Monday, May 27, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 5/17 - 5/23)

Friday (5/17) We made it to another Friday and only have one more week to go of school!  It was harder to get up this morning because a horrible and loud storm came thru overnight and woke both Adrian and I up.  Shockingly the boys didn't hear it and slept right thru it, I'm so thankful for that!  But we did get up and moving on time and everyone got out to where they needed to be.  Adrian dropped AJ off at school and then headed into work.  I headed into school with Daniel and Zak to sub another full day.  Zak was super excited to go to school today because his class had wear your pajamas and bring a stuffy today.  He was also really excited to see me at recess this afternoon (and I briefly saw Daniel too!)
When the school day was over, we headed home to meet up with AJ and get everyone ready for their fun nights.  AJ had a birthday sleepover at his friend David's house so we ran out to quickly get David a gift and packed AJ up so he was ready to be picked up by David's Dad.  Then I got Daniel ready to head to a sleepover at his friend Patrick's house.  After we dropped Daniel off, I asked Zak what he wanted to do and he said pick up a happy meal for dinner and go home and relax.  I was ALL in for this plan so that's what we did.  He watched video games and TV for most of the night while I got a bunch of stuff done around the house.  I got him to bed, finished up a few things, watched some cheesy TV and headed to bed.  Adrian was out at his board game club for the night and got home much later than any of us were up.  He had a great time playing games all night and was glad to be back after a short break because of our crazy busy schedule.

Saturday (5/18) Our morning started early because Zak got up early and I had to get up for Zumba.  I got ready and headed out to the church for Zumba.  We had an amazing Zumba Toning class, so much energy this Saturday morning!  After my class, I ran to pick up Daniel and AJ from their sleep overs.  They both had really fun times with their friends, but are both exhausted after late nights and early mornings.  While I was doing that, Adrian dealt with our couch replacement and then took Zak to his soccer game.  It was really hot so he didn't play as hard as he has been, but he still played great.  Adrian came home and dropped Zak off and picked up Daniel to go to his game.  He also struggled with the heat but played pretty good.

When we all got home, we spent the rest of the day cooling off, doing stuff around the house, playing games and relaxing!  We grilled our dinner and were lucky enough to catch the ice cream truck coming by for dessert.  The boys spent most of the day playing together upstairs, playing video games, making videos and playing with their stuffies.  We started the boys' night routine a little early tonight since the boys are all down sleep after last night.  After we got them to bed, we finished cleaning up and then realized we were also pretty tired.  So we made snacks and watched the series finale of "The Big Bang Theory."  It was fantastic - perfect ending to a great show.  I laughed, cried and really enjoyed the whole episode plus the after show with them talking about some of the best episodes of the show.  I will definitely miss these characters in the fall!!

Sunday (5/19) We got up and moving super early again this morning because Zak woke up for the day at 5:30am.  I don't know why he refuses to sleep!  Adrian got up with him and I went back to sleep for about an hour before getting up to start getting ready for the day.  I spent most of the day at church, serving in childcare in the first service, going to the second service and staying after for VBS training.  AJ and Daniel did sleep in today and weren't up in time for church so Adrian left the boys home and just came to second service with me.  After church, we headed to the high school for AJ's last 6th grade band concert.  The band played great and sounded awesome together!  I'm so thankful AJ took a chance on trying an instrument this year and seems to really enjoy playing trombone.  He's excited to continue learning next school year!
After his concert, we came home for a while and the boys played while Adrian and I got a few things done around the house.  We took a break from that and Adrian took the boys to Martial Arts tonight where they all had a good time and learned a lot.  When they got home from Martial Arts, we were finally all home for the day.  We had dinner, made some plans for the week and finished up a few chores around the house.  Then we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed for their last week of school.  Adrian headed upstairs to watch the finale of "Game of Thrones" and I stayed downstairs eating ice cream cake and watching Real Housewives.  It was a busy Sunday, but we feel ready for the week ahead!!

Monday (5/20) Last week of school!!  We all got up on time this morning, but everyone apparently forgot how to get ready for school over the weekend and we were nearly late.  Adrian got AJ out the door just barely on time and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  Then I got Daniel and Zak ready and again we barely got out on time.  We headed to school together since I was subbing for the day in a second grade class.  I had a great day with my group, we had a lot of fun together!  AJ and Daniel both had field day during school and they both said it was awesome!  And Zak got bubbles from his teacher and was able to play with them during recess today.  It was a fun day for all of us!

After school, we all came home and thankfully no one had homework, I think we are finally done for the year.  Then I got everyone thru dinner quickly so we could head to our night activities.  Adrian and Daniel left to head out to his soccer game.  Daniel played hard and finally won the sportsmanship award for his tough play the past two days!  His team lost again, they just can't seem to find their groove.  While they were there, I took AJ and Zak to the church for my Zumba class.  AJ was picked up by his friend so he could go to his Scout meeting.  I had a great Zumba Toning class, everyone got a great workout!  And Zak got a cupcake from our friend in childcare.  AJ had an informative Scout meeting and is starting to prepare for summer camp.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night time routine and down to bed for the day.  Then Adrian and I finished cleaning up, got snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed.
Tuesday (5/21) Today was a fairly normal day for us.  We all got up on time and did our normal morning routine.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  I got Daniel and Zak up and ready and dropped them off at school on my way to the Harcum Center.  I taught my three classes at Harcum and ran a ton of errands in between classes because I'm trying to get everything done before the end of the school year.  The day passed quickly and I got home just in time to get everyone from school.  AJ got off the bus just as I was getting ready to walk up to pick up the other two boys.  When we got home, we did our afternoon routine which thankfully does not include homework anymore. 

Then the boys had free time while I unloaded groceries and cleaned up until it was time to head to Zak's Blue and Gold Scout ceremony.  We enjoyed some park time, a delicious pot luck dinner and watched Zak and I bridge over to Wolves in Scouts.  Zak did a great job as a Tiger and I am thankful to be on this journey with him and excited to see where we go next year.  When the ceremony was over, we headed home and got ready for bed.  We got the boys down, finished up a few things around the house and watched a few comedies before heading to bed.  Now that our favorites are all over for the season, we'll spend the summer catching up on shows we recorded this past season.
Wednesday (5/22) Another fairly normal day around here and we are inching closer to summer break!  Adrian got AJ up and ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  Then I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped off at school.  I headed to Meijer to do some grocery shopping for the week and then headed back into school to sub a half day, my last time subbing for this school year.  It was a fairly easy assignment, I spent most of my day helping with the first grade water day fun.  When school was done, I picked up the boys and we all headed home.  We got thru our afternoon routine and then I got dinner ready so we were ready for our night activities.  Adrian took Daniel to his last soccer game of the season, although we have a tournament next week, while I went to Verizon to get Daniel his very own phone!  He has proved that he his ready for a phone, plus he's going away to two week long camps so I want him to be able to get in touch with me.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed, watched a few comedies and headed to bed.
Thursday (5/23) Only two more days until summer break!  We got up and got moving on time, although we all felt very tired.  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 three classes and ran errands in between classes to get everything done that I needed to do before summer break.  I got home in time to walk to pick up the boys from school.  When we all got home, the boys did their afternoon stuff and then pretty much had free time for the rest of the day.  I got dinner ready and then headed out to the church to teach my Zumba class.  There were a few bumps in the road, but we had a fun class playing Zumba shuffle & just dancing to whatever came on.  While I was there, Adrian took Zak to a little soccer celebration where he got his medal and a special snack from the coach.  After we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down for their last school night bedtime for a few months.  Then Adrian and I came down and cleaned up a little then watched a few comedies.  We pushed our bedtime a little later since neither of us are working tomorrow, although we do still have to get up and get the boys out to school on time.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for May 19 - May 25)

I accidentally took another week off from meal planning.  Well I actually didn't take the week off from planning, just took the week off from the blog.  We were SO busy last weekend celebrating Adrian's birthday and Mother's Day that I only did the things I absolutely HAD to do and this blog just didn't make the cut.  But we had a few great meals last week including this soup and this tilapia over spaghetti squash.

This week is another weird week for us.  Honestly this whole month has been weird for us with lots of celebrations, being off our schedule and busy nights.  This is our last week of school and most of our activities so I'd like to think that things are going to calm down.  However we have a lot of fun things planned for this summer so I'm sure some days dinner will be a challenge.  We joined a CSA this summer and our deliveries start this Friday so we'll have lots of fresh produce to eat.  I'll be cooking around what we get and am planning on lots of salads, sandwiches and pasta on the super busy nights.  I'm so excited to do a CSA again!  We did one a few years ago and had fun experimenting with different vegetables all summer.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Turkey Reubens & Salads
Monday - Sausage Zucchini Pasta
Tuesday - Pot Luck for Zak's Scout award ceremony.  I'm bringing meatballs
Wednesday - Ginger Fish with Cauliflower Risotto 
Thursday - Paprika Chicken & Potatoes
Friday - Frozen apps, leftovers or sandwiches - something easy to celebrate the last day of school!
Saturday - Homemade Pizza during a family game day!

Water Flavor - I got another cheap mango since they are in season so I set up my water with that again this week.  It's so good, I could just use it all year round!

Overnight Oats - I've been eating a few other things for breakfast including protein bars or a hard boiled egg and some fruit.  I have plain oats that I set up last week so I'll be eating those this week.

Use it Up - I have really gotten away from this challenge and will be refocusing after this week.  I am using up some lettuce that needs to be used before it goes bad and a few hard boiled eggs as well.  And I'm using some meatballs that I had in the freezer for Tuesday night, that's how I decided what to bring.

Lunches - I honestly haven't thought about lunches.  I will probably have salads most days so I can use up the lettuce & hard boiled eggs.  On Friday, Adrian has the day off so we are going out to breakfast to celebrate our anniversary a little early.  And on Saturday I may have him cook the pizzas for lunch and then we can finish them for dinner.

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 4/19 - 4/25)

Friday (4/19) We all had the day off today and took advantage by sleeping in and then having a very lazy morning.  When we finally got up and moving, we checked in with my brothers and we decided to meet at Star Lanes for the afternoon.  My brother Jon & his family are visiting for the Easter weekend so we want to spend as much time with them as possible this weekend.  We met at Star Lanes and got lunch for all of us.  Then the kids had a blast playing in the arcade together!  We spent a few hours there and then decided to head out and back to Carl's house for the rest of the day.
When we got to back Carl's the kids headed down to the basement to play on the ninja gym while the adults chatted upstairs.  The day passed quickly with the cousins playing together & having a great time!  We enjoyed a delicious pasta and seafood dinner that Carl made for us and some yummy treats for dessert.  Soon after that, Adrian and I decided to needed to head back home since we had some food prep to do for tomorrow and an early, busy day on tap for Saturday.  When we got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed.  Then we spent some time setting up an egg hunt for the kids at our house for tomorrow, and prepped a few of the dishes for dinner before heading to bed.
Saturday (4/20) Today started a little earlier than I wanted it to, but it was all for a good cause.  I got up and moving and headed to the church to teach my Zumba class.  I had 11 people there, I was SO excited to see so many people this morning.  We had a great class and then I quickly locked up the church and headed home to pick up Adrian and the boys to head to our first egg hunt of the season.  We went to the one at the boys' school that was sponsored by our township.  It was a little smaller than we expected, probably because it rained all day on Friday and the fields were a swampy mess.  Daniel and Zak had fun collecting eggs with treats in them, AJ was too old for this hunt but still had fun just watching.
After the hunt was over, we dropped Adrian off at home so he could do a few things before we hosted dinner while I took the boys to meet up with Jon and the girls for another egg hunt.  We went to a small church in Reynoldsburg that had 20,000 eggs.  Unfortunately they had to move the hunt inside because the fields were too swampy.  The kids all still had a great time gathering eggs and each one of the 6 of them ended up with huge bags of candy and treats!!  When the hunt was over, we headed back to my house to hang out together for the day.
The sun finally came out and it warmed up enough for us to play in the yard for a while this afternoon.  I got all of the stuff for dinner ready while the cousins played together and the adults chatted.  We also enjoyed a spirited rendition of "Les Miserables" in my living room.  We all ate and drank too much and had a great time together.  After some ice cream cake for dessert, Jon and Carl and their families all headed back to Carl's house for the night.  We were all pretty tired and had an early morning ahead of us.  After they left, we got the boys thru their night routine and then decided to ignore the giant mess around us, watch a comedy and then head to bed for the night.  The mess will be there tomorrow.
Sunday (4/21) Happy Easter!!  Our day started way earlier than we wanted it to and it was up and down all day.  Most of us slept in too late & some of us (Daniel) even needed to be woken up so we weren't late for our day.  We quickly did the egg hunt from the Easter Bunny and then got ready to head to church.  We enjoyed celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with our church family but then it was upsetting because Daniel pitched a fit after service because he would not wait in the line for our traditional family Easter picture.
After we left church, we came home to open our presents from the Easter Bunny.  The boys got new bathing suits and a new pool and we all got new Avengers shirts.  Then we packed up what we needed for the afternoon & headed to my brother Carl's house for one more egg hunt and dinner with everyone before Jon and his family left.  The kids were all exhausted so there was lots of fun playing and lots of crying all around.  We survived the afternoon and had an amazing dinner and dessert together.  Then Jon got ready to leave and they headed out to the airport.  The boys played for about 30 more minutes and then we also headed home.
When we got home, the boys had some quiet video game time while Adrian and I crashed on the couch.  We kept trying to motivate off of it to get stuff done but we were just so worn out.  So we rested for a while then got the boys thru their night time routine and down for the night.  As soon as we came downstairs, we finally watched "Bohemian Rhapsody."  It was a great movie, we both really enjoyed it!  When it was over, I headed up to bed while Adrian watched this week's "Game of Thrones."  It has been an amazing and fun weekend but was also very tiring.  And now we have a super busy week in front of us again!

Monday (4/22) Ugh that alarm was early today!  We are all dragging after our weekend but we have a full day on tap so we needed to get up and get moving.  Adrian got AJ ready and out the door on time (barely!)  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off at school on time (barely!)  Daniel has AIR testing all week and he was worried about today because he's so tired, but I calmed him down before school.  I didn't have any sub jobs today so after I dropped them at school, I came back home to get control of my house after the weekend.  I did 4 loads of laundry, 2 of dishes and a bunch of straightening up, catching up and cleaning.  The day passed super quickly and before long it was time to pick everyone up from school.  I walked to pick up Daniel and Zak was thrilled to hear that Daniel had a great morning of testing, he said it was "super easy" and he liked writing about the topic they had.
When we all got home, I gave them a break time and then we got started on their afternoon routine, which today included cleaning up the play room that was trashed over the weekend as well.  Then we got quickly thru dinner before heading out for our evening activities.  I took Zak with me to the church for my Zumba class.  He had a great time playing with the other kids and I had a great time dancing with my students.  While we were there Adrian took AJ to his Scout meeting and took Daniel to observe so he could see if it's something he would like to do next year when he starts 5th grade.  He's not sure yet but he's going to go to a few more meetings to see if he wants to do it.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their nighttime routine and then down to bed.  Adrian and I finished up a few things and then he headed to bed since he was exhausted.  I stayed up and finished a few things and watched some Real Housewives before heading to bed too.

Tuesday (4//23) We struggled a little to get up again this morning, but not nearly as bad as yesterday.  Adrian and AJ headed out to school and work on time and I started getting the rest of us ready.  I dropped Daniel and Zak off at school and Daniel felt much more secure about the second day of AIR testing today.  After I dropped them off, I headed to Harcum to teach my 3 Silver Sneakers classes.  We had a lot of laughs as always and got a great workout.  When my classes were done, I headed into school to practice sight words with Zak's class.  They kids are getting so good with them, most of the kids I saw passed 2-3 lists each today!

When we all got home from school, we got thru homework quickly and then I gave everyone some free time.  Then we all had to eat so Daniel and I could head out to his soccer practice.  Adrian got stuck at work so he wasn't home before I left, so I fed AJ and Zak and then they stayed home while the rest of us were out.  I dropped Daniel off at the field and then headed to Zales to have my ring cleaned & inspected for my warranty.  Then I headed back to the field and watched the end of Daniel's practice.  When we got home, Adrian was (thankfully) home and we got the boys thru their night routine together.  When we got them down to bed, we finished the clean up, watched two comedies and headed to bed.

Wednesday (4/24) We were finally feeling back to normal today and everyone got up and moving on time.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped off at school on his way to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped off at school before heading to the Y to sub a Zumba class for my friend.  Then I ran a few errands before heading into the school to sub for a few hours in the afternoon.  The day passed quickly and before long we were all home after school.  We had a rare night with nothing to do so we finished homework and then had a relaxing rest of the night.  They boys played, we planned Adrian's birthday party (in 2 weeks) and I got a bunch of stuff done around the house.  Adrian went to Bible Study so I was alone for the night.  I got the boys thru their night routine and then down to bed.  Adrian got home and we watched tonight's "Survivor" before heading to bed for the night.

Thursday (4/25) We all had to get up and moving earlier than usual today because it was "Take Your Child to Work" day and Daniel asked to go to work with Adrian.  So Adrian got AJ up and ready like he normally does and I got up a little earlier and focused on getting Daniel ready to go at the same time.  The three of them left together and dropped AJ off at school before heading into work.  Then Zak and I got ready, which was so much easier than getting 2 kids ready, and I dropped him off at school before heading into Harcum to teach my 3 Silver Sneakers classes.
I had a great time in all 3 classes and also snuck out to get a much needed eyebrow wax on my lunch break.  Then I headed into school to cover the last hour of the day for a teacher who needed to leave a little early.  When Zak and I got home, I got him and AJ thru homework while we waited for Adrian and Daniel to get home from work.  When they did, Daniel told me he had fun but Dad's job wasn't very exciting.  He said he had fun eating pizza, watching YouTube and touring the State House and most of all he's glad he got to spend the whole day with Dad.

Since it was raining, our busy Thursday night was much easier.  I got ready and headed out to teach my Zumba Toning class at the church.  I had so much fun with my class and we got a great workout!  While I was there, Adrian stayed home with the boys and got them thru dinner and some clean up.  When I got home, we got them thru their night routine and then down for bed.  They were all super tired, I think they are feeling the effects of the super busy weekend/week.  Adrian and I watched the end of the Blue Jackets game and were bummed when they lost in overtime.  Then we watched a few comedies and headed to bed too.

Monday, May 13, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 5/3 - 5/9)

Friday (5/3) We survived another week!  Adrian slept downstairs last night and I got a great night of sleep!  We all got up and moving pretty well this morning.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school and then headed to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped off at school before heading to the church to sub in the preschool again.  I had a fun morning with the students, but they are tiring.  After I finished there, I headed home and may have put my pajamas on before noon.  I spent the rest of the day working around the house and trying to get caught up.  I got a ton of stuff done before it was time to pick up the boys from school.

The rain held off and I was able to walk to pick up Daniel and Zak.  AJ was home when we got home, after a long ride because his bus had some mechanical problems.  When we all got home, we got thru our afternoon routine and then the boys played some video games while I got dinner ready.  After a family dinner, Adrian headed out to Top Golf with some of his friends while I hung out with the boys.  We were all tired so we had a very low key night of playing and I also got a little more cleaning done around the house.  I got the boys down for a sleepover in a room all together and then headed downstairs to get my snacks.  I watched some of my favorite reality TV shows before heading to bed well before Adrian got home.

Saturday (5/4) I got up and moving way earlier than I wanted to today, but I had such a fun day ahead that it didn't both me that much.  Because of the rain, Daniel and Zak's soccer games were cancelled this morning and they decided not to go to the Scout event either.  So the guys stayed home all day and played and worked around the house.  I got up and moving and headed to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class.  We had a great time and got an awesome workout to start our weekend!  After class, I came home and got a quick shower, did a few things and then got ready to head out for the rest of the day.
I spent my afternoon at a Zumba jam session learning 5 new amazing songs to teach to my classes.  They were all super fun and super high intensity.  It was fun to not only learn new songs but see so many ZIN friends!  I had to leave a little early, but I was able to learn all 5 songs, just missed the review and the cool down.  After exerting all of that energy dancing for almost 4 hours, I needed a little pick me up so I stopped at Starbucks for my first S'mores frappacino of the season before heading to the Y to take a quick shower.  I got cleaned up from a sweaty Zumba mess to dinner ready in under 15 minutes!
When I was ready, I headed to Cap City dinner to meet up with some girlfriends from church to celebrate the March and April birthdays in our group.  We had a great dinner together, including margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo a little early and free desserts for the three birthday girls (I got peanut butter pie, it was delicious!)  After dinner, we headed back to one of the girl's houses to enjoy a little wine, snacks and girl time.  We enjoyed chatting, manicures & pedicures, and laughing a lot.  I'm thankful for these wonderful ladies in my life!  I got home around midnight and Adrian was already in bed.  I found out the next morning, they had a great day together and had a nice dinner with Adrian's parents while I was out.  It was a pretty amazing Saturday!!
Sunday (5/5) We all got up and moving pretty early for another full day.  I headed to first service of church since I was volunteering in childcare for second service.  I heard a great message and then enjoyed hanging with the kids during their service as well.  When we were finished there, we headed to the movie theater to finally see "Avengers: End Game."  We loved every minute of it!!  It was a great ending to the series and did not feel like 3 hours at all.  We ate a ton of popcorn while we laughed and cried our way thru the movie.  When it was over, we headed home to get ready for Martial Arts tonight.  Adrian took the boys so I could get a few things done around the house.  When they got home, we had a quick dinner and then finished up what we could to get ready for another busy week.  After we put the boys to bed, Adrian headed upstairs to watch "Game of Thrones" while I stayed downstairs and watched some reality TV.  When his show was over, we headed to bed hoping to get some good rest before a crazy week.
Monday (5/6) Back to our normal routine but only 15 more school ups for us!  We got up and moving pretty well considering we didn't have the most restful weekend.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school before heading into work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and then we all headed into school together.  I subbed in a 4th grade class for the day while they went to their classes for the day.  When school was over, we all headed home to meet up with AJ.  We got thru our afternoon routine, including finishing homework, pretty quickly because we had a busy night ahead.  After a quick dinner, I headed to the church for my Zumba class where we had a sweaty fun time!  I added one of the new songs from the jam this past weekend and everyone loved it.  Adrian took AJ to his Scouts meeting where they learned to cook pizza at a camp out.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed, watched the end of the Blue Jackets game (boo - so sad they lost) and a few comedies and then we headed to bed too.  Pretty normal Monday around here, one of our busiest days of the week!

Tuesday (5/7) Zak came into our room in the middle of the night crying that his head hurt.  So he slept in there with Adrian while I got a few more hours of sleep.  We decided early this morning that we were going to let him stay home and rest today, so I called out of work to do that.  Adrian got up and got AJ ready for school and dropped him off on his way to work.  I got Daniel up and ready for school and dropped him off for the day.  Zak slept in for a while and woke up still not feeling well and not looking great either.  He and I spent most of the day on the couch, him watching TV and me getting some stuff done.  We did make a quick trip out to vote and drop off a prescription.
The day passed quickly and I got a lot done.  Before I knew it, it was time to pick the other two boys up.  AJ got off the bus and I left to walk up to pick up Daniel.  We had a nice talk on our walk home, it's always nice to get one on one time.  When we got home, we got thru homework and dinner quickly since Daniel had soccer practice tonight.  I dropped him off and then ran to Zak's last Scout meeting quickly before heading home.  Adrian picked up Daniel from soccer on his way home from work and a good bye party for one of his co-workers.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and then got them down to bed.  Zak spiked a fever late in the day so he will be home again tomorrow.  Adrian is going to stay home with him so I can go in and work for the day.  When we got them settled in bed, we came down and finished up a few things before watching a few comedies and heading to bed for the night.

Wednesday (5/8) Zak was staying home from school today and Adrian was working from home so our morning routine looked a little different today.  We all still got up the same and Adrian drove AJ to school and then came home to start working.  I got Daniel and I ready and we headed into school together since I was subbing all day.  Daniel was super excited to go to school because today his class was building their gaga pit to add to the play ground.  I had a few breaks during my day so I got to go out and see the progress thru the day.  The class did a great job and had a lot of fun getting the structure set up.  They need to finish sanding it and paint it and hopefully it will be done early next week.
My day passed quickly since I was the floating sub so I was 5 or 6 different teachers today.  When school was over, I met Daniel in the library and we bought our books from the book fair.  Then we came home to meet up with everyone else.  Zak was feeling much better after two days of rest and will be heading back to school tomorrow!  After a short break, I headed out to do a little shopping for our birthday celebrations this week and then came home to get dinner ready.  After dinner, Adrian took the boys out to get flowers for the teachers for tomorrow and my Mother's Day gifts.  When they got home, it was time for the boys' night routine and then bedtime for them.  After we got them down, Adrian and I finished a few things then sat down to watch "Survivor" together before heading to bed.  It was an exhausting day!!

Thursday (5/9) We all got up and moving pretty well today, probably because we're excited about today and the next few days.  Adrian got AJ up and ready and dropped him off at school.  Then he came back home and started working from home for the morning.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped off at school before heading to Harcum to teach my 3 Silver Sneakers classes for the day.  While I was there, Adrian headed into school for K.I.S.S. (kids invite someone special) Day with Zak.  They ate snacks, made a craft and took fun pictures.  They had a fun morning together, both of them really enjoyed it!
After my classes, I ran some errands and then got home in time to get everyone after school.  When the four of us were home, we took advantage of the time Adrian was still at work to start prepping for his birthday party tomorrow.  We wrapped his gifts & blew up some of the balloons & hid everything in the laundry room with "Keep Out" signs.  The boys were a huge help getting it all done before Adrian got home!  We also managed to get thru homework and dinner quickly because we had a few things going on tonight.  Adrian got home from work and headed back out with Zak to his soccer practice.  Thankfully Daniel's practice cancelled due to weather so it was a short night for Adrian.  I got ready and headed to the church to teach an awesome Zumba class.  When we all got home, we did our normal night routine and got the boys down to bed.  Then we cleaned up a bit around the house, got our snacks & watched "The Big Bang Theory" - can't believe there is only one new episode left!!  It was a jam packed fun filled Thursday.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for May 5 - May 11)

I'm late getting this post up this week because it was a super busy, but super fun weekend.  I was thinking about skipping it because there's not a lot to share, but I'm home with a sick kid today and while I was making sure I have my lists done for later in the week I decided to hop on and type up the post for this week.  We did pretty good last week sticking to our meal plan except that I didn't cook what I planned on Wednesday night.  Instead I sauteed up some shrimp and make a Mexican shrimp salad and it was delicious!  Adrian wasn't home that night and my afternoon plans took longer than I thought they would so I decided to switch up the menu.

This week is a normal (and busy!) week and then the weekend is all parties!  Friday is Adrian's 50th birthday so the boys planned a special night for him.  I can't share what we're eating since it's all a surprise, but I will share next week what we ate.  Then on Saturday we are continuing the celebration in the afternoon and starting our Mother's Day celebration as well.  We'll finish up our celebrating on Sunday and get back to real life on Monday.  I'm excited for this weekend and hope everyone stays healthy and that we have as much fun as I think we will!!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Leftovers after a busy day of church, movies & Martial Arts
Monday - Shrimp Lo Mein
Tuesday - Vegetable Tortellini Bake
Wednesday - Southwest Chicken Skillet
Thursday - Leftovers if we have any, salads & sandwiches if we don't
Friday - Birthday Surprise dinner!!
Saturday - Ribs & Mac and Cheese - both in the instant pots (if we are hungry and have time for this between all the fun things we're doing.  If we don't eat it this night, we'll have it on Sunday)

Water Flavor - I got a very cheap mango last week so I used that and a half of orange for the water this week.  It's a great blend of sweet and citrus!!

Overnight Oats - I ended up making 2 batches in the middle of the week last week so I had a bunch leftover for this week.  I'm guessing we'll have some special breakfasts as well so I'm not going to set up any new ones this week.  It's already Tuesday and I still have 2 or 3 servings left so I should be fine to get thru the week.

Use it Up - I'm not really doing anything on this challenge this week.  I'm just trying to survive between the weekend celebrations and teacher appreciation week.  It's more survival this week than thinking ahead and using what I already have.

Lunches - I'm having salads for lunch everyday this week.  Actually, this would fit in the last category as well.  We have about a dozen hard boiled eggs left from Easter so Adrian and I are committing to eating one egg each every day this week so they are gone by this weekend.  I'll be eating mine in my salad each day.

Friday, May 3, 2019

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 4/26 - 5/2)

Friday (4/26) We survived the week, but just barely.  We once again struggled to get up this morning, but we were able to do it.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off while the three of us got ready to head into school together since I was subbing for the day.  I started in one assignment but then was pulled after about 2 hours to go and be Daniel's teacher's sub for the rest of the day.  He was so excited that I was there!  He said it was the best week ever, spending Thursday with Dad at work and Friday with me.  We had a great afternoon together, lots of downtime for the kids who had AIR tests 3 days this week (including this morning).
When we all got home from school, we had some much needed downtime for the rest of the night.  The boys played together while I rested on the couch and did a little bit of clean up.  When Adrian got home from work, we all had leftovers for dinner and are just about done the Easter leftovers.  After a quick clean up, we settled in for a family movie night to watch "Ant-man and the Wasp."  We all enjoyed the movie and were shocked by the secret scene!  When it was over, everyone was ready for bed so we put the boys to bed for the night.  Then Adrian and I had a quick snack and watched a comedy before heading to bed as well.  Looking forward to a semi-relaxing weekend!

Saturday (4/27) Today started too early after a long night with Daniel being up for 2 hours in the middle of the night.  My alarm went off and I did not want to get up!  But I managed to pull myself out of bed and get to the church for Zumba class on time.  We had a great class and then I found an awesome duffel bag at the church garage sale.  After that, I headed to watch Daniel's soccer game, another tough loss.  But the one goal that his team scored was set up by an awesome throw in from Daniel so he was super excited after the game!!

When we got home, I helped Adrian finish getting packed up and out to Zak's Cub Scout camp out.  They headed up to Falling Rock and are having a fun time doing all sorts of different activities, including BB guns which Zak has been looking forward to.  Daniel was invited to sleep at his friend's house tonight so he got ready to head over there.  AJ was upset that he didn't have anything to do, so he invited his friend David to come spend the night.  When I dropped Daniel off, I picked up pizza for the 2 boys here, and they ate nearly all of it for dinner!  They spent the rest of the night playing together while I worked around the house.  They negotiated an 11pm bedtime so I watched the second game of the Blue Jackets series while I worked.  The game went into overtime and I just couldn't keep my eyes opened so I put the boys in their room & went to bed after the first overtime. (Edit - the Jackets won in the second overtime, yay!!)
Sunday (4/28) After a late night, we were up way earlier than I wanted to be.  I got David packed up and ready to go and then his parents came to pick him up.  The boys had a great night and are excited to do it again soon for their birthdays.  Then I got ready for church and to pick up Daniel from Ethan's house.  Adrian and Zak came home just before I was getting ready to leave.  Zak had a great time camping in the rain!  He enjoyed hiking, shooting and making smores.  Adrian was exhausted when he got home, but said he had a pretty good time.

I picked up Daniel and he told me he had a great time playing video games, making videos and watching part of a movie at Ethan's house over night.  The two of us headed to church for first service to see his friend and his family get baptized!  It was a beautiful service and I loved every minute of it.  After church, we headed home and all 5 of us were exhausted.  We cancelled most of the rest of our afternoon to rest and get a few things ready for the week.  The one thing we kept on our schedule was going to Martial Arts since we've missed a bunch of weeks.  The boys were very excited to be back on the mats and see their friends there.
After class, we decided to pick up dinner so we didn't have to cook.  We grabbed Taco Bell for AJ, McDonald's for Daniel and Zak and Bibibop for Adrian and I.  After we finished our quick dinner, we got a few more things done around the house and then started getting ready for bed.  We got the boys down for the night and then Adrian and I did a few more things before he watched "Game of Thrones" and I headed upstairs to get ready for bed.  It was an early night for most of us after a lot of missing sleep this weekend and another busy week on tap.

Monday (4/29) We were all dragging this morning when we had to get up and moving but we made it.  The lack of sleep this weekend caught up with us today for sure!  Adrian got AJ up and ready and they barely got out the door on time.  I got the other two boys ready and dropped off at school.  Today is Daniel's last day of testing and we are all excited to put another year of testing behind us!  After I dropped them off at school, I headed to the church to sub in the preschool for the morning.  Then since there weren't any afternoon assignments in the school, I headed home to finish some of the things that I didn't get to this weekend.

I was really productive this afternoon and got a bunch done before it was time to pick everyone up from school.  I walked up to pick up Daniel and Zak and when we all got home, the boys had some free time since no one had any homework today.  Then we had a quick dinner and headed out to our evening stuff.  I took Daniel and Zak and we headed to the church for my Zumba class.  We had a great class together tonight even though I messed up the new song in an epic fashion. It was also Secret Sister reveal night & I got some great gifts & found out who my sister was for the past few months.  I love this program & am so thankful my church does it.  Adrian came home from work to eat and then take AJ to Scouts.  AJ got all of his choices for summer camp and is so excited to go now!  When we all got home, the boys watched some TV and then we got them down for a fairly early bedtime.  Adrian and I finished up a few things and then got snacks and watched two comedies before heading to bed too.

Tuesday (4/30) We did much better getting up and moving this morning.  Adrian got AJ up and ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off at school before I headed to Harcum to teach my 3 Silver Sneakers classes.  It was fun but we had a bit of sadness hanging in the room as the second staff member in the past month announced that they were leaving the center.  None of us like change!  Between classes I ran out and started my weekly food shopping since I have a lot to get and very little time this week.

After my classes, I headed into school to do sight words with Zak's class for possibly the last time this year.  The kids did a great job, lots of them passed multiple lists.  And Zak finished his last 3 lists in book 3 to finish that book.  He was so proud of himself for finishing it, we've been working very hard on those lists the past week.  When we all got home, we had a short break then got thru homework since we all had stuff to do tonight.  Then I made tacos for everyone for dinner so we had a quick dinner and split up for our night activities.
Adrian left with Daniel first, heading out to his soccer practice.  After Adrian dropped Daniel off, he headed out to get his hair cut before heading back to pick him up.  While they were there, I took Zak to his Cub Scout pack meeting.  He did a great job with his den doing his skit and then we had a fun presentation from the local police department.  Zak especially enjoyed seeing the taser gun and the inside of the police car.  When the meeting was over, we headed back home.  The boys finished up their night time routine while Adrian and I cleaned up after dinner.  We got the boys down to bed and the watched the end of the Blue Jackets playoff game - so happy they won again!  Then we got our snacks, watched two comedies and headed to bed.
Wednesday (5/1) We struggled to get up again today, maybe it will be an every other day thing for the rest of the school year.  Adrian barely got up and out on time with AJ but he did and dropped AJ off at school on his way to work.  I got the other two boys up and ready and dropped them off at school.  Then since I wasn't subbing today, I headed out to run the rest of my errands and finish the grocery shopping for the week.  We needed a lot since I haven't shopped in nearly two weeks and it took the whole morning to shop and put it all away.

After dealing with the groceries and putting everything away, I did a few more things around the house and then it was time to pick up the boys from school early and head to the pediatrician.  AJ had his med check and the other two boys had their well checks.  They all did great and the doctor told me to just keep doing what I'm doing.  Daniel had a huge growth spurt in the past year gaining 12 pounds and growing almost 3 inches!  When we got home from the doctor, we got thru our afternoon routine and homework and then the boys had some free time while I got dinner ready for everyone. 
After we had dinner together, I gave the boys a short video game time for their great behavior at the doctor's office while I cleaned up from dinner and got a few other things done around the house.  Adrian was at Bible study so I got the boys thru their night routine and then started reading with them before bed.  Adrian got home a little earlier than usual and was able to help with bedtime.  Then we came down and made snacks and watched this week's "Survivor."  It was another great episode, there have been lots of twists and turns this year and we are loving it all!

Thursday (5/2) We got up and moving pretty well this morning and got everyone out on time.  Adrian got AJ ready and dropped him off at school on his way to work.  Then I got Daniel and Zak ready and dropped them off on my way to the Harcum Center.  I had three great classes and did a little work on my lunch break in between classes.  When I was done teaching, I headed home to get a few things done before picking up the boys from school.  AJ got off the bus just as I was leaving to walk up to pick up the other boys.  Daniel had a special day to celebrate finishing testing for the year and the whole grade had a pajama, movie and popcorn day.  He enjoyed watching part of "Mary Poppins Returns" and wants to watch the first movie and this one as a family over the summer. 
When we all got home, we got quickly thru our afternoon routine and celebrated that no one has any homework tonight.  The boys had a short free time to play while I cooked dinner for everyone.  We had an early dinner before we started our busy night.  Adrian took Zak and Daniel to soccer practice and thankfully the rain held off so they could safely practice tonight.  While they were there, I headed to the church to teach an awesome, fun Zumba class.  When we all got home together, we did a few things around the house but were all exhausted after the busy day.  So we got the boys thru their night routine and then down for bed.  Then we made snacks, watched the end of the Blue Jackets game (boo!) and tonight's "Big Bang Theory" before heading to bed.  I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, that never happens!!