I missed a day, you guys! I’m a NaBloMoPo drop out. 😅 Just kidding, it’s fine. I didn’t have time to post during the day yesterday, so I figured I would in the evening. But then evening came and I ended up working late unexpectedly and then dinner and clean up and then it was suddenly 8 p.m. and I could have posted… but I really just didn’t feel like it.
I ended up laying on the floor by the fireplace basically scrolling around on my phone in a rather unsatisfying fashion while Ivan watched a soccer game. I just felt “meh” last night… not bad, but just… lazy and a bit tired.
This was an overall good week, once you subtract the couple of heavier bits.
Work Recap
Nothing too much to report here that any blog readers will care about, lol. I’d rate it a B, I think.
It was slightly too heavy on the meeting schedule this week for my preference (i.e. not enough time to just do work, you know?). But some good progress was made on various things, and there were fewer “fires to put out” compared to some other recent weeks.
A highlight was disconnecting my laptop and sitting down to watch a webinar (off camera for me) by the fireplace!
I also burned this holiday candle several times in my office:
Kids
The big highlight in this category is that Asher’s high school swim season officially kicked off!! He’s been waiting for this for a long time, and so far it hasn’t disappointed.
He has it every single day after school, 2 hours of swimming daily, plus an hour of lifting on Monday/Wednesday. So M/W he swims 4:15-6:15 and lifts from 6:30-7:30. It’s a long day, considering he leaves the house at 8 am, but he seems to be loving it and I’ve heard no complaints at all.
He says they’re swimming a lot of yards! Around 6,000 yards daily total, which would be the equivalent of about 3.5 miles. I have noticed that he’s been heading to bed a bit earlier than usual. Ha. I’d be exhausted if I swam 6,000 yards a day….
They practice on Saturday mornings, too. This Saturday they have practice 8:30-10:30, and then there’s a “team bonding/ breakfast” on the calendar from 10:30-12. There is a very big culture of togetherness on the swim team, which I think is why the boys all love it!
Family
Tuesday night we went to a movie right after Asher got out of swim practice. Yes, on a weeknight!
Everyone really wanted to see the latest Marvel movie Venom (well, I did not actually know anything about it, but the Marvel movies are always good, so I was happy to tag along) before it left the theater. Tuesday is “discount night”, so it’s always a good time to go.
And it was fun! We had popcorn for dinner 🙂 and the movie was good.
Wednesday night we had another weeknight outing! I know, who are we?!
Wednesday was a fundraiser night at Texas Roadhouse for Asher’s swim team (10% of sales went back to the team). Asher didn’t finish at practice until 7:30, so we all picked him up and headed straight to the restaurant for a later dinner.
It felt a bit “late”, being dark and cold on Wednesday night, but Texas Roadhouse is always busy- and Wednesday night was no exception. It’s kind of funny- I was actually thinking, I bet most of my blog readers would never go out to dinner on a Wednesday night at 7:45 p.m. Haha. But the place was FULL of couples, families, friends, all out to eat at 7:45 p.m. on a Wednesday night. So, I guess it’s not that strange, after all. 😉 LOL.
*I’m honestly curious about this: Would this be a “no way” situation for you? Or a “sure, why not?”
I took no pictures of our movie or our dinner out…. oh well.
Also in the Family category, I think, we got out first snowfall yesterday morning! Which meant… driving in potential snow. For our new driver, who goes to school almost 30 minutes from home. 😬😬
We hemmed and hawed over what to do, but ultimately the timing was such that when he left for school, it was really just starting. And the ground was warm, so it wasn’t accumulating very quickly. We ended up letting him go, and he said the roads were clear. I think he just made it before it started accumulating more, thankfully. Sigh. Something else we get to worry about this winter…
Food
Given that Tuesday we ate movie popcorn for dinner and Wednesday we ate out, I haven’t cooked a ton this week. Which is fine by me.
Monday I did make steak fajitas- steak marinated in lime, with onions and red and green pepper strips, served with cilantro rice and refried beans. (Asher complained about why I had to put peppers in. 🙄 Umm…. because otherwise it would just be chunks of meat? Apparently the “vegetable taste” got all over the steak. 🙄 eye roll again.)
Last night I didn’t log off work until 6, and Ivan was picking up Asher at ~6:15 from swim. So I threw together a tricolor rotini + ground beef pasta, served with some frozen vegetables, cheesy garlic bread and bagged salad.
I thought it was pretty tasty? I sautéed garlic and onion with the meat, and added a healthy dose of parmesan cheese…
We even sat at the table and lit a candle. I thought it was a nice meal, until Asher informed me that “he’d only rate it a 6”.
Ok, seriously?! I recognize this is not a culinary masterpiece here, but considering I had like, 20 minutes to make something, I feel like it was NOT bad?! I sort of got my nose bent a little and started arguing with him/trying to defend myself when Ivan cut me off and said, “Why are you paying any attention to him? As if he ever cooks anything and is one to talk! What else would he be eating tonight otherwise, instant ramen or something??” (In other words, the kid is being a brat, the dinner is perfectly fine, and stop taking this silly comment personally.)
Home
I forget if I mentioned this, but our house is fully decorated for Christmas! Early, yes, but I am relieved to have these tasks out of the way. Now I can just enjoy the decorations for the remainder of the season, and can shift my focus to other things, like gift buying/wrapping.
We do still need to put up our outdoor lights- not a favorite task of mine, and hoping to enlist Ivan’s help this weekend.
In other exciting news, we just got a bathroom mirror finally installed in the boys’ bathroom this morning! The never-ending remodel is almost done!!! Really now just needed drawer/cabinet pulls and a wall piece or something for above the toilet. (I’ll share pics eventually…. it looks awesome!)
Workouts
Last week I got really off my schedule. This week has been a little better.
- Monday: Did cardio + a 5 minute abs video (I’m currently doing the 20 minute HIIT workouts from Bodi’s “Job One”. I think the key for me is to keep my expectations for cardio low- this 20 minute range is perfect. I had been doing 10 Rounds, which I did like, but they are longer (like ~35-40 minutes I think?) and I found myself putting them off sometimes. 20 minutes feels VERY do-able.)
- Tuesday: Gym, Upper body.
- Wednesday: Cardio again! Session #2 of the week.
- Thursday: Was supposed to be Lower Body at the gym, but Charlie had a grooming appt. Ended up doing nothing.
- Friday: Plan was for yoga, but will do my Lower Body gym workout at lunch today instead.
- Saturday: Planning Upper Body #2 + a short cardio session
- Sunday: Planning Lower Body #2.
Maybe sometime I’ll still squeeze in a short yoga/stretch session? We’ll see.
Charlie
He gets his own little category.
He got a haircut yesterday. It was a HAIRCUT, ha. She texted me shortly after drop off and said, “Unfortunately, he has some matting so we’re going to need to do a short shave.”
His curls are currently gone and he looks like a very skinny little guy now. 😆 But it will grow back, and he’s super soft and smells so good right now.
Here he is sleeping on my leg by the fireplace last night. 💗
And a pre-haircut snuggle with Asher the other day:
We had another training session on Tuesday night at 5:00 and did a little work on leash walking outside. (He does a lot of pulling and/or zooming all over like a squirrel on a leash, sometimes.) I feel like we’re seeing some progress from these training sessions, but I’ll admit I’m probably not putting in quite enough “work” in in between sessions with him. But we’re trying.
That’s all for now! Have a good weekend, all.
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful that I love how our mirror choice looks in the bathroom. It’s always a little gamble until you get something IN the space, you know?
Bonus- a couple Thanksgiving vs. Christmas things I saw online today (yes, I’ve been sort of back on social media/ in and out a bit this week, but still more off than on):
This one embodies my feelings about it:
And this one made laugh!! LOL! Thanksgiving bangers. Ha. 🤣
GRATEFUL KAE 
I’m sure let’s go at that time if I want to support the fundraiser but otherwise no way. My kids are in early elementary school so that is too late for them. I think that your dinner sounds like a 10 for a quick last minute dinner but maybe it’s only a 6 if you consider every delicious meal in the world?
LikeLike
Well that was quite a week, and your son is really putting in a lot of training, no wonder he’s tired, I’m tired just thinking about all those yards and hours.
As to going out mid week to eat late? We have done that but then, we don’t have kids. We do it for movie night if we have to, or if we’re off to the theatre. Sometimes we eat before, sometimes after depending on the time.
Aww, and poor Charlie, I was going to compliment his lovely curls and how he looked so cuddly and then? Now he’s Samson! 😉
LikeLike
Well taco goes to bed around 7-7:30 and Paul goes to bed at 8 so we would not go out to dinner at that time but we are in a very different stage of parenting and our kids hacd to be up at 6:30 and out the door at 7 so our life is structured a little differently because of that! I am planning to take the boys out to dinner next Tuesday for Taco’s bday. Phil had his work holiday event and I couldn’t get on board with not being with Taco on his birthday. So the 3 of us will go out while Phil has fun with his coworkers. Eating out is more enjoyable now that Taco is (almost) 4 and since we do it so infrequently, it is a big treat for them. But we will go out at 5:30 pm. 🙂
I like that meme about putting up the tree early! I am planning to put ours up tonight. The boys are very excited. Taco was mentioning all these different ornaments – I am surprised he remembers what ornaments we have!
And yah, Asher doesn’t get to grade your meal. If he has a better idea, he can surely take over making dinner for everyone!!
LikeLike
The Asher things sound like 100% teen to me. It can be SO frustrating though. I know what they’re saying is mostly just because of their stage of life, but sometimes I can’t help but react.
Like tonight, when Belle rolled her eyes about Indy getting to choose the movie since it was his birthday yesterday and she muttered how he “always chooses” the same movie (not true), even though she KNEW IT WOULD PUSH HIS BUTTONS.
Love the decorations. So fun and festive. I’m all for the twinkle lights. The more the merrier ❤
LikeLike
Ha ha… yes, I’ve always felt like we needed some Thanksgiving songs! And yes to the first one as well. Put up your Christmas decorations whenever you want! Yours look beautiful. I can’t WAIT to get mine up! A week from now the house will be Christmas-ed.
I wouldn’t normally go out to dinner that late on a weeknight (or, preferably any night, ha ha) but I would under those circumstances.
About the dinner criticism- i think people are watching too many cooking competitions. When I serve a dinner, I’m not looking for comments like “It’s needs more acidity” or “I need a texture contrast.” I’m not an award-winning chef! I’m just trying to feed everyone without going insane.
Charlie is SO CUTE with his haircut and Thanksgiving bandana!
LikeLike
When I was young I would totally go to dinner at 8pm or so. Even 9pm. Now? Probably not, but I think the real roadblock is my 28 year old daughter. She wants to be home by 7.
LikeLike
popcorn and movie night, that sounds fun! we haven’t done one for AGES because we all like to cozy up at home and watch our favorites.
I am glad to hear that despite more training, Asher is enjoying swimming. Sometimes I worry that too much may kill the joy, but then I run 6 times a week and still want more. 🙂
that pasta dish actually looks good.
LikeLike
So much good stuff here! Yes, where are all of the Thanksgiving music and decorations????? I think I’ve mentioned this before, but we do not decorate until after Hub’s bday, which is after Thanksgiving. However, I adore seeing the Christmas stuff go up in the neighborhood, which starts right after Halloween. It really brings joy to our nightly dog walk.
We’ve been on a cold streak for the past few days, and Doggo has been extra cuddly. I’m not used to having a lap dog, but I like it.
I don’t intentionally seek out crowded places, but I would have been all over the Texas Roadhouse fundraiser. The Boy Scouts team up with our favorite Mexican restaurant, and we love going there for the fundraising dinner nights.
LikeLike
I am in the category of your readers who wouldn’t go out to dinner at 7:45pm on a Wednesday night (except for birthdays or vacations). But this makes me think…maybe I should?? My kids are getting older, and fun doesn’t all have to be reserved for the weekend!
LikeLike
Wow 6,000 yards is a lot. I can barely even run that much, and I think the most I have ever swum is…a mile…and that was hard! Of course as a teen, I loved sports and spending time with my friends, and so if I had to swim five miles to do that, I totally would. Plus its fun to be good at something, and so I would also work hard for that too.
As you know, I rarely go out that late, but it really would depend on the situation. If it was preplanned I could handle it, but if you called me at 7 and said lets meet at 7:30, I would have already eaten for sure, and would likely be in my jammies. BUT, when I used to ferry the girls around to soccer, their practices were often like 7-9 (!) and so I would do pick up and drop off. However, I usually would make dinner before that, not after!
LikeLike
I totally get the “meh” days—sometimes you just need to relax and unwind! Your holiday decorations look amazing, and I’m with you on putting them up early. I’ve been busy decluttering myself and just rented a dumpster to get rid of some stuff. It’s crazy how much you can get rid of when you have a big dumpster! Hope you get some time to just enjoy the holidays soon!
LikeLike
Yes, I would go out to dinner at 7:45 if that was the only time it worked for the rest of my family. Especially Texas Roadhouse for the rolls alone!
I can relate to your son’s reaction to dinner. My son is the same way! But when I ask what he wants for dinner he always says, “I don’t know.” I think he would eat Chipotle every night but that’s not happening.
And I love your decorating early. I’m about halfway done and plan to finish the rest over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
LikeLike
The ‘Go write some Thanksgiving songs’ is hilarious. Point made. Our oldest swam in high school and thru that discovered water polo. He played water polo in college on the east coast. OMG we loved water polo games so much. It only took us about 4 years to figure out what the refs’ signals/calls meant. Ha.
I would not eat out on a weeknight – at least not that late. Coach works weird hours as a PT, so he’s usually in bed around 9.
The swim season sounds like it’s off to a great start. I love the team bonding. Our daughter is a junior in high school right now and she had a blast with the volleyball girls. Basketball is her main sport, so we are gearing up for that. Good luck to your son. Hope he has a great season. Does he go to a private school? Is that why you live so far from the school, or do you just live a decent distance from your public hs?
LikeLike
I would go to dinner at that time but I’m in a MUCH different stage than some other people – no kids, flexible job, etc.
What a busy week! Watching a webinar next to the fire sounds like such a decadent way to work. I love that for you!
LikeLike
Kids, esp. teenagers can be so picky about food – or so I heard – if it’s not like their FAVORITE food every day LOL I think Ivan was right to tell you that you shouldn’t take his rating seriously (even though I totally get why you did!). I for one think that the pasta dish looks amazing! 🙂
LikeLike