Last week was a good mix of productivity, relaxation, and fun, and that’s exactly what I love. It’s all about balance, right?
Monday, February 23
Monday morning, I decided to snooze one extra time before getting up. Since Brian works from home on Mondays, he doesn’t have to get up and shower right after I do, so I’ve started snoozing a lil more if I don’t feel like getting up. I looooveeee my sleep, so even an extra 10 minutes (well, 9 technically since that’s the amount of time between snoozes) makes a difference for me.
I got the kids to school (in the freezing cold again – boooo), returned the school key and red carpets from the dance to the front office, and then I headed back home.
I spent the rest of the morning tackling four loads of laundry and finishing my blog post for the next day, and I started planning and sending emails for the Mother Son Dance that I’m co-chairing later in March.
Brian’s company was recently acquired by another company, so our health insurance changed this year, and I found out that my daily inhaler for my asthma (something that I have to have), is now going from $90 for a six-months supply to $654 per month. I wish that was hyperbole, but unfortunately, it’s not.
I had less than three weeks to go before I needed a refill, so I knew that I needed to figure out what to do as we obviously cannot afford to pay $654 per month for one prescription, so I finally took the time to call my allergist to see what they could do. They said, unfortunately, that all daily inhalers are extremely costly, and that I needed to contact my insurance company to talk to them about what to do.
After much research on my part (and Brian’s), we finally found a daily inhaler that *appears* to be just $40 per month, so I’m crossing my fingers that the price we’re seeing is legit. I have to pick it up this week, so we’ll see what happens then, but boy, has this new insurance been a journey (to put it nicely).
On the way to pick up the kids from school, I stopped by the library to pick up a bunch of books for Olivia and me, and I chatted with my friend, Jeannine, for a bit while I was there. I always love stopping by and visiting her.
When we got home, the kids got started on homework, and Olivia ended up starting and finishing one of the books that I’d brought home for her. She is very picky about what she reads, but when she finds something she loves, she can’t put it down.
I’d hoped that the kids could get some fresh air Monday afternoon, but it was SO COLD. We maxed out in the upper 30s, and it was crazy windy, so they ended up staying indoors. My crazy self, on the other hand, decided to go out for my walk, and it was so cold that I decided not to do my entire route. I cut it short by a few minutes because all my extremities were going numb.
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Maui’s death, so I thought about her nonstop all day. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that it’s been a whole year.
Tuesday, February 24
Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed home. On the agenda for Tuesday was more laundry and finishing my blog post for Wednesday. I also caught up on emails, did my daily blog reading, cleaned out my planner, and tidied my office. Mid-morning, I also took a quick 45-minute nap. I don’t know what on earth is wrong with me lately. I’ve been sleeping great at night as I always do, but I have been so tired in the morning. I feel like I hit a wall around 10 AM every morning now, and it’s annoying. I’m thinking it’s just the weather… it’s been a long, cold winter for us this year, and we’re not used to that. I can’t wait for spring!
After school, we met up with Brian to drop Jacob off with him for golf, and then Olivia and I headed home. She did homework and read some more while I did my Bible study and my Lent study for the day, and then I put all the laundry away from the day.
Brian texted to tell me that Jacob had pulled a muscle in his side while warming up for his match, so he was unable to play on Tuesday. They ended up coming home early. It’s nothing serious, thankfully, and he’s already back out there again.
I drove Olivia to dance, and then when I got home, I went out for a walk. The city was doing another controlled burn, and the air quality was awful – it was so smoky that you could see it hanging in the air – so I cut my walk short again because my lungs couldn’t take it. I have asthma, and smoke is one of the things that bothers me the most.
I did a slow, deliberate arms workout when I got home so as not to trigger my neck issues, and then I showered and washed my hair because everything smelled so bad from the smoke.
Jacob took it easy all afternoon studying and playing video games, and thankfully, his side felt much better by the next morning.
Brian grabbed Olivia from dance, and then we all had dinner together when they got home.
After dinner, Olivia got showered and then she was ready to get in bed, so both kids ended up getting in bed a little earlier than usual. Brian and I settled in for another episode of Paradise, and then we went to bed, too.
Wednesday, February 25
Wednesday morning, Brian offered to take the kids to school, so I let him get up and shower first, and I slept until nearly 6:30 AM. It was Olivia’s birthday, so I woke her up by smothering her in kisses, and then I showered and got ready for the day.
Olivia wanted me to do her hair since it was her birthday, so I pulled it halfway up and braided the part I pulled up. It’s her favorite way to wear her hair.
After Brian and the kids left for school, I got right to work to make the most of my extra time. I spent the day checking items off my list, and I was excited to get a bit ahead on the blog since I got behind again earlier this month month:
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Started and finished blog post for Friday
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Started and finished blog post for Monday
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Caught up on emails
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Cleaned the toilets
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Dusted the whole house
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Cleaned all the mirrors
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Dusted one of my artificial plants in our bedroom
with my dusting gloves
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Put out all of Olivia’s gifts on the kitchen table
so they’d be ready when she got home
By the time I had finished all that, it was time to get dressed and out
the door to pick up the kids. They had
orthodontist appointments after school, but we had some time to kill, so we
swung by the Culver’s drive-through to pick up a little treat for the birthday
girl and Jacob. They both got their
favorite concrete mixers, and we also went ahead and picked up dinner for
Olivia since it was her long dance night and she has to eat before she goes.
I put her dinner in my bag to keep it warm, and she and Jacob enjoyed their ice cream treats on the way to the orthodontist.
Jacob had another great appointment. He is still on track to get his braces off either on time or possibly a little early (he should have less than a year to go at this point), and the orthodontist started him on his rubber bands at night only. I’m praying he doesn’t have the same issues with his rubber bands as I did. I’m sure he won’t since he doesn’t have any jaw problems. So far, so good for him!
When we were done at the orthodontist, we had just enough time to go home and let Olivia open her gifts from us before she had to get dressed and out the door for dance. She had asked for a vanity mirror, so we found a beautiful one with lights and different settings, and we also got her a few other things on her list… mostly beauty items.
When I got home, I had just enough time to squeeze in another short walk before I needed to shower and get dinner ready, and then the boys and I sat down to turkey and cheese biscuit sliders with fruit and Greek yogurt.
I had a leftover slice of Dairy Queen Blizzard cake + 1 small scoop of leftover dirt cake from Nana and Poppie’s ready for Olivia when she got home, and we sang happy birthday to her and let her blow out her candle.
She’s usually exhausted when she gets home from dance on Wednesdays because she’s there for more than three hours and she gets home late, but she still had a little pep in her step on Wednesday since she was riding that birthday high.
We Facetimed with my parents while she ate her birthday dessert, and then she got showered and into bed. Since it was so late by the time the kids got in bed, Brian and I opted to watch a little bit of our backlog of Saturday Night Live episodes since we could easily turn it off whenever we wanted, and then we went to bed.
Thursday, February 26
Thursday morning, I took the kids to school and then I settled in at my desk to work. It was gloomy and a little chilly Thursday, so it was a good day to stay indoors. I started this post and got as caught up as I could, and then I started on my blog post for the following Wednesday (the one you’ll read tomorrow). At that point, I was four full blog posts ahead which is always a win in my book!
Late in the morning, I lay down for a bit because my neck was bothering me. I wanted to clean the house, and vacuuming always triggers my neck issues, so I took some time to rest first. I’ll sure be glad when my neck gets back to normal!
I spent the rest of my time at home scrubbing the countertops, vacuuming, and mopping the whole house. I ran out of time and wasn’t able to finish vacuuming, so I abandoned everything and headed to get the kids from school. But first, I had to put gas in my SUV because I was on empty.
After school, the kids and I went to music lessons. Olivia had a checkup with her ENT doctor immediately following the music lesson, but we had to leave lessons a little early to get there on time. I sat in with Jacob, and then I snuck out to grab Olivia. Mr. Steve had put her new strings on her guitar, and she was amazed at how rich and beautiful the sound was. It’s amazing what a difference nice strings make!
We left Jacob at music lessons and headed to the ENT, and Brian swung by and grabbed Jacob when his lesson was over.
Olivia’s appointment went well. Originally, we were looking at doing her big thyroid surgery this summer, but her doctor said that she hasn’t hit a big enough growth spurt that he wanted to see before the surgery, so we’re going to continue visiting with him every six months and we’ll be putting the surgery off until next summer at the earliest. I am relieved to have some more time.
While we were there, our doctor broke the news to us that he is no longer doing thyroid surgeries, though, so that means she’ll have to be in someone else’s hands which makes me sad. He told me that he had to stop doing time-intensive surgeries because he had started having a lot of cervical neck issues from them (similar to my issues) and he wants to preserve his neck so he can have a nice, long career.
I totally get that – especially since I can commiserate with the neck issues – but I’m just so sad that he won’t be the one doing the surgery. He has been such a huge part of our family’s well-being throughout the years – he did Jacob’s ear tubes, Olivia’s ear tubes, two of Olivia’s biopsy surgeries for her thyroid, and he did Olivia’s surgery to repair the hole in her ear that never healed from one of her tubes + he has been right here with me through all of my issues with my tinnitus and anxiety (he’s the one who finally diagnosed me with anxiety and that many of the issues I was having were caused by the anxiety) as well as my neck issues – and he’s always been phenomenal – a good human being to his core and such a blessing to us.
Thankfully, he will continue to see Olivia to monitor her nodule, and then he’ll refer us to another doctor just for the surgery, and then we’ll continue to see him as needed for everything else since he’ll still be practicing and doing other surgeries, just not the long ones.
Thankfully, Olivia’s nodule was still around the same size as the last time… it hasn’t grown at all so that’s what we wanted to hear. She was cleared for six months and then we’ll go back again in August to check it again.
While we were there, he asked me how I’m doing, and I updated him on my retainer issues and all that. I also told him that my tinnitus has ramped up in both ears, and how it’s now louder in one ear than the other, and he came right over and checked my ears, which was so kind of him to do since I didn’t have my own appointment. He said that my ears looked good and healthy, so unfortunately, I don’t have any answers on the change with my tinnitus, which is frustrating.
We were the last patients in the building, so it was late by the time we got out. When we got home, it was time to start making dinner right away, and then we all sat down to breakfast for dinner.
After dinner, Olivia offered to vacuum the remaining rooms for me since I hadn’t been able to finish before I picked up the kids from school, and then I helped her organize her new gifts that she’d gotten for her birthday.
After that, both kids got showered and ready for bed and Olivia Facetimed with her friend, Maren, for a few minutes.
While the kids were doing that, I did a functional strength training workout, focusing mostly on my lower body since I’m still having so many issues with my upper body, and then I did my Lent study for the day.
Friday, February 27
Friday, I didn’t sleep well because we had a series of (harmless) storms roll through all night. I kept getting awakened by the wind and the thunder and the pouring rain, so I tossed and turned a lot during the night.
It poured all the way to school, and then on the way back home, I got stuck in some traffic on the highway because there was a horrible wreck that had just happened. I always say a little prayer of thanks when we arrive anywhere safely, but I was particularly grateful to be home safe and sound after seeing that wreck.
It rained all morning long, so I settled in at my desk with my electric blanket and some tea and I got to work. I caught up on this post, I started and finished a post for next week, and I got all caught up on my post for the end of the year. Last year, I got behind early on and it’s so hard to come back from that once you’re that far behind!
I also got Olivia’s yearbook ad submitted, just in time, because it was the last day we could send them in.
After school pickup, the kids and I headed home, and both kids got all their school stuff put away and then prepped for their evenings ahead. Jacob had a get together with Teen Advisor friends at the bowling alley/arcade and Olivia had a sleepover birthday party to attend, so they were both excited.
Since both kids were going to be gone all evening, Brian and I finally had the chance to go out to dinner, just the two of us, but our dinner reservation wasn’t until 7:30, so I had a cup of tea and a snack to hold me over until then. I did my quiet time while I enjoyed my tea and then it was time to get freshened up and out the door.
We dropped Olivia at her friend, Caroline’s, house first, and then we dropped Jacob off at the bowling alley where he met up with his friend, WJ, who was also sleeping over at our house later that night.
After the kids were where they were supposed to be, Brian and I headed downtown to a new local bar to enjoy some cocktails before our dinner reservation. The bar we chose has been there for years, but the owners recently revamped and rebranded it to turn it into a bar that has that OG hometown bar feel to it, and I loved it so much. They put in pergolas to give the ceilings a lower, cozy feel and they added a few pool tables, a photo booth, a big mirror ball, and those big colorful Christmas lights, and it is such a vibe.
Brian ordered a round of Manhattans for us, and we settled in at the back corner table, all cozy. One of Brian’s old friends is partial owner of the bar + several other bars/restaurants around town, and we were talking about him when we got there, wondering if he’d be around. He ended up popping in just a few minutes after we sat down and he hung out with us the whole hour we were there. We hadn’t seen him in a while, so it was nice to catch up. We all used to hang out all the time when Brian and I were dating and first married, but we’ve all had kids and gotten crazy busy since then so we don’t see each other often now.
We ordered another round of Manhattans + their famous mozzarella sticks… they come in a spicy vodka sauce with chili honey, and they are the best mozzarella sticks I’ve ever had in my life. They are divine.
For dinner, I opted for the Pesto Rigatoni since it was meatless, and it was so delicious as well. I’m a HUGE fan of basil, so pesto is one of my favorite sauces. I don’t ever make it at home, though, because the kids are not on board with it. Boooo.
Brian got the Lemon Mafaldi, and I tried a bite of his pasta, and it was so delicious as well. We were so stuffed by the time we were done, and we wrapped up just in time to grab the boys from their adventures at nine.
They were still wrapping up at BK when we arrived, so we waited for them to finish, and then the four of us headed home. The boys headed upstairs to hang out, and Brian and I watched another episode of Paradise before calling it a night.
Saturday morning, I got up at 8:30 and headed downstairs to make myself some scrambled eggs with cottage cheese for breakfast. I knew the boys would be sleeping in for much longer, and since Olivia wasn’t home either, I didn’t make waffles.
I settled in to knock out some blog work after breakfast, and Brian headed to pick up Olivia from her sleepover at 10 AM. I also got my planner ready for March since it snuck up on me.
The boys were up around 10:30 AM and Brian and Olivia swung by the donut shop to pick up donuts for them on the way home from her sleepover. Olivia told me aaaallll about her sleepover and she was so excited because she got to spend some time with some of the “older girls” (the girls in Jacob’s class) because her friend’s older sister is in Jacob’s class and she had some of the girls over to sleep over, too. She said that they had a “2 AM tea time” and all the older girls spilled all the secrets. Haha. I’ve known all those girls since they were in Pre-K4 and they’re such sweet girls so I was glad that Olivia got to bond with them, too. Olivia said that they were all so kind and they were giving the younger girls life advice. The sweetest.
Once Olivia got settled back in after her sleepover, her friend, Maren’s, mom texted me to see if Olivia wanted to sleep over at their house. Haha. They were at the sleepover Friday night together, but Maren’s older brother (who is also in Jacob’s class) was having a bunch of kids over for his birthday Saturday night and Maren wanted to have a friend over, so she wasn’t stuck alone with all the big kids. Thankfully, we didn’t have much going on, so we told them yes and Olivia was ecstatic.
She was also ecstatic because Saturday Brian and I got everything moved around in her room to make room for her new vanity! She opted to hang it on the wall over her desk so it wouldn’t take up precious desk space, so we had to remove her bulletin board, rehang it over her bedside table, and then put the vanity over her desk. That took a while – I did all the measuring and Brian did the drilling and hanging, and we were done in about an hour.
Olivia got to work cleaning and tidying her room and getting things organized in there, and Brian and I had lunch together since none of the kids were hungry yet.
After Olivia’s room was in order, she got showered and then in bed to take a nap. My little girlfriend loves her sleep, so she will put herself to bed when she knows she needs it. She ended up sleeping for two hours, so she was refreshed and ready to go for her second sleepover.
Meanwhile, the boys played video games, and I got out for a walk/jog. It was in the upper 60s on Saturday, so I wore shorts and a tank top, and it felt so great! I’m so excited that spring is just around the corner, y’all!
We left them out for some of it – all the days that it didn’t dip into the 30s, and then Brian moved them into the garage for all the days that it was really cold (which was more than usual this year). We’re not out of the woods yet as it could still freeze again, but I’m hoping we’re close enough! All four of the ones on the front porch still look great, and the one on the back porch looks pretty good, although a little dry. We’re having a super warm spell for at least the next week, so they’ve all been put back on the front porch and so far they look happy!
After the boys were done eating lunch, Jacob and I drove WJ home, and then we headed back home so Jacob could get showered and ready for the day. I had just enough time to read my devotional for the day and knock out some blog housekeeping, and then it was time to get showered and ready for church.
On the way to church, we dropped Olivia off at Maren’s house, and I stopped inside to say hi to her parents before we left. The boys and I went to Mass at 5:30 and I was happy to see my Uncle Chris and Aunt Maureen there. We hadn’t seen them in a long time as they’ve been living in another state to help take care of my cousin – the one who is battling cancer.
We all went out to dinner after church, and it was nice to be able to catch up with them. We ended up staying later than usual, and by the time we got home, I was sleepy. I got in my pjs and the boys turned on a new Star Wars show, and I was out like a light in just minutes.
Sunday, March 1
Sunday morning, the boys and I had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then I settled in at my desk to do my Sunday things… watching a sermon online, getting my planner ready for the week ahead, transferring photos from my phone to my computer, and getting them all organized. Thankfully, this week the technology cooperated. ;o)
Brian went to pick up Olivia at 10:30 AM, and when she got home, she told me all about her adventures with Maren. They’d gotten to hang out with some of the girls in Jacob’s class again since they were there at the party. She said that they were both so tired from their sleepover Friday, that they fell asleep at 10:30 PM and slept until 7:30 AM, so she ended up getting a full night of sleep. Haha.
After Olivia got unpacked, the kids did their laundry, and I did some laundry and tidied the house. I also finallyyyy took the time to deep clean some more and I ended up cleaning the blinds in my office + cleaning all the windows in my office and our bedroom. It’s crazy how much lighter and brighter the windows look. I also did my spring clean of the plants in our bedroom… I got them all off the chest in our bedroom and scrubbed the chest down, I clipped some of the dead leaves, and I got them all arranged back in their happy place. Then, of course, I had to vacuum again after stirring up all that dust, so I was a busy bee.
Brian had a tennis match early in the afternoon, so he headed there and the kids and I had lunch shortly after he left. I made the meal plan and grocery list for the week ahead after that, and then I went out for a walk while the kids had some screen time.
It was 76 degrees and sunny Sunday, so I was sweating buckets when I got home, but it felt soooo good. I’m really enjoying this warm weather after a long, cold winter.
We hung out over there all evening and then got the kids in bed early to start the week out right! B and I watched some more of our backlog of SNL, and I think we finally got all caught up! And y'all, SNL did a skit about The Wizard of Oz, and they had a live dog on there as Toto, and I swear, it looked just like Maui when she was younger, before she turned grey!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. I paid zero attention to the skit and just watched the dog the whole time because she was precious!
Currently
Reading
In January, I read 2 books – The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (5 stars) and The Surrogate Mother by Frieda McFadden (3 stars – this was probably my least favorite by her so far). Abby Jimenez has become one of my favorite authors, though. Yes, her books are a little predictable, but she has such a way of writing characters who are loveable and witty, and you always find yourself rooting for them. Her books aren’t too Hallmark-y or cheesy, and they have a little bit of edge and a whole lot of sarcasm, which I love. She and I must have very similar tastes because I fall in love with every single male protagonist that she writes about.
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 February, Brian and I started and finished Run Away, we started the new season of Shrinking, we started and finished The Girlfriend, we started the new season of Paradise, we watched some of the Olympics here and there, and we’ve been watching our backlog of Saturday Night Live.
With the Kids: In February, we watched The Grammys, we watched Is It Cake? Valentine’s Day Edition, we watched Dumbo and Bambi (apparently the kids wanted to make me cry – LOL), we watched the Super Bowl, we watched The Truman Show, and we watched Jurassic Park 1 and 2. Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are also often on in the background in the evening after dinner.
Alone: I don’t watch anything during the week when I’m at home alone because I always listen to music, but on Sunday afternoons, I always treat myself to a movie while I work, and, of course, that movie lately has been… The Wedding Planner. Bet you would have never guessed that! Hahahaha.
Currently
Listening To
Honestly? A whole lot of Taylor Swift. I just cannot quit her, y’all. It’s kind of ridiculous how I never get tired of her music. I do sometimes listen to lofi beats while I work, too. There are a million different ones out there, but I always try to find some that have good coffee house or cocktail jazz vibes. Lofi hip hop is a whole vibe, too.
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
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