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As you can see
from the title of this post, we didn’t have much going on out of the ordinary
last week, but I sure did get a TON of stuff done! Let’s get to the recap!
Monday, November 2
Monday morning, I snoozed one extra time and then I woke up feeling SO
REFRESHED because of the time change!
Say what you want about standard time, but my body clock sure does love
it!
I got to drive the kids to school IN THE SUNLIGHT for the first time in
weeks, and it was a glorious way to start the day! After I dropped them off at school, I did my
Walmart and Publix shopping to grab the stuff we needed for the next couple of
weeks.
Brian helped me get the groceries inside, and then I put all the cold
stuff away, I grabbed a cup of coffee, and Bellie and I went to my office. She started scratching at the door to get out
almost immediately, so I hauled her back downstairs and gated her in the
kitchen… her little prison while B and I work all day. Haha.
I worked on finishing my blog post for Tuesday all morning, and then I
had time to catch up on some emails before going downstairs to eat lunch with
Brian. While I was down there, I also
put dinner in the slow cooker, and then I sat outside with Bellie for a bit so
she could run around.
When I went back upstairs, I threw a load of bedding in the washer from
the kids’ sleepovers and then I started my blog post for Monday, I did a little
Christmas gift browsing, I did some blog housekeeping, and I filmed something
for my Instagram stories. I also played outside with Bellie for a while.
It was time to get in the car line after that, so I put another load of
bedding in and then I hit the road. I
worked on a Reel in the car line, and then Olivia jumped in the car and we
headed home. Jacob was staying late for
E-Sports, so he didn’t come home with us.
When we got home, Olivia worked on some homework, and I did a Bible study
and watered my plants. I drove her to
dance, headed home, and then I got outside for a walk since I had to do it
before dinner as the time had changed. I
took Bellie with me for the first mile and she was SO excited. That girl loves a walk more than anything on
this earth.
After her mile, I took her back home, and then I headed back out for
another 1.5 miles. Brian picked up Jacob
from E-Sports while I was walking, and when they got to the neighborhood, Jacob
got in the driver’s seat to practice. He
drove right by me while I was walking, and let me tell you, it is weird
seeing your firstborn drive on the road for the first time. He looked like a pro, too.
Brian left to pick up Olivia from dance just as I was getting home from
my walk, and I spent some time with Jacob, hearing all about his day. I showered quickly after that and flipped the
laundry, and then I finished dinner and setting the table. I also got the house cozy with our oils and
the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.
YES.
Brian texted to say that Olivia was running late getting out, so I had to
hold dinner a little longer. While I
waited for them, I put up all the fall and Halloween mugs, and I pulled out all
my Christmas mugs and got them set up. I
also put the dining room table back together after our party Friday, and then I
vacuumed because the floors were awful.
We finally ate dinner at 6:30 PM when Brian and Olivia got home, and the
rest of the evening was spent getting ready for bed, watching two episodes of Friends,
meditating and resting and using my heated neck wrap
because my neck was killing me, getting the kids in the bed, and watching some
of Saturday Night Live.
Tuesday, November 3
Tuesday morning, I woke up at 6 AM and I decided to record my day for a
day in the life post… but this time, I wanted to video the whole thing and make
a Reel rather than just taking pictures of the day (per several reader
requests). Friends, I hope you enjoy
this Reel, because it’s going to be a loooong time before I do that again. Lol.
It was SUCH a pain in the butt having to constantly remember to film,
having to move the tripod all over creation, and such, and then the editing…
OMGGGG. I don’t know how people do Reels
like that all the time. No thank you.
Anyway, after I got ready, I threw a load of laundry in the washer so I
could wash Olivia’s new dress for her fall
dance, and then I dropped the kids off at school. I had a Home and School Advisory Board
meeting to attend, so I hung around for that, and then when it was over I
headed home.
I let Belle out, grabbed a cup of coffee
(and my tripod – LOL), and then I headed to my
office to start and finish my blog post for Thursday and then put some laundry
away. I sat outside with Belle during
lunch, and then she and I went for a midday walk since it was cool
outside. We were nearly a half mile away
from our house when it started raining, so we had to jog all the way back
home. We were both soaked when we got
home, so I threw my sweatshirt in the dryer and then had to dry and recurl my
hair.
I spent the rest of the afternoon tackling some random tasks:
-
Opening a package that had arrived
-
Working on my blog post for Friday
-
Catching up on emails
-
Printing my goals for the month (I like to keep them
in my planner so I can see them easily all the time)
-
Texting my DJ friend to make sure he had me on his
calendar for DJing at three of our school dances
-
Working on a blog post for Monday
-
Working on some gift guides for my Amazon Storefront
-
Filming a story for Instagram
After all that was done, it was time to pick up Olivia from school. She and Jacob both had after school
activities, so I didn’t have to be there until 4 PM, which means that I didn’t
have to sit in the car line!
When she and I got home, I made her some chicken nuggets for dinner and
then she worked on her note cards for her classroom sessions for Velocity. I did a Bible study, and then we drove to
dance.
When I got home, I let Belle out and then I worked on my Reel before
making dinner for the boys and me. We
had turkey and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls with garlic butter drizzle,
chips, and fruit for dinner since I don’t have much time to cook on Tuesday
evenings.
I was exhausted after dinner, but I pushed through and took down the
Halloween décor from the mantle so I could put up my Christmas mantle, and the
boys and I watched election coverage while I did that.
After the mantle was done, I did a stair stepper workout while Jacob
showered and Brian picked up Olivia, and then when she got home, she got
showered and ready for bed.
We had just enough time to watch an episode of Friends before they
went to bed, and then Brian and I watched election coverage all night and
watched most of the map turn blue! I was
texting nonstop in my family group chat, my girlfriends group chat, and with
several other friends, and I couldn’t have been happier. Thank goodness we’re going to have some
changes in the country soon.
My brother (who works for NASA) also sent a message in our family group chat letting all of us know that he submitted all our names (me, Brian, Jacob, Olivia, my parents, and my other brother) to fly on board the Dragonfly mission to Titan! So, starting in July 2028, my name, along with my other family members will be flying all around outer space! So cool, right?! Here's my official ticket. Brian and the kids have one, too.
Wednesday, November 4
Wednesday morning, I had an appointment at the allergist. I go every nine months, and it was time. I mentioned to the doctor that my fall
allergies have been getting worse each year the further I get away from my
allergy shots. (I stopped them in spring
2020 and had several years of relief, but they’re creeping up every year
now.)
The doc mentioned that she wants me to try a new (to me) nasal spray
before we even consider doing shots again, so I’m hoping it helps. I already take a daily nasal spray, but it
only controls the swelling and inflammation.
This new nasal spray will control the actual histamines to (hopefully)
help cut back on my post nasal drip / congestion / runny nose. My post nasal drip has been so awful this
year that there have been nights when I haven’t been able to fall asleep. It also causes me to have globus (sensation
of lump in the throat) which then causes my breathing to get erratic (which
then causes me to get dizzy… which is not good since I’m already dizzy from
neck issues – sigh), so I’m hoping this helps.
And it’s non habit forming thank goodness. Nasal sprays always worry me for that reason.
Anyway, I was in and out in 45 minutes, and 30 of those minutes were
spent with the doctor, so it was a quick appointment.
When I got home, I headed to my office with a cup of coffee, I turned on
all my twinkle lights, and I snuggled down under the covers for a rainy, cozy
office day. On the list Wednesday was:
-
Catching up on a few things in my planner
-
Catching up on emails
-
Blog housekeeping
-
Catching up on a bunch of little things that I’d
neglected Wednesday since I was filming my day (LOL)
-
Calling the eye doctor to get some receipts for
insurance
-
Finishing my blog post for Monday
-
Starting this blog post
-
Tidying my office
Belle didn’t want to be outside at lunchtime since it was raining, so I
used that time to eat and tidy the kitchen, and then she and I went to my
office where she finally went to sleep.
Thank goodness!
I worked some more on this blog post, I organized a few lists on my
phone, I updated a spreadsheet, I did some more Christmas gift browsing (just
waiting to purchase and hope for a sale!), and then I worked on the audio for
my Reel.
Olivia had her very first classroom session for Velocity on Wednesday and she said everything went great! Velocity students work with our school's guidance counselor along with the instructors at Velocity, so talk to younger kids about peer pressure, friendships, dealing with stress, and so many other things that affect kids daily. I just love that she's following in Jacob's footsteps and doing this. It's such a great organization!
When the kids and I got home from school, we had nowhere to be the rest
of the night (we LOVE Wednesdays!), so the kids played with Bellie and then had
some screen time and I did a Bible study and caught up on a few more things
around my office – I put away a few things to tidy the space, I got three
Amazon returns ready, and I tidied my bedroom and bathroom.
The kids and I got out for a walk with Belle after that since there was a
break in the rain, and she ran for most of the walk. She is just obsessed with walks, and I think
she could honestly walk for miles. She’s
never ready to go back home when it’s over.
I dropped Bellie off at home and then went back out for another mile by
myself, and then I got showered and in my pjs before Brian and I made breakfast
for dinner. We were supposed to have had
spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, but I’d forgotten the ingredients to make
the sauce (buh), so we had to pivot and have breakfast. It was just as well, though, because the kids
happened to have meatballs at school for lunch, so it was good they didn’t have
to have the same thing. Not that they
would have minded… they both love a meatball!
After dinner, we cleaned the kitchen, and then I crossed a couple more
things off my to do list for the day before heading upstairs to get my outfit
ready for the next day, check my planner for the next day, etc. Brian also helped me with a tech issue that I
was having. I was invited by Bed, Bath,
and Beyond to do a collab with Overstock.com, but my Meta accounts wouldn’t
connect properly to their portal. Brian
couldn’t figure it out either (it appears to be a Meta issue) so I’m going to
have to try to reach out to the company and see what they can do.
By the time all that was done, I had just enough time to meditate / lay
on my neck pillow / lay on my vibration plate and then it was time to settle in
and watch something with the kids. We
had some extra time Wednesday since everyone was inside and ready for bed
earlier thanks to the time change, so Jacob asked if we could start Titanic. We ended up making it through a little over a
third of that and the kids are LOVING it so far. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time,
so I’m thrilled to be watching it again, this time with them. I just know they’re going to love it.
After they went to bed, Brian and I watched some football because I was
uninspired to find anything else to watch since we’re now between shows.
Thursday, November 5
Thursday morning, it was rainy again.
I dropped the kids off at school, and I ran a few errands while I was
out – the library to drop a return, Publix to grab the spaghetti sauce
ingredients I’d forgotten along with some stuff to make a Reel, and then UPS to drop three Amazon returns.
When I got home, I cut off a piece of the pumpkin loaf I’d picked up at
the Publix bakery and warmed it up, and then I made a cup of this coffee that I’d seen at Publix and couldn’t
resist it. OMG, I’m drinking it sans
cream and sugar and it’s still SO GOOD.
I headed to my office to work after that, and Bellie peed on my floor
about 15 minutes into being up there, so I gated her in the kitchen, cleaned it
up, and then went back to my desk to work.
On the list Thursday was:
-
Making my to do list for Instagram
-
Catching up on emails (always)
-
Working on this blog post
-
Starting and finishing my blog post for Wednesday
-
Browsing Christmas cards
After that, I had lunch downstairs with Belle. It was drizzly out, so she didn’t really want
to be outside, and I didn’t either. It
was quite warm and muggy, so that was a no for me, dawg.
While I ate, I started rounding up all the things I needed to film a Reel, and then I filmed it after I ate. I headed back to my office with Bellie in tow
(where she finally settled in her bed) and I edited my whole Reel, worked on
this post some more, and then worked some more on the voiceover for my day in
the life Reel.
It was time to pick up the kids from school after that, and then we
headed to music lessons for the afternoon.
I sat with Olivia while she worked some more on Babylon by Taylor
Swift, and then we headed home. I did a
Bible study and the kids hung out with Bellie, and Olivia got ready for
dance. She made her own dinner (mac n cheese) and then I dropped her off at the dance
studio. I was also grateful that the sunshine was back!
I had to run to CVS to grab a couple of prescriptions for my allergies,
and then I headed home to make dinner.
On the menu was the spaghetti and meatballs I was supposed to have made
Wednesday night. Haha. I also steamed some broccoli and threw some
garlic knots in the oven, and then the boys and I all ate together.
After the kitchen was clean, I sat down on the kitchen floor to get some
Bellie snuggles and look at my to do list, and she ended up falling asleep in
my lap which she hasn’t done in weeks. I
sat there as long as I could, but when my legs started falling sleep, I had to
get up. Lol.
I did a mixed cardio workout after that, but it was half-hearted because
I was so tired, and then I opened a package that had delivered before getting
ready for bed.
Brian, Jacob, and I pulled out our Christmas puzzle that we’d started last Christmas season, and we worked on that
while Olivia showered after dance. She
wanted to eat something since she’d danced off all her dinner, so we watched a
few more minutes of Titanic while she ate.
The kids went to bed after that and then Brian made Old Fashioneds for us
and we started Stick… the new Owen Wilson show on Apple TV. The first episode was almost an hour, so we
didn’t finish it, though.
Friday, November 6
Friday morning, I snoozed an extra time and then got ready for the day,
and then when I dropped the kids off at school, they helped me unload all the
pumpkins I’d brought to donate for the décor for the middle school dance that
evening.
I went to Target after that, and I browsed Christmas ornaments for
funsies. Their Wondershop ornaments
always amaze me because they have some of the cutest, most unique ornaments
I’ve ever seen – hundreds of them – and they’re
ALL just $5. And the quality is always
SO GOOD. Most of them are glass.
When I got home, I stopped to admire the way the sunlight was streaming through the trees in our front yard and watch some of the leaves fall, I let Bellie out, I grabbed a slice of pumpkin loaf and
a cup of coffee, and I headed to my office to work on a few things:
-
Posting a few things in Instagram stories
-
Catching up on emails
-
Working on this blog post
-
Starting and finishing my blog post for Thursday
-
Catching up on blog comments
-
Started catching up on blog reading
After all that was done, Brian and I ate lunch together, and then I
filmed a Reel that I’m soooo excited about! That took quite a while, mostly because I had
to get everything staged and decorated before filming.
When I was done, I played fetch outside with Belle for a bit, and then we
headed to my office together to wrap up a few things for the day. I worked some more on this blog post, I did
some more blog reading, and then it was time to go!
I grabbed the kids from school at 3 PM and we headed home. They both had some time to relax, and while
they did that, I did some Christmas shopping in my office. I also edited and put out my Instagram post for the day… see me trying to be
consistent? Haha.
Around 4:30 PM, I steamed Olivia’s dress for the fall dance and then I
helped her use the waver on her hair. Once she was all ready, we took a few
pictures, and then we headed to Maren’s house to drop Olivia off over there
since Maren’s mom was taking them to dinner and to the dance.
Just look at those sweet girls!
After I dropped Olivia off, I picked up Five Guys for the boys and me,
and Brian made us some prickly pear mules.
After dinner, I was hoping to finish filming my Reel, but the thing I
was waiting on to freeze wasn’t quite fully frozen yet, so I headed upstairs to
get in my pjs and get a few things done while the boys watched the fourth Transformers
movie. On my list was to:
-
Tidy my bedroom and closet
-
Organize a couple of lists
-
Send my Momma the kids’ Christmas wish lists
-
Get a Poshmark shipment ready
-
Place a Target order
-
Fix some blog typos
-
Put away some things around the house
After that, I meditated and lay on my neck pillow and my vibration plate
and then I hung out with Jacob for a bit until Brian got home with Olivia. He grabbed her and Maren from the dance when
it ended at 8 PM and then they took Maren home.
Olivia had a blast at the dance, and she sat down and told me all about
it when she got home. They'd taken a few photos, too!
Olivia also brought home this photo of herself and one of her friends that one of her friends brought her. When she handed it to me, I swear I thought I was looking at one of my childhood pictures. She looks SO much like me when I was her age in this picture.
Then, we all got into pjs and finished watching Titanic. The kids LOVED it and I loved every second of watching it with them. They were both going on and on about how well done the movie was and how realistic everything looked for it to be so old. Lol. And I have to say, for a movie that’s 30 years old, it has truly stood the test of time. A classic for sure.
They didn’t get in bed until nearly 11 PM, so it was late by the time
Brian and I headed back downstairs for our time. We made cocktails
first, and then we settled in to watch some more of the show Stick. I’m still on the fence about it, but I’m
hoping it’ll end up being good!
Saturday, November 7
Saturday morning, Brian and I were up a little before 8:30 AM. He let Bellie out and I made waffles for
breakfast. After that, we cleaned the
kitchen, and the kids went upstairs to get laundry started and have some screen
time. Brian and I sat on the couch and
watched College GameDay for a bit, and then it was time to get up and
moving and get some things done.
Olivia had dance at 11:15 AM, so Brian was just getting ready to take her
when my friend, Jeannine, called to let us know that she was taking Mack on a
Pokemon walk at the park and they wanted to invite Jacob along. Jacob got ready quickly and all three of them
left together.
While they were gone, I finished shooting my Reel and then I was finally
able to clean up the kitchen. I’d had
the kitchen island staged, so I had to leave everything out until I could film
the second part of the Reel, and of course, the clutter was driving me
nuts. Haha. I was so happy to have it done and have
everything cleaned up.
Brian got home and he and I sat on the couch and watched football for a
few minutes. I put together and finished
my Reel and then I did a little browsing on my phone for Christmas gifts.
Brian had to pick up Olivia at 1 PM, and while he was gone, I made the
bed, tidied the whole house, flipped some laundry, opened some packages,
organized some Christmas gifts, got a couple of returns ready, and did a few
other small tasks that had been hanging over my head.
Jeannine met Brian at the dance studio to drop Jacob off, and the three
of them came home. Jacob had eaten
Chick-Fil-A with them, so Brian, Olivia, and I ate together while Jacob played
fetch outside with Belle. After that,
the kids finished their laundry and got showered for the day, and I went to my
office for a few minutes to tackle some blog housekeeping and update this post,
catch up on a few things in my planner, and organize a few of my lists (they
always get out of control this time of year because my brain is always going a
mile a minute so I’m always just leaving voice reminders in one big list to
sort through later).
It was time to get ready for church after that and it was finally chilly
again after a very warm week, so I was happy to pull out my boots! And for the millionth time, just LOOK at the light in our bedroom! So beautiful this time of year.
After Mass, we swung by one of our favorite local pizza places that’s
right near church, and we grabbed a to go order that we’d placed right before
Mass. We headed home and ate dinner
after that and geared up for the Georgia vs. Ole Miss football game.
The game started at 7:45 PM, so it was a late one, and we had a lazy
evening on the couch watching that. The
game ended up being a blowout (GO DAWGS!), so I didn’t have to give it my full
attention, so I took the time to change out the twinkle lights on the tree in
our living room and then get organized on my phone.
I cleaned out my camera roll, I set up a legacy contact on my phone (I
had no clue you could do that, but I heard about it on the radio the other day,
so I got mine done. It allows you to
appoint one person to have access to your phone after you pass away… so morbid,
I know, but so important… I told Brian he has to have a way to get in my
Instagram account and let y’all know if I die.
Lol.). I also did some online
Christmas browsing and I shared a few links in my Instagram stories.
Brian and I made old fashioneds at halftime, and then we watched the
second half of the game. The kids went
to bed towards the end of the game and then Brian and I went up shortly after
our game was over.
Sunday, November 8
Sunday morning, I was up at 8:30 AM, I let Bellie out, and then I put
some cinnamon rolls in the oven. While
those baked, I unloaded the dishwasher, tidied the kitchen, and set the
table.
After breakfast, the kids had some screen time, and I went to my office
to do my usual Sunday morning tasks while I listened to Christmas music:
-
Got my planner ready for the week ahead
-
Worked on this blog post
-
Transferred photos from my phone to my computer (I
have soooo many now that I’m doing so much over on Instagram again)
-
Organized the photos
I didn’t have time to finish organizing because there were so many to go
through, and late in the morning I shut everything down in my office and the
kids and I got outside to take Belle for a walk. It was a beautiful 64 degrees and sunny on
Sunday and the leaves are nearing peak fall color here, so it was really nice.
When we got home, I got showered and then we ate lunch. I finished getting ready after lunch and then
I sorted the dirty laundry, tidied the house, and painted my nails while Brian
and the kids finished getting ready.
We went out to run some errands in the early afternoon. On the list was getting gas in my car,
Lowe’s, and Target. The kids both bought
some stuff with their own money (Jacob wanted this Lego set that’s on sale, and Olivia left with this
and this), and I did a return and picked up an
online order I’d placed the night before.
When we got home, the kids had some screen time, and I grabbed a pumpkin
frosting cookie and a cup of tea and I headed to my office to finish up in
there. I finished organizing my photos,
I worked on this post some more, I made my to do list for Monday, I paid a
couple of bills, and I posted my Reel.
Then, it was time to wrap things up for the day, prep for Monday, and hit
the road for Sunday dinner. My Momma
made white chicken chili for dinner, so we swung by a local Mexican restaurant
to pick up some chips, cheese dip, and chips, and we also swung by Jack’s to
pick up dinner for the kids because they don’t like white chicken chili. CRAZY, I KNOW.
When we got to Momma and Daddy’s, I opened a bottle of wine for Brian,
Daddy, and me, and then we feasted on one of my favorite meals. And to make things even better, my Momma had
made a homemade caramel spice cake for dessert.
I ate soooo much and it was all so delicious.
We headed home around 8 PM, and we all got in our pjs and ended the
evening with a couple of episodes of Friends before the kids went to
bed. Brian and I also started the newest
episode of Saturday Night Live.
I watched my Reel all evening, and I was shocked to see that it exploded on Instagram and continued to go viral all
day Monday. It’s now my most successful
post in my whole Instagram history, so thanks for following along and
encouraging me to be more active over there!
I’m having fun with it! (For now,
anyway. Hahahaha.)
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
