Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 2/14 - 2/20)

Friday (2/14) Happy Valentine's Day!!  The boys and I are off today so we got to sleep in this morning.  Adrian still had to go to work so he got up early and headed out while we all slept.  Unfortunately I didn't get to sleep as late as I would have liked because I had a meeting at the YMCA to get to this morning.  I was bummed when the alarm went off, but I got up and moving.  I went to my meeting, visited with a few friends and figured out my schedule for next session while at the Y.  Then I came home and had lunch with the boys and we did a little homework before they headed upstairs to play and I started working around the house, mostly on laundry.

The day passed quickly and pretty uneventfully.  I headed out in the late afternoon to teach my Zumba class at the Y.  It was a smaller group than usual, probably because of Valentine's Day.  While I was there, Adrian fed the boys dinner and played a board game that he is borrowing from a friend.  When I got home, we had dinner together, did a few things around the house then had family movie night with the boys.  We watched "The Avengers" to continue watching the series together.  After the movie, we got the boys down to bed, watched this week's episode of "The Goldburgs" and headed to bed.  It wasn't the most exciting Valentine's Day but it was relaxing and exactly what we needed.

Saturday (2/15) Even though it's a four day weekend, we still had all of our Saturday morning activities.  Daniel and I got up and got ready together and then our friend picked him up to take him to his art class.  I headed to the church to teach a super fun Zumba class and then ran a few errands before picking Daniel and David up from art class.  Then Daniel and I went to Meijer to pick up the last few things for his birthday party later today.  While I was there, Adrian took Zak to bowling for the week.  Zak did great and bowled 104 and an 86, probably his highest series of this session!  He is really focusing on learned how to bowl now, especially with Adrian there to teach him.  When we all got home, we had a quick lunch together then got a few things done and got the house ready for Daniel's birthday party.

In the afternoon, Daniel and I headed out to pick up his friends and head to the movies to see the new "Sonic" movie.  The boys all loved it and are excited to see it's set up for another movie.  While we were at the movies, Adrian took AJ and Zak to AJ's basketball game.  AJ played great, got a few rebounds and earned the medal for player of the game!!  Then they picked up pizza and met us back at the house.  We all enjoyed pizza for dinner and spent the rest of the night partying.  The boys spent most of the time upstairs playing video games, Nerf gun war and building with bunchems.  We enjoyed cupcakes and opening presents together.  While they were playing upstairs, Adrian and I played this month's Pandemic Legacy game (we lost!) and Wingspan (I lost!)  Finally about 1am we told the boys it was time for bed and got them settleed down for the night.  We were all exhausted by that point after a long day and thankfully everyone fell asleep pretty quickly.

Sunday (2/16) The boys were all up an dready to go by like 8am.  Adrian and I were wiped out but we got up with them anyway.  They started playing video games and we all enjoyed breakfast together.  I made chocolate chip pancakes, Adrian made bacon and Daniel had picked out donuts yesterday.  After breakfast, they played until their parents picked them up.  After everyone left, I got ready and headed out to teach my Barre class at the Y.  I struggled to get started, but after a few minutes of movement, I felt much better!  We had a great class and I enjoyed chatting with some of the students after the class.

When I got home, I decided to go on a spontaneous date with Adrian.  I had to go to Easton to man the candy sales booth for an hour anyway this afternoon, so I convinced him to come with me and hang out for that hour and then we could have a date.  So we got the boys situated and headed out.  Adrian shopped while I sold candy for an hour, then we headed over to Cooper's Hawk for our monthly wine tasting.  We enjoyed tasting the 8 wines, including the wines of the month for the past 3 months, and picked 6 of the 8 bottles that we had to pick up.  With a little wine buzz, we headed over to Condado to grab a quick dinner of delicious tacos.  There was a 15 minute wait for a table so we walked around outside for a bit, which felt great to do in February in Ohio!!

After our delicious dinner, we headed home and got the boys leftover pizza for dinner.  Then they cleaned up a little and got the house looking amazing after yesterday's party!  When that was done, we settled in for another family movie.  Tonight we watched Adrian's pick of "Pirates of the Carribean."  The boys thought it was just OK, same as what I think of the movies.  But they were glad we did family movie night again!  After the movie, we put the 3 exhausted boys to bed, watched "Schooled" and "Modern Family" from this week and also headed to bed.  It wasn't exactly the Sunday we had planned but it really turned out amazing!!

Monday (2/17) We all had today off and took advantage and slept in!!  It was great to not have to get up with an alarm and then just start the day slowly with coffee and donuts.  We all really needed this long weekend!  After some relaxing this morning, we started getting stuff done because we also have some work that needs to be done.  I got to work around the house finishing some stuff up that needed to be done.  Adrian got the boys ready and they headed out to a morning showing of the "Sonic" movie since AJ and Zak missed the birthday party.  They all loved the movie and I'm glad it worked out that everyone got to see it this weekend!!

When they got home, we finished up everyone's weekend homework and then split up to work around the house.  When the boys were done with their chorse, they had some video game time.  Daniel got two extra Switch controllers for his birthday and they are loving being able to all play on that together.  Adrian and I worked around the house until it was time for dinner.  Then he grilled steaks for us and I make our sides.  We had a nice dinner before I got ready and headed out to the church to teach my Zumba class.  I had a great class, lots of fun with the ladies and a few new people tonight too!!  After class I came home and Adrian and I got the boys thru their night routine.  Unfortunately, Daniel spiked a fever at the end of the night so he won't be going to school tomorrow.  I'm hoping a day of rest will be all he needs and that it's not the flu that's going around.  After getting the boys in bed, Adrian and I did a few things around the house and then had some ice cream while watching some comedies from our DVR.  It was a great long weekend and we're all recharged and ready to go back to our schedule tomorrow!!

Tuesday (2/18) We all got up and moving on time this morning, except for Daniel who slept in since he's not feeling well.  Adrian helped me get AJ up and ready and then he left for work.  I drove AJ to school and then came to get Zak and myself ready.  I dropped Zak off at school and headed to the Y to sub a Zumba Gold class.  Daniel stayed home and slept in then moved to the couch to relax for the day.  When I got home, I got him some medicine since he still has a fever and some breakfast.  Then we spent the rest of the day hanging out together.  He rested on the couch and watched TV while I got a bunch of stuff done around the house.  The afternoon passed quickly and before long, the bus dropped AJ off at home and I headed up to school to pick up Zak.

When all of the boys were settled at home, I headed up to the school to teach my Zumba class to the teachers.  We had a small class but still had fun dancing and got a great workout.  When I got home, I got the boys started on their homework while I cooked tacos for dinner.  After dinner, we finished up homework and cleaned up from the day.  The night passed quickly and before long it was time for the boys' night routine and bedtime.  We were all pretty tired after getting back to our schedule after the long weekend!  We got the boys to bed, then Adrian and I came down and got snacks and watched a few comedies from our DVR before heading to bed too.  This Tuesday certainly felt like a Monday!!

Wednesday (2/19) We got up and moving again this morning, but once again it was everyone but Daniel.  He still had a fever late in the day yesterday and just isn't feeling right so he'll stay home again today and rest.  Adrian helped me get AJ up and ready and then headed into work for the day.  I drove AJ to school and then came home and picked up Rocky to drop her off at doggie daycare.  Then I got Zak ready and dropped him off at school too.  I came home and hung out with Daniel and made sure he was ready for the day at home.  Then I headed out to the Y to teach my 3 classes for the day, Zumba Toning, Aqua Zumba and Silver Sneakers.  All of the classes were packed and so fun!!  It's a tiring day but it's also so much fun!!

After my classes were done, I headed to Giant Eagle to pick up a few things and then to Kroger to pick up my grocery order for the week.  Then I headed over to the school to pick up Zak and dropped him off at home before heading over to Daniel's school for his parent teacher conference.  He's doing pretty well in Math and Science, I didn't get to talk to his other teacher.  After the conference, I ran to Aldi to finish grocery shopping, then went to pick up Rocky from day care.  There is another silver lab who goes there too and they finally snapped a picture of both dogs together.  They are SO cute!!

When Rocky and I got home, I quickly got everyone thru dinner and their homework before heading back out.  I headed to church to work for about an hour at the front desk, and work on paperwork for that job.  After that I finally headed home for the day.  The boys were having some video game time so I let them play for a little while longer while I cleaned up from dinner and unloaded groceries.  Then I got them thru their night routine and while we were upstairs reading, Adrian came home from his Bible study.  He helped me finish up bedtime and a little bit of clean up in the kitchen.  We finished our night by having snacks and watching this week's episode of "Survivor."  This season is so interesting with all of the past winners!!

Thursday (2/20) We were back to normal today and everyone got up ontime for school and work!  Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel up and ready before leaving for work for the day.  I dropped AJ and Daniel off at school then came home and got Zak and myself ready for our day.  We headed in to school together because I was subbing for the day.  I spent the day with an awesome group of 4th graders and had a pretty great day.  It fly by and before long, Zak and I were heading home for the day.  We had a little bit of free time, then the boys started on their homework while I started on dinner.  We had a quick dinner before I headed out to Zumba class and Adrian took the boys to get haircuts.  When we all got back home, we watched Lego Masters together before the boys headed to bed.  We are all really enjoying that show!!  Then we got the boys to bed, did a little bit of cleaning up, watched "The Goldburgs" from yesterday and headed to bed.  We were really exhausted tonight, this week is really hard for some reason!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 1/31 - 2/6)

Friday (1/31) We made it to the end of another week, but just barely.  None of us wanted to get up this morning so we slept in a little bit and then finally got everyone up and moving.  Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel ready and then he headed to work.  I dropped them off at school and then came home to get Zak and myself ready for the day.  We headed into school together since I was subbing all day again today.  Zak had pajama day today as a reward for good behavior so he was easy to get dressed and ready.  The day at school passed quickly and I even got to see Zak and his friends since I had indoor recess duty for his grade.

After school, we came home and I rested for a bit before heading out to the new Y to teach my first weekly Zumba class there.  We had a great crowd and all had so much fun!!  It was hard to get motivated to get out the door tonight, but once I was there I felt great & I was more productive at home as well.  After class I came home and Adrian and I got dinner together for everyone.  After dinner we decided to postpone movie night since we were all exhausted.  So the boys headed upstairs for some video game time while Adrian and I cleaned up the kitchen.  After about an hour, we got the boys down for the night, watched two comedies and headed to bed ourselves.  We are all really worn out after this long week!!

Saturday (2/1) Happy February!!  We got to sleep in a little this morning but did still need to get up and moving for all of our activities.  I got Daniel up and ready to go to art class.  Our friend picked him up and drove him down there.  Then I headed to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class.  After class I ran a few errands and then headed downtown to pick up Daniel from art class.  While I was there, Adrian took Zak to bowling for the week.  Zak did great and bowled a 99 in each game, although he was upset that he didn't get 100.  I think he did great and love that he was consistent this week!

When we all got home, we had lunch and then got ready for our afternoon activities.  Daniel had his friend Addy come over to play for the afternoon.  They played with the VR headset, YouTube, outside on the swings and with Rocky.  They had a great time together!!  Adrian took AJ to his basketball game where they won and AJ played good again.  I worked around the house and got a lot done, which is good because I've been feeling really overwhelmed.  The day passed quickly and before long it was time for dinner.  Adrian and I had delicious steaks and the boys had leftover pasta.  Then we got ready for family movie night and watched my pick of Batman vs Superman.  It was not very good, we were all pretty bored and confused during it.  When it was over, we got the boys down to bed and then Adrian headed to bed too since he wasn't feeling great.  I stayed up and watched a few shows alone and then headed to bed too.

Sunday (2/2) After a not great night of sleep, the alarm felt really early this morning, even though it's the latest I've slept in all week.  I didn't want to but I did get up and moving this morning so I could head to church for the first service and serve in the childcare area.  I had a great time leading the lesson this morning & learning with the kids.  Then I met up with Adrian and the kids and we all went to second service together.  We all enjoyed a great message in our respective church services.  When church was over, I headed to the Y to teach my barre class & Adrian took the boys home for lunch.  I had a great barre class with 25 women all working hard and sweating it out with me!  It was so much fun and we all got a great workout!

While I was there, Adrian took the boys to a new bounce house place near us.  Zak thought it was super fun but Daniel was a little bored, probably because he's getting a little old for bounch houses.  When we all got home, we finished the boys homework and chores for the weekend and then the boys had video games while Adrian and I got as much done as we could before watching the Superbowl.  We tried to watch it live but had to keep pausing to deal with the kids and then get them to bed too.  But we still really enjoyed the game!!  The halftime show was amazing, I loved every second of it!  Some of the commericials were pretty good, especially the Google one.  And the game was close, tied at halftime and exciting in the second half.  I was excited to see the Chiefs win, I've liked them since I lived in Kansas City for a while!!  When the game was over Adrian and I headed to bed and know we are going to regret staying up so late tomorrow, but it was worth it.

Monday (2/3) Back to the grind today and I was right, we were struggling to get going this morning after staying up so late last night.  We decided last night to sleep in a little and drive AJ instead of having him take the bus.  So we all got up and moving around 6 to get ready for school and work.  Adrian headed out to work and I drove AJ and Daniel to school, unfortunately both of them were a little late.  Then I came home and got myself and Zak ready for the school day.  We headed into school together because I was subbing for the morning.  I had a fun morning with some second graders and then headed home for the afternoon.  I was super productive for the few hours I was here before everyone else got home.

Before long it was time to get everyone from school.  AJ and Daniel took the bus home and then I walked up to pick up Zak since it was so nice outside.  We came home and everyone headed outside to enjoy the nice weather and play with Rocky.  Then we quickly got thru homework and dinner before we headed out for our evening activities.  I headed to the church to teach Zumba and had a great class.  Adrian took AJ to Scouts where they did some planning for a very busy February ahead.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and then down to bed for the night.  Then we cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for our microwave delivery tomorrow before watching two comedies and heading to bed.

Tuesday (2/4) Today was a little better getting up and moving, but I still felt super tired.  Adrian got up and helped me get AJ ready and on the bus before heading to work for the day.  Then I dropped Daniel off at school and came home to get Zak ready for the day.  I dropped him off and then ran to Aldi to do a quick grocery trip before coming home to wait for our new microwave to be delivered and installed.  They were in and out of the house in under 30 minutes, I'm so glad we decided to pay for the install!!  The microwave looks great and while it was a little more than we wanted to spend, I'm so glad we decided to do the over the range microwave.  I'm loving my new feeling kitchen!!  I spent the rest of the day being super productive around the house.  I got a ton of stuff done and even managed to relax a little.

Before long it was time to pick everyone up from school.  I picked up Daniel, AJ took the bus and then I picked up Zak since it was raining.  Then I headed over to the school to teach my Zumba class but none of the teachers wanted to dance so we cancelled class & just chatted for a while before I headed back home.  I'm not even a little upset about having an unplanned rest day this week!  When I got home, I made tacos for dinner while the boys did their homework.  Then they had some video game time while I finished up a few things around the house.  Adrian got stuck at work late & missed his Scout training that he was supposed to go to but he did end up getting home in time for bed time.  We got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed, then we watched the finale of "The Good Place."  It was a great ending to a really interesting show!!

Wednesday (2/5) After a great night of sleep and a little extra rest this morning, I felt great going into this super busy day!  We all got up and moving a little later than usual because AJ did not want to take the bus today.  When we all got up and moving, Adrian helped get everyone started then headed to work for the day.  Then I dropped AJ and Daniel off at school and came home to pick up Rocky.  I dropped her off at doggie daycare for the day and then came back home to get Zak and myself ready for the day.  I dropped Zak off at school and then came home to do a few small things around the house before heading to the Y to teach my 3 classes for the day.  All 3 classes were packed and we had a great time!!  I did get a little light headed in Aqua Zumba, probably because I did not eat enough today.  I need to make sure I do better next week!!

After the three great classes, I headed to Kroger to pick up my groceries for the week and then headed to pick up Zak from school.  Then I ran home quickly to drop off the groceries, put away all the fridge and freezer stuff and pick up AJ.  We headed out to an orthodontist consult for him which thankfully ended with him needing braces but not right now.  They want us to wait 6 months and come back then to see if his teeth are ready.  I am not excited about braces for him, but am glad we don't have to worry about it yet.  We'll cross that bridge this summer!  When the appointment was over, I dropped him off to serve at his Scout spaghetti dinner then went to pick Rocky up from daycare.  She had another great day and came home hungry and exhausted!

After a short stop at home, I headed back out with Zak and Daniel to go to the spaghetti dinner.  We enjoyed pasta, meatballs, salad and dessert for dinner while AJ waited on us.  It was a nice event and I was thankful for a night I didn't have to cook.  When we were done eating, we headed home for the night finally.  Adrian had been stuck at work and got home shortly after we did, although he still had to work from home.  We got the boys thru their night routine and in bed for the night.  They heard there might be ice overnight so everyone flushed ice cubes to see if they can bring on a snow day.  After they were in bed and Adrian was finally finished with work, we cleaned up a little in the kitchen and then watched the "Survivor" recap of the past 40 seasons that was on tonight.  It was fun to relive some of those moments!!  When that was over, we headed to bed for the night, I was exhausted after a very long and busy day!!

Thursday (2/6) After another great night of sleep, we all got up and moving on time today.  AJ decided to grab some extra sleep and have me drive him to school today so Adrian helped get him and Daniel ready and then he headed to work for the day.  As I was finishing getting them ready, we got a call that their school was on an indefinite delayed opening due to a threat.  So we got a little more time to start our day.  I got Zak and myself ready and when I still didn't know what time they were going to school when I had to leave for work, I told AJ and Daniel to just stay home and take the day off.  They hung out with Rocky all day while Zak and I went in to school.  I had a great day with a fantastic 1st grade class!!  Unfortunately, I got a ton of texts about other things that I had to deal with all day long.  It was a very draining day that didn't go as planned at all!!

After school I really wanted to come home and rest and deal with some of the stuff that came up during the day, but I had promised to take the boys to Menchie's for their buy one, get one free promotion.  So Zak and I picked up AJ and Daniel and we headed out.  I'm so glad we did because it was great to just laugh with them and enjoy some delicious frozen yogurt and forget about the day for a little bit.  Of course the phone kept beeping away, but I was able to ignore it for a short time.  When we got home, the boys played video games since no one had homework and I had my dinner and got ready for Zumba tonight.

Thankfully Adrian was able to leave work at a decent hour for the first time this week and he came home to hang out with the boys.  I taught a small but awesome Zumba Toning class and then went to pick up the boys' prescriptions tonight.  Adrian got the boys dinner and thru most of their night routine.  I came home in time to read with everyone and say good night to the boys.  We once again flushed ice cubes in hopes of a snow day tomorrow.  I was exhausted after the long day so Adrian and I did the bare minimum to get the house back together and then sat down and watched two comedies. Then we headed to bed for the night, really hoping for a snow day for most of us tomorrow!!

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Feb 2 - Feb 8)

Wow, even though last week was crazy I still stuck to my meal plan.  The only day that I didn't follow was Saturday because Adrian and I were so tired and overwhelmed after the week that we decided not to go out and instead pulled out steaks to grill for dinner.  My work schedule changed last week again so now I am trying to find my rhythm with this new busier schedule.  This happens every time I change my schedule.  Plus I was still behind after being sick for over a week earlier in the month.  So this weekend I have wiped the slate clean and am just jumping in where I am and finding what will work for me going forward.

One thing I know for sure, I need to keep up with my planning or we will not continue to eat well.  We've been doing great about not going out and also not just eating junk for dinner, which are two big goals for us for this year.  I'm also doing a great job of using both my air fryer (all the time!) and instant pot.  It has been an interesting week though because our microwave broke last Monday so we've had to get creative to heat things up without it.  We ordered a new over the range microwave and it will be installed this week and I can't wait.  For now I'm already enjoying my extra counter space and I'm looking forward to even more when I create a new spice rack for myself!!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Appetizers and junk for Superbowl Sunday including these air fried pickles
Monday - Pork Loin and air fried kale chips
Tuesday - Tacos for the boys and Shrimp Quinoa Bowls for the adults
Wednesday - Spaghetti Dinner to support AJ's Scout troop
Thursday - Chipotle Chicken Chili
Friday - Thai Chicken Salads
Saturday - Jets Pizza to celebrate Daniel & Zak's birthdays!!

Water Flavor - I'm doing lime and mint again this week.  I have a few more limes to use up and I got more fresh mint last week at the grocery store.  I'm loving the mint in my water - so refreshing!!

Overnight Oats - I got these set up this weekend and have one blueberry and one blood orange.  I'm excited to get back to eating them this week, I've had a few things that made it hard for me to set them up the past few weeks and I'm glad it worked out for this week.

Use It Up - I'm focusing on all of the fruits and veggies that I stocked up on last week.  I'll be using a head of cabbage that I have, kale, peppers and as many avocados as I can.  I'm also using up mango and kiwi for my snacks all week, and bananas in my smoothies.

Lunches - I'll be having salads again all week.  I have a lot of lettuce, peppers, tomatoes & avocados to use up so those will be my lunches all week.  I will probably have to make a sandwich again on Wednesday since I'll be eating on the run again.  But last week I used an avocado to make guacamole for a snack while I was out and about and it worked out great so I may do that again this week.