Weekend Recap

Weekends always go SO fast!!

Saturday started with haircuts for the boys.  It’s such a relief that they behave perfectly these days.  I remember those first couple haircuts that involved so many tears! 

W was invited to a royal birthday party that afternoon.  He was supposed to wear ‘royal attire’ and he was the cutest little prince I ever did see.  I asked the birthday girl’s mom if I should drop W off or stay and she said either was fine.  I asked W and he wanted me to stay.  Luckily other moms were there too so it wasn’t awkward.  I noticed that W didn’t interact much with the other children.  He was near them and participated in the activities, but he didn’t really converse or socialize.  It made me sad and worried.  W has always been shy in social settings, but talks nonstop at home.  However, once we left the party, he told me he had so much fun.  I suppose that’s all that really matters.

I talked with my mom a bit about W and expressed my concerns about him being so quiet amongst other children.  Since she taught for so many years, I assumed she’s had students like W.  She told me I shouldn’t be concerned – it was just W’s personality.  I also talked with one of my colleagues and she told me that his reserved nature would be an asset – he’d be an excellent listener and take everything in (which does sound a lot like W).  Both conversations made me feel better.  I’m just wondering if I should be doing more to encourage his social skills.

Anyway.

S and A had their own little outing while W and I were at the birthday party.  A took S bowling and out to lunch and I hear they had a great time.  I think it was good for the boys to have separate activities for a change and they both really seemed to enjoy their outings.

The rest of the weekend was spent running errands and playing outside.  BOTH boys went to the children’s mass at church and enjoyed it so it looks like we’ll have a new routine at church.  And we FINALLY had nice weather.  It was in the 50s and sunny so we spent much of the weekend outdoors whenever we could.  

We finished with a delicious Sunday dinner.  I know I mention this often, but I really enjoy making a big meal on Sundays.  Sad the weekend had to end!

Still Here

It may have seemed like I disappeared, but I'm still around.  We've been SO incredibly busy and my blog suffered as a result.  Let me back up a bit...

Last week it snowed - more than once if I remember correctly.  So depressing.  I don't remember ever getting snow this late in April.  So we had snow Monday, we were wearing shorts on Thursday, and it snowed again Friday (or something like that).  It was making me insane.

How I Feel

Saturday, we awoke to sleet/ice/snow pelting the window.  I had planned to run out and try to score some of the Hunter boots that were part of a collaboration with Target.  I tried to get them online, but of course, they were already gone by 6 am.  W really needed new boots (his old ones had a massive hole, which totally defeats the purpose of rain boots) and had his heart set on red.  Naturally, when I checked online, the closest Target had no red boots - only yellow and striped.  I mentioned to A that I was going to try and convince W to go for one of those options so I didn't have to drive 35 minutes to the Target that had the red boots.  My sweet husband offered to drive to the further Target in the April rain/snow.  And he found boots that were close enough to the boys' sizes.  He even stopped at Starbucks on his way home.  Best husband ever.

Given the weather, I had no intention of setting foot outside, but A said we were either going sofa shopping or cleaning the house.  Obviously, I chose shopping.  We had been planning on purchasing a new sofa for a really long time and then put it on hold when we had a ton of medical expenses for Addie.  Our current furniture is over 11 years old and it's held up really well for the most part.  But it's definitely starting to show its age with two kiddos and a dog.  I had no plans of actually buying a sofa on this day, but wanted to look at different styles and get an idea of cost - costs ranged quite a bit depending on style and fabric so I really had no idea what to expect.  Immediately as we walked in, I saw a sofa that had the perfect fabric.  I wanted a gray sofa and this one was sort of a gray tweed with a hint of gold.  I'm not describing it well, but I thought it would be perfect with our wall color.  We walked around for quite a while and I found a sofa style I really liked that happened to come in the same fabric and I found the price to be really reasonable.  A and I debated and discussed and decided to buy it.  BUT then we needed a new chair.  Our current chair is old and the fabric wouldn't match our new sofa.  I found a fabric I loved and we chose a "chair and a half" style.  Then, when we were ordering, we discovered that the chair actually did not come in the fabric I wanted.  So we had to start over and choose a new fabric, which I'm a little nervous about - I absolutely loved the first fabric choice.  We were at the store forever and the boys had so much fun.  They loved walking around and checking out the furniture and especially loved the bunk beds.  So we're excited about our new furniture, which is set to arrive at the end of May.  And admittedly, I'm nervous about a big purchase that I really hadn't planned on making that day.  I always get nervous about big expenses.

After that, we grabbed some lunch and headed home.

Sunday, we awoke to snow on the ground.  S ended up going to the kids program during mass at church.  We ask the boys every week if they'd like to go and they never want to so this was a big milestone for S.  He was so cute walking back into church with all the kids. :)

After Starbucks and grocery shopping, we headed home where A started a fire in the fireplace.  Because snow.  In April.  We finished the day with the boys helping me make our famous mac and cheese.

Monday, I had an all day work summit.  We did volunteer work in Chicago, visited Cloud Gate (aka the Bean), and had a department dinner on Michigan Ave.  My Irish colleagues were in town and I had so much fun spending time with them.  I also loved volunteering at our adopted school - gathering school supplies and listening to presentations from the students.  It was a really long day -  I left the house at 7:15am and didn't arrive home until 9:15pm, but definitely a fun day.

Tuesday, another work summit, but this time, meetings were at the office.  The conferences I attended were really interesting and it was a great learning opportunity, but oh my gosh, I was exhausted by the afternoon.

Wednesday, some of the students I had been mentoring presented their projects and I had to serve as a judge.  I'm really proud of their ideas and their creativity.  They all did an excellent job.  I think I missed my calling as a high school science teacher. :)  Or maybe not... mentoring has been very rewarding without having any nightly "homework" to grade.  Speaking of school, A had "open house" so he was at school late.  I feel like I've hardly seen my dear husband lately.

And then today, I took the day off in order to chaperone W's field trip to the fire station.  We had lots of fun visiting the station together and I'm so thankful I was able to spend some one on one time with my little guy after a very hectic week.

And we finally have sunshine and 40 degree temperatures so maybe spring will eventually arrive!

Weekend Recap

I had five meetings yesterday and was so mentally drained by the end, I didn’t post my usual weekend recap.

Our weekend was uneventful, which is exactly what I needed.  I didn’t even take a single picture of the boys, which is unheard of for me.  I guess I was just focused on being in the moment and relaxing when possible (not really possible with two little boys).

We spent Saturday morning lounging around and easing into the day.  Once we were finally dressed, we headed to lunch.  I had a coupon for a free kids meal at Red Robin – score!  The boys love this restaurant – chicken, fries, lemonade and balloons – what more could a boy ask for?  Then it was off to the mall.  I always wear a watch and hadn’t been able to for some time because my watch battery died.  It was driving me crazy – I’d constantly look for the time and then realize I wasn’t wearing a watch.  Anyway, the boys had also been asking to go to the mall play place aka germ city.  It was freezing so it was a good option on this day.  Time will tell if they catch yet another virus from the germ cesspool.  But they both had a great time and I’m happy to have my watch back.

Sunday was our usual.  After church, Starbucks, and grocery shopping, I made dinner - chicken mushroom Florentine over linguini, and grilled mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli.  It was so yummy, you guys.  The pediatrician gave us a hard time about the boys not eating enough fruits and veggies… they didn’t eat these grilled veggies BUT, I’m going to keep offering and hope that they’ll eventually try them and like them!  And what are parents supposed to do?  S eats fruits, W eats corn and the occasional strawberry, but I’m not sure what to do to convince them to eat more.  I’ve heard of parents trying to sneak them into meals, but I know my kids would find them and refuse to eat.  We’ll keep trying.

Friday Thoughts

Gosh, it’s been a really long week with a memorial service for my cousin and doctor’s appointments for the boys thrown in.  The boys have gotten to bed late the past two nights and I’m just ready for a noneventful evening.

Wednesday evening I was hurrying home because we had to leave for the aforementioned memorial service.  I thought I’d stop on my way and pick up a sandwich before dashing out the door again.  It was a great idea until I got to the drive thru window and realized I didn’t have my wallet (it was in the diaper bag).  So no dinner for me and I was totally embarrassed.  Note to self: make sure you have money BEFORE placing your order.

My amazing and wonderful husband was nominated for Teacher of the Year in his school district.  I’m so incredibly proud of A!  This world needs more men like him!!

This is the winter that will not end... yes, it goes on and on my friends...  Currently 36 degrees.  In April.  Not acceptable.

My boss' boss, aka VP of the department, sent me an email and it began with Dude.  Dude??  Really?!?  I was telling my mom about this scenario and she responded, "But you're not even a dude?"  So not the point, mom.  Lol.

Next Generation

I posted the following note on Facebook yesterday after reading a number of posts on the latest "challenge".  I'm sure you've seen them too.  And quite frankly, I'm really tired of everyone concluding their condemnation of the next generation with "these are the people who will be leading our country one day..."

Can we stop criticizing an entire generation for the actions of a few? Do teens do stupid things? Yes, absolutely. Did you do stupid things as a kid? I’m sure you did. So maybe stop defining an age group by a few stupid “challenges” you read about on Facebook. Maybe stop acting like you’ve never done anything regrettable in your life or taken on a dare. Maybe instead focus on the positive actions, progress, and inspirational stories. Those narratives are there if you look for them. Maybe focus on teaching instead of criticizing, work on building self confidence instead of mocking, and please stop eluding to the impending doom of our society. If our teen generation is really that stupid and so easily manipulated by their peers, we only have ourselves as parents to blame.

When did we become a society so hellbent on criticizing everyone else in order to feel better about ourselves and our situations?  I'm old enough to remember when baby Jessica fell down the well.  I also remember the nation hoping, praying, believing that baby Jessica would be rescued.  If that same situation played out today, I can assure you that almost everyone would be chastising her parents... "How could they have let that happen?  Why weren't they watching her?  They don't deserve to be parents."  DCFS would be knocking on their door.  In fact, I remember a similar situation that DID happen in today's era - when that sweet boy at Disney World was grabbed by the crocodile a couple years ago.  The social media comments directed at his parents were downright disturbing and atrocious.  But 30 years ago, no one criticized Jessica's parents.  They simply held out hope that Jessica would be rescued.  And she was.  What's happened to us?

Weekend Recap

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!  Both boys have been under the weather lately.  S has been fighting some version of cold/cough for over a month and has been on antibiotics for a double ear infection for a week.  Saturday morning, W woke up complaining that his ear was hurting and sure enough, he also has an ear infection.  They both seem to be on the mend – hopefully!  I also got a touch of the virus last week, but I think I’m better.  Our weather has been so cold lately and I’m blaming the sickness on that.

I was fortunate to have Friday off of work.  We spent the day taking it relatively easy – a Starbucks run, greeting the garbage truck, grocery shopping, and out for pizza that evening.

I hope they never lose their excitement - it won't always be garbage trucks, but I do hope they find something else to love as they grow!

Saturday, A and I had to sign our tax documentation at our CPA’s office.  I found a train restaurant near the office and we headed there for lunch.  The boys absolutely loved it.  Lunch was delivered by a toy train and the boys would get so excited every time the whistle sounded signaling the food train was on its way.  A and I finished the night watching the Cubs game and college basketball along with a cheese/sausage/cracker plate and wine for me, beer for him.  I think we need to make this a weekend tradition because I’m really enjoying it!

He looks so grown up!

Sunday morning was church.  It was so darn cold – in the 20’s!!  I wore a dress and froze my buns off!  After a quick trip to Starbucks, we headed home so the boys could check out their Easter baskets (and I could put on pants!).  Coincidently the Easter bunny always comes to our house while we’re at church – it’s a good way to ensure we’re out the door and make it to church on time!  

Cuteness overload

Fruit snacks.  He was super excited about fruit snacks.

After Easter baskets, we left for brunch at Nani and Papa’s house.  The boys had been looking forward to an Easter egg hunt at Nani and Papa’s and filled their baskets with colorful eggs.  Once we returned home, the boys asked to play with shaving cream and proceeded to make a huge mess.  They continued eating – I don’t think I’ve ever seen them eat so much.  And I was so ready to relax by the time they were in bed.  A fun (tiring) day! 

At the end of the day, the boys wanted to watch Bubble Guppies.  I laid on the couch for a moment to relax and they both climbed on.  Also, Lipsense game still going strong. ;)

I can’t believe we’re into April already!  March really flew by.  Now, if we could just get some warmer weather!!  I’m counting down the days until the end of the school year.  Next school year will bring its own set of challenges (like all of us leaving the house by 7:30am :O when we can’t even seem to get out of the house by 8:15am), but the different drop off/pick up times for W and S this year have been really tough.  I’m so looking forward to a break!!