Happy Tuesday, y’all! It’s time for another weekly recap… and this week I got it up on time!
Monday, February 2
Monday, I woke up feeling yucky because I hadn’t slept well since my allergies had flared up since I was temporarily off my allergy medication. I had an allergy test Wednesday, so I had to be off all antihistamines for seven days prior, and I hope I don’t have to do that again for a long time because I am still recovering and it’s been 12 days.
I dropped the kids at school, stayed for a Home and School Advisory Board meeting, and then I went straight to the orthodontist to talk to them about my retainers. Since they were causing all my facial tension and dizziness to come back, the orthodontist said that he thinks the best solution is to put in a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth, and a traditional retainer for my top teeth. No more Invisalign retainers.
For whatever reason, my jaw just did not like those. And the only reason he put me in them to begin with is because I clench my teeth all night while I sleep. The Invisalign retainers would have protected my teeth, so now I have no idea what I’m going to do about that, but I’m just taking things one step at a time for now…
They went ahead and put in the permanent retainer at my appointment Monday, and they made the mold for my top retainer, and I had to wait a week to pick it up. The orthodontist told me to try to continue to wear the top Invisalign retainer as much as possible to keep my teeth straight until my other retainer was available, but I didn’t wear it much because I just couldn’t stand all tension and dizziness that it brought about.
After my appointment, I ran to Walmart and Publix to grab groceries, and then I had just enough time to get everything unloaded and put away, get dinner in the slow cooker, eat lunch with Brian, and work on my blog post for Tuesday before heading to the school to pick up Olivia.
When we got home, I did my quiet time while she did homework, and then I listed a couple of things on a local website for sale. One of them sold immediately, so that was nice!
Brian picked up Jacob from e-sports when it was over and then the two of them spent some time at the driving range to get Jacob ready for golf later in the week. While they were gone, I managed to get a few things done around the house – plant watering, toilet cleaning, vacuuming my car mat and getting it back in the car after letting it sit outside for weeks due to the gasoline smell that got in it (it’s finally gone!), and I finished making dinner.
I did get my top retainer back in for an hour, but it made me feel awful, so that was about all I could do. Thankfully, my top teeth didn’t shift at all the rest of the week when I didn’t wear it. Whew.
After golfing, the boys had to go out and look for some new golf shoes for Jacob since he’d outgrown his, and then we all sat down to eat ranch chicken pasta, steamed broccoli, and Cheesecake Factory bread when they returned.
I felt so yucky from my retainer and allergy issues that I lay down for a bit after dinner and then I got a second wind and put some laundry away before hanging out with Olivia in her room. My little old lady was crocheting, and I loved watching her and chatting with her. I absolutely love that she has taken up crocheting as one of her new hobbies… she crochets, she plays guitar, she’s learning French, she takes seven dance classes, she makes videos, she paints, she writes song lyrics… she’s my little Renaissance woman! She is truly so well-rounded – both of our kids are! – and I love that about both of them. We have always encouraged them to do whatever it is that their little hearts enjoy most, and it has been a true blessing watching both of them grow into the creative, intelligent little humans that they are.
After everyone was ready for bed, we watched some more of the Grammys, and then after the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched another episode of Run Away. Since I didn’t sleep Sunday night and I was super congested all day Monday, I made myself a little nightcap, and I slept like a baby (mostly, anyway) Monday night.
Tuesday, February 3
Tuesday, I got the kids to school and then I headed home. I realized when I got home that I’d never finished my blog post for Tuesday (oops!), so I finished it and set it to post Wednesday instead. I also had to move my weekly post to Thursday because I just couldn’t get my act together in time to get it done.
Between all my tension and dizziness being back and my allergies raging because I couldn’t take my medicine, I was a HOT MESS Tuesday morning, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Around 10:30 AM, I realized it was dumb to keep forcing myself to sit at my computer and work when I could just give my body the rest that it needed, so I grabbed my electric blanket and my pillow, and I curled up in our bed and slept for an hour and a half.
I was still congested and dizzy when I woke up, but I did have way more energy, so I knocked out a few things on my to do list:
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Worked on blog post for Thursday
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Got gas in my car
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Returned a few Amazon items to UPS
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Returned a few books at the library
Check, check, check, and CHECK!
When Olivia and I got home from school, I did a Bible study while she did homework, and then I took her to dance.
Meanwhile, Brian picked Jacob up from e-sports and took him to golf. While they were all gone, I walked two miles. It was 60 degrees on Tuesday, but the sun had already gone down by the time I got out there, so it was pretty chilly, but it sure was nice having some warmer temps!
The kids got showered after dinner and then Olivia crocheted for a bit before putting herself to bed (LOL – it never fails to crack me up that she’s just ready to go to bed some nights… I swear, she is just a little old lady at heart) and then after Jacob went to bed, Brian and I watched another episode of Run Away.
Wednesday, February 4
Wednesday morning, we woke up to a rainyyyy day. I got the kids to school, swung by Target to return something, and then I headed to the allergist for a skin test. My last skin test was nearly 10 years ago, and I was severely allergic to so. many. things. – various grasses, trees, weeds, and many other outdoor things + dust mites, roaches, and a few other odds and ends. I did three years of allergy shots and they helped me tremendously. I haven’t had nearly as many issues since I completed my allergy shots, but it’s been six years since I finished them, and my seasonal allergies have ramped up again the last year, so the doctor wanted to test me again.
It turns out that I’m still very allergic to dog fennel (a type of weed) but I’m only a little allergic to all the other things, so the doctor said she didn’t think that warrants doing another round of allergy shots. Instead, she told me just to keep using my allergy medication as needed (which, for me, is every single day – cringe) and let them know if I have any major issues.
After my appointment, I headed home to work for the rest of the day. I still had to finish my blog post for Thursday… the one that’s typically posted on Tuesday… so I was a bit behind. Haha.
After school, the kids and I headed home. I did my quiet time and then went for a walk, and then I drove Olivia to dance. The boys and I had leftover ranch chicken pasta, freshly steamed broccoli, and leftover Cheesecake Factory bread for dinner, and then I sat downstairs and watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune with them while Brian worked out.
After the kids were in bed, Brian and I watched the newest episode of Shrinking that had been released and then we went to bed.
Thursday, February 5
Thursday morning, Jacob had to be at school at 5:45 AM for his e-sports state tournament. They had to travel out of town, so it was a very early morning. Brian got up with him and got him to school and then he headed to work early, and Olivia and I got up at our regular times and I got her to school.
When I got home, I finished my blog post for Friday, I started my post for Monday, and then I took yet another nap because I just couldn’t kick my congestion and dizziness. My congestion had eased up a little bit since I was able to resume my allergy medication on Wednesday, but once I get congested, it tends to hang around foreverrrr.
When I got up, I tackled a few things around the house and then it was time to pick up the kids from school. Since I’d had such an unproductive morning, I decided not to read in the car line, and instead, knock out a couple of tasks in the car. I had to call our orthodontist and update our insurance info with them, and I had to book security for our school dance that I’m co-chairing. Our resource officer ended up coming out and chatting with me for a couple of minutes while I waited, and he got security all lined up for me. Check and check.
Jacob was supposed to get back from his field trip by 2 or 2:30, but he’d texted me earlier in the day to let me know that they were running behind and wouldn’t be back until right at dismissal. I was on pins and needles because the kids had music lessons right after school (all the way across town), so I knew we needed to leave right on time to get there on time. I tracked him on Life360 for the last 30 minutes of his journey, and they literally pulled up just as the kids were dismissing. We ended up holding up the car line for 1-2 minutes because Jacob had to run all the way across campus to get to me, but he made it, and we made it to music lessons! Whew!
I sat in with Olivia for her guitar lesson, and she practiced some more of The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift.
When we got home, I did my quiet time and then went for a walk, and after I got showered and into pajamas, Brian and I made breakfast for dinner.
Friday, February 6
Friday morning, I dropped the kids at school, I knocked out some work at home, and then Brian and I left to go to my upper cervical chiropractor appointment. As I suspected, my atlas had moved out of place, and the doctor said that it had moved significantly compared to how much it usually moves when it does come out. I was bummed because I’d gone two months without issues, and then that dang Invisalign retainer caused everything to get completely out of whack again just like that. My neck scan, my leg test, and the doctor’s manual assessment all very obviously showed the misalignment.
And the doc said that it wasn’t just my atlas… he said, “there is (was) a whole lot going on,” and he ended up adjusting both SI joints, several places all the way up my spine, my atlas (7 taps this time, which was the most EVER), and my jaw. He told me that my left jaw joint isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do and, therefore, it’s causing all the issues with my right jaw joint. He got the left jaw functioning smoothly, but it was already back out of whack in the hour that it took us to get home. Sigh. He did tell me from the get-go that jaws are tricky to get to stay in place, especially if they’ve been out of alignment for a while. Mine has been messed up for 20+ years, so I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get them to stay the way they’re supposed to.
When Brian and I got home, I finished my blog post for Monday and had lunch with B. By the time we were done with lunch, I was so sleepy, hot, and my breathing was so rapid that I felt like I’d just run a marathon. That is all totally normal after an atlas adjustment because the adjustments affect the nerves that run through the atlas, and those nerves control tons of things in the body, including the “fight or flight” response. Since I felt like crap, I lay down and took yet another nap, and when I got up, it was time to pick up the kids from school.
When we got home, the kids got everything put away from the week and then they had some screen time. I did my quiet time and then got lots of little things done that I had been neglecting all week... like cleaning the last few slats on the blinds in our bedroom. Look at the difference between the top ones and the bottom ones! So satisfying!
Saturday morning, Brian picked up donuts for breakfast since we hadn’t had them in a while, and we were all up by 8:30.
We had the Olympics on throughout the day, but I didn’t watch much of them since I wanted to try to get caught up on some things that I hadn’t gotten done during the week thanks to all the naps and breaks from feeling yucky.
The kids and I tackled some laundry, I fixed an issue I’d been having with my blog for a few days, I painted my nails, I did a little bit of blog reading, and I did lots of planning for Brian’s and Olivia’s birthdays.
Brian dropped the kids off at my parents’ house late in the afternoon and he and I got ready for the benefit ball that we attend every year.
We’ve been attending this ball for 17 years (I think?) so I wore one of my old dresses that I’d worn in previous years, and it was so fun to wear it again… it’s one of my favorites!
Last year, we went long enough to eat dinner and hear the keynote speaker, only to bolt to get back home to Maui, so I was looking forward to having the whole evening at the ball this year.
We arrived at 6:30 just in time for cocktail hour. There was a bar, a huge charcuterie spread that I wish I’d gotten a picture of, and there was a photo booth to use while we mingled with everyone else. Lots of our school friends and family were there, so we spent cocktail hour bouncing around from person to person to catch up.
He is an extremely talented writer, singer/songwriter, guitarist, storyteller – all the things! – and he authored my favorite children’s book of all-time, Oliviatown. We own two copies of it, one signed and one not, and I can’t even begin to count how many times I read that book to Olivia when she was little. It was one of her favorites, and probably my favorite children’s book of all-time. I would link it for y’all, but it’s been out of print for years… I couldn’t even find a used copy online when I just tried searching. People must be hanging on to theirs!
Anyway, we chatted for a bit about all the things. He asked me all about my little fam and about my blog and my parents. I gushed to him about Theo of Golden and even got to talk to him a little bit about Ellen of Golden… the sequel that’s forthcoming. ;o) We snapped a few pictures together and then my friend, Heather, joined us for a picture, too.
It was a great group, so the conversation flowed easily all evening. Towards the end of dinner, the live auction started, and once that was done, the keynote speaker (my old teacher) took the podium. She was truly fantastic!
After she was done, the presentation wrapped up with a prayer, and then we all got up and took some pictures with other friends and family. My Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg were there, so we talked to them for a bit, and then after we’d spoken to everyone, we hit the dance floor.
Last I heard, we’d raised nearly $100K to support tuition assistance for Catholic education. As a product of tuition assistance at a Catholic school, it’s something that I’m very passionate about, and I’m so happy that our school is able to provide assistance for so many families who want to give their kids a faith-based education but can’t do it on their own. <3
By the time Brian and I got home, it was late, so we closed up shop and headed to bed.
Sunday, February 8
Sunday morning, we woke up to an empty house since the kids had stayed the night with my parents, and it’s always so weird when the kids aren’t here.
Brian and I had leftover donuts for breakfast, and then I did all my Sunday morning things – prepping for the week ahead, getting my planner ready and going over the schedule for the week, listening to a church sermon, and transferring this week’s photos from my phone to my laptop.
Late in the morning, we got ready and then headed to my parents’ house to pick up the kids around noon. We chatted with them for a few minutes before grabbing the kids and going to my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s house for lunch.
We ended up staying over there for a long time catching up since it’d been a couple of weeks since we’d seen them, and then we headed home so the kids could get unpacked, showered, and ready for the week ahead.
My congestion was still lingering Sunday, although thankfully not nearly as bad, but I was still having some lingering issues from my adjustment, all the previous issues I’d had with my retainer, so I didn’t feel 100%.
We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner and we, of course, watched the Super Bowl while we were there. Jacob and Olivia had stayed up extra late the night before since they’d been at my parents’ house, so we went home to watch the halftime show. I’ve never really listened much to Bad Bunny’s music, but I think he’s a great guy – especially after watching his speeches at the Grammys a couple of weeks ago – so I was excited to watch the show.
Friends, it did not disappoint! I had no clue what he was saying other than a few words here and there since the whole thing was in Spanish (I did take three years of Spanish in high school, so I could understand a few words here and there), but at the same time, I knew exactly what message he was communicating and it was just a really beautiful thing. The whole performance was so thoughtful from start to finish, and after it was over, I immediately began digging in to read about all the symbolism and the meanings of all the different aspects of the show. After digging in, I went back and watched the halftime show again the next morning and I loved it even more. And did any of you spot Pedro Pascal like we did?! Gah, I just love him and he was such a vibe during the show!
I love how they paraded flags from all the countries in North and South America to unite us all at the end, and I love love loved the message at the end of the show…
THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE.
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
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