled a few things in my office – catching up this blog post, going through a few emails that had popped up since the previous day, and starting catching up on blog reading since I was well over a week behind.
Mid-morning, the kids and I went through all their summer clothes to make sure there wasn’t anything they needed. Olivia just needed a couple of dresses since several of hers had gotten too short, so we placed an order in perfect timing since everything was on major sale for Memorial Day.
After that, Olivia stripped her bed and got everything washed, and I helped her tidy her room a bit because it was a disasterrrr. She was so great this whole last year about keeping everything nice and tidy until about two months ago, and she just completely let everything go. Haha.
I had just pulled out my new vibration plate to test it out when I heard Brian calling me from upstairs. He was fixing the faucet in our bathroom since it had been leaking, and when we went to fix it, water started spraying everywhere because he forgot to turn off the water. Lol. We ended up having quite a mess to clean up, but thankfully, nothing was ruined.
After that, I tried out my vibration plate, and I have to say, it is interesting!! I only got on there for five minutes on the lowest speed since that’s what everyone advises when you first start, and it was definitely a weird experience doing it for the first time. When I got off, my legs felt much lighter and my feet felt less fatigued but that’s about the only difference I noticed after one use. It does take a week or two to start noticing the benefits from the whole experience, and I’ll also continue to increase my speed and time until I’ve reached the max that I decide to hit. It is interesting, though, and I can totally see how it can eventually transform specific things about the body, especially circulation and muscle growth. I’ll have to report back after I’ve been using it consistently for a while.
We all had leftover pizza for lunch after that, and then I watered our ferns and checked on the baby birds. The mother, apparently, threw two of the eggs out of the nest, but the babies that hatched all appeared to be thriving. We also have three new eggs in a new nest in our other fern. The birds love us, I guess!
We had a small group Saturday night since my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg were out of town, so afterward, it was just Momma, Daddy, Mama Cass, and the four of us at Mexican.
When we got home, we watched the Romeo + Juliet movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes because Olivia has been dying to see it ever since Jacob and I discussed it after he watched it at school earlier this year. I hadn’t seen it in years, but I could still quote so much of it. I must have watched that movie a hundred times after it came out and it still stands the test of time. I just love that modern adaptation of it.
Jacob was happy to watch it again and Olivia loved it, and I just love that they both love all my old 90s movies that are so dear to me.
We ended up watching the entire movie because – summer break – so the kids didn’t get into bed until around 10:30 which meant that Brian and I stayed up extra late again so we could watch some more of Your Friends & Neighbors.
We didn’t get into bed until after midnight, so it was another late night.
Sunday, May 24
Sunday morning, I slept until 9 AM again, we had cinnamon rolls, and then I got started on my Sunday prep – I got my planner ready for the week ahead (nothing for school, of course, but our first week of summer break is really busy!), I transferred photos from my phone to my computer and organized them, Brian and I ordered tickets to see Straight No Chaser’s Christmas concert in December (SO excited about this since we had to sell our tickets a couple of years ago when I got sick), and I worked on this blog post.
It was stormy yet again on Sunday… we have had a very stormy week after not having much rain at all for the entire first few months of the year.
After I was done on my computer, I started cleaning the house. I sorted all the dirty clothes and did three loads of laundry, I cleaned all the mirrors and the countertops, I dusted, and then we all had lunch together.
After lunch, the rain had stopped, so I got out for a walk, and it was soooo humid and hot. I was drenched by the time I got home.
Brian vacuumed the whole house and I mopped behind him, and then I got showered and ready for the day before settling in at my computer to work on this post some more and work some more on updating album covers. My goal was to do 50 this month and I got them all done just this past week. I’m so close to having my entire music library (all 6,783 songs) fully organized… all with album covers. Whew.
We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and Momma made a new tortellini and meatballs recipe + a couple of sides and a brown sugar pound cake! We hung out over there all evening, and then when we got home, we started the movie If with the kids. After they went to bed, Brian and I watched some more of Your Friends & Neighbors and then we went to bed, too!
And now for some current things…
Currently Reading
In May, I read 4 books – Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden (I read this one since I’ve seen so many people on social media talking about it, but it was just okay… 3 stars). Then, I read The Inmate by Freida McFadden and it was one of her better books in my opinion (4 stars). I read My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney and I really enjoyed it. It was twisty and it kept me hooked (4 stars). And finally, I read Once and Again by Rebecca Serle and I loved it so much. Her writing is just beautiful and the storyline was quite unique (5 stars).
I’m also still reading my new devotional for the year – Called by Name: 365 Daily Devotions for Catholic Women by Kelly M. Wahlquist and I’m still reading my Bible along with The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz.
Currently
Watching
With B: In May, Brian and I finished season one of The Testaments, we finished season one of Big Mistakes, we finished season one of Rooster, and we finished the current season of Saturday Night Live. We also started the show Your Friends & Neighbors, and it’s already two seasons in, so we’re behind on that!
With the Kids: In May, we watched the OG Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (in preparation for Olivia’s recital), plus a lot of movies that Brian and I loved when we were kids – Twister, Jumanji (the newer one), Ferris Beueller’s Day Off, Miss Congeniality, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Romeo + Juliet. The boys also watched The Matrix and Inception when Olivia and I were doing other stuff.
Alone: Just the occasional viewing of The Wedding Planner on Sunday afternoons while I work.
Currently
Listening To
I’m still rolling through the podcast The Swiftie and the Scholar and I can’t stop! I’ve almost caught all the way up! And I’ve been shuffling a bunch of random songs when I’m not listening to that… nothing specific.
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
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