Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 47 (Grandma’s, Baseball, and the Super Bowl)

Hello, and happy Tuesday!  Last week was a good one… let’s get right to the recap!

Monday, February 1 (Day 325 of Quarantine)

Monday was grocery shopping day, so I dropped the kids at school and was at Publix by 7:45.  It’s always nice getting there that early because I pretty much always have the whole place to myself… always a good thing, but the absolute best thing during a pandemic.  For some odd reason on Monday, though, there were way more people there than usual, so my trip took longer than usual since I was trying to avoid getting too close to anyone. 

On the way home, I stopped by the post office to drop a couple of packages, and then I got the groceries unloaded and put away.  Just as I was sitting down to work, our entire phone and internet service went out… and not just our personal WiFi… our entire AT&T network.  That meant we couldn’t use the internet at all… not even by jumping off of the WiFi.  I texted B (who was downstairs – LOL) to ask him if he was having trouble only to realize that text messages weren’t going through either. 

I immediately started worrying because I knew if the phones weren’t working that the school wouldn’t be able to reach me in case of emergency, but thankfully, making calls was the one thing that we could actually do.  I ended up having to call my mom at work to get her to Google the AT&T customer service number so we could call to report it.  When your internet goes down, there’s not even a way to find out how to call your service provider to tell them the internet is down.  Lol.  You bet I saved the AT&T customer service number in my phone after that!

B called and was told there was a widespread outage in our area that wouldn’t be restored until 2 PM.  Argh.  So that meant he wasn’t able to work, and I wasn’t able to do much either.  I ended up drafting a couple of blog posts in Word since that was the only option I had.

Everything came back up around lunchtime, and I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up.  Apparently only half of our neighborhood came back up at lunch, so we ended up being part of the lucky ones… people were still posting all the next day that theirs still wasn’t back up.  Yikes.

I grabbed the kids from school at 3, and then on the way back home, we swung by the library to pick up some books that we’d placed on hold.  We dropped Olivia at home, and then Jacob and I had to go back out for a quick doctor’s appointment.  It was blustery and FREEZING cold, so we weren’t looking forward to getting back out, but thankfully, his appointment was lightning fast, and we were back home in 45 minutes round-trip. 

The rest of the evening was spent cooking, reading, taking drawing lessons from Jacob, and reading to the kids.  Jacob loves to draw, and he’s constantly creating his own characters, and he wanted to teach me how to draw his latest character.  My dad is an artist (his actual career), so of course, Jacob wanted to send Pop a picture of our creations.  <3 

And side note, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this here yet, but Jacob’s personality and mannerisms have been changing at a rapid pace lately… especially the last couple of months.  He’s starting to make the transition from little boy to tween, and he’s starting to understand more jokes, and engage in more adult conversations.  It’s so much fun being able to cut up with him so much on a more mature level, but it’s so heartbreaking watching him grow up before my very eyes.  The other day it occurred to me that we are officially more than halfway done raising him, and I couldn’t even believe it.  The years are so short, y’all.

I’ve been seeing that meme that says something like, “Nobody can prepare you for the transition from Ma-ma to Mommy to Mom to Bruh” and I have a feeling we’re just mere months away from “Bruh.”  Lol.

Tuesday, February 2 (Day 326 of Quarantine)

Last week was Catholic Schools Week, so the kids had various dress-up days and activities throughout the week.  Tuesday, they were able to be out of uniform, and they were both so excited… those days are coveted when you wear the same thing day in and day out... just ask me… I know from personal experience!  Ha!

After I dropped the kids at school in their very carefully selected ensembles, I stopped by Fresh Market to grab some chicken, and the rest of the morning and early afternoon were spent catching up from not having internet on Monday. 

Tuesday afternoon, I drove over to my mom and dad’s house to meet up with my dad, and then he and I headed over to my Pop and Grandma’s old house.  My aunts and uncle have been getting the house cleaned out to sell since Grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to go visit it one last time before the new buyer closed on it Friday. 

My Pop and Grandma have lived in that house since 1969, so they lived there my entire life.  I hadn’t been there in years… after my Pop died in 2001, my Grandma pretty much always came to my parents’ house to visit so my mom could cook dinner for her.  Walking in there brought back a rush of memories, and it felt like stepping right back into my childhood since everything was still decorated the same. 

My two aunts (technically step-aunts) were there cleaning stuff out, and they’d put together a whole box of stuff for my dad.  I have a very small collection of old books that belonged to my grandparents, so while I was there, I grabbed an old dictionary from 1956 that belonged to my Pop and Grandma.  We reminisced a little, and then Daddy and I said goodbye to the house one last time, and that was that.

I headed straight to pick up the kids afterward, and then we swung back by my parents’ house to drop Daddy’s big box of stuff from Pop and Grandma’s.  He’d driven his sports car to the house and didn’t have a place to put all of the stuff, so I put it in my SUV to haul for him.  The kids and I stayed and chatted with Daddy for about 30 minutes, and then we headed home.

I cooked dinner while the kids played outside, and then after dinner, the four of us sat down to play a new game that the kids had received for Christmas – it’s called Strike and it’s really simple, fun, and quick.  We squeezed in three games and then it was time for the kids to get ready for bed.  After showers, Olivia and I read together for about 30 minutes, and then B and I caught up on some shows before bed.

Wednesday, February 3 (Day 327 of Quarantine)

Wednesday, I dropped the kids at school, got in a quick/light cardio workout (wasn’t feeling it), and then I worked for the rest of the day while also watching Dawson’s Creek.  I’m so hooked on this show even though I already know what’s going to happen.  Haha.    

B had to run an errand late in the morning, so he picked up Chick-Fil-A for the two of us for lunch, and it was a nice mid-week treat.

Olivia had dance Wednesday evening, so I started a new book while I waited for her.  Since February is Black History Month, I wanted to choose an appropriately themed book, and I jumped on this one after I saw Emily Ley post about it for her book club.  This book is equal parts heart-breaking, eye-opening, and inspiring, and I highly recommend it, especially if you are wanting to be a part of the change for the Black community, but don’t really know exactly how to do it.

After dinner, the kids wanted to play Battleship (Mommy and Daddy vs. Jacob and Olivia) and we ended up barely beating them.  ;o)

While the kids got ready for bed, I picked my book back up and read by the fire for a bit, and then B and I watched New Girl and The Good Place before heading to bed ourselves.

Thursday, February 4 (Day 328 of Quarantine)

Thursday was another light workout followed by some blog work.  I also spent the day getting my ducks in a row for Valentine’s Day, Brian’s birthday, and Olivia’s birthday… all three are in this very short month, so February is always a little chaotic.  This year will obviously be different, but I still had lots to plan and buy!

Jacob had received his new baseball team info and his first baseball practice Thursday evening, so we headed straight home after school to get homework done and eat dinner early before he and B had to leave.  Now that he’s moved up to B-Ball, his age group is in the dreaded late slot.  In prior years, most of his practices and games started around 5:30 and ended around 7, but now, he’ll be starting at 7:15 and ending around 9.  We’re all gonna be on the struggle bus over here soon with those late nights.

His practice Thursday was at 6:30, so he and B headed out a little after 6, and Olivia and I spent the evening together, just the two of us.  She requested to play games, so we played a couple of games each of Battleship and Go Fish… her two current faves.  I squeezed in some reading while she got ready for bed, and then she and I read together in her bed until B and Jacob got home.  One-on-one time with anyone is rare right now since we’re all at home together constantly, so it’s always a treat.

Friday, February 5 (Day 329 of Quarantine)

Friday was dress like a teacher day at school.  Jacob chose to dress like the kids’ PE teacher (he’s all about the athletic clothes!  Ha!) and Olivia wanted to dress like her teacher.  She said that her teacher wears a lot of jeans and tunics, and she always wears her hair down, so that’s exactly what she wanted to do, too.  :o)

Friday was a work-all-day kind of day, and I got a little surprise when I randomly checked the forecast and saw that two days showed a chance of snow!!!!  That has since disappeared (BOOOO), but it’s always thrilling to see it.

I had a major tension head and neck ache after lunch that Ibuprofen wouldn’t touch, so I spent the last hour laying on the couch with an ice pack, watching Dawson’s Creek.  I never take time to just rest or lay around while the kids are at school, so you know I must be feeling really bad when I do.  The ice seemed to help a lot, so I felt much better by the time I had to leave and pick the kids up for school, and by the time we got home, I was feeling great!

When I pulled up at the school, Jacob was practically bursting with some good news, and he couldn’t get it out fast enough.  He said at school during morning announcements, the principal asked all of the kids to point to a classmate who has a heart of Jesus, and he was chosen from his class.  If that news wasn’t exciting enough, Olivia chimed in and said that she was chosen for her class, too!!!!  Both of the kids got to go to the school office to visit with the principal, and she gave them each a “heart of Jesus” ring along with some treats. 

Y’all.  I may or may not have driven the rest of the way home with tears in my eyes.  If there’s anything in this life that I want our kids to be, it’s kind.  This world is just a mess, and all I want more than anything is to raise kind, compassionate kids who will eventually grow up to be kind, compassionate adults.  To know that both of our babies were chosen by their classmates as having a heart of Jesus lets me know that we’re doing something right. 

I texted my parents with the good news when we got home, and they were so excited that they wanted to stop by and bring a little treat (frosted sugar cookies!) for the kids.  We got to spend about 20 minutes talking to them in the driveway, and it was good for the soul.  We just don’t get to see them enough these days.  And please note that this picture was snapped in about 10 seconds, and the rest of the time, we all kept our distance.

After they left, B picked up Five Guys for dinner, and he and I made some Moscow Mules, and then the four of us watched National Treasure.  B and I saw it way back when it first came out, but the kids hadn’t seen it, and we all enjoyed it.  It’s PG, but it’s a little intense at times.  The intensity didn’t bother Jacob in the least, but it may have been slightly questionable for Olivia at times. 

Sometimes it makes me sad to watch our babies growing so quickly, but so many good things also come along with them getting older and more mature… like all of us being able to watch more mature movies together!  I CANNOT WAIT until they are old enough to watch Titanic and Pearl Harbor and The Wedding Planner and Romeo + Juliet and Armageddon and Can’t Hardly Wait and all of those other fabulous movies I loved as a teen!!!!

Saturday, February 6 (Day 330 of Quarantine)

Saturday morning, I always make homemade waffles, but the kids (mostly Olivia) have been requesting pancakes.  My momma makes the best pancakes in the whole world, so I had gotten her recipe to make the previous weekend.  Well, I didn’t realize that the recipe called for self-rising flour and not all-purpose, and they were so dense and heavy (and not cooked all the way through) that we couldn’t even eat them.    

Saturday morning, I tried my hand at them again, and the first few turned out questionable, but once I found my groove (needed more milk so the batter would be thinner and needed to turn the temp down on my griddle), they turned out just like momma’s.  We were able to eat them, and now that I know what I’m doing, I’m hoping the third batch will be even better!

After breakfast, I did a cardio workout, and then I cleaned the entire house top to bottom – vacuuming, mopping, dusting, and scrubbing every toilet and surface.  B made mini pizzas for lunch, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.  Jacob was supposed to have had baseball practice at 2:30, but it was super cold and rainy all day, so it was canceled.   

Saturday evening, we picked up food from a local Greek restaurant (one of my favorites!), and then we watched National Treasure 2 per the kids’ request.  The loved the second one just as much as the first!

Sunday, February 7 (Day 331 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning was church and cinnamon rolls.  Maui seemed to not be feeling well – she was kind of lethargic all morning and she didn’t even get under my feet while I was cooking in the kitchen... that is a sure sign that something is wrong.  She is always under foot when there’s food around. 

After breakfast, I snuggled with her on the couch while B baked some homemade chocolate chip cookies, and then I finally got up to get some things done around the house afterward.  I got in a quick HIIT workout, and then we all had a quick lunch before B and Jacob had to leave to get him to baseball practice.

This season, we now have access to some indoor batting cages, so some of Jacob’s practices will be there.  I wasn’t super excited about the idea of him being anywhere indoors, but B said that the building is wide-open with super high ceilings, and they leave the doors open.  Everyone also wore masks, so that made me feel much better. 

While the boys were gone, I got ready for the day, and Olivia and I played some games and read some books together.  When the boys got home, Jacob and Olivia played video games and then spent a lot of time outside since it was finally sunny, I spent some time in my office, and then B and I got ready for the Super Bowl. 

We always get together with my family for the Super Bowl, so this year was the first year that we weren’t able to do that.  Instead, we had our own little Super Bowl party at home.  B grilled burgers and made homemade guac, and then we had homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

We let the kids stay up late to watch the halftime show, and then B and I hit the hay after the game was over.  Maui started feeling much better after lunchtime, too, so I’m hoping that whatever was wrong has resolved itself.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!