Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 10/19 - 10/25)

Monday (10/19) Back to our normal routine today, sort of. This week AJ has a lighter week because the students in his school that are going hybrid have orientation this week so he has significantly less Zoom calls. We all got to sleep in a little bit because of that this morning. I was the first one up and got Daniel up and ready for school since he still had to start on time. The rest of the guys woke up as the morning went on. It was a gross, rainy day so we spent most of the day inside, which did not make Rocky happy. The boys did their schoolwork and I did all the stuff around the house that I didn't get done over the weekend since we were out most of the weekend. The day passed super quickly and everyone did a great job of staying focused and finishing all of their work early in the afternoon.

When they were done with school, I gave them some free time to play video games and I got dinner together and continued to work around the house. Then we got ready for our evening activities. I headed to the church for to teach my weekly Zumba Toning class. We had a smaller class than usual but still got a great workout. While I was there, Adrian took AJ to his weekly Scout meeting where they finished up planning for our flag retirement ceremony this weekend. When we all got home, we cleaned up a little and then watched "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" together. Then we got the boys down to bed for the night and watched some of the Cowboys game before we got bored since they were losing horribly. We watched one episode of "Schitt's Creek" and then also headed to bed for the night.

Tuesday (10/20) We got up and moving on time again this morning, and we were back to the early time since AJ had all of his Zoom calls today. Adrian got him up and started on school and then got Rocky thru most of her morning routine. Since it was raining again, they didn't get their normal morning walk which was upsetting for both of them. I got Daniel and Zak up and ready for their day and everyone started on school work. Today is our long day because Zak has speech at the end of the day. The boys did a great job of staying on task and getting all of their work done. They stayed busy in between things by reading, playing on the trampoline between the rain and playing with magic tracks.

When school was over for the day, the boys played video games and I ran out to finish up my grocery shopping for the week. I did a pick up order from Meijer and was not impressed with their service at all. Then I ran to Aldi to finish up and when I got home, the boys helped me put everything away. We made tacos for dinner and then I headed out to our Scout hike, without Zak because he was being stubborn. I had a nice time walking in the dark at Blacklick Woods for about an hour with about half of my den.

When I got home, we took Rocky for a walk then got set up for family movie night. We watched Daniel's pick of "The House with a Clock in the Walls." It was slow to start but then was really good. All of the boys loved it, and AJ kept yelling at the characters when they made bad decisions. When the movie was over, we got the boys to bed for the night. Then we got our snacks and watched an episode of "Schitt's Creek" before we also headed to bed.

Wednesday (10/21) We got to sleep in a little this morning since it's a mostly work on your own day today. I got Daniel and Zak up and moving since they have friends coming over for the day. Adrian got Rocky thru her morning routine then headed upstairs to work. Patrick, McKenzie and Hailey all got here and got started on their schoolwork for the day. The younger ones have a 9am Zoom call every Weds and after that, all 6 kids worked hard to finish up their schoolwork. We had a delicious lunch of chicken nuggets, grapes and chocolate cupcakes. When they were all done with schoolwork, they were released to play. The played on the trampoline, had a Nerf gun fight and played a live version of "Among Us." Then they finished up their day with some video games. Everyone did great today, I am thankful for all of these kids!

After everyone was picked up, I organized our free breakfasts & lunches for the week and then made dinner for everyone. We had a nacho bar since it's nacho day and everyone found something they liked. Daniel likes just chips and cheese, AJ liked nachos with tortilla chips and Zak liked them with Doritos. After dinner, I headed out to work at the church for an hour and got a ton of stuff done since it was pretty quiet. When I got home, we took Rocky on a nice long walk and then watched "Back to the Future" as a family. I missed most of the movie because I was talking to my brother Jon in Texas. When the movie was over, we got the boys down to bed and then watched the season premier of "The Goldburgs." It was hilarious as always!!

Thursday (10/22) We had a little lighter day today because AJ again didn't have many Zoom calls since it's orientation day for the rest of his school. We slept in a little, then got up with Daniel and started our day. Adrian dropped Rocky off at daycare for the day and then headed upstairs to work. Daniel and I got ready and waited for Cameron and Hailey to get here for the day. Zak slept in because he really needed some sleep. When everyone was here and up, they did a great job of focusing on their school work and getting to all of their Zoom calls. In between work, they played on the trampoline, with the marble track and created different ways to play "Among Us" in real life instead of on the computer.

When they were done with school for the day, they all played video games together. Zak and Hailey are creating a whole Minecraft world that they play in each day when school is done. They all had a great time playing and I was able to get all of my stuff together for tonight. After Hailey & Cameron were picked up, I headed out to a shopping fundraiser. I went to the Zulily warehouse and shopped while support families affected by childhood cancer. I found a bunch of cute stuff for the house and a few things for myself while I was there. It was super hot and overwhelming but I'm glad I went!

After that, I headed back to the church to teach my Zumba class. I was still hot and overwhelmed but we had an awesome class and got a great workout. While I was there, Adrian picked up Rocky from daycare where she had a blast as usual! She got to try pumpkin pie for the first time and as you can see from her picture, I think she liked it. He also took the boys to Lowe's for their Halloween event and each boy got a pumpkin and a small bag of snacks and then picked up pizza for dinner on the way home. When we all got home, we were exhausted from a long and busy day! We watched an episode of "Press Your Luck" as a family, then put the boys to bed for the night. Then Adrian and I watched "The Conners" and "Black-ish" while having snacks before we also headed to bed.

Friday (10/23) We were all up and moving on time today, although we were struggling to get moving. Adrian, Zak and I all had a rough night of sleep last night. Adrian got AJ up and ready, got Rocky thru her morning and then headed upstairs to work. I got Daniel up and we both got ready for our day. When Cameron got here, they started their school day and did a pretty good job of staying focused on their school work and Zoom calls. Zak had slept on the couch downstairs and woke up soon after everyone started school and got ready for his day. When Hailey got here, they played for a bit and then got started on school for the day. There were a few frustrations today, mostly stemming from loss of sleep I'm sure, but we managed to get thru the day in a timely fashion and get everything done.

When they were done with school, the kids headed upstairs to play video games and I worked a bit around the house. The rest of the day passed quickly and before long it was time for dinner and to figure out our night. We had planned to go to a trunk or treat, but when bad weather moved it inside, we opted not to go. We did head out to Gahanna to see their Goblin Trail, only to find out on our way that they had to close early due to bad thunderstorms in the area. So we came home and hung out instead. Adrian and I played another game of Suburbia, and I lost again. I can not figure out how to win that game! We also played a few hands of a new card game called The Crew which was pretty good. While we played board games, the boys played video games upstairs. We finished the night by watching two episodes of "Schitt's Creek" and then getting everyone to bed since we have a jam packed and early day tomorrow.

Saturday (10/24) We were up and moving early this morning, thankfully everyone got a good night of sleep though. I got ready and headed to the church to teach my Zumba class. It was a small one, but we had fun and got a great workout as always. While I was there, Adrian took Zak to his weekly bowling league. He had a rough week, the lanes were tough to be consistant on this week. But he had fun and he learned more about bowling and that's really all we are hoping for this year. When we all got home, we had a quick lunch and then packed up and headed out on our weekly field trip.

This afternoon we headed to Young's Jersey Dairy out in Springfield. AJ and Adrian went there 3 years ago and have been talking about the ice cream ever since. We had a fun afternoon playing mini golf, finishing the corn maze, riding in a wagon and playing on some of their playground equipment. Zak especially liked the human hamster wheels. When we were done playing outside, we grabbed some of the famous ice cream and then headed home. The ice cream did not disappoint!! It was huge and it was delicious!! Zak and Daniel couldn't even finish their cones, but the rest of us were able to finish ours.

When we got home, the boys headed upstairs to play video games for a bit and Adrian and I got a few things done around the house while Adrian watched the first OSU football game of the season. I'm glad they won, maybe we'll have some good football luck this season after all. Adrian and I were really tired after the long day so after dinner, we just watched some TV for the night. We watched last week's "Card Sharks" and then two more episodes of "Schitt's Creek." Adrian fell asleep after that so I forced myself to stay up so the boys could stay up until midnight as they always do on Saturdays. I watched a few episodes of "Double Shot at Love" which is so cheesy but you know I love my reality TV! When it was finally midnight, I headed upstairs and put the boys to bed and then fell right asleep myself. It was a great day!!

Sunday (10/25) We all slept late this morning, we needed it after yesterday! Adrian got up and moving quicker than the rest of us because he headed to the park to help AJ's Scout troop set up for their flag retirement ceremony later today. I got the boys thru all of their morning stuff and then started working around the house for the day. The boys played video games until it was time for AJ and Adrian to head to the ceremony. They had a good time and AJ enjoyed being a bigger part of it this year than past years.

When they got home, we did our weekly work around the house as a family. The boys finished up their homework and did their weekly clean up. We had a quick dinner together, set up our activities for next week and played a game of Super Mario Level Up, which Daniel won. By then the day was just about over and we needed Zak to get to sleep early since he has AIR testing tomorrow. We watched another episode of "Unfortuntate Events" and then got the boys to bed. Then Adrian and I finished a few things around the house, watched two episodes of "Schitt's Creek" and headed to bed too. It's going to be a busy week!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 10/12 - 10/18)

Monday (10/12) We were sort of back to our normal routine today. The boys all had school, but Adrian was off from work. We still had to get up early for school and we were dragging since we stayed up late last night. Adrian got AJ up and started and then got Rocky thru her morning routine. I got Daniel up and started on his day and got started on mine as well. Daniel and Zak started a different schedule today since their schools are back to hybrid learning starting today. They still have the same amount of Zooms, but some of them are moved around a bit. And they have a little more work to do on their own starting today. I got them thru most of their day and work before Adrian and I headed out for our traditional Columbus Day date day.

Adrian and I headed to Easton for our monthly wine tasting at Cooper's Hawk first. We enjoyed all of the wine as usual, and picked up our two "thank you" magnums for this month. We were disappointed to find out that all of the previous wines of the month were sold out, so we left our other two bottles there to pick up another day. After our tasting, we walked around Easton for a bit and I went to get my ring taken care of at Zales. Then we grabbed lunch at Shake Shack, which was delicious, especially their shakes. After eating, we headed back home, after a few quick stops to run errands. We were tired after our day so we took a quick nap on the couches and then played a game of "Agricola." I still don't really like this game, but I did win for the second time!

After dinner and our game, it was already time to start our night routine. We watched the last two episodes of "Cobra Kai" with the boys before getting them to bed. That was such a great show, I'm so glad we decided to watch it together! The boys are loving it and we are all anxiously waiting for season 3. After we got them to bed, we watched one episode of "Schitt's Creek" before we also headed to bed. Zak was having a hard time sleeping after the day, so he slept in bed with me tonight. Hoping we can get some sleep!!

Tuesday (10/13) As I suspected, I got a horrible night of sleep with Zak in there with me. We got up and moving on time this morning, but just barely and I was really dragging. Adrian got AJ up and started on school and then took Rocky on her morning walk before heading to work in our room for the day. I got Daniel and Zak up and ready for their days. They again did a great job of staying focused and getting all of their schoolwork done during the day. AJ and Zak both had their virtual speech therapy today and both worked hard as always. The day passed quickly with them doing schoolwork and me doing housework.

When they were all done with school, Zak and I did one of his Scout requirements for this month. He had to follow a recipe and make something for his family. We made my mom's infamous crumb cake so we can enjoy it tomorrow for national dessert day! When he was done, I gave him some free time and I got dinner together for everyone. After dinner, AJ, Zak and I headed to AJ's Scout meeting. The older Scouts taught Zak's den about knife safety, types of knives and how to whittle things out of soap. Everyone did a great job! Zak carved a house out of his bar of soap and some of the other Scouts had some interesting carvings. When we got home from the meeting, we got settled to have family movie night. Unfortunately AJ's pick of X2 would not play on our DVD player so we had to watch two episodes of "Series of Unfortunate Events" instead. When we were done watching, we got the boys to bed, watched one episode of "Schitt's Creek" and also headed to bed.

Wednesday (10/14) We got to sleep in a little today since the older boys don't have any Zoom calls today. I got Daniel and Zak up and moving since they both have friends coming over today and Zak has an early Zoom call. Adrian got Rocky up and thru her morning stuff and then he headed upstairs to work for the day. AJ slept in a bit, but once the other kids started arriving, it was pretty loud so it was hard for him to sleep. Today we had 3 extra kids over, Daniel's friend Patrick, his sister McKenzie and Zak's friend Hailey. They all did a great job of getting all of their work done this morning, in between games on our trampoline. Rocky loved having all of the extra kids here to play with!

The day passed quickly with everyone finishing up their schoolwork, playing on the trampoline, playing with our magic tracks & bunchems and eventually playing video games together. I kept the chaos to a minimum, made everyone chicken nuggets for lunch, and tried to get some work done around the house in between taking care of everyone. It was a harder day than normal for me, but I really loved having a house full of kids! They had fun and their laughter made it all worth it. The moms picked the kids up around 4 and Melissa dropped off our free breakfasts & lunches for the week. I ran out to run a few errands since I am limited as to when I can do that now, then came home and got dinner together.

After dinner, Adrian headed upstairs to his Zoom Bible study and the boys headed upstairs to play video games. I organized all of our food from the school and cleaned up the kitchen after a very busy day in there! When everyone came down, the boys did some clean up while Adrian and I walked the dog. Then we came home and enjoyed our homemade crumble cake for National Dessert Day while watching "Press Your Luck" with the boys. After they went to bed, Adrian and I watched two episodes of "Schitt's Creek" and then also headed to bed. It was a very full and fun day!!

Thursday (10/15) We were up and moving on time again today for school. Adrian got AJ up and started in school and then got Rocky thru her morning routine. I got Daniel up and ready for school and Zak got up soon after that. We were down a student today for school because Cameron didn't come over since his brothers aren't feeling well and we're all being super careful right now. We kept Rocky home from daycare today so she can go tomorrow instead. Hailey came over around 8 and played with Zak until it was time for their class Zoom. All four kids did a great job of attending all of their Zoom calls, staying on track for their school work and playing together nicely in between. There was a lot of trampoline time, as well as some marble track and magic track.

When they were done with school, they decided to play video games for a little bit until Hailey was picked up. Then I started to get dinner together so I was ready to head out to the church for my Zumba class tonight. We had a great class and I had two new people today. We all had fun dancing together and got a great workout!! When I got home, we finished cleaning up from dinner and then watched an episode of "I Love Lucy" together since that was today's holiday. We watched the chocolate factory one and the boys thought it was very funny, but very outdated. We also finished up the new season of "Muppets Now" before putting them down for the night. Then Adrian and I got snacks and watched two episodes of "Schitt's Creek" before we also headed to bed for the night. It's been an exhausting week!!

Friday (10/16) We have survived another week and we are just barely holding on. We were up on time but it was a struggle for sure. Adrian got AJ up and started on school then dropped Rocky off at daycare before heading upstairs to work. I got Daniel and Zak up and ready before the other kids were dropped off for the day. Cameron didn't come again so we only had Hailey for the day. The four kids did a great job of attending all of their Zoom classes, finishing their schoolwork and playing together. There was a ton of trampoline time, as well as Jenga and dominoes this morning before school.

The highlight of the school day was when Kona Ice came to our house during lunchtime. I decided to treat everyone to Kona for being amazing students and working really hard. They were all surprised when the truck pulled up to our house and excited to have a fun treat for the afternoon. After their schoolwork was finished, they all played together until Hailey was picked up. Then the boys played video games while I ran out to pick up a few things from Giant Eagle and got dinner ready. We had an early dinner since we had more friends coming over to play tonight.

After dinner, AJ, Daniel and 3 friends started on a new adventure playing Dungeons and Dragons together. Adrian is their Dungeon Master for now and all 6 of them loved playing!! They played for about 2 hours and had a great time, there was lots of laughter and imagination coming from the table while they played. When they were done, most of the kids headed home but Braven stayed to hang out with AJ for a bit. While they were playing video games, Adrian and I played another game of "Suburbia" and he won again. After Braven went home, the boys had a little more video game time while Adrian and I watched two episodes of "Schitt's Creek." Then we all headed to bed since we have a busy day on tap tomorrow!

Saturday (10/17) Some of us were up early ready to start our day. I got up and got ready and headed to teach my Zumba class at the church. I had a small group so I actually recorded a new class to put online on Zumba's Studio platform. It was a harder workout than we are used to, and it was even shorter than a normal class! After class, me and 3 girlfriends headed downtown to grab coffee together. We went to Cup O' Joe which was just OK. But our time together was great, lots of good conversation and laughs! While I was doing that, Adrian took Zak bowling for the week. He continued to improve, bowling a 43, 47 and 50 this week. AJ and Daniel eventually woke up and got ready while the rest of us were out for the morning.

When we all got home, we celebrated National Pasta Day for lunch because Daniel is sleeping over at a friend's house tonight. We all enjoyed cavatelli for lunch and then played our board game of the week, Horrified. We had a great time playing and just barely won on the medium level of play! After the game, we dropped Daniel off at Ethan's house and then worked for a little bit around the house. Then the rest of us had dinner and headed to Delaware for the Scouts event "Monster Mash." We did their scary hike in the woods, did a maze and played mini golf there. It was a very long wait to get in which was a little annoying, but once we were in, it was so much fun!

We had planned to get ice cream up in Delaware after the Monster Mash, but that took so much longer than we thought it would so we opted to just head home. The boys wanted some video game time and we knew we needed to get home to Rocky too. When we got home, we took her on a nice long walk and then got her dinner. Then Adrian and I played "Roll for the Galaxy" and played a super tight game. We tied when it was over, and then found out that I won on the tie breaker. After that, we got some snacks and watched two episodes of "Schitt's Creek" before heading to bed at midnight with the boys. We were all exhausted after a full day.

Sunday (10/18) We all slept in a little today and then got up and moving. We had planned to head out east to Young's Dairy, but the weather did not look good so we decided to change our plan and stay local. We had a big breakfast and packed up the car then went to pick Daniel up from Ethan's house. He had a great time over there, I'm thankful he is still able to see his friends even though they aren't in school together. Then we headed to Van Buren Acres for some fall fun. It rained on and off, but we still had a fantastic time! We saw pig races, completed their PacMan themed corn maze, played games, raced ducks and jumped on the giant pillows. We cut our day a little shorter than we would have liked since it was cold and rainy, but we had a blast there and will definitely be back next year.

After warming up a bit, we checked out a new ice cream place for us, Hayman's Dairy Bar in Hebron. It was all really good, Daniel especially enjoyed his twist cone. We enjoyed our ice cream while driving home and chatting about how much fun we had. When we got home, we took care of Rocky and then got started on our weekend chores. The boys finished their homework and helped clean the house before heading upstairs for video games. Adrian and I spent the rest of the day watching football (stupid Jets!) and cleaning the house to get ready for another busy week. The day passed quickly and before long it was time for a quick dinner and then our evening activities. We watched an episode of "Series of Unfortunate Events" before getting the boys to bed for the night. Then Adrian and I watched the new "Supermarket Sweep" which we enjoyed! I was much better and the questions on this one than the old ones! It was a great weekend and a fantastic end to a pretty great week.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Oct 18 - Oct 24)

Our meals got shuffled around a bit last week due to some changes in our schedule. We ended up having leftovers one extra day and bumping one of the meals from last week to this week. This week is another super busy one, especially our weekend. I have a plan to use up some of our veggies and freezer things and I'm hoping I can stick to it. We are also really trying to eat healthy during the week since we are into the rough time of year when there are a lot of temptations around. Thankfully we are also fairly active with outside activities right now, but as the weather is getting colder we know that will be coming to an end soon.

This week is focused on easy meals since we have something every night. We are also shifting to some more comfort food with a lot of soups, squash and hearty meals. Over the winter I try to do soup at least once per week since it is a great way to warm up and get some veggies in since we don't have nearly as many fresh veggies around. We're also celebrating a few holidays this week so that is reflected in my meal plan and my baking.

Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday - Frozen Burritos and Mexican Chopped Salad after a busy day out

Monday - Tempora Shrimp and Air Fried Butternut Squash (carryover from last week)

Tuesday - Taco Tuesday! Beef Tacos for the boys and Chicken Fajitas for the adults

Wednesday - Nachos to celebrate Nacho Day! Beef for the boys and Egg Roll Nachos for the adults

Thursday - Harvest Vegetable Stew and Salads for the adults and Marcos Pizza for the boys for a school fundraiser 

Friday - Air Fryer Salmon and Green Bean Salad

Saturday - Leftovers/Freezer Food or out. We are heading out for the day so if we're not home in time for dinner, we'll grab something on the road.

Water Flavor - I think I'm skipping this week. We were so busy this past weekend that I am behind on multiple things around the house. It's late Monday as I write this and I just don't think it's worth it to set it up now, especially since the pitcher isn't emptied from last week. I'll be back again next week!

Baking - I made chocolate cupcakes with green icing over the weekend for chocolate cupcake day. I will also be making banana bread this week for breakfasts. And Thursday is eat a pretzel day and I'm seriously considering baking our own pretzels to celebrate this holiday. I'll report back if we decide to do that!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 10/5 - 10/11)

Monday (10/5) After a long and relaxing weekend, we are back to our normal routine today. But since our school district is starting hybrid learning this week and our kids are staying virtual, Daniel and Zak have less Zoom calls and work this week. Today only AJ has to follow his schedule, so we got him up early and Adrian got him started on his day and then took care of Rocky for the morning. Then he headed to work and I hung out with AJ while the other two slept in. When they finally woke up, I got them started on their schoolwork and I worked around the house a bit. Daniel and Zak finished their work quickly and spent their free time playing Cool Math games or playing outside on the trampoline. AJ did a great job of staying focused on his schoolwork and finished everything on time for the day.

When they were done with school, I let them have video games and I headed out to the church to work at the front desk for a few hours this afternoon. It was a busy afternoon there, but I still managed to get a few things on my list done, in between putting out fires that kept coming up at the church. I worked there until about 5:30 and it didn't really make sense to come home for 30 minutes to have to head right back for Zumba so I just stayed there and had dinner and enjoyed the silence. While I was there, Adrian took AJ and Zak to the pediatrician for their 3 month med check ups. They each grew over an inch and gained about a pound in the past 3 months and are looking great. We are all set to go for another 3 months.

After their appointment, they all came home and had dinner together and then got ready for their evening. I was at the church and taught an awesome Zumba Toning class to a great group! Then I went and picked up a large Kroger order since everything we needed was on an awesome sale. Adrian took AJ to his weekly Scout meeting where they talked about their upcoming backpacking trip, that AJ doesn't want to go on. When we all got home, we all worked together to put away to tons of groceries I brought home and then got started on our night routine. We watched an episode of "Muppets Now" before putting the boys to bed. Then Adrian and I watched 2 episodes of "Parks & Rec" leaving us only 2 more to finish the series. It was a pretty typical Monday but I felt like we also got a lot accomplished!

Tuesday (10/6) We got up and moving on time this morning and were back to our normal virtual school schedule. Adrian got AJ up and started on school and took care of Rocky before he headed upstairs to work for the day. I took a shower and then got Daniel ready for the day. After he was started in school, I got Zak up and ready for the day and then joined his 9am Zoom to hear how his class will run now that it is a combination of students who are virtual and hybrid. I have been worried about how this will work all weekend but feel so much better after listening to his Zoom!

After that, I got started working around the house while all 3 boys did a great job of doing their schoolwork. AJ and Zak both had speech today and worked hard on their R sound. Zak and Daniel had fewer Zoom calls since their teachers are getting adjusted to the hybrid model so they also spent a lot of time outside on the trampoline. The day passed quickly and we all got a lot accomplished. In addition to school, Zak learned about what a Rube Goldburg machine is so he can design one himself later this week.

When we were done with school, the boys headed upstairs to play video games for a bit while I jumped online for an awesome Zumba livestream class. The instructor did all old school songs and I loved every minute of his class and his energy! When that was over, I continued working around the house and then made pasta for all of us for dinner to celebrate noodle day. After dinner, Adrian and I took Rocky on a nice long walk and then cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. Then we got ready for family movie night. We watched Zak's pick of "Goosebumps" and we all loved it! It was a little predictable but we all enjoyed it. It was a great way to kick off our month of Halloween celebrations. When the movie was over, we got the boys to bed and watched an episode of "Parks and Rec" before we also headed to bed.

Wednesday (10/7) We slept in a little today since we don't have many Zooms today and we were up late last night. Daniel got up first so he was ready when Patrick was dropped off. I woke Zak up next so that he was ready for his 9am Zoom, our one and only class for the day. Daniel, Patrick and Zak all finished their work quickly for the day and were done before AJ even woke up. When he finally got up, he got to work on his school work while the other boys played quietly together. They eventually decided to design a Rube Goldburg machine for Zak's Scout requirement. When AJ was finished, he jumped in and helped them complete their 2 story machine to put a toy away. I'm so glad they had fun with this and that Zak was able to complete this requirement for a Scout belt loop. While they were playing, I got a ton of stuff done around the house and made a delicious dinner in the slow cooker. 

The day passed quickly and before long it was time for Patrick's mom to drop off our school lunches for the week and pick him up. Then we got ready for our evening activities. I headed to the church to work for about an hour and was super busy there since things are picking up for the building, yay! Adrian fed the boys dinner and then headed upstairs for his Zoom Bible study. When I got home, I got AJ set up for his Zoom merit badge counseling session. He successfully earned his electricity merit badge tonight! He did a great job of staying focused over the past few weeks and getting 2-3 requirements done each week so he would be ready for this session. When we were all done, it was late so we watched one episode of "Cobra Kai" and then put the boys to bed. Then Adrian and I watched the series finale of "Parks and Rec." It had a great ending, we both really loved it! The series was great, once we got to season 3. The first two seasons were a bit rocky, but I'm glad we kept going because the final 5 seasons were hilarious!

Thursday (10/8) We got up and moving this morning but we were all dragging a bit. Adrian got AJ up and started on school and then got Rocky thru her morning routine and dropped her off at daycare for the day. Then he headed upstairs to work in our room for the day. Daniel and I got up soon after so that we were both ready when Cameron was dropped off and Zak slept in a little bit. Cameron, Zak and Daniel again had no Zoom calls today since the second half of the hybrid students started school today. They all finished their work for the day fairly quickly and spent the rest of the day playing with Beyblades, marble tracks, trampoline and eventually video games when AJ was finished for the day. AJ did a great job of staying focused and actually had his last 3 periods of Zooms cancel because his school didn't have internet. So he finished a little bit earlier than usual too.

After Cameron was picked up, we got ready for our evening. I got dinner together for Adrian and I, then headed out to pick up pizza for the boys. I also picked up Rocky from daycare while I was out. As usual, she was exhausted after her day there. Today she got to play with bubbles and had a great time running around with the other dogs. When I got home, we all had dinner, then I headed out to the church to teach my Zumba class. We had a smaller than usual class tonight, but we still had fun and got a great workout. When I got home, we took Rocky for a quick walk, finished cleaning up from dinner and watched two episodes of "Cobra Kai" with the boys. After we got them to bed, we cleared off our DVR by checking out a few new shows that we were not fans of and then watching the "Black-ish" election special before we also headed to bed.

Friday (10/9) We got up and moving on time again, but we were all dragging again. Adrian got AJ up and ready for school and then took care of Rocky. I got myself and Daniel up and ready so we were ready when Cameron was dropped off. Zak got up on his own, earlier than he needed to get up. The boys all did a good job of finishing the week strong and getting all of their schoolwork done. They had a few Zoom calls each and finished almost all of their assignments so we have very little to do this weekend. I worked around the house while they did schoolwork, played on the trampoline, built a fun marble track and played video games when they were done with school for the day.

After Cameron was picked up, the boys got some free time and Adrian and I took Rocky for a nice long walk. Then we all had dinner together before Adrian took AJ and Zak to raise the flag at our high school's playoff game. They loved doing it and Zak was very excited to be included with the older Scouts. When they got home, the boys headed upstairs for a video game marathon and Adrian and I played a new to us game "Suburbia." Adrian won this one and we both loved it and can't wait to play again! Then we watched a few episodes of "Schitt's Creek" while we let the boys stay up until midnight tonight since we have other plans tomorrow night. The adults struggled to stay awake that late, but we just made it and got the boys down and then followed them to bed.

Saturday (10/10) We were all up and moving earlier than we would have liked to be on a weekend. I got ready and headed to the church to teach a super fun Zumba Toning class. While I was there, Adrian took Zak to his weekly bowling league where he bowled very consistant and got a 43 in all 3 of his games. When we all got home, we gave the boys some free time while we got a few things done and had our lunch. Then we played our family game of "Machi Koro Legacy" for this month and Zak beat us all easily. When we got that cleaned up, Adrian and I played our September game of "Pandemic Legacy" and lost one turn away from winning. It was really hard this month and we thought we would lose quick and almost pulled out the win, but forgot about one city and we lost.

When we were done with that game, we cleaned up a little and then got dinner ready for everyone. We were going to head out to the drive in but no one really wanted to see the first movie (Hocus Pocus) so we decided to change up our plans and stay home. We headed out for our ice cream run soon after dinner and all got "ice cream sushi" from Ice Cream Rollery. Then we came home and watched "Goosebumps 2" while finishing up our ice cream. Once again, we were all pleasantly surprised with this movie and really enjoyed it. After a short break to make popcorn and give Rocky a quick walk, we watched movie number 2 "Beetlejuice." The boys thought it was just OK and Adrian and I were both a little bored and struggled to stay awake. When the movies were over, we put the boys to bed and followed right behind them since we were all exhausted.

Sunday (10/11) We all slept in this morning and it was much needed! We had a lazy start to our morning and then got started on our weekly chores. We were supposed to go to my brother's house today, but we had to cancel since Isabelle wasn't feeling well and we are all being pretty overly cautious right now. We spent the afternoon working around the house and watching football on the RedZone network since neither of our games were on regular TV. We got a ton done including finishing the boys homework, cleaning the house and getting ready for a busy week.

The day passed quickly and before long it was time for pizza for dinner to celebrate National Sausage Pizza day. Then we gave the boys a little more free time playing video games while we played "Pandemic Legacy" again. We played our second September game since we lost yesterday, and we lost again. This is the first time in both seasons that we have lost a month and had to move on to the next one without beating a month. Once again, we were one turn away from winning and we had too many plagues come out and we lost. After we cleaned up the game, we watched two episodes of "Cobra Kai" with the boys and then got them to bed. Then we played a quick game of "Fort" and I finally won a game this weekend! We finished our weekend by watching the second season finale of "Schitt's Creek" before heading to bed. It was a pretty great weekend, I'm ready to have an awesome week!!

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Oct 11 - Oct 17)

We had another great week of sticking to our meal plan! Although we again had a slow cooker meal that didn't cook in the time it should have cooked. I'm starting to wonder if my Instant Pot is on the fritz. It seems to do the pressure cooking OK but not the slow cooking. I'll have to research if others have had this problem. We still made it work because we had leftovers that day and now have a bunch of leftover vegetable soup that we will eat this week for lunches. 

We have a pretty good handle on our vegetables from our CSA right now and are nearing the end of our year with them. We will mostly be stocking up on apples, squash and potatoes for the rest of our weeks. Those will last us thru Christmas, maybe even early January. When we are done with all of the fresh vegetables each week, I'll really be focusing on cleaning out our freezers because we are busting at the seams with food in them. We have a ton of meat in our freezer downstairs and a ton of lunches from the schools in our freezer upstairs. We'll continue to have at least one day each week where we eat either leftovers or freezer meals for dinner for the next few months.

This is a very busy week for us. Adrian has Monday off and we always go on a day date for Columbus Day since the kids are normally in school. This year they will be home doing school there, but we are still heading out. We're going to get them thru their stuff in the morning and then head out in the afternoon for a few hours. We'll come home and have dinner with the boys and then hopefully play a board game or two. We also have a ton of plans this weekend so we'll be trying to keep up on our housework this week so it doesn't linger into the weekend. And finally, Adrian is taking Thursday off from work so that we can finally stain our deck. It is just too hard over the weekends between having Rocky here and having so many fun fall activities to do. Our meals are family quick and easy this week to reflect our busy schedule.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Leftover Marco's Pizza for Sausage Pizza Day!
Monday - Sheet Pan Sausage & Veggies and Air Fried Brussels Sprouts
Tuesday - Taco Casserole and Corn on the Cob
Wednesday - Stuffed Acorn Squash and Salad
Thursday - Frozen Tempora Shrimp and Air Fried Butternut Squash
Friday - Sandwiches and Corn on the Cob - I'm keeping it easy because we have kids coming over tonight to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons.
Saturday - Cavatelli to celebrate National Pasta Day and Salad

Water Flavor - Apple. I used up all of the peaches that didn't look great, and then I found an apple that didn't look great so I used that for my water flavor this week.

Baking - I'm continuing to use up some of the things we get from the free school lunches in baked goods. This week I'm making Cranberry Orange Muffins with some of the juice and the cranberries that we have. I'm also making Crumb Cake with the boys for National Dessert Day on Wednesday.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 2/7 - 2/13)

Friday (2/7) We got our snow day!!!  The alarm went off and I was happy to see a post that due to the weather and road conditions we will be closed today.  I tried to go back to sleep but I just wasn't able to shut my brain off.  Plus Daniel and Zak both got up shortly after the alarm so we were just all up for the day.  Adrian headed into work at his normal time since he wasn't able to get a snow day.  AJ was the only one who was able to sleep in and enjoy some extra rest this morning.  The boys were excited to have a day to relax and play video games.  I enjoyed a lazy morning sipping coffee and then started catching up on all the stuff around the house that I needed to get done.

The day passed quickly as I worked, the boys played and Rocky slept.  The boys did get some of their homework started so we have less to do this weekend since we'll be busy celebrating birthdays.  After working around the house all day, I got ready for our evening activities.  I headed out to the Y for my Zumba class.  I had over 30 people in the class and we had a great, sweaty time dancing together!!  While I was there, Adrian took Zak to his first basketball game.  Unfortunately Zak pitched a fit and refused to play for most of the game.  He knows we're upset with him and hopefully he'll play better next time.  When we all got home, Adrian had to finish up some thing for work for the weekend and I finished cleaning up a few things around the house.  We let the boys stay up a little later tonight since we can sleep in a little tomorrow and then eventually got them down to bed.  Adrian and I had snacks, watched a comedy on our DVR and went to bed.

Saturday (2/8) Happy 8th Birthday Zak!!! We had a busy day on tap but still managed to squeeze in a lot of celebrating! We started with our normal Saturday routine. We were all up early to get ready to head out. Daniel was picked up and taken downtown for his art class while I got ready and headed to the church for my Zumba class. While I was there, Adrian headed to bowling with Zak where they celebrated with breakfast pizza and one of Zak's best games yet! Then they headed downtown to pick up David and Daniel and we all came home for lunch together.

After lunch, we played a few board games including Zak's pick of Machi Koro Legacy. I won this month's game and we are all curious how this game will evolve and change over the next few months. Then the boys had some video game time while Adrian and I got a few things done and got ready for the continuing birthday celebrations. In the afternoon, Adrian took AJ to his basketball game while I ran to Meijer to pick up a few things for the birthdays. AJ played well and continues to improve his skill, we're very proud of him for continuing to play and learn!

When they were done, they went and picked up Jets pizza for our dinner. We enjoyed our pizza together and then opened Zak's gifts. He got some new Beyblades, clothes, walkie talkies and a new video game. Then they went and played for a while before we came back together for Oreo ice cream cake. Then Adrian and I played a few board games while they played upstairs until bedtime. We let them stay up a little later to continue the birthday celebration. I hope Zak had an epic 8th birthday!!

Sunday (2/9) We all slept in a little today and then got up and moving to head to second service of church. When that was over, I headed straight to the Y to teach my barre class, which continues to get bigger every week, yay! We have moved out of the small studio and into the large group fitness room and are busting at the seams in there too. After class, I hustled back home to pack up the car and head to Gahanna Lanes for Zak's birthday party. We had about 10 kids come for the party and everyone had a great time! They bowled, played video games, enjoyed pizza, cupcakes and a giant cookie and laughed a lot! Zak said it was an "epic" birthday party and the best day!

When the party was over, we headed home to open all of Zak's presents from his friends. He got lots of Lego sets, Minecraft goodies and a few gift cards. He is super excited about everything! Then we spent a little bit of time trying to clean up the house and do our weekly stuff to be ready for the week. The night passed quickly and before long it was time to get the boys thru their night routine and down to bed. Then Adrian and I did a few more things around the house to be ready for the week and watched a few comedies before heading to bed too. It has been a great 3 day weekend, but all good things must come to an end. We are all worn out from all the fun and have more coming up this week. It was a great but exhausting weekend for sure!!

Monday (2/10) Happy 11th Birthday Daniel!! Unfortunately since we're back to our regular schedule, we had to get up super early again today. Adrian got AJ up and ready and we got him on the bus before Adrian headed in to work. I got Daniel ready and dropped off at school and then came home and got Zak ready and dropped off at school. I sent both of them with cookies for birthday treats to share with their classes today. I took the day off today to catch my breath between all of the birthday fun. I headed out to run a few errands after dropping everyone off at school and then came home and worked around the house until it was time to pick everyone up.

The day passed quickly and before long it was time for school pick ups. I picked up Daniel and AJ from school as a treat for Daniel since it's his special day. Then we came home and soon after I headed out to pick up Zak from school. When we all got home, we had some free time and then quickly finished our homework so we were ready to party when Dad got home. We had pasta together for dinner, then split up for our night activities. I headed to the church to teach Zumba and Adrian and AJ headed to his weekly Scout meeting. When we all got home, we had homemade ice cream cake for Daniel's birthday and opened his presents.  After that, we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed a little later than normal but that's OK. Adrian and I cleaned up a little around the house and then watched two comedies before also heading to bed. While it wasn't a huge celebration today, he still had a great day and has his party with friends this weekend to look forward to. 

Tuesday (2/11) We are finally done with birthday celebrations, at least until this weekend, and are in our annual sugar comas for the week. We slept in just a little this morning and drove AJ to school instead of having him take the bus. Adrian helped get AJ and Daniel up and moving before he headed in to work for the day. Then I dropped them off at school and got myself and Zak ready for our day. We headed into the school together since I was subbing for the day. Our day passed quickly, especially since I had two different classes today. I enjoy doing the half days and getting to see different kids during the day.

When we got home from school, we quickly did our homework and then started getting ready for our night. Zak finished up his Scout assignment and then we all enjoyed tacos together for dinner. Then Zak and I headed out to his Scout meeting. We spent the evening learning about dinosaurs and finishing up his "Digging in the Past" beltloop. Zak was super proud of the dinosaur he created from legos. His name is Rodo and he is from Uranus. In addition to sharing our dinosaurs, we enjoyed fossil snacks and talked about how different things are found in the different layers of the Earth. After his meeting, we came home and it was pretty much time for our night routine. We got the boys thru their snack and show and then put them down for the night. Then Adrian and I did a little bit of clean up in the kitchen, watched a few comedies from our DVR and also headed to bed. This week every year is always so tiring!

Wednesday (2/12) We had another rough time getting out of bed this morning, but we made it. We actually got up early enough for Adrian to get AJ ready and on the bus before he headed out to work. Then I dropped Daniel off at school and ran home to grab Rocky and drop her off at daycare for the day. After that, I got Zak ready and dropped him off at school for the day. Then I came home and finally got myself ready for the day before heading out to the Gahanna Y to teach my two classes, Zumba Toning & Aqua Zumba. We had a blast in both classes as we always do! Then I ran quickly to the Reynoldsburg Y to teach my Silver Sneakers class and as always had a great time with that crew.

I finished up and ran to pick up my Kroger order for the week before getting in line to pick up Zak from school. After I dropped him and the groceries off at home, I headed out to Central for AJ's parent teacher conferences. I heard all good things, his teachers are really pleased with his hard work, behavior and intelligence. He is being recommended for all advanced classes again next year & will continue playing baritone. His band teacher would like him to get some private lessons over the summer so we'll be looking into that for him too. After a smooth time of meeting with all of his teachers, I picked up Rocky and headed home briefly.

As soon as I got home, I got the boys thru homework and dinner as quickly as possible before heading back out to Central for a meeting about the college credit program. After hearing about it and discussing it, AJ has decided to wait at least one more year before starting down this path, which I think is an excellent idea. After that meeting, I finally got to go home for the day and relax a bit! Adrian had Bible study after work so he headed right there and I was on my own for the night. We finished up the little bit of homework we still had left and then I gave the boys some free time so I could relax. Soon it was time for their night routine so I got them thru that and down to bed. Then Adrian came home and we cleaned up a little before settling down to watch "Survivor" and then headed to bed.

Thursday (2/13) We had a rough time getting up and moving again this morning but thankfully today is our Friday! AJ missed the bus again so Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel started and then he headed in to work. Then I dropped them off at school, along with Daniel's final batch of Valentine's for his last class party. Then I came home and got Zak ready and we headed in to school together since I was subbing for the day. He also had Valentine's ready for his class party. Our day passed quickly and I got super lucky to be able to stop in to Zak's class party for a bit while my class was at their special. We enjoyed ice cream sundaes and Charlie Brown's Valentine's special together!

When school was over we headed home and are super excited about our 4 day weekend!! I gave the boys free time for a bit while I relaxed and then started our dinner. We all ate dinner together before splitting up for the night. Adrian and Zak headed to the church for Zak's basketball practice and game. He played really tough today and did great on defense. While they were there, I was in the back of the church teaching my Zumba class. We had an awesome, sweaty time as usual. When we were all done, we headed home for the night. We got the boys thru their normal night routine and no one minded going to bed on time because we're all really worn out from the week. Then Adrian and I watched a few comedies on our DVR before we also headed to bed. So thankful for a few days off to catch up around the house and recover from all of these birthday celebrations!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 9/28 - 10/4)

Monday (9/28) Back to our normal virtual school grind for the week! We all got up and moving on time today after a lot of rest this weekend. Adrian got AJ and Rocky up and thru their morning routines and then headed upstairs to work. I got Daniel, Zak and myself up and ready for the day. Zak had a light school day since his teacher was out and there were no Zoom calls. When I got everyone started on school for the day, I started working on stuff around the house. Since I was behind all of last week, I didn't get everything done this weekend that I wanted to so I worked on that as well as my normal daily stuff. The day passed quickly and everyone was super productive! The boys got all of their stuff done and I got a ton crossed off my list.

After a delicious dinner together, we split up for our night activities. I headed to the church to teach my Zumba class. We had a super fun time and enjoyed starting some of our Halloween songs this week. While I was there, Adrian took AJ to his weekly Scout meeting and then ran out to pick up some materials for AJ to finish up his electricity merit badge this weekend. When we all got home, we cleaned up a little and then celebrated "Drink a Beer" day while watching the last part of the "Holey Moley" special together. After that, we got the boys to bed, made our snacks and watched 2 more episodes of "Parks and Rec" before heading to bed. We aren't going to finish it before it leaves Netflix in a few days, but we will probably finish it this week over on Peacock.

Tuesday (9/29) We got up and moving on time this morning. Adrian got AJ and Rocky up and started on thier days while I got ready and then got Daniel up. When everyone was working on school for the day, I started working around the house. The day passed quickly and everyone got their schoolwork done very quickly. Both AJ and Zak had speech therapy today in addition to their regular school schedule. They both did a great job of staying focused during their sessions and are working hard on their "r" sounds. When they were done with schoolwork, I gave them some free time while I tried to take a Zumba livestream class. Unfortunately they had technical difficulties on their side and I was unable to take the class.

We tried to have an early dinner tonight because Adrian and I were heading out tonight, but for some reason our tacos didn't cook. Thankfully we were able to get the boys fed and then we decided to get dinner while we were out. We headed to Cooper's Hawk for our monthly tasting and enjoyed most of the wines. I finally found one of their wines that I don't like, their Merlot is not one of my favorites. After the tasting, we walked over to Condado and got delicious tacos for dinner. Then we headed home to have family movie night with the boys. We watched "Doolittle" which the boys loved, but Adrian and I thought was just OK. When the movie was over, we got the boys to sleep, watched one more episode of "Parks & Rec" and headed to bed as well.

Wednesday (9/30) We had a rough time getting moving this morning! I got Daniel up so he would be ready when Patrick got here and we let the other two boys sleep in. Adrian got Rocky started and then headed upstairs to work for the day. When Patrick got here, he and Daniel got their schoolwork done very quickly. When AJ and Zak finally got up, I got them thru their morning routine and then they finally started their schoolwork. The were very distracted today, partly because Daniel and Patrick were done work so they were playing most of the time. But I finally managed to get everyone thru all of their work for the day and then all 4 boys played together for the rest of the day.

I worked around the house and ran quickly out to Meijer to pick up a few necessities this afternoon. The day passed very quickly and before I knew it, Melissa was here to drop off my meals for the week and pick up Patrick. Then I cooked dinner for all of us before heading out to work for an hour at the church and pick up a small Kroger order for the week. While I was out, Adrian skipped his Bible study to get a few things done around the house since he is very busy and doesn't have a lot of time this weekend since he's going camping with Zak. When I got home, we took Rocky for a quick walk and then started our nightime routine. We watched two episodes of "Cobra Kai" with the boys before putting them to bed. It's getting really good and we wanted to watch more but it was too late. Then we finished cleaning up the kitchen before we watched two episodes of "Parks & Rec." We didn't make it to watch them all before it leaves Netflix, but thankfully we have Peacock and will watch the last 5 episodes on that.

Thursday (10/1) We got up and moving on time again this morning, although we were all tired and cranky. Adrian got AJ and Rocky up and started on their days and then dropped Rocky off at daycare for the day. I got Daniel and myself ready for the day and then when Cameron got here, they got started on school for the day. I got Zak up and moving so he was also ready to start school on time. The day passed quickly with the boys doing school work and playing with Beyblades or on the trampoline in between classes. I worked around the house and got a ton done while they were working.

After Cameron was picked up, I got ready to leave for our night activities. I had a quick dinner of leftover pork tacos from the other day and then headed to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class. We had an awesome time and I felt great when I got home! After a quick walk with Rocky, we watched two episodes of "Cobra Kai" as a family. We finished season 1 and started season 2 and we are all loving this show!! After getting the boys to bed, Adrian and I watched the Jets lose again. YouTubeTV has this great feature where you can start a live event late & just catch up with the highlights that you missed. We used that to watch the first half and then watched most of the second half. I went to bed before the game was over, it was pathetic and I was exhausted.

Friday (10/2) The boys didn't have school today so we all got to sleep in a little bit. Cameron was still coming over though because his mom was working so Daniel and I got up and moving. Adrian got up and got Rocky thru her morning routine and then headed upstairs to work. When AJ and Zak finally got up and moving, I got everyone thru their morning routine and then pretty much let them play video games all day. I headed out late morning to get a much needed pedicure. It was nice to relax for an hour and now my feet look pretty and ready for the fall!

The rest of the day passed quickly while the boys played and I worked around the house. Cameron was picked up a little earlier than usual since his mom only had meetings today. Our evening plans changed a few times and we ended up having nothing to do tonight. Zak didn't sleep well so he passed out in our bed while watching TV around 8pm. We left him there and let the other boys have some extra video game time while Adrian and I played a game of "Pan Am" and he finally won! Then we put the other boys to bed and watched one episode of "Parks and Rec" before heading to bed too. We have an early morning tomorrow!

Saturday (10/3) After a rough night of sleep, today started earlier than I wanted it to. Adrian and Zak were getting ready to leave to go camping for the night so I helped them finish getting ready and head out the door. I was supposed to teach my Zumba class this morning, but I fell walking Rocky last night so I decided to give my knee the morning to rest. I got AJ and Daniel thru their morning routine and then got ready to attend my 3rd virtual jam this morning. I traveled to Canada to learn from a new to me jammer and had a great time! I learned 4 songs, 2 of which I'll be adding to my classes this week. Unfortunately I didn't dance as much as I would have liked since my knee hurt, but that was a perk to jamming from home, I was able to ice and elevate it.

When the jam was over, we all had lunch together and then Daniel took a walk with Rocky and I. Then I worked around the house while AJ and Daniel played video games and watched YouTube. The day passed quickly while we were all busy. We stopped what we were doing to have dinner and smoothies together since it's world smoothie day. Then AJ took a walk with Rocky and I before they both headed back upstairs. I spent the rest of the night working around the house, relaxing and watching "Double Shot at Love." I haven't heard much from Adrian, but I'm hoping they are having a good time!!

Sunday (10/4) Since I was alone overnight, I slept like a rock...and slept for almost 10 hours!! I thought I had an alarm set to get up for church, but I did not. AJ and Daniel also slept in and none of us got up until close to 10am. It was glorious! I got Rocky thru her morning stuff and soon after Adrian and Zak got home from camp. They had a great time and Zak enjoyed telling me all about it. He fished, hiked, shot BBs and archery and played with a few friends. He also found a giant walking stick on his hike and is now calling himself "stick ninja." They were both a little tired, but had a great time camping out at Falling Rock, I'm so happy for both of them!

After they unpacked and got settled, we got to work around the house. AJ had some homework to finish up for the weekend and we did our weekly chores around the house. We decided to skip our ice cream trip this week since we were running short on time but did play our weekly board game. It was my pick this week so we played "Sushi Go Party." We had a fun time and Adrian won pretty big. In between cleaning and playing we also watched the Sunday football games and were disappointed in the Cowboys again. It is going to be a long season for both my team and Adrian's!

The day passed quickly and was very productive with a little bit of fun thrown in. We got our Halloween costumes figured out and ordered and are ready for another great week of virtual school. We have our grocery list together and are making a good dent in all of the food that we have here. I feel very ready to go into the next week, even if it's a busy one. We finished our night with two episodes of "Cobra Kai" with the boys before they went to bed. That show is so good and we are loving every episode!! Then Adrian and I watched another episode of "Parks & Rec" and are almost finished with that series, which we are also loving. It was a pretty great Sunday for us!!