Last week was a
busy one as I had meetings, appointments, errands, and a lunch date on top of
my usual tasks + all of the kids’ activities.
And busy season is creeping up, so it’s about to get even crazier. Here’s the recap!
Monday, March
3
Monday morning,
I dropped the kids at school and then headed straight to a Home and School
Advisory Board meeting. We finalized
plans for the Mother/Son dance, worked some more on Teacher Appreciation Week
ideas, and started looking forward to the next school year. I cannot believe that we will be wrapping up
another school year in just over two months.
Wild.
After I was
done there, I had to swing some more donations by our Outreach center at our
church, and then I headed to a local coffee shop in midtown to meet my friend,
Khristina. We enjoyed catching up, and I
also showed her how I edit all of my photos for social media since she is now
doing social media for the new bookshop she recently opened.
After our
coffee date, I headed home to work for a bit, and I also ate lunch with Brian
since he was working from home that day.
After the car
line, we all went straight home as Monday is the one day of the week that we
don’t have after school activities. I
did my Bible study and quiet time, and then I went for a walk/jog. The kids hung out outside, too, because it
was warm and sunny. Our warm and sunny
days have been few and far between this winter, and I’m ready for the warmth to
stick around for longer than a day at a time.
Brian left for
tennis just as I was getting home from my walk, and then I made a frozen pizza
for the kids and me for dinner. We had
nothing in the house for me to cook since I had skipped grocery shopping Monday
morning, but I had no regrets. Every now
and then, you just need to throw a pizza in the oven and call it a day!
After dinner, I
jumped in the shower and the kids got showered and ready for bed, and then I
helped Olivia study for a social studies test for Tuesday. They were learning about WWII and there was a
ton of information, but she got it all down and ended up getting an A on the
test!
When Brian got
home from tennis, he ate some leftover pizza and then we got the kids in the
bed. He and I watched a little bit of
the most recent episode of SNL and then we went to bed.
Tuesday, March
4
Tuesday morning,
I dropped the kids at school and then headed to Walmart and Publix to grab
groceries. I was supposed to have a 9:15
AM appointment with my therapist, but she called to tell me she was under the
weather and asked me if we could do it over the phone. I typically don’t love doing my appointments
remote, but it actually worked out well that day as I was running behind and
would have been struggling to make it to her office on time.
I was able to
get the groceries home and put away just as she was calling me, and then she
and I chatted over the phone for a while.
After my
appointment, I got some work done, and then I left a little before 11 to drop a
King Cake at the kids’ school for Olivia’s class since her teacher had texted
me that morning and asked if I could pick one up for Fat Tuesday.
I headed
straight to my favorite local pizza place after that to meet my friend (and old
coworker), Greg, for lunch. I quit my
corporate job 7.5 years ago, but he and I still go to lunch every few
months. He’s one of the few there who I
still talk to on a regular basis. We
enjoyed catching up and goofing off like we always do, and it was great to
spend time with him, as always.
After lunch, I
had just enough time to go home and work for another hour before it was time to
pick up Olivia from school. Jacob had
Velocity, so we left him there, and then she and I had a date at Bath &
Body Works. She’d gotten two gift cards
for her birthday, and they were burning a hole in her pocket, so I had promised
her we’d go Tuesday since Jacob would be at school.
They just
released the new Disney collection there, so she was in heaven, and she ended
up picking out a body spray (Moana), a lip gloss (Belle), a hand sanitizer
(Jasmine), and a hand sanitizer holder that looks like a dog’s paw (in honor of
Maui). We spent nearly 45 minutes in
there smelling every single scent and I practically had to drag her out of there. Haha.
Just yesterday I was cradling her in my arms and then I blinked and now
we’re shopping for body and skin care items together.
After we left
B&B Works, we headed home so she could get ready for dance. Brian picked up Jacob from Velocity on
Tuesday so they could go play a round of golf since Jacob’s practice had been
canceled. He is playing on the A team
this season (rather than B team) so he’ll be playing on two courses he’s never
played on before, and Brian wanted to take him to see the course since it’s
larger than the B team course he’s used to.
Olivia had just
enough time to finish her homework and get ready for dance, and then she and I
were out the door. After I dropped her
at her dance studio, I came home and finished my blog post for the next day
since I hadn’t had the time to work on it much earlier in the day.
I headed
downstairs just as Brian was dropping Jacob at home, and then he left to go
pick up Olivia from dance. Meanwhile, I
made cheesy chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli for dinner, and we
all ate together when Brian and Olivia got home.
Tuesday night,
I skipped my workout because I was exhausted, and my face and neck tension were
near an all-time high thanks to my braces rubber bands. We got the kids in bed, we watched a few
minutes of the presidential speech, and we promptly turned it off because of
the absurdity of it all.
Wednesday, March 5
Wednesday, I dropped the kids at school and then headed home to work for
an hour before it was time to go to Ash Wednesday Mass with Olivia. She was chosen to do the second reading
during Mass, so we sat up front on the side where the readers sit. Brian, my Momma, Mama Cass, my Aunt Joy, and
my Aunt Becky were all able to join so she had quite the cheering section. She read so beautifully, and it was just a wonderful
Mass all around.
After church was over, we got someone to snap a picture of all of
us. I love these ladies so much! I was sad that Olivia didn’t make it out in
time for the picture, though.
After Mass, I headed back home for 30 minutes, and then I had to leave
again to get to my orthodontist appointment.
Everything went well there… he’s still saying that we’re on track for
another 4-5 months. Boooo. I’m sure it will fly by, though.
Once that was done, I headed back home to eat lunch and work on a blog
post and then it was time to leave to pick up the kids from school. The amount of times I had to leave the house
on Wednesday was absurd. Haha.
I was soooo sleepy in the car line Wednesday… I kept trying to read my
book, but I was to the point where I was almost nodding off. It was so bizarre. Needless to say, I didn’t get much reading
done.
When the kids got in the car, Olivia tackled her homework because we had
a busy evening ahead. We ran home right
after school and had just enough time for Olivia to get her dance clothes on
and pack her dinner, and then we had to turn around and leave to get to dentist
appointments for all three of us.
All three of us had gold star checkups – no cavities! – and we got out of
there just in time to get Olivia to dance.
She ate dinner in the car on the way, and then we dropped her just a few
minutes before her classes started.
Jacob and I then headed home, and I was finallyyyy able to be in for the
night. I made cheesy ziti, steamed green
beans, and garlic cheese bread for dinner – no meat since it was Ash Wednesday. Brian left to go to a tennis match just
before dinner was done, so Jacob and I had a little dinner date, just the two
of us.
I had hoped to get outside with him a little bit, but it was freezing and
windy, so that was a no for me, dawg.
We cleaned the kitchen after dinner, and then Jacob headed upstairs to
shower and get ready for bed while I got in a stair stepper workout, and then
he and I spent the next hour together.
He showed me a new game he’d written code for in Scratch and then he and
I finally finished the 1,000-piece Lego puzzle that we’d started months
ago.
When Brian and Olivia got home, Olivia still had to study for a math
test, so I helped her with that – she was learning about mean, median, and mode
which is one of the few things I actually remember about math LOL – and by the
time she was done with that, it was after 9 PM, so we let her skip a shower and
go straight to bed. She is always
exhausted on Wednesday evenings because she dances for three straight hours and
her last class ends soooo late. Plus
this particular Wednesday was a doozy with the dentist appointments right after
school because she had zero downtime.
I was so exhausted that by the time we got the kids in bed, Brian and I
only stayed downstairs for a few minutes before heading to bed a little early
ourselves.
Thursday, March 6
Thursday, I had nowhere to be during the day while the kids were at
school – first time all week! So, I
spent the whole day working on the blog (my Friday post took up most of the
morning) and then I worked on a couple of other random things that I’d needed
to do.
After school, Jacob had his piano lesson, and then Olivia had her guitar
lesson, and Olivia had a big day at guitar lessons because for the first time
ever, she played the entire song I Love You, I’m Sorry from start to
finish. And she even sang along with
it! Well, she’s too shy to sing in front
of people, so technically she just mouthed the lyrics while I sang along while
Gracie Abrams played in the background.
She still needs to get the timing down a little better, but man, I’m so
proud of her! She picked this one up
quickly and it’s the first entire song she’s learned from start to finish.
After music lessons, we headed home, I did my Bible study, and then I got
ready to meet my girlfriends for dinner.
While I was getting ready, Olivia popped into my bathroom to show me the
picture she had drawn of me. :o)
My girlfriends and I went to a new-ish in town Indian restaurant, and it
was an amazing experience from start to finish.
I’d never had Indian food prior to last year when we went to the most
delicious restaurant in Animal Kingdom on our Disney World trip, and I ended up
loving it. I was hoping I’d love this
place as much as I loved that one, and I’m happy to report that I did. I can’t believe that I’ve been missing out on
Indian food all my life!
Five of the seven of our group were able to make it, and we were seated
at a round table which I LOVE. I wish
every restaurant had round tables. The
tables, linens, plates, and cutlery were all gorgeous and the scent inside the
restaurant was amazing.
We all started with a round of cocktails – we all ended up choosing the
same one because it sounded so delicious.
It was called a Jamuntini… I don’t remember what all was in it, but it
definitely had vodka along with some very unique other ingredients, and it was
one of the best cocktails ever. The
bartender came over and added those fun smoke bubbles to the tops of them, and
the smoke from the torch smelled amazing.
We also ordered some of the garlic naan which was delicious, and then I
ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala for my entrée.
It came on a bed of jasmine rice and everything was just so good. We were all having such a great time that my
friend, Jen, decided to skip her yoga workout that she was going to do
afterward, and we ended up hanging out and chatting for another hour after the
checks had been paid.
It was just what my heart needed after a couple of tough weeks… months, I
guess, really.
When I got home, Olivia and I sang I Love You, I’m Sorry together
while she played guitar, and then we got the kids in bed once Jacob was done
showering.
Brian and I watched the first episode of that new Kate Hudson comedy
called Running Point (it was just okay), and then he and I went to bed
early again.
Friday, March 7
Friday morning, Jacob told me his throat was hurting. It had been scratchy/slightly sore Wednesday
and Thursday, and we chalked it up to allergies since the pollen is now in full
swing, but he said his throat was hurting a little worse Friday morning, so I
told him to stay home just to be safe, so we didn’t spread any germs.
He ended up being fine the rest of the weekend… his throat never got
worse, no other symptoms every popped up, he tested negative for Covid, Flu A,
and Flu B, so it was probably silly to keep him home, but he’s such a good
student and rarely misses school, so it wasn’t a big deal.
I dropped Olivia off at school and then I worked all day. I got my blog post done for Monday and then I
tackled a bunch of other random things I needed to do. I started my blog post that you’re reading
now, I paid a bill, I caught up on emails, I caught up on blog reading, and
several other things.
Jacob watched TV, tinkered with Lego, played the piano, and kept himself
busy all day, and then he and Brian and I ate lunch together.
I picked up Olivia from school at three and then we headed home. At home, I did my Bible study, and then we
headed to dinner with my father-in-law to celebrate Brian’s and Olivia’s
birthdays. We had already tested Jacob
at that point and his scratchy throat hadn’t progressed, so we figured it was
fine to take him out.
We went out for pizza and then back to my FIL’s house for cookie cake (pink
and green per Olivia’s request) and gifts.
By the time we got home, it was late, so Olivia got showered and then we
got the kids in the bed. Brian made some
margs for us since we had some limes that needed to be used, and then we
watched the latest episode of Severance.
I’ve grown bored with it again, though.
Saturday, March 8
Saturday morning, I made waffles for breakfast, and then I did some computer
time and enjoyed my hot tea. The rest of
the morning was spent working on some minor house projects like updating frames
with the new pictures that had been delivered and spray painting a couple of
frames white. The kids both wanted
framed pictures of Maui in their bedrooms, so we got those set up, and I
finished Maui’s paw print Christmas tree ornament.
The kids did their laundry and weekend chores, and then Jacob did some
Lego and piano stuff while Olivia drew and painted and crafted and played the
guitar all morning. She painted and
gifted this mandala to me because she knows that I love rainbow colors. And she also drew several different animals
including this dog and a cardinal. She
was in creative mode all day for sure!
After lunch, I did a couple of other random things around the house and
then I went for a two-mile run before settling in for my Bible study. After that, I still had a little bit of time
before I had to get ready for church, so I lay out in the sun and read for a
bit. It was beautiful outside on Saturday.
We went to 5:30 Mass, and then after Mass, instead of going to a restaurant
like we usually do, we all picked up takeout and brought it back to Mama Cass’s
house to eat. We go to the same three
restaurants over and over again and sometimes with our large party it’s hard to
get in, so we thought it would be nice to just hang out over there.
Mama Cass has little kid pictures of all of her grandkids and great
grandkids on the fridge, and I snapped a picture because Olivia and I look so
much alike. Haha. That’s my first-grade picture on the left and
her first-grade picture on the right… can you tell we’re related?! I also think it’s so wild that we both
happened to wear polka dots and big bows for our pictures as well. So funny.
We ended up staying at Mama Cass’s house until nearly nine, which was the
new ten since the time was changing overnight, so the kids got in bed right
when we got home and then Brian and I watched some of an older episode of Saturday
Night Live before calling it a night.
Sunday, March 9
Sunday morning, I set an alarm to make sure that I woke up at my usual
time. My body is like a clock, and it
wakes itself pretty much at the same time every weekend, so I knew if I didn’t
set the alarm, I would sleep until the new 9:30 since my body usually sleeps
until about 8:30.
I have always hated springing forward because I’m not a morning person
and it’s so hard for me to get back in the swing of things when it feels like I’m
waking up an hour earlier. Sunday wasn’t
too bad since we were able to sleep in, but I knew Monday would be rough.
I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and we woke the kids to get them on
track for the new time, and then after breakfast, I spent time in my office
doing yoga, watching the sermon that I watch every day, and getting my planner
ready for the week ahead. I also got my
quiet time/Bible study done and I somehow still managed to have time to
transfer the pictures from the week from my phone to my computer and download
and sync some new music to my phone. It was
the most productive morning ever, which was strange since we lost an hour in
the middle of the night. Usually, the Sunday
after Daylight Saving Time feels so short (because it technically is – haha),
but I feel like I got a lot out of this one.
When I was done with all of that, I got ready for the day and we all
headed to my MIL and step-FIL’s for Sunday lunch. It was dreary outside and chilly again
(BOOOO) but the kids still got outside and played badminton. They’d been wanting to play for several
weekends, but the weather has just been so yucky here this winter – lots of
cold weather and rain. So, I was glad
they were able to get out and play with their cousins.
When we left their house, we headed back home. Olivia had to shower and study for a science
test and then both kids had some screen time – video games for Jacob and “how
to draw” videos for Olivia. My girl is
all about drawing and painting right now and she is so talented!
I organized the pictures I’d transferred to the computer earlier that
morning and I worked on a blog post, and Brian and I also looked at a ton of AirBNBs
for our trip to Nashville. We finally
decided on one and he booked it, and I cannot wait to see it in person in a few
weeks. It is themed and it looks SO DANG
CUTE.
At six, we went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner. Momma made a yummy meal, and we hung out over
there for a couple of hours before heading back home. We got the kids in bed just before nine, and
then B and I watched the newest episode of The White Lotus that had just
dropped. Why is that show so good, y’all?!
And that was our week!
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
