Weekly recap: 1/21/2019

It. Is. COLD!!!!

I thought my toes were going to freeze off my feet last night before going to bed. Our heat is set to go down to 62 around 9 pm, and by the time my husband and I got upstairs, despite my multiple layers, I was freezing. We have a day in the forecast where the high is 3F. I'm NOT looking forward to that!!!

Driving everyone in the morning and waking up a little earlier hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be (although that was before single digit temperatures; I might have a different story next week!). I'm exhausted at the end of the day, though, and I've been starting to fall asleep on the couch most nights. Oops!

Up until Saturday afternoon, my pain was manageable for the most part, so that was a bit of a nice break. Still there, but not terrible. Today's verging on terrible, so that's a bummer, but nothing new.

Feels like it's been a quiet week with nothing major happening, but after the busyness of last week, sometimes you need that.

Okay, let's get this show on the road, shall we?



MONDAY

I woke up feeling pretty good, pain-wise! I drove everyone where they needed to go, and after my daughter had breakfast and got ready for the day, we got gas and made a trip to Walmart, where we purchased bubble bath and skirt hangers (but forgot the distilled water for my iron, dang it!). At home, I threw my daughter into the tub, where she played, and I organized my next-to-the-bathroom closet. It's where we keep all the medicine, all my toiletries and my daughter's hair accessories like hair ties and barrettes, our bath towels, etc. It had stayed in decent condition since I last organized it in the summer, but I was still able to condense some things and throw out a bunch of other things. Here it is, in all its organizational glory!

Not bad! Hard to take a good photo of this, though.

Once that was finished, I scrubbed my daughter down, and after I got her dressed, I started the dishwasher. I got some lentils started in the Instant Pot, and during naptime, I did a twenty minute yoga video that, for whatever reason, my body didn't care for. I was actually shaking afterwards, so I opted out of doing more. I got a batch of Baingan Bharta (mashed spiced eggplant) going in the Instant Pot, as well as a batch of rice going in the rice cooker, then cleaned up the kitchen, took out the recycling, unloaded the dishwasher, and took out the compost. When the Instant Pot beeped, I mashed the eggplant, then stirred the lentils into it. (Maybe not quite traditional, but it bulks the meal out a bit and adds some protein!)

My son wanted to go to the Senior Recital for the music department at school (and I would've gone if it had been at a different time), so we picked his friend up and I dropped them both off at the school. There wasn't enough time to go back home, so my daughter and I played at the library until my husband arrived from the train. 

At home, I ate dinner and farted around on the computer until my son texted to let me know he was done, so I picked the boys up and dropped his friend off. My son and I dragged the trash and recycling cans to the curb, and after my shower, I put dinner away and cleaned up the kitchen. I read my library book for a bit, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before going to bed. 

TUESDAY

I had some noticeable SI joint pain on this day...

I put the dishes in the dishwasher, then drove everyone to where they needed to be. I read my library book during breakfast (my daughter watches TV; I usually use this time to catch up on a few online things, but not always), then I tidied the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, and swept the living room floor.

And then my mom arrived! She comes up every few weeks to hang out with us and it's always nice. We visited for a bit and then went for lunch at a local pizza buffet. They also have different types of pasta and a vat of chicken noodle soup, which made my daughter happy. It was RIDICULOUSLY cold out this day. The temperature wasn't low, but it was windy and that made everything cold, even in the house.

The poor cold kitty huddled up to the heating vent agrees with me!

After lunch, we stopped by the thrift store, where I bought three skirts for my skirt-and-dress-loving daughter. They were on sale for a dollar each, and she's so excited about them. After my mom went home, I finished my library book, and when it was time, we picked up my husband. I tried to read more of my library book after dinner, but my husband and daughter were extra boisterous this evening, and so I gave up and just messed around online until it was time to pick up my son, who had stayed late to volunteer to pack food with his choir at an organization that ships food overseas. They packed enough meals to keep two children in Haiti fed for a year, and he enjoyed the experience. I read more of my book at home, and my husband and I watched an episode of Supernatural before bed. 

WEDNESDAY

I don't know if I slept funny or what, but the muscles on the right side of my back were crabby as heck today. Driving was totally uncomfortable because of it.

I drove everyone where they needed to go, completed my basement chores of scooping the litterbox and refilling our Air Washer, and then it was time to run for groceries. I watch the weather forecasts carefully, and as the upcoming week was forecast to drop down into the low teens (with possible snow), I decided to shop a little extra this week in order to NOT have to go out next week. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if it were just me, but I have no desire to stand out in three wind-whipped parking lots in 11 degrees F, trying to hurry to get my daughter properly buckled in her car seat. NO THANK YOU. It may take a little creativity and extra time in the kitchen, but we *should* be good for two weeks; I can only think of a few things that may necessitate a trip out. We'll see. ;)

At home, I put everything away, including out in the garage freezer (our garage is unattached, so this is always an ordeal!). I took out the recycling and the compost, and during naptime, I read my book and dozed for a bit. My daughter and I hung out at the library until my husband got off the train, and after dinner, I read my library book until it was time to pick up my son, who had joined the pep band to play bass drum at a minor league hockey game (he had a great time!). My husband and I managed to watch most of an episode of Supernatural before I passed out! I was exhausted for some reason.

THURSDAY

I dropped my husband off, dropped my son off, then went back and picked my husband up again. The trains weren't running due to a suicide on the tracks in our town. This is something that happens far too frequently and is just a complete heartbreak. If any details have been released, I haven't seen them, but I'm so sad for the person's family, and for the workers on the train who were affected; I'm sure it's devastating for them as well. 

At home, I started a load of laundry, then took down the laundry from the drying racks and put that away. I cleaned up the kitchen and got some black beans going in the Instant Pot, and then I dropped my husband off at the next train station up the line, which did have service, although he still had to wait about a half hour for the next train. Due to an impending weekend winter storm, my daughter and I made another trip to Walmart for cat litter, salt for our icy driveway, and the distilled water I'd forgotten on Monday. 

I salted the front and back walkways at home, hung up the wet laundry, and cleaned my daughter's room. Thanks to an online prompting, I vacuumed and lint-rolled the one lampshade we have in the house, then wiped the rest of the lamp down. I hadn't realized how gross it was, but yikes! It looks so much better now. I ran the dishwasher, took out the compost, and during naptime, I made black bean burgers and this potato-onion mixture that I make in this microwaveable potato cooker my mom gave me (my son loves these potatoes). I cleaned up the kitchen, finished one book, and started another. 

We picked up my husband when it was time, I read my book on and off throughout the evening, cleaned the kitchen again, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before going to bed. 

FRIDAY

I drove everyone to where they needed to be, and after my daughter and I got ready for the day, we ran to the post office, got gas, made a quick run into Aldi for more lunchmeat (I don't eat meat and so I hadn't realized my husband has been chowing down on this as well, leaving not enough for my son's lunches the next two weeks!), extra coffee creamer for just in case, and a pizza for a quick dinner. I thought we needed to go to the bank, but it ended up not being necessary, so I took my daughter to play at a library in another town, where I also grabbed a few books. 

At home, I tried to doze a little during my daughter's naptime (didn't work!), and then watched a short documentary on the Magdalene laundries. This ties into the book I finished later on on this day. If you've never heard of these, they're horrifying, and I urge you to learn more. I had a vague idea of what they were about, having learned about them in my early 20's (the last one closed when I was a teenager in the mid 90's), but reading and hearing about the details of the atrocious human rights violations committed in these places is rage-inducing. There's another documentary I have bookmarked to watch whenever I get a chance. 

I unloaded the dishwasher and baked the Aldi pizza, then repaired the broken strap on my daughter's Barbie doll dress. Mama to the rescue! We picked my husband up, scarfed down our dinner, then headed to the library to watch a magic show. My daughter loved every bit of this, and it's nice to see her have so much fun. The snow was just starting to fall when we put my daughter to bed. My husband and I squeezed in two episodes of Supernatural before bed, although I was falling asleep on the couch!

SATURDAY

Snow day!!!!!!!!

In total, I think we ended up with about seven inches. It was still snowing when we got up (my daughter thought 6:02 am was a fine time to wake up for the day *grumble*). I wiped down the bathroom counter and changed out the bathroom garbage bag, put the dishes in the dishwasher, started bread in the bread machine, started a load of laundry, took down the laundry hanging on the rack (it takes about two days to fully dry hanging in the basement), and scooped the litterbox. I swept the living room, cleaned my daughter's room, put the folded laundry away, hung up the wet laundry, and started another load of my son's bedding. 

During some of this, my husband and daughter went outside, where my husband figured out the snowblower we'd purchased last year. 

A GLORIOUS SIGHT TO BEHOLD!!!!

Little bit snowy out there. :)

When they came in, they were both snow-caked, so I tossed their pants and my daughter's snow gear into the dryer, then got the bread to rise in pans. The dryer didn't have to run too long to get that small load dry, and I tossed the bedding in next. I baked the bread, threw together a batch of Cauliflower Potato Soup, and then tried to nap for a bit. Didn't work. Don't you just hate that? This was about the time when my right hip really started bothering me in a bad, bad way.

After dinner, I loaded and ran the dishwasher, took the compost out (BRRR! The temp was definitely starting to drop), cleaned up my daughter's toys in the living room, and restarted the load of bedding in the dryer. I read some more of my library book, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed.



SUNDAY

Quiet day around here. I read my library book throughout the morning, and we made a trip to the Dollar Store and the book store next door so my husband could grab a set of tiny screwdrivers in order to fix my daughter's light saber. I read a little more after lunch and then was hurting so much that I went to lie down in bed during naptime. I dozed for about half an hour, and when my daughter got up, she and I went to play at the library. I also picked up a copy of Will It Waffle?, a cookbook of recipes you can make on your waffle maker. I learned about this this weekend and I'm excited to flip through it. We picked my son up on the way home.

At home, my daughter played and I read my library book hanging out with her (husband was out at the movies with a friend from childhood. After I put her to bed, I finished my library book (#7 for the year so far!), and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before going to bed.




I was hurting this morning even before getting out of bed. My right hip is just nasty today and walking is at a turtle's pace. We're taking my daughter to a mini golf program at the library for a little bit (husband is off work today), and I'm not sure what we'll do after that. Hopefully something warm!


How was your week???