Our Week - The One with Well Checkups, Poker Night, College Football, and Spirit Halloween

Last week was full of dizziness, vertigo, and just feeling generally yucky because of said dizziness and vertigo, but thankfully, I had some good moments, so I'm just trying to focus on those.  Time for a recap!

Monday, August 28

Monday morning, I got the kids to school and dropped some paperwork at the school office, and then I headed back home to work all day and do laundry.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and since we didn’t have any commitments Monday evening, we headed to the car wash to cross that off the list.  Getting the car washed had been on my to do list since we got back from the beach in early June, but I kept putting it off, and then right when I was going to go in July, I got vertigo and then I couldn’t drive for four weeks.  Haha.

Needless to say, it was way overdue.  We got the car all cleaned on the outside and then vacuumed out, and then… it poured down rain all the way home and got my car all dirty again.  Buh.  It was sunny when we arrived at the car wash, and things changed very quickly while we were there.  What can ya do?

It ended up storming for the rest of the afternoon.  When we got home, the kids did some work on their laptops and I got in a Bible study, and then I tackled a couple of things around the house before making dinner.

We did breakfast for dinner Monday – eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and toast – and then afterward, I attempted to walk/jog even though I’d been super dizzy all day.  Yes, I was dizzy again aaaallll day on Monday.  Sigh.  I just don’t have a clue what’s going on at this point.  Ugh.

After my drunk-girl walk around the neighborhood, I got showered and then ready for bed, and then we all started the Nailed It Baking Challenge… it’s new on Netlfix!  We loved regular Nailed It, so we’re excited about this new one.

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched some more of Nine Perfect Strangers, and then we headed to bed, too.

Tuesday, August 29

Tuesday was B-U-S-Y.  I dropped the kids right at 7:30 and then headed straight to Starbucks to grab another pumpkin spice latte before my Home and School meeting.  The meeting was an open meeting for anyone to join, and since our head volunteer director was out sick, another girl and I conducted the meeting together.  We had a great turnout, and I’m excited for the upcoming year!

Immediately following that meeting, my friend Becky and I conferenced in the volunteer director to have a meeting about Grandparent’s Day that’s rapidly approaching.  Becky and I have co-chaired this event for the last couple of years, and we’re taking it on yet again this year, making a few little tweaks here and there to improve the efficiency and the experience. 

After that, I had to run to the school office to grab our tax documents to present to our vendors who we order the food from, and by the time that was done, it was already after 10 AM!

Since Bath & Body Works was open by then, I swung over there on the way home, and I filled my car with gas since I was nearly out.  Bath & Body Works had all of their soaps on SUPER sale, and I had a 25% off my entire purchase coupon, so I loaded up and saved a ton of money.  It was a fall wonderland in there, and I enjoyed browsing and checking out all of the new scents.  They also had Halloween music piping in through the speakers, so that was an added bonus.  ;o)

When I got home, I had just enough time to finish up the laundry for the week and knock out some blog work, and before I knew it, it was time to grab the kiddos.  We had tons to do after school, so I had to pack the car with changes of clothes for golf and dance + snacks and drinks for the kids, and then I was on my way!   

Olivia had her annual well checkup at the pediatrician at 3:30, so we hightailed it over there straight from the car line.  Jacob had his first golf practice of the season at 4, so Brian met us at the pediatrician’s office to grab him, and then Olivia and I hung out for her checkup.  Everything went well, as always, and the doc said she’s as healthy as can be!

Olivia had dance at 5, so we were cutting it very close, and we had just enough time to get her changed into her dance stuff at the doctor’s office and check out before heading straight there.  On the way there, it started pouring down rain, and the drive home from dance was awful because of all of the standing water on the road.  Brian and Jacob ended up getting home at the same time I did because Jacob’s golf practice ended up being rained out.

Jacob worked on homework for a bit while I did my workouts for the evening.  I did a quick stair stepper workout plus my eight-minute arms workout, and then I headed downstairs to get dinner ready while B headed back out to grab Olivia from dance.  While I cooked, Jacob went ahead and showered for the evening since it was going to be a late-ish night due to dance.

I’d cooked some slow cooker chicken and ranch pasta on Sunday that had made enough to feed our whole family twice, so I reheated those leftovers, and then made some garlic cheesy bread to go with it.  We usually have a vegetable with that meal, too, but I didn’t have anything on hand, so I made a fruit bowl with blueberries and strawberries instead.

After dinner, Olivia got showered and ready for bed, and then we finished the episode of Nailed It Baking Challenge that we’d started on Monday.  Once the kids were in bed, B and I watched some more of Nine Perfect Strangers and then we called it a night, too.

Wednesday, August 30

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school, spent a few minutes at home, and then I headed to see my therapist.  On the way back home after my appointment, I swung by Walmart to pick up a full-sized skeleton along with some milk, eggs, and other necessities, and then I headed home.  My friend, Marie, had mentioned the skeleton on Instagram, and I couldn’t get to Walmart fast enough to grab one!  They are only $29.97 there which is a steal!

The rest of the day was spent working and getting caught up on life stuff, and then I headed out to pick up the kids from school with my skeleton friend.  I got a ton of crazy looks on the way over there, but it was worth it to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they saw him sitting up front.  ;o)

After school, we headed straight to dance to drop Olivia, and then we had to go straight to the pediatrician’s office for Jacob’s well visit after that.  Jacob’s checkup went well, and we were able to get his flu vaccine while we were there, too.  They’d forgotten to mention that to me on Tuesday for Olivia, so we’ll have to take her another time.  While we were waiting, we played with Snapchat filters per Jacob's request, and he and I could not stop laughing at this filter of a chihuahua in a taco with guac on his head.  Lol.

 

He and I headed home after that was done, and I immediately got started on dinner when I walked in the door since it was so late.  We had turkey and cheese biscuit sliders Wednesday evening, and we paired those with some fruit.  Nothing fancy, but that was the best I could do with all of those extra activities after school.

After dinner, I attempted to go for a walk alone, but it ended up being a big mistake.  I made it one mile, and then the dizziness got so bad that I started stumbling around.  I almost fell a couple of times, and I thought I was going to have to call B to come pick me up, but I took it nice and slow on the way back home, and I made it back by myself.  It was such a disappointment, though.  I didn’t even break a sweat because I had to walk so slow.  (And it was only about 80 degrees that evening because of Hurricane Idalia… we’d had some outer bands hit our area earlier in the day, so it never got hot.)

When I got back home, I got ready for bed while the kids finished showering, and then we started America’s Got Talent for the week.  After the kids went to bed, it was more Nine Perfect Strangers for B and me, and that was our day.

Thursday, August 31

Thursday, I had nowhere to be, so I dropped the kids at school and headed straight home to work all day.  I’m currently planning Grandparent’s Day at the kids’ school, so I had lots of stuff to do for that – I ran through the numbers and compared them to last year’s, I called to order donuts, I priced some coffee, and I sent a couple of email updates to the others who are working on it with me. 

I also scheduled an appointment with my primary care physician about this vertigo per the urging of my ENT doctor.  Since I was diagnosed with cervicogenic vertigo, he can no longer treat me (since it’s stemming from the neck and he doesn’t treat neck stuff), so he recommended that I get it in to see my PCP so she can be in the loop just in case I end up needing more tests ordered.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t get me in until 9/21, so that was a bummer, but the lady who made the appointment told me that she has suffered from vertigo, and she knows how awful it is, so she promised to add me to a cancelation list to try to get me in sooner.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and while I was sitting in the car line, the school librarian asked me if her son could ride with us to music lessons.  He goes to the same place our kids go, and his lessons are around the same time, so I had told her we’d be happy to take him any time.

We all headed straight to music after that, and I chatted with the guitar teacher for a bit, and then I read while the kids had their lessons.

After lessons, we headed home, and I got started on dinner – sheet pan sausage, sweet potatoes, onions, and broccoli, and blueberry muffins – and then we all ate dinner together when B got home from work.

After dinner, I decided to try to walk again even though I’d been dizzy for some of the day.  Thankfully, the dizziness has not been bad at dropoff and pickup lately, so I haven’t had to worry about driving with the kids in the car.  And thankfully, I can turn my head to the left and right without experiencing dizziness or vertigo, so I’m able to drive safely.

I ended up getting in a full walk, but it was a struggle as I’ve started veering off to the right again when I walk.  Sigh.  I was pretty dizzy for the whole walk yet again, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been the previous night, and therefore, I was able to complete the full distance I’d wanted to do.  I was bummed that I couldn’t jog at all, though.  I just wasn’t stable enough.  I also checked on Olivia's sunflowers while I was out... they have been struggling ever since that storm knocked them all over.  Sigh.

After my walk, I grabbed a quick shower, and then we all watched some more of America’s Got Talent from the week.  B and I then finished the episode of Nine Perfect Strangers that we’d started the night before, and then we ended the evening with some college football since it’s officially BACK!

Friday, September 1

Friday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed straight to physical therapy.  I told my PT how I’d been having the worst week since seeing her the previous Friday and she was perplexed as to what’s going on.  Again, she told me that my case isn’t textbook, and that we’re just going to keep on doing what we can to get me better.  She did recommend that I get an MRI and have an ultrasound done on my carotid arteries just to make sure that blood flow to my brain is normal.  We also did a couple of new eye exercises involving a little black dot, and she did the sub-occipital release as she’s been doing at the other visits.  That always feels soooo good because my neck is always so tight.

After that, I headed home to work for a little bit, and then at 11:30 I headed to my primary care physician’s office because… I was notified in my patient portal late Thursday evening that they had an opening from a cancellation!!  Praise!

My appointment went well… she listened to me detail every single little thing that’s happened leading up to the vertigo to present day (bless her… it is a LOT), and she took tons of notes.  She agreed that an MRI was something that needed to be done ASAP, and she also told me that she thought it would be a good idea to see a cardiologist to have an ultrasound of my carotid arteries just to be safe.  She put in the order for the MRI, and she sent a note to the cardiologist she recommends to see which areas need to be examined, and then she sent me on my way and told me they would be in touch.

By the time I got home, I had just enough time to grab a quick lunch with Brian since he was working from home, and then squeeze in a few more minutes of work before it was time to pick up the kids. 

All day Friday I felt super dizzy again, and my drive back from the PCP’s office wasn’t fun at all… especially in the rain.  But thankfully, I was able to get the dizziness in check just in time for me to pick up the kids from school. 

When we got home, the kids unpacked their school stuff, grabbed snacks, and tidied up a bit, and then I let them play video games for a few minutes since it was Fridaaaayyyy!

We had a poker night with friends at my friend, Jeannine’s, house Friday night, so we all headed there at 6.  The kids were ecstatic.  Our poker nights are always their favorite things because they get to play with their friends while the adults play cards, and we pretty much allow them to do whatever they want (within reason, of course), and eat whatever they want (AKA all the treats).  We get together with the same group every time (my friends Jeannine and Khristina and their husbands), and we always have the best time!

Jeannine and James had gotten takeout pizzas for dinner, so we all hung out and chatted while we ate, and then we played cards.  We take turns dealing and the dealer decides which poker game to play, so we change it up as we go, and it’s always such a fun time.  Khristina had brought pumpkin beer to try, too, so that was a nice little fall treat.  ;o)

We ended up getting home around 10, and the kids got straight into bed while B and I spent some time downstairs with Maui and watching college football.

Saturday, September 2

Saturday morning, we woke up to… COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAY!!!!  The first Saturday of September is always one of my favorite days of the whole year… it’s like Christmas morning!  Brian had gotten up a little early and brought home donuts for breakfast, and then I made some hot cinnamon tea and watched ESPN College GameDay on the couch in my PJs with my snuggly girl in my lap while surrounded by all of my fall pumpkins and leaves while cinnamon and clove wafted through the house from the diffuser.  Is there really anything better?!  (Okay, maybe Christmas Eve, but this comes in a close second.)

I finally pulled myself off the couch a little after 10 and I got in a mixed cardio workout along with some housework and laundry.  My dizziness had morphed yet again on Saturday into lightheadedness in addition to the dizziness, and I was still spinning here and there when tilting my head up or down.  Sigh.  Therefore, I had to take it easy during my workout and I wasn’t able to go full throttle like I usually do.

After my workout, we had a light lunch, and then the kids played outside for a long time because… it felt amazing outside on Saturday!!!!  It was a bit overcast, although not rainy, and it was still only 75 degrees at 12:30.  The humidity had also gone away, so it was nice and dry, which made it feel even cooler.  It was wonderful.

The rest of the afternoon was spent decorating the front porch for fall.  I didn’t do it when we decorated the rest of the house last weekend because I didn’t want the neighbors to think I was crazy.  It was still August then.  Lol.  Our neighbors across the street put theirs up this week, though, so I thought there was no reason to hold back anymore.  ;o)

My happy little helper, Olivia, assisted, and it turned out super cute per usual.  I’ll have to get it all photographed soon because I’ll be sharing it on the blog sometime in the next couple of weeks!  Stay tuned!

After the porch was decorated, I spent some time cleaning out Olivia’s giant art basket because it was literally overflowing into the kitchen, and I couldn’t take it anymore.  While I did that, the kids tidied up the whole house and got their laundry folded and put away.

I showered and got ready for the day after that, and then I did some blog work in my office for a couple of hours while the kids played video games.  By the time I was done with that, it was time to make my way downstairs because it was nearing game time!!!!

My father-in-law came over to watch it with us, and he picked up pizza on his way over, so we all sat down and ate together and then watched the game.  I snuck out at halftime to walk Maui because the weather was amazing, and then we got back just in time to watch the second half.  Georgia ended up winning (as expected since we were playing a smaller team), and it was a good evening.

After my FIL left, we got the kids in the bed, and then B and I stayed up to watch some more football before calling it a night.  While we watched, I decided to tempt fate, and I lay on the couch on my right side as I usually do when we watch TV at night.  You may remember last week when I did that, I ended up having horrible vertigo immediately after getting up and for days afterward again, but this time, I took it easy when getting up, and I made sure to lay on my left side for a minute and then on my back before getting up, and that seemed to do the trick.  No major spinning when I got up.  Whew.

 

Sunday, September 3

Sunday morning, we got up and had leftover donuts, and then I got my planner ready for the week ahead while watching my Sunday morning sermon.  I also got in a yoga workout (more like general stretching than yoga right now since I can’t be flipping around and hanging upside down too much in downward dog), and then I got ready for the day.

My MIL and step-FIL weren’t cooking again on Sunday, so our family of four went to the local Mexican restaurant that’s right down the street from our house, and then we headed to meet some friends at the Spirit Halloween store. 

We ended up staying there for about an hour.  The kids tried on a million different masks, they browsed all of the fun props, and they picked out their costumes.  We were all cracking up at Buckley wearing the grandma mask… he was all in character, and it was the funniest thing ever.  He ended up deciding to be the grandma for Halloween and I cannot wait to see the final result.  Lol.

 

Once we were done there, we headed home to be lazy for the rest of the afternoon.  The kids played video games, B watched football, and I worked in my office and watched The Wedding Planner… again.  Lol.

We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and I was especially excited for that since we’d had to miss it the previous week due to sickness in our house.  We got over there a little early this time so B could help my parents install their new security system, and we spent the whole evening over there eating a yummy dinner and a pumpkin(!) dessert and hanging out with everyone.

When we got back home, we got the kids in bed, and then B and I watched another episode of Nine Perfect Strangers before heading to bed.  I actually felt pretty good all day Sunday vertigo-wise, so I was very thankful for that.  The dizziness was still there, but it wasn’t constant, and I felt much steadier on my feet than I had in quite some time.  Unfortunately, I’m typing this on Monday, and I haven’t been great today at all, so I guess Sunday was just a fluke.  Womp womp.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!