Our Week - The One with a School Dance, Two Birthday Celebrations, and a Whole Lot of Other Stuff

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We had a bonus day off last week followed by a busy-ish week and an even busier weekend, so I have a lot to recap today!

Monday, March 16

Sunday afternoon school had been canceled for Monday because there was a high chance of severe weather + tornadoes right during school bus / drop off time, and sure enough, we were awakened around 5 AM by the storms blowing in.  Thankfully we just got a bunch of rain, some wind, and a whole lot of thunder and lightning, but no tornadoes in our area. 

Once the storms blew through, I went back to sleep (mostly).  Brian had to get up for work, but he was working from home, so he was able to sleep in a little bit.  I woke around 8:30 AM and lay in bed for a few minutes before getting up, and then we all had breakfast together.

Since there was no school and the weather was gross, the kids played video games most of the morning, and then they had to check their Google Classrooms for any work that the teachers may have popped in there.  Neither of them had very much to do, so that hardly took any time at all.

Meanwhile, I finished my blog post for Tuesday and then spent the rest of the morning calling insurance and our allergist to get some things taken care of.  Our new insurance has been a nightmare. 

After lunch, I was determined to get out for a walk, but the rain continued on and off all day, and in addition to that, a cold front started blowing in mid-morning and it was freezing all day.  I did 1.41 miles in the freezing, windy, rainy weather, and that was enough.  Haha.

The kids also got outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air, but it was just too cold to be out there, so they weren’t out there long.

The afternoon was spent finishing up cleaning our shower.  Brian had worked on it quite a lot before he got showered and ready for the day, so I only had a little to do, but unfortunately, while I was cleaning, my atlas (C1) came out of alignment because dizziness started settling in shortly after I finished and then I had issues the rest of the week.  Boooo.  I guess I overdid it.  And I think the moral of the story here is that I don’t need to clean anymore.  Hahahaha.

After I was done cleaning the shower, I got showered and back into PJs, and then I headed to my office with a cup of tea and my electric blanket because it was just so cold Monday.  I finished catching up on blog reading, I did most of my blog post for Wednesday, and then I spent some time with the kids.

Olivia needed book fair money and Jacob needed some help with his Confirmation paperwork + an email for school, and then I made dinner.

I was supposed to have gone grocery shopping Monday morning, but I wasn’t about to get out in the bad weather.  Thankfully, we had some leftover beef and rice skillet with veggies that I’d frozen from the last time we had it, so I was able to thaw that, warm it, and serve it as tacos along with chips and fruit.

While everything was warming, I made the meal plan and a grocery list for the next couple of weeks and then we all sat down to eat together. 

After the kitchen was clean, I opened a couple of packages that had arrived, I tidied the house, I did a leg and glutes workout, I did two Lent studies because I’d gotten a day behind, and then I watered all my indoor plant babies.

The kids showered and got ready for bed while I was doing all the things and then Olivia Facetimed with her friend, Maren, for the second time that day since they’d been stuck at home all day.  I walked in her room, and there she was, wearing a beauty mask and Facetiming her friend, and she just looked way too grown up.  :o(

I saw a beautiful rosy glow coming from our bedroom windows later in the evening, so I popped outside in the freezing cold to take a peek at the sunset, and it was beautiful.

Since I was dizzy and my neck had started feeling strained, I lay down for a few minutes to let it all rest, and I started the podcast The Swiftie and the Scholar while I rested.  I can’t remember who told me about it, but it sounded intriguing since I love Taylor Swift so much, and the first episode was pretty good.  Basically, a girl who has been a Swiftie her whole life and her uncle who has a bunch of very impressive degrees sit around and discuss Taylor Swift songs.  The Swiftie discusses them from a fan standpoint, and her uncle discusses them from a literary perspective and it’s so interesting to listen to.  So far, I’m only one episode in as I type this, but they picked apart one of my favorite TS songs in the first episode (My Tears Ricochet), so I’m hooked.

I got up and prepped for Tuesday while the kids finished up getting ready for bed, and then we all sat down together and started The Dinosaurs… it’s a documentary with Morgan Freeman doing the voiceover, and the kids and Brian seem to enjoy it.  Me on the other hand… I could pass on it.  Haha. 

After the kids went to bed Brian made a paper plane (cocktail) for him (he’s been trying to perfect it) and he made a Manhattan for me (he’s already perfected that), and then we enjoyed our cocktails while we watched the newest episode of Paradise.  Gah, it’s so good!

Tuesday, March 17

Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I zoomed through Walmart and Publix to get groceries.  I got them home, put all the cold stuff away, and then I had to leave immediately for an appointment with my therapist.  I ended up being there longer than usual because I had to work out some things with our new insurance.

When I got home, all I wanted to do was get a cup of hot tea and dive under my electric blanket at my desk because it was soooo cold.  I finished my blog post for Wednesday, responded to all my recent blog comments, caught up on emails, completed my blog post for Friday, and started my blog post for Monday before going to pick up the kids from school.

The kids worked on homework when we got home, and I did the dishes, put away the groceries, and did my quiet time before taking Olivia to dance.  We got stuck in a long line of traffic on the way there because of the road construction, and I ended up going home a different way, so I didn’t get stuck in it again. 

When I got back home, Brian and Jacob were leaving.  Jacob had a Teen Advisors event at a trampoline park, and while they were gone, I paid a couple of bills, did my Lent study, and got out for my walk.  It was freezing and windy again Tuesday, but it was sunny, so it made for a much more pleasant experience.  My energy level was very low on Tuesday, though, and I’m sure it was because my dizziness and neck strain was settling back in, so I had to push myself to get through the walk.

When I got home, I showered and made dinner.  Brian went back out to pick up Olivia and then Jacob, and when they all got home, we sat down for a very late dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, steamed broccoli, and garlic cheese bread. 

We cleaned the kitchen after dinner, and the kids got showered and ready for bed.  Olivia wanted me to braid her wet hair after her shower so her hair would be wavy the next day, and then she wanted a bedtime snack.  I think my girl must be going through a major growth spurt because she has been eating a ton and she seems to never be full.  Haha.

 

After the kids got in bed, Brian and I watched the second episode of Rooster, and we both enjoyed it.  It is a really funny, yet heartfelt show. 

 

Wednesday, March 18

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed home to check a bunch of things off my list…

 

-       Finished blog post for Monday

-       Caught up on both email inboxes

-       Made an emergency upper cervical chiropractor appointment since my atlas was definitely out

-       Made Olivia a hair appointment

-       Researched Locks of Love because Olivia wanted to donate her hair!

-       Placed an Amazon order for a couple of athletic tanks for me for Disney

-       Started blog post for Tuesday

 

On the way to pick up the kids from school, I put some gas in my car and stopped by the liquor store to grab a couple of things we needed, and then I stopped by our church’s Outreach Center to drop off a bunch of food items I’d picked up at Walmart on Tuesday.  They announced late last week that they’re having issues getting food from their supplier, and it had gotten so dire that they had to cancel one of their food distributions. 

They have been serving our community for more than 40 years and they have nearly 600 families who rely on them each month, so people all over our community showed up for them to donate food to get those shelves restocked.  We wanted to do our part, of course, so I dropped a few bags of shelf stable goods on Wednesday, and they were very grateful.  It’s times like these that I wish I had endless funds so I could just go restock every single one of their very bare shelves.

After that, I swung around to the car line, and I worked on cleaning out my lists app that has gotten really cluttered, and when the kids got in the car, they were especially chatty about their day. 

Olivia had gone on an all-day field trip to The Biblical History Center in Lagrange, GA, and she got to experience a traditional Passover Seder meal.  They said the traditional blessings over the food, and they ate the traditional foods such as unleavened bread and hardboiled eggs + many other things.  She was RAVING about the whole experience, and she told me that she tried (and enjoyed!) every single food that they offered, and I was so proud of her because she’s such a picky eater.  I thought for sure she was going to tell me that she didn’t love the food or that she didn’t try certain things, so I was really excited that she was so willing to immerse herself in the Jewish culture while she was there.

She’d had the best day, and it makes me want to plan a visit there, too.  We did have a Passover Seder meal when I was in sixth grade, but we did ours in our classroom.  It’s one of the activities that I remember most from my entire middle school career.  I still remember most of the blessing that we learned in Hebrew for it.

After Olivia was done telling her story, Jacob told me that they’d had a substitute teacher in his religion class, and he saw Jacob’s Rubik’s cube sitting on his desk.  Jacob said that the sub asked if Jacob knew how to solve it, and when Jacob told him he could solve it in around a minute, the teacher was intrigued.  He scrambled it and then asked Jacob to solve it, and he ended up doing it in less than one minute in front of the whole class.  Haha.  He haaaates getting up in front of people (which I’m sure the teacher didn’t know since he’s not the usual teacher), so I asked him if he was nervous, and he said, “Yeah, I was sweating,” with a little laugh.  Haha.  It sounded like he handled it well, though, and he said that everyone cheered when he was done. 

Anywayyyy, I always love the car rides home each day.  I love that uninterrupted time with both kids, and I love that they both tell me all the things!

When we got home, I did the dishes and my devotional, and the kids had some screen time because neither of them had homework.  Olivia had her long dance night Wednesday, so I made her some chicken fingers before we left, and I also started prepping for dinner. 

It was still chilly on Wednesday with highs in the 50s, but the sun was shining so it was warm enough to open the sunroof and have the heater on my feet.  Haha.  Olivia and I listened to music all the way to dance, and then I headed back home to get dinner in the oven.

While it baked, I got out for another walk, and then I popped some blueberry muffins in the oven when I got back.  The boys and I ate together – one pan chicken, potatoes, and broccoli with the blueberry muffins – and then Brian and I cleaned the kitchen.

Jacob worked on his Rubik’s cube some more after dinner, and I decided to film him so we could time it.  He ended up solving it in just 52 seconds which was a personal record, and he was so excited!  I still cannot wrap my brain around solving one of those at all, let alone in just 52 seconds, so he sat down with me and tried to explain the algorithms that you have to memorize to solve it that fast.  After all that, I still don’t understand what any of it means, but I’m really proud of him that he does.  Hahahaha.  And this was his face after I told him his time and he realized he’d beaten his personal record. 

After dinner, I wanted to do some kind of strength workout, but I had to be careful since my atlas was already out of adjustment, so I just stuck to doing a stair workout, and it felt great.  I hadn’t done one of those in so long, so it was nice to get that leg, thigh, and glutes workout.  I only worked out for about 15 minutes, but I was sweating by the time I was done.  That one is always a good workout!

I was dizzy when I was done, and my neck also felt pretty strained (THANKS, ATLAS!), but thankfully, my dizziness wasn’t as prevalent on Wednesday.

I got showered after my workout, and then I prepped for Thursday.  Brian stepped out to pick up Olivia from dance and Jacob got showered and ready for bed.  Once he was done, he sat down at the piano and started playing Clair de Lune (my favorite), so I abandoned what I was doing to go sit with him.  I never get tired of watching his fingers move over those keys so gracefully.  He plays with such grace and ease and it’s just truly one of my favorite things to watch him play.  It’s an instant anxiety buster.

I sat with him while Olivia showered and got ready for bed, and then when she came downstairs just before 9 PM, she said that she wanted another snack even though she’d eaten one in the car on the way home.  She grabbed a yogurt and a bag of Doritos, and I sat with her on the couch so she could tell me all about dance.  And then I showed her the video I’d taken of Jacob solving the Rubik’s cube in 52 seconds.  She was so happy for him!

Both kids went to bed after that, and Brian and I hung out downstairs for a bit, not really watching much of anything because it was so late and we knew we were going to be going to bed soon.

 

Thursday, March 19

Thursday, I dropped the kids at school and then I tackled my list for the day:

 

-       Worked on this blog post to get it caught up

-       Painted my fingernails (I’ve had a new color that I’ve been wanting to try but I rarely take the time to paint my nails)

-       Caught up on blog reading

-       Edited pictures for a future blog post

-       Started and finished blog post for next Wednesday  

-       Started and finished blog post for next Friday

-       Started blog post for March 30

-       Texted a couple of people about items for the Mother Son dance

-       Whitened my teeth

 

It was a productive day! 

On my way out the door, I threw a load of laundry in the wash, and then I headed to pick up the kids.  They had music after school, and I sat in with Olivia.  She’s still working on The Fate of Ophelia, and she made big strides on Thursday!  She’s doing so well.

After lessons, Brian picked Jacob up and they went to hit some balls at the driving range, and Olivia and I headed home.  She did homework, I read my devotional, and then she had some screen time for a bit while I worked on my blog post for 3/30 for a few more minutes. 

When the boys got home, Jacob joined her for video games, and then I went to flip the laundry that I’d forgotten about.  Brian and I made breakfast for dinner and then I got out for my after-dinner walk.  It was a beautiful day, and it had finally warmed up a bit, so I enjoyed letting the sun soak into my bones.

When I got home, I did a ten-minute strength workout and my Lent study, and then I got showered.  Olivia wanted some help drying her hair Thursday evening, so I helped her with that, and then we all settled in for some family time in the living room.

Olivia wanted to watch a couple of Disney rides so she could decide if she wants to ride them on this trip.  There are a couple that she rode way back and she doesn’t remember them, so we watched them on YouTube to jog her memory.

Then, we finished episode one of The Dinosaurs and the kids went to bed.  Brian and I started the movie Materialists with Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson.

 

Friday, March 20

Friday, I snoozed one extra time (I so love this for me, and I don’t know why I haven’t been doing this all along on Mondays and Fridays) and then I took the kids to school.  I had to go by the school office to pick up everything for the dance Friday night and then I headed home for the day to work on my to-do list:

 

-       Caught up on emails

-       Caught up on planner

-       Filled out waiver that Jacob needed

-       Transferred money

-       Finished blog post for 3/30

-       Started blog post for 4/3

-       Set date for April’s poker night

-       Put all the dishes away that were on the drying mat

-       Opened a couple of packages that had arrived

-       Set up the kids’ Easter baskets

-       Packed for the dance

-       Did my devotional for the day

-       Caught up on blog reading

-       Updated a spreadsheet

-       Did all the other random things on my daily checklist to ensure I was done before the dance

 

I also got an email from my girl while she was at school... that always makes my day!  (And yes, I had to use Google Translate because I had no clue what she said.  Haha.)

After school, I drove the kids home, I ate a PB&J and some fruit, and then I packed up the car and headed back to the school to co-chair the Mother Son dance.  I had to be there at 4:30 PM to meet my friend, Shaun (the DJ), and I helped him get all his equipment inside.  Since I had nothing else to do (the food was already set up), I sat with him on the stage for the next hour and a half and we chatted and caught up.  He filled me in on how his momma and his baby brother (my God child) are doing. 

We also picked out bracelets to wear from the pack of dance favors that I’d picked up for the dance.  I bought this pack of bracelets on Amazon, and they’re movie themed (the theme for the dance was Lights, Camera, Action).  Shaun and I could not stop laughing about this bracelet because instead of saying “Lights, Camera, Action,” like it should, it said, “Light Action.”  LOL.  So, of course, we picked those to wear all night.  Hahahaha.  I meant to snap a picture of it at the dance, but I forgot until I got home.

Bianca, my co-chair, arrived a little before 6 PM, and then she and I tested out the photo booth AKA had fun with the photo booth.  Haha.  She and I took two rounds of photos, then Shaun and I took two rounds (I made him do the second round because my face in the last photo of the first round was soooo bad because the camera flashed right as I busted out laughing.  Haha.)  Then Bianca and I got our resource officer in there for another round of photos.  I’m so glad that Bianca came up with the idea to hire this company because it took so much off our plate (no more putting balloon arches together, no more setting it all up, and no more taking pictures all night for the parents!) and the pictures are so great.  You get a cute printout as well as all the digital images and a GIF of all of your photos.

We still had a few minutes to spare after testing out the photo booth, so I headed back to the stage to make sure everything was ready to go.  I set up my little spot under Shaun’s DJ booth with my song requests sign and then I parked myself there for the rest of the night keeping an eye on all the boys, taking lots of song requests, preventing the boys from getting on the stage (LOL), and yelling over the music to chat with one of the kids because he wanted to know my entire life’s story.  He asked me about 84 questions about myself and then about Shaun.  Hahahaha.  I just love little kids.  They are so precious. 

The dance was over at 8 PM, we got all the food cleaned up and everyone left, but I had to stay behind while Shaun got his equipment broken down so I could make sure the school doors were closed.  Once he was all packed up, I headed home. 

Brian and the kids were watching Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, so I got ready for bed, reheated some leftover veggies that I’d made earlier in the week because I was starving, and then I joined them in the living room.

After the kids went to bed, I made a Manhattan and Brian made a paper plane, and then we settled in to watch Shrinking (seriously, that show gets better and better – it is SO DANG GOOD) and then we watched a bit more of Materialists before going to bed.

Saturday, March 21

Saturday morning, we had to set an alarm to make sure we didn’t sleep past 8 AM because Jacob and Olivia both had somewhere to be.  I headed down to the kitchen and made waffles for everyone, and then Brian got the kids where they needed to go while I cleaned up the kitchen.

Jacob was volunteering at our local Botanical Gardens for the morning with his Teen Advisors group, and they were pulling weeds and putting down new soil, etc.  Olivia had another extra dance session to learn the finale of her jazz section for her upcoming recital.  They had to be at their locations at 9 AM and 9:15 AM respectively, so that ended up working out perfectly since one of us only had to make one trip.

 

After breakfast, I headed to my office to tackle a few things – emails, bills, going through my camera roll for the week, updating a couple of things on my bulletin board, and a few other random things.  I also spent a few minutes scrolling to see all the moms’ photos from the dance the night before.  It looked like everyone had such a great time!

I left at noon to pick Olivia up from dance, and she ended up getting out almost 30 minutes late.  We had a feeling that was going to happen since it happened last week, so thankfully, Brian had gone to pick up Jacob separately, otherwise we would have been really late picking him up.

We all met back at home and had lunch, although, Jacob had already eaten with his volunteer group, and then I went back to my office to work on this post and tackle several other random tasks. 

Meanwhile, the kids got showered and did their laundry, and then they had some lazy time.  I snapped this picture of the two of them because I thought it was so sweet.  They weren’t even doing their screentime together, but Olivia moved her chair to be right next to Jacob so they could do their separate screen time right next to each other.  She follows him everywhere!

Brian worked out in the yard a lot of the day again.  He also woke up earlier than the rest of us Saturday morning to book our lightning lanes for Disney.  He knows all that stuff stresses me out, so he always does it for us, and I’m so grateful!

I spent the rest of the afternoon tackling random things around the house and I honestly don’t remember everything that I did.  And then I got out for a walk, grabbed a snack, read my devotional, and got ready.

We had a big party for Mama Cass’s 97th birthday Saturday night, and my mom’s whole extended family came, minus a few people who live further away and couldn’t make it.  It was absolutely gorgeous Saturday evening – perfect weather – so we all sat outside at my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg’s house.  They grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and made barbecue with a bunch of sides.  And my cousin, Shelby, had a bunch of tattoos made with Mama Cass’s face and a 97th birthday hat for all of us to wear along with a “let’s get smashed” cup for Mama Cass to drink her vodka and orange juice out of.  Hahahaha.  So, so good!

After dinner, we all sang to the queen and then we took turns taking pictures with her.  My mom, Olivia, and I took an updated four generations of women picture with her and then Jacob jumped in, then we got a picture of her with all her grandchildren in attendance, though quite a few couldn’t make it as we’re all spread out across the country.  We got a picture of her with five of her six kids who were able to be there.  And we took a few other photos of her with her kids’ spouses, her grandchildrens’ spouses, etc.   

My cousin, Wil, and his girlfriend, Cat came from Athens, and they brought their dog, Tucker, and Olivia was in heaven playing with him all evening.  He knows how to sit and lay and shake on command, and he is just precious.  We even tried the “hands in” trend with him, and it worked!  Olivia, Cat, Wil, and I all put our hands in, and he put his little paw on top. It was the cutest!

We stayed over there until well after 9, and by the time we got home and the kids got in bed, it was already after 10.  Brian and I finished watching Materialists, and then we went to bed.  I really liked that movie, but Brian thought it was just okay.

 

Sunday, March 22

Sunday morning, I was up around 8:45 AM, and then we ate some cinnamon rolls that Brian had gotten from Aldi to try something new.  They were really good, and they were already baked, so we didn’t even have to turn on the oven. 

We didn’t have much time at home on Sunday due to all the commitments we had, so I tried to knock out as much as I could after breakfast – I transferred all the pictures from my phone to my computer for the week, I got them organized, I caught up on my Lent study as I was a couple of days behind, and then I went for a walk. 

When I got home, it was time to get showered and ready for the day, and then I tossed a load of towels in the washing machine before we headed to my mother-in-law's and step-father-in-law's for Sunday lunch. 

We hadn’t seen them in several weeks, so there was a lot to catch up on, and we also celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday while we were there.  We’ve asked her time and time again if she’d like us to take her out or if one of us could cook for her on her birthday, but she always insists that she just wants to cook at home.  I am the exact opposite.  You will not catch me cooking on my birthday!  Haha.

We ended up staying over there until a bit after 3 PM, and then we headed home for about an hour.  I flipped the laundry to the dryer, I got my planner ready for the week ahead, I organized some more pictures, and I sorted the dirty clothes.

We went to 5 PM Mass since we’d been at my aunt and uncle’s house Saturday evening, and we met Aunt Joy, Uncle Greg, and Mama Cass there.  After Mass, we drove Mama Cass to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and we hung out over there for the rest of the evening. 

I still had quite a bit to do when we got home, so I worked on all the things – vacuuming the red carpets I’d borrowed for the dance (and vacuuming the kitchen while I was at it), putting the towels back in the dryer for the second time because they were still wet, watering the outdoor plants, and so many other things I can’t even remember.

I joined Brian and the kids on the couch to watch some more of The Dinosaurs, and then Brian and I started One Battle After Another after the kids went to bed.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!