Weekly recap: 11/19/2018

It's getting to be holiday season, friends! American Thanksgiving is this week; I have everything I need to prepare and take to my mother's on Thursday. This has always been my favorite holiday; the food and family togetherness (and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!) brings back warm childhood memories of helping my mom prepare a meal for twenty or more people every year. I still like to show up early and help her put on the finishing touches, and my daughter might like to be put to work this year! She enjoys helping in the kitchen whenever possible.

This week was a busy one; I feel like I barely had any productive downtime whatsoever. My daughter only has a month left of the fall session of preschool, and then she'll be off until February, so that'll be a nice break in all the rushing. I'm very much looking forward to that!

Let's get started on recapping my week, shall we?


MONDAY

This was about the busiest day of all this week!

I started off the day with a lot of right hip pain (I'm finding it seriously helpful to document my pain here. When a doctor asks how I've been doing, it's really nice to be able to say, "Well, this day was good, but these days were bad," so I'm going to keep this up). After doing my basement chores of scooping the litterbox and refilling the Air Washer, I took out the trash and recycling, then swept and mopped the living room floor. My daughter and I ran to the Dollar Store for bleach and a spray bottle, and then at home, I ran the empty dishwasher with a cup of bleach in the top rack. We'd been growing some...mold? fungus? Something gross, and I wanted to kill whatever it was off before wiping it all down.

While that ran, I took out the bathroom trash and cleaned off half of the kitchen table (the other half is covered in a pile of my husband's stuff; I'm not touching that!). I tidied up a little of my kitchen pantry shelves; a bunch of my husband's stuff has been piled up in front of them for ages, making them difficult for me to get to and put stuff away in. I carried the bread machine, extra bleach, and the giant stock pot downstairs to the laundry room where I store it, and I brought back up a giant overstuffed basket of clean laundry on the way back.

My daughter and I folded those two loads of laundry (she loves to help!), and then I put them away in their proper places. I grabbed the other load of dirty laundry and took that down to the laundry room, where I got it going in the washer. By this time, my back hurt pretty badly. :(

Along with helping to fold laundry, my daughter also loves to decorate our cats.

The dishwasher had stopped by then, so I sprayed the doors and bottom with a bleach/water solution and wiped away the whatever-it-was until it looked sparkly clean. I switched the laundry, took out more recycling, and during naptime, I did a gentle yoga video. Afterwards, I restarted the dryer (I REALLY need to get that dryer vent cleaning kit- the store is in a place that makes it difficult to get to during anything other than early morning hours, and I haven't had the time to get there lately) and got my PT exercises out of the way for the day. When my daughter woke up, I gave her a bath and clipped her nails, but while she was playing in the tub, I took advantage of the time and wiped down all the flat surfaces in the bathroom and scrubbed the toilet. I cleaned her entire room AGAIN (it took about 40 minutes), and then it was time to pick up my husband.

After dinner (leftovers), I cleaned up the kitchen, took the garbage and recycling to the curb, and made a batch of Rice Krispie treats. I folded and put away another two loads of laundry, ran the dishwasher, and then watched two episodes of Supernatural with my husband before bed.


TUESDAY

Oof.

Not a good day for pain. I had a deep bone ache on my right side that persisted throughout the day.

In the morning, I unloaded the dishwasher, gave my husband a ride to the train, and dropped my daughter off at school. Immediately after doing that, I stopped by the Dollar Store to pick up the dish soap that I'd forgotten the day before, ran home to plop some beans into the Instant Pot, and read my library book until it was time to pick my daughter up again.

After I scarfed down lunch, I prepared a black bean/chickpea/pinto bean and sweet potato chili in the Instant Pot, and then it was time to head off to a check-up with my spine doctor. To be honest, it was kind of a pointless appointment, as there's really nothing they can do for me. "Just keep doing what you're doing," was what I got, and then we drove the half hour back home. I helped my daughter clean up her toys and she and I farted around a bit around the house until it was time to pick up my husband.

I dozed a little in my chair after dinner, and did my PT exercises that evening before watching two episodes of Supernatural with my husband and going to bed.


WEDNESDAY

My day started when my daughter's bedside Frozen table started singing at 4 am and I had to get up and move the stuff that was pressing the button that makes it sing. GOOD MORNING!!!

Not a great day for pain here, either. I had a lot of pain all across my lower back that was a little sharper at bedtime.

I made out the grocery list and did my basement chores, cleaned up the kitchen, started the dishwasher, brought in the trash and recycling cans, took the recycling out, swept and mopped the kitchen floor and the living room, sprayed down the kitchen counters, used the Dust Buster on the stairs and the shelves where we keep our shoes, and then it was time to drop my daughter off at school. After that, I drove to Aldi, where I picked up the extra things I needed for Thanksgiving. I drove home, put the groceries away in the house and in the garage freezer, and then it was time to pick my daughter up from school.

We stopped by two other grocery stores, and I think I'm all stocked up on frozen veggies for a while. (I think. That's a little bit of the problem of having the freezer in the far back of your dark, unheated, unattached, horrifically messy garage; when it gets cold out, it's difficult to inventory). At home, I put all the other groceries away, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and during naptime, I did a yoga video.

I ended up dozing in my chair for a little bit, as I was completely exhausted (those 4 am wake-ups aren't all that fun!), and then I made a batch of dough for Double Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies (I used enough oil for one batch and then tossed in some defrosted pumpkin from the freezer; this worked out quite nicely!). I made a cheesecake in the Instant Pot, then I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher again. I put the leftover soup and chili on the stove to warm, and then it was time to pick my husband up.

After dinner, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, wiped out the bathtub and bathroom sink, baked the cookies (the dough has to be refrigerated before cooking), scrubbed out the kitchen sink, and did my PT exercises.

I exercised; the cat watched PBS's Nature: Squirrels. No joke, she watched the entire show.

And my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed. The cat wasn't as interested in that. ;)

THURSDAY

A pretty decent day as far as pain levels go!

I cleaned my daughter's room, started a load of laundry, cleaned off my kitchen island, vacuumed the rug under the kitchen table (somehow my mom got the vacuum to clean a lot better. I have no idea how, but I very much appreciate it!), and managed to braid my daughter's hair. I'm not great at doing hair, but I'm trying to get better and so far, it's turning out okay. She said the girls at school liked it. :)

I switched the laundry and drove her to school, and then I had to drive to the bank to cash a check that had been sitting on the kitchen island for a bit. After that, I drove to the library, where I picked up a book from interlibrary loan, and by that time, I only had about 35 minutes before it would be time to pick my daughter up again, so I settled into a comfortable chair to read and watch the snow fall. 

She enjoyed watching the snow falling too. "Snow TV," we call it. :)

During naptime, I started dinner prep on One Pot Spicy Thai Noodles. I didn't have mushrooms, but I added some red peppers and baked tofu, and I tossed some sesame oil and extra soy sauce in the seasoning. I kind of had to prepare this in parts, working on it here and there throughout the afternoon. It's super delicious and really good cold the next day, too. Highly recommended! :)

Seriously, zucchini take like FOREVER to cook. Why is that???

In between cooking, I ran the dishwasher, did a yoga video, folded a load of laundry, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, cleaned up the kitchen, and did a 10 minute abs/core workout that always makes my abs hurt the next day (which obviously means I need to do it more often!). When it was time, we picked up my husband. I read a little of my library book, then put dinner away and cleaned up the post-dinner mess. I picked up my son at school from the field trip he'd been on, and my husband and I watched an episode of Supernatural before bed.

FRIDAY

My pain level was okay in the morning, but increased throughout the day.

I did my basement chores, loaded and ran the dishwasher, swept the living room, and then dropped my daughter off at school (Friday isn't a normal schoolday for her, but this was a makeup day from a few weeks ago). I got gas, then came home and did two short yoga videos, about 26 minutes total. I'm trying to do at least around 30 minutes on the days I can fit it in, and I'd like to add some cardio into my schedule....

I picked my daughter up from school, and at home, I registered her for the spring session of preschool and then spent some time reading about cast iron skillets in preparation for being able to use mine. I've never owned one before, so this is all new to me. I unloaded the dishwasher, organized my kitchen island, and made a Christmas gift for my mom (she doesn't read my blog, so it'll still be a surprise). And then it was off to the doctor- AGAIN!

This was just a regular yearly checkup with my family doctor. I need to schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist for an ongoing issue I've been having with my eyes, and I have to stop by the walk-in clinic for bloodwork (which I'll do on Tuesday of this week). I got my flu shot, and when we talked about my SI joint dysfunction, my doc said, "Yikes, that's really painful, and really hard to treat." Never good to hear, is it?

At home, my daughter had received some swag from the lovely folks at Nature Cat in recognition of her Nature Cat Halloween costume. 

Adorbs!

I'd known about this for a few weeks after they contacted me via Instagram, but I hadn't told her, so she was delighted by the surprise, and stuffed Nature Cat has gone on several adventures with her so far. Huge thanks to the people at Spiffy Pictures for the swag and the great show! 

I tried to schedule my ophthalmologist appointment, but the website wouldn't let me (HUGE exercise in frustration! I hate talking on the phone, but the website almost never seems to function), I heated an Aldi flatbread pizza, and then it was time to pick up my husband. We raced home to scarf down dinner, and then it was off to the library, where we attended a program by The Frog Lady (what she calls herself!), all about amphibians and reptiles. SUPER cool and interesting, even if snakes freak me out like no other creature. For real, I was having hot flashes during the show.

PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP ME.... /Monsters Inc

This guy was cool, though. I liked him.

At home, my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed. 

SATURDAY

Pain was moderate throughout the day.

The day started off snowy. It was a heavy, wet, slushy snow, and it fell most of the morning. It didn't cover anything for too long, but it was really pretty to watch. My daughter had gymnastics, so we did that. When we got home, she wanted to play outside, so my husband took her out and I cleaned all the things that needed to be cleaned around the house, straightening things, picking up random things that cluttered flat surfaces, cleaning up my daughter's room, using the Dust Buster on the stairs and in corners, just all those fun random things that eventually have to be done.

During naptime, I did a 40-minute yin yoga video. I really enjoy the yin yoga style, as it's slow and great for deep stretches (which I need. Apparently SI joint dysfunction is responsible for tight hamstrings, which is nice to know, because I always blamed myself for just being crappy at stretching. It's nice to know that it's not actually my fault!). My cat likes it as well. During the long pose holds, she assumes I'm furniture and hops up on me, which had me laughing. :)

Afterwards, I finished a library book and started another, and I threw together a batch of breakfast sandwiches for dinner. I did my PT exercises and swept the living room floor, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed.

SUNDAY

Another day, another new hairstyle for my daughter.

She really liked this one. :)

My right hip bothered me all throughout the day. Hmph.

We went for lunch and a visit at my mother-in-law's, where I chatted and knitted my scrap yarn blanket. When we arrived home, I'd wanted to do a yoga video, but my husband took a nap, and I didn't want to close the door and lock the sleeping cat in, because the cat would throw a fit- you know cats and closed doors- so instead I ran the dishwasher and settled down to work on this post. ;) 

My sister-in-law and her son came over to hang out, and we talked over the screeching of our kiddos as they played. We had takeout from a local restaurant (mine wasn't very good!), and I picked up my son from his friend's house. He asked me for help with his Music Theory homework and I said of course. The assignment was to begin transposing a Christmas carol (changing it from one key to another), and I figured that would be no problem for him, but...I discovered why he's doing so poorly in the class. He apparently has some MAJOR gaps in his technical knowledge, gaps that I didn't think he had.

So, when my son was in sixth grade in Tennessee, he signed up for band- it was the first year that it was offered, and he was really excited. He played my old flute and he loved it, like LOVED it. This kid lived for band class, and his teacher loved him right back. Band was his thing. Seventh grade was the same, he adored it. We moved halfway through the year, and that's when the downfall happened. Up here, band starts in fourth grade, and the programs are much more intense. He was in class with kids who had been playing for years already, when he had just started the year before. To say that this killed his confidence is downplaying it. Band actively began to make him miserable, and it broke my heart to see him so unhappy over something he had loved so much. He finished out band in eighth grade and switched over to choir for high school.

Nowadays, choir is absolutely his life. He loves it, loves singing, loves music, loves the friends he's made there. He's super involved in the entire choir program and was really looking forward to taking Music Theory this year (it's all I heard about this summer). But he's struggled in the class from the beginning. I thought it was just because it was a difficult class, but after sitting down with him tonight, I realize that he's missing a TON of musical foundation knowledge. So much so that it's obvious why he's doing so poorly, and I'm ashamed that I missed it. Once I explained the basics of transposing- how and why- he got it, and he was able to write out the notes without my help. But we're going to fix this. I'm going to head off to the library sometime on Monday to grab a few basic piano theory books and start cramming his head full of that. He's in this class with kids who have been intensely studying music since they were nine (the class is for juniors and seniors), so he's got quite a bit of catching up to do, but I think I can help him get to a more level playing field. It's going to take a LOT of work, and so after I helped him, I sat down to start reading through the copy of Piano for Dummies that I bought him last year for Christmas. I highlighted some pertinent information that I thought might help him, and I'm going to go through the highlighted parts with him at a later date. We can do this. :)

I also did my PT exercises before bed.

And there's my week! Despite this being a holiday week in the US, it's actually looking to be not as busy as this one was for me, so that's nice. We'll get our Christmas tree up at some point (which means me crawling into the crawlspace, EW), after Thanksgiving, of course! I'll do a post about our tree when that happens. We've got some seriously great- and weird- ornaments on it.

To all my American readers, I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, and for those of you outside the US, may you have a fantastic Thursday! ;) How did you do this week?