Two Chill Days

Thursday, I woke up feeling rather ill. I drove the kids to school as I usually do on Thursdays but then came back home to answer emails and take a little nap. By time Heath had returned from getting Everest later, I was up and feeling a lot better. Probably just a matter of not sleeping enough. (Surprise, surprise.)

The day was pretty chill overall. Flynn had left really early and would be gone all day long for his first skiing experience, so the house was empty and quiet. The kids and I watched old movies--Superman: The Movie (1978) for one, plus the first part of the musical Annie (1982). The kids really enjoyed having an old movie night.




Friday morning was super relaxed. Heath left for work and Julie went to school, leaving me, Flynn, and Everest to hang out until it was time to meet Donita and Evangeline for lunch at my mom's store. They reported loving the food, and we had some nice conversations to boot.



Flynn took off to meet friends after lunch, and Everest and I stayed to chat with my mom a little and help clean up. By time we got back, Julie was arriving at the bus stop. She and her friend M wanted to have an impromptu playdate, which of course made Everest want to be there with A. Their mom approved, and I let the kids go over to Corrie's house to play for an hour and a half.

Meanwhile, I had some things to pick up at Target, so I got to go shopping all by myself! It was blissfully quiet and lovely, though I was much too efficient of a shopper. I found everything I needed in less than 20 minutes. XD After trying to wander a little bit longer, I ended up just going home to get dinner on and have it ready for when the kids got back.



Being a Friday, my standing date with my Muses, Puella and Legolas still stood. We met at Village Inn around 9:30 and were joined by Flynn. It was a short time together, but very nice just the same. It's always wonderful to see my girls! Flynn shared his French toast with me. Nom nom.



Everybody went their separate ways around 11:00, and Flynn and I headed back home to play a game of Magic: The Gathering with Heath. Sadly, Heath was so tired that he couldn't even finish the game. But Flynn and I continued on until one of us was beaten. I won't say who won, but let's just acknowledge that Merfolk rule. *whistle*

Front of the Week Wrap Up

Monday, school and the workweek were back on after a fun weekend. Flynn had plans to be gone for most of the day with a friend, so we went about business as usual. Everest and I went by my mom's for lunch after school, which was delicious as always.

We went out to pick up ice cream cones, and the kids were able to play outside when we got home. I made a dinner of BBQ chicken, cornbread stuffing, and salad. Heath came home to join us for the meal, but sadly he was still teaching the night class.

After putting Everest to bed, Julie and I played a game or two of Yahtzee. Flynn arrived during this and joined us for a few games as well. Much fun was had!




Tuesday, I had to go into the office for my usual workday and meeting. I got tons done while at the church, which was very nice indeed. When I got back, Everest was having quiet time but not quite asleep for his nap. Of course, after he knew I was home, he gave up on sleep altogether. Oh well.

That evening, after a breakfast dinner of pancakes and eggs, I played Yahtzee with the kids. Yes, we like that game. Julie calls herself the "Yahtzee Girl." And really, it's a great way for her to practice her addition and multiplication--and fast!



Wednesday, Flynn was going to be gone up north in the state to visit friends, but the snow had come and made driving up there treacherous for a 2WD vehicle. He ended up hanging with us for most of the day. After getting Everest from school, we went to Chick-fil-A for lemonade and to let Everest get some energy out in the play area.




After lunch, he took off to go do some shopping, and the kids and I got to hang out. Since it was too cold to go outside, they wrestled in the living room. Amazingly, there were only a few cases of punched noses or faces. They were still having enough fun to keep going.

We all decorated pizzas for dinner, then sat down to eat. Meanwhile, Angel stopped by to do some gaming later in the evening. She ended up being a part of a big game of Yahtzee with us, and Everest helped her roll the dice. Angel and Everest won the game!






After the kids went to bed, Flynn, Angel, and I set up a tabletop Role Playing Game, which involved making up characters, moving through a planned adventure, and having some very interesting markers for the fight with wolves.

Blurry & Busy

Wednesday of last week is still a little blurry. I think we made it to the gym in the morning. Later on at some point, we got out Julie's game from Aunt Heidi, Meatball Madness, to give it a whirl. The goal is to move a foam "meatball" through obstacles while suspending it within a stream of air. The physics is quite fascinating actually, as the ball stays suspended in an air column, exampling Bernoulli's principle. (Science project here!)



Thursday, we ran errands in the morning, then I went to the CleanPlace Christmas Party at the church. We had a nice turnout, and I met some new local members. Child of the King and Eowyn are both visiting (staying with Nia), so they were there as well. Very cool! I also got to have a wonderful heart-to-heart with one of the girls I normally don't get to talk with very much.





There was a white elephant gift exchange, and I got to walk away with a fabulous radio-controlled car that Kryos brought. SO AWESOME. This is definitely fun for the whole family.



I invited people to come back for dessert at my house afterward because I had to leave early, but only a couple of the guys and Legolas came by. That was fine by me though because after the guys left, I got to hang out with Legolas and the kids. She helped Julie finish her video game that she got for Christmas, which was much fun indeed!



When Heath got back from rock climbing, Legolas and I hit the gym and the hot tub, then had dinner at Old Chicago afterward. It was a really nice night, and we had some amazing talks.

Visit with Mike & Kate: Day 2, part 2

Continuing on with Saturday's report...



After resting and having a snack at the house, Mike, the kids, and I walked to a nearby park to let everyone run around before dinner. Kate stayed back to get the chicken in the oven and enjoy an hour of solitude (as every mother needs!).



The kids had a fabulous time at the park. There's some unique equipment there, including a climbing structure shaped like a möbius strip.


(Click this if you can't see the slideshow above.)

We ended up spending longer there than planned, but it worked out. Dinner was on the table by time we got back. Kate had made delicious oven-fried, bone-in chicken with a variety of veggies to go with it.



The kids took their showers after dinner, then we drove downtown to wander a little, check out some stores and sights, and take in a bit of ice cream from an incredible, locally-owned ice cream shop called Walrus. We'd been there on other visits, but it's been awhile.






By time we got home, it was definitely bedtime for Everest and Tessa. Both of them went down, while Julie read downstairs for awhile. Then the four of us played a game of Skip-Bo before Julie was up and into bed as well. The grown ups finished the night with a few more card games and the first real game that I have ever played of Settlers of Catan . (I think I can admit now that it's pretty fun. ;o))

Mental Health Day

Thursday, I took a mental health day to just get back on track with the mom and housewife track of my life. Everest and I snuggled for about an hour after Heath and Julie left for school. After breakfast, Everest helped me get the laundry going and empty the trash cans around the house.

Then we folded laundry together. I taught Everest how to fold towels and washcloths and how to put shirts on hangers. He is so helpful and so eager to help.



He relaxed a little with Kipper while I answered some emails and wrote blog posts--my own way of relaxing. :o) We walked up to the bus stop to get Julie because her game club was canceled for the afternoon. Julie had the idea that we should have a game club at home, so we did. Her choice was to play Quiddler. It was a great game for her because it tested her spelling, word creation, strategy, and math skills (when adding up points).



We had about 15 minutes after the game before we had to leave to meet my parents at Applebees for my mom's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Mom!) The kids had a fun time, but it was clear that bedtime was well on neigh.



They gave me no trouble at bedtime. I really think it helped that we spent the afternoon together, playing cards. We'll have to make sure that we connect like this more often in the afternoon so bedtime can go smoothly every night.




The evening was spent finishing blog entries and watching anime with Midget for Thursday movie night. This is sure been a week of being with friends and family. Gotta love that. :o)

Overheard at Dinner:
Julie: What did you get?
Papa: Chicken and shrimp on a skillet.
Julie: (laughs) A skillet? That's a band, you know.
Papa: (looks bewildered) A band? (looks at me)
Me: Skillet is the name of a band.
Julie: Yeah, you know: (does a mini-headbang) "I feel like a monster!"
Papa: (still looks bewildered)

Work & Play...no, all play!

Saturday morning, we had the second session of my Inkaholics writers group. The girls had a fun time, and MOTS and Legolas joined us for some of the brainstorming. I'm still amazed at how I can do this for a job!



I came home to find that Heath had taken the kids to Walmart for the supplies shopping. After we got everything put away, I made lunch for the kids--yummy Ramen! They both used chopsticks to eat it, and if I may say so, they did a great job with them.




Once we finished lunch, Heath and I decided that we really needed to do something together as a family. We ended up going to the mall to wander around, play, eat pretzels, and throw coins in the fountain.





When we returned, Heath took off to go rock climbing, and the kids and I played a little while. Julie worked on her school project while Everest tried his hand for the first time with his very own 25-piece puzzle. He did great and seemed to enjoy it a lot. We helped him with it a few times, then he was doing it by himself.




It was a nice family day that started off with some work/play. Maybe I'll try to turn in early tonight. Wouldn't that be nice? We have Kingdom Kids tomorrow, so it'll be another early morning.