Five on Friday - New Sweater, Great Book, Rothy’s Update, and Kids’ Recommendations

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Well, this week was busy, and it flew by!  We got off to a bit of a shaky start (more on that next week in my weekly recap), but we’re ending strong!  Let’s get to some favorites…

O N E – New Sweater

This sweater has been all over blogland for the last few weeks, and after seeing Heather’s raving review about it, I finally decided to grab one for myself when it went on a lightning deal.  Y’all, I love this sweater!!  It’s the same fabric and weave as this sweater that I’ve raved about for the last few months, but it’s a different style.  The fit is loose, but not unflattering, and it’s long enough to wear with leggings.  The neckline is feminine and beautiful, too, and it’s SO SOFT.  The quality is also top-notch, and it comes in multiple colors… I went with the blush pink, and it’s the perfect shade.  Since the fit is oversized, I sized down to an extra-small (I usually wear a small) and it’s just perfect.  I know spring is on its way, but I’m going to be thanking myself in the fall when I get to wear it on repeat!

 

T W O – Be the Bridge

I’ve already mentioned this book a couple of times here on the blog, but I finally finished it this week, and it was definitely a favorite read.  Like many others, my eyes were opened wide last year to all of the social injustice here in our country, so I am trying my best to do anything that I can to work towards racial healing. 

This book tackles some of the tough issues happening in our nation, and it also covers some of the issues that happened in the past… the ones that got us here in the first place.  Each chapter discusses a different step we can take to “be the bridge” to heal the racial issues that our country is facing, and there are even specific prayers to pray every step of the way. 

Parts of the book are absolutely heart-breaking, but in order to truly put yourself in another’s shoes, I thought that the heart-breaking parts were some of the most important to read.  Overall, I thought this book was very inspiring, and it truly made me want to work harder to do my part to help heal this nation.  I highly recommend this book for anyone hoping to learn how they, too, can be a bridge for racial reconciliation.  It's currently 50% off on Amazon, too. 

 

T H R E E – Rothy’s

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, I’ve been able to wear my Rothy’s a little more in recent weeks, and the more I wear them, the more I love them.  They are truly the perfect shoes, and I swear, they get more and more comfortable each time I wear them.  I did a full review on them in this post here in case you missed it.  And if you’ve been thinking about getting some, but have been hesitant because of the price, I’m screaming GO FOR IT because, in my opinion, they’re worth every single cent.  I have a code that gets you $20 off of your first pair, too, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you’d like me to send it over.  :o)

F O U R – Wonderful Children’s Book

Olivia brings home at least one or two new AR books from school per week, and then she tests on them the following week.  Last week, she brought home the book Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray and Jada Rowland, and I wanted to share it with all of you because it was just so wonderful.  It has a beautiful message that teaches kids about kindness and doing things for others.  I cried the first time I read it to her, and we both absolutely loved it.  If you’re looking for a new book to add to your collection, this is a heartfelt story for people of all ages.   

F I V E – Imagine Ink Coloring Books

My mother-in-law gave one of these Imagine Ink coloring books to Olivia for Christmas, and Olivia loved it so much that she did the whole thing in one sitting.  We bought three more of them for her for Valentine’s Day and, again, she did all three of them immediately… she cannot get enough of them!  Each book comes with a special clear mess-free marker, and the colors and games are revealed on the pages when colored.  They are the perfect affordable birthday party gift at around $5 - $6 each, and they are also great for taking on long trips because you don’t have to worry about the marker making a mess!  Amazon has a huge selection of these, and you can pretty much find them for any of your child’s favorite characters!  Highly recommend!

 

Friday Funnies

 

On the Blog This Week

 Our Week – The One with Quarantine, Week 49 (Brian’s Birthday & the Start of Olivia’s Birthday Celebrations)

This is Seven… Olivia’s Birthday Interview

Happy 7th Birthday to Our Olivia Cate!

Happy Friday, y’all! 

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites.

Happy 7th Birthday to Our Olivia Cate!

My Dearest Olivia,

You are seven and I can’t even believe it!  Although, you pretty much always act like you’re seven going on seventeen, so most the time I have to remind myself that you are not, in fact, a teenager, and that you’re ONLY seven.  Haha.

This past year has been the weirdest one of our lives, but you’ve adjusted to this pandemic existence seamlessly.  As always, you just walk around in your own jolly little bubble, completely unaffected by the chaos that’s going on around you… it takes a LOT for anyone to kill your vibe, and it’s extremely rare to see you flustered or glum. 

This past year, you finished kindergarten in quarantine via virtual learning.  Mommy was devastated that you were robbed of your kindergarten graduation, but in keeping with your easy-going attitude, you weren’t bothered by it in the least.  And you completely ROCKED virtual learning... you learned how to navigate a computer and use Zoom with ease, and you adjusted to virtual learning like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Fortunately, you were able to start first grade in-person, and in true Olivia fashion, you adapted to wearing masks all day immediately, without a single issue.  You are truly the most go-with-the-flow, spontaneous little person, and I feel like I could learn a lot from you. 

You and your BFF are in different classes this year, but you welcomed several new girls into your group of friends, and you love them so much.  Your boy crush from last year is also still going strong, and you’re always telling us how he teases you mercilessly, so maybe the feeling is mutual?

Your behavior at school this year has been impeccable – you never get moved to yellow or red – and your teacher always mentions how bright you are in her texts and emails to me.  You’re only in first grade this year, but you’re reading on a third – fourth grade level… your AR level is currently 3-4.5 and you’re rocking all of your tests!

You chatter nonstop, and when I say nonstop, I mean it.  You are always talking, if not to one of us, then to yourself.  And if you’re not talking, you’re singing.  You sing everywhere you go, and your ultimate favorite place to sing is in the shower.  Every single night, we have our own personal live music experience, because you belt out all of your favorites… and when I say “belt out,” I mean you sing at the top of your lungs, so loudly that we can hear you from any room in the house.  Haha.  Your current favorite shower go-to is “God’s Country” by Blake Shelton… so darn random, but there’s just something about that song that makes you want to sing.  You also love to sing “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2.

Yep, you’re still obsessed with Frozen 2, so much, in fact, that you requested it to be the theme of your birthday cake this year.  You also love Legos, Hatchimals, all of the Disney princesses, and any kind of arts and crafts set.  You will tear up some arts and crafts… this past year you’ve made your way through countless jewelry making kits, purse decorating kits, painting sets, and Magic Ink coloring books.  And you still LOVE to draw and paint.  You are constantly creating, and most of the time for other people… my keepsake box is bursting at the seams with the many cards and paintings that you’ve made for me… I just can’t bring myself to get rid of any of them because they’re all so dang cute.

One thing you stopped doing this year was dressing up.  For the first six years of your life, you were almost always in a costume around the house, but this past year, you decided that you’d rather not wear clothes at all the majority of the time.  Lol.  You do still occasionally throw on a costume, but these days it’s more like a fashion show where you put one thing on, parade around in it for two minutes, and then move on to the next one.

Your favorite costumes to wear these days are your old dance recital costumes, which reminds me that I must mention that you are still going strong in dance class… for the third year running!  You are taking the combo class again this year, but in addition to just ballet and tap, you’re also taking jazz, and it turns out you like jazz most of all!  You have gotten so limber this year, and you’re constantly stretching and practicing your splits all over the house.  You have nearly perfected the front split, and you’re getting closer and closer to having that side split down, too.  Your recital is coming up, and you’ve been showing us all of the new things you’ve been learning in class.

You are still loving your pierced ears, and this past year, you learned how to change your earrings on your own.  I never even had to assist you… one day you just decided to do it and you’ve been doing it on your own ever since.  Your earring collection has grown by leaps and bounds, and you love nothing more than to go browse your collection to find the perfect pair to compliment the current holiday, season, or outfit.

This past year, you’ve also discovered a love for video games, namely Minecraft, Super Smash Bros, and Zelda.  You and Jacob love to play them together, and I think you’d both play every day if we’d let you.  Video game time is one of your most favorite times of day on the weekends.

Peanut butter and jelly is still your go-to choice for every meal, but just recently you informed us that pancakes have officially usurped PB&J for that #1 spot in your heart.  Because of that, I finally got Cokie’s perfect pancakes recipe so I can make your favorite food for you.  You also still love cheese dip and refried beans from the Mexican restaurant and your favorite snack is a spoonful of peanut butter, a Larabar (kids version), fruit snacks, or Babybel cheese.  And you only drink water.  All these years later, you still won’t touch anything else.  Literally.  Water all day, every single day.

You love telling little made-up stories and you never cease to crack up your brother… he is always laughing at something you’ve said or done.  You also love to tell us about your dreams when you remember them.  Most are good, but sometimes you’ll have a bad one to tell us about, and you seem to relish telling us about the bad ones the most.

You love attention, and you need companionship just as much as you need the air in your lungs.  You hate being alone, and spending time with someone is all you ever want in life.  As a matter of fact, you never are alone… you pretty much refuse to be!  Haha.  You’d much rather sit alongside me while I’m working, than be doing something fun off on your own.  I’m certain that your love language is quality time, and your favorite person to spend that time with is Jacob.  Your sweet brother/sister friendship is simply the best.

You’re still a slob.  Yep, there’s no nice way to put it.  Haha.  You are a little tornado, constantly leaving Hatchimals, paper scraps, crayons, blankets, and beads in your wake.  You literally take your clothes off and leave them in a heap wherever you happen to be standing, you drag blankets and pillows around with you constantly and you leave them all over the house.  You put your fuzzy PJ pants and fuzzy socks on when you’re cold, and then you take them off five minutes later when you get hot, leaving them in a pile in some random spot in the kitchen or living room. 

Your idea of cleaning is literally just shoving stuff in places to get it out of sight, and I’m constantly finding socks in toy bins, stuffed animals under the couch, markers under the bed, and paper literally everywhere.  I’m not going to lie, it drives me INSANE because we could not possibly be more different when it comes to tidiness and cleanliness.  I just pray you marry a man who is much tidier than you, so you and your family don’t live in complete filth one day.  Haha.  I also pray that he is able to look past your VERY messy tendencies. 

You are one in a million, Olivia Cate, and God most definitely broke the mold when he made you… there is never a dull moment when you’re around!  You are always a ray of sunshine in this sometimes-dark world, and I hope you always choose to walk in the light as you have these past seven years.  We love you so!

Love,

Mommy

Birthday Letter - Age 2

Birthday Letter - Age 3
Birthday Letter - Age 4
Birthday Letter - Age 5

Birthday Letter - Age 6

This is Seven… Olivia’s Birthday Interview

Our baby girl is going to be seven tomorrow, y’all!  SEVEN.  Time is just a flying…

I interviewed her last week, same questions that I ask the kids every year, and this is what she had to say… as always, my commentary is in parentheses. 

1.    What is your favorite toy?  “My favorite toy is… uh, lots of different  things… all of my princess dolls and then Hatchimals and then the Imagine Ink marker things.  Those are all of my favorite things.”

2.    What is your favorite stuffed animal?  “SHEEPIE!!  You knew I was gonna say that, right?”  (She literally answered this exact same way last year.  Haha.)

3.    What is your favorite game?  “My favorite game is Saint Memory Game and Strike.”  (Saint Memory Game is one of those card matching games, and this one is of a bunch of the saints… can you tell we’re Catholic?  Haha.)

4.    What is your favorite sport?  “Ballet.  Of course, ballet.”

5.    What is your favorite book?  “My favorite book is I am a Bunny.  Hehe.”  (Still going strong since last year!)

6.    What is your favorite TV show?  “TV Show… Frozen 2 and Gabby’s Dollhouse.”

7.    What is your favorite movie?  “Movie?  Frozen 2.  And my favorite Netflix show is Gabby’s Dollhouse.”  (Gabby’s Dollhouse is a brand new show on Netflix and it’s really cute if you’re looking for something for your little ones to watch!)

8.    What is your favorite song?  “Song… hmmmm… maybe This is Gonna Get Stuck Inside Your Head and Queen Whatevra song… and Frozen 2 songs!!  Not Dave Matthews Band.  Hehe.”  (Y’all, she totally just trolled me!!!!  Hahahaha.)

9.    What is your favorite band or singer?  “Band or singer?  My favorite singer is Taylor Swift!” 

10. What is your favorite holiday?  “My favorite holiday is Christmas.”

11. What is your favorite season?  “My favorite season is winter ‘cause that’s when my favorite holiday is so that makes total sense.”

12. What is your favorite color?  “Hot pink.  If you want, you can just say pink.”  (Love her for instructing me on what I can and cannot type.  Haha.)

13. What is your favorite animal?  “My favorite animal is a kangaroo.”  Me: “That’s random!”  Olivia: “Yeah, it hops and I love hopping, plus I just love the animal individually.”  (Where does she come up with this stuff?  That is so random… literally the first time I’ve ever heard her say this.  Lol.)

14. What is your favorite shirt?  “My favorite thing to wear is… is there a question that says what are your favorite PJs?”  Me: “No.”  Olivia: “Well then my favorite dress is that PJ nightgown that you guys gave me for Christmas.  That’s my favorite kind of dress and shirt in my whole entire room.  That one that you gave me that matches Sheepie.”  Me: “That’s not technically a shirt or dress, though.  It’s a nightgown.”  Olivia: “My actual favorite dress in my closet is that pineapple pink one?  That one.”  (Yes, indeed, she does adore that dress.  That’s her Panama City Beach Pineapple Willy’s dress.  Haha.)

15. What is your favorite fruit?  “My favorite fruit?  I like raspberries and blackberries.  Definitely NOT bananas.  I hate bananas.  So does Jacob.”

16. What is your favorite vegetable?  “My favorite vegetable?  Broccoli and green beans.”  (This is true.  She does actually eat those two things… about the only healthy things she will eat!)

17. What is your favorite snack?  “My favorite snack… ummmm… is there one that says favorite breakfast and lunch?”  Me: “There’s a favorite treat, drink, and thing to eat for dinner, so this question is for snacks.”  Olivia: “Okay, my favorite snack is fruit snacks and those little chocolate bears (she’s referring to Teddy Grahams), or if I could have it for a snack, it would be a peanut butter and jelly.  Oh wait, a spoonful of peanut butter!!”  (Girlfriend loves the PB.)

18. What is your favorite treat?  “My favorite treat – gum, Oreos, and maybeeee uh, maybe, maybeeeee, uhhhh, those chocolate covered Oreos like those Oreos that have the white frosting and the brown frosting to the chocolate.”  (She’s officially said gum three years running!  And I think she’s referring to the white chocolate covered Oreos that we have at Christmastime.)

19. What is your favorite drink?  “My favorite drink is water.”  (Literally the ONLY thing she ever drinks.  Ever.  Like for years, she has drunk nothing else but water.)

20. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?  “Favorite thing to eat for dinner… let’s see… my favoritest thing is when we have Five Guys and I get to have PB&J, and two, Digiorno.”  (Y’all, first of all, when she says peanut butter and jelly when we have Five Guys, she’s referring to the times where we all want Five Guys and she doesn’t, so she gets to eat peanut butter and jelly instead.  Lol.  Also, we get takeout from some amazing pizza places, but this girl prefers Digiorno.  Whyyyy?!)

21. What is your favorite restaurant?  “My favorite restaurant… Longhorn.”  (Y’all.  We hardly even eat at Longhorn… we literally only go there when a family member chooses it for their birthday.  She only loves it because they serve Kraft macaroni and cheese and that’s her favorite kind.  Lol.  As a matter of fact, when I make Kraft mac and cheese at home, she always calls it Longhorn mac and cheese.  Lol.)

22. Who is your best friend?  “Aubrey, Athena, aaaand Kaleigh.  And Ally and Emmie in my ballet class.”

23. What makes you feel happy?  “When I was a baby, YOU, Daddy, Jacob, and Maui.”  (I asked her why she started that sentence with, “when I was a baby” and she didn’t have any good answer for me.  Lol.)

24. What makes you feel sad?  “What makes me feel sad?  When friends start to not like me, so I just cry.  And two, today made me sad because I didn’t get to play on the playground or play on the iPads when we did indoor recess.”  (Girlfriend hates a rainy day when she can’t play outside… and I also asked her where the first part came from and she didn’t have an answer for that either.  Haha.)

25. What are you afraid of?  “I’m afraid of… cockroaches.  And thunder when it’s super duper loud.  Sometimes I’m afraid of thunder when it’s kind of calm actually.  Thunder… and lightning, too.  Lightning is kind of like the sun in the night, but it always scares me ‘cause it flashes at a random time and that’s how it scares me.”

26. What are you thankful for?  “I’m thankful for you, me, Daddy, Jacob, and Maui.  And my whole entire family – my cousins, my grandparents, everybody.  And I’m thankful for Sheeeepieeee!”  *Turns to Maui* “Maui, did you hear that?  I’m thankful for you, girlie!” 

27. What are you really good at?  “What I’m really good at… I’m good at time, and I’m good at math, and lots of things like reading and stuff.”  (She’s learning how to tell time right now in class, so I’m sure that’s where that came from.)

28. What is your best memory?  “My best memory?  My best memory, let me think… on snow days when I was little.”  Me: “That’s it?”  Olivia: “Yeah… and two, some pictures remind me of my memories, like Jacob holding me when I was a baby… like that picture up on your bulletin board.”  (She literally said the exact same thing last year about the picture of her and Jacob!)

29. What do you want to be when you grow up?  “Elsa… a ballerina… and two, I want to be in plays and when the plays have a princess, I always want to be the princess.”  (Three years running for Elsa and a ballerina, y’all!)

30. If you could have one wish, what would it be?  “To fly in the sky without an airplane, without angel wings, without anything!”  (She said fly last year, too!)

Happy almost birthday to our favorite gal! 

Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 49 (Brian’s Birthday & the Start of Olivia’s Birthday Celebrations)

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

After weeks and weeks of rain, gloom, and cold weather, the sun finally started shining this weekend, so we are rolling into this Monday feeling pretty darn good… even though it’s raining again today.  Haha.  This past week we celebrated our best guy’s 43rd birthday, and we also started celebrating our best girl for her birthday as well.  Let’s get into the recap!

Monday, February 15 (Day 339 of Quarantine)

The kids were out of school on Monday for President’s Day, and the weather was awful, so we spent the entire day at home.  It was cold and it rained nonstop all afternoon, so we were verrrry lazy.  I spent some time reading in the morning, then the kids tackled some homework, and then the kids and I sorted through two huge bags of jewelry that belonged to my Nana.  My parents are still going through and cleaning out all of her old stuff, so they keep on sending stuff our way.  Olivia particularly loved this butterfly clip, so she kept it.  <3

Jacob’s baseball practice was canceled yet again for Monday evening, so we spent a quiet evening in with leftover pasta, wine, the rest of American Idol that we hadn’t finished from Sunday, and then The Bachelor.

Tuesday, February 16 (Day 340 of Quarantine)

Tuesday morning, we woke up to a light dusting of snow on the rooftops and the potential for black ice on the roads.  One of the back roads near our house was a little dicey, but our commute ended up being nice and smooth.  The kids were delighted to see all of the snow-covered rooftops, and Olivia whined, “NOT FAIR!” about a hundred times on the way to school because we didn’t get actual good snow that she could play in.  Haha. 

That said, we were absolutely heart-broken and devastated watching the disaster unfold in Texas last week.  All of that snow and below-freezing temps + the power outages made for an absolute nightmare for many Texans, including several of our family members and friends, and our hearts go out to all of you.  Our weather here is pretty comparable to the weather in Dallas, so I was in complete disbelief at all of the snow and sustained temps near zero degrees.  I can’t even imagine what things would be like here if that happened, and I’m praying we never find out.  Our city isn’t remotely equipped for that kind of weather. 

After I dropped the kids at school, I headed straight to the grocery store, and it was nearly empty as it usually is at 7:45 in the morning.  I had to stop and get gas on the way home, and wooooweeee, was it cold.  The wind chill was in the teens and the air felt so cold and wet that I thought my hand was going to get stuck to the gas pump.  Yeesh.

The rest of the day was spent catching up on a few things, working, prepping for upcoming birthdays, and meeting with my therapist.  I’m STILL having daily tension headaches – sometimes debilitating – and she advised that I get some testing done to see if I’m deficient in a particular nutrient or having some kind of hormonal imbalance.  I mentioned to her that I’d stopped taking my Flonase, and she said that could be the cause, too.  She said that she takes Flonase daily and if she forgets to take even a single dose, she gets a headache.  I’m thinking that may be the culprit…

I grabbed the kids from school at 3 and Jacob and Olivia were both all a chatter about their Fat Tuesday class parties.  Both of them were adorned in beads, and Olivia's teacher had given her a pretty mask.

Jacob’s baseball coach asked me to be the team mom for this spring season, and I had a team mom meeting Tuesday evening.  I’ve never been a baseball team mom before, so there was a lot to take in and learn – concession duty, raffle tickets, barbecue sales, end-of-season celebrations and trophies and gifts for the coaches.  Obviously, things will be a lot different this season because of Covid, but it’ll still require a good bit of planning on my part. 

The meeting lasted about 25 minutes and I was relieved that it was quick because about 90% of the other moms weren’t wearing masks… it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if we had been outside, but we weren’t.  I was pretty shocked considering our league has tons of safety precautions in place… our coaches and kids always wear them at practice, so it was a bit mind-blowing that there were only two of us in the room wearing them.

After the meeting was over, Jacob had his baseball uniform fitting.  He has alternated between #11 (for Jake Fromm from UGA) and #34 (for Hershel Walker from UGA) for the last seven seasons of baseball and soccer, and he was excited to get his first choice of #11 this season after having #34 for the last two seasons. 

By the time we were done, it was nearly 6:30, so we grabbed Panera on the way home since I had zero time to cook.  B and Olivia were waiting for us at home with a fire in the fireplace because it was FREEZING. 

Wednesday, February 17 (Day 341 of Quarantine)

Wednesday was a dance workout followed by work and birthday gift-wrapping, and then after I grabbed the kids from school, Olivia had dance class.  She was extra excited when she got back in the car because they finally started learning their ballet, tap, and jazz routines for their big recital in May.  Not sure what that recital will look like this year due to Covid, but I’m assuming they’ll figure out some way to have it safely just like they did last year.

The boys had just left for baseball when we got home, so Olivia did her homework and practiced her splits while I prepped everything for dinner and got lunches made for the next day.  We still had some time to kill after that, so she showered and then we read some of her AR book together.  She’s in first grade this year but her AR level is 3-4.5 (third and fourth grade level) now, so she’s reading long chapter books now and rocking them! 

I had breakfast for dinner on the table as soon as the boys walked in the door, and then we got both of them off to bed just before 8:30… later than usual, but baseball seems to cause that a lot. 

Thursday, February 18 (Day 342 of Quarantine)

Thursday, I spent the whole morning researching primary care physicians.  I haven’t had a primary doctor since my early 20’s, because most of the time when I have an issue, it’s something that one of my specialists needs to handle (midwife/OBGYN, allergist, ENT, gastroenterologist, dentist, optometrist, etc.).  The few times I’ve been sick and needed antibiotics, I’ve just used one of the local urgent care facilities, so I’ve never made it a priority to have a PCP. 

I’ve been meaning to find one for over a decade now, and have never taken the time to do so, but at the urging of my ENT doctor last year, I finally started to research them last March.  Just when I narrowed my search to a few, the pandemic started, and all of them stopped taking new patients.  Argh.  At my recent visit with my allergist last month, he urged me to try again now that everyone knows how to operate in a pandemic, so I started my search again.

Y’all, I have been fretting over this decision so much… I know exactly what I’m looking for in a doctor, but it’s so hard to find one that checks all of the boxes.  The most important thing to me when looking for one (aside from competence, of course) is good bedside manner.  I want someone who is going to actually care about me and listen to me and not try to rush me out the door so they can move on to the next patient.  I LOATHE when the nurses handle everything and then the doctor is only with you in the room for two minutes. 

I’d also love to find someone in a smaller office so the wait times aren’t super long, and it’d also be really nice if I don’t have to drive to the other side of town to get there.  I’m also leaning towards wanting a female doctor because it just seems that she would understand the female body better than a male would since she lives in one.  Haha. 

And while older doctors who have been practicing for decades are usually my favorite because they have so much experience, I do not want someone who is going to retire in the next few years, because then I’ll be right back where I started – without a doctor.  I need somebody who can be in it for the long haul with me, but I also don’t want to see somebody who is brand new and has no experience.  Is this all too much to ask?  Haha. 

So anyway, I turned to Facebook to ask for recommendations from friends and family first, I researched all of their suggestions, and I finally narrowed it down to two.  Now I just have to make the final decision and make the appointment.  Whew.  If you’re still reading this, then God bless you… I’ve been rambling on forever.

Anyhoo, Thursday evening, Jacob had baseball practice at the indoor cages, so it wasn’t canceled despite the fact that it had rained all day yet again.  Olivia and I hung out at home, reading together and then doing her seventh birthday interview.  I cooked dinner and had it on the table when the boys got home, and then it was time for the whole showers and bedtime rigamarole. 

B and I watched some TV as we always do, and B was kind enough to rub my neck because I’d had yet another horrible tension headache all day.  Yet another reason I need to get to the doctor…

Friday, February 19 (Day 343 of Quarantine)

Friday, I dropped the kids at school and worked most of the morning, and then mid-morning, I left to run a few errands.  Jacob’s baseball practice was canceled yet again Friday evening because of all the rain we had, so we were able to have another quiet Friday night at home.

I took down all of the Valentine’s Day decorations while Brian finished working, and the kids played outside.  Then we got Mexican takeout, poured some margs, and watched Flora and Ulysses on Disney+.  We’ve watched so many movies during this pandemic that we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, y’all.  Lol.

Saturday, February 20 (Day 344 of Quarantine)

Saturday morning, I made my momma’s pancake recipe and finally got it right… third time was a charm, I suppose!  I’ve always made homemade waffles, so I’m no pancake expert.  But since Olivia declared pancakes to be her favorite food just recently, I decided I should probably find a good recipe for them. 

After breakfast, I spent some time in my office meditating, reading my devotional, and doing my daily Lenten video.  During Lent, I’m trying to spend more time in quiet time, so I’ve been taking my time each morning with it. 

After my quiet time, I got in a very quick cardio workout, made the bed, tidied up a few things, and started some laundry, and by the time I was done, it was time to get ready and eat a quick lunch.  Jacob had baseball practice at 1, and we decided that we’d all go since it was Brian’s birthday and the weather was beautiful. 

For Covid precautions, they don’t want parents and siblings hanging around too much during practice, so Brian, Olivia, and I did a couple of laps around the park, and then caught the last half of his practice from a distance.  I hadn’t been to a practice this season, so I was finally able to see what Jacob and his teammates could do… they’re all looking pretty darn good and we’re thinking that he could end up having a pretty good season.  I guess we’ll see…

We got home mid-afternoon, and my parents dropped by to see Brian for his birthday and to bring us some leftovers – yassss!  We hung out with them outside for a bit, and it was a nice visit, especially since the weather was so lovely.

Saturday evening, B requested pizza from one of our favorite local places for his birthday dinner, so I made the quick drive over to pick it up, and then we all enjoyed it together back at home.  I always get B a new beer to try on his birthday, preferably one that has a new bottle cap for his beer cap map, so he and I tried one of the new ones with dinner, and it was so delicious. 

After dinner, B opened his gifts and then we busted out the cupcakes that I’d bought for his birthday so the kids could go ahead and have theirs.  B and I were still too stuffed.  After that, we watched The Neverending Story per Brian’s request and he and the kids both enjoyed it.  I, on the other hand, thought it was one of, if not THE, worst movie I’ve ever seen.  Hahahaha.  I know it’s one of those movies you probably have to see when you’re a kid to appreciate, and I never saw it.  And if I did, I don’t remember it.  But anyway, I just did not understand all the hype around that movie, and apparently most of my Instagram followers didn’t either as I took a poll and 71% of people thought it was terrible, too.  Hahahaha.

The kids had a slumber party in Jacob’s room for the second night in a row, and then B and I headed back downstairs to watch some more of our shows and dig into the delicious cupcakes I’d gotten him for his birthday!

Sunday, February 21 (Day 345 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning was cinnamon rolls and virtual mass, and then I started prepping for the week ahead before getting ready for the day.  We had a socially distant outdoor lunch planned at my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law’s house to celebrate Brian’s and Olivia’s birthdays and we were SO excited.  We hadn’t seen them since our weird, outdoor Christmas celebration and it was LONG overdue.

My MIL and step-FIL cooked all of our favorite things, and we all sat outside on the back deck and ate at separate tables.  The weather was incredible, y’all!  Just incredible.  It was 63 degrees and sunny, and there wasn’t a single cloud in the whole sky.  Seriously just perfect, and it was exactly what we all needed after being cooped up at home for weeks on end with all of the yucky weather. 

Brian and Olivia both opened their gifts and then we had cookie cake for dessert per Olivia’s request.  We were all enjoying the weather and the visit so much, but sadly, we had to call it a day just after 3 because we had to get Jacob to baseball practice.  We’re hoping that the weather will be nice all the time soon enough so we can start getting together again for lunch more often. 

Brian took Jacob to baseball practice while Olivia and I hung back at home.  She had just received a bunch of birthday loot, and all she wanted to do was put together her new Lego sets and do her Magic Ink books!  I did some work while she did her new activities in my office, and then I got dinner on the table just as the boys got home… leftovers from my momma!  Yum yum!  It was a wonderful weekend and a great way to celebrate two of my favorite people!

And now for a few current things…

Currently Reading

 

For the month of February, I read Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison in honor of Black History Month, and I cannot tell you how much it spoke to me.  It was equal parts heart-breaking, informative, and inspiring, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking to learn more about what you can do to help pursue racial unity. 

 

Currently Watching

 

We’ve been watching The Bachelor, This is Us, Shark Tank, Saturday Night Live, and All American on TV, and we’re also working our way through New Girl and The Good Place on Netflix.  New Girl is absolutely the cutest and funniest show and I am OBSESSED with it, y’all!  I heart Nick so much.  I’m also still working my way through Dawson’s Creek while I work… it was my favorite show when I was a teen (aside from Friends, of course), and I’m loving revisiting it all these years later. 

 

Currently Listening To

 

I’ve been shuffling my entire music library since the beginning of this month, and it’s been so fun to listen to some songs I haven’t heard in, probably, years.  I have 5,000 songs in my library and my taste in music is verrrrry eclectic, so you just never know what’s going to pop up – Dave Matthews Band, Shai, ACDC, NKOTB, LSG, Blake Shelton, Counting Crows, Led Zeppelin, Nsync, Boyz II Men, 311, Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Claude Debussy, Lauren Daigle, The Beatles, Weezer, Sublime, MercyMe, Lil Jon – I could go on forever!

Happy Monday, y’all!

*Linking up with My Glittery Heart, The Other Side of the Road, and The Sirois Family for Hello Monday.