Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 4 (Cleaning Out, Dance Classes, Jacob in the Kitchen, a Movie, Prepping for Nashville, and Father’s Day)

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Much of summer week four was spent at home because it was the calm between travels.  We kicked off the month with a week-long beach trip, then Brian promptly left for a work trip, and we have two more trips back-to-back at the end of this month, so I spent a lot of this week prepping for the trips, prepping the blog for the trips, and catching up (still) from being gone on our first trip of the month.

Monday, June 15

Monday morning, I slept until 8 AM and then I headed downstairs to have breakfast and unload the dishwasher.  I worked on my blog posts for Wednesday and the following Monday, and then mid-morning, I got showered and ready for the day.

I had to run to one of my doctor’s offices to sign some paperwork for insurance (our new insurance has been a huge pain in the butt this year), and then I swung by the liquor store to grab a gift for Brian for Father’s Day.  I ended my morning out shopping at Walmart and Publix for groceries, and then I headed home to put everything away.

While I was gone, the kids had started their summer homework and tidied the house, and it was good to have the summer homework underway.  We’re doing so much traveling this summer, and we’re using all our slow at-home days to tackle whatever we can, so it doesn’t sneak up on us at the last minute.

After the groceries were put away, Brian, the kids, and I had lunch together, and then I headed to my office to do a few things.  We had found out that Myles Smith was opening for Ed Sheeran in Nashville, and I was soooo excited because I love him so much.  I went to look up more of his music to find that there’s not much out there that I don’t already have, but that he is releasing an entire album.  By the time this post goes live, the album will have already come out, but it wasn’t available yet the day I was looking.  If you don’t know who he is, you should check him out! 

I finished my blog post for Wednesday after that, and then I read my devotional and did a Bible study before tidying my office and texting with my cousin, Shelby, to discuss our upcoming trip to Denver.

The kids made blueberry muffins late in the afternoon and I watered all our indoor plants and started on dinner, and then we all sat down to eat together… chicken stir fry, rice, and veggies.

After the kitchen was clean, Brian and the kids went outside to play basketball.  It was so rainy all last week that we didn’t get much outdoor time, but we did get out when we could!  While they played, I went for a walk, and I did my whole route.

Everyone got showered later in the evening, and then we finished Sister Act 2 before the kids went to bed.  Brian and I watched some more of Your Friends & Neighbors after that, and then I finished my book before we went to sleep.

 

Tuesday, June 16

Tuesday, I was up at 7:45 AM.  I’m not a fan of waking up that early, but I do set an alarm during the summer most days, so I don’t sleep too late.  Brian was already at work, and the kids were already up, which was a shocker.  We all had breakfast and I unloaded the dishwasher.  It rained all day Tuesday, and when I say all day, I mean ALL.DAY.LONG without ceasing.

That, of course, meant one thing – a cozy day was in order!  We turned on all the lamps and twinkle lights, I put some oils in the diffuser, and then I headed to my office to do a few things before spending some time with the kids.  On my short list Tuesday was:

 

-       Catching up on emails

-       Catching up on a few things in my planner

-       Some blog housekeeping

-       Working on my blog post for Monday a little more

-       Paying a bill

-       Contacting someone about a bill that hadn’t gone through insurance

-       Calling the allergist to get an itemized bill from earlier this year (I’m telling y’all, we have had so many issues since we got our new insurance)

 

After that, it was time to hang out with the kids.  Olivia wanted to clean out her big basket in our kitchen that holds all her art stuff, so we turned on some music and got that done.  While she worked on that, I also cleaned out and organized the table above the baskets that houses writing utensils, slime, paper, and some other random items, and within five minutes, it was looking good again.  It was such a slow, cozy morning, and we all enjoyed it even though we didn’t do anything super special.

We all had lunch together after that, and then I finally finished cleaning out the kitchen.  There wasn’t much to do, and a couple of areas didn’t really need anything, but I did finally get our bar cart organized as it had been overrun with items since I have an icon glass addiction.  Hahahaha.

After that was done, I got showered and ready for the day and then I lay down for ten minutes to rest my neck.  I was so sore last week and SO DIZZY and it was SO ANNOYING. 

I grabbed one more thing online for Brian’s Father’s Day gift after that, and then I got everything else wrapped for him and for my own dad. 

I spent the next little bit doing my devotional and doing two Bible studies while I enjoyed a cup of tea, and I also edited more pictures for Monday’s blog post.

Olivia had her first day of summer dance classes Tuesday afternoon, so we had to get out in the rain – boooo.  Haha.  And while I was gone, Jacob completed all of his ASL III Honors summer homework, so that was a check off the list!  Then, he and I went over his school supplies list for next year.  There’s quite a bit on the list, but thankfully, all his binders are still in excellent condition from last year and he has most of the other items, too, so he doesn’t need much – just some new pens, paper, highlighters, and a few other small things that we can get any time.

I did the dishes after that, and then I put some more oils in the diffuser, I turned on some jazz music, and I grabbed another cup of tea (my third for the day for anyone who is counting) before settling in with Jacob to play Scrabble.  He beat me again, but that does not surprise me.  Ha!  Meanwhile, it was still pouring rain.

Brian left to pick up Olivia from dance and then Jacob made beef and parmesan pasta with zucchini for us.  He’s learned a few things in the kitchen, but he hasn’t really ever made an entire meal from start to finish, so I thought this one would be a good place to start since it’s simple and it takes place all in one pan.  I told him what needed to be done, and he did pretty much the entire thing from start to finish.

We all ate together and then we cleaned the kitchen.  I jumped on my stair stepper after that because I couldn’t walk with all the rain.

After the kids were ready for bed, we watched the last episode of The Mandalorian as a refresher since we were taking the kids to see The Mandalorian and Grogu Wednesday evening.  Then, we watched a little more of America’s Got Talent before the kids went to bed.  Brian and I finished the evening with some more of Your Friends & Neighbors, and then we went to bed.  I felt pretty bad all day adjusting to this new tongue posture and I could tell it was greatly affecting my neck and my balance on Tuesday, so I was happy to finally get to bed and shut it all down.

 

Wednesday, June 17

Wednesday morning, I was up at 7:45 AM and I did my usual breakfast and dishwasher unloading routine.  It was rainy most of the day again, so I knew it was going to be another day spent indoors. 

The kids slept later than I did, and they were just coming downstairs when I was going to my office.  I had a pretty long list of things to tackle since we were leaving town Friday morning, so I settled in to do those things:

 

-       Print some itemized bills that had arrived for insurance

-       Catch up on both email inboxes

-       Catch up on blog reading

-       Catch up on a couple things in my planner

-       Download some new music

-       Wash clothes that everyone needed for our trip

-       Start packing for Nashville

-       Wash the kids’ backpacks

 

I took a break and rested my neck mid-morning and then I checked on Olivia’s bedroom.  She had been cleaning all morning, and she wanted me to come and see it since it had been restored to a very tidy, organized state.

Then, I finally found a place for my vibration plate, and I cut a piece of foam board to go under it, so it’ll slide in and out of its spot easily.  It has suction cups on the bottom to stick to hard floors, making it impossible to slide across carpet, so the foam board solved that problem!

The kids and I had lunch together and then we all put the laundry away.  Then, the rain miraculously stopped long enough for us to get out and walk one mile together.  It was HOT and humid, though, since the sun was peeking through, but just after we got home, it started pouring again.

We all got showered and ready after our walk, and then the kids filmed themselves doing one of those you make the face, I’ll make the sound videos while I finished editing pictures for part two of our beach recap.  It was actually so funny.

I put the kettle on for some tea, and I put away the rest of the clean dishes that had dried while I waited.  Then I finished typing part two of our beach trip and I did my devotional for the day. 

I finished getting ready, tidied the house, and shut everything down, and then the kids and I met Brian at Chick-Fil-A for an early dinner before our movie.  When we got there, though, we saw that they were doing some kind of kids’ dress up night, so the place was PACKED.  We ended up pivoting and trying Raising Cane’s.  We hadn’t been there yet, and we ended up liking it a lot.  The décor is super cute, too.  We love a mirrorball.  And Jacob loves a silly face.  ;o)

We headed to the movie theater after that to see The Mandalorian and Grogu, and we all enjoyed it.  I am not a Star Wars fan, but I do love me some Baby Yoda (and Pedro Pascal), so I was content to see it with them.  Jacob’s friend, Graham, happened to be there with his family, so he came to sit with us. 

After it was over, I swung by CVS for something I needed, and Brian and the kids headed home.  When we got home, there was a beautiful sunset, so Olivia and I went outside to see it and look at our pretty mimosa trees in full bloom.  Then we watched a few minutes of America’s Got Talent and the kids went to bed.  Brian and I watched some more of Your Friends & Neighbors, and then we called it a night, too.

Thursday, June 18

Thursday morning, I was up at 7:45 AM again and it was yet another dreary day.  After I ate breakfast and the dishwasher was unloaded, I finished my blog post for Monday, I started and finished my blog post for Tuesday, and I started my blog post for Wednesday (this post that you’re reading now). 

The kids got themselves packed for Nashville (and I followed up to make sure that they had everything they needed) and then I packed myself.  (And my toiletry bag is on sale this week!)

We all had lunch together and then I worked on some content for social media before showering and getting ready for the day.  I had just a few minutes to work on this blog post a bit more, and then the kids and I had to head to music lessons.

Unfortunately, we had some nasty weather in the afternoon, and it started about five minutes before we had to leave (because, of course!), so it wasn’t a fun drive to music lessons, but thankfully, it’s a short drive.  At that point, we were under a tornado watch, a flood watch, and a wind advisory.

I sat with Jacob for his lesson, and he worked some more on the songs in his learning book rather than working on something fun.  Then, when the kids were done, we headed straight to Olivia’s dance studio to drop her off at dance class.  Jacob and I headed home after that, and I was so happy to be out of the yucky weather. 

I put away the dishes that had dried, and then I did my devotional and a Bible study for the day.  I also transferred photos from my phone to my computer so I would have a clean slate for the weekend since we were traveling… I always take a million pictures and videos when we travel, so I needed that clean slate.

The storm ramped up shortly after that, so I went outside to check it out.  I had just started videoing when the rain picked up so hard that our gutter started washing away.  There was a bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder at nearly the same time, so I knew it was right on top of us, and then I got a tornado warning alert, so I hightailed it inside and called Jacob downstairs to get ready to take cover. 

Brian was sitting in his car in the parking lot at Olivia’s dance studio waiting to pick her up, so he had to go inside and shelter in there, and Olivia texted me from her friend’s iPad to let me know that they were huddling in the hallway. 

Jacob came straight down and the first thing he said was, “Do you want me to grab Sheepie?”  I thought that was the sweetest thing that the first thing he thought of was to grab Olivia’s favorite stuffie, y’all.  He knows how much Sheepie means to her, and it just made my heart swell when he said that.  He’s so thoughtful and he’s always looking out for her.  When I told him how thoughtful it was, he said, “Well, I just know that if I’d had a favorite stuffie since I was born, I would want it to be safe.”  Oh, my goodness.

We got the all clear about 20 minutes later, so Brian and Olivia made a run for it, and thankfully, they made it home safely.  Jacob was going to make dinner again, but at that point, it was way later than we’d needed to start, so I just went ahead and did it so we could get it done faster.

We all sat down and ate sausage, peppers, and onions tacos for dinner when they got home, and then after everyone was showered and ready for bed, we watched some more AGT followed by Your Friends & Neighbors after the kids went to bed. 

 

Friday, June 19

Friday, we were in Nashville, so I’ll be recapping that in a separate post.

 

Saturday, June 20

Saturday, we were in Nashville, too!

 

Sunday, June 21

Sunday, we got home from Nashville a little before 5 PM and we had just enough time to unpack the car, unpack some of our bags, give Brian his Father’s Day gifts, and do one load of laundry before it was time to head to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.  On a normal Sunday, we probably would have skipped since we were so tired and had so much to do, but it was Father’s Day, and I wanted to be able to spend some time with my Daddy!  We also hadn’t had Sunday dinner since May, so it had been a whole month!

Momma made a yummy dinner, we opened a bottle of wine, and we had brownies for dessert.  It was nice to be back over there after so many weeks off. 

We got home a little after eight, and then we watched a few minutes of AGT before the kids went to bed early.  Everybody was exhausted after our very late night Saturday.  Brian and I watched a little more of Your Friends & Neighbors after they went to bed, and then we went to bed a little earlier, too. 

And now for some current things…

 

Currently Reading

In June, I read 6 books – The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez (5 stars… I love her novels).  Then, I read Don’t Let Him In by Howard Linskey (4 stars).  I read Heart the Lover by Lily King, and I really enjoyed it (5 stars).  Forget me Not by Stacy Willingham was next (4 stars), followed by Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars).  And finally, I read One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle, and I loved it so much.  She can do no wrong.  I have given every single one of her books 5 stars, and this one was no exception.

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 June, Brian and I made our way through both seasons of Your Friends & Neighbors, and that was about it, I think!

With the Kids: In June, we watched Just Go with It, Meet the Parents, My Girl, The Devil Wears Prada, Sweet Home Alabama, Edward Scissorhands, Sister Act, Sister Act 2, the last episode of The Mandalorian, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and we started the new season of America’s Got Talent.  Olivia and I watched Center Stage alone one evening and the boys finished Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that they’d started forever ago. We also had a family home videos night where we watched old videos of Maui and the kids when they were little.

Alone: Just the occasional viewing of The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days on Sunday afternoons while I work.

 

Currently Listening To

I’m still listening to the podcast The Swiftie and the Scholar as new episodes come out.  And we’ve been listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran since we were gearing up for our concert!  I just downloaded Myles Smith’s new album, too, so I’m sure that’ll be on repeat for a while!  Oh, and of course, I Knew It, I Knew You by Taylor Swift.  Gaaaahhhh I love that song so much!  I really hope she wins an Oscar for it.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 3 (Bummer News, Bad Weather, a Wreck, a Playdate, a Movie, and Father’s Day)

Well, last week wasn’t the greatest as you can tell from the title of this post, but it’s a new week now and I’m praying that this one is a little better than the last.

Monday, June 12

Monday morning, we hit the ground running because I had an orthodontist appointment scheduled for 8:35 AM.  Don’t ask me why on earth I scheduled one that early in the morning during summer break – especially the Monday after we got back from our beach trip – but I did.  Won’t make that mistake again!  Haha.

The kiddos had to come with me to my appointment, but thankfully, they’re always really quick these days.  They just had to change out the wires on my top and bottom teeth and then we were on our way!

Next up, was Walmart to grab groceries.  We were out of pretty much everything since we’d been out of town, so we had a ton of stuff to get. 

After that, we headed back home, and the kids watched cartoons for a few minutes while I got the groceries put away.  They played for a bit after that, and I spent some time in my office getting as much done as I could.  I’d hoped to play catch-up Monday, but we had too much scheduled, so I was on limited time and didn’t end up getting much done. 

Around noon, we had a light lunch – mine was very light because my stomach was still a little off on Monday (it had been weird Sunday, too) – and then we got a few things done around the house.  The kids then squeezed in a few minutes of video game time while I worked in my office, and then we had to head out to get Jacob to his makeup piano lesson from when we were at the beach.

His makeup lesson was at 3, then he had his regularly scheduled lesson at 4, plus Olivia had a makeup voice lesson at 4:30, so we ended up being at the music school for over two hours.  Olivia and I both sat in on Jacob’s lessons and he worked some more on Everglow by Coldplay that he’d started four weeks prior before the long break. 

Olivia drew on the whiteboard in there while he learned, and I happily watched both of them.  I love watching my Boo and his teacher together.  On a sad note, while we were there, Jacob’s teacher told me he is taking a new job, so his last lesson with Jacob will be next week (or two days ago as you're reading this).  The school had asked him not to make the announcement to the parents and students quite yet, but he didn’t want us to be blindsided, so he told me anyway.  Y’all probably know I greatly appreciated that since Jacob (and I) don’t like sudden change. 

His teacher gave me his blessing to let Jacob know, too, so he wouldn’t be blindsided at his last leasson, and I was dreading telling him.  He has loved his music teacher from the very first day, so I knew he was going to be crushed. 

While we were in there, we snacked on a bunch of Jacob’s teacher’s DumDum lollipops from his treasure chest, so after we were done at the music school, we grabbed some more from Publix to take back to him to replenish his stash.  We had to stop there anyway since there were things that we had to get that Walmart hadn’t had earlier in the day.

Once the Dum Dums were dropped off with his teacher, we all headed home, and I immediately started putting away the last of the groceries and cooking dinner because it was getting late.  Monday night was sausage, peppers, and onions tacos with tortilla chips and fruit – a staple in our house.

After dinner, I headed upstairs to get in a workout on my stair stepper while the kiddos got showered and ready for bed, and Brian headed out to start mowing the lawn. 

Once the kids were ready for bed, we all watched an episode of Weird But True, and then the kids went to bed.  B and I started the show Shrinking because we’ve heard amazing things about it, and I loved the first episode.  It gave me high hopes for the rest of the season!

 

Tuesday, June 13

Tuesday, we finally had nowhere to be, so I had already told the kids that we were going to have a lazy day at home.  I had a million things to do, and I needed to take some time to get caught up on everything once and for all.

I got up at 7:15, got showered and ready, got the dishwasher emptied, started a load of laundry, watered all of the indoor and outdoor plants, removed my nail polish and repainted my toes, and I ate breakfast, and the kids STILL weren’t awake after all of that.  I guess they were still worn out from the beach.

Jacob finally got up at 9:15 (which is CRAZY late for him), and I made breakfast for him and sat with him while he ate.  Since we were alone together, I took the opportunity to break the news to him about his music teacher leaving.  Y’all, I knew he was going to be sad, but I completely underestimated just how hard it was going to be for him.  He is devastated.  I spent the next little while comforting him and it was just a really tough morning.  I’m so bummed for him, and I pray that this doesn’t affect his passion for the piano.  I really think his teacher has played a big role in that for him.

Olivia finally rolled downstairs just before 10 (crazy!) and I made breakfast for her.  She had a major (random) nosebleed while she was eating, so that ended up delaying her breakfast for a bit.  After that, both kids got settled in with a cartoon, and I headed upstairs briefly to start a load of laundry and start catching up on some blog reading.

After about 20 minutes of catch-up for me, Olivia and I got her letter addressed to her new pen pal and we got it out in the mailbox.  She made a friend while we were at the beach, so they exchanged addresses so they can be old-fashioned pen pals!  Isn’t that so much fun?! 

After that, she and I spent some one-on-one time making bracelets together while Jacob tinkered with his piano.  We made matching red, white, and blue bracelets for 4th of July!

I joined Jacob at his piano after that, and I watched him play a bit, and by the time that was done, it was lunchtime. 

It rained on and off all day Tuesday, so we stayed inside all day.  After lunch, I stripped all of the beds and washed all of the sheets, and then we went through the kids’ uniforms to see what they need for the new school year so I could go ahead and place our order with the uniform company.  I don’t even want to think about them going back to school yet, but the uniform company was having a two-day sale, so I wanted to get our order in during the sale!  They’re also known to backorder stuff foreverrrr so I promised myself that this year I’d remember to order early.  Last year, I think we waited until mid-July and the kids didn’t have some of the stuff they needed until weeks after school started.

Once that was done, I retreated to my office for the next couple of hours to GET STUFF DONE and the kids played video games.

After I wrapped up things in my office, I got all of the sheets back on the beds and I folded all of the towels that had been washed, and then it was time to start dinner.  We did easy turkey and cheese biscuit sliders for dinner.  Brian was originally supposed to have been away playing tennis during dinner, so I always try to pick easy stuff on those nights, but his tennis match was canceled due to the rain, so he ended up being home anyway.

After dinner, the four of us got out for a family walk with Maui since there was a break in the rain, and we made it nearly 1.5 miles before getting back home.  I headed back out on my own after that to get in a walk/run, but my hip/knee/SI joint issue ended up flaring up again, so I ran for part of it and then walked part of it. 

While I was gone, B and the kids watched an episode of Weird But True, and after I showered, we started watching America’s Got Talent. 

Once the kids were in bed, B and I watched another episode of Shrinking, and then we headed to bed, too.  On our way to bed, we always check on the kids, and Jacob was still awake, upset about his piano teacher leaving, so I lay down with him in his bed until he was ready to try to go to sleep.  I knew he was going to be sad about this, but it is heartbreaking how much it has upset him.  It is so hard having sad babies and not being able to do anything for them to make it better.

 

Wednesday, June 14

Wednesday morning, I was awakened at 4:15 by thunder rumbling in the distance, and by 5 AM we had a massive, full-blown thunderstorm with torrential rain.  Olivia ended up in our bed per usual during storms, so between that and the storm, I never went back to sleep. 

I’d hoped to get a few more minutes of sleep at some point so I lay in bed a little later than usual for a weekday, but it stormed for hours, so that never happened.  I finally got out of bed at 7:45 and got showered and ready, and then the kids and I had breakfast.

After breakfast, they watched a cartoon while I finally finished getting caught up on blog reading, and then they got ready, and we got out the door to get them to my parents’ before my appointment with my therapist. 

Thankfully, there was a break in the storms while we were out, but the bottom fell out right as I got back to my parents’ house to pick up the kids.  The weather was pretty extreme on Wednesday, and we were under a tornado watch and a flash flood watch all day, too.

When we got home, I made lunch for the three of us, and then the kids played video games while I worked.  We had so little outdoor time last week because we had soooo much rain.

After lunch, the kids played video games for a bit, and I worked on blog stuff.  I also spent some time thumbing through the new Bibles I’d purchased so I could decide which one to keep and which one to send back.  I ended up settling on the NIV Beautiful Word Bible, but I also found that it comes in different covers, so I ordered one more with a different cover to see which one I like better.  My main issue with the NIV version was that I’m worried the cover will eventually look outdated, and I wanted a more classic option, so I found another option that I’m hoping will fit the bill.  We’ll see.

After that was done, I worked on a couple of organizing projects – all of my purses/belt bags/clear stadium bags/wallets/pouches were in disarray, so I finally got them cleaned out and organized.  Then I also organized all of my bracelets.  I’ve taken up bracelet-making as a hobby, so I have TONS of bracelets now, and I needed to get them all organized so I could see what I have.

By the time that was done, the kids were long done playing video games and they had moved on to playing with their marble run.  It was STILL storming outside, so we were stuck inside for the foreseeable future.

I was just getting started on dinner when my phone rang, and I saw that it was Brian.  He had already texted me to say he was leaving work, so I knew he was on the way home, and the only time he ever calls me on the way home is when he gets stuck in traffic from a wreck to let me know he’s going to be late. 

Well, unfortunately, this time he was calling to tell me that he was the one who had been in the wreck.  Sigh.  Thankfully, he was totally fine, but his SUV was not.  He was actually almost home when it happened – he was only a couple of miles down the road – and he hit a slippery patch in the road.  Once he hit the slippery patch, the car fishtailed and spun out of control, and he couldn’t do anything to get it back on track. 

He ended up spinning around and then plowing up an embankment into some trees backwards.  Thank GOD nobody else was around.  That road that he was on is not terribly busy, but there is usually a pretty steady flow of traffic during rush hour as people are coming home from work.  There are also a lot of dump trucks that go through there because of a business that’s just off of that road, so I’m grateful that none of those were coming through as he lost control.

Thankfully, Brian was totally fine.  He said that he didn’t get hit by anything, and he wasn’t even sore or anything.  And although the vehicle would still start, there was no way he could drive it because the front bumper had fallen off, he was stuck in some trees, and all of the side airbags had deployed.

The spot where it happened is around a very dangerous curve and on a hill, so he told me he didn’t want me to come to him right away because there would be no place for us to safely pull over there.  Instead, he called 911 and waited for a police officer and a tow truck to arrive.

Once the police officer had filed the report, Brian walked to the nearest business, and the kids and I picked him up and took him home from there.  When we got home, B called our insurance company to file the report, and it was actually a very quick process.

Once that was done, we made breakfast for dinner – eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and toast – and it was a late one because of all of the events that had transpired. 

After dinner, the kids got showered and I got in a stair stepper and arms workout, and then we watched a couple of acts on America’s Got Talent before getting the kiddos in the bed.

B and I watched another episode of Shrinking and then we called it a night.

 

Thursday, June 15

Thursday morning, we were awakened really early yet again by more storms that were rolling through.  I got up and got showered, got breakfast for the kids and me, and then I retreated to my office for a bit to get tickets to see Phillip Phillips in concert in Atlanta in October.

Brian was able to work from home Thursday which was a blessing since we only have one vehicle for the foreseeable future.  He got a call from the insurance company first thing Thursday morning saying that he needed to go get everything out of the vehicle so insurance could move it to their facility and inspect it, but they went ahead and told him that it’s likely totaled.  They said when side airbags deploy, that pretty much always results in a total loss of vehicle.  Sigh.

Thursday was rainy yet again, so the kids spent some of the morning starting summer homework (they each have some online work to complete, and they also have to read), and B headed out to grab everything out of his vehicle at the tow place.

While they all did that, I worked on some blog stuff and I got some things done around the house, and by the time all of that was done, it was time for lunch.

After lunch, the kids played with their marble run for a bit, and they also played video games, and I worked on blog stuff.  It was a pretty uneventful afternoon thanks to the weather being yucky again.

For dinner, I made Taco Joes and steamed green beans, and by the time we were done eating, the rain had stopped – THANK GOODNESS.  We were able to get out for a walk around the neighborhood with Maui, and the kids played on the neighborhood playground for a bit as well.

After that, I squeezed in 2.38 more miles on my own while B and the kids headed home.  I tried to run again, but my hip/knee/SI joint issue was still causing problems, so I ended up alternating between jogging and walking… mostly walking.

When I got home, I showered, and then we finished this week’s episode of America’s Got Talent before the kids went to bed.

Once they were in the bed, it was another episode of Shrinking for B and me, and then bedtime.

 

Friday, June 16

Friday morning, we woke up to MORE RAIN – sigh – so the kids settled in for some cartoons after our morning routine, and I got caught up on blog reading and did some blog work.  Mid-morning, I headed out to run some errands – Walmart to do some returns, Walgreens to pick up Father’s Day cards, and then the liquor store and gas station to grab a couple more things – and then I headed home.

Thankfully, the rain stopped before I started my errands, and then it was just cloudy for the rest of the morning.  When I got home, I rounded up the kids, and then we took a trip to the library because Jacob’s book for summer reading was finally available.

My friend, Jeannine, texted me while we were there and asked if we wanted to meet them at one of our favorite local places near our church to have lunch, so we happily agreed and we headed straight there. 

We met up with her and my friend, Heather, plus Heather’s mom and all of our kiddos so we had a big group.  We ended up having to wait a while for a table because the place was packed, but the kiddos didn’t mind because they spent some time playing in the game room they have there… their favorite part.  ;o)

We ended up getting two booths back-to-back right by the game room, so the kiddos all sat together at one while the adults sat at the other.

After lunch, we headed home, and when we walked outside THE SUN WAS FINALLY SHINING.  Amen.

We headed home and spent a little bit of time outside followed by some tidying up followed by some video game time.  I got the Father’s Day gifts wrapped, and I got my office nice and tidy, and B got the lawn mowing done (they let him off early for the three-day weekend), and by the time all that was done it was time to decide what to do for dinner.

None of us were terribly hungry since we’d eaten lunch so late, so I ran out and picked up a light dinner from our favorite local barbecue place.  They have an AMAZING smoked turkey sandwich, and it was all I needed since I was still pretty full from lunch.

After dinner, the kids were begging to play on the playground at their school since it was just installed shortly before they got out for summer break.  So, I called Jeannine and she and the boys met us there for some late evening playground time.  We had the whole thing to ourselves, and we ended up staying until 8:30.  The kids had a whole lot of energy to burn since they’d been stuck inside for so long.

When we got home, the kids got showered and in the bed, and then B and I watched two more episodes of Shrinking.  And y’all, I am UTTERLY OBESSESED with this show.  It is so good.  I had seen high praise everywhere for it, so my expectations were through the roof, and normally when my expectations are that high, I usually end up disappointed. 

Well, I’m here to tell you that it is one of the best shows I have ever seen.  Every single character was cast perfectly and there is not a single one who I do not love.  The character development is excellent, and I fell in love with each of them after just one episode.  The show is clever and witty and laugh-out-loud funny at times, and it’s heart-warming and you’ll laugh and you’ll cry, and you’ll just be downright floored by some of the things that are said. 

I feel like there are just so many excellent nuggets of life advice to take away from every single episode and there are just so many thought-provoking lines.  At the end of episode six, Harrison Ford’s character gives a couple some marriage advice and all he says is, “Stay open.  Two vulnerable people will always find a way to connect.”  Y’all.  If that isn’t the most beautiful and true statement, then I don’t know what is.  That hit home so hard, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I heard it.

I’m telling y’all, this show is just brilliant, y’all.  Brilliant.

 

Saturday, June 17

Saturday morning, we got up and had homemade waffles for breakfast, and then we started doing all the things.  We’d gotten some pinestraw delivered that morning to put down in our landscaping beds, so B headed out to do that while I got in my workout for the day. 

After my workout, I headed outside to clean up behind the straw laying, sweeping off the sidewalks and porches and driveway, and getting all of the loose, dropped straw in the beds.  After that, I watered all of my outdoor plants, cleaned off and changed out the front door mats, planted sunflowers with Olivia, and got all of the plants in my bedroom trimmed and re-soiled.  Whew.  The kids helped and played outside all morning with us, and then we all had a light lunch at home.

Before

After

The afternoon was laundry, finally getting some stuff put away that’s been sitting out for far too long, washing Olivia’s bed canopy that fell down months ago that we haven’t had the chance to put back up, and the kids put away all of their clean laundry.  Then, I finally relaxed outside for a bit and read.

They played video games for a bit after that, and I spent some time reading in the back yard, and then I spent a few minutes working on blog stuff in my office before it was time to get showered and ready for the evening.

We originally had some plans for Father’s Day Saturday evening, but they had to be postponed until next weekend, so we ended up going to 5:30 Mass with my family and then out to dinner with my parents and my Mama Cass instead.  We went to our favorite local Mexican place since we hadn’t been in a while, and then we swung by Dairy Queen for Blizzards on the way home since we hadn’t had that in a while either… we love to support them since our next-door neighbors own it. 

By the time we got home, it was too late to watch anything with the kiddos, so we got them into bed a little early-ish for a Saturday night, and then B and I watched a couple more episodes of Shrinking before we headed to bed.

 

Sunday, June 18

Sunday was Father’s Day, so I got up early and went to grab some donuts from our favorite local place.  We all had breakfast together and gave Brian his gifts after that, and then the kids watched some cartoons while I got in a yoga workout and watched the local sermon that I watch every Sunday morning in addition to attending our own church.

 

My MIL and step-FIL didn’t cook lunch on Sunday, so we decided to take the kiddos to see the live action The Little Mermaid at the movie theater.  They had an 11:45 AM showing, so we were able to get there before the theater got too busy.  We all ended up loving the movie SO MUCH… it was fantastic… definitely my favorite live action Disney movie so far! 

I cried numerous times and pretty much bawled my way through Part of Your World.  The original movie came out when I was just seven years old, so it always brings back sweet memories from my childhood… it was my very favorite Disney movie until Beauty and the Beast came out a couple of years later, and Ariel has always been one of my favorite princesses.  In addition to that, I’ll now always be reminded of our beloved Father Manny’s homily last weekend where he tied that movie and song in with Jesus and how much He loves all of us and wants to be part of our world, and I love that it’ll always have two meanings for me now.  If you haven’t seen the new one yet – GO.  It is excellent and I’m already ready to go see it again!

 

When we got out of the theater, the clouds and rain were rolling in, and the rest of the afternoon ended up being rainy and yucky yet again.  Sigh.

When we got home, Brian and the kids played video games, and I worked on the blog, and then we headed to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.  My Momma made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, black eyed peas, and biscuits – my all-time favorite meal of hers – and it was a great evening hanging out and celebrating my Daddy for Father’s Day.

When we got back home, it was bedtime for the kiddos, and then B and I wrapped up the first season of Shrinking.  It was soooo great, y’all, and I’m already missing it!  I’m excited and ready for season two!

Happy Wednesday, y’all, and here’s to (hopefully) a better week for us!