What's Been Going On: Thursday, 2 June - Sunday, 5 June, 2022

Back at Monday again!

This weekend went by MUCH too fast, and I barely got anything I needed done. I was out of the house way more than I had planned on, so that didn’t help, and I’m way far behind in getting anything done. We’ve got to take my car in this afternoon for some much-needed repairs, though, so I’ll be stuck at home for however long it takes. Plenty of time to get some projects done then!

Here's what I was up the second half of last week.

 

Thursday, 2 June, 2022

I was up EARLY this day, before 6 am, for no particular reason. I had coffee and posted my Thursday post, then I read for a bit and put my book down when my cat positioned himself directly between my face and my book. I fell back asleep for a little while, then got up for good when my daughter woke up. I did some stuff on the computer, then got dressed. My son made both of us breakfast (some egg thing in the air fryer he learned about on TikTok, it was really good!), I ran the dishwasher, and then we were all off to a supermarket across town.

Egg prices are ridiculous, and the lowest I’ve found around here lately was a flat of 30 eggs for $7.99, so we grabbed those and a bucket of pickles before heading to the library. My daughter turned in her sheets for the summer reading program (she’s been a reading machine lately!), and then it was home for lunch (I was still full from breakfast and didn’t need anything).

My daughter and I read a chapter of Blubber by Judy Blume, then I started planning for the fall’s homeschool. After a bit of that, I relaxed with my book for a while.

Late afternoon crept up on us all too quickly, though, so in I went to empty and refill the dishwasher and whip up a batch of red lentil sloppy joes, with some roasted cauliflower on the side. After dinner, I did my Duolingo, and then my son and I walked 4.2 miles! (I downloaded a new step counter/tracker, so it’s easier to keep track. I also wore the wrong socks and ended up with a really nasty blister…) I saw this gorgeous flower while we were out:

 

I put dinner away, showered, then put my daughter to bed. I read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Friday, 3 June, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I wrote and posted my Friday post. I cleaned the kitchen, filled and ran the dishwasher, and scooped the litterbox. I also got a batch of pinto beans into the Instant Pot for my son.

I swept the living room floor, then did a bunch of random things on the computer. My daughter requested that I read to her while she played in her sandbox, so I did that until it was time to head out to her counselor appointment.

Afterwards, we stopped by Aldi for a gallon of milk, then came home for a late lunch. She and I read outside for a while during the afternoon, and I went in to help my son with a few bits of dinner when he needed it. He made a beans-in-tomato-sauce on toast; no real recipe, he just threw the tomato sauce together based on previous things he’d made, and he cooked up some soyrizo for the grownups to sprinkle on top of our beans and toast. It was REALLY good, and he decided he’d definitely make it again. He’s a pretty good cook, which makes me extremely happy! : )

Before we ate, I watched a few YouTube videos with him out on the swing. After dinner, I did my Duolingo and put dinner away, then I read outside for a bit and knit. I attended virtual Shabbat services (there was a baby naming ceremony towards the end. Oh my goodness, was this EVER an adorable baby!!! She was all HUGE smiles for the rabbi, it was the sweetest thing). Afterwards, I finished reading The Lost Family by Libby Copeland, and started reading How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani. I had a headache, so I ended up going to bed early.

 

Saturday, 4 June, 2022

After breakfast and coffee, I drove my son to an e-sports thing; he’s involved in the e-sports community as a coach. His best friend was supposed to go with him to this, but the poor kid broke his shoulder this week and woke up not feeling so great this day.

At home, I changed into nicer clothes, a blouse and skirt with a cardigan, since it was cool, and read a Jewish magazine local to the Chicago area (which had an article written by my synagogue’s associate rabbi, who is very kind and intelligent!) until my mom arrived. This was the day of the tickets to the Live at the Met! performance of Hamlet that my son had bought me for Christmas. Since he couldn’t go, my mom happily stepped in, and we headed out with plenty of time to spare, since neither of us had been to this particular theater before.

This was AWESOME. It’s a live Metropolitan Opera performance broadcast in a movie theater, so the picture and sound quality are fabulous, and before the show and during intermission, they have interviews with the performers and director and conductor. I loved every minute of this; getting to see opera like this made it SUPER fun. The show was amazing, and I adored it all. They’re putting on two operas next year that I want to see, so I’m going to keep an eye on tickets. What an amazing experience!

We came home after that and grabbed my son so we could go pick up some food at Noodles & Company, then we came back home to eat. My son was exhausted, having been up since 5 am, so he fell asleep after dinner, but I did my Duolingo, and then my mom and daughter and I went out for a 2.5 mile walk, where we got to see all sorts of fresh batches of baby geese and ducks.

At home, I hung out with my mom until it was time for her to go, then I showered quickly and put my daughter to bed. I read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

Sunday, 5 June, 2022

Oof. What a day. This was the day I was going to try to play catch-up from all the stuff I hadn’t gotten done during the week. Some of it got done, but not enough.

I had coffee, and then my husband volunteered me for taking my daughter to visit her cousin. Never mind all the things I needed to do. I was NOT happy about this, but I immediately flew into action so I could get as much done from my list as possible (not that I wanted to do any of this in a rush, especially since my back hurt, but again, no say in the matter…).

I filled and ran the dishwasher, and then I set about making my Greek Yogurt Cheesecake, since it was the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (better known around here as the “Cheesecake and Jewish books holiday.” Traditionally, one eats dairy foods and stays up all night studying various aspects of Judaism on this holiday. I’m too old to pull all-nighters, but the book I’m reading right now is Jewish-themed, and I definitely wanted to get in on the cheesecake action!).

My son has decided to start eating healthier and losing weight, and I told him I would help him with this, so I put on a batch of black beans in the Instant Pot, then I cooked a pan full of onions, garlic, zucchini, red peppers, and portobello mushrooms. I made a batch of rice in the rice cooker, then I folded and put away two loads of laundry. I started a load of laundry, then wrote two book reviews, and took out several loads of compost.

When the rice and beans were done cooking, I stirred them together, and using some reusable takeout containers, I made six meals’ worth of Portobello Fajita bowls for my son. It’s healthy, the portions are controlled, and he doesn’t have to worry about deciding what to eat because it’s already there and ready to be microwaved. Helping him get on track with a healthier diet is important to me, so this is absolutely something I wanted to do today. He’ll also get involved in making these meals later on (and had been planning on it, but as it turned out, I wasn’t going to have time to cook WITH him today, so).

I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then bagged up the bananas I’d chopped and frozen earlier in the week. I froze the jalapeno peppers I’d gotten on sale, then sat down to write two more book reviews. And then it was off to get gas (ouch!) and to my sister-in-law’s!

She and I sat and chatted and I worked on knitting my blanket for about two-and-a-half hours or so, and then it was back home with us so I could make dinner, a batch of One Pot Southwest Pasta. I did my Duolingo, put dinner away, and then my son and I headed out for a 4.15-mile walk. And then it was time to eat my cheesecake!

 

I wrote out most of this post, then showered and read my book. My husband and I watched one episode of Unusual Suspects before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’ve got my MRI this morning (ouch on the copay as well…), and we’re going to grab bagels afterwards, then it’ll be home so I can start in on dinner prep. And don’t forget dropping the car off after my husband gets home! It’s supposed to rain on and off and then storm later on today, so likely no walking. I’ll see if I can convince my son to do a YouTube workout with me. I’ve already told him we could pause it as many times as he needs. It’s tough starting out!

Have a great day, friends! : )