*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Last week was
pretty low-key which was a nice change of pace considering we’re usually full
throttle this time of year. I had so
much time at home to get ahead on the blog, catch up on some housekeeping, and
start brainstorming some new content, and then we had a relaxing weekend, so it
was pretty darn great! Let’s get to the
recap!
Monday, October 19
Monday morning, I hit snooze one extra time and then I got up to get
ready and get the kids to school. It was
48 degrees out, so I was finally able to bundle up and be cozy!! We had the best weather last week!
After I dropped the kids off, I headed to Walmart for groceries, and then
Brian helped me unload them. I put all
the cold stuff away, and then I let Bellie outside while I made some coffee and
warmed a cinnamon sugared apple muffin that I’d gotten from the bakery.
When I got to my office, I caught up on emails, I finished my blog post
for Tuesday, I started my blog post for Wednesday, and I canceled an
appointment that was no longer needed and that took up the entire morning. Brian and I had lunch together, and then I
headed back to my office to work on some blog housekeeping.
Jacob had E-sports after school, so I picked up Olivia in the car line
and we headed home. We both played fetch
with Bellie outside for about 20 minutes so she could burn some energy, and
then I did a Bible study and my devotional for the day while Olivia got ready
for dance.
On the way there, we were detoured unexpectedly due to road construction
and that nearly made her late.
Thankfully, we always leave about 5-10 minutes earlier than when she needs
to be there because you just never know what you’re gonna get with the traffic
near our house since they’ve been doing road construction for several years.
When I got back home, I cleaned out the fridge and I filmed it for a
potential Reel on Instagram, and then Brian and
Jacob got home. Brian had picked him up
from E-sports and had taken him to practice driving for a bit.
I started working on beef and parmesan pasta with zucchini and garlic knots for dinner, and then I called the vet to order
Bellie’s flea/tick/heartworm medication.
The vet tech told me that I needed to bring her in to be weighed since
she’s still growing and changing for the medicine’s requirements, so that was a
bust.
We all sat down to eat together as soon as Brian and Olivia got home from
dance, and then we all cleaned the kitchen.
I got out for a two-mile walk after that, and the weather was just
perfection. It was seriously so
beautiful last week.
I did a quick functional strength workout when I got back, and then it
was time to shower. The kids were
already in the process of getting ready for bed when I got home, and Olivia was
also working on learning the parts of her recital routine that she’d missed
while we were at the Georgia game the previous Saturday. Thankfully, she has a friend at dance who
records all the routines, and she was kind enough to send them to her so she
could catch up.
We watched three episodes of Friends together after that, and then
after the kids went to bed, Brian and I started The Housemaid since we’d
never seen it.
Tuesday, October 20
Tuesday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I got the kids to school, and then I
swung by the vet with Belle so they could weigh her and give us her
medication. She did, indeed, gain weight
since the last time we were there – she’s now 8.7 lbs. – so they did have to
change her medication. Good thing they
asked me to bring her in!
The visit was super quick, and we were home just after 8 AM. I grabbed a muffin and a cup of coffee, and I got under my favorite electric blanket because it was soooo cold
Tuesday morning. I brought Belle with me
to hang out in my office, but she started scratching to get out almost
immediately, so I gated her in the kitchen and went back upstairs to tackle my
to do list. On the list for Tuesday was:
-
Catching up on emails
-
Sending a room parent email
-
Starting to catch up on blog reading
-
Starting my blog post for Friday
-
Photographing an outfit for a post
Late in the morning, I headed downstairs to eat lunch and while I ate, I
tidied the whole first floor and got it photograph-ready so I could photograph
everything for my Halloween home tour. I also filmed some clips for a Reel while I was at it.
After that, I played fetch with Belle outside and then I edited my Reel
out on the back porch while she played.
It was such a nice day that it was actually bearable to be outside
during the day and it was glorious!
When I got back inside, I tackled some more tasks:
-
Correcting some blog typos
-
Catching up on a few things in my planner
-
Transferring photos from my phone to my computer
-
Organizing the photos
-
Finishing my blog post for Friday
-
Finishing my blog post for Wednesday
-
Making an Amazon collection for my Amazon Storefront
-
Cleaning off my computer desktop
After that, I got freshened up a bit and then I headed to the school to
pick up the kids. Jacob had E-sports and
Olivia had Velocity, but they both had well visits at their pediatrician’s
office, so I had to pick them up at 3:40 PM, which was a bit earlier than
usual.
We headed straight to the doctor’s office, and we were in and out in just
over an hour which is a win for the pediatrician. He’s in high demand and he’s always backed up
by the end of the day, so most of the time we’re there for quite a bit longer
than that. The kids both got excellent
reports, Jacob was able to get his sports physical, and both kids got flu
shots.
We also got an official diagnosis for Olivia’s heel that’s been bothering
her for several months. I don’t even
know if I’ve mentioned that here or not, but she’s been dancing through heel pain
since April or so, and after speaking to my friend whose husband is a
podiatrist, she told me that Olivia likely has Sever’s Disease. She was, indeed, correct, as that’s exactly
what our pediatrician said. The good
news is that it’s nothing harmful… it’s just pain from overuse that happens
during a growth spurt and that it’ll go away on its own once her growth spurt
slows. The bad news is that there’s not
really much you can do for it other than calf stretches (which Olivia does
religiously already since she’s in dance conditioning) and taking Motrin when
it hurts. Hopefully she’ll be on the
mend soon and we’re glad it was nothing serious!
We got out of there just in time to get Olivia to dance about five
minutes late, and then Jacob and I headed home.
Brian was already home from work, so he and I made breakfast for dinner
together, and then the three of us ate and cleaned the kitchen.
Brian and Jacob watched some more of Bumblebee after that since
Olivia was gone, and I did a mixed cardio workout, folded the towels, tidied my
closet, deep cleaned the toilets, and got ready for bed.
Brian headed out to pick up Olivia from dance, and I threw some chicken
nuggets in the oven since I knew she’d be hungry when she got home. While she ate a very late dinner, we watched
an episode of Friends, and then I meditated while Olivia got ready for
bed.
After the kids went to bed, Brian and I finished The Housemaid and
then we stared a recent episode of Saturday Night Live.
Wednesday, October 21
Wednesday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I got the kids to school, and then I
headed home to work all day. Belle
joined me in my office, and she settled down and went to sleep, so I got to
work on crossing tasks off the list:
-
Making my to do list for the day
-
Contacting Mediavine about an issue with my
dashboard
-
Correcting some blog typos
-
Placing a Walmart order
-
Placing a Target order
-
Starting my blog post for Monday
Bellie woke up as I was working on my blog post, so I lay on the floor
with her for a bit and then took her outside.
After that, I went back to my office to finish my blog post for Monday,
make a new Amazon list for my Storefront, open some packages and put everything
away, and then it was time for lunch.
I let Belle out while I made my lunch and then I went outside with her
while I ate. We both went back inside
after that, and I went back to my office to start my blog post for Tuesday and
do some more blog reading since I was so behind.
It was time to pick up the kids from school after that, and then we all
settled in for a cozy evening at home.
Jacob helped Olivia study for her social studies test, and while they
did that, I doubled up on my Bible studies for the day since I’d gotten behind.
It was time to get dinner in the oven after that since it had to bake for
an hour, so I did that, and then I vacuumed the kitchen and finished a Reel
while it baked. We sat down to one pan
chicken, potatoes, and broccoli in a buttery Italian seasoning sauce with
cheesy ciabatta bread. After dinner, we
all cleaned the kitchen, and then we went on a family walk around the
neighborhood so Belle could burn some energy.
Now that she understands the concept of going on a walk, it is her most
favorite thing and she gets SO EXCITED when we pull out her harness and
leash. It is the cutest thing.
We ended up walking a little further this time since she seems to have
endless energy, and then when we got home, I grabbed my earbuds and headed back
out for another mile by myself.
Brian pulled out the blower to get all the leaves out of the garage and
off the grass and the kids hung out and then took showers and got ready for
bed. The rest of the evening was spent
watching part of Hocus Pocus before bed.
We knew we were running out of time to watch our Halloween favorites, so
we figured we’d just split it up over a couple of nights.
After the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched some more of SNL
and then we went to bed, too.
Thursday, October 22
Thursday morning, I was up at 6 AM and I got the kids to school. Belle and I headed straight to my office,
coffee in hand, when I got home, and I parked it there to get some things done
while she slept. I was able to tackle my
emails, update a few things in my planner, start my blog post for the following
Wednesday, and start on a new Amazon list for my Storefront before she woke up
at 9:30 AM wanting to go out.
I spent a few minutes outside with her, working on my phone while she
played, and then I left her in the kitchen while I worked some more in my
office.
I had lunch outside while Belle played, and then she fell promptly to
sleep in my office when we went back inside.
I was able to finish my blog post for Wednesday, and work on my blog
posts for Friday and Tuesday + respond to all my blog comments while she
slept. She was still snoozing when it
was time for me to vacuum and mop the whole house, so I woke her up and sent
her to the kitchen.
I was able to get the whole house done other than the living room and
front sitting room, and then it was time to get ready to pick up the kids. I threw all the floor mats in the washer
before I left, and then I hit the road.
After school, we headed to the music school for the kids’ lessons, and
when we got there, I walked next-door to Publix to grab a copy of the new
People magazine because my cousin’s wife has been doing her press tour for the
new Netflix documentary for her brother (Matthew Perry), and she was
interviewed for People for it. They
didn’t have the most recent one yet, though, so I wasn’t able to get a copy of
it.
I sat in with Olivia for her guitar lesson, and she worked diligently on Babylon
by Taylor Swift, and then we headed home so she could get ready for dance, eat
a quick dinner, and then get to her long dance night. I did a Bible study while she got ready, and
then we hit the road (again!).
It was time to get dinner ready when I got back home, so I made turkey
and cheese biscuit sliders for the boys and myself since we needed something
quick. After we ate, we all cleaned the
kitchen and then we all went our separate ways to get some things done. Brian started mowing the lawn, Jacob texted
with his friends, and I tackled a bunch of random things on my list:
-
Finish vacuuming
-
Wash a load of blankets
-
Put all the clean mats back down
-
Clean out the mop bucket and wash the mop
-
Replenish a few things in my office
-
Clean off the pile of papers on my desk
-
File a bunch of the kids’ papers that have been
sitting on my office floor forever
-
Fold and put away the clean blankets
When Brian was done mowing, the boys finished Bumblebee, and I got
ready for bed. Brian vacuumed the stairs
for me (since I try not to do weird things like that with my neck issues) and
then he headed out to pick up Olivia from dance.
I jumped on the stair stepper while Jacob showered, and then Olivia
showered when she got home. The kids got
in bed a little after 9 PM, Brian and I finished the SNL episode we’d
started, and then we started the new season of Nobody Wants This.
Later in the evening, Jacob came to find me to let me know that he’d just
been notified of his PSAT score that he’d taken just before fall break, and
y’all, this kid got a 1330 / 1520!!!! He
is in the 98th percentile, which is just outstanding, and I’m just so proud of
him. I think I maxed out at a 1060 /
1600 on my SAT (I don’t remember what I got on the PSAT or if I even took it),
so he’s already doing worlds better than I ever did!
Friday, October 23
Friday morning, I was up at 6 AM and I dropped the kids off at school and
headed straight back home. I had a few
minutes to check some things for the blog and make a cup of coffee, and then
Brian and I hit the road for my appointment with my upper cervical
chiropractor.
My atlas and axis (C1 and C2) were, indeed, both misaligned, although, he
said that it was very minor this time, so that explains why I had some bad days
this month, but also some good ones. He
said that I seem to be compensating well some of the time, so that’s probably
why I have the good days even during misalignment. I’m hoping that takes care of the vertigo
spins, though, since I had two mild vertigo spins this past month. (And when I say mild, it’s still an AWWWWFUL
feeling. If you’ve ever had vertigo,
then you know.)
I also spoke to my doctor about something I recently came across when
researching C1/C2 adjustments and how to get them to hold longer. I saw an article that was all about the deep
neck flexors and how they play a huge role in spine stability, and when I did
the at-home test to check my deep neck flexors, I failed miserably, and mine
are, apparently, incredibly weak. There
is a hold that you can do to strengthen the deep neck flexors, so I’ve been
doing that (I think I’ve already mentioned this here), and my doctor confirmed
that I’ve been doing the right thing. He
told me to continue the exercises, but he did tweak my posture just a little
while I’m doing them. So, it’s good to
know that I’m doing them correctly now.
Brian and I got home a little before 11 AM, and I took Bellie out. I had to get Brian to retrieve her, though,
because she was ignoring me and wouldn’t come inside, and I wasn’t allowed to
pick her up all day since I had to “be a robot” after my adjustment.
I went to my office with a fresh cup of coffee to work for a bit after
that. I got this post all caught up to
present, I made a service appointment for my SUV, I made my mammogram and
ultrasound appointments for January, and I cleaned off my computer desktop.
Brian and I had lunch together after that and then I tried letting Belle
come up in my office, but she was being crazy, so Brian had to get her since I
wasn’t supposed to pick her up. After
she went back down to the kitchen, I caught up on some blog housekeeping, and I
also worked on catching up on blog reading some more. I started feeling very sleepy and woozy after
that from my adjustment, so I lay down for 45 minutes so rest, and I think I
dozed a bit, but not a lot.
I had set an alarm to wake up to pick up the kids, and when we got home
from school, the kids went outside to play with Belle for a long time because
it was gorgeous out. I hadn’t been able
to play with her at all on Friday since I had to rest, so I’m sure she was
thrilled to finally get some attention.
While they did that, I did two Bible studies and read my devotional, then
I got completely caught up on blog reading (finally!), and I worked some more
on this post. I also updated a few
things in my planner, I ordered an ornament for Belle’s first Christmas, I
ordered some oils for my diffuser, and I worked some more on cleaning out my
Lists app in my phone. I always feel so
inspired this time of year, so I’ve been putting random snippets and ideas and
thoughts in my app, and I needed to get them organized.
Brian picked up pizza from our favorite local place later in the evening
and while he was gone, I tidied the kitchen and made prickly pear mules for
us. The four of us ate dinner together
and then after the kitchen was clean, the kids got showered and ready for
bed. I watered and fertilized the indoor
plants after that, and then Olivia and I ordered her tights for her Halloween costume.
We popped some popcorn after that, and then we settled in for a movie /
show marathon for the rest of the night… we finished Hocus Pocus, we
watched Beetlejuice, and we watched one episode of Friends
because the kids needed to get their fix before bed. ;o)
They got in bed around 10:15 PM and then Brian and I made dessert cocktails and settled in for a couple of
episodes of Nobody Wants This.
Saturday, October 24
Saturday morning, I slept until 9 AM, and the only reason I woke up was
because Brian got up before me which is unheard of. I’m always up before him, but apparently this
weekend, my body wanted extra sleep.
I headed downstairs to make waffles for breakfast, and then I enjoyed my
coffee on the couch while half chasing Bellie around the house to make sure she
wasn’t getting into anything. We had College
GameDay on in the background for our Saturday morning football season happy
background noise, and I scrolled through social media for a bit just being
lazyyyy.
Jacob had a birthday party / sleepover to attend later in the day, so he
worked on getting his laundry done, and then he and Brian left to drop Olivia
off at dance and get haircuts. While
they were gone, I followed Bellie around the house letting her explore some of
the areas we usually ban her from, and then I sat outside with her for a long
time so she could run around. While she
played, I updated my Amazon storefront and made a Reel in honor of the 20th anniversary of Taylor Swift’s first album. I shared these
on the blog last year, but I never posted about them on social media.
I went inside after that to make the bed and throw all the towels in the
washer, and the boys got home shortly after that. Then, I spent some time tidying the house and
working on a few annoying little non-urgent tasks that needed to be done until
it was time to make lunch for Jacob.
I put on some workout clothes after that, and Brian headed off to pick up
Olivia from dance while I hung behind to get lunch ready for the rest of
us. Jacob’s friend, WJ, and his mom came
to pick Jacob up after that, and they came inside for a bit to chat until Brian
and Olivia got home.
When they left, the three of us had lunch, and Jacob went off to Dave
& Busters to live his best life for the rest of the day!
After lunch, Olivia and I took Belle for a walk, and the weather was just
gorgeous. It was in the 70s all last
week with lots of sunshine, so we spent quite a bit of time outside. Fall weather is definitely the best weather.
When we got home, I grabbed a snack and did some blog housekeeping +
tackled a Bible study, and then it was time to get ready for church. I finally wore these viral pants, and I can confirm they are incredible. I love everything about them.
After Mass, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with my parents
and Mama Cass, and it was extra delicious since we hadn’t had it in a
while. It hit the spot, and so did
quality time with my family.
After dinner, Brian, Olivia, and I headed to Publix down the street to
grab a few things for Halloween week + some cotton candy gum that Olivia has
been wanting, and while we were there, we also grabbed items to make s’mores
for dessert.
When we got home, we all got into PJs and made s’mores with our cocktail smoker, and they were so, so good. I watched Olivia perform all her routines for
the upcoming Christmas recital after that, and then we all lay around on the
couch watching football and hanging out for the rest of the evening. Oh, but we did have to give Belle an
emergency bath after a bathroom incident outside. Hahahaha.
After Olivia went to bed, Brian and I continued to watch football, and
then we called it a night.
Sunday, October 25
Sunday morning, I slept in until 9 AM AGAIN, and the only reason I woke
up then was because Brian got out of bed before me. Seriously, I don’t know what’s going on with
my body clock, but I have been tired!
Since Jacob was there, we didn’t make our usual Sunday morning cinnamon
rolls, and instead, Brian and I just grabbed what we wanted and Olivia didn’t
eat breakfast per usual.
After that, I headed to my office with Belle and a cup of coffee, and I
booted Bellie back to the kitchen in less than five minutes because she was
running around like a maniac and wouldn’t settle down. Lol.
I went back to my office after that to transfer my photos from my phone
to my computer and get them organized, and then I worked on another Reel. Per the request of many readers and IG
followers, I’m really going to try to step it up on Instagram.
Brian, Olivia, and I ate an early lunch together since B had to leave for
a tennis match and then I got ready for the day. Olivia joined me in the bathroom to do a face
mask and chat, and then when I was ready, I hung out with Bellie outside for a
bit.
After that, Olivia had some lazy screen time with Bellie downstairs in
the kitchen, and I grabbed some dark chocolate almonds and cinnamon tea to take
to my office to work. I turned on You’ve
Got Mail, and then I tackled my list for the day:
-
Posting my to do list on Instagram since I’d not
gotten around to it earlier in the morning
-
Working on this blog post
-
Getting my planner ready for the week ahead
-
Doing a little Christmas shopping (all the kids’
teachers are DONE and Olivia’s stocking is looking fantastic!)
-
Working on an idea for another Reel (who knew I’d
eventually be THIS girl?!)
-
Placing an Amazon order for some necessities
-
Making another Amazon collage for my storefront
because the ideas are just flowing out of me!
-
Adding some dates to my calendar
-
Going through emails
-
Working on my blog post for Friday
It was nearly time to go at that point, so I shut everything down in my
office – and by shut everything down I mean I turned off all the gazillions of
lamps and twinkle lights that I have on while I work. Haha.
Then, I sorted all of Brian’s and my dirty clothes into four (very
large) piles to get ready for laundry day Monday.
We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and it was a cozy evening
over there. Momma made porkchops, rice,
green beans, and black eyed peas, and we had banana pudding for dessert. One of the best desserts of all-time. Yes, ma’am!
When we got home, we all got into pjs, and then we ended the evening with
an episode of Friends followed by an episode of Nobody Wants This for B and me
after the kids went to bed.
And now for some current things…
Currently
Reading
In October, I read one book – And Then There Was You by Sophie
Cousens. I’m nearly done with it, but
it’s been a long journey because it hasn’t held my attention. I’ll probably end up giving it 3 stars unless
something earth shattering happens at the end.
I am still reading my new devotional for the year, too – Called by
Name: 365 Daily Devotions for Catholic Women by Kelly M. Wahlquist along
with my Bible and The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz.
Currently
Watching
With B: In October, Brian and I finished Ted Lasso and Outer
Banks. We have also been watching the
new season of Saturday Night Live, and we finally watched The
Housemaid. And of course, we’re
watching a ton of college football!
With the Kids: In September we watched a ton of Friends. We’re on season nine now! Brian and Jacob also watched Bumblebee. And we watched some Halloween favorites like Hocus
Pocus and Beetlejuice. I’m
sure we’ll try to squeeze in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
before the month is over, too!
Alone: I’ve been watching You’ve Got Mail on
repeat in my office on the weekends while I work. Only a few more days until I switch to all my
Christmas favorites.
Currently
Listening To
We’re listening to a lot of cocktail jazz and old standards in the
evening as well as our Halloween play list.
Olivia and I have been wearing out Taylor Swift’s four new singles, and
I’m still listening to The Swiftie and the Scholar as new episodes come
out.
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
.jpg)
