Our Week - The One with a Girls Dinner, Hocus Pocus 2, Market Days, and Alex’s Birthday

Last week was a busy, festive one, and we are all kinds of in the Halloween mood!  Man, I love October!

Monday, September 26

Monday morning, I dropped the kids at school, grabbed a couple of things we needed from Publix, and then I headed home to do laundry and work for the rest of the day.  It ended up being one of those days, though, where I didn’t get everything done that I’d planned, but that’s okay.  It happens! 

After I picked up the kids from school, Jacob and I dropped Olivia at dance, and then he and I headed to piano lessons.  By the time we got home, it was time for me to start cooking dinner, and I also helped him with some homework since he had some questions.

B picked up Olivia from dance, and then we all had dinner together.  After dinner, the boys hit some golf balls in the back yard, and I ran a couple of miles.  Once the kids were ready for bed, we all sat down and watched the first episode of the new season of The Amazing Race.  We love being able to watch that show together with the kids!  They love it, too!

After they went to bed, B and I had some leftover Oreo cake I’d made for my Momma’s birthday, and we watched an episode of The Vampire Diaries before heading off to bed.

Tuesday, September 27

Tuesday, I worked aaaallll day on blog stuff, and then I grabbed the kids right at 3 when they got out of school.  We headed straight home to meet B (who had just gotten home from work) and he and Jacob got changed and headed straight to golf practice.  Olivia worked on homework for a bit, and then she and I headed to dance. 

After I dropped her, I met three of my girlfriends for an early dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.  We chatted over margs for an hour or so, and then we all parted ways.  I made it home before Brian and the kids did since the boys had to pick up Olivia from dance, and they walked in with takeout shortly after I got home.

After they were all done eating dinner, I headed out for a quick walk/jog while the kids showered (and I was treated to a gorgeous sunset), and then we all watched an episode of Nailed It before the kids went to bed.  After that, it was another slice of leftover Oreo cake and Vampire Diaries for B and me.

Wednesday, September 28

Wednesday, I spent the entire day working ahead on blog stuff so it’ll be ready to go when we’re out of town for fall break, and I also got some deep cleaning done around the house.  I was glued to the TV all day watching Hurricane Ian make landfall in Florida, and it was scary seeing all of the footage.  We vacationed in Sanibel when I was a teenager, and it was such a beautiful place… it’s so sad that the whole area was just obliterated.

After school, the kids and I swung by the house to drop off backpacks, take a bathroom break, and have snacks, and then we headed to the music school because Olivia had to make up her voice lesson that had been rescheduled from the previous week.

Olivia had brought home a map of the United States that she’d made in class, and we snapped a picture of it so she can remember it always since it’s not something we can keep.  She did such a great job on it!

The rest of the evening was wide open, so we made breakfast for dinner, went for a family walk around the neighborhood, and then I walked/jogged an additional two miles while the kids were getting ready for bed.

We watched an episode of Nailed It before the kids went to bed, and then B and I ended up working on Jacob’s golf fundraiser for the remainder of the evening.

Thursday, September 29

Thursday was another day spent at home working on the blog, and I also deep cleaned all of the countertops in the house.  After lunch, I met my Momma at Red Cross to donate blood, and I was shocked to find that I failed my pre-screening and I couldn’t donate.  My iron was super low, so the nurse asked me lots of questions about my diet and exercise and there is literally nothing that I have changed since my last donation.  I’ve donated seven times in the last two years and that’s never happened before.

When I told the nurse that I only eat read meat one or two times per week she told me that I need to eat more than that, and she also told me to increase my Vitamin C intake as Vitamin C helps your body absorb and retain the iron better.  I’m going to do all of those things for the next couple of weeks and then try to donate again when we get back from the mountains.  I was so disappointed, though!

I hung around while my Momma donated, and then I headed to the kids’ school to shop with Olivia at the school book fair.  Once that was done, it was time to get in the car line, and then the kids and I all headed home.

Jacob had a golf match Thursday afternoon, and his tee time was at 4:15, so the boys headed off to golf after we got home, and Olivia and I headed to voice lessons.  Jacob’s piano teacher had a no-show while Olivia was in lessons, so I ended up chatting with him for the 30 minutes during her lesson.  He was just raving about Jacob’s music abilities and telling me how quickly he’s picked up playing the piano.  He said most people either “have it” or they don’t when it comes to musical talent, and he said that Jacob most definitely has the gift.

After Olivia’s lesson, she and I headed home, and she got started on homework while I cooked dinner.  When the boys got home, we all sat down together and ate, and then after dinner Jacob showed us the song he’d learned on the bucket drums in music class at school.

Since I’d originally intended to donate blood Thursday afternoon, I’d planned to be lazy all evening as I’m always sapped of energy after donating.  I almost went out for a run since I hadn’t been able to donate, but instead, I decided to get in my PJs and work on my Friends puzzle that we’ve picked back up after months of forgetting about it.

When the kids were done getting ready for bed, we watched Lego Masters, and then the kids headed to bed while B and I watched an episode of Vampire Diaries.

Friday, September 30

Friday, I dropped the kids at school and then spent the day wrapping up blog work for the week as well as deep cleaning all of the floors in the house. 

Olivia's class just started working on their multiplication tables, and their teacher is doing a Multiplication Masters program where the kids get a different colored bracelet each time they master a segment of their multiplication tables.  Last week, was 0's, 1's, and 10's, and Olivia mastered all three!  Her teacher sent this cute picture of all of the kids with their bracelets.

We were supposed to get together Friday evening with my friend, Jeannine, and her fam to watch Hocus Pocus 2, but they ended up having some sickies in the house, so we stayed home to watch instead.

The kids helped me decorate the house for Halloween, and then we grabbed some takeout for dinner and gathered on the couch in our PJs with some popcorn and candy corn to watch.  We all loved it, and it was definitely worth the watch!  The Sanderson Sisters haven’t aged a bit these last 29 years, and they were all just fabulous bringing those characters back to life. 

As an OG fan of the original (I was 11 when the first one came out, so I was at the perfect age), I will say that I personally didn’t think the second one was as good as the first.  Prior to watching, I’d heard from several different reviews that some people were liking the second one even more than the first.  NO WAY, y’all.  The first is the GOAT and the second one didn’t even come close to beating it, IMO.  There were a couple of things that I think would have made the second one even better (I won’t discuss here because – spoilers), but all in all I did think it lived up to the hype!

After that was over, the kids went to bed, and B and I watched two episodes of Vampire Diaries before heading to bed ourselves.

Saturday, October 1

Saturday morning, we decided to head downtown to grab breakfast and hit up the market.  Every Saturday morning in the spring, summer, and fall, vendors line up down our main street downtown to sell their goods – fresh produce, baked goods, artwork, jewelry, etc. and it’s always nice to see everything.  I used to go regularly with my girlfriends before I was married and had kiddos, but I hadn’t been in years!

Before browsing, we stopped by the donut shop to grab breakfast for the kids, and then we headed to our favorite local coffee shop so B and I could grab a cinnamon roll (for him) and a scone (for me).  After breakfast, we browsed the market for a bit.  I was in search of some local honey as mine is dwindling, but unfortunately, my honey guy wasn’t there. 

Around 10:30, we loaded up, headed home, and watched ESPN College GameDay for the rest of the morning.  At noon, I finally got off the couch, started some laundry, and got in a mixed cardio workout, and then we had a light lunch.

The rest of the day was spent doing housework, watching football, and getting my clippings planted.  I propagated some plants about a month ago and they were rooted and ready to go, so I finally got them out of their cups of water and into some soil.  Five years ago, I couldn’t keep a plant alive and now I’m over here just propagating plants like a boss.  I’m so proud of my green thumb!  ;o)

Saturday evening, the four of us went to 5:30 Mass, and then we picked up pizza and brought it home so we could watch the Georgia vs. Missouri game.  Y’all.  That game was a NIGHTMARE.  Oh my word, we played like crap and almost lost.  I was a basket case the whole time, so I spent half of the game cleaning obsessively (because that’s what I do when we’re blowing it), and then I finally sat down and watched the last quarter when we started playing like the number one team that we are were.  Sheesh.  We got bumped down in the rankings to #2 on Sunday and I don’t blame the associated press one bit after that abysmal performance.

 

Sunday, October 2

Sunday morning, I made homemade waffles for breakfast, and then we all snuggled on the couch and watched Nailed It.  After that was over, it was time to kick it into high gear and prep for the week ahead.  I got my planner prepped and ready for October, got my week all planned, and I got caught up on some life stuff that had been needing attention. 

I wasn’t able to get everything done that needed to be done, but I had to stop what I was doing to get ready for lunch at my MIL and step-FIL’s, and then we headed to their house around noon.

By the time we got home, it was time for Jacob to get ready for golf practice, and Olivia and I stayed home so she could shower and get ready for Monday.  I got back to my weekly prep while she tackled her shower and a couple of other things, and then when the boys got home, we headed to my parents’ house.  Brian also got our new Halloween inflatable all set up!  We are now those people!  Haha.

My littlest brother turned THIRTY on Friday, so we had a little shindig for him at my parents’ house.  My Momma made white chicken chili for dinner per his request, and we had a chocolate chip bundt bake for dessert (also per his request).  It was so yummy!!  I still can’t believe he’s 30… makes me feel SO old.  I remember the day he was born like it was just yesterday!

Happy Tuesday, y’all!