Our Week - The One with a St. Patrick’s Day Party, a Massage, and the Mother Son Dance

Recapping last week…

Monday, March 17

Monday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed to Walmart and Publix to get groceries for the next couple of weeks.  The rest of the day was spent working on my blog post for Tuesday, and then I picked the kids up from school at three.  And I read my book the entire time in the car line because couldn’t put it down.

When we got home, I did my Bible study while the kids did their homework, and then they played outside for a bit because it was so nice outside.

My friend, Jeannine, and her husband, James, throw a St. Patrick’s Day party every year, so we headed to their house a little after five for all the fun St. Paddy’s Day things.  They had a great turnout… lots of people there with TONS of kids.  The kids all hung out upstairs and played outside while the grownups chatted and drank beer (of course), and then the kids decorated green cupcakes with Airheads rainbow strips and marshmallow clouds.

After that, we played many rounds of St. Paddy’s Day Bingo, and then our fam headed out.  We swung by Chick-Fil-A on the way home, and ended up eating there since we didn’t need to rush to get home to Maui.  Typically, we would have picked it up and taken it home to prevent her from being home alone for too long, but obviously we don’t have to plan our schedule around her anymore, which makes me so sad.  :o(

By the time we got home, it was after eight, so the kids got showered and then we got them in the bed.  I did a stair stepper workout while they were getting ready for bed, and then after everyone was ready for Tuesday, Brian and I skimmed through some of the iHeart Radio Music Awards.  I just wanted to see Taylor and Gracie and that was about it.  Haha.

Tuesday, March 18

Tuesday morning, after I dropped the kids at school, I had to swing by the school office to pick up all of my stuff that had delivered for the Mother / Son dance.

When I got home, I threw in a load of laundry, and I started my blog post for Wednesday.  I had a massage scheduled for 10 AM, and I was so excited I couldn’t stand it.  I looooveeee a massage, but I never get them because they’re just so dang expensive.  As a matter of fact, my last massage before this one was back in 2010 shortly after my miscarriage.  So, it had been nearly 15 years.

I was excited when Brian gifted me with a couple last year.  It took me forever to schedule one, but I finally did it and it was the best 60 minutes I’ve had in a long time.  I was grateful that it didn’t affect my dizziness and vertigo negatively, too.  I was very concerned about that, but it turned out that I didn’t need to be worried.

The rest of the day was spent finishing my blog post for Wednesday and then finishing up two loads of laundry that I’d started earlier in the day.

I picked Olivia up from school at three, and she and I headed home.  Jacob had Velocity right after school + a golf match at four, so Brian grabbed him from Velocity a few minutes early so he could make it to golf on time.

While they were there, Olivia did homework, I knocked out my Bible study, and I also spent some time responding to all of my blog comments as I was waaaay behind.  Now that they don’t come to my email anymore, I rarely even think to check them.

I dropped Olivia at dance after she was done with homework, and then I headed back home to an empty house.  I finished up responding to blog comments, and then I went for a walk.  I wanted to do a more strenuous workout, but I didn’t want to undo all of the muscle relaxation that the massage had done, so I took it easy.  I did do a couple of jogging spurts but, overall, I kept it pretty low-key.

When I got home, it was time to leave to pick up Olivia.  Usually, Brian picks her up so I can cook, but he was still with Jacob at golf, so I grabbed her and then we headed home.  Since I got home so late, we did turkey and cheese biscuit sliders and fruit for dinner, and we ended up eating after 8 PM since Brian and Jacob got home so late.  Jacob had done better at this match, and he’d beaten his first match by one stroke.   

After dinner, the kids and I all had to shower.  I was still covered in massage oil from head to toe, and my hair was GROSS from the massage since I’d asked her to spend extra time on the back of my neck, so it was much-needed.

Later in the evening, my friend, Kristen, texted me to thank me for Olivia’s drawing of their cat.  They’d had to put him to sleep, and Olivia was so sad for her friend, so she painted a picture of the cat for them.  I thought it was the sweetest thing, and it truly did look just like their cat.

After we were all ready for bed, we got the kids in bed and then Brian and I skimmed through the rest of the iHeart Radio Music Awards.

Wednesday, March 19

Wednesday morning, I got the kids to school and then I headed home to work for an hour.  My hair guy, Jamey, came by at 9 AM to highlight and cut my hair, and then after he left, I set my timer for 30 minutes and then I removed the foils and got showered and ready.

After that, I was ready for lunch, and then I worked on my blog post for Maui for a while.  I have fifteen year’s worth of pictures to go through, so it is taking a very long time to prep.

I picked up the kids from school and took them home, and they did homework while I did my Bible study.  Olivia had to be dropped off at dance at 5:15 and by the time I got home, Brian was already home.

I made Taco Joes for dinner for Brian, Jacob, and me, and then after dinner, the three of us went for a walk around the neighborhood.  It’s so nice to get one-on-one time with each kid!  While we were walking, one of the lenses popped out of Jacob’s sunglasses, and he wanted me to take a picture of him with one in and one out.  Lol.  I love this kid so much.

After our walk, Jacob wanted to download some new music, so we did that, and then he got showered while I did a functional strength training workout.  Brian left to pick up Olivia from dance, and while he was gone, I sat with Jacob at his piano for a while to watch him play. 

When Olivia got home, she showered, we got the kids in the bed, and then Brian and I started watching the new season of American Idol.  I’m not a huge Carrie Underwood fan, so I’m hoping that I’ll like it.  I used to like her waaaayyyy back, so hopefully she’ll be good on there.  I already miss Katy Perry, though… I loved her on that show.  She brought such great energy and she was so dang funny.

 

Thursday, March 20

Thursday morning, I worked all morning on my blog post for Friday, and around 10 AM, I left for Olivia’s third quarter awards ceremony at school.  Brian met me there, and we got to sit with our girl.

When I got home, I had lunch and then I worked on sorting more pictures of Maui + I finally started this post that you’re reading.  I typically try to start these posts on Tuesday, a full week before they go live so I can type each day out as I go, but lately, I haven’t had the time to do that, so I’ve just been keeping notes in my phone all week and then catching the post up all at once.  That is a big task, though, since these posts are so long.

After school, the kids and I headed to music lessons and both of them worked on the same things they’ve been working on – Jacob’s Minecraft piece and I Knew It, I Know You by Gracie Abrams for Olivia.  She was able to get the chord progression down on Thursday so she’s on her way!

When we got home, I got my quiet time done, and then I made meatballs, mashed potatoes, and broccoli for dinner.  I’d been feeling awful all day with headaches, neck strain, and dizziness, so I grabbed a glass of wine with dinner as it sometimes helps relax my muscles when nothing else works.  Thankfully, I felt a little better afterward, but I didn’t have the motivation to work out, and I didn’t want to anger the tension again.

Instead, I got a few more things done while the kids got showered, and then Brian and I watched some more of American Idol before going to bed early.

 

Friday, March 21

Friday was “dress like a book character” day at school for Olivia, so she dressed up like Glinda from Wicked.  Surprise, surprise.  ;o)  She had the perfect dress just laying around, and she’d just gotten a crown from a Wicked themed birthday party a couple of weeks before that, so she was all set.

After I got the kids to school, I ran to the school office to pick up my key since I was co-chairing the Mother / Son dance that night, and then I went home to get stuff done all day.  I worked on the blog, prepped for the dance, and Brian was kind enough to help me blow up two garbage bags of balloons because my inflator has been wonky, and it has been popping them. 

I grabbed the kids when they got out of school and then I hit the ground running.  I had a quick snack, finished packing for the dance, loaded up my car, freshened up, and then hit the road.  I arrived there around 4:45 to meet the DJ because he has to have ample time to set up all of his equipment. 

My friend, Bianca, arrived shortly after and she got started on the balloon arch while I lay out necklaces and masquerade masks, I swept and wiped down a couple of surfaces, and I set up a few other things. 

We got done setting up in time to snap a few pictures before the guests started arriving.  Love this co-chair of mine… she is the balloon arch queeeen! 

My friend, Shaun (the DJ), and I had to snap a picture and so did our resource officer and I.  I’m so grateful for this team… we have these school dances down pat and these people help make everything so easy!  And if you are local and are ever in need of a DJ, let me know, because Shaun is the best!

Once the dance started, I parked myself on the stage with Shaun to be his DJ request line since the kids can’t get up to him on the stage with all of his equipment and wires.  And I also wanted to monitor the boys because they always try to climb on the stage at some point.  Haha.

Our theater director at the school has been working to build the stage outward to make it larger, and it was still under construction, so unfortunately, it was open to the dance floor on the bottom.  The boys started trying to crawl under it almost immediately, so I ended up standing on the floor in front of the DJ to keep them from going under there.  Lol.

Those boys are wild, I tell ya.  It’s amazing how different the Daddy / Daughter dances are compared to the Mother / Son dances.  The Daddy / Daughter dances are much easier because the girls actually dance, and they love to request songs (good ones – haha).  Plus, the dads tend to get out and try to dance with them every now and then. 

However, at the Mother / Son dances, all the boys want to do is literally run crazily around the room THE WHOLE TIME and their moms all just sit along the side and chat.  Haha.  They also request songs like Sigma Boy.  <eye roll>  Hahahaha.  And hardly anyone actually dances.

Needless, to say, I much prefer the Daddy / Daughter dances.  Jacob aged out of the Mother / Son dances years ago (they are only for PK-3 – 5th grade), so I was just there strictly to co-chair the event and not to partake. 

Once 8 PM rolled around, we hit the lights and told everybody, “PEACE OUT!” and we had that décor taken down and everything cleaned up within 20 minutes.  It takes Shaun quite a while to get his stuff taken apart and all packed up, so I hung around with him after everyone left because I had to lock up.  We chatted and caught up while he worked… I’ve known him since I was 19 and we used to hang out a lot before everyone grew up and got too busy, so it’s always nice to catch up with him.  We basically just talked about how old we are now the whole time.  Hahahaha.

He was done packing everything up by about 8:45 so we locked up and headed home.  Brian and the kids had just finished watching a movie when I got home, so I chatted with them for a bit while I got in my PJs and got ready for bed, and then we got them in the bed sometime around 10 PM.

I was starving, so I got myself some cheese and crackers and Brian surprised me with a Manhattan… he’d gone and brought ingredients without telling me.  I had one for the first time on our date night a few weeks ago and I loved it, and Brian’s was delicious.

We settled in to watch the season two finale of Severance after that, and then I fell asleep towards the end.  I have a love / hate relationship with that show… it’s verrrry slow, but the last two episodes of each season are usually better because they’re more fast-paced, but this last episode was just weird and super confusing.  Brian likes it, though.

 

Saturday, March 22

Saturday morning, we slept in, I made homemade waffles for breakfast, I enjoyed about 30 minutes editing blog pictures on my computer with my hot tea, and then I hit the ground running.  I got in a mixed cardio workout, I deep-cleaned all of the countertops and toilets, and I dusted the whole house while the kids did their laundry and deep cleaned their bathroom.  Brian mowed the whole front and back yards because the weeds are popping up and the grass has started to grow, and then he did some at-home pest control.  We have to stay on top of that here in the south, mostly for roaches.  BARF.  (And I forgot to snap a picture of my workout right after so I did it in the car on the way to church... better late than never!)

After all of that was done, I popped a load of towels in the wash and then I finally filed all of the kids’ keepsakes that had been building up in my office.  I save things here and there from home and from school and I’ve had it on my list forever to pull out their boxes and get some things stored, so it felt good to get that done.

We all stopped for lunch after that, and then Brian and Jacob went to pick up Jacob’s friend, WJ, and then he dropped them off at a Velocity event.

After lunch, Olivia and I went through all of the clothes in her closet and got rid of a big pile of stuff that no longer fits, and she also started tidying her room some more. 

After all of my tidying and chores were done, I needed a break, so I lay out in the sun because it was beautiful and sunny and WARM.  I read my book for about 45 minutes, and it felt good to just take some time to relax and let the sun sink into my bones.  It’s been a long winter.

After that, I made my way to my office to do some blog work and then I did my Bible study before it was time to get ready for church.  Just as we were finishing up getting ready, I got my “proof of life” picture from WJ’s dad as he’d been the one to pick them up and I started cracking up… I love these two goofballs!!  Haha.

After Mass, we met at our favorite local barbecue place with my parents and had dinner.  My aunt and uncle who usually join us were at a wedding Saturday night, and Mama Cass decided to eat at home, so it was just the five of us since Jacob was sleeping over at WJ’s house.  It was a small group!  The barbecue place had live music Saturday night so that was nice… y’all know how much I love live music!

This barbecue place has been around since the 1970’s and my parents used to eat there when they were teenagers and dating, so I’ve been going there my whole life.  They’ve had this big, red rocking chair there as long as I can remember, so we got Olivia up there in the chair to take a picture.  We hadn’t taken her picture in it since she was probably two. 

After dinner, Olivia was begging for Dairy Queen, so she and Brian grabbed Blizzards on the way home.  When we got home, she and I spent some time together lying in my bed and chatting, and then Brian and I got her in the bed just before ten.

After that, Brian and I made another round of Manhattans and then we started the movie You’re Cordially Invited, but we didn’t finish it because it was so late.

 

Sunday, March 23

Sunday morning, the three of us had breakfast, and then I went to my office to do yoga, watch my sermon, and get my planner ready for the week ahead.  I also got completely caught up on emails (and I mean all of them – woo hoooo!) and I got caught up on blog reading.  I paid a few bills, I ordered Olivia’s school supplies for next school year, I got Olivia registered for a class at her dance studio for the summer, I created and updated Jacob’s golf spreadsheet for the new season (yes, I am that parent who keeps a spreadsheet of his stats, haha), I tackled the pile of papers on my desk and got it completely cleaned off for the first time in weeks, and I got a few other annoying tasks done that I’d been putting off.

Olivia worked on a project for social studies, and then when Jacob got home, we all ate lunch together and he told us all about his Velocity event and sleepover.

After lunch, the kids got showered and I photographed and listed a bunch of Olivia’s clothes that we’d cleaned out, and then I got showered and ready for the day.  By the end of the day, five of the seven items I’d posted for sale had already sold and been paid for.  Woo hoo!

I’d wanted to spend some time outside with the kids on Sunday because it was beautiful, but I’d gotten an air quality alert for our area saying that it was unsafe for all people, not just sensitive groups, which never happens here.  I have asthma, so between that and the pollen, I wasn’t about to set foot outside, nor was I going to make the kids go out there either.

Instead, the kids did some screen time, and I went to my office to do my Bible study, transfer the week’s pictures and videos from my phone to my computer, and work on a blog post while I watched The Wedding Planner.

Brian had a tennis match at four, but he had to wait on a court, so he ended up meeting us at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner since he got done late.  Momma made ravioli lasagna (SO good) and a lemon cake to celebrate Mama Cass’s 96th birthday!  We are celebrating her with a bigger party in April (since hers got postponed due to our severe weather last weekend), but it was nice to do a little something for her at Momma and Daddy’s house.

When we got home, I got in my PJs and sorted the laundry, and then we got the kids in the bed.  Brian and I ended the evening with the newest episode of White Lotus, and good gracious, that show gets crazier and crazier.  So cringe this season.  Haha.

And now for some current things…

Currently Reading

In March, I read All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker and I loved it.  I’m now making my way and am on track to finish Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez by the end of the month.  It is so cute, and I am loving it, too.  It’s nice to have something a little lighter after three heavy books in a row.

I also continued my new devotional Everyday Gospel by Paul David Tripp.  I’ll be working on this one all year long.

And, of course, I’m still working my way through the Bible for the second time around, along with my new study… The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz.

Currently Watching

With B: In March, B and I continued to watch Severance and we finished season two.  It just got renewed for a third season, but I imagine it’ll be a year or two before we see that.  We are also still making our way through the third season of The White Lotus, and we are loving it even though the last couple of episodes have been so cringe.  We also started the new season of American Idol, we watched the iHeart Radio Music Awards, and we watched the movie You’re Cordially Invited.  The reviews for that one have been terrible, but I thought it was decent.  I mean, it’s definitely the best movie ever, but it was worth the watch.  There are definitely some funny parts!

With the Kids: This month, we really didn’t watch much with the kids.  Their activities are keeping us so busy during the week that we really don’t have time to watch anything Monday – Thursday.  And all of our Fridays have been busy with the exception of one, so we did watch that movie Flow.  Brian and the kids also watched a Disney movie called The Slumber Party while I was co-chairing the Mother / Son dance, and that was about it.

Alone: I listen to music all day, every day, but every Sunday afternoon that I work in my office, I always turn on The Wedding Planner. 

 

Currently Listening To

I still have Gracie Abrams on repeat, y’all.  And I found a whole treasure trove of old albums by her, so I’m throwing those in the mix now, too.  I’ve also been shuffling some random play lists on my phone on occasion.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!