Our Week - The One with Poker Night, a Sleepover, Golf, and Doing All the Things

I can’t believe it’s already time for another weekly recap… the weeks are just flying by!

Monday, April 22

Monday morning, I dropped the kids off at school and then I headed to Walmart and Publix to do my grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks.  After that, I got the groceries put away at home, and I settled in to work all day. 

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school while listening to TTPD on repeat, and then we headed home… we had nowhere to be!  This school year has been so nice in that we have one free weeknight with no after-school activities.  Mondays have been the best this school year!

When we got home, I chatted with Olivia for a bit, helped her with some homework, and then I did a Bible study while the kids played outside. 

We had an early dinner of beef and parmesan pasta with zucchini and our favorite Cheesecake Factory brown bread, and then we all headed back outside to spend the rest of the evening.  I pressure washed for about 30 minutes while the kids ran around, and then Brian came out and took over because 30 minutes is about all I can do before my neck starts to hurt and my hands and arms get shaky. 

While he pressure washed, I headed out for a run, and apparently I run faster when I listen to mad songs by Taylor Swift.  Haha.  My pace was significantly faster than usual.  I did keep the run short, though, because I was tired from pressure washing, and I wanted to get in an arms workout, too.

After all of that was done, I headed inside to shower and get in PJs.  Then I wrapped up my to-do list – well, almost – and then I spent some time with Olivia in her room watching a YouTube video of some crafting that’s she’s been loving to watch.

After we got the kids in the bed, B and I watched some of American Idol from Sunday, and then we headed to bed early.

Maui waits at the bottom of the stairs for me every night after we put the kids to bed, and Brian snapped her picture and made this meme because... UNCANNY.  Haha.

 

Tuesday, April 23

Tuesday morning, I ran by Fresh Market to grab chicken, and then I gassed up the car, and then I headed home for a long day of blog work and various other tasks.  My master to-do list (that you don’t see) is just overflowing right now as May-cember is right around the corner, so there are so.many.things.to.do. 

After school, I got the kids home so Olivia could tackle her homework before dance.  She had quite a bit Tuesday – more than usual – so she ended up spending the whole hour on homework until it was time to go to dance.  While she did that, Jacob tinkered on his piano, and I did my Bible study and wrapped up my blog work for the day.

After Jacob and I dropped Olivia at dance, we headed straight back home so I could start tackling as many of the tiny tasks as I could – I finally tried on the clothes I’d received from my birthday, got the tags off those and put the clothes in the laundry bin, I sent some emails about the school dance, I RSVPed for an upcoming birthday party, I got some gift ideas for said birthday girl, I sewed the string back on that had ripped off of our chaise lounge during some bad storms a couple of weeks ago, B and I rolled out the third and final rug for the back porch and got it into place, I put away some toiletries that had been sitting on the bathroom counter for days, I tidied up my closet floor (it was a hot mess which is unusual for me), I ordered Olivia’s school class picture, I organized my computer desktop, I tidied up the pile on my office floor, I returned some text messages that I’d gotten behind on, I started browsing items on Amazon for the upcoming 7th/8th grade dance I’m planning, and then after I got dinner in the oven, I got in a strength workout.

Whew.

When Brian and Olivia got home from dance, we sat down to parmesan chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and more of the Cheesecake Factory brown bread that we love.  It comes two loaves to a package, so we always have to have it twice when I buy it.

By the time dinner was over, it was late, so B and I got the kitchen cleaned up, and then I went to get ready for bed while Olivia showered.  Then I finally opened my new Taylor Swift vinyl and pored over the pages of the book inside for a bit.

By the time Olivia was ready for bed, it was time to get the kids to sleep, and then B and I watched some more of American Idol before heading to bed.  I started a new book, but couldn’t keep my eyes open, so we ended up turning out the light a little early.

Wednesday, April 24

Wednesday, I had no errands or meetings, so I dropped the kids at school and headed home to work all day.  I also had to start getting organized for Olivia’s upcoming dance recital as well as the 7th/8th grade dance I’m planning. 

The day flew by, and before I knew it, it was time to pick up the kids.  Jacob had gone on a field trip to Providence Canyon, and they’d been gone all day hiking and walking the canyon, and he said that they’d had a great time. 

Jacob and I dropped Olivia off at dance right after school, and then he and I headed home for the evening.  He didn’t have any homework, so I let him have some computer time, and then I got my Bible study done and tackled the remaining tasks on my to-do list.  Much of that was deep cleaning the house.  On Wednesday I tackled the toilets, cleaned the mirrors, and did some dusting, because the house was looking rough.  I also started working on deep cleaning the countertops, but I didn’t finish all of them.

After that, it was time to work on dinner.  Jacob helped me chop the sausage and veggies for sausage, peppers, and onions tacos, and then when Brian and Olivia got home, we ate dinner together.  Olivia had hoped that she’d be bringing home her costumes for her recital last week, but they didn’t get them.  Should be this week, though!

After dinner, I quizzed Olivia for a test, and then I got in a stair stepper workout while the kids got showered and ready for bed. 

After Olivia was ready for bed, she and I hung out in her room for a bit listening to the new Taylor Swift album – the clean version :o) – and we worked on tidying a bit, too, because her room was out of control.

While we did that, Jacob practiced some piano work.  He found the sheet music for some of the songs from Minecraft, and he’s been teaching himself to play one of them. 

After we got the kids in the bed, B and I finally got all caught up on American Idol, and then we watched a couple of skits from an old episode of Saturday Night Live, and then we headed up to bed early, at like, 9:30.  Haha.  I read for a while, and then we turned out the lights much earlier than usual.  It was nice to get almost eight hours of sleep!  That never happens on weeknights.

Thursday, April 25

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids off at school, and then I headed straight home to work all morning.  I had lots of blog work to do (Disney posts!), and also lots of non-blog tasks to tackle, so I got in the zone and worked hard for a solid 3.5 hours before it was time to run a couple of errands – Target and an appointment with my therapist. 

By the time I was done there, I had just enough time to run home, choke down a quick lunch, and get back in the car to go pick up the kids from school.

They both had music lessons after school, and then we headed home for the evening.  I did a Bible study while they did homework, and I was so excited to start the Book of Proverbs.  My very favorite Bible verse of all time is from Proverbs, and it happened to be in my reading for the day, so I spent some extra time illustrating it in my journaling column. 

I found that verse 14 years ago after my miscarriage with our first baby, and it has stayed with me since then.  It carried me through all of that pain of losing a baby, and brought me to our rainbow baby, Jacob, so I’ve loved it since then.  That verse has been framed next to my desk in my office for years, and it serves as a good reminder for me, since I always feel the need to control everything.  And when I can’t control things, I always need an explanation for why things happen the way that they do.  That’s obviously not how life works, so that’s why I cling to this verse.

By the time I was done with my Bible study, Brian was home from work (and I was on the struggle bus because I had so much left to do), so we made breakfast for dinner, and then got the kitchen cleaned up.  I had wanted to tackle a few more things on my list, but Olivia asked me to play with her outside, and I wasn’t going to say no to that, so we ended up taking a family walk together.

After that, I walked an additional couple of miles solo, and then I came home and watered all of my plants before heading back to my office to finish up a couple of things while the kids finished showering.

Jacob had a very loose molar, so Brian ended up pulling that right before bed, and then B and I retreated to the couch to watch the NFL draft while I did some more work from my phone.

We ended up going upstairs early and getting to bed early again, and it was nice to be well rested once again.  Even though, honestly, it still doesn’t make waking up early any easier. 

Friday, April 26

Friday, I dropped the kids at school, swung by Publix to grab a couple of things, and then I headed home to work all day on blog stuff, life stuff, and house cleaning.  It was a busy one, but I was able to knock out a ton of tiny little tasks that have been piling up, so it was productive!

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school and then we headed home.  Olivia had plans to spend the night at a friend’s house, so she started packing while I did my Bible study, and then I ran her over to her friend’s house around 4:30. 

We had friends over for poker night Friday night, so we had pizza and cheesy bread delivered, and my friend’s husband had made homemade brownies.  We topped them with caramel swirled vanilla ice cream, and it was delicious.  My friend, Khristina, had also brought some ice cream treats that look like fried chicken (LOL) and the kids thought they were so funny.  They were covered in cornflakes, and they really did look like fried chicken.  Everybody thought they were tasty, though.

We played cards all night while the kids hung out, and then everyone left around 9:30.  B and I got the kitchen cleaned up, and then after Jacob headed to bed, we watched one episode of The Chosen and then headed to bed. 

Saturday, April 27

Saturday morning, we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  I usually make waffles on Saturday morning, but that’s Olivia’s favorite thing, so I saved that for Sunday since she wasn’t home.

The boys headed off to play golf with some friends after that, and since Olivia still wasn’t home, I had the house to myself.  I got some stuff done in my office first, then I got in a mixed cardio workout, and then I got lots of things done around the house.  I also finished editing all of the pictures for my Magic Kingdom post that went live yesterday because I was so behind on blog work.

The boys picked up Olivia on their way home from golf, and then we all had lunch together when they got home.  We did some pressure washing at the top of the driveway, and I had to admire the middle section that we'd done earlier in the week.  Just look at the difference!

After lunch, the kids got their laundry and chores done, and then they showered and had some screen time late in the afternoon.  When B went in to make sure Olivia was ready for church, he found her asleep in her bed with her laptop on her chest.  She had stayed up until 1 AM at her sleepover, and she just couldn’t hang.  Bless.

We all went to church at 5:30, and Olivia ended up falling asleep on my mom’s shoulder… my mom had to hold her little head up so it wouldn’t fall.  Staying up late really did a number on her this time!

After church, we went with our usual crew to the local pub down the street from church, and then Brian and the kids wanted Blizzards from Dairy Queen afterward.  We blasted Taylor Swift all the way home, much to Jacob’s dismay, but Olivia and I were happy campers.  ;o)

B and I watched another episode of The Chosen after the kids went to bed, and then we called it a night. 

 

Sunday, April 28

Sunday morning, I made homemade waffles, and then I got my planning done for the week (and month) ahead.  I had hoped to watch the sermon that I watch every Sunday morning, but sadly, their livestream wasn’t working, so I wasn’t able to.  I did do yoga, though.  Then after that, was a Bible study.

Brian had been out mowing the lawn all morning, so once he was done, he got me all set up with the pressure washer, and I knocked out most of another section of the driveway.  Brian came out and finished up when my arms and hands got tired, and I headed inside to make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

Slowly but surely, we’re getting the pressure washing done, but man, is it a BIG job.  At this point I think we’re probably about halfway done, so we still have a long way to go.

We ate lunch outside because it was such a beautiful day, and then, I took 30 minutes to lay out in the sun and relax. 

 

After that, I headed inside to shower, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up my Magic Kingdom blog post.  That one took hours and hours to do.  Most people don’t realize how much goes into one blog post – all of the writing, editing, selecting photos, editing photos, uploading and putting all of the copy and pictures in the post, adding links, adding tags, making Pinterest graphics, etc.  It’s a LOT.  But I love it.

While I worked, I watched The Wedding Planner (because of course I did), and that was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and my mom had made a chicken pot pie with a couple of sides + some chocolate crinkle cookies that we love so much.  We hung out there for the rest of the evening, and then B and I watched some of American Idol before heading to bed early!  And that was our week!

And now for a few current things…

Currently Reading

This month, I finished Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon.  It was just okay for me… a bit slow.  I had pretty high expectations for it, so maybe that’s why I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would? 

I also started and finished None of This is True by Lisa Jewell.  This one was fantastic, and I couldn’t put it down, but then the end rolled around and… meh.  I wasn’t that impressed.  I ended up giving this one three stars just because the ending wasn’t great.  Was it worth the read?  Yes.  But I just wasn’t blown away at the end like I had expected. 

I also started Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life by Craig Groechel, and I’m loving it so far.  I read his book Winning the War in Your Mind last year, and it was phenomenal… he has such a way with words.  Every time I read one of his books, I’m constantly amazed at how many great takeaways there are.

And, of course, I’m still reading New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp as it’s a daily devotional.  It is truly one of the best devotionals I’ve read. 

And I’m also still working my way through The Bible and The Bible Recap… I just finished up with 1 Chronicles, and I’m also nearly done with Psalms.  I recently started 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs as those are all read in conjunction with each other (assuming you’re reading the Bible in chronological order, which I am).  I’m on day 158 today, so I’m 38 days ahead!  I was 48 days ahead last month, but I lost a big chunk of my lead since we were at Disney World for a week in April.

 

Currently Watching

With B:  This month, we’re watching American Idol on network TV.  And we’re still throwing in SNL and Shark Tank every now and then when we have time.  For streaming, we finished The Watcher (I did not love the end), and now we’re making our way through The Chosen, which I’m loving so far.

With the Kids:  We really didn’t watch a whole lot this month… they finished up A Series of Unfortunate Events, and that’s about it.  Now that it’s staying lighter later, we’ve been spending more time outside after dinner, and therefore by the time the kids are done showering and getting ready for bed, it’s time to get them in the bed.

Alone:  I’m still watching The Wedding Planner while I work on the weekends, but during the week, I just listen to music.

 

Currently Listening To

I think y’all know the answer to this already, but in case you don’t, The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift.  I have literally not turned it off since it came out last week.  I want to learn every single word to every single one of the 31 songs so I can sing along.  It’s phenomenal.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!