Last week was pretty good overall, with the exception of Monday, and I didn’t feel quite as exhausted and overwhelmed as I had the week before when we got back from our trip, so that was nice. Here’s the recap!
Monday, April 15
Monday, most definitely started out as a Monday. I woke up at 6 as I always do, and I headed straight to the shower to wake up. Boy oh boy, did I get a wakeup call that I did not want! Our water heater had gone out sometime in the middle of the night and I had to take a cold shower… on a morning where it was only 54 degrees out. EEKS. I don’t think I’ve ever washed my hair and body so fast in my entire life. It was awful.
After that, I got the kids to school, and then I headed home to work and do laundry for the rest of the day. Sunday I’d had a terrible time with technology, so I was hoping for a better day Monday, but unfortunately, I did not get my wish. My iPhone was still not playing well with my PC, and I still couldn’t retrieve my pictures from the week prior. I also had a blog post deadline looming later that day.
I ended up having to go through my camera roll on my phone and email myself every single picture and video from the past week – around 120 of them – and to say it was time-consuming is an understatement. I was so frustrated by the time lunch rolled around, and I ate with B as a much-needed break.
After lunch, I got right back to it, and I managed to knock out the blog post before it was time to leave to pick up the kids, but that didn’t allow for much else.
As I was leaving, the plumber was arriving, and by the time we got home, they were finishing up. They said that one of the coils had, indeed, gone out in our water heater, but they said that it was pointless to replace it as the water heater was 15 years old and it would probably die soon anyway. He recommended getting a new one, so that’s exactly what we did.
The plumber picked it up for us and got it installed, and while we had him there, we asked him if he could check our water pressure and our thermostat for the hot water while he was at it. For the entire 15 years we’ve lived here, we’ve had the most non-existent water pressure. And our “hot” water was always so mild that we always had to turn the shower nozzle all the way to the hottest it would go to take a comfortable shower. I’ve never been able to take a bath because the water wasn’t ever hot enough.
He did check both of those things and he confirmed that our water pressure was, indeed, very low, and the thermostat was, too. So, after fifteen years in this house, I don’t even know what to do with myself because we have so much hot water! And someone can now use a faucet or flush a toilet while someone else is in the shower without the shower water going down to a literal trickle. It’s amazing.
Why we waited this long to get someone to do something about both of those issues, I will never know.
When we got home from school, I did a Bible study while the kids did homework, and then I helped Olivia study for an upcoming test. The kids played outside for a bit, and then Jacob watched some YouTube while Olivia worked on her song lyrics.
I’d put Ranch Chicken Pasta in the slow cooker Monday morning, so I had minimal prep to do for dinner. We ate that, along with steamed green beans and garlic cheesy bread for dinner, and then after dinner, we all went back outside because it was glorious.
Brian and the kids played wiffle ball while I got in a run, and then I grabbed Maui and took her for a walk after my run because I wasn’t ready to go inside.
After my shower, I hung out with Olivia in her tent for a while, I put away some laundry, and we got the kids in the bed. Once the kids were in bed, B and I watched some more of American Idol, and then I finished my book before bed. It ended up being a pretty good ending after a crappy start!
Tuesday morning, I woke up to the most glorious hot shower with the best water pressure we’ve ever had in this house, and boy, was it a much better way to start the day than I did on Monday!
I got the kids to school and then I headed home to work on the blog and laundry all day long.
At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and we headed home. The kids both worked on homework while I did my Bible study, and my Bible study was particularly good that day. I love it when the words on the page just jump out at me! This was one of those days that I even took the extra time to do a little doodle. Although, I need to get some better pens for doodling as these aren’t ideal.
After they left, I got in a short strength workout, and then Jacob and I took Maui for a walk around the neighborhood. Since Jacob’s golf season got cancelled for spring, I’ve been trying to get him outside in other ways to keep him active.
When Brian and Olivia got home from dance, we all sat down to eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and toast, and then it was off to shower for Olivia. I tackled a little bit of laundry and tied up some loose ends from the day, and then we got the kids in the bed.
B and I watched more American Idol, and then we headed to bed.
Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I had to run a few errands – the library to drop off some books, my annual ENT checkup, and to put gas in my car.
I have a standing annual appointment with my ENT doctor to get my ears cleaned out, because for some reason, my body makes excessive wax, and my ear canals get blocked to the point where I lose some of my hearing. My doctor told me there’s nothing that I can do about it and that some people’s ears just make more wax than others. He did tell me about an at-home earwax removal kit that I could do on my own, but since I’ve had so much trouble with my ears throughout the years (eustachian tube dysfunction when I was pregnant, ringing in my ears since 2018, and now this vertigo), I’d rather just pay the $45 copay once a year to get my ENT doctor to remove it safely. The last thing I need is an at-home kit making my issues even worse.
Since my last visit one year ago, he said both of my ear canals were at 80% blockage which is just so crazy to me! I can always tell when they start to get full because the ringing in my ears starts changing pitches randomly, and the ringing also gets louder on and off sometimes.
While I was there, he asked me how I was doing with my vertigo and dizziness since he was the very first doctor to treat me, and I told him I’m still having dizziness every single time I lay down, every single time I sit up, and occasionally when I’m walking or running. I also told him about my two brief vertigo spells back in February, and he could not believe that I’m still going through this. He said that he’s never seen anything like this before in all of his years of practicing. He said, of course, there are people who have Meniere’s Disease and various other diagnoses that cause them to have ongoing issues with dizziness and vertigo, but since all my tests came back clean, they were able to rule all of those things out. So, he is perplexed.
He ended up talking to me about it for quite a while, and I told him about my theory that it could be the braces and the fact that my face and jaw have changed so drastically… that in conjunction with the fact that I also have cervicogenic issues because of my anxiety. He told me that at this point it sounds like a solid theory, and he told me that he kind of wants to make me a case study since there’s not very much data out there about this.
Since all of my other doctors have released me (other than my primary doctor, of course) – especially since the neurologist released me – he wants to take me back on as a patient again for the vertigo so he can monitor everything. Whether he is actually going to make a case study out of this, I don’t know, but I am going back to see him in six months so he can check on me again.
Leave it to me to be the weird medical girl! Sadly, this is not the first time (or even the second) in my life that this has happened. Sigh.
After my appointment, I headed home to work for a couple of hours, and then I headed to my appointment with my therapist. After that, it was back home to eat lunch and finish up working for the day.
After school, we dropped Olivia at dance, and then Jacob and I headed home. I did my Bible study and wrapped up a couple of things while he did homework and had some computer time, and then he and I headed back out to pick up Olivia since Brian was going out to dinner with friends.
Olivia ended up getting out super late like she does pretty much every Wednesday, so we decided to stop by Chick-Fil-A on the way home. Normally, we get it to go, but we decided to eat in the restaurant Wednesday, and I was so glad we did because we had the best experience.
While we were eating, an older gentleman walked over to our table with a bagful of hand-carved and painted hearts, each one with a different Bible verse on them (all of them had John 3:16 on one side and a unique verse on the other side). He gave one to the kids to share… their Bible verse was Ephesians 6:1-3… “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother – which is the first commandment with a promise – so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
The verse could not have been more perfect for me!! It’s one of my favorites of all-time, second to Proverbs 3:5-6.
After the kids were done eating, they asked for milkshakes, and I just happened to have a free birthday dessert on my Chick-Fil-A account, so I said, “Why not?” They both opted for cookies and cream, and they enjoyed every single sip.
We headed home after that, and Olivia tackled her homework. I helped her study for her word work test, and then I headed upstairs for a stair stepper workout while both kids got showered and ready for bed.
B got home shortly after that, and then he and I watched a few minutes of American Idol before heading to bed.
Thursday morning, I headed straight home after dropping the kids, and I got to work. I had a super productive morning, finishing up one blog post and putting big dents in a couple of other Disney posts. I also worked on some other odds and ends – “life stuff” as I like to call it – and then just before lunch, I headed to our local plant nursery to pick up everything for summer.
I ended up with four ferns – two hanging and two potted (per usual) – along with two herbs (rosemary and basil), and various other flowers to plant in my pots. Oh, and a massive bag of potting soil. We can’t forget that!
After school, the kids and I headed straight to music lessons, and then we headed home for the evening. Their school had a fine arts night, but we decided to skip since neither of them were performing in anything.
Instead, I got my Bible study done and put the laundry away, we had pasta leftovers for dinner when B got home, and then we all spent the whole evening outside. B started up the pressure washer and got some spots off of the back porch, and then I got all of my new plant babies potted. The kids played kickball while we did that, and then Olivia helped me plant a little bit.
After all of that was done, I headed out for a short run, and then I did an arms workout in the driveway when I got home. I also snapped some “before” pictures of our driveway since I’d hoped to start pressure washing it soon, and I also checked on my plant babies to make sure they were doing well.
After that, B and I got the kids in the bed, and then I went to meditate. Right as I was heading downstairs, I saw that Taylor Swift had posted a little sneak peek of her music video with Post Malone, so I popped back into Olivia’s room to show her.
As I was leaving her room, I told her I loved her, and then she told me she loved me more, and then we both said, “I love you more than Taylor Swift’s new album!” at the same time! Hahahaha.
For a little back story, we have this thing that we do where we try to outdo our I Love Yous and we’ll say that we love the other more than ___ (insert something fantastic that we both love). And it was so funny that we both said that at the same time.
Also, this is how she's been sleeping every night lately... she's been making a fort over her head. Haha.
Friday morning, we awoke to the news that Taylor Swift had surprised everyone with, not one, but TWO new albums… or technically, a double album, if you will. I was elated and I couldn’t get the kids to school and back home fast enough to download it. EEK! It’s so good!
I spent the rest of the day *trying* to work and listening to that album. It’s 31 songs (two hours and two minutes to be exact), so it is quite a time commitment. Not to mention I was trying to decode every little lyric and searching on social media to see what everyone else was speculating. Ahhhh, the joys of being a Swiftie! <3
There was also lots of work that needed to be done, so I had to turn off TS a few times throughout the day so I could focus on my writing, but I couldn’t wait to get back to the album on the way to pick up the kids from school! I ended up listening to it most of the time that I sat in the car line, but I was also SUPER into the book I was reading, so I did take a few minutes to dive back into that.
It was a good day for music and books! ;o)
After school, the kids and I headed straight home. I did my Bible study while they got everything unpacked and put away from the week, and then Jacob had some computer time while Olivia read.
Olivia had a birthday party to go to at 6, so we had dinner super early. Brian picked up Five Guys and brought it home since it’d be quick, and then we all headed to the birthday party since it was at a local entertainment center. Jacob had been wanting to go, so we figured he and B could hang out while Olivia and I did the birthday party thing.
On the way to the party, we did swing by Target first because… I had ordered the Taylor Swift Target exclusive special edition vinyl and I wanted to pick it up… even though I do not own a record player. Lol.
The place where the birthday party was held is really unique. Brian and I, nor Jacob had ever been, but Olivia had been raving about it since going with a friend months ago. They have various rock-climbing activities, a foam blocks pit, trampolines, various other activities, and a zip line that attaches to the ceiling and lets the kids fly around the whole venue.
Both kids played hard all night and they both had a blast. Neither of them wanted to leave. Haha. And they were sweaty and exhausted by the time we got home at 8:15.
Saturday morning, we slept in, and then Olivia helped me make homemade waffles for breakfast. After that, I spent a few minutes on my computer while I drank my tea, and then it was time to get down to business.
I threw in a load of laundry and got in a short mixed cardio workout, and then it was time to head outside to do all the things. Our new outdoor rugs and pillows had arrived, so I got the back porch swept off, and the kids helped me move the furniture and lay the rugs while B edged the yard and blew off the clippings.
After lunch, it was back outside for everyone, and I watered the plants and got everything back on the porch while B finished pressure washing the sidewalk. I also switched out our welcome mat from our winter mat to our summer mat, and B switched out the Georgia flag for the American flag.
He also used the pressure washer to wash off all of the front porch furniture because it was filthy. And then I finished up the last square of sidewalk for the pressure washing. I freaking love pressure washing so much… it is one of the most satisfying things ever to me. I just wish my hands and arms would physically allow me to do more of it. My hands get tired and weak so fast! They were shaking for the rest of the night after that.
I spent a few minutes in my office working on a blog post, and then it was time to get ready for church. What a productive day, though!
My cousin who lives in Washington was here with her boyfriend Saturday night, so she came to church, and then my whole extended family did Mexican for dinner at our favorite local place. We had a big group Saturday night!
After dinner, we headed home, and thankfully, all was well at our house. Just as we were leaving for church, a massive thunderstorm was starting to roll through, and our neighborhood Facebook page had alerted all of us that the power had gone out. They got it back on just before we got home, though, so that was a relief.
When we got home, we all hung out for a bit and Jacob tinkered at his piano, and then after we got the kids in the bed, B and I watched two more episodes of The Chosen. The episode of Jesus with the kids… OMG. So sweet.
B and I were so tired from all of our manual labor that we ended up going to bed earlier than usual for a Saturday night, and that was a good thing, because we ended up having the loudest storms ever in the middle of the night which resulted in me lying awake forever because the thunder was so loud, aaaand Olivia ended up in our room because she was scared. In other words, I hardly got any sleep Saturday night.
Sunday, April 21
Sunday morning, I didn’t roll out of bed until 8:30, which is later than normal for me, so we ended up eating breakfast a bit later than usual, too. We had cinnamon rolls, and then I headed upstairs to get my planner ready for the week ahead, watch my Sunday morning sermon, and do some yoga stretching… my usual routine.
Lunch at my MIL and step-FIL’s was nice. We hadn’t seen them in a couple of weeks, so we were able to catch up a bit and eat some yummy food. As usual, we sat around the table chatting long after the meal was over, and then we headed home.
When we got home, the kids scrubbed their bathroom, tidied up, and prepped everything for Monday, and then they had some screen time for the rest of the afternoon while I worked. Those Disney posts are so much fun to write, but they are so time intensive!
I had a productive afternoon, and then it was time to go to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner. My Momma made her famous spaghetti, and it was delicious, as always. It’s always a favorite!!
After that, it was more chatting around the table, and then home to get the kids in the bed. B and I watched some of American Idol, and then we headed to bed early to start the week off on the right foot!
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
