Memorial Day Weekend: Relaxing, Actually!

We had such a nice weekend. Shawn and I even woke up today saying, "It even felt like a long weekend. Like we had extra time." That's so unusual! We're back at our respective offices, with the kids happily cared for by Carli, who showed up at 7:00 am this morning and who seemed tired, but is still awesome... and I'm still just wanting to re-live all the fun things that happened.

Friday was the last half-day of school, and I happily requested a work-from-home afternoon so that I could pick the kids up on time. There was a birthday party to attend in the park at 1:30, and we'd been asked to drive one of Kate's friends, so we went to Panera for lunch, and then over to the park. It was a perfect, perfect day for it -- sunny but breezy, and not too hot. I loved getting to stand in the shade with the moms and dads while the kids ran around, ate ice cream, and lined up for the pinata. I hadn't been planning to stay there that long, actually, but it ended up just fine since the ol' manager was on vacation. Wink, wink. When we got home at 3:30 I sat down with the laptop and worked for 2 hours, and called it good enough. (I still feel the need to log each hour, and Friday I only worked 6, but I hadn't taken many lunches during the week so it evened out.) **Note to self: I love this kind of flexibility. This job allows it sometimes.** 

Friday night (after Shawn had mowed the grass since he got home early, too), Kate convinced us we needed to go to the pool to celebrate. We knew it would be cold water, because it'd been raining most of the week, but she didn't let that stop her... and the idea of not cooking dinner was definitely appealing to me! I'm glad we went. Even though I annoyed her by not getting into the pool myself (just sitting with my feet in), I think she and Alex had fun. Even Alex admitted, though, that the water was cold. We ate some delicious fish tacos (me) and wings (Shawn), then headed home.

Guess who fell asleep at 9:00 and didn't wake up until 11:00? That's right, Shawn. Not me!

Saturday morning we didn't have piano lessons, which was another nice break. Instead, we got dressed and went to test drive a car! With ice water in our veins, we said. "Just to drive it," we said. But they got us (of course they did) with an offer of $10,000 off a 2016 model. That's four zeroes off. Lucky I'd brought the checkbook just in case. A deal we couldn't pass up, and a car I love! Leather, heated seats! Back-up camera! All the tech I've never had! I had fun driving it a little bit over the weekend, and in to the office this morning.

I had to cantor Saturday night, but had put a pork shoulder in the crock pot all day, so we had BBQ by the time we got home and it was delicious! SO much better than the crock-pot shredded chicken that's been my go-to. Not anymore, I declare. Pork -- the other white meat -- For The Win. Everyone loved it. 

Sunday morning I had to sing again, with the choir, but that's the last time until fall. Hooray! As much as I love our new director Alvin, I am so ready for a break from Sunday morning obligations. Then it was time for a lunch-date with our good friends from when Kate was in pre-school. We haven't seen them in a long while, but the girls just fell right back into friendship as if no time had passed, asking each other about their schools, favorite subjects, friends, etc. Fourth graders! I still think of the two of them as Four-Year-OLDS! Anyway, we had a lovely time at Ted's Montana Grill. One thing the mom said struck me -- she, too, stays in her kinda annoying job because.... drumroll... it is close to her daughter's school. And it pays the bills. We decided it's the way of the world.

[[Is this boring? I'm not sure I even want to finish it. I mean, how could I write the daily details better?! I don't know. I always think LL's posts are so interesting, and they're just like this -- does she insert more personality into it, or something?? What gives?! Photos. Hers always have illustrative photos. Okay... uploading now... does this help?]]

Sunday afternoon, guess what Kate and I did? Went shopping. ;) This is becoming a regular thing, which may not be so good for my bank account, but I think it is definitely good for our relationship. Mostly I was after two errand-y things: Popsicle molds and a new coffee pot. My beloved Black and Decker 12-cup, with its stainless steel carafe, went dead Sunday morning. (I had to boil the water myself, then pour it slowly over the coffee grounds! Not gonna work long-term.) As it happens, the Target is right next door to a Justice, so Kate dragged me in there, too. It's not that I dislike you, Justice, it's just that I despise all the shiny STUFF you hang next to and around your cute clothes. We do not need another fluffy keychain or another tiny purse with a "K" on it! And Kate wants ALL of that stuff. It's really hard, having to be the bad guy in there, but bad-guy I was, denying her a pineapple-shaped boogie board ($29), a third hairbrush (with a K), and a $30 t-shirt with sequins. We did, however, buy a one-piece swimsuit and two pairs of shorts, which she needs for summer camp. And then we went to have our nails done. So I'm still Fun Mom.

I hadn't had my nails done in AGES and AGES, and they needed doing. Kate can't have hers painted during the school year because of the dress code, so this was a big treat. We closed the place down, in fact. But I think she and I need some good girl-time regularly, just the two of us, and now we're all prettied up and ready for summer. The boys played video games, some together and some apart, and you know, I think that qualifies for them as quality time, too.

Can I go on for just another minute? Sunday night we watched Mockingjay #2 (just the grownups), Monday we had no plans, did a little laundry here and there (kids helped), I did my ten-minute workout, Shawn did some work, we cleaned up the Highlander so we can sell it soon, we read books, we napped, it rained then stopped, so we grilled our dinner, and it was just a perfect day off. Nothing fancy or too much trouble.

I'm already counting down until the next weekend.

Snapshots of both kids right now

On a weekend or holiday, if we're in the house, you will likely find Alex and Kate on the couch, on the staircase (seated), or on the chair in the living room, legs dangling over the arm, with their iPads. We knew this would be the case when we gave them the iPads at Christmas, and we know the state of the digital world, so it isn't a shock. But it's still sometimes annoying. Kate fires hers up on the floor of her bathroom sometimes, waiting for the shower to get hot. They watch while they walk. It's mostly YouTube that they're into, but there are also some games. Tap Titans is one that I despise, because its beeps and noises are loud and it requires them to just tap, with all 10 fingers, on the screen. As if they're typing, but they're not, just making ONE MILLION fast taps on the hard surface. They both love Rolling Sky and Word Cookies (at least there's one that engages their academic brains - it's anagrams). Alex is just now texting/messaging with his friends. We let him have a Google/YouTube account (had to fudge his age) so he uses Hangouts, I think, and/or iMessage when the other friend has an iPhone. Kate iMessages me (on days when she's home but I'm working, for example), but to my knowledge, no one else.

After years when we heard nothing BUT the Disney Channel, it has largely disappeared from their TV habits. Thank you, YouTube, I guess! Whereas last summer it was endless episodes of "Walk the Prank," "LIv and Maddie" and "Jessie," they hardly ever put it on channel 864 anymore. Nor Cartoon Network. Farewell, Teen Titans Go, Clarence and Regular Show! We don't mind. Kate has also stopped watching so many episodes of Chopped and Pioneer Woman on The Food Network - they were a staple at one time, as well. If we watch TV lately, it's Jeopardy, The Middle (my favorite, too), or AFV (America's Funniest Videos). Alex likes to see the morning (local, just for the weather) and evening news, too, so we sometimes watch ABC World News Tonight or NIghtly News w/Lester Holt on NBC, on weeknights. Oh, and The Flash. They both love it.

Thank the Lord Jesus, they stopped playing "Baby." This was a game where Kate was the "big sister" of various names, "Riley" (pronounced Raleigh) was the most frequent and Alex, MUCH to Shawn's and my chagrin, was "Baby." He was funny in the role -- quite the actor, really -- but ugh, it was grating. Though there is/was a SONG and other family characters. The MaGoogin family, I believe. I hope they'll remember it always and that I'll rarely have to hear it again. ;) Alex put a stop to it, finally, because he is 12 and acting like a baby isn't cool anymore. They do still pretend a little; "Scooter City" seems to be popular, where they pretend to be Razr Scooter champions on a competitive tour (or something) on the driveway, and sometimes a kind-of spy game in the backyard. This year, they're jumping on the trampoline more.

Most times, playing ends in a fight. Either Kate wants to win (at Horse or "Basket Bounce" on the trampoline) or Alex wants her to follow the rules, or both -- so neither one is getting what he/she wants. It's very hard not to play referee and I usually get myself involved, knowing how badly it will turn out. Oh well. At least they're friends for the most part.

Left on their own, Kate will always want to Make something. Artsy-Craftsy, that one. She'll whine that she wants me to help, and do it with her, but she really doesn't want or need my help. (She wants someone in the room with her.) She has her idea of how a project will turn out, and she goes for it. Alex will want to play video games online. He's found several classmates with PlayStation or Xbox profiles and, as we always knew would happen, this is where he chooses to spend a LOT of time lately. Just this weekend we moved one of the game systems up to the bonus room, so we can have the family-room TV back on Friday and Saturday nights. I'm happy about that but it's also -- gosh, he's getting so grown up. In the back room, door closed. Just like a teenager.

Alex is studious and organized. He'll do his homework on Friday night as much as possible, to get it out of he way for the weekend. He is earning awards in Math and has pretty much maintained a 99 average in every class, pre-algebra included. Math is serving him well in music, too. He's playing clarinet in middle school band. Piano lessons for 2 years and really coming into his own there. He and his teacher had a nerdy conversation about scales and chords the other day (she is a total music theory nerd and I love her for it - I am also enjoying these theory lessons as an observer!). He is rational and kind and he has a great developing sense of humor and timing. He understands so much -- I see in the way that he puts up with his sister, that he's trying really hard to help her, but also knows (mostly) when to back off, and that she just isn't wired the same as he is. His blow-ups over homework have MOSTLY stopped (jinx), but there is the occasional stress-out over a project or a hard problem. He's very excited to be an eighth-grader next fall. In Student Council, by the way. A leader.

Kate is also studious and does very well with schoolwork, but wants it over with as soon as possible.... or leaves it until the last minute - often, the morning of, instead of eating breakfast. Not all homework, mind you, but "finishing touches" on projects. Or, "I want to make a [random] card for X" so it has to be done right this minute. She is still not much of a morning person. She'll be one of those people who can't talk/function until she has her coffee, once she's old enough. She is well loved at school, not just by her own teachers, but everyone. Everyone knows her. All the teachers. The eighth-grade girls. Sweet and funny and outspoken in school, I think. Not in a way that gets her in trouble, just that she knows the answer and inserts herself in grown-up conversations sometimes and it charms people. (And makes me cringe a little since I was NOT that way at her age.) She's in Art Club (and everything else) and her Battle of the Books team won 2nd place in the Archdiocese this spring, for all third grade! Her favorite is still gymnastics - says she wants to BE a gymnast - and she's learned a lot in her tumbling class this year - her form has gotten better. It's not a competitive class and I wonder if I should get her into one, but... not sure I'm willing to be that committed to it. She loved basketball this year, too, but mostly for the social aspect of it. Her team won 1 game. ;) She's trying really hard to control her emotions, and doing better, I'd say 65% of the time. Still a little too dramatic and over-reactive for my taste, but we're all working on it. Oh, and she had her first piano lesson this past weekend.

This is going so fast, this "school years" time of our lives. I really can't believe it. I want to bottle it up and keep it, so I've been meaning to write this post for a long time.

Remember this.

Yesterday, Mother's Day, May 14, 2017, Kate is 9 and I am 43.

On the way down the stairs at home, dressed and ready for Mass: She takes my hand to hold.

On the way out of the church, in the beautiful sunny day, chatting and talking: She holds my hand again.

On the way to the car after a lovely brunch: She takes it a third time. I looked down at her hand in mine, and I just want to remember how it felt, how natural and soft and sweet it was, forever.

Also, twice during the day, my nearly-teenage son kissed me on the cheek. Once when he was directed to by his Dad, for a photo op, and another time while I was just sitting at the kitchen table. He just came right up to me and leaned in. Stayed a while, too, after the peck on the cheek, just side-hugging me.

I do like Mother's Day, quite a lot.

Begin Again

In 8 days, we're starting the Whole Life Challenge again.

It has been surprisingly difficult to keep up the habits in this "8 weeks off" period. I don't know if the creators of the challenge knew that it would be, and therefore knew they had a good business model on their hands, or not... but it's difficult. Bread and Bread-like things (flour tortillas, Hot Pockets!, muffins, granola bars) are just So. Easy. to Grab. Salads and compliant snacks, not so much. How I love walking (just 10 minutes!) and stretching (just 10 minutes!) every day. HOW IS IT that I haven't been doing it???

So weird.

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Guess what? It's time to buy a new car. I kinda figured I'd drive my Highlander until the wheels fell off, and that's practically what's happening. Yesterday I was quoted $4,300 to fix everything that is wrong with it. Yeah. It's 13 years old. I opted to only fix $1,200 of that total, in the hopes I could drive it a month more (or maybe two), while we do our research. But hey, a new car is something fun, right? And, there are Memorial Day Sales... maybe we can fool ourselves into thinking we're getting a deal. (Car prices are beyond Ridiculous.)

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Busy week, but we are so close to the end of the year that I refuse to stress about anything else. Hey, I have to brag: I lasted longer this schoolyear, with making lunchboxes the night before, than I've ever lasted before! I think it's only in the last month (2?) that I've gotten really bad about leaving it until the morning of. Go me! Thank God it's nearly over.

Tonight is the school play. Neither of my kids is involved but we're going, Kate and I, because we love The Theatre. ;) It's Beauty and the Beast, naturally, and no, we still haven't seen the live-action movie yet! This weekend is our least busy of May, actually. We have family plans to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and that's it. Cleaning House a bit, probably. I need to start buying some of the camp supplies the kids need. Sunscreen, shampoo, bug spray, etc. Maybe car shopping! And then Mother's Day, when I hope to 1) have coffee on the porch, 2) go to Mass, 3) go to brunch, and 4) take a nap/read. No Grocery Shopping on Mother's Day! I VOW to go Saturday night. VOW!



I love YOU, Mom -- hope you have a nice Sunday. I know you'll be on the road, but at least you're not driving! :) xoxoxoxo

Why Peter Pan Calls Capt. Hook a "Codfish"

Yesterday the seafood counter was out of tilapia. I know, I know, the Internet warns about how we should never be eating tilapia! But ...well, sometimes we do, anyway. Not last night. Instead I bought wild-caught cod for just $6.99/pound. (That was why.) You can't save fish, so if I buy it, usually we eat it on Sunday night.

For this, I baked it as I normally would, with butter/lemon/garlic. I didn't include any onions and wish I had, and I cooked it for less time on a higher temperature than I have in the past.... maybe these reasons are why it did not satisfy me in the slightest. The adjective I'd use, in fact, is "gross." The texture was weird, making me think, "Did I cook this long enough?" and the taste was totally fishy. Now I know why "codfish" is an insult. Blech. Next time I will get grouper or trout or something else. Salmon, I guess. (My kids love salmon! Finally! But I get tired of it and don't want to serve it every week.)

Speaking of every week, let's detail the menu, shall we?

Sunday -- Codfish. White rice. Broccoli. Thumbs down.

Monday -- Grandmother's Spicy Fried Chicken! Publix has not carried the box of frozen fried chicken in years. But guess what? Kroger had it. Made me hate Kroger a little less, yesterday. I am so excited for dinner tonight. Will also make fresh corn on the cob, because braces-less Alex can eat it now (carefully, with his permanent bottom retainer in place) and maybe green beans, too.

Tuesday -- Alex has a piano competition at 5:00, so I'm going to ask Shawn to heat up the pizza that I've got in the freezer. Woo-hoo!

Wednesday -- Broccoli-Cheese Soup. Kate saw it in my recipe book and was intrigued. However, Shawn's not a fan, and Alex won't be, either (cheese). So I'll also make a Tortilla soup (from a mix) that we like.

Thursday -- Out to eat! Mom and Dad arrive for the Art Show/Grandparents' Day and I can't wait! (To see them, not to eat out. But also, to eat out. Heh.)

Friday -- Not sure, but I might ask Mom to make brisket while I'm at work. ;) Hi, Mom! OR we might do something else easy.