Holy moly, last week was insaaaane, y’all, and I’m rolling into the new week exhausted. It was such a great week, though, filled with so many things, but it also consisted of a bad vertigo spell for me, along with a ton of face/neck/jaw/head/shoulder/back tension and pain. So, I guess you could say last week was great and really rough at the same time.
Monday, February 19
Monday, the kids were out of school for President’s Day, so we were able to sleep in, which was nice. Brian had to work, but he worked from home, so he was able to sleep in a little later than he would have if he had gone in the office.
I was up by 8, and then the kids and I had breakfast while Brian headed off to a dentist appointment. Then, I headed to my office to finish a blog post and drink my tea. While I did that, the kids watched cartoons. It was nice to have a (mostly) free day ahead of us after being so busy Saturday and Sunday.
After that, I got showered and ready for the day, and then I started getting lunch ready. While I was doing that, Jacob’s friend and his mom swung by to pick him up to take him to their house to study for an upcoming test and hang out for a bit.
After lunch, I headed out to run some errands. First up, was the liquor store to grab some beer for B’s birthday, and then I did our grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks at Walmart. I had to swing by Publix on the way home to grab a couple of things that Walmart didn’t have, and then I headed home.
All of the groceries were put away when I got home, and then Olivia and I headed out into the sunshine to take Maui for a walk. It was gorgeous Monday – sunny, blue skies, and 63 degrees – and I loved every second of it. Maui hadn’t been for a walk in ages since it’s been so cold, so I was happy to get her out and get some exercise. I was also happy to have some uninterrupted time with my girl. She wanted to talk about her upcoming slumber party, so we got all of the plans in place. :o)
When we got home, all of us enjoyed a piece of leftover chocolate chip bundt cake that I’d made for B’s birthday at Sunday dinner, and then the kids played video games for about an hour while I finished up with some work in my office.
Around 5, the three of us headed outside to enjoy the sunshine some more. The kids rode their scooters, and I went for a run. It was so windy on Monday yet again, which made for a difficult run, but I got it done!
After dinner, I got showered and into my PJs, and then I worked on my medical and health spreadsheet some more while the kids got showered and ready for bed. As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m trying to put together a spreadsheet of all of my well visits, sick visits, and vaccines over the years since I’ve had so many issues in the last decade (nerve damage/pelvic damage from childbirth, panic attacks, anxiety, terrible allergies and asthma, and most recently, vertigo). I’m asked about my medical history every time I see a new doctor, so I’m excited to have this spreadsheet that I can reference if I ever need to.
I was able to provide most of the details on the spreadsheet by going through my old medical files (since I had saved everything), and after I went through that entire file, I started filling in the missing gaps by going through all of my old planners (since I’ve written every single appointment down in those since 1995… literally. Haha).
After the kids were ready for bed, Brian and Jacob wanted to finish Guardians of the Galaxy that they’d started over the weekend, so Olivia and I hung out in her room. She wanted to “snuggle” and “chat” and then play with her old magnet toy that she’s had since she was tiny, so we did just that. She also ordered a Taylor Swift wig with her own money, and it delivered on Monday, so she wore it most of the day, and I cannot stop laughing. She is such a piece of work, y’all.
Tuesday, February
20
Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then headed home to snuggle up in my office and work. It was freezing every morning last week, but all of the afternoons were in the 60’s and 70’s, so we had some wild temperature swings.
I spent the morning working on the blog, and then midway through the morning, I headed to a therapist visit, followed by a stop at Crumbl Cookies to pick up dessert for Brian’s birthday.
The rest of the day was spent working on some stuff for Olivia’s birthday – ordering custom donuts for her slumber party, ordering a cake to take to my parents’ house on Sunday for their celebration for her, wrapping her gifts, etc.
After school, the kids and I went home, and I got my Bible study done while they did their homework. I completed my 100th day!!!! Jacob and I got Olivia to dance, and then he and I headed home for the rest of the evening. I spent the rest of the evening cooking dinner and getting ready to celebrate B since Tuesday was his birthday. Oh, and doing a stairstepper workout!
Wednesday, I had no place to be, so I dropped the kids at school and then headed home to work all day. I tackled numerous blog posts, worked on my medical and health spreadsheet, worked on updating album covers in iTunes, and lots of other little things. It was a very productive day!
After school, Jacob and I got Olivia to dance, and then he and I headed home for a bit. He worked on homework while I got the kitchen cleaned up, and then we went for a walk together to get some sunshine and fresh air. Maui has hardly been on any walks this winter since it’s been so cold, but she got to go on two last week!
After my workout, Jacob came in to show me an origami dolphin that he created all by himself. I could not believe that he came up with that all on his own. We were just having a conversation the other day about how hard it must be for people to come up with these elaborate origami designs, and then he went and made one. He never ceases to amaze me!
Thursday morning, I dropped the kids and then headed home. When I got home, I had a text from B saying that there was a massive phone outage and that everyone’s phones were turned on SOS mode. Sure enough, I looked at mine, and it was in SOS mode. Thankfully, I was able to send and receive texts and use the internet on my phone while I was connected to our home network, but I couldn’t make or receive calls.
Naturally, during the outage, Olivia got injured at school (it was minor), so when the school tried to call, the call didn’t go through. Thankfully, I’m friends with the girl who works in the front office, so she texted me to let me know. Olivia had fallen and hit her elbow (the one she broke in two back in 2021 – sigh), but thankfully it was okay. They iced it for her, and she was able to go back to class. That is, however, the fourth or fifth time she has been in the office for minor injuries in the last month or so. THAT GIRL. Siiiigh. Haha.
I spent the whole day Thursday working on blog stuff and starting party prep for Olivia’s slumber party Friday night, and then at 3 it was time to pick up the kids from school. On the way to music lessons, we had just exited off the highway and stopped at a red light when I heard a little honk, so I looked to my right and saw Jacob’s old piano teacher, Mr. Joseph, hanging out the window of his SUV smiling and waving like crazy. We were able to roll down the windows and say hi, but he was holding up traffic in his lane, so he couldn’t stay long.
The kids were E-L-A-T-E-D, though, because we hadn’t seen him since he left the music school last June… and since we just happened to be going straight to music lessons at the time, the kids were able to tell everyone that we had just seen Mr. Joseph. They couldn’t wait to share the news. Haha. Jacob still talks about him frequently and we all miss him so much, but we do love his new teacher, Mr. Jarrett. Everyone at their music school is really fantastic.
At music on Thursday, Jacob did some practice with a metronome so he could get his timing down for Fur Elise. He’s working on perfecting it because he was invited to try out for the Honors Recital. He was never interested in doing a recital because he hates getting up in front of people, but the Honors Recital is recorded – and supposedly not in front of a big group of people – so he won’t have to perform in front of a big crowd. We’ll see how it goes!
Olivia had a makeup voice lesson Thursday since she had missed the previous Thursday for a doctor appointment, so she was there for an hour. After Jacob was done, he and I sat out in the lobby and I chatted with one of the other teachers, Mr. Steve, for a bit, and I also read my book.
After that, it was time to head home, and the kids got their homework done. Then, they tidied up every inch of the main floor of the house because it was a duuuump and we had four girls coming over on Friday. They also got the playroom cleaned up, and Olivia tidied her room… well, kind of. Her idea of tidy and my idea of tidy are two completely different things, but I always let it slide because I know it’s not right to hold her to my crazy standards. Haha.
By the time that was done, B was home, and he and I got ready for a date night. We hadn’t been out to dinner, just the two of us, in aaaages, and we also had never gone to dinner for our anniversary back in December, so we decided to do a weekday dinner to celebrate our anniversary and his birthday all-in-one.
Thankfully, we’d made a reservation, so we didn’t have to wait. The place was PACKED. We started out with a round of drinks (an Old Fashioned for B and a glass of wine for me), and then we both opted for the same meal – the filet (they roast fresh garlic over the top and OMG), whipped potatoes, and asparagus – and everything was just divine. After dinner, we shared a piece of their famous cheesecake with a drizzle of caramel… it’s the best cheesecake you’ll ever eat anywhere… I kid you not!
Our server had asked us at the beginning of the meal if we were there to celebrate anything, and I told him that we were celebrating a late anniversary dinner + Brian’s birthday, so when he brought our cheesecake out, there was a candle on top along with a congratulatory card. So sweet!! He even told Brian to go sit next to me so he could take our picture together. I didn’t even have to ask. Love love love.
Since it’s a different weekend this year, that means we can go somewhere, and we’re hoping to change it up and go somewhere different. We went to the mountains for years for fall break, but we’re all itching to do something new, so we’re looking into various other cities. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
After dinner, we grabbed the kids and headed home, and while they showered and got ready for bed, I got in a quick mixed cardio and arms workout. I really didn’t want to, but I did it anyway. #Dedication!
Friday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed straight to the local donut shop to pick up Olivia’s birthday dessert for her slumber party + breakfast the next morning.
After that, I swung by Walmart to pick up a few more things for the party, and then I headed home to work on the blog and party prep all day with my little sidekick.
Just as I had finished setting up, I went to let Maui inside, and when I opened the door, I had a horrible vertigo attack for the first time in months. While I’ve had lingering (strong) dizziness when laying down and sitting up, I haven’t had one of the actual vertigo attacks (extreme spinning to the point where I’ll hit the ground if I’m not holding onto something) in months. Thankfully, I was holding onto the door, so I didn’t fall, and thankfully the spinning only lasted about five seconds, but it was enough to make my stomach lurch and then I felt nauseated (and devastated) afterward. I was SO upset because a) the timing could not have been worse, and b) OMG why is this happening to me again?!?!
OH that’s right, I just started using my braces rubber bands again, which means my face has been changing again, and I’ve been experiencing horrific tension in my face, jaw, head, neck, and shoulders for the last few weeks again. I’m convinced now more than ever that it’s the braces/rubber bands that caused the original vertigo and I think they’re the reason why the dizziness hasn’t completely gone away. I think that due to the extreme changes my face/jaw/head are experiencing that it’s causing crazy tension and muscle fatigue which is, in turn, throwing off something in my vestibular system, thus causing the vertigo and dizziness.
On another note, though, I was incredibly grateful that the spell hadn’t happened one hour earlier when I was driving the kids home. That would have been terrifying and dangerous.
Anywayyyy, for the next couple of hours, I felt that horrible boat-rocking sensation, and it was stronger than it’s been in months. I do still get that on occasion but it’s very mild. Friday night it was not mild at all.
I had a party to throw, though, so I put on my happiest face and did what I had to do. And I surely didn’t let Olivia know about it because I didn’t want to ruin her party. Thankfully, the vertigo never came back, and after an hour or two, the boat-rocking subsided, but it was replaced with extreme tension in my shoulders and neck that I couldn’t get rid of. But at least I was a functioning human. Thank you, God.
The girls started arriving at 5. Olivia invited her friends Aubrey, Cami, Savannah, and Maren – those are all of her besties from school – and they were all able to make it which was a February miracle in itself because they’ve had soooo much sickness making its way through their classroom. Covid, flu, strep, and the stomach virus have been running rampant through their classroom for the last few weeks, and we’ve managed to miraculously avoid all of them. And now I’m praying I did not just jinx us by putting that out there in the universe. Haha.
When the girls first arrived, they played upstairs and got their sleep area ready. They staged and decorated the whole thing, setting up sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, bean bag chairs, lamps, stuffies, homemade signs, and everything else you can think of. Haha.
When B got home with the pizza, it was time to eat. We kept it simple with cheese pizzas from Papa John’s, a fruit tray, assorted chips, and Capri Suns. Olivia had originally wanted chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A since chicken fingers are Taylor Swift’s favorite food (LOL), but since we’re observing Lent right now, we aren’t eating meat on Fridays.
The concert ended just before 10, and then the girls all got into PJs and headed up to our playroom/loft to hang out. Brian and I sat on the couch with Maui (who was pretty traumatized from all of the noise/screaming/unwanted pets and pickups all night – LOL) for a bit and we watched some American Idol, and then we headed to bed around 10:45.
I read for a bit before going out to tell the girls goodnight a little after 11. I was worried they’d be really loud, but they were really respectful, and I only heard light laughter a couple of times despite the fact that we were sharing a wall with them. Usually when one of the kids has spend-the-night company, they sleep in their bedrooms, and they are on the other side of the house, so we never have to worry about hearing a peep! But five girls were way too much for Olivia’s small room, so we put them in the playroom instead.
I was just relieved to be in bed because that’s the only time I feel comfortable and tension-free, but I was also terrified that I was going to wake up in the morning with full-blown vertigo again after my spell earlier that day. T-E-R-R-I-F-I-E-D.
Thankfully, Saturday morning, I woke up feeling back to normal dizziness-wise. The dizziness was back to being there just when I sit up and when I lay down, but my face/head/jaw/neck/shoulder tension was out of this world bad. And the ringing in my ears had ramped up a few decibels, too. (I’ve had ringing in my ears nonstop since 2018 and I’ve made my peace with it, but sometimes it gets louder, and it gets annoying again.) However, I was just grateful that the vertigo was gone because I had a room full of girls who were ready for breakfast.
They woke us up around 7, so it wasn’t as early as I’d thought it would be (WHEW!), and I got out of bed at 7:30. We’d bought extra donuts for breakfast, so I got the girls settled in at the table with donuts and fruit and juice, and I helped Aubrey pack up her stuff because she had an event to be at and was being picked up at 8.
After breakfast, the girls watched TV for all of 10 minutes, and then they headed upstairs to play “wedding” where they dressed up and did makeup and pretended to marry the boys in their class. Hahahaha.
While they pretend-married their crushes, I snuck into my office with a cup of hot tea and a vanilla scone, and I got a little bit of work done. About 30 minutes in, I started having severe tension in my neck and upper back that was radiating from my face/jaw, so I immediately abandoned the computer because I didn’t want to anger the vertigo again.
Instead, I laced up my tennis shoes and got in a mixed cardio workout. I took it very easy just to be safe, though, because I was still paranoid about moving the wrong way and setting off the vertigo again. In between workout spurts, I made the bed, collected the dirty towels from the week, cleaned up the girls’ snack trash, started some laundry, got the dining room table put back together, and I tidied up everything that could be tidied.
After mom and dad left, Olivia and I got started on cleaning up after the party. The whole lower level was completely clean, but the playroom/loft area, Olivia’s bedroom, and the kids’ bathroom were all absolute disaster areas.
Once that was done, we headed back home, and then it was relaxation time… finally. B watched a show, the kids played video games, and I did my Bible study and worked in my office for a bit. The face/neck/shoulder/jaw/head strain was roooough all day, and I started feeling like I was rocking on a boat again midway through the day, so I took it easy in my office. I even took a few minutes to lay down, and y’all, I never ever do that in the middle of the day. You know it’s baaaad if I’m found laying down in the middle of the day.
Sunday, February 25
Sunday morning, we all slept in, and then it was time to celebrate our girl because it was her actual birthday! We had leftover donuts for breakfast, she opened her gifts, and she immediately got started making bracelets with her new rainbow loom. She had asked for all Taylor Swift gifts for her birthday, but I threw that rainbow loom in, too, because I know she’d been wanting one, and I’m so glad I did, because she was thrilled to have it.
There’s a bit of a learning curve when using it, and Jacob was the sweetest big brother, patiently helping her learn how to do it. Don’t even ask me how he just knew how to do it, but he did. He totally knew exactly how that thing worked just by looking at it – he’d never seen one before, nor had he read the instructions, but he knew exactly how it worked. He did read the directions to confirm, but my mind was just blown. If he doesn’t end up being some kind of engineer or creator of some kind, I’ll honestly be shocked.
After lunch, Olivia opened her gifts… more Taylor Swift stuff, of course! And then we enjoyed birthday dessert.
The rest of the afternoon was spent being lazy. The kids wanted to play video games, so while they did that, I fought with my computer and phone. Every now and then, the pictures will not transfer to my computer from my iPhone, and this was one of those times… hence the reason this post is late this week. ;o)
I finally gave up and did my Bible study instead. :o)
Whew. What a week!!
And now for a few current things…
Currently Reading
This month, I started and finished Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read in my entire life. I plan to do a review about it in an upcoming Five on Friday post, so stay tuned for that.
I also started Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith by Bill Hybels at the recommendation of a friend, and I loved that book, too.
I’m now working my way through The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros, and I’m loving it as well.
And I also just started The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, and it is fascinating.
And, of course, I’ll be doing New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp all year as it’s a daily devotional. It’s phenomenal.
And I’m also still working my way through The Bible and The Bible Recap… I’m currently making my way through 1 Samuel, and I just passed the 100-day mark last week!
Currently Watching
With B: This month, we finished Safe and we started and finished Stay Close on Netflix, and we LOVED both of them. We also just started Behind Her Eyes which is reminiscent of a Harlan Coben show, but it’s not actually one of his. In addition to that, we’re still turning on Saturday Night Live occasionally when we have nothing else to watch, and we’re still making our way through The Bachelor with Joey. Oh, and American Idol just started, too!
With the Kids: We finished season one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. We also watched the movie Mary Poppins (the original one) since B and the kids had never seen it. Other than that, I can’t think of anything else?? We really haven’t been watching much TV with them lately.
Alone: I’m still watching Friends from time-to-time, and I’ve also been watching The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days while I work on the weekends, but during the week, I just listen to music.
Currently Listening To
Justin Timberlake just dropped a second new single, and Dave Matthews (solo) just dropped a new single that was totally unexpected, so I have been listening to those on repeat! I also just downloaded Noah Kahan’s latest album and it’s so good. And I still can’t stop listening to Teddy Swims. And of course, Taylor, Ed, and DMB.
Happy Thursday, y’all!
