Our Week - The One with a St. Patrick’s Day Party and Two Birthday Parties

Last week was pretty low-key but we had a fun, busy weekend!  Let’s get to the recap!

Monday, March 13

Monday morning, the whole fam was on the struggle bus because of the time change.  I don’t think a time change has ever affected our kiddos this badly before.  Neither of them wanted to get out of bed, and Jacob was in a bad mood all morning.  Haha.  Same, kid.  Same.

We were plunged back into darkness again on the ride to school because of the time change, so that wasn’t fun either, but I did get to see the beginnings of a beautiful sunrise on my way to get groceries after I dropped the kids.  The silver lining.

The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent working on the blog, and then on the way to pick up the kids from school, I swung by the library to grab a new book to start. 

Golf started for Jacob last week, and while it’s only one day per week, naturally, it ended up being on the one day of the week that we didn’t want it to be… Monday.  Jacob already has piano lessons on Mondays, and Olivia has dance, so when we found out that Jacob’s tee time was going to be at 4:07 I panicked because he has piano from 4 - 4:30.  Sigh.

Fortunately, the golf coach and the people at the course where they play were able to work with us and move his tee time to accommodate us, but boy, does that make for a crazy busy Monday. 

I headed to pick up the kids from school with Olivia’s dance stuff, Jacob’s piano stuff, Jacob’s golf stuff, and all the snacks in tow and it was off to the races!  First up, Jacob and I dropped Olivia at dance.  Once she was all settled in, he and I headed to piano, and he did his math homework in the car on the way there.  We arrived at piano a few minutes early, so he had just enough time to squeeze in his reading for the evening while we waited. 

I gave Jacob’s teacher a heads up about the fact that we had golf right afterward, so he assured me he’d have him out on time and ready to go.  While they were in piano lessons, I started my new book, and then when piano lessons were over, Jacob and I hightailed it to golf.  Thankfully, golf is a short, straight shot down the highway, so we were there in just under 10 minutes. 

Brian met us there, and Jacob ended up having plenty of time to warm up, so it all worked out well.  I had hoped to be able to watch him tee off, but they ended up being a little bit behind on Monday, so I had to leave to pick up Olivia from dance before Jacob was able to start.

He ended up not teeing off until 5:35 (yikes!), so I guess all of our rushing was not necessary at all.  That did make for a very late night, though.

While Jacob was golfing, I grabbed Olivia from dance and got her home, and she worked on homework and reading while I cleaned up the kitchen and prepped for Tuesday.  She was so excited to show me her new book from the library because it has my name in the title and it’s spelled like mine.  ;o)  

Once she was done with homework and reading, she got in the shower, and I did my workouts for the day – 30 minutes on the stair stepper and 10 minutes of arms.  We usually do those things after dinner, but since the boys were still golfing, I knew we needed to knock them out earlier.

Jacob ended up wrapping up at 7:20, and he kicked off the season with a personal best score of 44.  He had six double bogeys followed by a par and two bogeys.  Considering he hadn’t practiced but once since the fall season, I’d say that’s not too shabby.  Haha.  He was soooo excited, too!  He ended up coming in fourth place out of 30 kids spread out over six different local schools.  Pretty incredible!

Brian and Jacob stopped by Chick-Fil-A on the way home to pick up dinner.  I hadn’t planned on cooking Monday night since I knew I’d be running all around and we weren’t sure what to expect with regard to the timing of everything, but now we know going forward that I should have time to cook something quick and have it done by the time they get home.

We all ate together when the boys got home, and then Jacob headed upstairs to shower and get ready for bed, and Olivia requested that I go ahead and put her to bed because she was exhausted from the time change.  Lol.  Poor girl.  She told me when she was going to bed that this time change is rough, and I couldn’t agree more.  Haha.

After I got her in the bed, I headed to my office to do my meditation and quiet time for the evening, and then B and I watched some of the new episode of The Bachelor before calling it a night.

Tuesday, March 14

I slept like crap Monday night, so my reasons for being on the struggle bus Tuesday morning were two-fold.  It’s already rough enough feeling like you’re waking up an hour earlier, but after a night of little sleep, it’s much, much worse.

Anyhoo, I dropped the kids off at school in the dark again, and then I headed to Publix to pick up all of the grocery items that I wasn’t able to get at Walmart on Monday.  While I was there, I had to grab a red bell pepper because Walmart didn’t have any on Monday, and I almost FELL OUT when a single bell pepper rang up as $2.27.  WHAT?!

I was so shocked that I called over one of the Publix employees to ask him if something was wrong in the system, and he doublechecked, and that price was, indeed, correct.  What on EARTH?!  Why oh why are red bell peppers so expensive right now?!  Is there a shortage? 

Anywayyyy, I made my way home after that, still in shock (LOL), and I got all of the groceries put away before settling in to work the rest of the day.  It was freeeezing Tuesday morning again (like, literally freezing.  Sigh.), so I grabbed my hot tea and wrapped myself up in my cozy blanket, and I worked all day until it was time to pick up the kiddos.

When we got home from school, they tackled homework and reading time, and I wrapped up my to-do list for the day watering plants and folding towels and getting them put away.

We headed out to get Olivia to dance once homework was done, and then after that, Jacob and I made a stop at the mall to return something to American Eagle.  I hadn’t set foot inside the mall in literal years, so it was quite a time warp.  The only time our kids have ever been to the mall was to visit Santa Claus at Christmastime, but they hadn’t even been since before Covid, which would have been in 2019. 

After our quick trip to the mall, Jacob and I headed home.  We had to review his course load for next school year and get it submitted, so we worked on that next.  Jacob is currently taking advanced math this year in sixth grade and he has gotten a very high A every single quarter, so his advanced math teacher recommended that he go ahead and take advanced math in seventh grade, too!  Woo hoo!

Once that was done, Jacob got on his laptop to watch some Minecraft YouTube videos and I got in a quick arms and squats workout before it was time to cook dinner.  I’ve been doing outdoor runs on Tuesdays lately, but it was way too cold last Tuesday.  Boooo.

After my workout, I got dinner ready – vodka sausage pasta, steamed broccoli, and Cheesecake Factory bread – and then when Brian and Olivia got home from dance, we all sat down and ate dinner together. 

After dinner, Jacob and I spent some time playing piano together while Olivia was in the shower.  He gave me a refresher lesson since it had been a few weeks since I last played.  I was able to pick it right back up, thankfully, and I’m hoping to start practicing more on my own, too, until I can take lessons with a real instructor.

Once Olivia was out, it was Jacob’s turn to get showered and ready for bed, and I spent some time with Olivia in her room while he was doing that.  She is completely and utterly obsessed with the CDs that we got her for her birthday and she has been spending so much time in her room laying around and reading the lyrics inside the CD books lately.  I swear, I walked in on her the other day and she looked like a teenager.  So Tuesday evening, I went in and lay with her for a little bit.  She was learning the words to Daylight by Taylor Swift. 

Once the kiddos were in bed, B and I watched some more of The Bachelor, and then we went to bed a little early again because this time change is kicking my butt.

Wednesday, March 15

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids off at school, and then I worked on the blog all morning.  After lunch, I spent some time photographing and listing clothes on Poshmark, and then I headed to pick up the kiddos when they got out at 3.

We had nowhere to be Wednesday afternoon, so we headed home, and the kids worked on homework.  After that, they spent some time playing on their scooters outside, and then when B got home, we all had dinner together.  I made stir fry with chicken, pineapple, red pepper, broccoli, and rice, and I also made some chocolate chip muffins. 

After dinner, I headed out for a 3.5 mile walk/jog, and the kiddos played outside for a bit longer before it was time to get ready for bed.  I got really dizzy about halfway through my jog, so I had to take it easy for the second half, which was a bummer.  I also accidentally stopped my workout before I was done and I had to start a new one, hence the reason for two separate pictures of my workout.

When I got home, I figured the dizziness would pass, but it ended up staying with me for the rest of the night, and that also made me feel nauseated, so that wasn’t fun at all.  I still have no idea why it happened… I’m assuming from breathing in the ridiculous amounts of pollen in the air?  The pollen is horrible this year.  Who knows.

Anyway, I got showered after my jog, and then we all watched the newest episode of The Mandalorian before sending the kiddos to bed.  After that, B and I watched the newest episode of American Idol, and then we called it a night early since I wasn’t feeling great.

Thursday, March 16

Thursday morning, I woke up feeling mostly back to normal, so I got the kiddos off to school and then worked on various blog stuff and projects all day.  I also squeezed in a bit of reading.  After school, we grabbed snacks at home and then headed to voice lessons, and then once that was done, we were officially on our three-day weekend!!

When we got home, the kiddos played on their scooters outside, and then when B got home from work, we made breakfast for dinner (eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and toast).  After dinner, the kids went back out to play on scooters, and I took Maui for a quick half-mile walk, and then I got in another 2.5 miles on my own.  Thankfully, I didn’t get super dizzy again, but I did still have some mild dizziness that resolved quickly after I got home.  I really think it’s the pollen that’s causing it. 

After the kids and I were showered and ready for bed, we finished watching The Mandalorian that we’d started the night before, and then we watched an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  We’d watched almost two full seasons of that in 2021 and 2022, but we went months and months (maybe even a year?) without watching one, so I was excited that the kids requested it again.

After that, the kiddos went to bed, and B and I watched A Million Little Things and called it a night.

Friday, March 17

Friday, the kids were out of school for St. Patrick’s Day, so we all slept in, and then I made green waffles with rainbow sprinkles for breakfast.  The kids had made a leprechaun trap Thursday night, and they left coins to lure him in, along with a blank sheet of paper and various shades of green crayons.  They were super pleased to see that one had visited in the middle of the night, and he’d left them a shamrock drawing on the piece of paper.  Apparently, he was too clever for their trap, though, because he was able to escape, and he was nowhere to be found.  ;o)

After breakfast, the kids settled in for some TV (they’re super into videos of watching people arrange elaborate dominoes setups and watching them fall down), and I spent a few minutes in my office reading blogs while I drank my tea.

Mid-morning, I got ready for the day, and I decided to use my hair waver since it had been a while since I used it.  Olivia has been asking for me to wave her hair, and she inspired me to pull it back out for myself.

Once I was ready for the day, the kids and I went to Target to return a few things, and Olivia wanted to spend some of her birthday gift cards.  She ended up selecting a Baby Yoda bathrobe, a giant stuffed unicorn, and a Barbie that has a baby.  Random assortment.  Haha.

After Target, we headed back home and ate lunch with B who was working from home, and then the kids played for a bit.  It rained all day so there was no outdoor time, and after the kiddos were done playing, they played video games for a while, too.

Friday evening, my friend, Jeannine, and her fam hosted a St. Patrick’s Day party at their house, so the four of us decked ourselves out in green, tattoos and everything!  We spent the whole evening over there eating and playing games, and it was a lot of fun.  They had corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes, and of course, there were green adult beverages and lots of beer.  We played Irish Bingo off and on all evening, and the best part was the beard game. 

Three of the dads put on plastic capes to protect their clothes, and then the kids sprayed shaving cream beards on their faces and then threw Cheetos at them to create a red beard.  Lol.  And there were a gazillion kids there Friday evening, so the dads were getting pelted from every direction.  Haha.  I laughed so hard, y’all.  It was hilarious.  The guys were such good sports.

By the time we got home, it was time to get the kids in the bed, and then B and I watched some more of Outer Banks before hitting the hay ourselves.

 

Saturday, March 18

Saturday morning, I made homemade waffles for breakfast again, and then I read for a bit while the kids watched cartoons.  The rest of the morning was spent doing laundry, working out, and tidying up the house.  We all ate a light lunch at home together, and then I got showered and ready because Olivia had a birthday party to go to Saturday afternoon.

The party was at an indoor scuba diving place, so thankfully, the water was warm.  It was freezing all weekend here (boooo), so warmth was important.  Olivia had a blast swimming with all of her friends, and I loved that they had lifeguards on duty so I didn’t have to put all of my focus on watching her.  I was able to chat with all of the other moms while we waited instead.

After the party, Olivia and I headed home.  We weren’t able to go to 5:30 Mass per usual since the party ended after 5, so we settled in for an evening at home instead.  We’d originally intended to meet my parents for dinner, but Jacob had told us before bed on Friday night that his throat was scratchy and his nose was runny.  He was the same all day Saturday, but thankfully it never escalated into anything serious, and his symptoms remained mild.  We didn’t want to risk getting anyone sick, though, so we just stayed home Saturday.

I went out and picked up Five Guys for dinner while the boys wrapped up their Star Wars show that they’d started while we were gone, and then after dinner, the kids got showered and ready for bed, and we watched two more episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

After the kiddos went to bed, B and I watched more of Outer Banks, and then we called it a night, too.

 

Sunday, March 19

Sunday morning, we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then I watched church online.  We didn’t go since Jacob was still a little under the weather.

After that, I got in a yoga workout and then got ready for the day.  We had a light lunch, and then Olivia and I headed out to my Mama Cass’s birthday celebration.  I was bummed that Brian and Jacob weren’t able to come celebrate with her, but again, we didn’t want to expose her to any germs. 

The birthday celebration was at my aunt and uncle’s house, and much of my extended family was there, although, at least half of us were missing.  We have a HUGE family on my mom’s side, and we’re all spread out all over the United States, so it’s hard to get everyone together at the same time.

We celebrated the birthday girl with a lemon cake (her favorite) and a traditional birthday cake, and we all spent a few hours together and it was a really good afternoon.  My Mama Cass is 94 years old, y’all, and she still lives on her own, she still drives herself around, and her mind is still as sharp as a tack.  I always tell her I want to be just like her when I grow up. 

Gosh, I love her so much, and I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to have this many years with her.  I pray that she makes it to a hundred so I can have many more.  (Although, she always gives me the side eye when I say stuff like that.  Hahahaha.)

On the way home, Olivia and I opened the sunroof and blasted Taylor Swift, and I had to snap a picture of her babies because she had put them in a seatbelt to keep them safe.  Lol.  She ended up naming her new giant pink unicorn Peanut Butter, and then when my brother gave her the smaller purple unicorn on Sunday, she decided to name her Jelly.  Love it.  And I also love that she still loves her stuffies.  She has done lots of maturing these last few months, and she is really behaving more like a tween these days, so it’s nice to still see glimpses of my baby girl here and there.

 

When we got home, the boys were playing video games, so Olivia joined them, and I retreated to my office to get a few things done for the blog.  Jacob was still sniffly and his throat was still a little scratchy, so he took it easy all weekend so he would hopefully be better and ready for school on Monday.

My Momma didn’t cook Sunday evening since we’d all been together Sunday afternoon, and that worked out well since we wouldn’t have wanted to bring Jacob over there anyway.  Instead, we picked up a pizza, and then Jacob and I played piano together for a bit before watching another episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the last episode of the new season of Outer Banks.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!