Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 57 (Millionaire Bash and G-Day Game)

I’ve been contemplating for weeks just how and when I’ll be able to stop titling these weekly updates as being in quarantine.  I know we’re not technically quarantining anymore as the kids are at school and going to baseball and dance, but since we haven’t resumed all normal activities like indoor meals with close family, dinners at restaurants, attending church, and so many more things, we’re still anything but normal over here.  Therefore, I’m just going to continue to title them as “quarantine” so when we look back, the pandemic recaps will be easy to identify.  I should probably try to find a word that’s more generic or less extreme to describe our circumstances now, but since I’ve been using the word “quarantine” throughout this whole ordeal, I’m just going to keep on calling it that to keep everything neat and clean.

Now that I’m done with my random ramblings this morning, are y’all ready for last week’s recap?  It was such a good one!

Monday, April 12 (Day 395 of Quarantine)

Monday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then headed straight to Walmart.  I try to avoid Walmart as much as possible, so I hadn’t been in months, but we’re in need of a new blow-up pool for the back yard, and they always have the best prices in the store.  Our last blow-up pool lasted three years and was still going strong at the end of last summer, but we accidentally left it crumpled up outside, and it ended up covered in mildew that was impossible to clean so we trashed it.  $25 for three years of constant use was money well spent, so I headed out in search of the very same pool (or a better one if such a thing existed). 

I ended up finding the exact same pool we purchased three years ago, and at just $24.97 I couldn’t put it in my cart fast enough.  It’s 10-feet long, so it’s HUGE for a blow-up pool, and the kids spend hours in there during the summer.  I wish I could link it for y’all here, but for some reason, Walmart doesn’t have it listed on their website right now. 

Anyhoo, after my Walmart trip, I swung by the library to return some books.  After nearly a year of being closed, the book drops are FINALLY open again.  For the longest time, you could only return books during library hours, because they had to be returned to big plastic bins that they would set out front every day, so I’m happy to have the convenience of being able to return them any time we want now.  I try to run all of my errands right after dropping the kids at school at 7:30 AM, so it was always hard to find a time to return books when the library didn’t open until 10 AM.

The rest of my day was spent working and doing laundry, and then I grabbed the kids from school right at 3.  We headed straight back home for homework time and an early dinner, and then Jacob had a baseball game at 7:15.  The game was SO close, and we ended up losing 13-12 in the last second of the game.  Sigh.  Our boys all played so well, and it was such a bummer that they couldn’t finally get their win.  We’ve only had one all season which is a bummer, but many of the games have been close.  Jacob struck out once and was walked once, and he ended up scoring a run.

All of the grandparents were there, including my parents who were celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary that day!!!!  They’ve been together since my mom was just 14, so they’ve been together for 48 years!  Can you even imagine?!

This season, nearly every player on Jacob’s team has a little sister or two, so the little sis girl gang is HUGE, and Olivia has just been living her best life during every game.   She has made fast friends with several of the girls, and also a couple of little sisters from other teams, and she has had an absolute blast running around with them while we watch the games. 

Monday night, she and two of her friends all made up a dance routine together and it was just the sweetest thing.  She reminds me so much of myself when I was her age (although a little messier, a bit clumsier, and a lot more outgoing – haha) – and seeing her with her friends brought back sweet memories of making up dance routines with my own friends.  We were constantly making up dance routines when we were younger… I still remember some of them.  Ha!

B and I had driven separately because of his crazy work schedule, and the kids opted to ride home with him after the game, so I found myself alone in my car at night.  What’s a girl to do in that situation?  Open the sunroof and blast aaaallll the 90’s R&B and rap that I can’t listen to in the car with the kids, of course!  Haha.  Since we’ve been in this pandemic, I haven’t been going out and meeting with friends in the evening, so I couldn’t even remember the last time that I drove alone at night.  So crazy.

It was another late game, so it was another late night, and the kids didn’t get into bed until 10.  B was able to make it to the game, but he had to resume work when he returned home, so I hung out with Maui once the kids were in the bed, and then B and I called it a night when he finished working around 10:30. 

Tuesday, April 13 (Day 396 of Quarantine)

Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then headed back home for a run.  At this point, I feel like my body has the stamina to hang with it for a lot of miles, but my lungs, unfortunately, do not.  It is a struggle every. single. time. with my lungs and I hate that they’re always holding me back!

After my run, I got showered and dressed, and then it was work work work work work (to the tune of Rihanna) all day.  I’m the room mom for Jacob’s class yet again this year, and the time has come to organize the class donation for their annual home and school spring fundraiser.  I’ve been collecting contributions from the parents, and now that most of the money has been collected, I spent the afternoon deciding what exactly to include in our donation for our “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” theme.  I did some shopping online and I ended up having way too much fun putting it all together!

Tuesday evening, Jacob had baseball practice at 6:30, so we had an early dinner, and then I took him to practice.  B was still finishing up on the same thing he’d been working on Monday for work, so he ended up having to work into the evening hours again. 

By the time Jacob and I got back home, Olivia was all ready for bed, and when I peeked at her, she was in her bedroom praying her rosary.  Y'all!!  

After the kids went to bed, B and I had an episode of All American and This is Us to watch, so we settled in on the couch for those and then got to bed.

Wednesday, April 14 (Day 397 of Quarantine)

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then did a yoga for strength workout.  It left my arms feeling like Jello, but in the best kind of way!  The rest of the day was spent working and photographing clothes to list on Poshmark, and the day was over in the blink of an eye.  While Olivia was at dance I caught up on all emails from both inboxes and I listed the items I’d photographed on Poshmark.  It was a very productive day, indeed!

By the time we got home from dance, the boys were already gone for baseball practice, so Olivia and I did some sidewalk chalk per her request, and then she got showered while I prepped for dinner.  Practice ended a few minutes early so the boys got home earlier than expected, and we actually had some time to watch American Idol during dinner since things weren’t so rushed to get them in the bed at a decent time.

The kids were both actually in bed on time, which is rare this time of year during baseball season, and B and I were able to have a couple of hours of TV time before calling it a night.  Did y’all see that Jamie Foxx has a new sitcom on Netflix?  We watched episode one Wednesday and I liked it so much! 

The show is a family comedy, but it’s definitely rated PG-13 as there is a little bit of language and also some weed references and other inuendo in the first episode alone.  It’s filmed in that old-school 90’s sitcom way… there’s a laugh-track and it’s a bit cheesy in that the characters stop what they’re doing and speak directly to the camera at times, but it was so dang funny.  B and I both laughed out loud on several occasions and I’m sure we’ll end up watching the whole first season.  Episodes are only 25-30 minutes each, and there are only eight episodes in the first season, so we’ll probably be done with it in just a few days. 

If you loved the old 90’s family sitcoms like Family Matters, Full House, Step-by-Step, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, etc. then you’ll enjoy this one.  If you didn’t enjoy those old sitcoms then this show is probably not for you.  Although, it is Jamie Foxx, y’all!!  Gosh, I just love him.

Thursday, April 15 (Day 398 of Quarantine)

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then spent the rest of the day working and shopping online for more items for the school auction basket. 

Jacob had a baseball game Thursday evening, so I cooked an early dinner and then we headed to the ballpark.  Our boys were on fire all night batting, pitching, and fielding, and we ended up winning 11-9!  Jacob is mostly playing centerfield this season along with the occasional second base (his position last year), and he had two really great fielding plays in this game.  He hasn’t seen much action in the field this season, so it was awesome for him to be able to put his skills to the test. 

B and I had driven separately again since he’d had to work right up until the game started, and the kids wanted to ride with him on the way home, so I was treated to yet another peaceful night drive alone.

Friday, April 16 (Day 399 of Quarantine)

Friday was a big day for Olivia.  She read over a MILLION words this year in first grade, so she was able to participate in the first grade Millionaire Bash at school!  This event is something new that the school started last year for Kindergarteners, but because of Covid, it was canceled for Olivia’s kindergarten year.  Those babies worked soooo hard in kindergarten to get in their million words only to have everything get shut down, so the school decided to let them do it again in first grade.

To keep the kids on track for reading their one million words for the year, the teachers and students read 250 books in the classroom this school year, and Olivia also had to read 250 books at home.  Reading approximately 500 books equates to around one million words… that’s how the one million words is calculated.

To stay on track, we had to fill out reading logs all school year long.  Each log contained 25 books, and we had to complete 10 logs, which is around one log, or 25 books, per month.  Olivia ended up turning in 12 logs (I think??) so she read 300 books this school year just at home alone.  I should also mention that for the chapter books, each chapter counts as one book.  If your child reads a book with seven chapters, then that counts as seven books.  If your child reads a children’s board book (with no chapters) then that counts as one book.  And it also doesn’t matter if you read to your child or if your child reads to you or themselves.  All reading counts towards their goal!

The school goes all out for the Millionaire Bash to reward the kids for their huge accomplishment, and they were all treated like royalty.  All of them were invited to dress up like movie stars – tuxes, suits, fancy dresses, big jewelry, feather boas, makeup, sunglasses – the whole nine yards.  Then they were all treated to a ride in a limo complete with a police escort, and when the limo pulled up to the school to let them out, all of us parents took pictures and asked for their autographs to make them feel extra special. 

There was a short presentation in the school gym afterward where each child was recognized individually, and they walked to the front to receive their medal.  After the presentation, they had a special lunch that included pizza, fruit, cupcakes, and drinks in fancy (plastic) champagne glasses.  After lunch, the kids were allowed to take their masks off at the photo stations and take pictures with the props.  There was hand sanitizer by each station, so we didn’t even have to worry about handling props that others had handled as everyone was asked to use sanitizer prior to touching the items.

It was seriously the CUTEST thing ever, and I’m so freaking grateful that they were able to have it this year!!!!  This was the first event in over a year that the parents were able to attend at the school, and I cannot even tell you how wonderful it felt to be back after a long year of not being able to set foot in the school. 

Our school had plenty of protocol in place to keep everyone safe – they held the celebration in the school gym to allow adequate social distancing.  Everyone was required to wear masks.  All seating was taped off to ensure everyone sat properly spaced apart, and all of the tables and kids were adequately social distanced as well.  It was yet another well-planned event by our school… I am constantly amazed by them and their attention to detail.  We are so truly grateful to have our kiddos there.

By the time the bash was over, there was only an hour left of school, so they let us check Olivia out, and then she and B and I headed home.  I turned around and left immediately to go get gas, drop all of the things we’d cleaned out of the house to be donated, and stop by CVS.  By the time that was done, it was time to grab Jacob from school.

And can we please talk about how much lighter we feel now that all of this stuff is gone from our house?!

The rest of the evening was spent eating Five Guys takeout and watching Legends of the Hidden Temple on Netflix. 

Saturday, April 17 (Day 400 of Quarantine)

Saturday morning, we were up early to hit the road for Athens, GA to attend the University of Georgia G-Day game!  The G-Day game is the spring training football game where they split our team into two teams and scrimmage each other.  In case you’re new around here, we are HUGE Georgia fans, and we get season tickets to all of the home football games every year.  Because of Covid, we weren’t able to attend at all in 2020, and that was the first time we hadn’t been to Athens in nearly 20 years.  So sad, I know.  :o(

We don’t ever attend the G-Day game because we usually have other stuff going on this time of year, but miraculously, we had nothing on the calendar (except for a baseball practice that we skipped), so we jumped at the chance to go.  We knew that they were following strict protocol for Covid, so we didn’t have to worry about safety, and we were all for it.

When we reached Athens, the very first stop was none other than… Trader Joe’s.  Haha.  Y’all know we have to go when we have the chance!!  We loaded up on snacks, treats, beer from our favorite brewery in Athens, wine, and other non-perishables, and then we headed to downtown Athens.

We weren’t sure what to expect with regard to eating and being downtown (it’s usually packed on game days), so we were pleased to see that they’d shut down the main road near our favorite restaurants, and they’d added a bunch of socially distanced tables out in the street to provide ample space for people to eat.  We grabbed Chick-Fil-A from the walkup, and then we only had to wait about two minutes for a table.  It could not have been more perfect.

The weather Saturday was ideal – low humidity, mostly sunny, with a high of 72.  And there was just the right amount of clouds to block the sun for the majority of the time we were there.  During the times when there was no cloud cover, it was pretty hot!

After we finished eating, we made the picturesque walk through campus to the stadium.  Everyone was required to wear masks while walking around inside the stadium, but once you got to your seats, you could take them off.  We got right in and found our seats, and I was ecstatic to see how far apart the seats were spaced.  On TV they don’t look that far apart, but in-person you can tell just how far apart they truly are! 

They only allowed for 20% capacity, and everyone had assigned seats, so it was SUPER social distanced.  The closest people to us were three rows down in front of us, and they were definitely more than six feet away from us.  The closest seats in our same row were probably like 15 feet away and there was nobody in the two rows directly in front of us or behind us. 

It was awesome and now we’re all spoiled because we had so much space to stretch out as well as ample room to put our drinks, popcorn, and bags.  If you’ve ever been to a college football game then you know how cramped it usually is… if you have snacks and drinks, you’re holding them the whole time, and your bag either has to be on your shoulder or under your seat because there’s nowhere else to put it.

Before the game, we located my Aunt Joy, Uncle Greg, and cousin, Shelby, and they ended up being just a few sections to our left.  My uncle Greg got some pom poms for the kids, so I walked over to meet him in the corner of the end zone and, of course, I had to snap a selfie.  ;o)

Our usual season tickets are in the endzone in the upper level, and our tickets for this game ended up being in the lower level of the same endzone, so we were in a prime spot to catch the football from an extra point or field goal.  There ended up being two kicks in our endzone during the game, and the people down in front of us caught one of them, and some people right behind us ended up catching the other one.

While we were there, we also got to see my cousin down on the field... he was Kirby's (our head coach) sidekick for the day.  He's the one on the right in the white shirt, khakis, and white visor.

While we were there, we also got this picture from my Daddy who was taking care of our sweet girl while we were gone!  <3

We all had SO MUCH FUN watching our Dawgs play, and it was just surreal to be there with 20,000 other people after a whole year of barely leaving the house.  We felt super safe the whole time, and just very grateful to be back.  I’m praying we can finally go to a real game this fall!  I’m so ready to start being out in the world again!

The game was over around 4 and we made the mile-long walk back to the car.  We made it home in time for a very late dinner, but thankfully, we had scheduled pizza to be delivered just as we pulled up, so we didn’t have to worry about stopping to pick something up or making something.  It was perfect.

The rest of the evening was spent on the couch catching up on TV and relaxing… we were all worn out!

Sunday, April 18 (Day 401 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning started with virtual church and cinnamon rolls as always, and then I hit the ground running.  Since I hadn’t been home all day Saturday I had a ton of stuff to do – laundry, mask-washing, house-tidying, putting away all of the crap that accumulated on the kitchen counters and floors from our trip, etc.  And I also got in a cardio workout.

The boys left for baseball practice at 2, and Olivia and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, playing with bubbles in the back yard, and walking Maui around the neighborhood.  It was another beautiful day and there was nowhere else I wanted to be than outside.

When the boys got home, the kids played video games for a few minutes while I squeezed in a tiny bit of work, and then my Momma and Daddy arrived for Sunday dinner.  My Momma had cooked a delicious dinner again, and we all sat on the back porch all evening while the kids played in the yard.

One of my favorite weekends in a long time! 

Happy Tuesday, y’all!