Our Week - More Home Projects and Baseball Tryouts

Hey, y’all!  Happy Tuesday!  Last week was pretty uneventful other than baseball tryouts, so I got a TON done around the house for the second week in a row, and it feels so good!

Monday, January 24

Monday morning, I got the kids to school and then I stuck around for the quarterly Home and School meeting to get some planning done for the rest of the school year.  We have several big events in the spring, and it’s already time to start planning them!  So crazy that this school year is already more than halfway over.  We’re going to blink and it’s going to be May-cember.

After the Home and School meeting, I ran by Publix near the kids’ school to grab a few things that we needed, and I’d hoped to find some of the cinnamon rolls we loved, but no such luck.  After that, I headed home to do laundry and work for the rest of the day. 

After school, Jacob and I dropped Olivia off at dance, and then he and I headed to run a few errands.  We stopped by Hobby Lobby followed by Barnes and Noble to grab a copy of the Sports Illustrated magazine commemorative edition all about our Dawgs winning the National Championship… y’all know I had to have a copy!  After that, we stopped by Academy Sports to grab some new baseball cleats for Jacob since he had tryouts the following weekend.

We were successful at Barnes and Noble and Academy, but not at Hobby Lobby.  Womp womp.  The item I’m looking for was considered a fall item, so they don’t carry it the rest of the year.  I’m sure they’ll be putting their fall stuff out in May, though, so I’ll be able to get my hands on it, soon.  Haha.

After our errands, I dropped Jacob at home, put some gas in the car, and then I headed back to dance to pick up Olivia.  When we got home, B and I whipped up some eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and toast for dinner, and then I got in a quick cardio workout while the kids showered.  I was NOT feeling the workout Monday evening, but I made myself do it anyway, and as always, I was glad I did.

We ended the night watching our One Second a Day video from 2021 (although, at that point it was still not set to music), and then B and I watched some of Saturday Night Live and The Bachelor before calling it a night early.  Monday took it all out of me last week, y’all.

Tuesday, January 25

Tuesday morning, after I dropped the kids at school, I headed straight to Target to return something, and then I did some browsing for items for the kids’ bathroom.  When we moved in our house 12 years ago, I decorated that bathroom using the old shower curtain and towels and artwork from the bathroom that I had when I lived with one of my friends during college.  So those towels and everything else our kids are using are actually 16 years old (old enough to drive if they were people!!), and their bathroom is loooong overdue for a refresh!  I hope to tackle that next month, so stay tuned!

I saw one of my friends at Target and we ended up talking for so long that I wasn’t able to finish up with my shopping because I had to leave to get to a meeting at the kids' school at 9 AM.  We have Grandparents Day coming up at the end of February, and my best friend from high school (the one who I saw in Target – LOL) and I are in charge of it.  We met with a couple of the ladies at the school to go over all of the plans, and now we just have to make it all happen!

The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and working until it was time to pick up the kids from school.  When we got home, the kids did homework while I cleaned out a couple of kitchen cabinets, and then Olivia and I left for dance.  While she was in dance, I ran over to Five Below really quickly in search of planters, but they didn’t have what I was looking for.  I had originally planned to go to Marshall’s, so I probably should have stuck to that instead. 

Olivia’s dance class is short on Tuesdays – only 45 minutes – so after I left Five Below, it was straight back to dance to pick her up and head home.  When we got home, I cooked dinner, and Jacob helped chop the broccoli.  Both kids are loving chopping so much that I’m having to let them take turns doing it because they’re fighting over who gets to do it each night.  I guess that’s a good thing.  Lol. 

By the time dinner was finished, it was time for the kids to get ready for bed, and while they showered, I did a half-hearted stair stepper workout.  I had no energy Tuesday evening, so it definitely wasn’t my best workout.

Once they were done, we watched an episode of Fresh Prince, and then we got them in the bed.  After they were in bed, B and I watched some more of The Bachelor and we watched This is Us.  It’s the one show that we watch live every week.  I’m so sad it’s ending after this season.

Wednesday, January 26

Wednesday morning, I got the kids to school and then spent the morning in my office working.  I also placed a Target order for all of the items I didn’t get on Tuesday, and I went ahead and ordered everything we needed for the kids’ bathroom refresh.  After lunch, I cleaned out Olivia’s art bin and that took up the rest of the time I had until it was time to get the kids from school.  I did take pictures, but I plan to recap everything in one post later this month, so stay tuned.  Or you can follow along in real time on Instagram stories.

Tuesday night before bed, both kids asked if we could print the lyrics to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” – they are obsessed, y’all – so Wednesday before I left to pick them up, I printed two copies, one for each of them, and I placed them in their seats so they’d have them when they got in the car.  In addition to that, I’d also downloaded the Encanto soundtrack and I had that song on ready to go when they hopped in the car… they were both ecstatic and their faces were priceless!  It’s the little things, y’all. 

When we got home, it was homework time, and then after homework, the kids got outside to play basketball since the weather was so nice (albeit chilly).  While they played outside, I did a HIIT workout.  I wanted to get it out of the way earlier in the day since I’d been struggling with my late workouts the two nights prior.  And I know, I know, I should just be working out first thing in the morning, but during the winter, I just do not love working out when it’s dark and freezing out.  Hopefully I’ll be back at it soon… it’ll be warm before we know it!

After my workout, it was time to get dinner ready, so I called the kids inside so they could help.  They both love that chopping, so I let them chop the sausage and potatoes, although, they needed some help with the potatoes. 

Once dinner was going, the kids settled in with Jacob’s laptop to watch some Minecraft YouTube video how-to’s, and I enjoyed a glass of wine while I finished dinner.  B was in all-day meetings Wednesday, but he finished up just in time to step out of his office and join us for dinner.

Afterward, we took a peek at the gorgeous sunset, and then he and I cleaned up the kitchen while the kids got showered and in PJs.  We spent the rest of the evening working on our new 1,000-piece Friends puzzle.  This puzzle is one of the ones where lots of pieces fit together perfectly even if they don’t actually go together, so it’s going to be a challenge.  We spent 30 minutes on it Wednesday evening and didn’t even get the whole border together.  EEK!

After the kiddos went to bed, B and I watched the season finale of Ordinary Joe, and then we went to bed, too.  I have to say, I really enjoyed Ordinary Joe.  There are some times when I don’t feel like the acting is great, but the storyline is intriguing so I hope they bring it back for a second season.

Thursday, January 27

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school, and then I headed over to my friend’s momma’s house to drop off some plant clippings.  My plant babies are thriving, and since they needed some serious pruning, I shared the love!  I ended up staying at her house for over an hour just chatting and catching up, and then I headed home to work for the rest of the day.

Once the kids were home from school, it was just a typical afternoon – homework, lots of time outside, and Olivia and I cleaned out her art utensils bin (markers, colored pencils, highlighters, etc.). 

I had put some chicken in the slow cooker, so dinner was easy.  We just had some chicken tacos with all the fixings and some tortilla chips.  After dinner, the kids were occupied working on some drawing, so I cleaned out a few cabinets in the kitchen while they worked on that. 

While they got ready for bed, I got in a workout – weights this time – and then I got into my PJs and we all watched another episode of Fresh Prince.  

When it was time to go upstairs to get the kids in the bed, I had to snap this picture of Maui because it was so funny.  She loves to lay in our laps all evening, and she's started doing this thing where if we have to get up and she doesn't want to get up, she'll roll over on her back and snuggle down harder in our laps in hopes that we'll stay.  If we get up anyway, she stretches out and just lays there to make it difficult for us to pick her up, and she stayed straightened out like that after B picked her up.  It was hilarious.

After the kids were in bed, B and I finally finished The Bachelor from Monday, and while we did that, I also worked out the details for someone to pick up our couch on Friday.  After dealing with all the crazies on Facebook Marketplace, it was nice to finally have a convo with someone who knew how to communicate effectively.  Haha. 

Friday, January 28

Friday morning, I dropped the kids and then headed home to tackle a loooong list.  There were so many things I wanted to finish up before the weekend, so I hit the ground running.  First up was a bunch of blog work as usual, and then I spent some time working on our One Second a Day video from last year as I’ve been trying to put the finishing touches on it.  I ended up spending way more time on it than I’d anticipated, but I ended up getting it done, so that felt great!

I also sent our restaurant requests to our travel agent, because it’s almost time to book our meals for… DISNEY!!!!  And then I got a kitchen cabinet cleaned out before heading out the door to grab the kids from school.

When I picked them up, we swung by Target on the way home so they could pick out their valentines for their class parties.  I don’t know about y’all, but our stores always seem to run out of valentines really quickly, so I wanted them to be able to get theirs early so they could pick out exactly what they want.  We don’t do anything over-the-top or Pinterest-y for Valentine’s Day because they always just love giving out the traditional cards and candy that you can get from the store. 

Jacob opted for Sour Patch Kids lollipops with dipping powder, and Olivia opted for Blow-Pops.  Both of them had been saying that’s what they wanted this year, and Target still had them, so it was a win!

Naturally, since we were at Target, we also ended up coming away with a few things that we hadn’t anticipated buying – some new snacks for the kids to try, some décor to try in their bathroom since we’re refreshing it next month, and a couple of darling items from the dollar spot… a couple of pink and white striped planters, and the cuuuutest mini bar cart.  I don’t even know what I’m going to do with it, but it was so cute (and only $5) that I couldn’t resist it.

We got home just in time to meet the people who were coming to pick up our couch.  Y’all, it was the EASIEST transaction EVERRRR and I was so grateful.  The person who bought it was a young girl who’d just purchased her first house, and she sent her dad and her brother-in-law to pick up the couch.  Naturally, I was a bit uneasy about somebody coming to our house to purchase something (because there are just far too many crazies in this world) but there was no way for us to meet them anywhere since it was a whole couch that we had to haul.  So ultimately, we decided to let them come get it. 

B was home, so that made me feel better (I never would have let anyone come over if he hadn’t been), but the two guys who came were super friendly and kind.  They handed the cash to me immediately, and then the two of them stepped just inside the front door, picked up the couch, hauled it out, and that was that.  B and I didn’t even have to lift a finger, and the entire transaction took all of two minutes.  Yessss!  And just look at that open foyer and dining room!  The red couch has been sitting in there for a few weeks now so it's nice to have it out.

After they left, I chatted with my momma on the phone for a bit while I got the kitchen tidied, and then I started putting together the new cabinet that we purchased for our laundry room while B headed out to grab pizza for dinner.

When he got home, we all ate together, and then my parents stopped by to drop off some homemade pound cake my momma had made.  They didn’t come in as we’re still being cautious around them since the kids are back in school and the germs are flying.  As a matter of fact, Olivia’s assistant teacher tested positive for Covid Friday and he had been at school with her the day before… waaaahhhh.  Thankfully, they’re masking, so hopefully she’ll avoid getting sick.  I guess we’ll probably know by the time this post is published.  Ha!

After dinner, the kids got showered, and then we watched two episodes of Secrets of Sulphur Springs and half an episode of Mysterious Benedict Society.  After the kids went to bed, B and I finished Saturday Night Live from the previous weekend, and then he watched an episode of Ozark while I fell asleep on the couch.  Haha.

Saturday, January 29

Saturday morning, I made homemade waffles, and then Brian took Jacob to baseball tryouts.  Olivia and I probably would have tagged along, but we had the coldest day ever Saturday, and it was only in the twenties when they left the house at 10 AM.  EEK!

While they were freezing their butts off, Olivia and I snuggled up on the couch together and played several rounds of I Spy.  Then we covered a shoebox in pretty paper for her Valentine’s Day class party (they’re going to decorate them some more at school next week), and then she whooped me at a game of Battleship.

After that, I needed to get laundry going, and I also wanted to get in a workout, so she spent some time coloring in one of her activity books while I did those things.  The boys brought home lunch from Panera when they were done with baseball, and Jacob told us all about tryouts.  He had a blast, and he was excited because one of the kids in his class at school was there trying out.  A couple of other kids from his grade play baseball there, too, but he’s never been on the same team with either of them.

After lunch, the kids did their laundry, and then they checked on their rocks in the rock tumbler, and I worked on putting together the laundry room cabinet some more.  I got it all done except for the drawers and the door, so I stopped to take a break and shower since my legs were cramping from being on the floor in a weird position for so long.

The rest of the afternoon was spent inside because it was freezing all day, and I got some stuff done in my office while the kids played video games.  I ended up cutting my time short in my office so I could finish putting together the cabinet, and I got it done just as it was time for B to leave and pick up dinner.  I love how it turned out!  It’s exactly what I was looking for!

He brought home barbecue from our favorite place, and then it was two more episodes of Secrets of Sulphur Springs – and we finished season two already… waaaahhhh – and then the rest of the last episode of Mysterious Benedict Society… we finally finished that, too.  The kids were SO crushed when Secrets of Sulphur Springs was over, and I was, too.  It, of course, ended on a cliffhanger, and now we have to wait who-knows-how-long before we can see what happens next.  If you have kiddos we all HIGHLY recommend that show.  I think I love it just as much as the kids do.  It is so good, and it keeps you guessing!

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched Shark Tank followed by another episode of Ozark, and then I read for a long time before bed.  I’m really enjoying my book, so I’ve been trying to dedicate more time to it each night before bed.

Sunday, January 30

Sunday morning, we had breakfast and watched church… we still haven’t been able to find canned cinnamon rolls anywhere, so no Sunday cinnamon rolls.  Womp womp.  After church was over, the kids played in the playroom all morning, and I worked on various projects around the house.  I got all of the kids’ new bathroom stuff unpacked, and I tried out a couple of the items in there to make sure we liked it.  We all love it, so I’m hoping to get it set up this week.

I also finalized where everything was going to go in the laundry room, and B moved the ironing board organizer for me so I could get the new cabinet in there and hang the wall décor that I’ve had for (literally) two years.  FINALLY.  Now I just need somebody to come build my shelf, and that room will be very close to being done.  Eventually, I want to paint the cabinets white and add a new light fixture in there, too, so we’ll get there one day!

I made the kids favorite for lunch – hot dogs and Kraft mac n cheese (LOL) – and then after lunch, we walked to our neighborhood playground.  The kids played for nearly an hour while B and I walked and chatted with some other neighbors who were there, and then we walked back home via the trail because the bridge is finally repaired!!  A tree fell on it over a year ago (I think?), so we haven’t been able to use the trail in its entirety.  We are so glad to be able to use it again!

We ended up walking for nearly three miles and it was just a GORGEOUS day, so it was nice to get out of the house after being cooped up the day before when it was so cold. 

I showered and then worked for an hour when we got home, and then it was time to get dinner on the table.  I’d put chicken and ranch pasta in the slow cooker earlier in the day, so there wasn’t much to do in the way of cooking, but I did make some beer cheese bread to go along with it. 

After dinner, I finished planning out the menu for the next couple of weeks and making my grocery list, and then I got everything prepped and ready for the upcoming week.  The kids got showered and ready for bed, and then we spent some time working on the puzzle while we watched the football playoffs. 

Happy Tuesday, y’all!