Our Week - The One with a Coffee Date, a Girls Night, a Pedicure, Field Day, a Concert Downtown, and a Birthday Party

Maycember started this past week, and we’re definitely feeling it over here.  Last week was busy, this week is even busier, and next week is just going to be bonkers, but then we only have a few days after that, and we’re DONE for summer!  Woo hoo!  Here’s how we spent last week…

Monday, April 29

Monday morning, I dropped the kids at school, and then I headed home to work and do laundry all day long.  We have so many events coming up that I’m planning for, so there were lots of things on my list!

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and then we all headed home as Monday is the one day of the week that we don’t have after school activities.  They headed outside to play since it was a beautiful day, and I got my Bible study done. 

I had put chicken in the slow cooker earlier in the day with some taco seasoning, so dinner was easy – chicken tacos with all of the toppings, lime tortilla chips, and fruit. 

After our early dinner, we all headed outside.  I did some more pressure washing, and then after my arms (and neck) tired, B took over and I headed out for a long walk/jog.  I ended up getting in 3.38 miles and it felt great to be outside and get sweaty.  I always feel half dead, but so good after a long, hot run.

Brian took a video of me pressure washing for our One Second a Day video that I put together every year, and I didn't even notice that Jacob had run out and done this goofy little move until I watched it back.  I cracked up so hard.  I had to take some still shots and document it.  He is such a goofball.  I just love him.

 

When I got home, B was still pressure washing (he put a HUGE dent in the remaining area), and he continued for a bit longer while I did my after-run stretching and cool-down, and then I watered all of the outdoor plants. 

After that, it was showers for the kids and me, and then I spent some time hanging out with Olivia in her room while Jacob played the piano.  He recently printed some sheet music from Minecraft, and he’s been trying to learn that, so he’s been practicing a lot more than usual.

We got the kids in the bed at a decent time, and then B and I watched some more of American Idol before calling it an early night.  Between planning all the events, keeping the blog rolling, pressure washing, working out, and spending so much time in the sun, I was spent.

Tuesday, April 30

Tuesday was busy.  I dropped the kids off at school, gassed up the car, and then I headed downtown to meet my friend, Khristina for coffee.  She’s opening a new local bookshop here in town (EEK!  I’m so excited about it), and she wanted to pick my brain about social media.  We spent two hours talking over a s’mores latte (for me) and hot tea (for her), and we had such a great conversation.  Local friends, if you’re interested to know more, just send me a DM or an email, and I’ll get you the information.  She already has her social media channels set up, so you can follow along for updates.  It’s going to be a really great new business for our city!  She has big plans and an excellent vision!

Once we were done there, I decided to go rogue from my to-do list and swing by Staples to drop an Amazon return.  While I was there, I ran into Bath & Body Works to grab some soap since it was right next door.

After that, I headed home and worked on the blog and did laundry until it was time to pick up the kids from school.

After school, we ran home where I wrapped up a couple of things in my office, I got the dishwasher unloaded and loaded, I did my Bible study, I prepped everything for Wednesday, and then I freshened up a bit since I had two events that evening.

Jacob and I headed to dance to drop Olivia at 5, and Brian met us there to grab Jacob since I had places to be.

I had 30 minutes until I had to be at the school for a volunteer appreciation event, so I made the most of it by running to the mall to return some shorts at American Eagle that I’d ordered online, and then I ran to the library to return a book and pick up my book that had become available. 

I made it to the volunteer event just as it was starting, and I hung out there for about 45 minutes, talking with everyone and enjoying refreshments.  Our chef had done a beautiful spread of food, including my favorite spa water that he always does such a beautiful job on… this was my favorite one he’s done yet!  It looks like tulips!

The event was a drop-in event, so I left shortly after they did the main part of the program, and I headed straight to a local Mexican restaurant to meet my girlfriends for our monthly dinner.  I hadn’t eaten at that restaurant in, probably, 10 years, so it was practically new to me! 

Six of the seven of us made it, which is great considering May is so busy, and it was nice catching up with everyone together in person.  We have a group text that we chat in pretty much every day, and I also see many of the girls one-on-one here and there throughout the month, but it’s a rarity to have all of us in the same room together.  That pretty much only happens at our monthly gatherings. 

After dinner, I headed home and started a strength workout.  Brian and the kids were still out and about since Olivia’s dance class runs late on Tuesdays.  And since I wasn’t cooking, Brian took them to Culver’s for dinner.  That’s their new tradition when I go to a girls night out.

When they got home, Olivia came flying in my room with a giant bag full of… recital costumes!!!!  She had been waiting for that moment for nine months!  It’s one of her most favorite days of the whole year, and this year’s costumes did not disappoint. 

She is taking SIX dance classes this year (the most ever for her), and therefore, she had six routines and six costumes.  Right around the time she started trying them all on, my dance moms group text started firing up and everyone was oohing and aahing over everything.  They are all seriously so cute.

We pulled out her tap costume, and I knew immediately that there was no chance whatsoever that it was going to fit.  It looked like it was made for a four-year-old.  Lol.  All of the other moms started texting and saying the same thing about their tap costumes, so apparently, that one just runs really small.  We went ahead and alerted the office and they told all of us to bring them to dance class on Wednesday so they could figure out what to do.

While Olivia tried on costumes, Jacob showered, and then Olivia jumped in when he was done.  By the time they were both done getting ready for bed, it was 9:30 and everyone was exhausted.  We got them in the bed, and then B and I headed downstairs to give Maui her treat and watch some American Idol before heading to bed around 10. 

My mind was racing with a million things that needed to be done, so I tried to calm it with some reading, but it ended up taking a while for me to fall asleep because my brain wouldn’t shut off.  Usually when my head hits the pillow, I’m out, but for some reason, it was a struggle on Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 1

Wednesday, after I dropped the kids at school, I headed to the school conference room to assemble Teacher Appreciation Week gifts with three other ladies.  We got all of the faculty and staff a pair of super nice school socks (that everyone has been requesting) and they are the cutest things!  They are perfect for extreme spirit wear days.  We had to put each of the pairs in a cello bag and tie it with ribbon, so it was an easy, but long process.

I ended up leaving at 9:30 because I had so much to do, and the other ladies finished up without me.  I headed straight home to knock out some work and eat a super early lunch, because my Momma and I had pedicure appointments at noon at a local spa.  While it was hard to drag myself away from all of the things I had to do, it was really nice to be able to just sit and relax for an hour and chat with Mom. 

When I left the spa, I headed to Target to return a few things, pick up some shoes that I had *hoped* would work for Olivia’s hip-hop performance (spoiler alert – they didn’t), and grab a gift card for Olivia’s teacher’s birthday.

By the time I was done there, it was time to head to the car line, and I spent the next hour there working from my phone. 

After school, we headed straight to dance to drop Olivia, and while we were there, I picked up our recital tickets and turned in Olivia’s costume that was way too small.  We were supposed to be able to pick up show tights, too, but they had gotten delayed, so that was one more thing to add back to the to-do list for the next week.

Once we were done there, I drove Jacob to the golf course, and we met Brian.  Since Jacob isn’t having a spring season at school, he and Brian are trying to play weekly to keep Jacob’s skills in tact for the fall. 

After I dropped him, I headed straight home to tackle a million little things.  The time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to deal with dinner.  Since things were so crazy last week, I just decided to pop a pizza in the oven Wednesday night and call it a day.

When Brian, Jacob, and Olivia got home, we all ate dinner, I helped Olivia study for a test, and then I did a quick stair stepper workout while the kids showered and got ready for bed. 

We actually had a few minutes of free time before bed, so instead of trying to be productive, I crawled into bed with Olivia and she and I chatted a little bit, and then I read some of my book while she wrote song lyrics.  She’s been really into that lately, and it’s the cutest thing.

After bedtime, B and I headed downstairs to watch a little more of American Idol, and then we headed to bed early.

Wednesday, I also got the news that my Great Aunt Vera had passed away.  She had been sick for a while, so when my Dad got the call that things had taken a turn for the worse, he drove down to Florida to visit her on their family farm Wednesday morning.  She ended up passing away ten minutes after he left her to make his way home.  He was very close with his aunts when he was growing up, so I was glad he made it in time to say goodbye.

Thursday, May 2

Thursday, I had nowhere to be, and a ton of things to do, so after I dropped the kids at school, it was 3, 2, 1 – GO.  And I had a very productive day, though, I still would have loved to get more blog work done. 

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and we headed straight to music lessons.  After that, it was back home where we were able to hang for the rest of the evening.  The kids played outside all afternoon, I got my Bible study done, and then I made fettuccine alfredo with chicken and broccoli for dinner.

After dinner, Brian got out and pressure washed some more, the kids played outside, and I got in a nice, long walk/jog.  I swung back by the house and grabbed Maui towards the end, and she finished out the walk with me.  I like to get my tiny old lady out as much as I can when the weather is nice.  ;o)

When I got back home, I showered and got ready for bed, and then we got the kids in the bed.  Now that it’s been staying lighter later, we’ve been spending our evenings outside as much as possible, so we haven’t been watching any TV with the kids. 

After they went to bed, B and I finally caught up on American Idol, and then we watched a few minutes of an older episode of Saturday Night Live, and then we called it a night.

Friday, May 3

Friday, I dropped the kids at school and then headed to Publix down the street to grab some cupcakes and sunflowers to complete the class birthday gift for Olivia’s teacher.  When I got back to the school, I arranged all of the flowers in a vase I’d brought, and then I carried everything in to surprise her teacher. 

It also happened to be Field Day, so when I arrived in the classroom, the kids were practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.  I hung around for an hour after that to watch Olivia and her friends play outside – they did lots of hula hooping – but I had to leave for an appointment before they got to the football field main portion of Field Day.

After my appointment, I headed back to the school, talked to my parents for a bit as they were there visiting the kids, too, and then, it was time to get in the car line.

The kids got out at noon, and Brian and I decided to let them pick where to eat for lunch.  For some weird reason they wanted Zaxby’s – BOOOO, haha – so we met Brian there, and then after we ate, we headed home.

The rest of the afternoon was lazy for the kids.  Jacob had some computer time while Olivia worked on building a massive bed fort in her room, and I worked on blog stuff and did my Bible study.

Late in the afternoon, we packed up all of our chairs and water and we headed downtown.  Our city was doing their annual spring event down by the river, and they had food trucks, vendors, and live music, so we met my parents down there to hang out for the evening.

We got our chairs set up in the shade of a big old oak tree, grabbed beers and corndogs, and then settled in for the evening to listen to the two bands that played.  Olivia danced her booty off all night long.  She has six different routines for her upcoming recital, so she alternated among those – mostly tap and hip hop – dancing to the band all night.  She is the epitome of “dance like nobody’s watching” and I LOVE it.  I wish I had that confidence and the ability to not care what other people thought about me.  She’s wild and free!

Just before 9, we packed up and headed home.  The kids got into bed shortly afterward, and then B and I watched an episode of The Chosen before heading to bed.

Saturday, May 4

Saturday morning, we slept in, Olivia helped me make homemade waffles, and then I had an unintentionally lazy morning.  Much as I needed to get stuff done, it was nice to have some down time.  I spent some time in my office catching up on things while I drank my tea, and then I spent about an hour reading.  I started The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth a couple of days prior, and I couldn’t put it down.  I did get in a cardio workout late in the morning, though.

 

After a light lunch with everyone, the kids spent some time outside, and I went and sat outside to read some more.  I told myself I was just going to read for 20 minutes and then get some blog work done, and I ended up reading for an hour and a half and finishing the book because it was THAT good.  Haha.

By the time that was done, I only had a few minutes to get some work done, and then I squeezed in my Bible study for the day before getting ready for 5:30 Mass.

Saturday was Aunt Vera’s funeral, so my Momma and Daddy were in Florida for that, so we went to dinner with my Mama Cass, Aunt Joy, Uncle Greg, and my cousin, Shelby who was in town.  We decided on Mex, and since it was Cinco de Mayo Eve, the place was packed. 

We ended up wrapping up there earlier than usual, so when we got home, I took Maui for a quick walk around the neighborhood.  I was stuffed from dinner, and it was still light outside, so I figured it would be nice to get her out for a bit before it got dark.  I also had major dog mom guilt for leaving her two nights in a row so I figured it was the least I could do.  ;o) 

When I got back home, I got in my PJs, and then I spent some time with Jacob at his piano, and then with Olivia in her room, and then we got the kids in the bed.  B and I finished season one of The Chosen, and then we headed to bed.

 

Sunday, May 5

Sunday morning, we started the day with cinnamon rolls per usual, and then I spent the morning getting organized for the week ahead, watching my Sunday morning sermon, doing yoga, and making my meal plan and grocery list for the next two weeks.  Brian finished up the pressure washing in the driveway and now all we have left is the curb!  Woo hoo! 

Olivia had a birthday party to attend at a local cake studio, so we dropped her off there a little before one, and then we headed to my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law’s for lunch.  Everything was delicious as always, and we spent the next couple of hours chatting with them and catching up since we hadn’t seen them in a couple of weeks.

Olivia’s party was scheduled to be over at 3:15, so we swung by there to grab her after lunch, but the party ended up running an hour late, so I ended up watching Olivia and the other girls decorate their cakes while B and Jacob stayed in the car with Maui. 

The girls had all gotten to make their own cakes.  The layers were already baked for them, but they did everything from leveling the layers to frosting to stacking to making the fondant decorations to put on the top.  I couldn’t believe how well they turned out… isn’t Olivia’s awesome?!  All of the girls made the same cakes with the same colors and items… naturally, the birthday girl had chosen to do Taylor Swift cakes, and we all know that Olivia was ecstatic about that.  They did an Eras cake with four sections – one for Red, one for 1989, one for Reputation, and one for The Tortured Poets Department… that’s the grey section with the black rose. 

After their cakes were done, the baker brought up the main cake for the girls to sing happy birthday, and then she boxed up the girls’ cakes to take home and enjoy with their families. 

By the time we got home, I only had about an hour before it was time to pack it up and head to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, so I headed straight to my office to do some work.  It ended up being drizzly Sunday afternoon, so it was a nice, cozy time in my office.

We headed to my Momma and Daddy’s around 6 for dinner, and Momma had made some of the most delicious stir fry chicken I’ve ever had… and she couldn’t even provide me with a recipe because she used some recipe and then went rogue, throwing things in on the fly.  Haha.  Isn’t that how all moms do it?!  It was divine, though, and I ended up getting seconds which I never do.

She had also made a mandarin/pineapple cake dessert with whipped cream frosting, so I had a piece of that as well as a little piece of Olivia’s cake that she’d made, and both were fantastic.  Our girl really did do the best job on that cake!

We headed home around eight, got everyone ready for bed and in the bed, and then B and I watched some of American Idol before heading to bed ourselves.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!