Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m drinking mimosas for now (hello, vacation), but I’ll definitely have a beer before the end of the day.
Holy parishes. My last Family Friday post was in mid-November. Not that I haven’t blah-blah-blahed around these parts, but I miss Fridays spent on the blog with too much blah-blah. Recently my uncle noticed that he has been missing the life updates and prefers my blah-blah about life to my blah-blah about food. Can’t win ’em all.
This week was full of daylight savings. Those mornings are dark and my body wouldn’t drain on command. I spent last week pulling double duty at work, which I better know is coming because I’ve blocked off my calendar from both patients and appointments, allowing me to be a receptionist and referral extraordinaire. I’m a to-do list person and there’s something very satisfying about mastering my days off. I put in a lot of hours and missed a few days of my afternoon walks so I wouldn’t go into the next week or vacation with anything notable. Spring Break and Cancun, I’m looking at you!
We recently got all new furniture for our formal living room, which will double as an appliance-free room where I can READ. My reading “nook” that I’ve wanted for years and years (thanks to Pinterest). I have a giant fig tree (fake of course) and it brings me so much joy. I even have a canvas photo that I’m obsessed with. What animal is this? I don’t even care, I love her. She makes me happy and completely finishes a room with a fun vibe.
I’ve done some reading and enjoyed all of the following (4 and 5 starting with me):
In addition to reading, Mark and I watched Dopesick on Hulu, an 8-part series about OxyContin and the opioid epidemic. So scary but worth watching. We are also watching the new season of Yellowstone and will be starting Ted Lasso soon. And sometimes we’ve been known to binge-watch Below Deck, our favorite reality TV show. In fact, we watch very little TV as the girls get ready for bed around 9pm these days, and until we hit adulthood or other commitments, we’ll be lucky to squeeze in an episode.
Remember when I said I wouldn’t be volunteering to help with the kids’ school variety show this year? Well, I didn’t lie so much as I was worn out of my mother’s race and re-sucked. Love my friends, but managing mid-day trips to school for auditions just wasn’t this year, but I was happy to join a few planning meetings and opening act practices. I can work on a wireless speaker and YouTube with the best of them 😉 I am also on flower duty and so far the wholesaler and parents have all been a pleasure to work with. 🙂 The show is the week after I get back from Cancun, so it will be a busy week with rehearsals for Acts 1 and 2 and 2 shows. But I’m moving all that to brain space for another time.
The girls swimming season is officially over and the end of season pizza pool party was held last Friday. They didn’t see my girls coming when it comes to ordering pizza, those girls can STAY. No clue where it’s going. They are their papa’s girls 🙂
The last few months we’ve been experiencing the constant cloud with a local beef fest (outdoors, of course), a trip to Grand Rapids for a seafood dinner after a Griffins hockey game, a hockey game at Notre Dame without the kids. , and several other fun events. Two weeks ago we headed to Chicago’s Forest Park St. Patrick’s Day parade, joined by my brother and his family, as well as my boyfriend and his family and a few other friends. It was so much fun and the girls LOVED it! Being the town I grew up in, it’s a little crazy I’ve never been.
My latest misadventure has been summer camp and summer programs for girls. I have 2 problems. The first is coverage for both of them during the day. I was told by the YMCA that registration would open on Monday, March 13th for those not currently involved in Y programming when I called on Wednesday, March 8th (registration opening day). OK, got it. On Saturday, March 11th, I happened to be talking to another mom at the girls’ soccer game who informed me that she could enroll her kids in the Y’s summer camp, none of whom are involved in Y programming (WHAAAAT?). : Important background. there is 1 local summer program (YMCA) and there are 75 spots available. That it. That’s it. Procrastinate and you’re SOL. I immediately called the Y to sign the girls up. I was told they were on the waiting list during weeks 1 and 2, but she said that interviews are happening to open up more spots and our chances are good that both girls will be placed for all 10 weeks. I log into my account at Y (prepared in anticipation of signing up ASAP) and see that Shea is signed up 7 out of 10 weeks (not 8) and Piper is only signed up 5 out of 10 weeks in I have called TWICE this week, leaving voicemails both times and neither was returned. So that’s the number one problem of the summer. Problem number two is that the girls want to swim on the swim team, and it’s some time mid to late morning (up to 5 days/week), 20+ minutes from my job, and they’re likely to be in a different swim. groups. I’m not sure how working parents can manage this one. I have no plans other than my friend’s kind suggestion to bring the girls back and forth to the swim team a few days a week and maybe I can get out on Wednesday mornings for swim meets. I’m just not sure how summers work in households where both parents work full time. STRESS. Summer sabbatical. 😉
Enough blah blah for now. We are going to Cancun.
to be good
