Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 1 (Pool Day, Beach Prep, and Dinner with Family)

The first full week of summer break is under our belts, and it was equal parts fun and productive.  We had to shop, prep, and pack for our beach trip, so there was much to do!  Let’s get to the recap!

Monday, May 29

Monday was Memorial Day, so Brian was off of work.  We kicked off the day with cinnamon rolls for breakfast since we didn’t have the opportunity to have them on Sunday, and then we were lazy for an hour or so afterward. 

Mid-morning, I got in a walk/jog and then I came home to get the back porch swept off and cleaned up a bit while Brian did some yardwork and weed-pulling.  My herbs and flowers are looking so beautiful!!  The kids played outside with the hose, and then we all had lunch on the back porch since the weather was so beautiful.

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside.  The kids played in the sprinkler, and I lay out and read, and it was just a nice relaxing day.  Late in the afternoon, we all headed in to get showered, and then I worked on blog stuff for a bit before we had to be at my parents’ house for dinner.  They decided to do Monday dinner since they didn’t cook Sunday evening.

My Momma made a new recipe for fettucine alfredo, and it was AH-MAZING, and then we had her famous ice cream sandwich dessert that is always one of my favorites.  My Mama Cass, Uncle Billy, brother, and his roommate all joined us, and it was a nice evening catching up and hearing about my parents’ and Mama Cass’s beach trip with some of our extended family.

When we got home, we got the kids in bed, and then B and I watched an episode of Ted Lasso.

 

Tuesday, May 30

Tuesday morning, the kids and I had a slow start to the day.  We had breakfast, did our devotional time, watched some cartoons, and hung out.  I also got a load of laundry done.  I've been asked by several people to document the kids' summer lunches again this year, and several people also asked me to document mine, so I'm going to try my best to remember to do that again!  Warning, I eat the same things over and over again, so my lunches are probably going to be pretty boring.  Haha.

After lunch, the three of us headed to my parents’ neighborhood pool to meet some friends, and we spent the entire afternoon there.  We were there for nearly four hours, and the kids still didn’t want to leave.  Haha.  And I was so busy chatting with my friend, Khristina, that I didn’t take a single picture.  I did, however, remember to take a video for our One Second a Day project that we do every year (only because Olivia prompted me to), so I snapped a couple of pictures from the video.  ;o)

We rounded up the kids and got home just before 5, and I showered quickly and then started working on dinner – sausage, peppers, and onions tacos, tortilla chips, and fruit.

Brian had a tennis match Tuesday evening, so he wasn’t around for dinner, and then after dinner, the kids played for a bit and then showered while I got in a stair stepper workout and worked on laundry.

B got home just before 9, and we got the kids in bed, and then he and I watched another episode of Ted Lasso.  Gosh, it’s just the best show, y’all.

 

Wednesday, May 31

Wednesday, I purposely planned nothing, and I warned the kids that we’d be home all day and that I would be tied up, because I knew it was time to buckle down and start getting prepped for our beach trip.  I finished all of the laundry, placed some holds for library books to bring along, selected all of the outfits that Jacob, Olivia, and I were all going to bring to the beach, cleaned out our beach bag, and I started packing some other odds and ends. 

The kids are really great at keeping themselves entertained most of the time and they spent the morning watching cartoons, playing Putterball, making friendship bracelets/collars for Olivia’s stuffies, helping me pick out their beach clothes, and putting on tattoos.  Olivia also painted her nails and toenails. 

After lunch, I settled in my office with The Wedding Planner to get some blog work done since I had a few posts that had to be done in advance for our beach trip.

 

By the time I finished up with work, it was time to figure out what to do for dinner.  Brian met some coworkers for dinner and drinks after work, so the kids and I were on our own.  Since B wasn’t there, I decided to scrap what I was originally going to cook, and we made a frozen pizza instead. 

After dinner, the kids and Maui and I headed out for a nice long walk, and we spent a long time at the neighborhood playground so they could get some fresh air after being inside most of the day.

We ended up getting home right as B was getting home from his dinner, so I headed straight back out to walk some more on my own.  I ended up getting in five miles total for the evening, so it was a good one.  It’s always so nice this time of year when it stays light until 9 PM, because I can walk super late if I need to!

After my walk, I got showered, and then we started watching the new season of America’s Got Talent before getting the kids in the bed.  B and I started an episode of Ted Lasso, and then we went to bed, too.

 

Thursday, June 1

Thursday morning, after our breakfast/get ready routine, the kids and I headed out to run some errands.  First up, we swung by UPS to return some Amazon purchases, and then we headed to Target to get a few last-minute things for our beach trip.  Per usual, we ended up staying at Target way longer than we intended, so by the time we were done there it was nearly lunchtime, but we still had one more errand to run.  Since Chick-Fil-A is right across the street from Target, I just made the decision to stop there and grab lunch… I thought it would be a nice little treat for the kiddos.  We ended up seeing two families from our school there so apparently lots of other people had the same idea!

After our lunch, we headed to the library to pick up some books that I had put on hold for myself for our beach trip, and we also browsed books for the kids’ summer homework.  Both of the books they wanted were already checked out, so we placed holds for them (and are keeping our fingers crossed they don’t become available while we’re gone!), and they grabbed a couple of books for fun.  My friend, Jeannine, was working, so we chatted with her for a bit, too, and then we headed back home.

Back at home, I put away all of the Target purchases, and then I opened my Amazon package that had arrived.  I’ve been wanting to find a new Bible, so I ordered two different ones to try, and then I’m going to return the one that I decide not to use.  I love both of them SO MUCH and I’m truly torn… I can’t decide which one to keep.

After that, I threw yet another load of laundry in the wash, and then I settled in to get some more blog work done.  While I worked, I enjoyed a cup of cinnamon tea along with some Biscoff that I'd picked up at Target earlier in the day.  I always LOOOOVEEEE eating those as my snack when we fly, so I don't know why I've never actually looked into buying some to keep at home.  I do have afternoon tea pretty much every day during the summer, so my British ancestors would be proud of me.  ;o)

Once that was done, I spent some more time packing for the beach and putting away laundry, and then it was time to start dinner.  Thursday evening, I made parmesan chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli and carrots… a nice, healthy option after our not-so-healthy Chick-Fil-A earlier in the day.

After dinner, the four of us were just getting ready to head outside to the neighborhood playground, and we realized that it was raining.  Boooo.

Since we couldn’t go outside, the kids spent a little bit of time playing inside, and I got in an arms workout and I packed some more for the beach.  Man, it takes forever to pack a family of four for a week-long trip!

After my workout, we watched some more of America’s Got Talent, we sent the kids to bed, and then B and I finished the episode of Ted Lasso that we’d started the night before.  I don’t want it to end, y’all.  Waaaahhhh.

 

Friday, June 2

Friday morning, I got up, got changed into my workout clothes, and I headed out for an early run.  I usually don’t work out on Fridays, but now that the kids are out of school, and B works from home on Fridays, I’ve decided to start squeezing in a morning workout every now and then.

I typically hate morning workouts, and Friday was no exception.  Haha.  I just don’t work out as well in the morning as I do in the evening.  Not sure why… probably because I’ve always naturally been more of a night owl.

I’ve also had some sort of SI joint/hip/knee pain issue going on, so my run didn’t go very well.  The pain started earlier in the week and got progressively worse all week, so after Friday’s struggle run, I decided to take a running break for a bit to see if it subsides.  I’m not trying to get injured!! 

By the time I got back from my run, the kids were awake, so we all had breakfast, and then I got showered and ready for the day.  I had a few minutes to get some blog work done after that, and then I had to be at a hair appointment at 10:30.  I wanted to squeeze one in before our trip… nothing like waiting until the last minute!  Haha.

After my hair stylist got me looking all fresh and ready for the beach, I headed home and made a hodgepodge lunch to get rid of all of the leftovers and food that was going to spoil while we were gone. 

After lunch, the kids headed outside to play, and I buckled down and got to packing again.  I managed to get every single thing packed for every single person (aside from stuff that can’t be packed until the last minute), and I painted my toenails, and I still had a couple of hours leftover to get the rest of my blog/emails/computer stuff done that had to be done before we left.

At 5:30, we headed to my parents’ house for Friday dinner because my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece were in town.  We had a house FULL… my parents, our family of four, my brother’s family of four, my other brother and his roommate, my Mama Cass, and my Uncle Billy.  Whew.  It was loud, but wonderful to have everyone together.

We celebrated my SIL’s birthday as well as my nephew’s birthday, and my Momma made her famous white chicken chili (seriously one of my favorite things of all-time!) and it was a great evening!

 

When we got home, we got the kids in the bed, and then B had to work the rest of the evening to get caught up before vacation, so I scrolled through social media for a bit, I read, and I worked on the self development book study that I've been doing lately until it was time for bed.

 

Saturday, June 3

Saturday was our travel day, but we usually don’t leave until lunchtime since our check-in-time for the beach is always so late.  Since we didn’t have to leave early, we slept in, I made homemade waffles as I always do on Saturday, I got in a mixed cardio workout, and then we finished packing for our trip.  We had a quick, light lunch, and then we hit the road! 

Sunday was a beach day, so that will be recapped in my beach recaps… stay tuned… they’ll be coming soon!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!