What’s Up Wednesday - May 2019

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Alright, it’s time to recap the month of May!  It was SUCH a busy month, and I’m sure this post will reflect that.  #AllThePictures

What We’re Eating This Week

Mon – Grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for Memorial Day

Tue – Pulled pork sandwiches, fruit

Wed – Eggs, grits, bacon, toast (we love breakfast for dinner!)

Thu – Momma’s going out with some old coworkers!

Fri – Out again!

Sat – Out again!

Sun – Out at the BEEEEAAAACCCCHHHH!

What I’m Reminiscing About

We’re heading out for our annual beach trip this weekend so I’ve been 100% in beach mode this week, and I’ve been thinking about all of the sweet times that we’ve had at the beach, first as a family of two, then three, and now four.  I can’t wait to soak up some sun and relaxation with my favorite people!

What I’m Loving

Essential oils!!  The more I use them the more I love them, and I’m now using them for all sorts of stuff.  I recently made the famous “Unicorn” roller for stress and anxiety and it is magic, y’all.  If you want to learn more, check out this post from earlier in the month, or you can go straight to this page to learn how to get them for yourself!  I’m already approaching my first two empty bottles and I’ve only been oiling for a couple of months.

What We’ve Been Up To

Yowza.  What haven’t we been up to is the real question.  May was busy in the best of ways.  In addition to all of our weekend shenanigans, we also had lots of other activities going on…

We went to RiverFest here in town and spent the evening hanging with family and friends, drinking beer, and listening to live music.  Recap here.

We wrapped up Jacob’s fourth soccer season.  Recap here.

We attended the school’s spring casino night fundraiser earlier this month.  See the recap here.

Back on May 7 B and I had a quick overnight trip to Birmingham to see Dave Matthews Band at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.  We managed to land fifth row center seats and they were just freaking fabulous!  We grabbed a couple of craft beers and some hot dogs on the way in and we danced and sang the night away.  The weather was absolute perfection… sunny and cool and crisp, and it was one of my favorite concerts to date… and I’ve seen them 23 times!  The next morning we got up and grabbed brunch at Big Bad Breakfast before heading back home.  We eat at BBB in 30A and we love it, so we had to stop at the one in B’ham, too.  It was another crisp, sunny day, so we had brunch on the patio and it was perfection.  B had the French toast and I had sausage cheese biscuit… their biscuits are to die for.  Such a fabulous trip with my fave and it was so nice to get away from all of the May craziness if just for a night!

On May 9, Jacob and Olivia had “Dress Like Your Favorite Teacher” Day at school for Teacher Appreciation Week.  Jacob wanted to dress like his head teacher, so we put him in a yellow school shirt (because yellow is her favorite color) and purple and yellow Mardi Gras beads (because she’s from Louisiana and LSU is her favorite team).  Olivia wanted to dress like her Assistant Teacher so we put her in a floral dress with a denim jacket, because she always wears dresses and denim jackets.  We also put her hair in a braid swept over her shoulder because her teacher wears braids sometimes.  Her Assistant Teacher was so excited that Olivia had dressed like her and they took the sweetest picture together for the school’s social media accounts. 

That same day, Olivia’s class had a Mother’s Day breakfast at school.  We had muffins, donuts, and fruit, and they gifted us the sweetest little plates with their handprints on them.  The teachers had also made a slideshow with pictures of us with our babies when they were babies and, of course, it made me cry.  It was the sweetest morning with my girl!

Later that same day, my family (minus the kids) met at the cemetery to lay my Papa John to rest.  It was a small funeral with close family and friends, and it was actually really lovely.  I have major anxiety over funerals, and while my anxiety did flare up, it didn’t seem to be as bad as it was the last time I had to go to a funeral.  Hello, unicorn roller!  After the funeral, B, my parents, my brothers, my uncle and his friend, and I all went to eat lunch at a BBQ restaurant that we love.  They were packed at lunchtime, so we ended up having to sit in the tables on the bus (they converted an old greyhound bus as part of the restaurant) and we had a really great time hanging out and goofing off like we always do.  Rest in peace, Papa John.

On May 12 we celebrated Mother’s Day and we surprised my Daddy with something extra special.  See the recap here.

On May 19, we watched Olivia perform in her first ballet and tap recital ever!  Spoiler alert, she did great.  See the recap here.

On May 20, Olivia’s class had their end of the year luau and they spent the entire morning playing games, lounging in the baby pools, and playing on the slip and slide.  I volunteered to help and it was the best time even though it was HOT. 

May 22 was Olivia’s Pre-K4 moving up ceremony.  She and the rest of the kids sang five songs on stage (and ROCKED them) and we watched a little presentation that the teachers had put together about the school year.  Yes, I cried.  I just can’t believe my baby is going to be in Kindergarten next year.  Slow your roll, time!

Olivia was officially out for summer after her ceremony, so she and I ran a bunch of errands in preparation for Jacob’s class summer birthday party later that day, and we also managed to squeeze in a little Mommy Daughter pedicure.  It was her very first one and she loved it!  She did, however, manage to smudge one of her toenails within about five minutes of them being done, but they graciously fixed it for her. 

Later that same afternoon was Jacob’s class summer birthday party.  He’s a summer birthday, along with several other students and his teacher, so we surprised his teacher with yellow roses (her fave) and a Target gift card from the class.  After the cupcakes and juice boxes were consumed, the whole second grade class headed to the practice field for a class water balloon fight.  They had over 500 water balloons and it lasted about five minutes.  Haha.  Those kids had so much fun, though!

May 23 was Jacob’s second grade kickball game, one second grade class vs. the other.  B and Olivia and I all went to watch, and then afterward, Olivia and I ate a quick lunch in Jacob’s classroom while the kids ate lunch in the cafeteria.  After we ate, a couple of the other moms came in and we all set up an epic ice cream sundae bar with whip cream, hot fudge, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, M&Ms, Reeses Pieces, marshmallows, cherries, and sprinkles… THE WORKS!  When the kids came back from lunch, they dug in and then Jacob’s teacher presented her “candy bar awards” for the end of the year.  It was so cute.  Each child was awarded a different award that was named after a candy bar, and she explained each award.  Jacob got the “Rolos Award” because he’s “rolling down the right path!”  So cute!  And Jacob's teacher, who is also my sweet friend from high school, gave me a little gift for helping out and being the class room mom this year!  

May 24 was Jacob’s last day of school and it was a half day.  All they did was clean their desks in the morning and then they had one final school mass at 9:30 AM.  Olivia and I joined him, and the homily by our pastor was very touching.  He told the kids to do three things this summer – HAVE FUN, help out around the house and keep their bodies moving, and to say their prayers every day.  They recognized several teachers who are retiring, and then they had the awards ceremony for the middle-school kids, and then it was done.  We headed back to Jacob’s class afterward to grab his report card and give his teachers some hugs and then he was officially out for summer!  Woop woop!

We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating Memorial Day and RELAXING in the sun!  Recap here.

And among all of those events, I still managed to squeeze in two lunches with old coworkers, dinner with my boo, Adrienne, and a girls dinner with my old coworkers.

What I’m Dreading

The summer heat.  Our temps this past week have been absolutely ridiculous.  It’s been around 100 degrees for multiple days and it’s only May.  I have a feeling we’re going to be in for it this summer and I’m sure I’ll be over it by July 5!  Haha.

Also, my summer allergies.  I swear, it's never-ending for me these days.  I suffer for two months in the spring from tree pollen, get about a month of a break in May, and then the stupid grass pollen starts up at the beginning of June and I suffer for at least another month.  The grass pollen has started early this year, probably due to the early excessive heat, so I'm praying that getting away for our beach trip next week will give me some relief!

What I’m Working On

I’ve decided to lighten my load for summer, so I was doing #AllTheThings in the month of May to prepare for that.  Here are a few things I’ve been working on this month, and you can see more in my Monthly Goals post here. 

1. Preparing blog posts for summer in advance.  Lots of fun stuff coming your way this summer, y’all!
2. Preparing the house for summer.  I’m working to switch out the bulletin board in our mudroom area from school mode to summer mode.
3. Photographing all of the kids’ artwork from the last half of the school year and getting it sorted, purged, and filed. 
4. Cleaning out Brian’s office and office closets, getting them decluttered, and organized.
5. Selling our old stuff we no longer want/need.  I’ve finally started using FB Market and I’m loving it!  I’ve made enough money to buy several large things I’ve been wanting for around the house and I’m hoping to have my office and the living room completed very soon!
6. Whittling away at my Master To Do List.  I’ve been crossing 20+ things off the list each month and it feels so good!  You can always follow along in my Monthly Goals posts on the first Friday of every month!
7. And as always, blogging.  In case you missed any of the posts from this past month, see below for the highlights!  There were some pretty great ones this month!

How and Why I Use Essential Oils and Why I’m a Believer

May Goals

What I Ordered from Amazon in April 2019

How to Organize ALL Keepsakes from Your Child’s First 22 Years of Life… Like Everything!!!!

Whimsical Pink and Gold Little Girl Bedroom That is Fit for a Princess

Father’s Day Gift Idea – A Favorite Things Gift Basket

The Top 5 Best Shoes for Kids

And be sure to come back here tomorrow because I’ll be sharing our Family Summer Bucket List for 2019!

What I’m Excited About

We are heading to 30A this weekend for seven glorious nights and eight glorious days!  To say I’m excited is the understatement of the century.

I’m also excited about the release of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 next month and Big Little Lies Season 2!  EEEEK!  They’re both just so good!

What I’m Watching/Reading

Watching – We are all done with Big Bang Theory (I loved the series finale), Shark Tank, Modern Family, American Idol (I was SO MAD that Alejandro didn’t win!), This is Us, A Million Little Things (one of the best shows ever), and all of the other regular season stuff.  We just started The Bachelorette (even though Hannah B. gets on my nerves) and we also just finished Big Little Lies season one.  We finished The Handmaid’s Tale seasons 1 and 2 earlier this month and I cannot rave enough about it!  I’m dying for season 3 to come out next month!

Reading – I just started my first book of the summer, My Oxford Year.  It’s one that everyone loved a couple of years ago, so I've had it on my radar for quite sometime.  I have to say, the first couple of chapters were a bit slow, but I'm now about halfway through and I'm LOVING it.  Perfect summer read!

What I’m Listening To

In the morning, I always listen to Elvis Duran and the Morning Show while I work.  Once that goes off I typically listen to a local radio station or I’ll switch over to my own tunes.  Now that the kids are home for the summer, I won’t be listening to any of that anymore, so I’ll be trading that in for all of our country favorites that are perfect for summer.  We have also had Taylor Swift’s new song on repeat, along with Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s new song (and Ed has a new album coming out this summer!!!!  YAAAASSSS.), and I’m also completely obsessed with Talk by Khalid and Knockin’ Boots by Luke Bryan.  Yes ma’am!

What I’m Wearing

I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago in one of my Five on Friday posts, but it’s worth mentioning again because it’s so darn great.  I’ve fallen in love with a clothing brand at Belk and they have the absolute best line of clothes I’ve ever seen!  They’re kind of like J. Crew meets Lilly Pulitzer (lots of pastels, bright colors, ruffles, and gingham), but for half the price!  And they have stuff for everyone in the family!  Just look at these cute options…

I picked up this tank for myself as well as the matching dress for Olivia and we are going to be totally twinning at the beach next week.  They even have a dress version for women and a romper set for babies.  

Love the ruffled collar on this one.

Green and gingham on this one!

Pom poms on this one!

This one reminds me of Lily.

I wish this one came in my size.

The bows on the back of this one are to die for.

And this outfit for little girls... I DIE!

And finally, they have scalloped shorts in every color and pattern you can think of!  Soooo much cheaper than the ones from J Crew!

I don't think a clothing brand has ever spoken to me more than this one!  I would literally wear every piece they offer!  And for Pete's sake, you HAVE to check out their baby selection.  I need to have another baby just for this!  Haha.

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Packing packing packing and LEAVING FOR THE BEACH!!!!  YAAAASSSS.

What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month

BEEEEACH.  And not having to set an alarm in the morning.  And laying in the sun reading good books.  And tackling that summer bucket list.  And having lots of lazy days with my favorites. 

What Else Is New

Well, my brother and sister-in-law (who just moved back to our hometown late last year) actually just moved away again.  We are so sad to see them go (especially my niece and nephew), but they’re leaving because they both landed their dream jobs at the same time in the same city – Huntsville… because they both got jobs with NASA.  WHAT?!  I know. 

They will both be doing ground control for the international space station and eventually my brother is hoping to be on ground control for the next moon missions in a few years.  My brother has dreamt of working for NASA since he was a little boy… probably since he was eight or nine?  So this is a complete dream come true for him.  And for both he AND my SIL to have landed their dream jobs together?  Well, we just couldn’t be more excited for them!  Cheers to nothing but great things for them in the future! 

Whew, what a month.  Happy almost June, y’all!  And happy beach week to me!

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