Monday, December 30, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 12/13 - 12/19)

Friday (12/13) We got up and moving on time today, but it was tough for most of us.  Adrian helped me get AJ ready and on the bus and then he headed out to work for the day.  I got Daniel ready and dropped him off at school and came home to again find a sick Zak on the couch.  I really thought we could go to school today, but he still doesn't feel well and actually got sick while I was trying to decide what to do.  So another day off for him and me!  Rocky is loving this week, she's had someone home with her everyday!

Zak again spent the day laying on the couch and watching video games.  He did eat a little more today so I think he is finally recovering.  I'm thankful we have the weekend ahead of us and not much going on for him so he can be ready to go next week for sure.  I spent the day getting stuff done and while I hate calling out of work, I was able to get a ton of stuff done around the house and feel very in control heading into the last week before winter break.  The day passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to get the boys off the bus.
The boys got settled after school and then played video games for a while.  When Adrian got home from work, we all had dinner together and then cleaned up a little.  Then we had family movie night and watched "Elf" for our annual Christmas viewing.  We were supposed to go to church to watch it there but since Zak has been sick we decided to keep our germs home and watch it here.  After we laughed thru the movie, we got the boys down to bed for the night and then figured out our plan for a busy weekend.  Then we loaded up my car with some of our gifts so I'm ready to wrap them tomorrow.  We watched a few comedies and then headed to bed because even though we've had some days off, we are exhausted after this week.

Saturday (12/14) We slept in a little this morning and then got up and moving.  I headed to the church for my Zumba class where we had an awesome time dancing to Zumba shuffle and celebrating one of the student's birthdays.  After some treats, I cleaned up the room and headed out to the church to volunteer to help wrap gifts.  Fortunately for me when I got there, they didn't have any gifts to wrap so they wrapped everything I had brought with me.  I felt incredibly blessed by this because we are normally stressed out trying to get wrapping done at the last minute and now we are nearly done over a week early!!  So very thankful for my church family.
While I was there, Adrian also came to the church for Zak's Crossover basketball evaluations.  Zak did great and had fun playing basketball and is excited for Adrian to be his coach.  They also finished up their Christmas shopping for me and Rocky while I was out all morning.  We all came home around lunch time and had a quick lunch together before I headed out again to another Zumba jam.  I had an awesome time dancing for three hours with some of my Zumba besties and learning from an amazing jammer.  I loved all 5 songs that we learned & only hope I can remember them in the New Year to bring to my students.
While I was at the jam, Adrian did some work around the house and took care of the boys.  Daniel had a birthday party in the afternoon so his friend picked him up and they went to see the new "Jumani" movie for the party.  Daniel had a great time and said the movie was really funny!  When we all got home we had dinner together before Adrian and I headed out for a short date night at a Christmas party with some friends from church.  We enjoyed delicious food, great conversation and lots of laughs at the party and came home with some yummy treats.  After the party, we were pretty wiped out so we just watched TV, got the boys down for the night and headed to bed soon after them.  It was a pretty great Saturday from start to finish and I'm thankful for all I got to do today!!
Sunday (12/15) We all got to sleep in this morning, yay!  Adrian got up and moving a little earlier than the rest of us and he headed to first service at church.  The rest of us overslept for that service so we decided to take the week off.  I got up and got a few things done then go ready to head to my second jam of the weekend.  This one was a Toning jam with the same trainer as yesterday and once again I loved everything.  I really need new Toning songs since I'm teaching that class twice each week and this jam did not disappoint.  I can't wait to add all of these new songs in the new year!
While I was at the jam, Adrian helped the boys finish up their homework for the weekend and got a bunch of stuff done around the house.  He also grilled steak for us for dinner that was ready when I got home.  We watched the Cowboys game together, although I lost interest since it was a blow out win for them.  I'm hoping they are getting hot now and can make it far in the playoffs!  We finished up some other stuff around the house while we were watching and then called the boys down for their night routine.  We watched the new "How to Train Your Dragon" special as a family then got the boys to bed for their last week of school before break.  Adrian watched the OSU basketball game while I got a few more things done around the house.  Then we both headed to bed since once again we were exhausted from a long but fun weekend!

Monday (12/16) We thought we were back to our regular schedule today but AJ woke up not feeling well so he had to stay home from school.  Since I was subbing all day, Adrian worked from home for the day to stay home with him.  I got Daniel up and ready and dropped him off at school and then came home to get Zak and myself ready.  We headed into school together for the day.  I had a rough day with a tough class and was thankful when it was over and could head home.

Unfortunately my day didn't improve from there.  I came home to see that my refridgerator had died and we needed to move everything to the other fridge and freezers.  We knew it was going, we were just hoping it would hold on a little longer.  So after moving everything around, Adrian and I did some shopping and picked one we really liked online.  I made us all dinner and after we ate, Adrian headed to Lowe's to buy the fridge and I headed to the church to teach my Zumba class.  We had an awesome time doing Zumba shuffle and got a great workout.  When I got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and then down to bed.  We finished up some cleaning around the house and then watched two comedies before heading to bed too.  This week is not off to a great start!

Tuesday (12/17) We again thought we were back to our regular schedule today.  We got AJ up and ready and on the bus and then Adrian headed to work.  Daniel woke up with crusty eyes and after washing them out we thought they were just his allergies so he headed to school.  I dropped him and Zak off at school and then since I was only subbing in the afternoon, I got started working around the house on the very long to do list that I have.  After a few hours I got a call from Daniel's school saying his eyes got worse and I needed to come pick him up.  So I went to pick him up and we headed to the pediatrician for the dreaded pink eye diagnosis.  We are really not having a great run of luck this month!!

After seeing the doctor, we dropped his prescription off and came home so Daniel could rest.  I picked up AJ and Zak from school and we all finished our homework for the night.  Then I got everyone thru dinner and headed out to our last Cub Scout pack meeting of the year with Zak.  We did awards for the Scouts, crossover for the Arrows and then had a giant snowball fight with socks.  It was a super fun night for Zak and I!  While I was there, Adrian was running all over town trying to figure out how to fill Daniel's prescription because multiple pharmacies were out.  He finally got it filled and got home around the same time as Zak and I.  We got the boy thru their night routine and down for the night.  Then Adrian and I did a little straightening up around the house, watched two comedies and headed to bed for the night.  We know Daniel isn't going to school tomorrow, praying that everyone else is though!
Wednesday (12/18) Another day off our schedule today since Daniel was planning to stay home with pink eye.  Adrian, AJ and I got up early and started getting ready.  Adrian helped me get AJ ready and on the bus and then he headed to work for the day.  I started working around the house early this morning since I was home for the day.  Unfortunately when I went to wake up Zak for his day, his eyes were also crusted over so I started him on drops and called him out of school for the day.  We can not catch a break this week!  I stayed home with Daniel and Zak and also waited for the new refridgerator delivery.  In between taking care of the boys and waiting for the delivery, I ran out to the grocery store and was able to finish up most of my shopping for the holidays next week.

The fridge was delivered this afternoon and it is beautiful!!  While the timing is not ideal, I'm so thankful to have this new fridge, we have needed a new one for a while but have just been putting it off.  After it cooled off, I spent almost an hour reorganizing the fridges and freezers and am so excited with how nice they look.  AJ came home from school and thankfully told me that he doesn't have any homework tonight, yay!  Daniel finished up his ELA project this afternoon since it's due tomorrow and thankfully he thought to bring everything home to finish it up.
After homework and a short video game break, we had dinner together and then Adrian headed out to his Crossover basketball coaches meeting.  He is excited to coach Zak's team again this season and will be coaching with one of our family's friends so that should make it a great season for both of them.  When he got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down for the night.  Unless something else crazy happens, we will all be heading back to school and work tomorrow.  Adrian and I came down and were cleaning up and making some Christmas cookies when I got a phone call from my mom telling me my Uncle Tony passed away today.  I am so heartbroken to hear this, it was tragic and unexpected.  We are waiting to hear about funeral arrangements and then making a plan to get out to NJ sooner than planned.  We finished up what we were working on, watched some of the "Survivor" finale and then headed to bed.  Seriously, what a week this has been!

Thursday (12/19) After a horrible night of sleep and wishing that the phone call I got last night was a dream (it wasn't), we got up and moving for the day.  Thankfully everyone was healthy enough to go where they were supposed to go.  Adrian helped me get AJ up and on the bus and then headed to work for the day.  I got Daniel ready for school and dropped him off for the day then came home and got Zak and myself ready for the day.  We went in together because I was subbing in a kindergarten class all day.  I had a pretty good day, although those kids wear me out sometimes!  The day passed quickly and it was a good distraction from what is going on in my personal life.

After we all got home from school for the day, I started making dinner and also making plans for us to head to NJ for the weekend.  We decided we would all drive on Saturday, go to the services on Sunday and Monday and then head back home Monday after the funeral.  It will be a quick, hard trip for us, but it's what we need to do for ourselves and the family.  After dinner, I headed out to the church to teach my last class of the year at the church.  It was hard to put on a happy face and dance, but thankfully my students are amazing and we had so much fun doing a Zumba shuffle playlist.  After class, I came home and made sure we had everything set up to leave on Saturday, after we all worked all day Friday.  I also got all of the boys' teacher gifts together and packed up everything they need for their class parties.  Then Adrian and I watched the end of the "Survivor" finale and headed to bed.  It's going to be a long couple of days for us!

Friday, December 13, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 12/6 - 12/12)

Friday (12/6) We made it to another weekend!  We were dragging this morning but we got up and moving on time.  AJ decided he wanted me to drive him so Adrian helped me get him ready then headed to work for the day.  I dropped off AJ and Daniel and then came home and got Zak and myself ready for the day.  We headed into school together since I was subbing all day.  I spent the day in a fun kindergarten class which included seeing the an assembly with the high school choir caroling.  Zak was in the assembly too and was excited to see me there!  After school, we came home and were all exhaused from the week so we relaxed, played video games and had leftovers for dinner.  I headed out in the evening for a productive Scout committee meeting and then came home for family movie night.  We watched the new movie "Klaus" on Netflix and it was great!  We all really enjoyed it!  When it was over, we got the boys down to bed, watched an episode of "Superstore" and headed to bed as well.  It's been a long week and we have a busy weekend ahead of us!

Saturday (12/7) We got to sleep in a little today, but then we hit the ground running.  I got up and got ready to head to the church for Zumba.  We had a fun, sweaty class this morning!  Then I met up with some new employees for our front desk at the church and trained them so they are ready to go in January.  While I was there, Adrian took Daniel and Zak to Home Depot to make Christmas countdown calendars.  They had a great time and are so excited to have these, they have been asking for a countdown calendar for a while!
We all came home and had a quick lunch and then I headed back out to a Zumba jam this afternoon.  I had a great time learning 5 new routines with some awesome ZIN friends.  I'm not sure if I'll use any of the songs in my classes, and I don't care if I do or not.  This jam was more about me getting some exercise and having some fun, which is exactly what I did!  While I was there, Adrian and the boys got some stuff done around the house, including some homework.  He cooked delicious turkey noodle soup too which was ready for dinner when I got home, which was awesome!
After we had dinner, we headed out as a family to see the Wonderlights at National Trail Raceway.  This was such an awesome family night!!  While the line was long, it moved quickly and you can see the light show while you're waiting so we enjoyed watching the lights and listening to the music it's synced to.  The boys especially enjoyed the Trans Siberian Orchestra songs because the lights went crazy during those.  We were there for just over an hour and enjoyed every minute of it!  I really feel like I'm in the Christmas spirit now.  After the show, we headed home to watch the Big 10 championship game.  While it started rough, we're glad OSU pulled out the win in the end.  I enjoyed watching it since it was such a close game!  Around watching it, I got a few things done around the house and we put the kids to bed at halftime.  It was a fantastic day top to bottom for me and I am so grateful for this day!
Sunday (12/8) We got to sleep in a little again today, although Zak was still up at like 7am.  I got up with him since I had to serve during first service of church anyway this morning.  I had a relaxing morning before getting ready and heading in to serve in the elementary class for children's church.  Then I met Adrian and the boys there and we all went to second service together.  After church, we came home and had a quick lunch and got the boys' homework for the weekend finished.  Then the boys played video games while Adrian and I worked around the house.  We also watched most of the Jets game and were excited to see them win!!  The day passed quickly with lots of video games, football and junk food.  After leftovers for dinner, the boys finished up their chores for the weekend and eventually we all settled down to watch "Charlie Brown's Christmas."  After we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed, Adrian and I made a plan for Christmas gifts and ordered what we could online.  I feel much better prepared for the holiday season now!!  We enjoyed some wine and an episode of "Superstore" before heading to bed for the night.  It was a really great weekend!!

Monday (12/9) Back to the school and work routine for the week!  We all got up and moving on time this morning.  Adrian helped me get AJ ready and on the bus before he headed into work for the day.  I got Daniel and Zak both ready and dropped off to school and then I had a rare day off from subbing so I came home and worked around the house all day.  I got a ton of stuff done including a bunch of Christmas shopping.  The day passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to pick everyone up from school.  I picked up AJ and Daniel at express pick up instead of having them take the bus since I was off, then I went to pick up Zak too.

When we all got home, we got quickly thru homework and dinner so we would be ready for the evening.  AJ had his winter band concert so Adrian took him there and then I met them there with the other boys closer to show time.  The band played three holiday songs and they were all really good!  After the concert, Adrian headed to the church for a meeting about our new pastor and I took Daniel and Zak to mail their letters to Santa.  When we got home, they got snacks and watched part of "Great Christmas Light Fight" before heading to bed for the night.  When Adrian got home, we finished up a few things around the house and then watched two comedies while drinking our advent wine before heading to bed too.  Great start to our week!!
Tuesday (12/10) We got up and moving on time today, although it wasn't a normal day for us.  We are getting our new stove today so Adrian is working from home today to wait for the delivery.  He got up and helped me get AJ up and on the bus this morning.  Then I got Daniel ready and dropped him off at school.  When Zak woke up, he was complaining that his throat hurt and he had a slight fever so he stayed home from school for the day.  I finished getting myself ready for the day then headed out to run a few errands before subbing this afternoon.
Adrian hung out with Zak for the day and got the new stove installed.  When I got home from school, Zak was still sick so we decided he would have to miss all of his night activities.  I headed to the bowling alley to pay for his last week, register him for next session and pick up his trophy.  He was excited to learn that he got the second highest handicap game for the session!!  He also had the third highest scratch game of the session when he bowled his 118.  He's excited to bowl again in January!
Since we now had a free night since we also didn't go to Scouts, we used the time to get a few things done.  Zak spent most of the night resting since he was still sick while the rest of us had dinner and worked around the house.  The boys watched about half of "The Great Christmas Light Fight" together too and enjoyed seeing the heavyweights division.  After that, we got them down to bed for the night and figured out our plan for tomorrow since Zak won't be going to school again.  Then we watched two episodes of "The Good Place" and headed to bed too.

Wednesday (12/11) Zak had a rough night and was up a few times with his sore throat.  Unfortunately Adrian and I still had to get up early to get the other boys to school.  We did tell AJ to sleep in a little and that I would drive him instead of him taking the bus so that got us an extra half hour of sleep.  We all got up and moving and Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel ready.  Then I left to drop them off at school and he started working from home.  After I dropped them off, I came home and got my stuff together for the day then headed out to run some errands and teach my two classes at the Y.  I had two great classes and am glad Adrian was able to stay home so I could work!  After class I ran a few more errands until it was time to pick up the boys from school.

When we all got home from school, we unloaded all of the groceries I had and then finished the boys homework.  Adrian and I had training for Rocky at 5:30 so we made sure all of the homework was done for the night before we left.  Rocky is doing good keeping up with her commands and we learned a few new ones to practice with her too.  She's all done with this round of training, we will decide in a few months if we want to do more or not.  She also had a visit from the elf last night and she got her own stocking to hang with the rest of the family!!
When we got home from training, we got dinner together for everyone and ate quickly.  Then Adrian and I cleaned up while the boys watched the end of "The Great Christmas Light Fight." We got them down to bed and came back down to watch this week's "Survivor."  We were bummed that Elaine was voted out and shocked that they kicked Dan off the show!  It's been a really good season again and we can't wait to see how it finishes up next week! After that we were exhausted so we headed to bed for the night, crossing our fingers that Zak will feel better in the morning and be able to go to school.

Thursday (12/12) We got up and moving on time today.  Adrian helped me get AJ ready and on the bus on time.  Then when he was getting ready to leave, I saw that we had a stray bird in our loft!  I freaked out and made him go deal with it before he left for work.  I dealt with Daniel and Rocky, who were both freaking out.  Daniel and I finally braved it and headed upstairs to shower so we could get him to school on time and after a good 15 minutes, Adrian finally chased the bird out the window!  It was quite the adventure to start our morning!

After I finally dropped Daniel off (a few minutes late) I came home to get ready and found Zak very sick on the couch.  I decided he could not go to school so I would also have to call out for the day.  He spent the day on the couch watching TV and drinking all of the juice and Gatorade that I forced on him.  I got a ton of stuff done around the house, including getting all of my photos ordered for Christmas presents.  The day passed quickly and before long it was time to go pick up the other boys.  I picked up Daniel but unfortunately AJ didn't get my message so he got on the bus and we met him at home.

Again I got the boys thru homework quickly so they would be done before our night activities.  I got dinner ready and the four of us ate quickly before I headed out to my Zumba Toning class at the church.  I had a large group and we had an awesome time and got a great, sweaty workout.  While I was there, Adrian took the boys shopping for a birthday party Daniel has this weekend and they started their Christmas shopping for me and Rocky.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed and then started watching the Jets game.  We didn't have high hopes so we finished cleaning while we were watching and Adrian headed to bed at halftime.  I stayed up a little later, but went to bed at the start of the 4th quarter.  I'm hoping for a better season next year (and yes, I say that every year!)

Monday, December 9, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 11/29 - 12/5)

Friday (11/29) Another day off means another day to sleep in.  We all slept late and it was glorious!  When we got up and moving, Daniel and Zak played another game of Machi Koro while Adrian and I enjoyed some coffee and breakfast.  Then we started getting ready for our day and finished decorating the house.  Daniel and Adrian ran to Target to get a few new things for the outside while AJ, Zak and I finished up inside.  Then we cleaned up and got ready to have my brother and his family over to celebrate his birthday and Thanksgiving.

They got here mid-afternoon and we had a nice visit.  We played a new board game called "Just One" which everyone really enjoyed.  Isabelle enjoyed visiting with Rocky and Rocky was very well behaved with new people in the house.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner of messy lasagna in the instant pot since the oven is still unreliable with salad and garlic bread.  We also had Oreo ice cream cake and peanut butter pie for dessert.  It was a nice, relaxing visit with them and we all had a great time.  When they left, we played one more family game of "Just One" before the boys headed upstairs for some video game time.  Adrian and I played "Hanabi" and failed miserably but had fun!  Then it was time for the boys' night routine so we got them down to bed, watched another episode of "The Goldburgs" and headed to bed too.

Saturday (11/30) We slept in a little today although I needed to use my alarm because I had to get up and moving to go to work this morning.  Adrian and I were commenting that it's awesome we still have two days this weekend but also that the break seemed to go so fast.  We had some quiet time to have coffee together and then I got ready and headed to church to work the front desk.  There was a huge Nepali wedding in the church so I worked hard but also enjoyed seeing all of their beautiful dresses and tasting their delicious food.

While I was at work, Adrian took care of the boys and got some things done around the house.  When I got home mid-afternoon we watched the OSU/Michigan game on delay.  It was a pretty great game and of course we were super happy that OSU won again!  When the game was over, we watched some of the other football games while getting stuff done around the house.  We all enjoyed leftovers for dinner and a relaxing Saturday afternoon and evening.  After dinner we played a few games including Dixit, Machi Koro & Just One.  It was a fun family game night!  Then it was time for the boys' night routine.  We got them down to bed and we watched a few comedies before heading to bed too since we were up so early this morning.

Sunday (12/1) Happy December!!  We slept in a little today, but not too much since Zak was up at 6am and I had to get up and moving to get to first service for church.  I volunteered in children's church for the first service and then Adrian and the boys met me for second service.  We all heard great messages and enjoyed some fun worship.  After church, we came home and grabbed a quick lunch before we headed out to meet Santa at a local pet store.  We had fun watching Rocky interact with new dogs and people at the open house and she did great meeting Santa too.  It was just a quick visit for us, just to get out of the house and expose her to new people and places.
When we got home from that event, we made sure the boys finished all of their homework from the long weekend and were ready to head back to school tomorrow.  I watched the Jets game, well most of it until I got disgusted with their poor play and changed the channel.  While I was watching I was also getting stuff done around the house so that we're ready to start this upcoming busy week.  The rest of the day passed quickly with lots of football and work around the house.  After another dinner of leftovers, the boys finished their weekend chores and then we all settled in to watch the first part of "Here Comes Santa Claus" before we got the boys down to bed at normal time since we're back to school tomorrow.  After the boys went to bed, we opened our first bottle in our advent calendar, had dessert and watched the Sunday Night football game with a quick episode of "Schooled" during halftime before we headed to bed as well.

Monday (12/2) Back to our routine today and it was rough!  No one wanted to get up and moving, but we had to.  Adrian helped me get AJ up and ready and on the bus and then he headed out to work.  I got Daniel ready and dropped off to school and then got Zak ready for my friend to pick him up to take to school.  I headed into the church to sub in their preschool for the morning.  I had a fun morning with the kids, especially getting a sneak peak of their Christmas program.  After I finished up there, I headed home for a few hours to get a few things done and then into school to sub for the last two hours of the day there.

When I got into Zak's school to sub, one of the teachers told me that Zak had been looking for me all day.  He was so excited to show me that he did a great job with his hand writing practice today!  He's been struggling with his hand writing and we've been working hard to improve it and it looks like it's starting to pay off!  The afternoon passed quickly and before long it was time for all of us to go home.  I got the boys quickly thru homework and then they had some free time to play while I cooked dinner for everyone.  After dinner, I headed out to teach my Zumba class at the church.  Once again I was super impressed that I had a huge class & new people!!  We had so much fun dancing together, although it was rough getting back to it after a week long break.  While I was there, Adrian took AJ to his weekly Scout meeting.  When everyone got home we watched the begining of "The Great Christmas Light Fight" and then got the boys down to bed.  After cleaning up a bit, Adrian and I got our snacks & wine for the night, watched two episodes of "Schooled" and headed to bed.

Tuesday (12/3) Another regular routine day for us.  Adrian got AJ up and helped me get him ready and on the bus before he headed into work for the day.  I got Daniel ready and dropped off to school and then came home and got Zak and myself ready for our day.  We headed in to school together since I was subbing all day in his school.  I had a pretty fun day with two different 3rd grade classes until around 1:00 when Daniel called from the nurse's office that he wasn't feeling well.  He didn't have a temperature and wasn't puking so I had him stick it out at school for the rest of the day so I could finish up my day at work.

After I got home, I checked in with Daniel and while he's not 100%, he's not super sick either.  I got him settled on the couch with some crackers and water and then headed out to bowling with Zak.  It's his last week of league play and then next week he has his end of season party.  He bowled pretty well and is excited to play again next session.  When he was done, we ran two quick errands and then headed home for the night since we don't have Scouts tonight.  Adrian had just gotten home from work too so we got dinner ready together and then got the boys thru homework.  The night passed quickly and soon it was time for the boys' night routine.  Daniel was still not feeling well so he asked to stay home tomorrow, which is fine because I have to be here for the oven repair man anyway.  When we got the boys settled, we finished up a few things downstairs, then watched two episodes of "Modern Family" and headed to bed for the night.

Wednesday (12/4) Even though I technically had the day off, I still had to get up early to get AJ ready for school.  He decided to sleep in a little though and have me drive him instead of taking the bus.  Adrian helped get him up and moving and then headed to work for the day while I dropped AJ off at school.  Then I came home and got Zak ready and dropped off at school.  Daniel slept in and came down a little after 8 and got set up on the couch for the day.  He still wasn't feeling great but as the day went on he felt better.  He spent the day watching YouTube, playing video games and eating a ton!  I was joking that maybe he's not sick, he's just hungry!!  I was able to sneak out for a short trip to get my eyebrows done, grab some groceries at Aldi & drop off prescriptions that need to be filled.  I am missing my errand day this week, will have to be extra productive next week!

While Daniel was spending the day on the couch, I got a ton done around the house.  I also spent some time with the oven repair man only to find out that it would cost over $600 to fix my oven.  After talking to Adrian we decided that buying a new oven was a better option.  So after I got AJ off the bus and picked Zak up from school, I spent some time shopping for and eventually ordered a new oven.  The afternoon passed quickly with homework, video games and a quick trip to pick up Marco's for dinner since it's fundraiser night.  Adrian got home from work late, but we still were able to have dinner together.  Before long it was time to get the boys ready for bed.  After watching some of "The Great Christmas Light Fight" we got them down for the night, finished up some cleaning and watched this week's episode of "Survivor."  I headed to bed soon after that while Adrian stayed up to watch the OSU basketball game.

Thursday (12/5) Thankfully Daniel was feeling better today so we all got up and moving to head out to school and work.  Adrian helped me get AJ ready and on the bus before he headed to work for the day.  Then I got Daniel ready and dropped him off at school.  I came back and got Zak and myself ready for the day and we headed into school together.  I was a floating sub all day at the school and it was a long and tiring day!  But it did pass quickly and before long it was time for us to head home for the day.  After taking some time to recover from my day, I got everyone thru homework and got dinner together.  After dinner, I headed to the church to teach Zumba Toning.  While I struggled thru the class since I was really worn out, we still had a great time together.  When I got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and in bed for the night.  Then Adrian and I finished up a few things and watched the Cowboys game.  Unfortunately they didn't play well and were not able to pull out the win.  I did not make it to the end of the game, I was exhausted & knew I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow too.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Dec 8 - Dec 14)

I did pretty good sticking to my meal plan last week, except for Friday night.  I had a rough few days at work at the end of the week and just didn't have anything left to cook dinner Friday night.  We had plenty of leftovers so we just ate those and I bumped that meal to Saturday and last Saturday's meal to this Saturday.  Everything I made last week was great and it felt good to be back to eating healthy food again!  We're just about done with all of our Thanskgiving leftovers and over vegetables from our CSA, other than the squash.

This week is another busy one for us as some of our activities wrap up for winter break this week and we have some fun Christmas activities planned.  I'm trying to make easy and healthy meals this week and continue to use up what we have.  I'm starting to try to use up the squash from our CSA this week since they are covering my counter and while I know they last a while, they won't last forever.  This week will also kick off my holiday baking with a few parties on Saturday.

I'm also getting a new stove this week!!  It was not planned and not really what we wanted to do, but it is pretty much a need right now.  I mentioned how my oven broke on Thanksgiving so we need to get it fixed.  When we got the estimate for fixing it (around $600!!) we realized we could upgrade the stove for just a $100 or so more.  So we did some research and found a great deal at Best Buy for a new LG stove that is bigger than my current one and includes an extra burner and a bigger oven.  It will be here Tuesday & I can't wait for it!!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Beef and Broccoli in the instant pot
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday!!
Wednesday - Shrimp Fried Rice
Thursday - Spaghetti Squash and Sausage
Friday - Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Soup
Saturday - Chicken Fajita Pasta - carryover from last week

Water Flavor - So I had mango & kiwi for my water flavor for the next two weeks, but unfortunately today Zak broke my pitcher this morning.  He accidently knocked it off the shelf in the fridge on to the floor.  The boys have decided that Santa should bring me a new one so I'll be without for a few weeks.  The only nice thing about that is that's one less chore I have to do each day - ha!!

Overnight Oats - I have a bunch left over from last week because I didn't eat them some of the days that I planned to eat them so I'll finish those up this week.  I have moose tracks yogurt to use next time I make them so I'm excited to finish what I have!

Use it Up - I'm using up my veggies,  broccoli, spaghetti squash and butternut squash.  I'm also using up more sausage to clean off the pork shelf this week.  I'm almost done and will start on the beef shelf after Christmas.

Lunches - I got a few avocado last week for a great price and romaine is back on the shelves so it will probably be a bunch of salads this week.  I'll probably do a few taco salads since I have a lot of crushed chips to use up in those.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Keeping Up With...2019 Goals (November Recap)

I'm on time this month with my blog post!  I did a really good job this month of both staying on task with my goals and updating this blog post each week with where I am so I just had to add a few extra details today and I was ready to go.  I am super proud of myself to see so many of my goals either accomplished already or on track to be accomplished.  I'm going to miss the mark on a few but I'm totally OK with that and am super excited about the way this year went for me.

The one goal I'm most excited about is that I lost weight this year and so far I haven't gained it all back.  I have a great support system and plan and am ready to kick butt for most of December before taking a week or so off for Christmas.  The past few years I have started out really strong and then hit a plateau and then gave up and gained back everything and more in the last 3 months of the year.  This year I have embraced the plateau and just decided that as long as I don't gain I'm happy.  And that is working for me!!  Even though I gained this month, I'm right back to focused on what I'm eating and I know it will come off quickly.  I'm hoping to see another loss next year and continue on this downward trend. But I'm getting ahead of myself with all of those plans.
For now, here's how I did on my goals in November:
  • Lose 50 30 pounds - Lost 0 pounds this month, I actually gained 5 pounds.  But I'm still down 20 pounds so far this year and I'm excited about that!!
  • Exercise for 20 minutes every day - 321 days (out of 334) - I missed a bunch of days in November, I think I'm running out of steam.  I had a Sunday I I had a ton of stuff to do so I decided to take a full rest day and not exercise at all.  It was a good decision!  Then the Sunday Adrian was gone I took off because I was exhausted trying to keep up with everything.  I also skipped Thanksgiving and the day after because I just didn't feel like exercising.  I'm OK with taking this many days off, I'm super proud of myself for getting over 300 days so far this year and I still have 31 days left!
  • Read the Bible in a Year - 334 days so far, on track to finish this goal this year! 
  • Read 100 Days to Brave - DONE!!
  • Read "Be Still and Know" - 334 days so far, on track to finish this goal this year!
  • Read 20 books - 16 books so far.  In November I finished "Refugee" which was Daniel's recommendation and it was so good!  I also finished "Little Bigfoot, Big City" and "How to Twist a Dragon's Tale" both of which were really good!  All three books this month were super quick reads and very enjoyable.
  • Read the 12 How to Train Your Dragon Books - 5 books done so far.  
  • Read "The Beauty Myth" - DONE!!
  • Write 45 meal plan blogs - 31 blog posts so far this year.  I missed a few of these again this month and I will not hit this goal this year.  I have been planning each week, just not writing the blog posts about it.
  • Write 52 weekly summary blogs - 47 blog posts so far this year.  I'm still missing one from Sept that I'm hoping to catch up on in the next week or so.  If I don't get it done in December, I will just be done and not writing that one this year.
  • Write 12 9 goal recap blogs - 7 blog posts so far this year.  
  • Pay off $3,000 of credit card debt - DONE!!  We've actually paid off $3,800 paid off so far
  • Renovate the living room - DONE!!
  • Watch 40 50 movies - 45 movies so far.  In November we watched: "Hocus Pocus," "Iron Man 2," "Thor" and "Christmas Vacation."  It's going to be close to get to our changed goal of 50 movies this year but I think we can do it.
  • Go on 12 dates with Adrian - 14 dates so far - In November we went out to dinner and axe throwing with another couple and out for a taco lunch on Veteran's Day.  We may be done for the year now because we are SO busy in December we may not have time to have another date.
  • Sub 70 days in the schools - 60.5 days so far
  • Do one group fitness training - DONE!!  I'm officially licensed to teach Aqua Zumba now.  I'm super excited to add this license to my resume and hopefully will start teaching a class regularly in the fall.
  • Go to 6 Zumba jam sessions - 8 jams attended so far this year - Yes, another goal completed for the year!!  And I'm still going to at least one more in December, possibly 2 or even 3 that month.  So thankful for this continuing education!!
  • Clean out master bedroom garage - DONE!!  We decided to wait on our bedroom and instead clean out our garage.  We spent about 2 hours one morning and got the whole thing cleaned out.  It looks awesome!!
  • Clean out play room - DONE!!  The boys did great helping out in the play room and we got rid of a ton of things.  I'm super proud of them!!
  • Have 12 family board game nights - We've had 9 family game nights so far this year, including 3 over Thanksgiving break.  We fell off for a while but seem to be back on the board games.
  • Play Pandemic Legacy with Adrian once per month - We played 11 months so far.  We won in November again!  We had a tough start and thought we wouldn't make it this month but we were able to pull in out!
  • Have 6 nights out with friends - DONE!!
  • Go on an awesome spring break vacation to Florida - DONE!!
  • Do 100 fun family things (one thing each week during school & one thing per person each week over the summer) - 90 things done so far.  
  • Go on 2 family camping trips - none planned so far and now it's too cold here in Ohio.  This goal will not be finished this year for sure, but we were just talking about possibly going next spring so it may be back on the goal list next year.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Dec 1 - Dec 7)

Back to meal planning after another short break.  I didn't really plan much the past two weeks because Adrian was gone the first week and then we had Thanksgiving the second week.  We did a lot of leftovers, sandwiches and salads during those two weeks.  It was nice to take some time off from planning and cooking but my waist line is feeling the effects and I'm ready to get back to my regular eating, at least for the next 3 weeks before we take another break for Christmas.

The next few weeks are super busy and filled with fun things.  But they will also be filled with a lot of goodies so I want to make sure I'm eating as good as I can as often as I can.  We are just about out of vegetables from our CSA this summer, the rest of them will be used up this week.  I do still have a bunch of squash to use so I'll use those a lot in December and January.  I'm also still working on cleaning out my deep freeze and am almost done the pork shelf.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Thanksgiving leftovers
Monday - Kale & Sausage Soup
Tuesday - Tacos for the boys and Shrimp Salad for the adults
Wednesday - Turkey Pot Pie
Thursday - Unstuffed Cabbage Bowls
Friday - Turkey Noodle Soup
Saturday - Chicken Fajita Pasta

Water Flavor - I forgot about this for this week so since I have very little fresh fruit right now (and what I have I need for snacks) I pulled out some berries from the freezer for my water this week.

Overnight Oats - I'm back to making these after a short break.  This week I made a batch with mixed berry yogurt and a batch with almond flavored yogurt.  I'm also eating protein bars for breakfast so these should last me two weeks.

Use it Up - I'm using up the last of the veggies from the CSA including cabbage, kale & carrots.  I'm also using up all of the leftover turkey this week in two dinners and our lunches.  I'm continuing to empty my freezer by using some older sausage tomorrow for dinner.

Lunches - Our lunches this week will be leftovers, either from Thanksgiving dinner or from the meals I'm cooking this week.  I'm not sure if I can even get lettuce right now and since salad is my typical lunch I'm going to switch it up this week and make sure our leftovers stay under control.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 11/22 - 11/28)

Friday (11/22) We made it to Friday!!  The boys are feeling fine, but I feel like I am crawling to the weekend.  I got AJ and Daniel ready and dropped them both off at school then came home and got Zak and myself ready.  We headed in to school together because I was subbing again and I was in the same class that I was in yesterday.  That doesn't happen often for me, but it was nice to spend the second day with the kids.  The day passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to meet Zak and head home for the weekend.  I dropped him off at home and ran quickly to Meijer to grab a few things I need for next week that I didn't get on Wednesday.

When I got back from the store, I got Daniel ready for his play date tonight.  He headed over to Yusuf's house for dinner and a movie tonight.  His mom picked him up on her way home from work, which was nice for me to not have to go out again.  The rest of the night was very chill around here.  AJ and Zak played video games while I got a few things done but mostly watched TV, finished my book and played some Candy Crush.  I was exhausted and just not motivated to do much of anything.  Daniel was out until almost 10pm, which I was surprised about but he had a great time so it was worth it!  When he got home, I got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed for the night.  Then I cleaned up a little, finished my episode of "Married to Medicine" and headed to bed.

Saturday (11/23) We got to sleep in a little bit this morning, but not much since I had Zumba and Zak was up at 7am as usual.  I got up and moving, got every breakfast and then headed to the church to teach my last Zumba class there for the next week.  We had an awesome Zumba Toning class and got a great pre-turkey workout.  Then I came home and grabbed a quick shower before heading back out with the boys for haircuts.  We went at the start of the Buckeyes game so we were in and out and they look fantastic!!
After the haircuts, I decided to treat them to lunch wherever they wanted since they have had great behavior the past few days that Adrian has been gone.  AJ wanted Taco Bell, Daniel and Zak wanted McDonald's and everyone wanted a shake from Sonic.  So I went to all three, plus a stop at Jersey Mike's for lunch for me.  They were shocked that I did that and super excited!  When we got home, they spent the rest of the day playing video games and hanging out while I worked around the house.  I also got sucked into the Buckeyes game in the second half because it was a great game!  The day passed quickly and I got a ton of stuff done.  The boys asked to stay up late so I let them stay up until 11pm and then I got them down for the night.  I followed soon after since I was exhausted from the day too!

Sunday (11/24) We were able to sleep in a little today, but alarm clock Zak was still up at 7am this morning.  He and I got up and played a few games, Monopoly Gamer and Coconuts before his brothers got up.  By the time they got up, it was too late to go to church so we missed another week.  After a quick breakfast, the boys got dressed for the day and then started playing video games while I worked around the house.  I have been super productive while Adrian has been gone!!  I alternated between working and watching the Jets win this afternoon - what a great game!!

The day passed quickly and before long it was time to go pick up Adrian from the airport.  We did fine with him gone but we sure are glad he's back!  He had a great trip, played a lot of games, ate a ton of great food and made some new friends.  He came home with some free goodies, a few games and a new pint glass.  After we all had dinner together, we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed since it is a school night, even though it's a short week for us.  Then we watched the Cowboys game from this afternoon while we finished up a few small things around the house.  It was another great game, unfortunately it didn't go the way we wanted it to go.  Soon after the game, we headed to bed since we're both exhausted from the past few days.  Ready for a short week!
Monday (11/25) Back to our routine for a short week this week.  We all got up and moving on time and since Adrian is back, he helped me get AJ ready and on the bus before he headed to work for the day.  Then I got Daniel and Zak ready for school and dropped off on time to their schools.  I was only working an afternoon shift at school so I came back home and did a few things around the house and got ready for tonight's friends-giving with my Zumba students.  I put my turkey in the oven and left to work the afternoon in a fun 1st grade class.  The afternoon passed quickly and after getting them on the bus, Zak and I headed home for the night.

I got them quickly thru their homework, which thankfully wasn't very much and then finished up everything I needed to do for the Zumba dinner.  Adrian came home a little early so he could help me and carve the turkey.  I left with my turkey, mac and cheese and banana bread and had a fantastic dinner and fellowship with the Zumba ladies.  We had so much delicious food, drinks, laughs and good times.  I'm thankful for this amazing group of ladies who work out with me each week and have become friends.  While I was there, Adrian fed the boys dinner and then took AJ to Scouts where they finished up a few things for rank and got ready for some upcoming camping trips.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed.  It was later than we wanted it to be so by the time we cleaned up and watched a little of the Monday Night Football game, it was time for us to head to bed too.
Tuesday (11/26) Last day of the week for us!  We all got up and moving pretty quickly but then AJ decided to relax instead of rushing so Adrian helped me get them ready and then headed to work.  I dropped AJ and Daniel off at school and then came home to finish getting myself and Zak ready for the day.  We headed into school together because I was subbing all day.  I started as a kindergarten teacher for the first two hours, then finished the day as the librarian.  Zak and his class were super excited to come in and see me as their teacher for library today!!  I also got to enjoy a delicious lunch of chili and desserts thanks to the potluck the teachers had today.  It wasn't a bad last day before break, although the kids were all hyped up for break.
When we got home, I got the boys settled and then Zak and I headed out to bowling for the week.  He bowled well today, and his score was consistent for both games.  After bowling, we headed back home and I dropped off Zak and picked up Daniel to drive him to a sleepover at his friend Patrick's house with 3 other feiends.  Then I came back home and the rest of us had a quick dinner before Adrian and I headed out to pick up Rocky from her week long training.  She was so excited to see us and has learned a lot while she was gone.  We have a lot of work still to do with her but her manners have really improved over the week.  After our training session to learn what she learned, we headed back home for the day finally.  It was late so we let the boys visit with Rocky for a bit and then got them down to bed for the night.  Adrian and I finally had a chance to watch last week's "Survivor" before we headed to bed for the night.  It was a long day, thankful to have some time off now!!
Wednesday (11/27) First day of Thanksgiving break and we all got to sleep in a little.  I still had to get up and moving fairly quickly to get to the Y to teach my two Zumba classes.  I had smaller than usual classes, but that's to be expected with the holiday.  We still had fun and got a great workout before the feast tomorrow.  After my classes, I went and picked up my Kroger order for the last few things that I needed for the weekend.  While I was at class, Adrian went and picked up Daniel from his friend's house so we were all home together.

The rest of the day passed quickly at the house.  We worked with Rocky on her training, prepped for Thanksgiving, put up our Christmas trees and sorted thru our lights, the boys played video games and we watched some TV.  It was a very low key day and just what we needed after the past few weeks that were so busy.  Adrian and I made the desserts for both tomorrow and Friday tonight so they are done.  We also prepped the stuffing so there is very little food prep to do tomorrow.  Since he was tired of leftovers, Adrian grilled steak for us for dinner tonight and it was delicious!  After dinner, the boys finished up their games and came down for family movie night.  We watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."  The boys thought it was hilarious!!  It was a fun way to kick off the holiday season.  After the movie, we got the boys down to bed and after a little bit of clean up, Adrian and I watched this week's "Survivor" before heading to bed too.

Thursday (11/28) Happy Thanksgiving!!  We all slept in this morning since we aren't really on any time schedule.  When we got up and got our coffee and breakfast, we settled in to watch the parade together.  The boys enjoyed seeing all of the floats and balloons of the characters they knew and Adrian and I enjoyed the musical numbers.  When the parade was over, I got the turkey in and then we went to work decorating the house for Christmas while watching the Lions/Bears game.  We worked quickly since it was all five of us and had both trees, the outside and most of the inside decorated in just over an hour.  Then the boys wanted to take a break from all of the holiday stuff, so they headed upstairs to play video games.

Adrian and I watched the football game and made sure the food was cooking.  When we had about an hour left in our cooking, our oven started displaying an error code and wouldn't work correctly!  Thankfully we were able to get the turkey and stuffing cooked and did everything else on the stovetop or in the instant pot.  It was a crazy scramble to get eveyrthing cooked correctly, but we made it work!  While we were cooking and eating, we watched the Cowboys game, although we were very disappointed since they didn't play well and they lost.
After dinner, Daniel wanted to play board games so we played Castle Panic with him.  Then Zak came down and said he wanted to play so we played Machi Koro with him.  After the two games, we took a break and ate dessert and watched "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."  Then the boys all wanted to play Flip Ships, so they played that with Adrian while I cleaned up some of the dinner mess.  After that game, we go the boys thru their night routine and down to bed.  Since it was late, Adrian and I watched one episode of "The Goldburgs" and then headed to bed too.  It was a small but fun and relaxing Thanksgiving for us.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 9/27 - 10/3)

Friday (9/27) I got a great night of sleep, but I was still so tired when I got up today.  It has been a long week and I still have a few long days ahead of me this weekend.  We were dragging this morning so we did not get AJ ready on time for his bus.  So I got him and Daniel ready and drove them to school for the day.  Adrian left for work for the day after helping me get them ready for school.  When I got home, I got Zak and myself ready for the day and headed into school for the day.  I was a floating sub in the kindergarten hallway so I was 3 different K teachers during the day.  It was a fun but exhausting day!!

When we got home, I tried to get a few things done around the house while the boys were playing, but I was so tired that I needed to sit down and rest for a bit.  Then I got ready and headed to church for the night for the leadership dinner for the women's conference.  We enjoyed a delicious meal together and then heard a great message from one of the speakers from "If. Then. Move." Since I was so worn out, I didn't want to go tonight but I am so glad I did!  It was great to fellowship with so many women from church and to learn and pray together too.  While I was at dinner, Adrian fed the boys and then they started Mary Poppins for family movie night.  When I came home, I watched the end with them.  No one was really a fan of the movie, which I'm not surprised about.  When the movie was over, we got the boys to bed and since I was tired and have an early morning tomorrow I decided to just head to bed as well.  This week was rough!!

Saturday (9/28) Today started bright and early since I had to be at the church for the women's conference.  I got there early and had an amazing day with 134 other women of God.  We laughed, cried, learned and hugged - a lot!!  It was am amazing time from the worship to the teaching to the fellowship.  I am so thankful that I was able to go and be there for the whole day to experience it!
While I was at the conference, Adrian held down the fort at the house.  He took Zak to his soccer game in the morning.  His team won and he played pretty well, although he struggled as the game went on since it was really hot.  After his game, they came home and did a few things around the house then they had lunch and packed up to head out to Zak's first Scout camp out of the year.  They headed up to Falling Rock and had a blast shooting BB guns, catching fish, making smores and hanging with the other Scouts.  I'm bummed I missed it, but so glad they had fun!
When I got home from the women's conference, I helped Daniel clean up a few things before two of his friends came over for a sleepover.  The four boys had fun playing with Nerf guns, video games, eating pizza and watching YouTube videos.  They also all enjoyed playing with Rocky all night.  I got a few things done around the house, specifically focusing on laundry.  But I was worn out from the week and the emotional day so I also spent a lot of time on the couch watching TV.  I finally gave up around 10:30 and went to bed.  The boys agreed to go to sleep at 1:00 so I set my alarm and got up at 1:30 and sure enough all 4 boys were asleep.  I'm thankful they are all such great kids!!

Sunday (9/29) The boys woke me up a little earlier than I wanted to get up because Rocky needed to go out and they couldn't find her leash.  After taking care of her, I cooked pancakes and breakfast for the 4 boys while they watched YouTube and played video games until their parents came to pick them up.  Soon after they left, Adrian and Zak got home from the camp out.  I'm so glad everyone had such a great weekend even if we were all split up for most of it!
After we all got home, we spent the whole day working around the house.  We got a ton done, including getting all of the dishes and laundry under control.  The boys also took some time to play video games and Adrian and I took some time to watch some of the good football games.  The day passed quickly and was a great mix of work and relaxing.  We had leftover pizza from last night for dinner so it was quick and easy.  After we got the boys thru their night routine and down for the night, Adrian and I watched the Cowboys game.  It was a good game but unfortunately it didn't go the way we wanted it to go.

Monday (9/30) Back to our normal routine today!  We all got up and moving on time this morning.  Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel ready and then he headed into work for the day.  I dropped AJ and Daniel at school and then came home to get Zak and myself ready for the day.  We headed into school together since I was subbing this morning.  I had a half day and finished up right as Zak's class was heading to lunch.  He asked me to go eat with him in the cafeteria and I couldn't resist so I had lunch with him and his class.  As much as I hate eating in the cafeteria, it was fun to be in there as mom and he was so excited to have lunch with me!
After lunch, I headed home for a short time before heading back into school to sub the last 2 hours of the day.  When the day was over, we all headed home and after a short mental break, we started getting ready for our busy night.  I got everyone thru homework pretty quickly and then we all had dinner.  Adrian took Zak to soccer practice and then took AJ to Scouts.  It was super hot at soccer so he left a few minutes early so that Zak got a break and AJ got to Scouts close to on time.  While they were there, I went to the church to teach my Zumba class.  We had an awesome time and are excited to have the Halloween songs on the playlist for the month!  After we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down for the night.  Then we finally had a chance to watch last week's "Survivor" before we headed to bed as well.

Tuesday (10/1) We got up and moving on time again today and got everyone out on time.  Adrian helped me get AJ up and on the bus before heading to work for the day.  I got Daniel ready and dropped off and then came back and got Zak ready and dropped off.  Then since today is my day off from subbing, I ran a few errands before heading to the YMCA to teach my Aqua Zumba class and then my Silver Sneakers class.  They were both great classes and we had a fun time!  After class I headed over to pick up AJ and Daniel from school so AJ can bring his baritone home without having to be crammed on the bus with it.

After we got home, I headed up to the other school to pick up Zak and then we got ready and headed to bowling.  Zak did great and had fun bowling this afternoon.  After bowling we headed home and all had tacos for dinner together.  Adrian ate quickly and then headed out to puppy preschool with Rocky.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed for the night.  Rocky was exhausted after her big day so she passed out on the floor while Adrian and I had some snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed for the night.
Wednesday (10/2) We got up and moving on time again today.  Adrian helped me get AJ ready and on the bus before heading into work for the day.  I got Daniel ready and dropped him off at school and then came home and got Zak and myself ready.  We headed into school together for the day since I was called in to sub for the day.  I spent the day with some great 2nd graders and had an awesome day with them.  It passed quickly and before long it was time to head out for the night.  I quickly ran home to drop Zak off and pick Daniel up to head over to his school for his parent teacher conference.

I got two great reports from Daniel's teachers during his conferences and found out that he will be transitioning out of speech therapy since his speech has improved so much.  After the conferences, we went and picked up Marco's for dinner since it was a fundraiser night and finally headed home for the night.  We had dinner together and then finished up homework for the night.  Then the boys had some free time while I cleaned up a little around the house.  Before long it was time for the boys' night routine and then we started getting settled for bed.  Adrian came home while we were getting settled after a great night at Bible study.  After we got the boys to bed, we came down and finished a few things in the kitchen and then watched this weeks "Survivor" before heading to bed for the night.
Thursday (10/3) We got up and moving again on time today but just barely.  We were all moving slowly so AJ decided to take some time to relax and have me drive him instead of taking the bus to school this morning.  Adrian helped me get the boys ready and then headed into work while I drove AJ and Daniel to school.  Then I came home and got Zak and myself ready for the day.  We headed into school together because I was subbing for the day.  I had a great day with the kindergarteners and it passed quickly.  When we got home, I got everyone thru dinner and homework quickly before heading out to teach my Zumba class at the church.  I had an awesome class with the ladies and we got a great workout!  When I got home, it was time for the boys' night routine.  We got them settled for the night and headed back downstairs to watch a few comedies before heading to bed.  We were both exhausted and I'm so happy that we all have the day off tomorrow!!  Bring on the three day weekend!