Our Week - The One with Covid, Girls Night, and the Mother Son Dance

Last week was a tough one with sick kiddos and other things, and I’m hoping that this week is going to be much, much better!

Monday, January 16

Monday, everyone was off for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, but Olivia had Covid, so we were stuck at home.  The kids spent the day playing while I worked on blog stuff for a bit, and then I got some of the kitchen cabinets cleaned out. 

After lunch, I got out to do our grocery shopping for the next two weeks, and I changed it up and went to the Walmart Neighborhood Market instead of Publix.  I loooove Publix, but their prices are higher than Walmart’s so one of my New Year’s goals (even though I failed to put this in my blog post) is to try to shop at Walmart more often so we can try to save some money.  I haaaate the regular Walmart stores, but the neighborhood markets are usually pretty nice, so hopefully I can stick to it.  We’ll see.  Haha. 

Grocery shopping took foreverrrr since I have no clue where anything is in that store, and they also didn’t have, like, 20% of the items on my list, so I ended up having to go to Publix later in the day anyway.  Sigh.  We did, however, end up saving money overall, so I’ll probably try to stick with Walmart for the most part.

By the time I got home, I had just enough time to get the groceries put away and get dinner in the Crockpot before it was time to get Jacob to piano lessons.  When we arrived, I told his teacher that Olivia had Covid, but he was fine keeping the lesson and not rescheduling.

After Jacob’s lesson, he and I swung by Publix to pick up all of the items that Walmart was lacking (including broccoli, green beans, and carrots – how does a store not have those things?!) and then we headed home so I could finish getting dinner ready.

For dinner on Monday, I made Ranch Chicken Pasta with green beans, and then after dinner, I got in a stair stepper workout and put some laundry away while the kiddos got showered and ready for bed.

After bed, Brian and I watched an episode of Vampire Diaries, and then we went to bed, too.

 

Tuesday, January 17

Tuesday morning, Olivia had to stay home from school because of school protocol, so Brian offered to drop Jacob at school so Olivia could sleep in.  That also meant that I was able to sleep in a little bit, too. 

I got myself out of bed at 6:45 just as B was finishing up getting ready, and then I got everything ready for Jacob to head to school just as Olivia was waking up.

After that, it was breakfast for the both of us, and then I went to my office to get some work done while she watched some cartoons.  Then, after cartoons, she and I worked on schoolwork together.

Around 10 AM, my phone rang, and it was the dreaded call from the school office saying that Jacob had a sore throat and we needed to go get him.  Ugggghhhh.  He had been fine at 7:15, so it must’ve started sometime after he got to school.  Sigh.

At that point, Olivia and I were both still in our PJs, so I had to call B to see if he could pick Jacob up and bring him home.  He was going to have to come home at lunch to stay with Olivia anyway because I had a doctor appointment that afternoon, so he just went ahead and shut everything down to come home early.

When they got home, we tested Jacob for Covid, but he was negative, and he was feeling fine other than his sore throat. 

Once the kids were settled in and playing, I got ready for the day and then we had lunch together.  Then after lunch, I headed out for a doctor appointment while B stayed home with the kiddos.

On the way home from my appointment, I picked up some leftovers from my parents’ house, and then I headed back home for the evening.

Brian had a tennis match Tuesday evening, so the kids and I ate dinner together without him (turkey and cheese biscuit sliders with fruit), and then I quarantined myself in my bedroom for the rest of the evening while they played and showered.  They can keep those germs to themselves.  Haha.

They did both pop in to show me some artwork they’d been working on.  They are both into doing “How to Draw” videos on YouTube, and Olivia had sketched this girl.  Pretty dang good for an eight year old, right?

By the time Brian got home, it was time to get them in the bed, and then he watched a UGA basketball game while I scrolled through my phone.  Wild night.  Haha.

Wednesday, January 18

Wednesday morning, I slept in a few extra minutes while B got ready for work.  We knew we were going to keep Jacob home again just to be safe, so there was no need for me to get up and get going since B was going to take Olivia to school.  She was cleared by administration to go back that day (they are doing the whole five days of quarantine + five additional days of masking rule right now… although, really, it’s technically six days of quarantine since they count the first day as Day 0) since her symptoms had started the Thursday morning of the last week.

Jacob ended up waking up before they ever left, and then he spent some time watching YouTube videos on TV.  He and Olivia have been into watching YouTube videos of Dominos knockdowns and marble runs and various other videos that they have deemed, “soooo satisfying.”  Haha.

While he did that, I flew through some blog work, and then I joined him downstairs for the rest of the morning.  We did another Covid test late in the morning Wednesday, and he was still negative.  I even used a different brand this time.  So strange.

We had an early lunch together and then my parents swung by after that to sit with him so I could get to my appointment with my therapist.  I had suggested that they sit outside with him just in case he did have Covid, but they ended up staying inside with him the whole time.  They did all wear masks, though, just to be safe. 

By the time I got back from my appointment, it was almost time to pick up Olivia from school, so we hung out with my parents until then, and then Jacob and I headed to pick her up.  Thankfully, it was unseasonably warm on Wednesday, so we opened the sunroof and rolled down the windows so I could try to avoid germs.  It was bleak and dreary, but the fresh air was still nice.

When we got home, Jacob was able to work on some schoolwork he’d missed while Olivia did her homework, and then I let both of them play video games since it was so yucky outside.  While they did that, I cooked dinner (my Momma’s famous cheesy chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli) and got some stuff cleaned out in the kitchen. 

When B got home from work, we all ate dinner together, and then I got in a cardio workout while Jacob finished up his math work and both kids got showered.

The kids ended up getting into bed a little later than usual because the math work took a lot of time, so by the time they were settled in, B and I only had a few minutes to ourselves before it was time to head to bed.

Thursday, January 19

Thursday morning, we got Jacob up as if he was going to school, and he said that his throat was still hurting.  B tested him for Covid yet again, and it was negative yet again.  So very strange.  Since his throat was still hurting, we kept him at home again because I just can’t bring myself to risk exposing him to other kids at school (and technically right now, the school’s policy is to not bring your kids to school if they have any symptoms of any kind anyway).

He spent the morning watching more videos while I worked in my office, and then around 9:30 I headed back downstairs to hang with him while he tackled some schoolwork that had popped into his Google classroom.

After lunch, he helped me clean out the cabinet that holds all of our games, and we got rid of several things that they don’t play with anymore.

He and I headed to pick up Olivia in the car line a little later, and thankfully, it was another warm day, so we were able to roll down the windows and open the sunroof to help me escape the germs. 

When we all got home, my parents met us there to hang out with Jacob once again, because Olivia had voice lessons and we didn’t want to bring him along and risk exposing anyone.

While she was in voice lessons, Jacob’s piano teacher came out and sat with me in the lobby to chat for a bit since he didn’t have a lesson during that time slot.  He’s (obviously) into music (and y’all all know that’s one of my all-time favorite things!) so we like to chat about that.

After lessons, Olivia’s teacher told me that she’s still doing great, and she told me that Olivia sings Lavender Haze (by Taylor Swift) very well.  Apparently, that had been her song of choice that day.  She is her mother’s daughter!    

After her lesson, we headed home to find Jacob and my parents playing in the back yard.  The sun finally came out Thursday afternoon and it was glorious after days of doom and gloom. 

B got home a few minutes later, my parents left, and I headed out to meet my girls for dinner.  For the first time in months, every single one of us was able to make it, and it was so fun having everyone together.  We are usually missing one or two here and there depending on what everyone has going on and what kinds of things pop up at the last minute (like sick kids – HA!).

We met at a local pizza place that my family loves (we eat there after church sometimes), and we bought a round of drinks and a pizza flight so we could all try the different ones. 

One pizza was a standard pepperoni because theirs is SO delicious, and then we opted for a “Whole Farm” which had pepperoni, sausage, red onions, green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, house marinara, and whole milk mozzarella (although we left off the onions on this one).  Our final choice was the “Krystal” pizza, which is beef, mustard, pickle, red onion, and whole milk mozzarella and it tastes exactly like a Krystal burger.  If you’re not from the South, then you may not know what that is, but for all of you people who don’t know what Krystal is, I’m told they’re similar to White Castle, although, I’ve never had White Castle. ;o)  I ended up eating the pepperoni and the Krystal pizza, and oh my goodness, that Krystal pizza was soooo good, y’all. 

It was a wonderful night hanging out with my lovelies and eating all the yummy food, and we made sure to document the evening with a picture since we were all there.  

I drove home solo (one of my favorite things to do – at night, sunroof open, music blasting) and by the time I got home, it was baby bedtime, so B and I divided and conquered as we always do (we take turns, so we’re with a different kid each night so as to spread the love).  Once I had gotten Olivia tucked in, I got in my PJs and headed to my office to meditate.  Between two weeks of Christmas Break followed by a week’s worth of sick kids, I’ve gotten out of my usual routine, and I’ve been mediating at night lately, but I have to say I think I actually prefer it.  It’s so much more peaceful meditating under the dim glow of the twinkle lights in my office than it is during the day when it’s sunny and bright.  Might just keep this routine!

After that, B and I watched an episode of Vampire Diaries, and then we called it a night.

And a quick note about today’s to-do list… after I posted it on Instagram on Thursday morning, my friend, Jessica, texted a corrected version to me because she had added our girls dinner to it.  Hahahaha.  Love it.

Friday, January 20

Friday morning, Jacob tested negative for Covid for the fourth day in a row, and since his throat was barely bothering him anymore, we sent his little booty back to school.  Haha.

I dropped both of them off, and then I had to swing by the school office to pick up a few things for the dance that I was co-chairing Friday evening.  After that, I headed back home to work for a couple of hours.  The plumber returned Friday morning to install our new faucet and garbage disposal, and then mid-morning, I headed out to run some errands.

First up, was Hobby Lobby to grab a new tray for our kitchen soaps.  Then, I swung by Five Below to return something.  After that, it was Barnes and Noble to try to find a copy of the special edition Sports Illustrated magazine for our National Championship win, but I had no luck with that one. 

Finally, I had to go to Sam’s to load up on snacks for the dance.  I grabbed a couple of huge trays of cookies, a couple of huge trays of brownies, some boxes of individually wrapped chips, and some lemonade, and then it was time to head home.

By the time I got home, the plumber was done, and our kitchen sink looks so nice!  It’s going to be awesome to have a working, non-dripping faucet for the first time in years! 

B and I ate a quick lunch together after that, and then I headed back to my office to tackle a couple more blog things and start blowing up balloons for the balloon arch I had to make for the Mother/Son dance at the school Friday evening.

At 3, I picked up the kiddos from school, I got them back home, and then I loaded up the car with all of the dance supplies, and then I headed back to the school for the third time that day.  Haha.

The two other ladies who helped me put this all together met me there at 4:30 and we spent the next hour-and-a-half setting up.  The theme for the dance was “Light Up the Night” so everything was all neon and blacklight responsive… think aaaallll the 90’s skate center vibes!  So fun, right?

It was pretty easy to throw together – photo backdrop, snacks (cookies, brownies, chips, lemonade, water), party favors (light up flashing glasses), a DJ, some other random décor, and a few more strobe/party lights here and there.  Done.

Here’s the balloon arch under the regular lights…

And here it is under the blacklights!  So fun, right?

The dance started at 6:30, and I manned the photo spot all evening.  We had originally intended to have a photographer, but everyone we asked was booked, so I ended up taking pictures with people’s phones all evening and I think everyone actually preferred that.  That way, they didn’t have to wait for a photographer to edit photos and get them back to everyone days later which meant that they were all able to post on social media right away.

It was a loooong two hours, so I was excited when 8:30 rolled around, although, it was nice seeing friends and chatting all evening.  I also talked to the DJ for a while towards the end to pass the time. 

We started cleaning up a few minutes before the last song was played, so we were out of there by 9!  Woo hoooo!  All of the mommas and the kiddos seemed to have a really great time, so it was a success!  And I loved seeing everyone’s pictures on social media all evening afterward.  Couldn't have done it without this girl!!  We make a great team!

Jacob is officially too old for the Mother/Son dance this year, so B had both of the kids at home all evening, and they’d picked up dinner and watched a movie while I was gone.

By the time I got home and I was settled in my PJs, it was time to get the babies in bed, and then I grabbed some cheese, crackers, and fruit with a big glass of wine since I hadn’t eaten dinner.

B and I started season one of Only Murders in the Building, and then he watched some of a tennis documentary on Netflix while I fell asleep on the couch.  Yet another wild Friday night! 

Saturday, January 21

Saturday morning, B headed off to a tennis match bright and early, and I made homemade waffles for the kids and me.  After that, I got started on laundry and tidying because our house has been a disaster area all week since we’ve had sick kids. 

I got in a cardio workout mid-morning, and then we tested both kiddos for Covid ONE. MORE. TIME. to make sure it was safe to go to church Saturday evening.  Olivia was on day ten at that point, and Jacob still hadn’t tested positive in the first place, and all of their symptoms were gone, so we figured it they were both negative then it would be perfectly safe for them to be around my Mama Cass. 

Thankfully, both tests were negative, so Olivia is officially past her Covid, and Jacob officially never had Covid.  His scratchy throat never morphed into anything else, so we’re just going to say it was a cold, I guess?  Who knows!

After a light lunch, the kiddos worked on their laundry and then they played video games because it was another cold, drizzly day.  I got some blog work done in my office since it had been V neglected all week, and then we all got ready to go to 5:30 Mass later in the afternoon.

We sat with my extended fam at Mass as we always do, and then afterward, we all went out to dinner together.  It’s hard finding a restaurant that can seat nine people together right away at 7 PM on a Saturday night, but we have a pizza place that we all love that’s right near church that can always accommodate us, so we headed there.

Unfortunately, they’d just seated a huge party and there were lots of other people there, so they turned us away.  We tried calling a couple of other restaurants close by and both said that they had long waits, so we ended up at our favorite Mexican place that we go to a lot on Saturday nights.  They never let us down!  Haha.  Dinner was yummy, and the company was even better, and I just love this group so SO much. 

After dinner, we were going to swing through the DQ drive-through for Blizzards, but the one we always go to was closed for renovations so we headed home instead.

Once the kiddos were in bed, B and I re-watched episode one of Only Murders in the Building because apparently, I hadn’t been paying enough attention to it Friday night – LOL – and then we watched the second episode as well before calling it a night.

 

Sunday, January 22

Sunday morning, I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then B and the kids finished watching Avatar that they’d started Friday night.  While they did that, I got my planner ready for the week ahead and did some yoga.

 

My MIL and step-FIL were out of town Sunday so they didn’t cook lunch.  We usually use that as an opportunity for a Sunday Funday where we go out to lunch and do something fun, but the weather was so gross on Sunday that we just decided to stay home all day.  It was cold and it rained all. day. long.   Yuck.

Sunday afternoon I got everything prepped and ready for the week ahead, I got a jump start on some laundry, and I worked on some blog stuff while the kids played video games. 

We had Sunday dinner at my parents’ house per usual and we celebrated my uncle’s birthday while we were there.  Soaking up that family time is always a great way to end the week!

Happy Tuesday, y’all!