Our Week - The One with a Coffee Date, a Shopping Date, a Lunch Date, a Girls Night, and One Last Birthday Celebration for Brian and Olivia

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 doing great 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 ever 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 bird.  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!