Our Week - The One with Teacher Appreciation Week, Mother’s Day, and Lots of Other Stuff

Maycember is in full swing over here, and we’re officially living our busiest week before things finally settle down.  We just have to get through Jacob’s Confirmation and Olivia’s very long, very involved recital weekend and then we can breathe a sigh of relief on Monday.  I can’t believe they’ll be out of school in just five days (Jacob) and nine days (Olivia).  Like, what?!

With that said, since we're on our way to summer break, I'll be going to blogging just three days per week most weeks, and then when the kids go back to school in the fall, I'll likely increase my frequency to four times per week again.

Anyway, today I’m recapping last week, which was also busy, but not quite on this week’s level.  Let’s get started!

Monday, May 4

Monday morning, I snoozed one extra time and then it was time to get up and get ready for the day.  As I was getting ready, Olivia came into our room to tell me that she wasn’t feeling well.  She was congested and had a scratchy throat, and she said that she wanted to stay home.  So, I dropped Jacob at school and then stuck around for a Home and School Advisory Board meeting to plan the next school year.  Thankfully, Brian works from home on Mondays, so he was able to stay with Olivia while I ran all the errands.

After my meeting, I swung by a local print shop to drop off the Bible that we bought for Jacob.  They were able to engrave it for us, and it’s so beautiful. 

After I dropped that off, I ran to Walmart to pick up groceries, and then I headed home.  Olivia had gone back to bed after she told me she wanted to stay home and she ended up sleeping until almost 9:30 AM, which is unheard of for her. 

I got the groceries put away and then I warmed a chocolate chip muffin for her that I’d bought at the bakery.  Our kids love a muffin, and they especially love the ones from Walmart bakery.  We all do!  I had gotten myself some banana chocolate chip muffins, so I warmed one for myself, I made some tea, I got Olivia settled in with the TV, and then I went to my office for a bit to try to get some work done.

I worked on my blog post for the next day, I had lunch with Brian and Olivia, Olivia checked her Google Classroom for any school assignments she’d missed, and then I worked on my blog post for the next day some more.

At 1:45 PM, Olivia got dressed and ready, and then we headed to school to pick up Jacob a little early because both kids had orthodontist appointments.  Olivia was feeling much better and she had been bouncing all around the house all afternoon, so I knew it was fine to take her. 

Both their checkups went really well, and we got great news for both of them!  Jacob had been dreading this appointment because he knew he was going to have to start wearing rubber bands around the clock rather than just at night, but the orthodontist told him that he has been so diligent with wearing them at night that there was no need for him to go to wearing them around the clock!  He was thrilled!  Now he just has to continue wearing them at night and then he’ll be rounding out his treatment soon enough!

Olivia has been dreading this appointment because the orthodontist had told us a couple of appointments ago that she’d be needing to get her Herbst appliance, but he informed us that her overbite has closed significantly on its own and she will no longer have to have one at all!!  Great news all around!  That Herbst appliance looked awwwwful, so I’m grateful she doesn’t have to worry about it now.  And I’m also grateful that both kids have had a much smoother process with their orthodontics than I did.  Fingers crossed it stays that way.

After two excellent appointments, we swung through the Starbucks drive through for cake pops to celebrate!  My babies may not be babies anymore, but they will always love a cake pop!  Haha.

We got home around 3 PM and I realized that I’d forgotten to put dinner in the slow cooker (whoooops), but thankfully, I was able to get it in there quick enough to have it done by 6:30/7 PM.  We’ve reached the point of the school year where we’re just not caring as much about eating earlier, going to bed earlier, and all that, so I figured we might as well just go ahead and do the slow cooker meal with a later dinner time.

While that cooked, I put away the rest of the groceries, I put away the dishes that had been drying all day, and I tidied the kitchen.  I finished my blog post for the next day (finally), and then I did a Bible study and my devotional.  The kids didn’t have any homework, so they had some screen time, and Olivia was feeling fine aside from some lingering congestion, so it was back to school for her the next day!

I had time to get in a two-mile walk, and Brian mowed, and then we all sat down to eat ranch chicken pasta, broccoli, and garlic cheese bread for dinner.

The kids got showered after dinner, and I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen so Brian could finish mowing, and then after everyone was done with their tasks and ready for bed, we started the movie Twister with the kids since they’d never seen it.  Oh, and while I was watering the ferns before watching the movie, I got the sweetest surprise – a little nest with one perfect egg inside.

After the kids got into bed, Brian and I watched Saturday Night Live, and I sipped on a hot toddy because my throat felt scratchy and I had a feeling I was coming down with whatever Jacob, Brian, and Olivia have all had the last few weeks.  Sigh.

 

Tuesday, May 5

Waking up early Tuesday morning suuuucked because I barely slept all night.  My nose was so stuffy that even my Flonase didn’t help (which never happens!), so I couldn’t get comfortable.  I tossed and turned for hours before finally falling asleep and when my alarm went off, I think I’d only slept for four or five hours.

My nose cleared when I got out of bed and from that point forward it was just runny, so I knew it was just a little cold and nothing worse.  And thank goodness, too, because I had to be at the school to help out with Teacher Appreciation Week.

Monday morning, we had a sponsor provide breakfast from Chick-Fil-A, so I didn’t have to help that day, but Tuesday, we did a trail mix bar for the teachers, so that had to be set up.  This year, Juliet (the chair for TAW), picked out a book theme, so Tuesday was Where the Wild Things Are Trail Mix Bar.  So cute, right?!  We put out various types of nuts, dried fruits, candies, marshmallows, chocolate chips, pretzels, etc. and the teachers were able to grab a bag and create their own trail mix combo.  We also had drinks in a cooler for them.  And somebody had brought in the cutest cookies, too!

After that was set up, I hung out with the other ladies who were helping out until I had to go to my annual GYN checkup.  Everything went well there, and my doc decided to draw some blood to check my thyroid and some other hormones/markers since I mentioned to him that I’ve been uncharacteristically exhausted for the last few weeks.  Now I’m just waiting to hear what comes back from those results.

After my appointment I headed home and ate lunch, and then I finished my blog post for the next day.  I felt run down since I didn’t sleep well the night before, so I lay down a took a 30-minute power nap before I had to get in the car line.

When we got home from school, I grabbed a cup of tea and finished my book since I only had a couple of chapters left, and then I did my devotional and Bible study for the day.

Olivia had to be at dance shortly after that, so I got her over there, and then when I got home, I caught up on emails and my planner + I tackled lots of little things that needed to be done.  I also folded the towels, watered the plants, and cleaned the kitchen.  All the things.

I had just enough time to go for a walk and do an arms workout after that, and I was just about to jump in the shower when Brian texted me to let me know that Olivia had gotten out of dance early and they were on the way.

Instead of showering, I went downstairs and got dinner ready – turkey and cheese biscuit sliders, fruit, and chips – and then we all ate dinner together when Brian and Olivia got home.

Once the kitchen was cleaned, I got showered, Olivia got showered, and then we all sat down to watch a few more minutes of Twister before the kids went to bed.

Brian and I finished watching Saturday Night Live, and then I settled in for another night of no sleep.  Waaaahhhh.

 

Wednesday, May 6

My nose was super stuffy again Tuesday night, so I was running off only a few hours of sleep again on Wednesday, but somehow, aside from having to blow my nose every five minutes, I felt like a million bucks.  So much energy!

I dropped the kids at school and then put some gas in my car, and then I headed back to the school to assist with Teacher Appreciation Week, Day 3.  But before we got started – I saw Olivia off for her field trip!  She is in the gifted program at school, and all the sixth and seventh graders in gifted went to a mine to dig for rocks all day.  She was THRILLED, and I was happy because one of my friends at the school who also went on the trip sent me pictures of her all day.  I love being able to see what she’s up to when I’m not with her!

On the agenda for TAW Wednesday was a coffee truck!  Since 130 coffee orders had to be filled (all teachers, faculty, and staff), we had someone taking orders, and then the rest of us ran the coffees to the classrooms when they were ready.  I clocked an impressive 6,000 steps just in the two hours that I was there helping.  And before I left, I got to partake in the treats, and I got myself a s’mores iced coffee.  Oh, my word, was it delicious.  It was one of the best coffees I’ve ever had.

When I left the school, I headed to the library to pick up my books that were available (more of my holds became available when I already had three at home, whyyyy!), and then I stopped by a nail salon to grab a gift card for my mom for Mother’s Day. 

When I got home, I tackled emails, I paid a bill, I texted my friend, Shaun, to plan for a fall event at the school (yes, we are already booking DJs for fall events), and I worked on my blog post for Friday. 

When I was on the way to pick up the kids from school, I had just merged onto the highway and was going 70 mph (the speed limit) when I saw a rock fly up from a trailer hooked to the back of the pickup truck in front of me.  It all happened so fast, but I knew immediately that the rock was giant and that it was going to hit my car.  I couldn’t change lanes, though, because there was another vehicle in the lane next to me.  I braced myself and cringed, and sure enough, it hit my windshield and left a three-inch circle.  Siiiigh. 

Right after the first one hit, I saw another one fly up, so I braced myself again, but thankfully, that one miraculously missed my vehicle.  I was able to pass the truck after that, and as I was passing, I could see lots of those same rocks lying on the trailer.  I tried to get the driver’s attention to let him know that he had rocks flying off the back of his trailer, but he wouldn’t look over at me.

I had just started reading my book in the car line when I got a text from saying that Olivia’s field trip was running late and they were just leaving the mine.  They were supposed to have already been back by then, so they were running suuuuper late.  Thankfully they got back just in time to come out when school dismissed, and then the kids and I hit the road.

When we got home, Olivia showed me all the rocks she’d found, and then I did my devotional and read for a bit.  After that, I made Olivia a quick dinner, and then all three of us did a quick kitchen tidy. 

I got Olivia to dance, and I picked up the tickets for her recital while I was there, and then I headed home.  Brian got home just as I did and he had picked up a few things we needed from Walmart.  I helped him put those away and I also got dinner ready – leftover ranch chicken pasta, broccoli and bread. 

After dinner, the boys watched some more of The Matrix, and while they did that, I went out for a walk.  We were under a tornado watch, so it was dark and ominous outside and the wind was blowing, and I had just enough time to get in my full route before the rain started.  I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance while I walked, but thankfully, everything held off.

When I got home, I did an arms workout and then I went outside to water the ferns.  When I got out there, I discovered two more eggs in the nest that I’d seen earlier in the week, so I carefully watered around the nest, and then Brian hung the fern back up so the momma bird could come back and protect her babies from the impending storm.

After that, I tidied the entire house from top to bottom, I tackled a bunch of tiny, insignificant tasks that I’d been putting off, and I put away my Bath & Body Works soap that had delivered the day before.

When Olivia got home from dance, she had a snack, showered, and then both kids got in bed.  Brian and I finished the evening with an episode of Rooster, and then we went to bed.

 

Thursday, May 7

It stormed all night Wednesday into Thursday, but I was so exhausted from not sleeping two nights in a row that I slept through a lot of it.  Every time thunder would wake me up, I would fall right back asleep, so I finally got a decent night of sleep.  Although, Olivia did come in our room and camp out on our floor in a sleeping bag because the storm was too loud for her liking.

We ended up getting six inches of rain overnight, so we were under a flood warning when we got up.  Thankfully, the rain had stopped, so we had no issues getting to school.  We did a chips and guac, queso, and salsa bar for the teachers that day, so I didn't have to be there to help out since the food was catered.

After I dropped the kids, I headed to the orthodontist, where he put in my permanent upper retainer.  So far, I’m liking it, although, it’s pretty tight, but I’m assuming I’ll adjust to it soon enough.  It is a bit bulkier than the bottom one, though, so it’ll take some getting used to, but anything is better than the others!  I have to go back in two more weeks so they can adjust my other retainer (the OG one) because he said he’d like for me to at least pop it in for a couple of hours per week just to keep my upper arch in place IF I can.  He said it’s not going to be the end of the world if I can’t wear it at all anymore, but I think I can tolerate a couple of hours per week.

When I got home, I started checking tasks off my list:

 

-       Finished my blog post for Friday

-       Started my blog post for Monday

-       Mailed a Poshmark shipment

-       Caught up both email inboxes

-       Filled out a form for Jacob’s Confirmation

-       Called GYN’s office because they’d forgotten to file insurance at my appointment

-       Filed a claim for my broken windshield

-       Scheduled an appointment to have the windshield fixed

-       Responded to nearly 100 blog comments (I was a little behind – LOL)

-       Finished catching up on a week and a half of blog reading

-       Emailed the kids’ teachers about signing their books

-       Organized my planner

 

Once all that was done, I jumped in the car line, and then the kids and I headed to music lessons.  Both decided to opt out of their music recitals this spring, which makes me a little sad, but also a little relieved, because that took one thing off our plates.  I sat with Jacob, and he worked on a few songs from his piano lesson books, and then we headed home.

When we got home, I threw in a load of laundry and then I did my devotional for the day along with a Bible study.

My Momma was out of town last week on a girls trip, so we invited my Daddy to eat dinner with us Thursday evening.  We made eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and homemade waffles, and he joined us.  After dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen and then sat in the living room and chatted for a bit before going upstairs because Jacob wanted to show my dad his Minecraft world that he’s been working on.

I think I’ve already mentioned this here, but Jacob is building our entire church and school campus in Minecraft, and it is ah-mazing.  It looks just like it!  My dad was blown away by it, and he couldn’t get over it as Jacob was taking him on the tour.

Daddy left shortly after that, and I got out for a walk while the kids showered and got ready for bed.  After my shower, we finished Twister with the kids and then Brian and I started the show Your Friends & Neighbors before going to bed.

Friday, May 8

Friday, we had a lot going on, so we had to divide and conquer.  Brian took the kids to school while I dropped my Telluride at the Kia dealership for service.  He then picked me up, and then I dropped him back off at home, and I drove his Bronco to the school to help out with the final day of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Juliet and I were the only ones volunteering Friday, and we had a lot of ground to cover, so we got started right away.  I stocked a cart with loads of snacks – candy bars, granola bars, fruit, chips, etc. and she loaded up a wagon with all the teacher gifts – the cutest striped beach towels with the school logo.  We then walked around the entire campus (preschool, lower school, middle school, high school, gym, and church office) delivering the gifts to the teachers and letting them pick snacks from the snack cart. 

I got to pop into Olivia’s literature class and say hello to her, and Jacob was in biology when we came through.  That also gave me the opportunity to drop the kids’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! books off with their homeroom teachers to be signed.  If you have no clue what I’m talking about, you can see this post.  Probably one of my favorite things we’ve ever done for our babies.

We wrapped up a little before noon, and Brian and I ate lunch together when I got home.  I had just enough time to catch up on emails and do a couple of other things on my computer before it was time to pick up my car from the dealership.  Brian drove me over there, and thankfully, there was no damage to the engine after the oil debacle the previous week.  They said that they changed the alerts for oil changes to every 5,000 miles instead of 7,500 so hopefully I won’t have issues again.  We will definitely be checking the oil level every few weeks going forward, though, just to be safe.

Brian headed home after that, and I headed straight to the school to sit in the car line.  While I waited, one of our resource officers came out to chat because I had his TAW gifts since he’s always out patrolling the school. 

When we got home, I finished my book and I made Olivia a very early dinner, and then I took her to her last Friday evening recital practice.

When I got home, I did my devotional and Bible study, and Jacob played video games since he didn’t have anything going on.

Brian went out for a haircut and to pick up dinner from Carabba’s (per Jacob’s request), and while he was gone, I edited nearly 100 pictures for my last Disney post.  That was supposed to be up Monday, but last week was so busy I never had time to get it done.

When Brian got home, the three of us ate dinner, and then I snuggled up in bed and read while Brian and Jacob finished The Matrix.

Brian picked Olivia up from dance, and after she got ready for bed, we started Jumanji (the newer one with The Rock).  After the kids went to bed, Brian and I made toasted marshmallow Old Fashioneds and we watched the newest episode of The Testaments plus the rest of the first episode of Your Friends & Neighbors.

 

Saturday, May 9

Saturday, Brian went out to grab donuts for Mother’s Day weekend so I wouldn’t have to make breakfast, and then the day was a blur of doing laundry, washing sheets, paying bills, catching up on emails, prepping for Olivia’s recital, and getting other things done around the house.  Unfortunately, I had zero energy, and I had an awful headache that no medicine would touch all day long, so I felt pretty terrible all day. 

I got out for a walk around 2 PM to see if that would help with my headache and boost my energy level, but it actually made me feel more exhausted.  Pretty sure it was all hormone related, because thankfully, Sunday, I felt back to normal.

We went to 5:30 PM Mass, and then to dinner with my parents, Mama Cass, and Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg.  They didn’t have a big table for us, so the kids sat at their own table, which they always love.  Jacob worked on his speed cube while Olivia colored (because apparently, she brought her entire art supply bin inside the restaurant – LOL).  We got to hear about Momma’s girls trip, and, of course, we enjoyed our margs and chips and cheese dip.

Brian and the kids grabbed Dairy Queen for dessert after that, and then we headed home to finish Jumanji.  I still felt exhausted and I was worn out from dealing with my headache all day, so I fell straight to sleep on the couch during the movie.  I had already seen it, so it wasn’t a big loss!

After we got the kids in bed, Brian and I finished an episode of Your Friends & Neighbors, and then I fell asleep on the couch again, so he had to pause the show and watch something else without me.

 

Sunday, May 10

Thankfully, on Sunday I had much more energy, and my headache was (mostly) gone, so it was a better day.  I slept in, we had leftover donuts, and then Brian and the kids gave me gifts.  Jacob made me an origami heart bookmark, and Olivia made a decorative bin for me.  It was so sweet.

After breakfast was eaten and gifts were opened, I headed to my office to prep for the week ahead, transfer the pictures from my phone to my computer and organize them, and start my blog post for Monday.  I got way behind in the blogging department last week since I was at the school so much, so I had a lot of catching up to do.

Late in the morning, I got showered and ready, and then we went to my MIL and step-FIL’s house for lunch.  We’ve told my MIL a million times that we can take her out to lunch for Mother’s Day, but she always says she’d just prefer to cook.  So, she made chicken spaghetti and we had green beans and asparagus from the garden + broccoli and garlic cheese bread. 

After lunch, we helped clean up a little, and then we headed home.  The kids showered, and then they had some screen time, while I retreated to my office to start this blog post.  Typing these lengthy posts takes quite a long time, so I was barely able to get it caught up before I had to stop to prep for Monday.

I always cook for my mom for Mother’s Day, but this year, Jacob had his Confirmation practice at 6 PM on Sunday.  Instead of cooking, we gave my Momma her gift Saturday night at dinner and then we Facetimed her Sunday afternoon, and Olivia and I are going to take her to get pedicures sometime in the next couple of weeks since we didn’t get to spend time with her on Mother’s Day.

I got the dirty clothes sorted, folded the towels, and did a few other things around the house, and then we headed to the church for Jacob’s Confirmation practice.  That took about an hour and a half, and then we headed to dinner at our favorite local pub only to find that they were closed for Mother’s Day.  By then, it was almost 8 PM, so we just ran over to Panera for something quick and then we headed home.

Brian has been wanting to show the kids Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (I’m not an 80s movies fan, so I wasn’t too enthused – haha), so we started that when we got home, and then after the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched some more of Your Neighbors & Friends. 

Regarding Ferris Bueller, I do have to say that it’s one of the more tolerable 80s movies.  I was born in 1982, so I’m a millennial and very much a 90s kid, but Brian was born in 1978, so I feel like he has more Gen-X qualities than I do, including having a love for 80’s movies.  Hopefully he won’t make me sit through too many of them this summer, though!  I guess I’ll have to take a lot of naps.  Haha.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!