Friday, April 19, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 4/12 - 4/18)

Friday (4/12) One more day for this week!  Adrian got AJ up and ready for school and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  AJ had his second day of ELA AIR testing today and he said both days went really well!  I got Daniel and Zak up and had another day off from subbing this week so I came back home and got to work on my giant to do list.  I was able to get a ton of stuff done while everyone was at work and feel so much better going into the weekend.  I also haven't been feeling well so I took some time to rest as well.  Before I knew it, it was time to pick everyone up from school.  I'm thankful that there is very little homework to be done this weekend and lots of fun to be had!

The boys had some video game time while I finished up dinner for a friend who just recently had a baby boy.  After I dropped that off to them, I fed AJ and then got Daniel and Zak ready to head to our church for family glow in the dark dodge ball.  Unfortunately Adrian got stuck at work and wasn't able to join us until much later.  I had fun with the boys, even if my team lost their first two games.  We all had so much fun, especially in the all kids versus all adults game!  When we got home, we were all pretty tired so we got the boys thru their night routine and got them to bed.  Then we opened a bottle of wine, had some snacks and watched a few comedies from the week before heading to bed too.
Saturday (4/13) Today started early as most Saturdays do because I have to get up for Zumba.  But I'm thankful I got up and moving because we had a great class this morning, despite the fact that I didn't have any speakers to use.  After class, I came home and tidied up before hosting my women's Bible study for some good food, fellowship and discussion.  While I was doing that, Adrian took Daniel and Zak to their soccer games.  Zak's team lost again but he had a great time!  And Daniel's team went back to their normal ways and tied in their game today.

After all of our morning activities, we had the afternoon free to work around the house.  I was signed up for a Zumba jam, but I haven't been feeling well all week and still am not feeling 100% so since we have a super busy week on the horizon, I decided to skip it this time.  I rested and got a lot of stuff done sitting down.  Adrian fixed the outside spigot for the boys and they spent most of the day playing in the yard with the hose.  After giving the boys a quick dinner, our sitter arrived and Adrian and I headed out for a date night.  We went to Cooper's Hawk for our monthly wine tasting and to use our rewards that we had earned from the wine club.  We loved our tasting this month, all of the wines were great, especially the wine of the month from last month & this month.  Then we enjoyed a delicious dinner plus some great conversations.  When we got home, we were both exhausted so we watched a quick comedy and then headed to bed to be ready for another busy day tomorrow!
Sunday (4/14) We all slept in this morning, clearly we needed the rest.  When we finally got up and moving, it was too late to get to first service for church so we decided to get started working around the house instead.  We worked for a while and then had a quick lunch before Adrian and I headed downtown for the next play of this season, "The Play that Went Wrong."  It was a very funny play and a great escape from reality for a few hours this afternoon.  We laughed until we cried and enjoyed reliving a few of the jokes on the way home as well.
While we were there, we left the boys home alone and they did great!  We are definitely moving in the direction of being able to leave them alone instead of having a babysitter.  When we got home, we finished as much as we could around the house, had a quick dinner of leftovers and got the boys thru their night time routine.  After we got them down to bed, we watched the end of the Blue Jackets playoff game (they won!!) and then Adrian headed upstairs to watch the season premiere of "Game of Thrones."  I tried to be productive but I was too exhausted so I just watched some TV and headed to bed as soon as he was done watching.  Another busy week on tap!

Monday (4/15) We thought we would have a normal (shorter) week but Daniel was complaining all weekend that his eyes hurt and when he woke up with them crusted over for the second day in a row, we decided he should skip school and head to the doctor.  So Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  I got Zak ready and dropped him off at school and then took Daniel to the doctor.  Turns out it is only allergies because the pollen count has been so high recently so we got some eye drops and allergy meds for him to take the next few weeks.

After we went to the doctor, Daniel came home and hung out watching TV while I worked around the house all afternoon.  I got a ton of stuff done and am starting to feel somewhat in control and ready for the next few weeks of full time craziness.  The afternoon passed quickly and thankfully it warmed up enough for me to walk to pick up Zak from school.  When we were all home, the boys had some free time and then we quickly got thru homework and dinner before moving on to our night stuff.  I took Daniel and Zak to the church with me for my Zumba class.  We had a great class, I finally feel like myself again!  While we were there, Adrian took AJ to his Scouts meeting.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed, finished cleaning up from dinner and watched a few comedies before heading to bed.  It was a long Monday! 

Tuesday (4/16) Finally we are back to our normal schedule today.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school before heading to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off at school before heading to Harcum to teach my three classes.  Between classes I ran a few errands to try to get ready for a busy weekend.  I was supposed to go into Zak's class to do sight words, but they had some changes to their schedule so I decided to skip going in this week.  Instead I came home after class, unpacked the groceries and then walked up to pick them up after school.  When we got home, I gave the boys some free time and then we got thru homework.  AJ doesn't have any homework this week since it's AIR testing & a short week which is a huge gift to us!

Soon after homework we had dinner and got ready for our evening stuff.  Adrian took Zak to Cub Scouts where they played games and just about finished up everything he needs for his Tiger rank.  While they were there, I took Daniel to the school board meeting to share a project his class is working on.  They have been approved to build a gaga pit on their school playground!  Daniel is very excited about this and can't wait to get started!  And I can't wait to see the finished product!  After we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and then watched the end of the Blue Jackets game.  We are so excited that they won & will advance in the playoffs!!  When the game was over, we had snacks & watched a comedy before heading to bed.
Wednesday (4/17) We have another day on our normal routine.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped off before having another day off from subbing.  I headed out to run some errands to get ready for the weekend and got a ton done in about an hour.  When I got home, I spent the rest of the day working around the house to get stuff done and feel way more calm about the upcoming busy weeks.  The day passed quickly and before long it was time to pick the boys up from school.

After I picked them up from school, we headed out to Krispy Kreme for our free report card donuts and then to get haircuts for the boys.  They all look great & so much older with their new haircuts!  After that we came home and got thru dinner and homework while we waited for Adrian to get home from work.  Once he was home and ate dinner, we colored our Easter eggs for this year.  The boys did great, it was way less stressful and messy than previous years!  And they made some amazing looking eggs!  We had a really fun mid-week family night.  When we were done with the eggs, we cleaned up and got the boys thru their night time routine.  Then Adrian and I got snacks and watched this week's "Survivor" before heading to bed.  Thursdays are always exhausting for us!
Thursday (4/18) Last day of school for the week and we are ready for the long weekend!  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off at school on my way to Harcum.  I taught my 3 classes and had fun with all of them, even if they were a little smaller than usual.  I ran to grab the last of my groceries on the way home and then picked everyone up from school.  No one has any homework this weekend (yay!) so the boys played for a while before we had dinner and got ready for our busy evening.  Adrian took Daniel and Zak to their soccer practices while I headed to the church to teach Zumba Toning.  We all had a great time and when we all got home, we were all exhausted.  We let the boys play some video games and then did their normal night routine so they got some sleep before a few upcoming late nights.  Adrian and I finished a few things around the house, then had our snacks and watched some comedies before heading to bed on the early side because we also have a few late nights coming up.  We're all excited to have tomorrow off together!!

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

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

March was another great month around here!  It was super busy though and April hasn't really slowed down much so I'm later than I would have liked to be writing this recap.  We finished two of our family goals this month, redoing our living room (although we still need a few final touches) and going on an awesome (minus the traffic) spring break trip to Florida.  I also made progress on just about all of my goals this month so I'm really happy with how the month went.  And I turned another year wiser and had a great week long celebration with the family on spring break.

The one thing that didn't go great this month was ending my streak of exercising everyday this year.  Zak was in the hospital overnight this month and when we got home (at about 4pm) on that Wednesday I had nothing left in me.  I couldn't even force myself to do 20 minutes of yoga.  So my streak ended that day.  I went back and forth what I should do and decided to keep going and keep counting and see how close to 365 days I can get the 20 minutes of exercise.  I think it's helping with my weight loss so I'm going to keep going and I guess now my goal is 364 days.
Here's how I did on my goals this month:
  • Lose 50 pounds - I've lost 15 pounds so far this year!!  I'm super proud I made progress even though I took almost 2 weeks off from healthy eating.
  • Exercise for 20 minutes every day - 89 days so far, missed one day when Zak was in the hospital
  • Read the Bible in a Year - 90 days so far
  • Read 100 Days to Brave - 71 days so far
  • Read "Be Still and Know" - 90 days so far
  • Read 20 books - 5 books so far, finished "The Love Letter" and "Beloved" in March
  • Read the 12 How to Train Your Dragon Books - 3 books done so far
  • Read "The Beauty Myth" - 62% read so far
  • Write 45 meal plan blogs - 9 blog posts so far
  • Write 52 weekly summary blogs - 13 blog posts so far
  • Write 12 goal recap blogs - 3 blog post so far
  • Pay off $3,000 of credit card debt - $1,917 paid off so far (and no new debt incurred with living room remodel!)
  • Renovate the living room - DONE!!  It looks amazing & we love it!
  • Watch 40 movies - 3 movie so far
  • Go on 12 dates with Adrian - 3 dates so far - We went to dinner and an escape room with friends & dinner in Florida during March
  • Sub 70 days in the schools - 13 days so far
  • Do one group fitness training - not yet started
  • Go to 6 Zumba jam sessions - 2 jams attended
  • Clean out master bedroom - not yet started
  • Clean out play room - not yet started
  • Have 12 family board game nights - had 1 family game night
  • Play Pandemic Legacy with Adrian once per month - 3 months done
  • Have 6 nights out with friends - 1 night out
  • 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) - 5 done so far
  • Go on 2 family camping trips - 1 booked for May

Friday, April 12, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 4/5 - 4/11)

Friday (4/5) We survived another week!  I had a horrible time getting up this morning, but I finally dragged myself out of bed.  Adrian and AJ headed out to work and school while I got ready for a full day of subbing.  I got myself and the other two boys ready and we somehow were actually early.  And then I went to grab my keys and they weren't where I left them.  Adrian had accidentally taken them to work!  I was so angry!  And my spare wouldn't work to start the car either.  So we grabbed our stuff and some umbrellas and walked to school in the rain.  We were not happy about it!
While I was at school, I also got locked out of the school because my FOB didn't work and then one of my students accidentally closed the classroom door and we were locked out of there.  It clearly was not my day for keys!  Thankfully I was able to problem solve all of these situations and survived the day unscathed.  But by the time we got home, I was exhausted!  I rested for a bit while the boys played some video games and then I pulled dinner together.  I headed out to my Scout committee meeting and thankfully we laughed a lot and also got a lot done.  When I got home, I helped put the boys to bed, then Adrian and I finished cleaning up the kitchen.  We were going to watch "Bohemian Rhapsody" but we were both just too tired.  So we watched two comedies, had our snacks and then headed to bed.

Saturday (4/6) Today started much earlier than I wanted it to when my alarm went off for Zumba.  But I got up and got ready and had a great class of 11 ladies, including one of my old students from a gym I'm no longer teaching at.  I was SO excited to see her!  While I was at class, Adrian took Daniel and Zak to their first soccer games of the season.  They both lost unfortunately but they had fun playing.  When they got home, they had some free time while Adrian and I got a few things done around the house.
We had a bit of a scare this evening when Zak was walking funny again and complaining that his groin felt funny.  We had him rest for a while and then decided to go down and have an ultrasound done.  Everything looked fine and he was released quickly, but it was another scary few hours tonight.  We had to miss our planned Superhero family party at the YMCA but it was the right decision.  When Adrian was at the hospital with Zak, I stayed home with the other two boys and got a few more things done around the house.  Then we had a movie night and watched "Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse."  It was really good, way different than we all were expecting!  We really enjoyed it!  As soon as the movie ended, Zak and Adrian got home.  So the boys watched one more show together and then we got them down to bed.  We watched the end of the basketball game, a few comedies and headed to bed.  Hoping Zak is feeling OK tomorrow morning!

Sunday (4/7) We all slept in this morning and it was amazing!  We had a lazy morning at home and then got a bunch of stuff done around the house before heading out to the movies this afternoon to finally see "Captain Marvel."  It was SO good!!  Most of us loved it, Zak got kind of bored in the middle, but thankfully we had an electronic for him to play on so we could watch the end of the movie.  He popped in and out watching it, which is fine with us.  We talked about how we wouldn't have taken the other boys to a movie like that when they were his age, it was pretty much animated or nothing, so we give him a little bit of leeway.

After the movie we came home and got to work on our to do lists.  The boys finished up their stuff and then headed upstairs to play video games.  They did a great job of cleaning up their rooms & their game loft, it had gotten out of control recently.  The rest of the day passed quickly and before long it was time for a quick dinner.  Then we worked a little longer and got the boys thru their night routine and down for bed.  After they were asleep, we got snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed too.  It's our last Sunday watching TV together for a bit since Game of Thrones comes back next week and I don't watch it with Adrian.
Monday (4/8) Another week starts - but only 7 more weeks of school until summer break!  Adrian got up and got AJ ready and then dropped him off at school and headed to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off at school and then headed out to do some grocery shopping.  I had a rare day off so I spent the day doing a ton of stuff around the house and finished just about everything that I wanted to get done.  The day passed super quickly and before I knew it, it was time to pick up the boys.  As soon as they got home, they headed outside to play for pretty much the entire afternoon.
They were made when I made them come in for dinner and homework but we had to get it done before our night activities.  They finished what they needed to do and headed back out to play for a few more minutes before Daniel and Zak had to leave with me to head to the church for Zumba.  They hung out in childcare while I taught an OK class, it wasn't my best, I just felt really tired and sluggish tonight, not sure why.  While we were there, Adrian took AJ to his Scout meeting.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and then down for the night.  Adrian and I finished up a few things downstairs and then we watched the NCAA basketball championship game while sneaking a comedy in during half time.  I went to bed before the game was over but Adrian decided to stay up for the end.  I need some sleep to survive this week!

Tuesday (4/9) We got up and moving pretty quickly this morning and got everyone out on time.  Adrian dropped AJ off at school and then came back home for the day because he wasn't feeling well.  I dropped off Daniel and Zak at school and headed to the Harcum Center to teach two of my Silver Sneakers classes.  After the two morning classes, I headed over to pick up Zak for his follow up appointment at Children's for his infection from a few weeks ago. After another ultrasound, the doctor said everything looks great, is working as it should and there should be no lingering effects from the infection.  After taking pictures with every animal in the hospital, we headed home for the afternoon.
When we got home, it was time to pick up Daniel from school so I walked up to do that.  Thankfully Adrian was feeling better after a day of rest.  We got the boys thru homework and dinner and then headed out with Daniel for soccer practice.  Adrian and I dropped him off and then headed to Costco for a stock up trip.  After we were done shopping, we picked up Daniel and all headed home.  We got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed for the night.  Then we finished cleaning up, got our snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed as well.

Wednesday (4/10) Again we got up and moving pretty quickly and thankfully everyone was feeling OK and was able to go where they were supposed to go.  Adrian dropped AJ off at school and then headed into work for the day.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and then we all headed into school together because I was volunteering on Zak's field trip today!  We quickly boarded the buses and headed to Slate Run farm in Canal Winchester.  We had a beautiful day and so much fun on the farm and on a picnic lunch!
While at the farm, we learned all about how farms were run in the 1800's.  We saw a ton of animals including chickens, sheep, baby lambs, cows, horses, pigs, baby piglets and lots of different birds.  Zak and I got to pet the baby lamb, a few pigs and a few horses.  Zak also got to feed the pigs corn cobs.  He really enjoyed learning about the animals and exploring the barn.  We also headed inside the house on the farm that is set up like a house back then would have been.  We learned about how they cooked and ate, how they did laundry and other chores and what they did for fun.  It was really interesting for both the kids and the adults that were on the trip!  Zak had a great time and wants to go back as a family this summer.
After we got back to the school from the field trip, I signed Zak out for the day and we went and ran two quick errands before heading home for the day.  I walked up to pick up Daniel and then we had a rare night off with nothing outside of the house to do.  I was exhausted from the field trip so we didn't do much tonight.  The boys played outside for a bit, finished their homework and then I let them have video games for a little bit.  I got as much done around the house as I could, made leftovers for everyone for dinner and got the boys down to bed a littler early since they were tired and AJ starts AIR testing tomorrow.  Adrian was at his Bible study tonight and didn't get home until after the boys were in bed for the night.  He and I finished up a few things around the house then sat down and watched tonight's "Survivor."  We were shocked at the tribal counsel tonight - SO good!!

Thursday (4/11) After a few days off our normal schedule, we were back to normal today.  Adrian dropped AJ off at school for his first day of testing and then headed to work for the day.  I got the rest of us ready and dropped the boys off at school before heading to Harcum to teach my three classes for the day.  I had three great classes and got a bunch of stuff done in between the two classes on my lunch break.  While the boys were at school, Daniel and Zak both had their quarterly awards assembly.  Daniel got an award for straight A's for the 3rd quarter and Zak should have got an award for perfect attendance (not sure why he didn't).  AJ also got straight A's last quarter, but he hasn't gotten his certificate either.  We're very proud of how well the boys have been doing this year!!
After I was done teaching my classes, I ran a few errands and got home just in time to pick everyone up from school.  It was a gorgeous day so I walked to pick up Daniel and Zak and when we got home, all three boys headed to the yard to play.  After a while, I called them in to finish their homework for the day and have dinner.  Then we got ready for our night stuff.  Adrian took Zak and Daniel to their soccer practices while I headed out to church to teach my Zumba class.  We had an usually small class but still had a great time!  When we all got home, we cleaned up and got the boys thru their night time routine and down for bed.  Then Adrian and I got our snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed.  I am always so tired after my full day on Thursday!!

Monday, April 8, 2019

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for April 7 - April 13)

We did a great job getting back to meal planning last week after nearly two weeks off!  We made all of the meals we planned except for our Saturday one because I realized it used up leftover chicken that I could make this week and get two meals for the price of one.  So we bumped that meal to this week and had this Cashew Chicken that I had planned for Sunday instead.  It actually worked out well because Sunday we weren't very hungry because we ate a ton of popcorn at the movies that afternoon.

This week isn't quite as busy as last week but we're still pretty busy and will be until the end of May because of soccer season.  This week I'm using my instant pot/crock pot a ton this week!  And I'm also doing two different two for one meals, making meals on Monday and Tuesday that will be recycled into meals on Wednesday and Thursday.  I planned a meal for Friday, but we have a family event at the church so we may eat there, or eat leftovers first, and bump that meal to next week.  I'll see how the rest of the week goes!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Rueben sandwiches
Wednesday - Carnitas Stew (using up the carnitas from Monday) 
Thursday - Chicken, Veggie & Pasta Skillet (using up the chicken from Tuesday)
Friday - Beef and Broccoli (my new favorite recipe!)
Saturday - Out to Cooper's Hawk to use my birthday gift certificates!  

Water Flavor - I bought some citrus fruit to use in the water for a few weeks.  I did orange and grapefruit this week and it's delicious!

Overnight Oats - I didn't eat as much of these as I thought I would last week so I have some leftover for this week.  But I did set up two batches with yogurt that I got for free last week so that I'm covered for the whole week.

Use it Up - I haven't really been focusing on this since I really wanted to restock the fridge and freezer these past few weeks.  I will try to focus more on it for next week!

Lunches - I have a weird week of lunches coming up.  Tuesday and Wednesday I need quick and easy sandwiches.  The other days I will either make salads or eat leftovers.  The Vegetable Soup from last week made a ton so we have a bunch of leftovers from that.  I also assume the first four meals of this week will make a lot of leftovers.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/29 - 4/4)

Friday (3/29) All good things must come to an end and today our vacation is over.  We got up and moving pretty quickly and loaded up the car.  We hit the road around noon, but not before a stock up trip at the Wawa down the street from my parents' house.  We got Herrs potato chips, coffee, pretzels and a few shorties that Adrian and I can eat for lunch and dinner today.  We hit the road and after about an hour we were stuck in our first traffic jam of the day.  We were in the traffic for almost an hour and then immediately had to stop for a bathroom break.
After that slow down, we did a pretty good job the rest of the day.  We hit a few slow downs here and there but it was mostly clear.  Waze also routed us around a few of the slow downs too so we made pretty good time.  We got to our hotel room that we (thankfully!) booked ahead of time in Chattanooga right around 11pm.  We got settled in our two bedroom suite and the boys played for a while, Adrian watched the end of the basketball game & I took advantage of the Wifi.  Then around midnight we all settled in for the night.  We were very thankful to have 2 beds and a sofa bed so we all got to sleep in a bed this time.  Plus Adrian and I slept in a different room from the boys so we were able to sleep with the TV on all night.  It was way better than our room on the way down!

Saturday (3/30) We all got a great night of sleep and were up and ready to go around 8:30 this morning.  Since our hotel didn't have a free breakfast, we headed to the diner that was attached to the hotel for breakfast.  Adrian and I enjoyed omelettes while the boys enjoyed pancakes before we hit the road for the last 6ish hours home.  Once again we hit a lot of stop and go traffic on the drive home, plus we were routed around some back ups by Waze but it still felt like it took us forever to get home.  Plus it started raining in Kentucky and didn't stop the rest of our trip.  We made a quick stop to pick up Jets pizza for dinner and then we finally got home around 7pm.  We had a quick pizza dinner and then unpacked what we absolutely needed for the night while the boys played.  We got them to bed and since Adrian wanted to watch the basketball games, I decided to just head to bed early.  I was really wiped out after a fun but long week of vacation!

Sunday (3/31) We all slept in this morning and had a slow and lazy start.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting ready for the week.  We unpacked everything, did like 5 loads of laundry, did some of our weekly and monthly chores, caught up on a few things and also relaxed a bit.  The boys spent most of the day playing board games, video games and with their toys.  Daniel went to his friend Ethan's house to play with his new plushies and VR Five Nights at Freddie's game.  When Adrian picked him up, he picked up Chinese for our dinner tonight so we could keep things quick and easy.  The day passed quickly and we got a lot done and also had some down time together, plus got to watch both basketball games.  After we got the boys to bed, we finally watched "Survivor" from this past week and then we headed to bed to rest up for another busy week!

Monday (4/1) Back to our normal routine today!  We all struggled to get up after our vacation but we managed to get up and out the door on time.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school before heading to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped off to school before heading out to do some massive grocery shopping to restock the fridge and pantry.  I ran to Aldi and Meijer and then came home to put away the groceries and get a few things done before heading into school to sub for the afternoon.  It felt good to be back in the groove of normal life!

After school, I headed home with the boys.  After a short break, we quickly got thru homework and dinner before moving on to our evening activities.  I took Daniel and Zak with me to the church for my Zumba class.  I had so much fun doing Zumba roulette and just dancing for the hour with everyone, it was such a fun way to get back to teaching after 2 full weeks off.  Adrian took AJ and headed to his Scouts meeting where AJ passed his requirements for map reading for his next rank.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed and then we watched a few comedies and headed to bed too.  All of this work stuff is exhausting!

Tuesday (4/2) Another rough morning getting going, it will probably be like this all week.  Adrian got AJ up and ready and dropped him off at school before heading to work.  I got Daniel and Zak up and ready and dropped them off at school before heading to Harcum for my 3 Silver Sneakers classes.  Much like yesterday, it was so good to see everyone & get back in the groove of teaching.  We had three great, full classes and all had fun while getting a good workout.  And my students gave me a birthday gift that I get to enjoy all week.  When classes were over, I headed into school to do sight words with some of the kids in Zak's class.  I saw about half the class and had a fun time with them.
When we all got home from school, we had a short break and then got quickly thru homework and dinner before a busy night.  Adrian took Daniel to soccer practice while I took Zak to Scouts.  AJ decided to stay home for all of the activities tonight and hang out by himself.  Zak and I had fun practicing a skit with his other den members that they will perform at an upcoming meeting.  Daniel had a bit of a rough practice, but was feeling better about it by the time he got home.  When we all got back home, we cleaned up, got the boys to bed and then settled in to watch a few comedies and head to bed.

Wednesday (4/3) We did a little better getting up and moving this morning.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school before heading in to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and then had a rare morning off so I came back home and worked like crazy around the house.  I got a bunch done in about 3 hours and then headed in to teach a kindergarten class for the afternoon.  Unfortunately there was a custody issue right at the end of the day so our dismissal was slow and long.  But thankfully we got all of the kids on their buses and home safely.

When we finally got home, I got the boys quickly thru dinner and homework before having to head out to sub a Zumba class for my friend tonight.  We had a fun time dancing together & it was awesome to see many old friends at the Y during class.  I was exhausted & sweaty after it but it was fun!  When I got home, I registered for Aqua Zumba training this summer & I'm so excited about it!  I've been waiting to take this training forever and I'm so glad it's finally coming close to Columbus.  Then I started on the boys' night routine since Adrian was at Bible study.  I got them down to bed and Adrian got home for the night.  We made our snacks and sat down to watch "Survivor" for our weekly date night.  After the show and our discussion about it, we headed to bed for the night.

Thursday (4/4) We got up and moving pretty well this morning for a monster of a day.  Adrian got AJ up and ready and dropped off to school before heading out to work for the day.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off at school before I headed to the Harcum Center to teach my 3 Silver Sneakers classes.  We had a fun time in each class, I'm thankful to be back to teaching!  After the classes, I ran a few errands and then picked everyone up from school.  We again got thru homework and dinner quickly so we were ready for a busy night!

Adrian came home from work and had a quick dinner before heading out with Daniel and Zak for their soccer practices.  He dropped Zak off at his, then went to drop Daniel off at his, then back to pick up Zak and then Daniel.  It's a long day of driving for him, but unfortunately it's the only way we can make it work.  While he was doing that, I was at the church teaching my Zumba Toning class.  We worked hard and had a fun time dancing!  When we all got home, we were exhausted.  We got the boys thru their night time routine and when they were in bed, we watched two comedies and then headed to bed.  Getting back to your routine is hard!

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/22 - 3/28)

Friday (3/22) We all got up early and started moving very quickly.  I started doing stuff around the house that needs to get done while Adrian and the boys started packing us up.  We worked quickly and I was shocked that we were ready around 11:30.  We decided to heat up the last of the leftovers and eat lunch quickly before hitting the road.  After lunch and a quick stop for gas, we were on the road shortly after noon on our way to Florida.  We did really well and made it quickly thru Ohio and the northern part of Kentucky.  The we hit horrible traffic in central Kentucky and lost nearly an hour of time in that.  After that, we sailed again for the rest of the day and made it just in to Georgia before we were ready to stop for the night.  Unfortunately we had a tough time finding a hotel with availability and had to drive almost another hour before we finally found a room for the night.  It was not an ideal room but we made it work.  We saw the end of the Ohio State basketball game and then settled down to get some rest.  It was a long day in the car and we were all exhausted!!
Saturday (3/23) Day two of traveling started later than we had planned.  We got up around 8am and got moving and packed up for the day.  Then we headed into the lobby for our "free continental breakfast" and it was horrible!  They had a few pieces of bread, a bagel & some cereal.  So we quickly decided to hit the road and find a place to eat.  Turns out there was an IHOP right up the road so we headed there and all enjoyed Oreo pancakes before we hit the road for the last leg of our trip.
We started out great and it was smooth sailing thru Atlanta.  Then about 30 or so miles south of Atlanta we got stuck in horrible traffic.  It slowed us down a lot and we lost close to an hour.  Then the traffic was hit or miss for a while before we hit another super slow spot in northern Florida.  The whole drive, with stops took us like 10 hours, should have been 7-8 with stops.  It was very frustrating and we were all losing our patience by the end of the day.  Finally around 8pm we arrived at my parents' house!!  They had dinner ready for us so we ate and relaxed for a bit before emptying the car.  When we were settled in, we watched a little bit of basketball and then all headed to bed for the night since we were exhausted.  It was a very long trip and I am looking forward to relaxing for a few days before we have to do it all again to get back home!

Sunday (3/24) We all slept in this morning and had a very lazy day.  We had a slow start with a slow, late breakfast and some catching up with my parents.  Then when we all finally motivated off the couches, we headed to the pool in my parents' development.  We enjoyed having it mostly to ourselves since it was a little chilly for Florida.  The boys loved swimming and then playing on the small playground that was also there.  After a few hours of sun and fun, we headed back to the house.  Adrian and AJ headed out to a local game store to check it out and play a few games while the rest of us stayed behind to get dinner ready and relax some more.  We enjoyed a nice barbecue for dinner and then watched the OSU basketball game and were bummed, but not surprised, they didn't win.  We spent the rest of the night, relaxing, chatting and planning out our week.  It was exactly the day we needed after two days on the road!
Monday (3/25) We were a little quicker getting up and moving this morning, but not much since we are in full vacation mode.  When we finally got up and ready, we headed out to the beach for the day.  We went to a small beach on the Gulf of Mexico and had a great time!  None of the 5 of us have ever been to the Gulf so it was a new experience for all of us.  The water was cold but felt great and was super blue and clear.  The sand was great, the boys loved building a sand castle with it.  We spent a few hours playing in the sun, sand and water and it was a great way to spend a day!
After sitting in pretty bad traffic to get home, it was later than we were expecting.  Adrian and I had dinner reservations at a nice restaurant but we missed them so we just went to Carrabba's for a quick date night instead.  My parents took the boys to Red Robin for dinner and then out for ice cream.  It wasn't exactly what we planned but it still turned out to be a great night.  When we all got home, we got everyone settled down and to bed because tomorrow is an early morning for us.
Tuesday (3/26) We were up and moving early to head to Busch Gardens for the day!  We were all excited to ride the rides, especially my mom who normally has to ride by herself.  We got there a little after the park opened and got right down to riding.  Zak was still up and down about whether he wanted to ride the big rides, but he rode a few during the day.  Some highlights for us were Cobra Curse, Kumba, River Rapids and our favorite, Cheetah Hunt.  AJ and my mom rode Shekra which has a 90 degree drop that none of the rest of us were brave enough to try.  Zak did enjoy standing in the splash zone for the ride and got soaked head to toe while providing entertainment for all those around us.  We stayed until the park closed and had an awesome day together!  We got home, had a quick dinner and then headed to bed because we were all exhausted after a long, fun day.
Wednesday (3/27) Happy Birthday to ME!!  We had a great day celebrating in the sun again today.  We got up and got moving pretty quickly to head down to Sarasota to visit my Aunt Sue at her campground.  We had a great time playing with her dog, Barney, swimming in her pool, playing mini golf and eating a delicious lunch and cake.  We spent most of the day there before heading home to have dinner with my parents and my brother Jon who flew in for his annual golf trip and came to my parents' house for a short visit before heading down to Naples to golf.  We had a great dinner together and then spent the rest of the night catching up and hanging out.  It was a great way to celebrate turning 43!!
Thursday (3/28) It's our last full day of vacation and it's another jam packed day.  Adrian got up and moving early to go golfing with my father and my brothers.  They had a fun time, although it sounds like most of them didn't golf very well.  While they were there, my mom and I took the boys to "Dinosaur World" for the day.  We had a great day exploring the dinosaurs, watching a few shows and playing on the play areas.  When we finished up there, we went down the street to a local winery and had a quick tasting while the boys played in their play area.  The wine was delicious, especially the peach chardonnay and Key West key lime wines.
After we finished up, we headed home to meet up with the guys for another celebratory dinner.  We enjoyed delicious stuffed shells and then Oreo ice cream cake for dessert.  My brothers headed out to meet their friends for the weekend and the rest of us enjoyed some basketball and tried to play the game "Escape: Dinosaurs."  It's an escape room that you do at home but unfortunately we weren't able to escape in the allotted time.  We saved the game where we were and will try again when we get home.  After all of that, we headed to bed to be ready to hit the road back to Ohio bright and early tomorrow.