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

Remember when I used to do a meal plan every week??  I did them every week this month until the first week in February.  Then I got super busy working a ton of hours and teaching a ton of classes.  I was still meal planning each week, it was a necessity to keep us eating well (or at all!) since we were so busy.  But I didn't have time to get everything done that I needed to do and so I chose not to write these posts.  It may seem like a simple thing, and it is, but there was just so much on my plate so I cut a lot of small, unimportant things off to focus on the important ones.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and I have nothing but time!  But it's such a weird time that meal planning wasn't that important.  I was still doing it so we'd know what we were eating and what we needed to get from the stores.  Mostly we were eating what we had.  I had just done a pretty big restocking trip the week before the quarantine hit so we had a ton of stuff to use.  But now we are starting to run out, especially of produce and veggies.  I make a list for this week and will be heading out to as many stores as I need to hit, as often as possible over the next week or so to stock us back up.  I'm not sure how long this will go on, so it's hard to plan too far ahead.  But I know we're not getting back to life as normal any time in April, probably not May either.  So I'm starting there.

I'm going to switch up a little how I'm sharing what we're eating.  First I'm not making overnight oats anymore.  I haven't been eating them since I'm home every morning.  We're either cooking a hot breakfast, or just grabbing a bar and some fruit.  My oats are on hold, probably until the fall.  Also just about all of my meals are themed around the "use it up" challenge that I was trying to focus on so I'm not going to have that as a category either.  I'll share what we're eating for dinner and then any other "fun" things we are planning.  I've been doing a lot of baking since we're home all the time so I'll share some of those recipes as well.

OK, on to what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Steak on the Grill with Air Fryer Acorn Squash (the savory way)
Monday - Everything Bagel Chicken with Spinach Salad
Tuesday - Salsa Pork Tacos for the adults and normal ground beef tacos for the kids
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs with garlic bread.  I made a giant pot of gravy last week and froze it so we can enjoy it for upcoming weeks.  Wednesdays are the one day that is still busy for us so I want something quick and easy.
Thursday - Gnocchi for the boys and Pork and Potato Bowls for the adults using up some of the pork from Tuesday
Friday - Chicken and Noodles.  Adrian has asked for this for years and I never knew how to make homemade noodles.  My niece posted her recipe last week so I'm taking the plunge and trying to make it this week.  I hope it works!!
Saturday - Leftovers.  We've been calling Saturday "fun days" and just hanging out and not thinking about any kind of work, including cooking.  We either have leftovers, sandwiches or frozen appetizers each week.  It's a nice break for me since I'm doing a ton of cooking right now!

Water Flavor - Apple.  I have some apples that are rotting so I'm using them up in my water for the next few weeks.  I may make applesauce as well if I get really motivated.

What I'm baking this week:
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cups - I saw this on Facebook and it looked delicious!  And I have a few bananas that need to be used up this week so instead of smoothies, I'm making these for our breakfasts.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars - The boys have been asking for these so after we finished our baked goods from last week I told them I would make these for this week.
Homemade Crumb Cake - We already made this once during quarantine using my mom's recipe and ate the whole thing.  The boys asked to make it again so we'll make it on Friday so we have it for Easter Sunday.
Homemade Bobka - I normally make this each year for Easter for our traditional Easter breakfast.  Since we're not having that this year, I'll just be making this for us to enjoy next week.
Blackberry Sangria - We still have all of the ingredients for this (except the fresh fruit) because I was supposed to make it multiple times for different gatherings that have all cancelled.  I decided to make it for me and Adrian to enjoy over Easter weekend.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/27 - 4/2)

Friday (3/27) - Day 14 of "Corona break" and Happy Birthday to me!!!  It was obviously not the birthday I was planning just a few weeks ago, but we tried to do the best we could.  It started with some texts, Facebook messages and a video chat with some great friends over coffee and brownies for breakfast.  I was also able to kick everyone out of the living room and do a Zumba class with an awesome instructor from Zumba home office.  I had so much fun dancing with Loretta and smiled the whole time!!  Adrian worked for most of the day but thankfully finished up around 4pm so we could celebrate my birthday.

We spent the evening by opening my presents, Golden Girls games and a blanket, then enjoying homemade pizza and Oreo ice cream cake.  We played two board games, Avengers Infinity War (we won!) and Star Trek Roll for the Galaxy (we won again!)  The boys wanted some time alone to play video games so I caught up on some Facebook messages and texts.  One of the best surprises of the birthday was Sarah organizing a book with all of my family members answering different questions about me.  She read it to me on a video chat this afternoon since we aren't able to get together right now.  It was a weird day for me and while I appreciate what everyone did, I was still a little bummed not to be able to leave the house or do what I wanted.  But I'm grateful to see another year and to be happy, healthy and loved by so many amazing family members and friends.

Saturday (3/28) - Day 15 of "Corona break."  Following what we've done the past two weekends, one day of the weekend will be for fun and one will be for work.  Today was our fun day!  We all slept in for a bit and then had a relaxing morning of TV and coffee.  When the boys headed upstairs for some video game time, Adrian and I played all of my new Golden Girls games.  We played each of the Funkoverse games and I won one and he won the other.  Then we played Golden Girls Monopoly and had fun laughing at the themed places and cards while I won in a landslide!

We spent the rest of the day alternating between watching TV and playing board games.  We watched some of our comedies that we are behind on as well as another episode of "The Good Doctor."  We played Takenoko (I won!) and Wingspan (I did not win) and went on a long walk with Rocky.  We all ate leftovers during the day so I didn't have to cook and we could empty the fridge out a little bit.  The boys did not want to play with us at all so we let them hang out upstairs playing for the whole day.  Adrian and I finished up the night by starting to watch what everyone else in the country is talking about, "Tiger King" the documentary on Netflix.  It is a super crazy story already and we're only on episode two!!

Sunday (3/29) - Day 16 of "Corona break." Everyone else slept in and I was the first one up for the first time in a really long time.  I stayed upstairs playing on my tablet for a while so I didn't distrub anyone and then when the boys got up, we finally headed downstairs.  Since yesterday was a fun day, today was a work day for us.  We significantly restricted the boys' video game time today and will be doing so for the next week at least.  They spent a ton of time outside playing on the trampoline & helping Adrian cut the front lawn.  We got a ton of stuff done around the house today and feel ready to go into our second week of school from home.

After a day full of work, we sat down to have dinner together as a family and enjoyed Adrian's pick of hot dogs, burgers and french fries.  Then we finished up a few chores and took Rocky on a very long walk.  I messed up & forgot to make Adrian's dessert choice of cheesecake so we just enjoyed another make your own sundae bar tonight.  We watched the second episode of "The Mandelorian" tonight as a family and we are all really getting into it!!  After that, we got the boys to bed and came down and watched the third episode of "Tiger King."  That's just getting crazier by the episode!  Then we decided to head to bed to get some rest for another busy week of work and school from home.

Monday (3/30) - Day 17 of "Corona break." We got up and moving fairly early (well early for us these days) today.  We are starting a new schedule here for this week where we do schoolwork from 10am until 3pm each day and then the boys are released to play video games or do whatever they want for the rest of the day.  I had a meeting at church this morning to get all set up for teaching Zumba classes virtually for the next month or so while we continue to stay home due to the Corona virus.  After the meeting at church, we got started on school and the boys did an excellent job of doing what was done today as well as working on some of their on-going projects.  Daniel also had a Zoom meeting with his homeroom and was thrilled to see his friends and teacher again.

When school was over for the day, we cleaned the kitchen for about half an hour and then the boys were released for the rest of the day.  They headed upstairs to play video games while I got dinner ready for all of us.  After we all had dinner together, I headed to church to teach my first ever virtual Zumba class.  It was SO much fun!!  There were some technical glitches but I think we got them worked out for our next class.  Everyone said it was great to dance together again and we also realized that even badly streamed Zumba is better than no Zumba at all.  I'm so glad I took this leap to try teaching in this new way for right now!!

When I got home, AJ was on a Zoom video meeting for his weekly Scout meeting.  They practiced tying knots and talked a little about what they are doing for summer camp this summer.  While none of this is what we want to do, I'm thankful we have options to still keep things close to normal for all of us.  When his meeting was over, we cleaned up a little then watched the 3rd episode of "The Mandalorian" as a family.  AJ, Adrian and I are loving this series, but the other boys don't really like it.  We're going to figure out a way for the three of us to watch it anyway.  When the show was over, we got the boys down to bed and then came down and watched another episode of "Tiger King."  That is really like a train wreck, I can't look away but it is so ridiculous!!  After that, we headed to bed too in hopes of getting up and moving again a little earlier tomorrow.  That worked out really well for us today!

Tuesday (3/31) - Day 18 of "Corona break." We did not get up and moving as early this morning.  I had my alarm set but I accidentally turned it off instead of snoozing it and slept for another 90 minutes.  I guess I needed the rest!!  When we did get up and moving it was a pretty full day.  We started school around 10 again today and the boys did a great job of staying focused on their tasks for the day and working on their weekly stuff.  Zak's teacher put some stuff up today so thankfully he has more to do while the other boys are working.  They also spent almost an hour outside for gym class playing in the trampoline and playing fetch with Rocky.  She is getting spoiled and will not know what happened when we all leave for school and work again, whenever that is.

I had a rough day, I think the stress of everything just came crashing down on me today.  But thankfully the boys did a great job on their own of staying on task and we got thru our school work.  They headed upstairs for some video game time and I took some time for myself and took my friends barre class in my living room which helped my mood a little.  Then I got dinner ready and we all ate together.  After dinner the boys had free time for video games again but they chose to play a game of Uno together.  It was one of those games that goes on forever because everyone has to keep picking cards and they were laughing and playing together for over an hour while Adrian and I cleaned up from dinner and I put away laundry.  We finally had to call the game a tie so we could move on with our night.

We had family movie night tonight and watched AJ's pick of "Guardians of the Galaxy" as we continue to rewatch all of the Avengers movies.  This is by far one of my favories in this series and I was glad to have the laughs tonight.  I also used the time to catch up on some emails since I've seen the movie twice already and know what happens (and when to watch the really good parts!)  When the movie was over, we got the boys to bed and unfortunately Adrian to work for a bit.  So I continued watching "Little Fires Everywhere" which I am loving on Hulu!!  I finished the second episode tonight and hope to watch the third tomorrow before the next one comes out.  I stayed up later than I planned, but I'm still hoping to be up and moving earlier tomorrow morning.

Wednesday (4/1) - Day 19 of "Corona break." Wednesdays are currently our busiest day of the week, we have a lot going on each week!  The day started early since we had to get Rocky dropped off at daycare this morning.  Adrian dropped her off today because he also had to go and pick up a book for his Bible study that starts tonight.  While he was out doing that, I did a Zumba mini-jam and learned one song with an awesome jammer while in my pajamas on my couch.  I'm so thankful to Zumba for still providing us with free learning opportunities!!

When my jam was over, I got the boys ready for their day and started on school work.  Daniel had another Zoom meeting this morning and Zak also had a Zoom speech therapy session with the other student he does speech with in school.  It was a long day of school work but we got thru it.  When we were finished with school work, I headed out to run a few errands including picking up and dropping off prescriptions, grabbing a few essentials from Aldi and dropping off my friend's fan so she's ready to Zumba with me tomorrow night.  I also picked up Rocky while I was out, she had another great day at doggy daycare.

I dropped Rocky off at home, grabbed some snacks and headed to the church to work for about an hour while our worship band practiced.  I look forward to this hour every week now, I get to talk to other adults in person, get a little bit of quiet and can focus on whatever I need to do for about an hour.  When my shift ended, I delivered a few Secret Sister gifts that were at the church and then headed home for the night.  Unfortunately Lego Masters wasn't on tonight so we didn't have our normal Wednesday night.  The boys opted for extra video game time so Adrian and I started "Survivor" early so we could head to bed at a decent hour.  It was another typical night in quarantine for us and we all got to bed a little early so we're ready to do it again tomorrow.

Thursday (4/2) - Day 20 of "Corona break." We slept in a little today and it felt great!  Once we were up and moving, I jumped on a Zoom call with some ladies from church to catch up over coffee and pray together.  It was great to see so many smiling faces this morning!  When the call was over, the boys started school for the day.  They did a pretty good job staying on task and getting everything done, but Daniel continues to struggle with school from home.  He misses his friends, his teachers and his routine - and I'm right there with him!  When we were done with school for the day, I gave the boys some free time while I finished up a few things and got dinner together.

After we had dinner, I headed out to the church to teach my second Zoom Zumba class of the week.  I had another big crowd & we had fun dancing together, despite some sound issues on my end.  I appreciate my students' support and grace while I learn this new to me technology!  When I came home from class, we finished our night by all spending 30 minutes cleaning the kitchen and bathroom downstairs, both of which need a lot of work!  This was just the first pass at both areas.  Then the boys decided they wanted extra video game time instead of a family TV show or movie so they did that while Adrian and I did a few things around the house.  Then he fell asleep on the couch so I got caught up on my Bravo shows from the week before I also headed to bed.  Pretty productive Thursday!

Keeping Up With...2020 Goals (First 3 Months Recap)

Wow, where do I even start with this year?? It has been crazy so far and we're only three months in.  Anyone reading this knows that we are currently pretty much quarantined in our houses trying to flatten the curve of COVID-19.  It has been a crazy and scary time here for the past month or so and it's far from over.  But even before that, things were crazy here for us.  After a December that had kids sick nearly every day, January started off great and then 2 weeks in I was hit with a horrible fever and sore throat which was eventually diagnosed as walking pneumonia.  I'm just finally finished with the cough from that, and may have had either another cold on top of it or my allergies started early and horrible this year!

It has also been super busy around here, at least for the first 10 weeks of the year.  We hit the ground running when we went back to school in January from winter break and we did not stop.  AJ and Zak played basketball and continued with Scouts.  Daniel started a weekly art class at the local art college.  Zak joined another bowling league.  I was subbing in the subs four days a week most weeks and teaching at least 9 group fitness classes each week (sometimes as much as 13 classes in one week!)  And Adrian was working at ton of overtime as a result of a promotion at work.  These are all great things and we were happy and moving along, but it didn't leave a lot of free time at all.  This blog has taken a huge hit, I haven't been able to keep up with it at all.

Now we're all home all the time.  Have been for the past 3 weeks.  And you know what?  I still don't have as much time as I would like.  Some of it is definitely me not using my time wisely or productively.  But some of it is me making the choice to play a game with the kids or Adrian, watch some TV, go outside for a walk or just sit and do something mindless.  I've decided that is all OK too.  I'm going to do my best to get a ton accomplished over this time that we are forced to stay at home, as well as making sure the kids are doing all of their school work (which is a full time job!)  But if it doesn't all get done, that's OK too.  I'll take it one day at a time and see where it goes.

Below are my goals for the year.  Some of them will be revised as the year goes on, as always.  Some of them can't be achieved this year already and that is OK with me.  I'll talk about some of them as I go, some of them I'm leaving as is and may have to change as the months go on, depending how long we have to stay at home.  I may add new ones if this goes on much longer because I will be getting creative in the house for sure!!

Here are my goals for 2020 and how I'm doing.  The blue ones are new goals, crossed out ones are revised goals and red ones are done (none so far).

Lose 25 pounds - So I had lost 7 pounds in the first 10 weeks of the year, then we were quarantined and I stopped exercising and started eating all the things.  Plus we changed scales so now I don't even know where I am compared to the start of the year.  I'm calling it neither a gain nor loss and starting fresh in April to try to still hit this goal!

Exercise for 20 minutes every day - I've exercised 75 days so far this year!!  I'm pretty proud of doing so many days of exercise so far this year.  This includes a week long stop for pneumonia and a week long stop for stress/depression/laziness when quarantine started.

Finish 12 exercise related calendar challenges - I finished January, February and March so far!  It has really helped with my strength and toning to be doing these.  I'm 100% planning on keeping this up and have already picked my April challenge!

Do 30 40 Bible Plans in the You Verse app - I've finished 10 so far so this original goal may be a little low.  I'm bumping it up to 40 this month to see how that goes.  I'm in the middle of a 40 day plan for Lent right now which is great to read the life of Jesus in the days leading up to Easter.

Read "A Little God Time for Women" - 91 days done, on track to finish this goal

Read 20 books - I've finished 2 books so far "The Upside of Falling Down" and "A Beginner's Guide to Free Fall."  Both were great!!  I'm reading a lot more now that we're home all the time so I think this number will increase quickly in the next few months.

Read the 12 How to Train Your Dragon Books - I read the first 6 last year and started book 7 in March, should finish it in April.

Read "Feminine Mystique" - I have read 21% so far this year.  I'm trying to read 10% per month but it's hard because I don't really like the book.

Write 45 meal plan blogs - I've only done 5 blog posts so far this year.  This goal has really gone by the wayside because I was so busy and now I'm basically just using up what I have.  I have still been meal planning each week but just haven't been blogging about it.  I'll try to get back to it this month.

Write 52 weekly summary blogs - I've only done 9 blog posts so far this year, I'm missing quite a few weeks.  I have a bunch that are half written, I just need to sit down and finish them.  That is definitely a goal for this month as well.

Write 12 4 goal recap blogs - Well clearly I won't make this original goal!  My new revised goal is to update once each quarter.  I think I might have a better chance of keeping up in the next few months since I'm not working, but I'm honestly still really busy with the kids and I'm giving myself a lot of grace so we'll see how that goes.

Pay off $5,000 of credit card debt - We've paid off $2,400 of our debt so far, but then incurred another $3,000 for our new living room furniture.  We were on a great path and thought we'd pay off significantly more than that this year, however I am now unemployed for an unknown period of time so I'm not sure we'll be able to keep up our aggressive payoff play.

Renovate the boys' bedrooms - We are currently deep cleaning the whole house & then will focus on this.

Finish my daily to do list every night - I did about 20 days in January and tried to reset in February but I don't think there was a day that I finished everything.  Then March has been all over the place.  There have been a few days where I finished everything but most days I did not.  I'm focusing on really using my time wisely and making this a priority in April.

Watch 50 movies - We've watched at least 14 movies so far, I think I may have forgotten a few.  The list so far this year includes:  "Paddington," "Captain America," "Pokemon: Power of Us," "The Avengers," "Iron Man 3," "Thor: The Dark World," "Captain America: Winter Soldier," "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Sonic," "Ratatouille," "Wall-E," "Jumanji: The Next Level," "Batman vs Superman" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Go on 12 dates with Adrian - We've gone on 2 dates so far this year, a wine tasting and dinner at Condado and a double date for a wine tasting and dinner at Beer Barrel with one of Adrian's friends from work.  We had a few other dates scheduled in March, but they will have to be rescheduled for after quarantine.  We have been spending a lot of time together at home doing things so it's still a win in my book!

Sub 80 days in the schools - I've subbed 21.5 days so far since January.  Unfortunately this goal is on hold until schools reopen, or possibly next year.  This is a huge financial hit to us right now that I am out of work, but we are confident it will all work out.  I'm keeping this goal as is because whenever school is back, I will be working my butt off to sub as much as possible!

Go to 6 Zumba jam sessions - I haven't gone to any in person but have done 3 mini-jams at home.  All of the in person ones have been cancelled or postponed.  They are doing virtual ones but since my income is non-existant I am holding off on those for right now.

Clean out master bedroom - We are currently deep cleaning the whole house & then will focus on this.

Play 1 game with Adrian each week - I have done this all 13 weeks so far!  And the past 3 weekends have been more than one game and sometimes more than one day.  We have played a ton of board games while quarantined and I don't see that stopping.  I'm also committing to learn new games which Adrian is happy about!

Play Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 with Adrian once per month - We played 2 prep games, then finished January, February and March.  This season is harder and we have lost a few (both prep games & one in February).  Honestly it's also not as fun when we are living in an actual pandemic!

Play Machi Koro Legacy with the boys - We have played all 3 months so far and are having a great time playing this game as a family!!

Have 6 nights out with friends - I had one scheduled but it cancelled due to the quarantine.  I've done 2 video chats with friends so far during this so I'm counting those as 1 night out because I really had to force myself to make the time to do those.

Go on an awesome family vacation to the Outerbanks - Hopefully this is still happening!!

Do 100 fun family things (one thing each week during school & one thing per person each week over the summer) - We did 11 fun things so far this year and obviously this is on hold for right now.  We are still having fun, it's just a different kind of fun right now.  I'm hoping we can still get close to this goal by having an epic summer, but we'll have to wait to see what is opened back up.

Go on 2 family camping trips - hopefully this can still happen!!

Deep clean the whole house - Since we are all home all the time now, we are taking 20-30 minutes each day to really deep clean and purge the house together as a family.  So far we have cleaned the loft, 2 bathrooms upstairs, stairway and hallway.  We are almost done the kitchen and downstairs bath as well.  We have the 3 bedrooms and playrooms left to tackle in April.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/20 - 3/26)

Friday (3/20) Day 7 of "Corona break."  We really struggled thru today.  We got up and had a very slow start to our morning, partly because some of us were up in the middle of the night because of the rain storms.  Adrian started working in the living room since the boys were up before I was, which threw us off a little.  I decided to get ready quickly and head out to run some errands before starting school with the boys.  I went to Lynd's for apples, Meijer for a few things we needed, Family Video to rent a movie and the UPS store to return our DirecTV equipment.  I was out for about 2 hours and got a ton done!

When I got home, I had the boys start on their school work.  They were all fighting me over this and we probably didn't do as much as we should have, but it will be OK.  AJ and Daniel had assignments that were due for the week so they had to work until all of those were done.  Zak did a few pages in his packet, finished his "Dogman" book and did Xtra Math on the computer.  We didn't do any Scouts or anything extra today.  When everyone was finally finished all of their work for the week, they had video games for a bit while I moved on to getting dinner ready for everyone.

We enjoyed dinner together again, one of the benefits of everything being cancelled for sure!  We all had some kind of sausage tonight and no one complained about dinner, yay.  After dinner, Adrian and I cleaned up while the boys had about an hour of free time.  Then we all got settled for another family movie night.  Tonight we watched Zak's pick of "Jurassic Park: The Next Level."  It was great, very funny and we all enjoyed it!!  When the movie was over, we got the boys down to bed and watched one of our comedies from the week before heading to bed too.  I think the stress of the past week really hit all of us today and it was a stressful day.  I'm hoping we can all regroup tomorrow!

Saturday (3/21) Day 8 of "Corona break."  We declared today family fun day!  We decided for the weekend we would have one day of fun and one day of work.  Our fun day started with two games of Machi Koro, Adrian won the first one and Zak won the second one.  Then we all got showers and dressed for our day.  Adrian and I then headed out for a little "date" of running a few errands including returning the movie to the video store, returning pants to Amazon and double checking Meijer for a few of the things we still needed.  We finished up with a stop at Piada to pick up lunch.  It was nice to get out and drive around a little bit!!

When we got home, Adrian played a video game with Daniel for a while and I played on my tablet and got the absolutely necessary things done around the house.  Then we spent the rest of the day playing board games and watching TV shows.  We played two games of Letter Jam with Daniel and didn't win either one.  Then Adrian and I played our March game of "Pandemic Legacy" and won, although it wasn't as much fun playing during an actual pandemic.  We also played our March game of "Machi Koro Legacy" and Daniel won this month.  Adrian and I also played another new to me game called "Reef" and I really liked that one, especially since I won!!

The day passed quickly and was a lot of fun for all of us.  It was an escape from thinking about everything and what we should or should not be doing.  The boys also played a lot of video games and got to stay up until midnight, which is their request every night now since there is no school wake ups.  We told them they can stay up one night each week and most weeks it is Saturday.  Adrian and I watched a few comedies and caught up on a few shows from the week before heading to bed soon after we put the boys to bed at midnight.

Sunday (3/22) Day 9 of "Corona break." We slept in a little today since we were up so late last night, but then got moving pretty quickly.  Today is our work today so we worked around the house all day.  I ran out to Kroger to pick up my order and got almost everything I ordered, except rye bread and pasta.  I'm hoping to get some pasta somewhere later this week.  We made chocolate crumb cake together as a family since everyone has been asking for it.  We cleaned up the backyard and deep cleaned the living room.  We got a ton of things done on our to do list and made a plan for the upcoming week.  It was a super productive day for all of us!!

I made dinner for everyone, but unfortunately we didn't get to eat together because Adrian got called to work so he headed up to our room to work for a while.  The boys and I kept working around the house while he worked upstairs and then I gave them some free time for video games tonight.  We did the boys normal bedtime routine of snack, show and then up for bed, but we stopped a little earlier so we watched two shows.  First they watched this week's "Beyblade Burst" and then we watched the first episode of "The Mandalorian" as a family.  Adrian, AJ and I loved it!!  The other two boys liked it, especially when the child showed up at the end.  I'm excited to watch the rest of the season over the next 2 weeks of quarantine.  After the show was over, the boys and Adrian all headed to bed.  I came back downstairs to hang with Rocky, watch "Real Housewives of Atlanta" and finish bottle of wine number 6 before heading to bed too.

Monday (3/23) Day 10 of "Corona break."  We all slept in and got a very slow start today.  The boys are technically on spring break this week so there isn't as much school work to do, but I'm still making them do some things so their brains don't turn to mush.  They did start the day with video games but then we took a break to clean the two upstairs bathrooms and work on their school projects.  In the afternoon we had our enrichment time, which is working on non-school related things.  Zak and I had a blast playing with paper airplanes and making catapults for them to complete another Scout belt loop.  While we were doing that, the other 2 boys were virtually touring an art museum for AJ's Scout merit badge and Daniel's art class.

The day passed quickly with them playing and me working around the house and trying to get some things on my giant to do list done.  We had a split dinner today since Adrian was working nonstop all day.  The boys ate first and then I made salmon and risotto for me and Adrian, which I ate alone since he was stuck "at work."  After dinner, we got ready for another family movie night.  This was Daniel's pick and we watched "Captain America - Winter Soldier." The boys enjoyed it and I thought it was pretty good the second time watching it.  When the movie was over, I got them down to bed and Adrian finally finished work for the day.  We got some snacks and finished an episode of "The Good Doctor" that we were watching the other day before heading to bed as well.

Tuesday (3/24) Day 11 of "Corona break." The boys slept in again after having a late night last night so Adrian and I got a few minutes of quiet and coffee together.  Then he headed upstairs for another busy day at work and I got to work on stuff around the house.  We had a video call with my nieces to wish one of them Happy Birthday and we had fun playing with the different effects together.  The rest of the day was spent much like the rest of our past few days, with the boys playing video games and me working around the house.  The boys and I continued working on cleaning the upstairs bathrooms and their school projects for the week.  Zak and I finished another belt loop requirement and ordered some seeds to grow which we will do in April.

Adrian worked another super long day, but I am not complaining because he is getting overtime and that is the only money we have coming in right now.  For dinner tonight, we kicked off our week of everyone planning a meal for the family.  Tonight was AJ's night and he picked tacos with fruit for dinner and a cookie cake for dessert.  We talked about how to put together a meal with each of the four food groups but also picked desserts because we're trying to have some fun this week!  After dinner and dessert, I got the boys down to bed, a little earlier than the past few days.  I watched tonight's "Vanderpump Rules" and then headed to bed too.  Tomorrow is the one morning I have to get up so I can go drop Rocky off to day care.  Adrian was still working when I headed to bed, it's going to be a very long night for him.

Wednesday (3/25) Day 12 of "Corona break." I had to set the alarm today for the first time in the past week.  I got up and got ready and dropped Rocky off at her daycare for the day.  After I dropped her off I headed to Aldi to pick up a few things that we need for the next week.  I was super happy to find the pasta that I need to make baked ziti for dinner tomorrow!!  I was able to find pretty much everything I was looking for, except hot dogs but we still have some in the freezer so we're OK.  After that quick stop, I came home and got the boys showered and ready for the day.

We spent the day doing our work around the house, playing video games and getting a few school assignments done for the day.  It was another day that was very similar to the past 12 days since we are limited in what we can do.  Adrian slept in since he worked so late last night, then worked another long day in our bedroom.  For dinner tonight, we did Zak's pick on gnocchi with sausage and alfredo sauce.  After dinner, I headed to the church to work for an hour and had a fun video meeting with some of my friends from church.  It was awesome to chat with and see other ladies tonight!!

When I got home from church, we had Zak's pick for dessert.  He wanted to go to Menchies, which is obviously not an option right now.  So instead we raided the pantry and freezer here and made our own ice cream sundaes.  The boys thought it was awesome & had a great time putting whatever they wanted on their ice cream.  Zak's favorite part was having whipped cream on it, he apparently didn't realize you could do that! When we had our sundaes made, we watched tonight's "Lego Masters" together as a family and were sad to see one of our favorite teams go home tonight.  Then we got the boys to bed and watched this week's "Survivor" where again we were sad to see one of our favorites go home.  It was a super fun family night & I hope these are the nights that the boys remember from this crazy time of their childhood!!

Thursday (3/26) Day 13 of "Corona break."  We slept in a little today and got a pretty lazy start to the morning.  We all had a good breakfast and lunch and then the boys and I headed out to do a one mile hike at Blacklick Woods to finish up Zak's Scout requirements for the year.  He has not officially earned his Wolf badge and only has electives to work on for the rest of the year (and he only has 4 left of those).  We had a nice time being outside and moving our bodies for about an hour while keeping our distance from all of the other people who were out doing the same thing.  We also saw a snake, a few squirrels & learned about some of the native trees to the area.

When we got home, the boys played for a while and I got started on dinner.  I made a huge pot of gravy that we can use over the next week or so, homemade meatballs, baked ziti and brownies.  When it was all ready, we enjoyed a delicious dinner together as a family since Adrian didn't have to work that late tonight.  Then the boys headed upstairs to play video games and Adrian and I alternated from cleaning up the kitchen and watching our comedies from the past week on our DVR.  The night passed quickly and pretty uneventfully, we were all pretty tired from a fairly busy day.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/13 - 3/19)

Friday (3/13) We got up and moving in this new surreal world that we're living in for possibly the last time for a while.  The boys are supposed to have school on Monday but the way things are going I highly doubt it.  Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel up and moving and then headed into work, again for probably the last time for a while.  I dropped AJ and Daniel off at school then came home to get myself and Zak ready for the day.  We headed into school together and I was a floating sub, helping wherever I could to ease a very stressful time for the teachers.  I spent most of my day in kindergarten helping get assessments done and packets copied for the students.

When the day was over, we all said goodbye for now and headed home.  I spent a little time getting settled and rested and let the boys play video games for the night.  I got ready and headed to the Y to teach my last Zumba class there for at least the rest of the month, possibly longer.  We had so much fun forgetting about everything and dancing for an hour together.  After class, I headed to pick up some supplies, pizza and donuts and then headed home to my guys.  We had Jets pizza for dinner and then just spent the rest of the night relaxing.  Adrian and I watched some TV while the boys played video games.  We got the boys to bed around a normal time since the boys were up early this morning and Adrian and I headed to bed soon after them.  It has been a very emotionally draining week!!

Saturday (3/14) Day 1 of "corona break" as the kids have dubbed this.  We all slept in today since we have absolutely no where to be!  After we all finally got up, we decided to spend the day relaxing and catching our breathe.  The boys spent a little time out on the trampoline but then it got very cold and started snowing (of course!), so they came in and spent the rest of the day playing video games and watching TV.  We also had a meeting to figure out what they need to do over the next few weeks to stay up to date on their schoolwork and how we will get it all done.

While they were playing, Adrian and I got some things done around the while also relaxing.  I got caught up on all of the dishes and laundry and almost everything on my daily to do list from the past week.  I also watched some TV, did some reading, played some video games on my tablet and played Viticulture with Adrian (I lost again!)  We ate a bunch of junk food, finished a bottle and a half of wine and really recharged our souls.  It was a fantastic day!!

Sunday (3/15) Day 2 of "corona break."  We slept in again today, even later than yesterday!  This won't continue for the next three weeks but for now we are loving the relaxed schedule.  We had a lazy morning of coffee and donuts together.  Then we watched our church service from the comfort of our living room recliners and heard a great message from Pastor Andre and listened to worship from our amazing band.  We got word that school will be closed tomorrow but open for about an hour today to pick up anything the boys left in the building so AJ and Adrian headed to the middle school to grab AJ's band notebook.

The day passed quickly while the boys played and Adrian and I worked around the house.  We took Rocky for a nice long walk this afternoon to burn off some of her energy.  We also started deep cleaning the house, starting in the loft.  We are spending 30 minutes every day with all 5 of us concentrated on cleaning and purging the house.  We'll get as far as we can in the next month, but based on today I think we will get a ton done!  Adrian grilled us some chicken for dinner and I made air fried cauliflower.  We finished our day with a family movie night to watch my pick "Wall-E."  Adrian and I both enjoyed it but the boys just thought it was OK.  I think they wanted more talking and maybe a little more action.  After the movie, we got them down to bed and then started watching this season of "The Good Doctor."  We're hoping to catch up on that since we have a more flexible schedule for the next few weeks.

Monday (3/16) Day 3 of "corona break." We all slept in again this morning and took our time getting started.  Adrian started working from home by setting himself up in our bedroom with his laptop and YouTube.  I got the boys thru some of their homework this morning, we have decided to do two "sessions" of school, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  The rest of the time the boys can play, go outside, read or do whatever else they want.  I may tighten that after our official spring break next week but for now we are going to try this and see how we do.  It went pretty good today with everyone getting everything done that they needed to get done.

Unfortunately as the day went on, I started to not feel well and ended up with some kind of stomach bug.  Around 4:00pm I went upstairs and told Adrian he needed to come down and deal with everyone downstairs and I passed out in our bed for a few hours.  I spent the rest of the night in bed sick and worrying that I have COVID-19.  We did a virtual doctor's appointment and thankfully I do not have any of the symptoms so I feel a little calmer.  While I was trying to rest, Adrian took charge of the kids and got them thru their second portion of school, dinner and down to bed.  It wasn't the start to this break that we wanted and are now praying that no one else gets sick!

Tuesday (3/17) Day 4 of "Corona break."  Thankfully after a lot of rest yesterday I feel a little better today.  I am planning on spending most of the day resting and hydrating so that I'm feeling OK for the rest of the week.  We all slept in a little and then got started on our new normal.  Adrian went to work upstairs in our room while the boys did their first round of school before having some free time.  They also spent some time outside on the trampoline, I'm calling it recess.  After lunch, Rocky and I headed out to her vet because she needed some routine medicines.  I wasn't allowed in the vet's office, they came out to get her and take her in and brought the medicine out to me.  It was a different experience, but I'm glad I got it done.

After I got home, we did the second round of school and I tried to get a few things done around the house.  I was still struggling with my energy a little from yesterday so I rested when I needed to and drank a ton of water.  When Adrian was finished with work, we all enjoyed pasta for dinner together and then spent some time cleaning and purging the video game loft.  Then we had our second movie night of this break and watched "Ratatouille" on Disney+.  It's a favorite for me and Adrian so we were excited to share it with the boys.  Zak loved it, Daniel liked it and AJ thought it was just OK.  We think he is in that tween state where he is too old for cartoons and too young for them to be cool again.  After movie night, we got the boys to bed, finished cleaning up the kitchen, watched "Bless This Mess" from this week and headed to bed for the night.

Wednesday (3/18) Day 5 of "Corona break."  I set an alarm for the first time in a few days so I could get up and get Rocky to daycare before 9am.  While I was getting her ready and dropped off, Adrian got set up for his day of working from home.  The boys all slept in a little after staying up late last night for movie night.  When I got home from dropping Rocky off, I got started on a bunch of stuff around the house that I needed to get done.  The boys had an extended recess outside playing on the trampoline before the rain hit for the day.  After that, they came inside and we had lunch and did their first round of school for the day.

The day passed quickly and everyone was super productive.  We got all of the boys school work done, I finished a ton around the house and Adrian was able to work quietly in our room.  Zak worked on a few requirements for Scouts since his school doesn't take as long as the older boys does.  He is almost done with his Wolf badge requirements and wants to do all of the elective belt loops as well, which I said we'll try to do since we have the time.  I also got to do some cooking and baking today.  I made banana bread for us and for a friend who is on bedrest while waiting to have baby number 3.  I also cooked a delicious dinner of egg rolls in a bowl and egg rolls in the air fryer.

After dinner, I headed to work for an hour at the church and was so excited to be out of the house and around other people!  I talked to all of them, even the ones who probably didn't want to.  When I got home, we worked more on the video game loft, which is almost done and hopefully tomorrow we'll start a new room.  Then we watched this week's "Lego Masters" as a family before getting the boys to bed.  After we finished cleaning up a few things, Adrian and I watched this week's "Survivor" and then also headed to bed.

Thursday (3/19) Day 6 of "Corona break." We got an early start today because AJ decided to get up around 7am.  It was a little rough getting out of bed that early after a rough night of sleep, but thankfully we didn't have anywhere to be so I took my time waking up.  After everyone was up and showered (an accomplishment these days!) I headed out to run a few errands and let the boys have some free time.  I dropped off a few things to friends then ran to Aldi, PetSmart and Dollar Tree.  I got about half of my list and will head out tomorrow to hopefully get the rest.  It was surreal being out in the stores, they were really dead and everyone was very quiet and focused.

When I got home, I got the boys thru school and did some more Scout requirements with Zak.  We did two rounds of school with our break in between like we've been doing and everyone has been keeping up with their work really well.  When school was over and Adrian was done working for the day, we finished up cleaning and purging our first room of this break, the video game loft.  The boys got rid of a bunch of toys and video games that they don't play with anymore and are now rediscovering some old favorites that they forgot they had.  We also moved the old couch up there so they have that to sit on while they play now.

After having Taco Thursday dinner together, the boys headed upstairs to play more "Rock Band" (we're calling it music class) while Adrian and I cleaned up the kitchen and got a few things done.  The night passed quickly with us just hanging out and watching TV.  We got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed by around 10pm, then we watched this week's episodes of "The Goldburgs" and "Modern Family" before we headed to bed as well.  This has felt like a ridiculously long week!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/6 - 3/12)

Friday (3/6) We adjusted our morning routine today and got up about 10 minutes earlier to try to get to school a little earlier.  Adrian was also working from home this morning so we got ready even quicker.  He and I got the big boys ready and I dropped them off at school, significantly earlier than we have been all year!  I think this new schedule change is going to work out great for us.  Then I came home and got Zak ready for his wax museaum presentation at school.  He was Dr Martin Luther King Jr and did a great job with his presentation!!  Adrian was able to go in to see it since I had to work at the Y this morning.  Adrian headed into work after the wax museaum and also being here to accept delivery for our brand new couches!!

After my classes, I ran to Kroger to pick up my weekly order of groceries then came home to catch up on some stuff around the house.  I was really tired after teaching 10 classes already this week so I tried to rest and do some things that I could be sitting down for.  The afternoon passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time for school pick ups.  I went and picked Daniel up from school, got AJ off the bus and then picked Zak up from school.  All of the boys were excited about the new couches being here when they got home!  I got them settled in for the evening and then headed out to teach class number 11 of the week at the Reynoldsburg Y.

After a great class, I headed home for the night.  Adrian was supposed to go to his CABS meeting but he decided to skip it since his back was bothering him.  So we were all home for dinner together, a quick pasta dinner for us.  Then we settled in to our brand new recliners for family movie night.  We continued watching the Avengers movies and watched "Thor: The Dark World."  The boys did not like it and we only watched about half of it before they asked to turn it off.  We got them down to bed for the night and Adrian and I watched two episodes of "American Housewife" and headed to bed.  It has really been an exhausting week!!

Saturday (3/7) After a great night of sleep, we woke up and got moving this morning for a busy Saturday morning.  I got Daniel ready for his art class and then his friend picked him up and they headed downtown.  Then I got ready and headed to the church to teach a small but super fun Zumba class.  After class, I ran a few errands and then headed downtown to pick up Daniel and David.  While I was doing that, Adrian took Zak to his weekly bowling league, where he got an 87 and 92 continuing to be consistent with his games.  Then they headed to the church for Zak's all star celebration for Crossover basketball.  Zak had fun playing the team games and his team won 3rd place for the competition.  Zak also won the "Mad Hustler" award for the season.

When we all got home, I worked around the house while Adrian continued to rest his back since he's still in a lot of pain.  The day passed quickly while Adrian watched basketball, the boys played video games and I caught up on stuff around the house.  Adrian and I enjoyed a delicious dinner of grilled steak with air fried acorn squash and brocolli while the boys finished up their Marco's pizza from last week.  After dinner, it was more of the same around here and I finally finished up everything that I didn't get to this week.  Adrian and I played two board games tonight too, Gizmos which I won and Azul which I did not.  We let the boys stay up a little later, but not as late as they wanted since we lose an hour tonight with the time change.  After we got them down to bed, we had our snacks and watched a few comedies from our DVR before we headed to bed for the night.

Sunday (3/8) Ugh, the time change sucks and it really messed with our morning.  We did all sleep in which was a good thing.  But unfortunately none of us were up before 10am so there was no way we could all get ready to go to church this morning.  Adrian hurried up and got ready and headed out to second service to hear two former OSU basketball players preach and he really enjoyed the sermon.  The rest of us hung out at home and got ready to start our day.  I got ready and headed to the Y to teach my weekly barre class to a great group of women who all got a really good workout.

After class, I came home and did a few things around the house before Adrian and I headed out for a double date with one of the guys he works with.  We met him and his wife at Coopers Hawk for a wine tasting and then headed over to Beer Barrel for dinner.  We had a relaxing time drinking, eating and chatting.  After dinner, Adrian and I stopped for some Graeter's ice cream for dessert before coming home to the boys.  We got them dinner and they finished up a few chores around the house so we're ready for the week.  We got them down to bed as early as we could because we know tomorrow morning is going to be rough.  After they were asleep, we got a few more things done and then headed to bed too, trying to rest up for what looks to be a crazy week.

Monday (3/9) Back to our routine today, mostly.  Adrian's back is still bothering him so he decided to work from home for the day so he can rest in the recliners as well.  We got up and got the boys up so they could get ready for school.  I dropped off AJ and Daniel and then came home and got Zak ready and dropped him off.  Then I headed to the Y to sub a Zumba class this morning.  I really enjoyed teaching on a Monday morning, it was a great way to start my week!  After class I came home and got a few things done before heading into the school to sub for the afternoon.  It was a pretty easy afternoon with a great group of 3rd graders and it passed quickly.  Before I knew it, it was time to head home with Zak.

When we got home we were thrilled to see that the trampoline is finally being assembled!!  The kids waited (not so) patiently for it to be done while I got them all thru homework and dinner.  Then I headed out to church to teach my Zumba Toning class where we had a great class and more new people!  While I was at class, Adrian dropped AJ off at Scouts and then came back to finish up with the trampoline assembly and let Daniel and Zak play in it for a while.  They were so excited and had a great time jumping until after dark!  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and then down to bed.  Adrian and I finished up a few things around the house, watched two comedies and headed to bed too.

Tuesday (3/10) We got up and moving on time again today.  Adrian helped me get the boys up and ready and then headed into work for the day.  His back is still bothering him but it's getting better so he decided to tough it out.  I dropped AJ and Daniel off at school and then came back to get Zak and myself ready for the day.  We headed into school together because I was subbing all day today.  I had a great day as a small group reading teacher meeting with 8 different groups of kids during the day.  The day passed quickly and was pretty easy, other than having to work express for both drop off and pick up.  That may be the hardest job in the school!  After I was done getting the kids out for express pick up, I sent Zak home with my friend and taught my Zumba class at the school to the teachers.  We had a fun time, although we were all dragging a little after the time change.

After class, I came home and let the boys play on their new trampoline for a while so I could get dinner ready and get ready to head out to a meeting for scheduling for Daniel for next year.  We both went and agreed it was a waste of our time since we pretty much knew everything that they went over.  Zak was supposed to have a Scout meeting but due to many leaders and Scouts being sick, plus the newly developing Covid-19 pandemic, we decided to cancel this week's meeting just to be safe.  When Daniel and I got home from the meeting, we got the boys thru their night routine and then down for the night.  Then Adrian and I cleaned up the kitchen and made our snacks.  We watched two comedies and headed to bed for the night.

Wednesday (3/11) We all got up and moving on time again today.  We shifted our time to get up about 10 mintues early last week and it is working great for us so far!  I really hope this continues for the rest of the school year.  Adrian helped get AJ and Daniel up and moving and then he got ready and headed to work.  I dropped them off at school and came home to pick up Rocky and bring her to daycare.  Then I came back and got Zak and myself ready for the day.  I dropped Zak off at school and headed out to run a few errands, including picking up the boys' medicine for the next month and some groceries that we need to make sure we're ready just in case we're stuck home for a little while.

After a few errands, I headed to the Y to teach my three classes.  I had a great time in all three and was especially excited to see new people in my Aqua Zumba class for this session!  After a fun day of exercise, I headed back to pick up Zak from school and then home to get ready for the night.  The boys played in the trampoline and finished their homework.  After I ran to pick up Rocky from daycare, we all had dinner together before I headed out to the church to work for an hour tonight.  I was super productive at the church and got a ton done while I was there!

When I got home from work, we got started on our night routine.  I got the boys thru their stuff and ready for bed.  Adrian came home while we were reading and helped with putting them to bed.  Then he and I came downstairs and finished up a few things in the kitchen before we sat down to watch "Survivor."  Unfortunatley our recording didn't work great so we have to wait until tomorrow to watch it on demand.  We watched two comedies instead and then headed to bed.  This has felt like the longest week already and it's only Wednesday!!

Thursday (3/12) We got up and moving on time again today.  Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel up and moving and then he got ready and headed into work.  I dropped them off at school and then came home to get Zak and myself ready for the day.  We headed in together since I was subbing all day in kindergarten.  It was a good but crazy day in my classroom!  And it got even crazier when we found out towards the end of the day that the schools will be closing for an extended spring break for the next 3 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This is both scary and stressful and also a little exciting to know that I have very little to do over the next few weeks!

When we got home from school, the boys were all super excited about the long break.  We went out and played on the trampoline for a while to burn off some nervous energy.  Then I quickly got dinner ready for myself before heading to the church to teach my Zumba class.  It was a very small class today, probably smaller due to all of the craziness of the day.  When I got home from class, we made sure the boys were ready for tomorrow which will probably be their last day of school for a while (the school is technically opened on Monday but I think that will change this weekend). 

When we were sure we were ready for tomorrow, we did some quick clean up and then settled in to watch this week's episode of "Lego Masters" together.  We were sad to see the team go that was voted off this week, they were one of our favorites.  Then we got the boys to bed and came down to make our snacks and get some wine.  We watched last night's episode of "Survivor" and again were disappointed to see Boston Rob get voted off this week.  We headed to bed after the show to get some much needed sleep for what I'm sure will be another crazy day tomorrow!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 2/28 - 3/5)

Friday (2/28) We made it to another weekend!  We all got up and moving but were moving very slow because we were all tired from another long week.  Adrian helped get AJ and Daniel ready for school and then he headed out to work for the day.  I dropped them off at school and then came home to get Zak and myself ready for the day.  I dropped him off at school and then I headed to the Gahanna Y to teach class number 10 of the week.  I taught an awesome Zumba Toning class to about 50 older active adults and we all had a blast.  After class I ran a few errands, including getting the oil changed in my van and then came home to work around the house for the rest of the afternoon.

The afternoon passed quickly and soon AJ and Daniel got off the bus for the day.  They were both very excited because they have very little homework for the weekend.  Soon after they got home, I headed out to pick up Zak from school.  He had a great day at school and is very excited about his upcoming wax museaum project.  When we all got home and settled, the boys headed upstairs to play video games and I got ready to head out to class 11 for the week.  I taught a super fun Zumba class at the Reynoldsburg Y and then came home to have a quick dinner with the guys.  After dinner, we did a little bit of clean up then settled in for family movie night.  It was Daniel's pick this week and we continued rewatching the Avengers movies with Iron Man 3 tonight.  It was better than Adrian and I both remembered.  After the movie, we got the boys to bed, watched one of our comedies from our DVR and headed to bed for the night.

Saturday (2/29) Happy Leap Day!!  We were all up and moving early on this extra day of the year since we had a full morning.  I got Daniel up and ready to head out to his art class with our friends.  Then I headed into the church for my Zumba class.  We did a special 90 minute playlist to celebrate the extra day of the year.  After class, I headed downtown to pick up Daniel and David from art class and was excited to see some of the things Daniel created in his digital art class.  While I was doing that, Adrian took Zak to his weekly bowling league.  Zak did great and bowled a 103 and 104, got a bunch of strikes and had fun.

When we all got home, we had a quick lunch together and then I headed out to the Gahanna Y for a Zumba fundraiser event in the afternoon.  I helped lead another 90 minute class with a few other instructors.  We had a great time but since this was class 13 of the week for me after my part, I was exhausted and ready for bed.  When I got home, I spent the rest of the day resting and trying to get a few things done around the house.  While I was at the Y, Adrian played "The Mind" with Daniel and Zak and then headed to the weekly CABS meeting to play some games.  He came home soon after I got home from the Y with two new games that he borrowed for us to try out.

After getting a few things done around the house while the boys played, we all took a break and had dinner together.  We enjoyed some delicious pasta and figured out what everyone was doing for summer camps this year.  Then the boys headed back upstairs to play a video game together while Adrian and I cleaned up after dinner and then played Pandemic Legacy.  It was our second try at February and thankfully we won this time.  After we finished with that game, I was too tired to do anything else so we had snacks and watched a few comedies from our DVR before heading to bed.  The boys wanted to stay up late so we let them stay up until 11 and then we all headed to bed at the same time.  It was a fun but exhausting day!

Sunday (3/1) Once again, we were all up and moving early this morning.  I was the one that had to be up early because I was serving in childcare for the first service at church.  When I got up, I accidentally let Rocky sneak upstairs and she woke up Adrian and Daniel.  They all had a relaxing morning at home while I got ready and headed to church to teach the elementary kids about worship.  Then we all met there for second service and went to church together.  After church I headed to the Reynoldsburg Y to teach my barre class, which is the first of 12 classes that I'm teaching this week.

After another large and awesome barre class, Adrian picked me up and the five of us went to look at new sofas.  We picked one that we all love and can't wait for it to be delivered on Friday.  After deciding on our sofa, we headed back home and got to work finishing up what we need to get done for the week.  We had a quick dinner together and then unfortunately the night took a turn we weren't expecting.  AJ had been complaining about his eye hurting and it was so bad that he asked to go to the doctor.  So Adrian took him to Urgent Care and we found out that he has some scratches on his eye.  He has ointment to use over the next few days and will be off from school tomorrow.  While they were there, I got the other boys thru their night routine and Adrian and AJ got home just in time for bedtime.  We put the boys down and then came down, finished up a few things and watched two episodes of "American Housewife" before heading to bed.

Monday (3/2) Back to our normal routine today, sort of.  Adrian and I got up and got Daniel up for the day.  We were all tired and cranky this morning but we managed to get moving.  Adrian left for work and I got Daniel ready and dropped him off at school.  Then I came home and got Zak ready for school and dropped him off too.  AJ slept in since he was staying home for the day because of his eye.  He spent the day watching TV and resting upstairs in the loft while I worked around the house.  The day passed quickly and I got a ton of stuff done from my to do list!

When the school day was over, I picked up Daniel and Zak from their schools and we all came back here.  They had some free time to relax and then we finished up homework for the night.  I had dinner and headed out to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class tonight.  We had a smaller than usual group for a Monday night, but we still got a great workout and had fun.  While I was there, Adrian fed the boys dinner and started cleaning up the kitchen.  When I got home, we got the boys thru their night routine and down for the night.  Then Adrian and I finished cleaning up and watched two more episodes of "American Housewife" before heading to bed.

Tuesday (3/3) We got up and moving slowly again this morning, but a little better than yesterday.  AJ decided he wanted another day to rest his eye so he stayed home from school again.  I got Daniel ready and then dropped him off to school while Adrian headed in to work.  Then I came home and got Zak, AJ and myself ready for the day.  I got AJ everything he needed to be home by himself for a few hours and then dropped Zak at school and headed to the Y to sub my last Zumba Gold class of this session.  I have had so much fun with this class the past 3 weeks and I really wish I could continue teaching it next session.

After class was over, I headed to the school to sub for a few hours.  Unfortunately they had double booked a sub for the same teacher so I came home for a few hours instead.  AJ and Rocky were both happy to see me!  AJ and I had lunch together and then I headed back into the school to sub for another two hour assignment, and this one I was able to cover.  I had an easy afternoon with some great 3rd graders and the day went quickly.  After getting my students on the bus, I dropped Zak off at home then came back to the school to teach Zumba to the teachers there.  We had an awesome time together as always!!

After that class, I came home for the night.  I got the boys thru homework and made everyone dinner.  After we ate dinner the boys headed upstairs to play together and Adrian and I got a few things done around the house.  Before long it was time for the boys' night routine so we did that and got them down to bed for the night.  Then Adrian got a call from a friend so he chatted for a while and I finished up a few things and watched Vanderpump Rules while eating my evening snack.  When we were both done, we headed to bed for the night.  It's only Tuesday & this seems like the longest week ever!!

Wednesday (3/4) Back to our normal schedule today with AJ heading to school for the first day this week.  We all got up and moving and Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel ready before he headed into work for the day.  Then I dropped them off at school and came home to pick up Rocky to drop her off at doggy daycare for the day.  After that I came home and got Zak and myself ready for the day.  I dropped him off at school before running a few errands and then headed to the Y to teach my three classes for the day.  Then I headed home to get everyone from school and get ready for the evening.

After picking Zak up from school, I did a few things around the house and we finished the boys' homework.  Then I headed back out to pick up Rocky from doggy daycare and pizza from Marco's for dinner.  I got home and fed everyone dinner, their own personal pizza since everyone wanted a different topping.  After dinner, I headed to the church to work my weekly hour at the front desk while the boys hung out here at home with Rocky.  Adrian worked late and decided to miss Bible study and come home after work.  When I got home from work, we got the boys thru their night routine and down for the night.  Then we cleaned up a little from the day and watched this week's "Survivor" before we headed to bed too.

Thursday (3/5) We all got up and moving on time again today, but we are struggling to get the boys to school on time because of all of the traffic going that way.  Adrian helped me get AJ and Daniel up and ready and then he headed into work for the day.  I dropped them off at school and we just barely were on time.  Then I headed home to get Zak and myself ready for school.  We headed in together since I was subbing for the day.  I had a great day with the kindergarden class that I was assigned to today, and Zak and I both enjoyed wearing our Disney hats for hat day!

After we got home from school, I got the boys quickly thru their homework and then got dinner ready for everyone.  After dinner, I headed out to the church to teach my Zumba class while Adrian hung out here with the boys.  They played for a while and then got the house cleaned up and ready for the night.  When I got home, we watched "Lego Masters" together and then got the boys down to bed for the night.  Then Adrian and I did a few small things around the house, made our snacks and watched a few comedies from the week before we headed to bed too.  This still feels like the longest week ever - I'm thankful tomorrow is Friday!!