*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Week seven of
summer break was a good mix of productivity, relaxation, and fun! And I’m in denial that we’re more than 2/3 of
the way through the break. As you read
this, we only have 2.5 weeks left of summer break and I’m not remotely ready
for it to be over. Yes, I’m ready for
all the fall things, but I’m not ready to be away from my babies all day, and I’m
certainly not ready to start waking up at 6 AM every morning again. Yuck!
Here’s the
recap from last week!
Monday, July 6
Monday, I was up at 7:45 AM and when I went downstairs, Jacob was already
down there eating breakfast. I ate, too,
and then I unloaded the dishwasher, took my vitamins, made my tea, and then I
went to my office to finish my blog post for Wednesday. I also made my way through five loads of
laundry all day and I managed to put it all away the same day, too. *Pats self on back.*
Right before lunch, I showered and got ready for the day and then the
kids and I ate together. I unpacked a
Target shipment that had just arrived and I started Friday’s blog post, and by
the time I was done with all that, it was time to take the kids to their makeup
music lessons that they’d missed while we were in Denver.
I sat with Jacob while he worked some more on Clair de Lune and he
was sounding so good by the time we left!
He had the whole thing down a couple of years ago with the exception of
the end, so he decided he wanted to try to perfect that part so he can have the
entire song done.
When we got home, I read for a bit and then I did my devotional and a
Bible study. I updated a couple of
spreadsheets after that and then I headed downstairs to make turkey and cheese
biscuit sliders for dinner. We had some
leftover baked beans and fruit from our July 4th party, so we had those as
sides.
I finished putting away the laundry after dinner, I watered the indoor
plants, and then I went out for my evening walk and did a short tai chi
workout.
Once that was done, I meditated while I lay on my neck pillow and my
vibration plate, and then I showered.
Once the kids were ready for bed, we all sat down and binged five
episodes of Friends – they’re so quick and easy to watch since they’re
only about 22 minutes each – and then Brian watched the end of the FIFA
World Cup game. Team USA lost, which
was a bummer, so now I’m cheering for England, the land of my ancestors.
We got the kids in bed after that, and then Brian and I watched some more
of I Will Find You before heading to bed. I decided on July 4 to stop taking my vertigo
meds altogether (again… remember last October when I did that and things did
NOT go well?). I was only taking 1/4 pill
(literally a crumb) once every three days at this point anyway, which meant
that by Monday, I hadn’t had it since July 1.
Sure enough, the withdrawals settled in again Monday, but thankfully,
they weren’t severe like they were the first time I tried to stop after only
tapering for a few weeks. I had very bad
sensitivity to light and very dry eyes on Monday, and some of my dizziness was
starting to come back, but all in all it was bearable. Monday, anyway. Haha.
Tuesday, July 7
Tuesday, I was up at 7:30 AM and I got showered and ready for the
day. The kids and I ate breakfast, and
then we headed to our church’s Outreach Center to help with food distribution
all morning. Our church feeds thousands
of families each month so it is a big (and very important) operation, so I’m
always happy to lend a helping hand.
We started the day by helping load the shopping carts with all the
different items that go out to each family.
Every family that comes gets a large paper bag filled with canned goods
and other non-perishables, a small bag with rolls of toilet paper, paper
towels, and tissues, two bags of bakery items (sandwich bread, dinner bread, etc. that our local
Publix donates), a bag of frozen meat, a bottle of juice, a bag of fresh produce, and most of the time a bakery
dessert (cake, cupcakes, etc.). And we
also keep various other items on hand like baby items (diapers, formula, etc.),
feminine products, other hygiene products, etc. that people can request if
they’re in need. And if the family size is larger, then they get more of each.
There was a bigger need to pack the bags of non-perishables about an hour
into our time there, so all three of us spent the rest of the morning packing
them, closing them, and filling the shelves.
The kids really stepped up lifting big boxes of canned vegetables repeatedly
all morning, and they were both feeling it by the time we were done.
We made sure that the shelves were fully stocked with the bags for the
next day, and then we left right before noon.
We stopped by the library on the way home to grab some books and then we
all had lunch together when we got home.
The kids had some well-earned screen time Tuesday afternoon and I worked
on my blog post for Friday and then lay for a bit to rest my neck. My withdrawals were still present Tuesday, so
I was quite tired, and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading blogs after I
was done resting.
My friend, Jeannine, invited us to bowl with her boys Tuesday afternoon,
so we met them and their friends at 4:30 PM.
Jeannine and I talked while the kids all played their two games, and
Jacob did so great despite not playing in nearly a year.
By the time we got home, Brian was already home, so I made beef tacos for
dinner, and then I went out for a walk.
I really wanted to do a tai chi workout, but my body wasn’t having it
thanks to my withdrawals, so instead, I lay on my neck pillow and vibration
plate and did a meditation, and then I got showered and in my pjs.
We watched three episodes of Friends, and then Brian and I watched
another episode of I Will Find You before we went to bed.
Wednesday, July 8
Wednesday, the withdrawals were in full force all day, which was good
timing since we had nowhere to be.
Thankfully, they still weren’t as bad as they were back in October, but
I still felt like hammered crap all day – terrible sensitivity to light to the
point where I could barely look at my computer or phone, blurred vision,
dizziness, really bad shortness of breath (which I actually think might have
just been my asthma acting up??), exhaustion, brain zaps at bedtime (though,
they were different this time… it was more like body jolts because I didn’t
have the weird electricity sound in my head like I did back in October when I
tried to taper the first time), and just a general sense of feeling, well, bad.
My alarm is always set for 7:30 AM on weekdays, but I ended up snoozing
until 8 AM Wednesday because I just felt so exhausted. Even at 8, I had to drag myself out of bed.
Olivia was already up, and Jacob got up shortly after that, so we all had
breakfast and I did my morning routine.
Since I’d done nothing on Tuesday, I had a lot to do Wednesday, so I
headed to my office to tackle a few things… it was a struggle, though:
-
Catch up on emails
-
Pay a bill
-
Upload photos to a shared folder that my cousin is
putting together
-
Finish my blog post for Friday
-
Start my blog post for Monday
-
Tidy my bedroom and bathroom
By the time I was done with that, I was feeling really bad, so I went and
lay in bed to read for an hour.
Meanwhile, Jacob worked on his chemistry and math summer homework, and
Olivia Facetimed with her friend, Maren, since all her summer homework was
done.
We all had lunch together, and then Olivia cleaned her bedroom and bathroom,
and the kids cleaned the playroom together.
They were all a mess.
We also ordered new water bottles for the kids for the new school year
along with a few other necessities, and then I went to lay down again.
I was able to work on my blog post for Monday a little more after I
rested, but then after sitting at the computer, I felt like poo again, so I had
to go lay back down.
I pretty much alternated between getting stuff done in my office and
laying in bed all day. I got one last
second wind after that, and I added a few dates to my planner, I worked on
Monday’s blog post for a few minutes, I got a couple of Amazon returns ready,
and then I did my devotional and a Bible study before heading downstairs to
cook dinner.
On the menu Wednesday evening was fettucine alfredo with chicken and
steamed broccoli, and garlic cheese bread.
It’s always a quick meal to make, but it involves a lot of prep and
monitoring since there are so many things going at once. That wasn’t an ideal meal to have to make
when you are super tired and winded and dizzy, but I got it done!
While Brian cleaned the kitchen after dinner, I quizzed Jacob on his
chemistry elements. He must memorize
half of them by the time school starts, and he must know them both ways – if
the name is given, he must know the symbol and vice versa.
When that was done, I meditated on my neck pillow and vibration plate,
and then I finally got showered for the day.
I put on my pjs again and then I sent out invitations for Jacob’s
birthday get together that we’re having later this month.
We started the newest episode of America’s Got Talent Wednesday
night, and then we watched two more episodes of Friends. The kids wanted popcorn, so we made a night
of it, and then after they went to bed, Brian and I had rare mid-week cocktails
because it was about the only thing that could put me out of my misery. We watched some more of I Will Find You
and then we went to bed.
Thursday, July 9
Thursday morning, I was up at 7:45 AM and my asthma was acting up again,
so I woke up feeling yucky. Thankfully,
it resolved within a couple of hours of waking, so it ended up being a
non-issue.
After my morning things, I worked on my blog post for Monday, and then I
finished my book since it needed to be returned to the library soon. After that, I worked on my blog post for
Monday some more, and then it was time to get showered for the day.
After lunch, the kids and I headed out to run a lot of errands:
-
UPS (to return a couple of Amazon orders that didn’t
work out)
-
Sephora (per Olivia’s request… just because!)
-
Library (to return a few books that were due)
-
Target (to return a couple of things and grab a few
things we needed + shop for jeans for Olivia + browse the few LoveShackFancy items that remained + browse the new Room Essentials line that I’m obsessed
with)
-
Orthodontist (checkups for the kids)
-
Music lessons (I sat with Olivia and she worked some
more on Happier by Ed Sheeran)
Olivia and my friend Jeannine’s son were supposed to be having a special
Diva Day with our friend, Jen, but she wasn’t feeling well, and she had to
postpone. Since she couldn’t take them
out, Jeannine and I decided to get all our kids together for a milkshake date,
and then we took them to Five Below to shop for matching shirts for Buckley and
Olivia. They never found shirts that
they liked, but they ended up finding a pair of PJ shorts and matching fuzzy blankets
so they could twin at poker night on Friday.
When we got home, I tidied the house and did a few things to catch up
since we’d been gone all afternoon, and then Brian and I made breakfast for
dinner.
After dinner, I got on my stair stepper for 30 minutes and then I did my
meditation, vibration, neck pillow combo.
We watched a little more of America’s Got Talent with the kids,
but both are so into Friends already that they didn’t want to watch the
whole thing, and instead, they wanted to turn it off to squeeze in three
episodes of Friends before bed.
Brian and I ended the night with another episode of I Will Find You
before bed.
Friday, July 10
Friday morning, we were all up early because I had an upper cervical
chiropractor appointment. After getting
ready and eating a quick breakfast, we hit the road. My appointment went great because my atlas
and axis were still perfectly in place, making this the first time that my
adjustments have held this long in months.
My neck test, my leg test, and the examination all showed that
everything was perfect, so my doctor sent me on my way and told me to come back
in a month! My tongue is finally
adapting to its new posture, so I think that had so much to do with my perfect
checkup!
After my appointment, we hit the road, but we didn’t head straight home
like we usually do. Brian discovered
that there’s a place called Fun Spot America in Fayetteville, GA, and they have
one of the Top 10 best roller coasters in the world. They are closing permanently on August 2, so
he wanted to go ride the roller coaster since it’s not too far from my upper
cervical chiropractor.
Trader Joe’s happened to be right on the way, so we stopped to grab some
essentials – pickle chips, dark chocolate almonds, wine, vanilla bean scones, and
a few other goodies that we wanted to try.
When we arrived at Fun Spot America, the place was a ghost town and I thought it was closed
(LOL), but after we rounded the bend, we saw several cars in the parking
lot. Brian and the kids went into the park,
but I opted to stay in the car. It was
HOT Friday and I was wearing jeans and closed toe shoes for my appointment, so I
wanted to stay in the car where it was nice and cool.
I was glad I did, too, because it ended up taking them an hour to get
through the gate and ride the roller coaster because Brian said they were
incredibly inefficient there, but he loved the coaster and said it was one of
the best ones he’s ever ridden. The kids
didn’t want to ride since it goes upside down, so they filmed Brian
instead. Haha.
After that, we made the drive home, and we made lunch when we got
back. After lunch, Jacob made flash
cards for chemistry, and he studied for a bit and Olivia tried on her new jeans
from Target. I finished my blog post for
Monday, I read for a few minutes, and then I started this blog post, and before
I knew it, it was time to freshen up and head to my friend, Jeannine’s house,
for poker night.
We had pizza and cocktails and another set of friends, Seth and Natalie,
joined us this time, so it was even more chatty and chaotic than it usually
is. We laughed so much that my face hurt
by the time we were done.
The kids spent most of the night running around outside and they all came
inside sweaty and flushed because it was so hot.
We capped off the evening by shooting some glow-in-the-dark twirling
things (I don’t know how else to describe them, lol) into the sky. The lights run on batteries, and you shoot
them using a rubberband launcher, so you can use them over and over again. The kids had contests to see who could shoot
theirs the highest and they ran all around trying to catch them.
By the time we got home, it was 10 PM, so the kids both showered and got
in bed. While they showered, I meditated
on my neck pillow and vibration plate, and then Brian and I finished I Will
Find You and started season three of Silo. We didn’t go to bed until 12:30 AM, so it was
a late night.
Saturday, July 11
Saturday morning, we slept in until 8:15 AM, I made waffles, and then I
tidied the kitchen and the whole downstairs area because it was a wreck. Brian went out to mow the lawn and then I
went in my office for a little while to catch up on emails, read blogs, put
some dates in my planner, organize a couple of lists, and work on this blog
post.
Late in the morning, I got showered and ready for the day, and then we
all met my father-in-law and much of the rest of Brian’s family for lunch to
celebrate several summer birthdays – my brother-in-law’s, my sister-in-law's,
Jacob’s, and my niece’s. We have so many
summer birthdays in our family!
We went back over to my FIL’s house after that to have cookie cake and
open gifts, and then we went home for a couple of hours before church. I spent some time catching up this blog post,
and I also started my first Colorado recap.
I also spent a few minutes reorganizing my editorial calendar since I
had to make room for a few extra travel posts that weren’t originally on the
calendar.
Before leaving for church, I lay on my neck pillow and vibration plate
because my dizziness and other issues were in full force, and then I freshened
up before we hit the road.
After Mass, we went to our usual Mexican restaurant with our usual group
– my parents, Mama Cass, my brother, Aunt Joy, and Uncle Greg, and then on the
way home, we stopped by Dairy Queen to get Blizzards for Brian and the kids.
When we got home, we watched a few more minutes of America’s Got
Talent followed by two episodes of Friends, and then Brian and I
continued episode one of season three of Silo. We hadn’t gotten far, and both of us had
started nodding off the night before, so we had to retrace our steps. Haha.
I actually didn’t get far into the episode again, and I started dozing
off, so Brian turned it off altogether and he watched something that he’s been
watching on his own while I dozed. I
love a couch nap!
Sunday, July 12
Sunday morning, I got up at 8:15 AM, I made cinnamon rolls, and I made
the bed and tidied upstairs while they baked.
After breakfast, the kids did their laundry, and I got my planner ready
for the week ahead. I transferred my
photos to my computer from my phone and organized them, and then I went out for
a walk even though I don’t love walking when the sun is overhead.
It was HOT Sunday, but I did two miles, and then I did a Bible study
while I cooled off. After that, it was
time to get showered and ready for lunch at my MIL’s and step-FIL’s, and on the
way there, we swung by CVS to pick up my prescriptions.
We had a big group Sunday since my sister-in-law, nephew, and my niece
and her husband were all in town, and they made a delicious spread. We celebrated Jennifer and Haley’s birthdays
over there (we’ll be doing a separate one for Jacob in a couple of weeks), and
then on the way home, we swung by Target to pick up an online order.
I felt like poo again Sunday – from withdrawals, and hopefully that’s it?? My neck was bothering me, but I’m assuming it
was somehow related to the withdrawals – so I was hanging by a thread when we
got home. I took some Ibuprofen, had a
cup of hot tea, and then lay down for a little bit, and I did feel a little
better when I got up, although still pretty dizzy. I know it’ll all be over eventually so I’m
just trying to hang in there!! I feel
like there’s light at the end of the tunnel since I’m finally completely off
the vertigo meds and since I’ve found a doctor who knows how to fix me (for lack
of a better term).
I felt decent enough to look at a computer screen for a bit, so I
finished my blog post for Tuesday, I worked on this blog post some more, I
started my blog post for Friday, and then I started typing out the first Denver
recap that should go live next Friday (assuming I stay on track!). Then, I did a few things around the house
before heading to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.
Momma made a delicious chicken tortellini alfredo with a couple of sides,
and then we had cookie brownies for dessert.
My parents’ next door neighbors brought over their new puppy after
dinner – a coton de tulear – and I fell in love instantly. I was shocked to find out that they’d been
able to get her right here in our city (those dogs are hard to find), and now I
think I have doggie fever, although, I’m not sure I’m ready to have the
responsibility again just yet since we travel so much.
When we got home, we watched some more of AGT followed by three episodes
of Friends, and then Brian and I finished episode two of season three of
Silo. I also did stalk the Facebook
page of the place where my parents’ neighbors had gotten their puppy and OMG
they have some sweet babies right now!
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
