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Spring Break Week 2 and the Plague

After returning home from St. Louis on Tuesday, Wednesday morning at 4am, Xander woke up complaining of a stomachache and within minutes of waking up, he was vomiting. Wednesday was a rough day for him- he couldn’t keep anything down- sips of water, popsicles- it all came back up. Eventually he napped for a while, and exactly 12 hours after he got sick, he snapped out of it and asked for chicken noodle soup for dinner. Augustus was happy to have a restful day with unlimited ipad time as I balanced taking care of Xander and trying to work. Poor Xander was SO miserable, but I was grateful that it passed quickly.

Thursday, Augustus was back to school and Xander went to work with Nate for a while and was home with me for a while. He did some chores to earn money for an ipad game he wanted. He went with me to take the puppies for a walk. It was a good day- low key, but really nice.

In the evening, we went outside to enjoy the spring weather and ended up at a neighbor’s house drinking Bailey’s and eating a Bailey’s trifle to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. We have the best neighborhood!

On Friday, Augustus was at school and it was Xander’s last official day of Spring break, so he and I went to Snapology in the morning. It’s a super cool place that basically has a bunch of STEM focused stations- we built lego cars and raced them, put together special robotic blocks, and several other cool things to experiment with. It was a very fun morning.

The weather has been so warm and so obviously, Friday neighborhood happy hour is back! It was SO nice to be outside, hanging out with everyone. The kids ran around and played and it was so nice to be back together with everyone!

After happy hour, dinner and bath time, we put the boys to bed and sat down to relax. But around 9, Augustus woke up saying he didn’t feel well, and before we made it to him, he had vomited all over the carpeted hallway. He was MISERABLE. Like Xander, he couldn’t keep anything down- every little sip of water led to more vomit. I knew we were in for a long night, so I decided to sleep with him in the spare room. He vomited throughout the night, but by the time we woke up, he was feeling fine and bouncing around like normal.

My stomach was a little rumbly when I woke up on Saturday, but I was ok, so all 4 of us headed to the YMCA for the boys’ tumbling class. It was not a success- the boys both hated it and mostly refused to participate. Ya can’t win ’em all I guess.

We got home and had lunch and then Nate took the boys to my mom’s house for an overnight. For the record, I was unsure about them going since they were both recently sick and I really didn’t want to expose my mom, but she was pretty insistent on having them over. She was in Hawaii last week, so it’s been a while since the boys were with her and they were all missing each other a lot.

While the boys spent Saturday hanging with Grandma, I spent the day is agony. A little after they left, the rumble in my stomach turned to explosive vomit over and over. I won’t go into detail, but it was AWFUL. I haven’t been that sick in years. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t keep anything down, it was that my whole body hurt too. I lay in bed moaning for several hours. Nate took good care of me bringing me water and blankets. I didn’t want him near me because I didn’t want him to get sick too, but he was a rockstar caregiver.

The good news about this awful plague was that while it was MISERABLE and violent, it was also short. Because by 9pm, all of a sudden, the nausea and body aches just went away, and I felt ok. I was drained and weak, but better. I spent some time making a to do list for Sunday, menu planning, and making a grocery list and then I got a great night of sleep.

This morning I woke up still feeling weak, but also motivated. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done today. I started by bleaching the bathroom, the kitchen floor, every door knob, handle, banister, light switch, etc. I usually try to stick to natural products in our house, but today it was straight bleach- our house smelled like the inside of a pool. I don’t want Nate to get sick or anyone to get re-infected (not sure if that happens, but the thought of it makes me want to cry).

Nate and I got the yard cleaned up, I picked up groceries, did laundry, walked the dogs, and got prepped for the week. I tried to pace myself because I wasn’t feeling 100%, but it was a good day. My mom and the boys started the day in the pool and had a fun morning. Then they came home and basically spent the whole afternoon playing outside. I am SO happy that spring is finally here.

We are ready for a normal week with a normal schedule (have I mentioned how much I love being in a good routine?!) And spring is here, so life is good!

St.Louis

Spring break 2022!

Road trips are not my thing (I get terrible carsickness), so I think I surprised Nate when I suggested a road trip. At Christmas, we had so much fun with Kara and Jud and especially baby Nell, and I wanted the boys to be able to spend time with their cousin. So we hopped in the car and hit the road!

On Friday, we left early and drove 4.5 hours to Iowa, where we stopped for the night. We found a hotel with a cool waterpark and we stayed in the pool until it closed at 9pm (with a short break for dinner). I think they went down the slides about 50 times each. The water was warm, the slides were fun and we had an absolute blast.

The next day we got up and swam from 9am-noon. More slides, more swimming, more fun. Before we left, we hit the arcade, which the boys were very excited about.

We drove 4.5 hours again. The boys watched movies, played car bingo and when we stopped at the gas station, we loaded up on so many snacks and treats! The drive went pretty fast and when we arrived in St. Louis, Xander said, “St. Louis is beautiful!” Augustus was asleep, but Xander was very impressed and excited.

We got to Kara and Jud’s house and hung out for a little while, at which point, Xander kicked off our stay by vomiting. If I was Kara and Jud, I would have kicked us out right then and there (they did not). I was pretty sure it was just a “fun mom fail” with too many snacks because he felt much better afterwards and ate pizza for dinner and none of us ended up sick- THANK GOODNESS! But oh geez, what a way to arrive.

On Sunday, we headed to the Arch and the Arch museum. It was 70 degrees and sunny and it was SO amazing to be able to be outside.

Baby Nell (and Kara and Jud) headed home from the Arch for Nell’s nap time, and we headed to the rock climbing gym. The boys (and Nate) were skeptical and unsure they wanted to do it, but once we got harnessed up and tried it, I think we all surprised ourselves and each other. It was SO fun!! Everyone was really good at it- Nate got to the top of the wall. It was such a great family activity and we will definitely do it again!

Nell woke up from her nap and we headed for a very cool nature playscape (https://www.forestparkforever.org/playscape) to run around and climb on fallen logs and big rocks. The weather was so perfect, I was in heaven.

It was so nice outside that we went to another park, this time a playground, so that the kids could keep playing. Then we went home and Jud grilled brats for dinner while we sat on the deck and had drinks. We ended the night with a movie night (we watched the new movie Turning Red and ate popcorn). It was literally my perfect day. It was so fun and so happy and it was just fabulous. Before I had children, I knew I was going to love them and care for them. But I didn’t fully understand how cool they would be and how much I would enjoy spending time with them. Our boys are funny and fun and smart and clever and so fun to be around. They are the best people and family time is just such a great time.

Fifteen years ago (or maybe more), I heard about the City Museum and knew I wanted to check it out. The building the museum is in used to be a 9 story shoe factory and it’s HUGE. No pictures can possibly do it justice- it was the coolest place I’ve ever been. Every where you look, there were tubes, tunnels, slides, places to climb, things to look at. I felt like we were in the Goonies or Indiana Jones. It was extraordinary. I was a little anxious as we lost the boys a few times when they climbed into a hole and disappeared into another section, but overall, we managed to stay together most of the time. This video doesn’t even fully do it justice, but it shows you what an incredible place it is- https://www.citymuseum.org/about-us/drone-video/. I think you could go back every day for a week straight and still see new things each day. We were there for 6 hours and VERY tired by the end, but I want to go back!

That night we stopped for frozen custard for after dinner, but it was a little earlier night for the boys (we were all exhausted). Another perfect, fabulous, fun day.

Today was our marathon drive day. The dogs needed to be picked up by 6pm, so we couldn’t budget in a lot of stops. I have several meetings tomorrow and need to be at one in person as well, so we couldn’t extend our trip. Our only option was to drive all day, however, the day was actually pretty smooth. The boys watched 4 movies and other then a short stop for lunch and a brief gas station break, we powered through with little complaining.

When we got home, Uncle Danny had a surprise for us. He’d told me earlier in the week that facebook ads had gotten him and there was a surprise on the way. Is there a better way to end a road trip than with a road trip themed meal? You know I love a theme! I’d already planned breakfast for dinner, so when a car/truck waffle maker was waiting for us, I can’t even explain how excited I was (forget the kids, I loved that gift the most!). It was the perfect end to an absolutely fabulous spring break trip.

Kara and Jud were such wonderful hosts. We ate so much good food. We did so so many fun things. We spent great time together laughing and having fun. We picked up 2 very tired happy dogs who have been sleeping since they walked in the door. The trip was better than I could have ever imagined. I am so grateful we could do this and I can’t wait for the next one!

March Has Arrived

March is here and on Monday, we had nice warm weather and some hope that spring will be here soon. We played outside with Sam and Abby and it was fantastic. I am so eager for the weather to change!

It was a mostly normal week with the boys in school, Augustus with Grandma Debbie on Wednesday (they used molds to make chocolates!), and Nate and I busy with work.

Not part of our normal schedule was me getting on an airplane and flying to Nashville! Nate’s mom Renee turned 60. Nate’s dad is one of 7 brothers, so the 7 sister-in-laws, along with daughters and daughter-in-laws (17 of us total) headed to Nashville for a girls weekend! We ate Nashville hot chicken, drank a lot of wine, had a private chef who made one of the best dinners ever, laughed a lot, listened to good music downtown, sat outside and soaked in the perfect weather and much more. It was an absolute blast and I’m looking forward to the next girls trip!! I missed my 3 favorite men, but it was nice to get away and do something different.

While many of the ladies were between the ages of 60-70 years old, by far the lamest old lady there was me! Whited women know how to party and can operate on little sleep. I usually go to bed at 9:30 and wake up at 5:45. I stayed up as late as I could, but I was no match for those ladies!

Between my job, my boys, my husband, 2 puppies, the PTA, my cookie business, training for a half marathon, swimming twice a week, attempting to see my friends occasionally, and trying to make sure my house is somewhat clean, I am stretched thin. I enjoy everything about my life and I don’t want to pull back on any of it (except maybe the cleaning my house part). So when I had a weekend away, I was eager to RELAX! I was so excited to have my own room and a bathroom to myself. Given a choice, I will always opt for reading a book in bed over a wild night out so, yeah, I think I was the most senior citizen-ist of the ladies. But even with me being kinda lame, it was such a great weekend! I loved hanging out with everyone and I felt like I got a whole new perspective of the Whited family. I feel very fortunate to have joined such an incredible family and I while I missed the boys so much I felt like I might collapse, I was also really sad when the weekend was over.

While I was attempting to keep up with the party, the boys were busy at home with Nate. Xander is still drawing nonstop (there was a GIANT pile of mew pictures by the time I got home). Gussie is interested in drawing every now and then and Xander gets excited when they get to draw together. Nate said that he overheard Xander say to Augustus (about a drawing video he was watching), “I think this one is a little tough for young drawers like you. I’ll find an easier one.”

Nate and the boys went to an indoor play place, had movie night, had the neighbors over to play, drew lots of pictures and had a great time. They had family clean up the day I flew home, so the house was organized and laundry done when I got home!

On Monday and Tuesday, Gussie was at school and Xander spent both days in all day Panther Club at school because his 2 week (yes, 2 full weeks!) spring break has begun. I flew home on Monday night and spent Tuesday catching up on work and everything else in life, so I was happy Xander had something fun to keep him busy for the first part of the week. We’re heading off for a little family trip in a few days, so it’s been and continues to be a whirlwind!

Sick Kids

Our week started off strong- Xander had the day off for President’s Day, so he went to an all day class at Kids Create art studio. He made several beautiful paintings and some other crafts. He is so excited about art lately that it was a great way to spend a day. Augustus was supposed to have a late start day at daycare, but instead, stayed home with me with a nasty cold. He ate several popsicles, had unlimited ipad time, and took a long nap mid day. Actually not a bad day, except for the sneezing and coughing.

Tuesday was our last day of swim lessons for the session. Both boys did so well and have gotten so confident in the water. Wednesday, Augustus was feeling much better and he and Grandma Debbie had a busy day baking cookies, going to Target, and resting (he felt fine, but loves to have Grandma take special care of him!).

Thursday was back to school for Augustus and a big day for Xander as it is the first day that kindergarten got to eat in the cafeteria! Xander’s school has been very strict with covid procedures, but last week, they ended the requirement to wear masks outside, and this week, kids got to go to the cafeteria for lunch (until this point, they have all been eating in their classrooms). Xander was very excited to finally get to go to the lunchroom!

Xander’s drawing obsession has continued, and now he’s gotten Gussie into it too. They have been drawing together (we call it “brother drawing time” and it is very cute). Gussie is pretty good, but handing a sharpie marker to a 4 year old is a constant gamble with everything in our house, and he has black marks all over his face and hands all the time. He’s not as passionate as Xander yet, but he’s trying to keep up!

On Thursday, just as I was sitting down to lunch (I rarely go out to lunch, so this was an exciting day), when I got a call from school that Xander was in the health office and not feeling well. Luckily Nate was able to drop everything and go get him so I could catch up with a dear camp friend. On Friday, he stayed home from school and spent the day drawing. His class had a special zoom guest- a DJ who showed the kids how to mix, and hosted a very fun jam session. Luckily Xander got to join in for all of that as well.

We had a very quiet, uneventful weekend. The boys drew pictures, played with toys and hung out. They got a bit restless by Saturday afternoon after so much resting, so I put them to work doing laundry (they actually did a great job! They carried dirty laundry to the basement, took clean laundry out of the dryer, carried it upstairs, sorted it and then delivered it to their rooms!)

Unfortunately Grandma Debbie is also sick (she very kindly didn’t blame us, but I’m pretty sure we’re the reason she is miserable). Instead of a day with Grandma today, we had a family swim time at the YMCA, Augustus and I made cookies, Xander spent several hours drawing, and we had one more quiet day of rest (which hopefully means the week ahead will be healthy for everyone).

A Very Regular Week

It’s been a very regular week and I am so happy about it. We had a few busy weeks and I was feeling a little exhausted, so it was nice to just have an average week. Monday was Valentine’s Day and we had some books and treats for the boys. Nate surprised me with a very nice chef knife, flowers and candy! The boys were excited to hand out valentines at school (Gussie had monster truck themed cards and Xander had little lego sets for everyone).

For dinner, I had a heart shaped meal planned- heart sausage, heart pasta and heart bread. Xander said, “yeah, but the green beans aren’t heart shaped.” I guess there is room for improvement next year.

Tuesday was swim lessons.

Wednesday Augustus and Grandma Debbie were busy crafting, shopping and all the fun stuff they usually do. The boys had a busy week at school and both Nate and I were busy with work stuff. Very regular week!

Friday was a professional development day for Xander’s school, so he was home for the day. Nate worked in the morning, so Xander hung out and was busy working on new drawings, which is his latest obsession. He has been taking an after school drawing class on Wednesdays and he is getting really good. He watches YouTube videos and can follow along to create amazing pictures. He’s getting really good and he loves it.

Nate and Xander went out to lunch, ran some errands for me and then went to hit golf balls. It was a busy day off for our kindergartener.

On Friday night, Nate and I had a date night, so our neighbor Olive came over to babysit the boys. They were excited all week for her to come over. She kept them alive and happy, and Nate and I had a fabulous dinner out, so everyone was a winner!!

On Saturday, Gussie and I went shoe shopping (both of us needed new shoes). Xander drew about 15 amazing pictures. We played, we relaxed. We had a very easy day. It was fabulous.

Sunday was another day of rest and prep for the week. I dropped the boys at my mom’s house and then went to the grocery store. The weather was warm, so Nate and I cleaned the yard, I walked the dogs and got some other house projects done. The boys and my mom played, went shopping, and went swimming. When they got home in the afternoon, we all headed outside for some neighborhood playing and hanging out.

It was a fabulous week and a wonderful weekend!

The Last 2 Weeks of Fun!

Apparently I am only updating this every 2 weeks now. After our covid week of nonstop together time/work full time/parent full time, I was very happy for the boys to head back to school! I LOVE a routine. I think everyone was happier being back to normal. We had one nice day so everyone in the neighborhood headed outside after work for a winter happy hour. We are all ready for the weather to warm up! We had swim lessons, Xander had after school enrichment (he’s taking a drawing class right now).

Last Friday, Christine and I hopped in the car and road tripped our way to Dubuque for Mom’s Gone Wild Weekend! Abby is having a baby and I was excited to go to her shower and celebrate! Originally, I was just going to get up early and spend Saturday night in Dubuque, but I am super happy I invited Christine as my plus one, and we made a weekend of it. I didn’t take nearly enough photos- we stayed in an air b&b with Meghan and Shayla. The main floor layout was exactly the same as both my old house and new house (what can I say, I’m consistent!) and so cute. We all had our own rooms and it was very cute! Christine and I chatted the entire 4.5 hour drive down, we out to dinner, visited Abby’s house, and then sat quietly drinking tea on Friday night. Saturday we got up and headed to Galena, a little town nearby for the most amazing pastries I’ve ever had followed by several hours of shopping in the cutest stores of all time. We went to the shower (I’d brought some macs) which was WONDERFUL. Abby and Michael started a BBQ business this summer and they catered it. Incredible food! I was so happy to be able to be there to celebrate their future baby. It was fun to hang out with all my favorite ladies! After the shower, Christine, Shayla and I went out to a nice dinner and then all snuggled in warm blankets on the couches, drinking hot tea and relaxing. We all love our children dearly, but also all LOVED a quiet night at home.

While I was having fun in Iowa, Nate and the boys had a great weekend (although not a lot of photos!). Xander had the day off from school on Friday and he and Nate went to an indoor golf simulator and out to lunch. On Saturday, Nate, the boys and my mom went to a dinosaur exhibit at the convention center. We all had a busy weekend!

This week was another routine week- Nate and I busy working, the boys at school. Xander lost another tooth! I made Valentine themed lunches for Xander this week. I also went to 6 different Dollar Trees on the ultimate wild goose chase for boxes. Dollar Tree has 3 packs of boxes that PERFECTLY fit a dozen macarons. I buy them all the time. Except that I was out. And the boxes were out of stock EVERYWHERE. I nearly cried when I finally found some.

On Friday night, Christine and I went out to dinner at Joan’s in the Park. It was a 4 course tasting menu and it was UNBELIEVABLE! I nearly licked the plate several times.

On Saturday, the boys went to my mom’s house- they swam, went to McDonald’s and played nonstop. While they were gone, Nate and I went out for a romantic sushi lunch. Saturday night, we went over to our neighbor’s house for pizza and hanging out. The kids played, decorated cookies and ran around like crazy people. It was so normal and also so wonderful. Covid has prevented this for so long, I was so happy we could just hang out inside someone else’s house.

It is the week before Valentine’s Day and I was a cookie factory- full time job+full time cookie baker was not great. I was not feeling joyful by the end. 35 dozen cookies later, I never want to see another macaron again…

Today was Monster Jam! I bought these tickets 6 months ago. For weeks, I have been begging the universe to keep up all healthy for this day. Augustus is OBSESSED with monster trucks. He asks about Monster Jam all the time. This event happens once a year (except last year- covid). We had front row seats (actually row 9, because they block off the first 8 rows for safety). The boys ate all the snacks. We were actually dirty by the end of it. Before kids, if you’d told me I was going to be into monster trucks, I would have rolled my eyes. But actually, it’s pretty cool. And Gussie was so happy. A magical day!

Catching Up and Covid

Oh boy, buckle up, we’ve got some catching up to do. It’s been 2 weeks and we’ve been busy (sort of). Two Mondays ago, it was Martin Luther King Day, and since the boys were going to be home from school, Grandma Debbie had them overnight on Sunday. Nate and I went out to dinner and relaxed while the boys enjoyed endless fruit snacks, staying up late, and all the best grandma time. On Monday, they went to the ice castle, which I was super jealous of because it looks so cool! The weather has been COLD, but Monday was a pretty nice day, so the perfect day to be outside.

Augustus was Star of the Week at school that week, so to celebrate, we went out to dinner (his choice) for burgers, fries and malts. He was very excited to sit in the teacher’s chair and bring special show and tell all week.

On Tuesday, Xander’s school was closed for “professional development day” so he and I went out to lunch and hung out- I still had to work, but we found a good balance of playing together and him playing on his own. I don’t know how parents made it through a whole school year with kids at home, but a day here or there isn’t bad. Tuesday was swim lessons and the boys continue to do so well int he water!

On Wednesday, Xander was at school, Augustus went to Grandma Debbie’s. Everything was normal. And then mid day, she texted to tell me he wasn’t feeling well and he had a temperature. He was pretty miserable when he got home and all evening. Early bedtime for him and I was prepared for a sick day on Thursday, but he woke up feeling great and life was normal on Thursday. I thought we dodged a bullet.

Thursday night, Xander came home and said he felt like he did after his covid shot. Nate was exhausted. Augustus seemed fine and I was a little run down, but fine. All 3 men went to bed at 7pm, but I wasn’t worried. I took a covid test and it was negative, so I assumed we all had colds.

Friday- Nate slept until 11am (about 15 hours total), Xander woke up miserable, I woke up feeling a little yucky, Augustus felt great. He went to school, the rest of us spent the day on the couch. Mid afternoon, I decided to take another covid test, and there it was- the thing I’ve been dreading for 2 years, a positive result. Ugh! Covid had arrived.

Saturday was a day of rest- ipads, popsicles, quiet playing. Nate was exhausted. Xander felt like he had a cold. I felt run down. Augustus was feeling fine!

I recently had a conversation about how important it is to let kids be bored and not always feel like I need to program them like I’m running a camp. Our boys play really well together and are creative, and it’s very fun to watch them come up with ideas. However, with a full week at home looming, the only way I could feel sane was to take control and make a plan. So Saturday was my quarantine prep day. Amazon, instacart and Target carts were filled and ready to arrive to our home. I created a daily schedule and 3 categories of activities- independent, mom set up but independent, and mom-led. I still felt mostly fine, so I knew I would be balancing work and life with kids at home.

On Sunday, we played, rested, and had taco night on the couch while watching Encanto (you know I can’t resist a theme!).

Monday began our week at home. Both boys were feeling fine. Nate was still exhausted, but overall, ok. I felt like I had a cold, but overall, ok. I had 5 meetings on Monday, so the boys were mostly independent. Nate was home for some of the day. I had ordered a bunch of stuff on Amazon to keep the boys busy. “Scrubbies” are little animals you can color and then wash off. The boys loved them. They painted. They played. But by the end of the day, I realized my “choose you own adventure” style of activity chart wasn’t going to cut it. They alternated between wanting to do everything shown or nothing. So I came up with a new plan for the rest of the week.

Tuesday I introduced “plan for the day”. We started the day with a scavenger hunt- the prizes were big, but they also kept the boys busy for several hours. Water beads (a risky activity to do inside, but they were great!), crafting, the floor is lava- I was able to work, the boys were entertained, and life was good. Nate is alone in his office, so he was back to work, feeling mostly better.

Wednesday was another scavenger hunt (this time the prize was bath crayons), craft projects (sand art and painting ceramics). We baked banana bread. We took a mid-day bath to try out the bath crayons. We got a surprise from Grandma Renee- new books and the game Operation. It was very fun to get mail and they loved the game!

Thursday started with 7:30am crafting- not my first choice to begin so early, but they were very excited and I didn’t want to take away their enthusiasm. Xander got to zoom with his class and show off some of his crafts he’d made, as well as play a game with his class. He was very excited to see everyone, but later, he was a little sad because he really missed school. Thursday was the day covid caught up to me and I was exhausted all day. The boys and Nate were all back to normal, so Nate took them sledding and then to ice cream (by that time, they were past the 5 day CDC quarantine period, so even though school quarantine was still going, ice cream seemed like an ok outing).

Friday was the day that I was ready to release the children back into the wild and wish them the best of luck in all their endeavors. As an introvert, that much nonstop together time was tough for me. I also was DONE with the full time parent/full time work schedule. We started the day with another scavenger hunt (more legos and hot wheels to buy me some independent play time). We played balloon tennis, baked cupcakes, and did more art projects.

Saturday was the end of quarantine and I was relieved! We made it. I don’t think I would win “employee of the week” but I’d worked, Nate worked, the boys were happy, our house was a mess, but life was good. We started the day with family clean up (one of my favorite activities) and then the boys headed to Grandma Debbie’s for a night away. Upon arriving at her house, I took the turn into her parking lot sharp, opened the van door, and let 2 boys and 2 suitcases tumble out while I peeled away like I was driving a getaway car. Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but I was grateful for a break. Grandma had new outfits for the boys and they were in the pool before I even made it home.

Nate and I were supposed to have an event for my work, but it got postponed. Instead, we went out on a double date with friends (who were also supposed to be at the event and still had a babysitter). We ate a great meal and laughed and laughed and laughed. We had such a fun night!

Today the boys spent the day with Grandma and had a very full day of activity! They went to the play area at the mall, took a trip to the Dollar Tree and spent the day running around nonstop. A perfect way to end the weekend before heading back to school tomorrow.

After almost 2 weeks of no baking, I am back to the kitchen working on Valentine’s Day macs. I am looking forward to a normal week- back on schedule!

Week in January

It was a busy week at our house! Monday and Tuesday, Augustus was home with me because his class was closed due to covid. Gussie and I have missed our Mommy/Gussie time, so having a few days to be together was nice, but busy since I was also working.

We baked banana bread, played board games, colored, went to the bakery, and so much more. In between keeping a 4 year old busy, I was doing laundry, pounding chicken breasts to make chicken cordon bleu, walking the dogs, doing the dishes and, oh yeah, working full time. It was an intense 2 days of full time work/full time parent, but I was happy to spend time with my sweet boy.

On Tuesday, the boys started the next session of swim lessons. Xander is in level 4 and Gussie is level 2. They were both excited to get back to the pool and did so well!

On Wednesday, Augustus was at Grandma Debbie’s house. Xander was busy at school (my lunches this week were random themes!). We played outside after school. Xander usually goes right to sleep at bedtime, but he wasn’t sleepy, so he got to get up and hang out with me and Nate for a bit.

On Wednesday night, Nate got his booster and on Thursday, he was not feeling well! Xander told him, “when I got my shot, I didn’t feel well, but I got better. You will too.” He was very encouraging. He is such a sweet boy.

I was reading my latest Bon Appetite magazine and there was a perfume ad. I rubbed some on my wrists and then the boys wanted to do it. We all liked the nice smell. The next page was an ad for prosciutto. Gussie said, “can we rub that one on too?”
I said, “that one is lunchmeat” and he said, “yeah?”

That kid cracks me up!

On Saturday, the boys and I made rainbow bagels! For Christmas, Kara gave me a kit and the boys have been SO eager to make them. I knew it was going to take a little bit of work, but we finally had the time. My expectations were LOW. The boys were so excited, but their measuring wasn’t exactly precise. I decided it was better to have them help, then to have perfect bagels. However, I was pleasantly surprised when they came out of the oven and tasted great. They were chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. They were great!

On Saturday we had family cleanup time (our house was a wreck) and the boys were super helpful! As a reward for cleaning up, Nate took them to a play place for the afternoon, while I scrubbed, vacuumed, dusted, and deep cleaned the house top to bottom. There is literally nothing I love as much as a clean house!

Sunday has been another busy day! The boys are spending the day and overnight with Grandma and so I was busy running errands and baking cookies. Nate and I had a fancy cheeseboard for lunch and then went out to dinner. After dinner, we stopped at Kowalski’s to buy special desserts and enjoy them on the couch while watching a movie (puppies wanted a bite!). My mom has been keeping the boys super busy and tomorrow they have fun plans since they have the day off from school.

A random conversation with Xander this week-

X- “I want to invent something”
Me- Ok, well usually an invention is in response to a problem, so can you think of a problem you would like to solve?
X- “racism”

Our First Week of 2022

It was so nice to get back to normal! I love a routine and I am happiest when we are on schedule. The boys headed back to school and were busy, happy and excited to see their friends and teachers. I worked regular full days on Monday-Wednesday. Xander’s winter after school activities started- he is taking a STEAM class (science, technology, engineering, art and math… I think I got that right) and french cooking. I am very jealous of his cooking class- how cool is our 6 year old?!

The weather was a little warmer a few days, so I was able to get the puppies outside for some walks. I know it’s only January, but this frigid weather is so miserable.

“Oh, are you having a snack? Do you have enough for EVERYONE?”

Tuesday the weather was in the upper 20s, and so a bunch of our neighbors headed to the sledding hill for some after-dinner fun. They sledded for over an hour and had some cocoa and it was great. Have I mentioned once or one million times how awesome our neighbors are?!

On Wednesday, Grandma Debbie had Cora over to her house for the day, and Augustus was the big boy who had to help babysit her. It sounds like he did a great job and he came home tired and happy.

On Thursday, I ditched Nate and the boys to head downtown to the Minneapolis Hilton for 4 days of Youth in Government. Monday-Wednesday, I went back and forth over whether I should go or not. I LOVE YIG and couldn’t fathom skipping it. But with hundreds of teens and volunteers in once place, it seemed like a guarantee that I was going to end up with covid since the new variant is spiking and cases are going up every day.

I really don’t want covid, but I didn’t want to miss YIG, and eventually I decided that I was going to go to YIG and just deal with covid if/when it struck. I decided that if I skipped YIG I could still get it and I’d be SO upset that I’d missed it. I’m still hoping for the best, but, ya know, global pandemic and all…

This was my 17th year at Youth in Government (including last year’s virtual version of the conference). I love seeing my YIG friends. I love the program, I love everything about the 4 days. This year was a little hectic- there were many new delegation directors, we were missing a lot of key volunteers (who either had covid or weren’t willing to risk it), the hotel was short staffed, the bus company was new, the meals had to chance due to changes in the skyways- it was a perfect storm of all the things. And oh yeah, a global pandemic. If we’d only had one or 2 of those things, it would have been easy, but all of that together made it feel a little more chaotic than the past.

However, despite all of that, the program team that planned the conference worked really hard and are the best of the best. Every person at YIG had to take a covid test before arriving, and even though we tested about 60 people throughout the weekend (I’m now and EXPERT at giving home tests), we had less than 10 positive cases. I was really happy I could be there and be part of it, and at some point, we will look back and reminisce fondly about such a crazy year. I was really impressed by how hard they worked to make this happen.

This year was a little different for me too- YIG is one of the programs I work for in my job, so not only was I there as a volunteer, I was there to work- connecting with alumni. YIG has the BEST alumni, because they come back for 4 days to volunteer. I thought camp created loyal alumni, but YIG alumni are PASSIONATE. It’s so fun to be able to work with this group. On Saturday, I joined one of the VIP tours (parents, teachers, donors, alumni, etc). I’ve never done a tour, but I was invited because there were some big alumni/donors on this tour, so I wanted to meet them.

The tour was at the Capitol and each student leader of the program area spoke. I got chills several times throughout the tour and I kept finding myself thinking, “what am amazing program!” which is sort of a ridiculous revelation because I already thought that and have volunteered for 17 years! But I was seeing it with fresh eyes and I was absolutely moved (which, for a cynic like me sounds SO sappy, but I really was). After spending so much time questioning whether going to YIG was worth potentially (aka LIKELY) getting covid, going on the tour was a really good reminder that it absolutely was worth it and I was glad I made the decision to come.

Back at home, Nate was a rockstar solo parent. He and the boys went sledding with the neighbors, had movie night and pizza on the couch. They played a lot of wii (which the boys are currently obsessed with). On Saturday, Nate texted me that Augustus wanted to know “when will mommy be done with her vacation?” which made me laugh out loud because Saturday had been a BUSY day and about as far from vacation as I could get, but I was sort of happy to hear they missed me. I really missed Nate, the boys and the puppies, but it was a FANTASTIC 4 days and I’m so grateful I got to go!

Today the conference ended and I headed home. I took a covid test this morning (no symptoms, I just thought I’d check) and I am still healthy. The boys were at my mom’s house today so when I got home, I was able to fully devote my attention to the puppies (who need a lot of love). I unpacked, did laundry, chatted with Nate, took a short nap, and then my mom brought the boys home. We had a nice dinner together, followed by playing, bathtime, and bedtime (did I mention how much I love routine?!) We snuggled for a long time when I tucked them in and I am happy to be home with my sweet family. I am exhausted after a busy 4 days, but also emotionally filled.

Christmas 2 and New Years

I’m back and I have so many pictures. We’ve been busy! After our early Christmas celebration 2 weekends ago, we had Monday-Thursday to relax while the boys were home from school. Nate and I were both still working, but it wasn’t super busy for either of us and we were able to tag team. The boys had lots of new toys, legos and science kits to keep them busy. They went to Grandma Debbie’s house twice and played nonstop. On Thursday of last week, Gussie went to daycare and Nate and I took Xander out for sushi lunch. Xander is a good eater and he also likes being cool, so we were hopeful he’d like it. We promised that if he didn’t like it, we’d make him a different lunch when we got home. Not only did he enjoy it, he was quite proud of himself for successfully using chopsticks (he even kept them as a souvenir). It feels like yesterday he was a baby and now all of a sudden he’s practically a grown up. He’s growing up before our eyes!

On Thursday night, we had pizza dinner on the couch with a movie. Always a special treat! We had a very early flight the next day, so it was an early bedtime after dinner.

On Friday morning, we were up early to be to the airport by 6am. We haven’t been on an airplane in over a year, so we were excited to go to Ohio to visit with the Whiteds. When we landed, I had several concerned texts asking if our travel had gone smoothly, because apparently there were hundreds of cancelled flights due to the airlines being short staffed from people out with covid. We had a very travel day and I was grateful that we missed all the mess.

Friday-Tuesday, we spent at Nate’s parent’s house with them and Nate’s sister Kara and her husband Jud, and their daughter Nell (who is a little over 1 years old). It was such a wonderful visit. The boys learned how to play wii and spent a lot of time bowling, ski jumping and golfing. Augustus was shockingly good at bowling and it was very fun to watch both of them get so into it

We had matching family Christmas jammies for everyone, but apparently Nate’s strong feelings about not having his photo in pjs runs all the way through his family because they all warned me not to post it. So you’ll just have to take my word that it is a very cute photo.

Saturday morning, we woke up and opened presents. The boys got to play with their baby cousin and it was SO fun to watch them interact. I was a little nervous the big boys would be rough with such a little girl, but she was tough. There is a little stuffed chair left over from Nate’s childhood. Both boys loved it when they were tiny, and this year was Nell’s turn. At one point, Augustus sat in it, and she gently, but firmly guided him right out of her chair!

The boys did some science projects, made an art project with Grandma Renee, we went to 2 parks and we went real bowling (after a lot of wii bowling as “practice”). We ate a ton of good food and stayed up too late and it was wonderful. We got periodic updates from doggy daycare- Hudson played nonstop, while Ruthie ended up being better hanging out with staff and playing one on one with Hudson. It was so nice being able to relax and hang out. The weather in Ohio was rainy for a few days, but in the 50s (which was WAY warmer than it was in MN!).

Picking up the puppies the next morning.

Our flight home on Tuesday was supposed to have us arriving at 4pm. Perfect timing to pick up the dogs. I had a grocery delivery scheduled. Except that the luck we had on our first trip wasn’t with us on the return. First our flight got bumped, with an arrival at 10pm. I rescheduled the groceries and extended the dogs’ stay at boarding. When we got to the airport, our flight got rescheduled 2 more times. Eventually we got home at a little after midnight. The boys were super flexible about it and overall, it wasn’t a bad day, even though it was a little different than we’d originally planned.

The next morning, Xander slept in until 7:30 and he and I went to the daycare to pick up the puppies. I was very happy to see them. They spent the next 48 hours EXHAUSTED so I think they were happy to be home too. The boys went to my mom’s on Wednesday afternoon so Nate and I could work. Thursday Augustus went to school (they did a new years toast at lunch!) and Xander and Nate hung out.

Friday was New Years Eve and I had a wedding order for 500 macarons! The boys went back to my mom’s house for a New Years sleepover! They planned to eat Dominoes pizza, watch movies and stay up until midnight. Luckily they only made it to 9pm, so they weren’t super crabby the next day.

Nate and I went to sushi for dinner. Our favorite restaurant is closing down for a year due to construction, so New Years eve was the last time for us to go there! After dinner, we went to our neighbor’s house for a party. We ate more amazing food (even though we were stuffed from sushi), drank champagne and laughed and laughed. It was such a great way to end the year. We stayed until 2:30am, which was the first time I’ve been up that late in over a year! It was definitely worth it though!

What am amazingly fun 2 weeks!