A Week in Review (November 3-9)

A Week in Review (November 3-9)

Watched: The horrible acting in Power Rangers Ninja Samurai.  Jack found one of the movies at the library when I was looking for things to entertain him in the afternoons so that I could continue to rest.  He loves it and it is so so so corny.  It is just as bad as I remember being when I watched it with my little brother almost 20 years ago.  I just can't believe that it has the staying power to last that long!

Read:  Again, this week was not good for reading.  I did get about 100 pages into The Spectacular Now.  The narrator reminds me of my brother's college roommate and I am picturing him while reading the story.  I am not sure if this accurate or not, but I will have to just wait and see.

Listened: To the doctor tell me that if this third type of antibiotics didn't work that I was going to end up in the hospital with this pneumonia.  My blood oxygen level was a little low so that was worrying for me and the doctor.  I really do think that this dosage and the new strong inhaler made a difference.  I don't hear myself wheezing nearly so often or as strongly.  I go to the doctor for another check on Monday and I think he will be pleased with my progress.  I am down to coughing once only every 10 to 15 minutes.  From what I have read, the cough can really linger after the rest has passed.

Made: Plans to watch the first KU basketball game over at Nick's friends house.  Jack loves playing with his two boys and it is a more relaxed environment than going to a sports bar.  We will go back the next time they have a Friday night game that isn't available to us. :)  We are thankful that they have opened their home to us.  It has made life so much easier!

Felt: Grateful for a slower week so that I could just rest up and focus on trying to get feeling better!  It was nice to have a lot to do.  I am also glad that if I had to deal with this it was before the start of the Christmas season in which I always seem to go into overdrive. :)

Planned: My school's Christmas party.  I am going to try and get this stuff all done and out of the way so that if something comes up, I am not doing things at the last minute.  I need to delegate out more and earlier so that I am not left stuck with it!  This is an important lesson to remember.

Loved: Watching Jack practice at Karate.  He asked me to stay and be a Parent Helper in his class.  Sensei John runs his class very differently from Sensei Tyler.  I like it better, but Jack seems to prefer Sensei Tyler and so we will go back to his class as long as the it works into his basketball schedule.

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack with his awesome football coaches. From left to right, we have: Coach Brent, Tyler, and Mark. Coach Mark was the head coach and he gave each kid a small speech. I've attempted attaching it. Hopefully it works!  Jack loved all these guys and we are thankful for their hard work!

Jack took a tumble last Saturday and he has needed constant pictures to check it's healing. It was pretty intense, but has healed up nicely :).  He does think that his top two teeth absorbed the concrete when he smacked into it. (Haha)

A Week in Review (October 27-November 2)

A Week in Review (October 27-November 2)

Watched: Jack have a great time trick or treating as KU Ninja. His bit plan has been to see his preschool teacher. While we were trick or treating at other houses, he was given Peanut M&M's, and got super excited because he remembered those were her favorite. When he knocked on her door, he proudly presented her with his candy. He was so happy to see her. He also got to stop by Ms. Sally's house and get some pumpkin cupcakes. That was an awesome treat for me too!

Read: Not much. I am so busy trying to keep up with this week's activities that when I finally have a chance to fall asleep, it comes almost immediately.  However, I did finish up Covet.  I picked this book up because I really enjoyed her debut novel, On the Island. The setting is Johnson County, KS where I reside so I frequently found myself wanting to put in various people I knew into the roles. I was expecting a bit more in the way of a climax, but it just told the story of Claire's confusion. I enjoyed the book and will definitely pick up the next book by the author.

Listened: To myself wheeze quite badly. At first, I thought I had croup because that was the only time I had ever heard that rattle. Turns out, I had a pneumonia. And not one that is wanting to go away easily!

Made: It through the perpetration for the school's Halloween party. I had put things off until this weekend never assuming that I would come down with something so horrible. I was proud of myself for pushing through and not letting the kiddos or my fellow teachers down.

Felt: Frustrated with KU's decision to sell out to a network which most cable companies don't carry.  They also made it so you are blacked out from watching the games online. It killed him not to be able to watch the first preseason game. This also effected the KU v TX football game, but luckily his friend offered to let us come over and watch it at his house.

Planned: On just being a normal easy clown for Halloween because it was quick and cheap. However, when I came home with the costume Jack got this idea to make me "Murphy". Now I have no idea where he came up with name or concept, but he had very specific plans for me. He spray painted my hair red (that stained my hair and mucas for days!) and had me where a Chief's jersey. It was fun to see him get so into it.

Loved: That my hubby took very good care of me. I had just enough energy to get through the things that had to be done that I had nothing left to give for things like dinner and dishes. He helped with everything on top of working and doing his PT, both of which keep him quite busy!

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack with his bop bag that I bought him so I could lay and he could get some energy out. It got a hole in it almost immediately, but he still had a lot of fun with it. 

Jack and Nick's pumpkins follow. I didn't ever quite get a pic of mine. 

Here I am getting my red hair

The final product:

Here is a close up of his costume. The blur is the motion of nunchucks. 

A Week in Review (October 20-26)

A Week in Review (October 20-26)

Watched: A cool presentation at the Bug Lady Science Academy. Declan chose to have his 4th birthday party there. The presenter was very knowledgeable and had all sorts of unique animals. I learned that there are many types of cockroaches and only 4 are considered pests. She had Madagascar hissing cockroaches out for touching. They are as creepy as you think.  Jack got pretty used to holding them by the end.

Read: I really wanted to say that I finished up The Aviator's Wife, but it just didn't happen. I haven't made reading a priority and so I'm not getting through my books quite as quickly.  It's still nice to have that way to unwind at the end of the night.

Listened: To the majority of The Ocean at the End of the Lane . It is a book heavy on fantasy. The conclusion of the book will be a maker or breaker as to whether I enjoy the story or not.  I'll have my recommendation for you next week!

Made: I like trying new recipes, but you never know what you are going to get.  I tried THIS recipe for Poor Man's Prime Rib.  I followed one reviewers recommendation and let me oven preheat for 20 minutes before cooking.  My rub was just garlic salt and black pepper.  Yummy!  I'd recommend you try it on a cold winter's day.

Felt: Excited for Jack. He came up with the crazy idea to be a KU ninja for Halloween.  His Grandma Denise did an excellent job making it a reality for him. To make this even more wonderful, he got to walk on the field at half time of the Baylor v KU football game.  Since Charlie Weis took over as head coach, the field has been closed when we have attended fan events. So getting to walk the field, next to Big Jay, and wave to all the people in the stands was a real treat. He also was able to get some high fives from the players and was able to call out a big hello and get a head nod from his favorite player Tony Pierson.

Planned: My punny Halloween costume for Bunco group. I woke up that day realizing that I didn't have anything pulled together because we aren't doing a family theme this year. So I did a quick Google search and came up with a being a Fork in the Road. It was simple since we have yellow masking tape at the preschool.  I was pleased with how it turned out. 

Loved: That the crazy process of dealing with the refi of 2nd mortgage is over. We signed the 100 page document on Friday!  So happy that is over with!

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack holding a Madagascar hissing cockroach. 

Me and my Bunco gals that chose to dress up :)

The tailgate beside us had connections to the cheer team so Big Jay was brought over to them for some pics.  Luckily he was nice enough to come over and give Jack some love too. Got this great picture of the two of them. 

The halftime parade. He is small blue blob in front of Big Jay. Better pics coming soon. Don't want to spoil the Halloween surprise!

A Week in Review (October 13-19)

A Week in Review (October 13-19)

Watched: Jack help to college boys run a game in the HyVee Hawk Zone.   The game isn't designed very well for the adults working the game.  You are supposed to throw a bean pillow into a hole and instead of having it slope out for the worker, it just drops down. They then have to bend down and go in the game to get out the pillows. While it doesn't work very well for an adult, my kid thought it was a blast to help retrieve them.  He popped his head through the hole once and then he had to share his space.  I don't think he was a fan of that because he didn't really do it again, but I thought it would make a great Halloween prank.

Read: I'm continuing to read The Aviator's Wife. It is a good story, but I haven't gotten to the point where I am willing to give up a good night's sleep to read more.

Listened: It seems that all my holds are coming off at once and so I had to switch from A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley to The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I have never read a story by Gaiman, Neil and so I am interested to see if I am as in love with him as so many people are. I haven't really had enough alone time in the car to make much of a dent in it.

Made: A painted pumpkin for The Sunflower House, which is a safe haven for children or families coming from abusive situations. HyVee had a deal where if you purchased a pumpkin, took it home and painted it, and brought it back, they would refund your purchase price and donate it for you. Jack thought it was a great idea. We did have some mishaps with the paint (side note: Don't buy the strips of acrylic paint from the Dollar Tree) but he was pleased with his final product. When you see it, note the large nose is actually a candy corn nose. He was proud of that detail.

Felt: Proud of Jack.  We had school conferences this week and he is doing well. His academics are up to snuff and he has a positive and helpful attitude. Can't ask much more than that!

Planned: On staying busy while Jack was out of school for the week. We completed his entire homework packet. I'm so amazed at how quickly he is picking up his reading and writing. One assignment was to draw a face on a pumpkin and then write a sentence about it. I was so proud that I took a picture and sent it to Grandma. I also posted it below for you to see!

Loved: That Jack is almost 46" tall. I am sure that might seem an odd thing to love but when we went to Worlds of Fun on Sunday Jack was lose enough that a couple ride ambassors let him go alone on his favorite ride, The Finnish Fling, aka The Brain Sucker. I can not stand that ride and so it was a pretty exciting for me!

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack loves when I vacuum when he is around. This way we can take turns trying to attack each other with the suction. This getup just made me laugh!

A Week in Review (October 6-12)

 A Week in Review (October 6-12)

Watched: Jack have fun with his class on their field trip to the Fire and Police Stations and on Career Day.  The fire truck had it's 100 foot ladder up and I think that was Jack's favorite thing. My favorite thing was the excellent tip the fire fighter told them for kids who have windows to tall to jump out of. He asks that you should take your stuffed animals or blankets and throw them out your window so that when the firefighter does a quick look around your house, they will realize a kid is up there. Great idea!  For career day, Jack dresses up a football player.  He wanted to go as KU player and we had to talk about how they can't be a career because you can't make money. 

Read: I finished up Secret Daughter. I was hoping that this would take me some place unexpected, but it just fizzled toward the end. I really wanted to like it more than I did. I think had she just let us read Asha's letter in the end or her article from the Times, I could have connected more with story.  My next book is going to be The Aviator's Wife.  It was recommend to me by a friend who also enjoys historical fiction novels, so I am excited about it. 

Listened: I started a new audiobook called A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley. I haven't been alone in the car very much, but I think I am going to enjoy leaning how Ripley's Believe It or Not came to be. 

Made: Pumpkin French Toast. It's a yummy recipe that I found on Pinterest. It is simple to make, but so yummy with maple syrup.  Perfect if you are wanting pumpkin pie but it's breakfast. You whisk 3/4 cup pure pumpkin, 1/2 cup milk, 3 eggs, and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice together. Cook up and serve normally. We don't use butter, just sryup. Yummy!

Felt: Bad that Nick caught the cold. Luckily he is a great sleeper so he went to bed early both nights and got about 12 hours of sleep a night, which seemed to help him kick it. He went off to Guy's Weekend after that so I'm hoping it was gone and he doesn't share it with them. 

Planned: My Christmas Letter. I couldn't sleep one morning and so I went searching for clever ways to do my annual letter. I'm pretty excited as I think it will be fun. Can't say too much until after it's delivered, but I'll make sure to post a copy of the final product.

Loved: Going to the pumpkin patch with  Jack. He has been with his class for the last two years and just knew he had to go again. It's always pretty calm in the afternoons, but you don't get as much time in. Jack could have stayed for another couple of hours at least. However, we did get to do new things like the Corn Maze and picking out the big (expensive) pumpkins to bring home. :)

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack listening to the motorcycle cop tell about the equipment he uses when he works. 

Jack celebrating Crazy Hair for selling his entertainment books. I think he had more fun washing it out because it looked like blood was everywhere!

Football player Jack. And in case you want his autograph, he's been working on that too. He knows by all the ones he's gotten that you aren't supposed to be able to read it and it's just supposed to be scribbles. Haha

A picture from the pumpkin patch

A Week in Review (September 29-October 5)

A Week in Review (September 29-October 5)

Watched: Now You See Me with Nick. It was an excellent movie. Well worth your time. It kept me guessing what was going to happen. 

Read:  I finished up Seduction and Snacks(Chocolate Lovers, #1).   was hoping this would be my next Fifty Shades of Grey, but it fell short. A vulgar 4 year old, his 20 something mother, and her inexplicably rich baby daddy make up the main characters here. It also includes the outlandish best friends and other over the top characters. I think that is what bothered me the most about the book is that everything was too extreme. The romance too sappy, the friend too immature, the kid too vulgar. Not one I'd recommend.  Next I began Secret Daughter, which is this month's book club read.

Listened: To myself become a sneezing fool. What I thought was allergies in Jack was actually a cold. He ended up quite stuffy, but mine has been flowing like a mad man. Fun stuff!  I hope I can kick it quicker than he has been able too.

Made: Jack stop playing his iPod so that he could pay attention to the Notre Dame v ASU game. He and his Aunt Valerie had a dollar on the game and they were having fun talking about via text. Not 15 seconds after, he went straight to zoned out sleeping. 

Felt: Excited that a Neighborhood Market opened close to the house. I did my first grocery shopping trip there on Thursday. It's organized nicely and was empty when I went there too. I even had a cashier help me find an item!  am glad that I will be able to make a quick trip to the store and not have to pay the higher prices found at Price Chopper. 

Planned: To be super busy next week. I will go on Jack's field trip to the Fire Station with him, volunteer in his room on Career Day, and so the single mom thing while Nick enjoys a guys weekend. 

Loved: The first quarter of the TTU vs KU. The Jayhawks played so well and the weather was perfect. The rest of the game was ugly and tedious, but at least we had a glimmer of greatness. :) Hopefully they can focus on that and not on the stuff that followed. 

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack, the cousins, and Grandma Denise went to Exploration Place on Sunday while we watched the Chiefs game. They were so excited to show us everything that they took us in once we got there. I thought this structure was fun and it reminded me of my friend Shane, so I had to snap a photo for him. 

Jack thought it was too funny that he could make himsd have "girl" hair in the play place at Chick-fil-a. We had to snap a picture to preserve the moment. 

Jack has a family project due for school and we thought that it might be fun to snap some photos during the KU game to use on the board. Jack and I are in disagreement about which one to use for the board. I like 1 better, while he prefers 2. 

1

2

And here he is, passed out sitting up after our busy week. 

A Week in Review (September 22-28)

A Week in Review (September 22-28)

Watched: Not much. There wasn't really time for sitting down and enjoying the TV with this week. I did see Jack's flag football team make dramatic improvements in their ability to rip off flags during a play. We will see next week if that translates to game time.

Read:  I finished up Reconstructing Amelia.  It got a solid three stars from me. The writing being told in the format of text and Facebook updates and standard writing style kept the book more entertaining for me. I have heard this book compared Gone Girl and if that is what are you are looking for you, you won't find it here. This seems like it could be an attempt at a YA version, but there is a lot of angst in there. Not sure I would recommend it, but I wouldn't caution against it either.  I also finally got to pick up Seduction and Snacks(Chocolate Lovers, #1).  It is going pretty good so far.  I think I will finish it fairly quickly.

Listened: This was the first time in a while that I haven't had an audiobook to listen too. I just enjoyed the radio or the sound of silence.

Made: The most simple apple crisp ever!  Perfect for a quick dessert. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and modified it only slightly to meet my needs. I originally made this recipe for Fall Fun Day at school, but I also made it since then. It calls for 1 can Apple pie filling, 1/2 cup flour, 1 stick melted butter, 1 1/2 TBSP of cinnamon, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 3/4 cup quick cook oats. Place the can of filling into an 8X8 ungreased casserole dish.  In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients together. Drop the topping on the pie filling by the rounded spoonful. Microwave for 10-12 minutes. Yummy!  I think I might try it with blueberry soon!

Felt: A wave of confused emotion. As we continued to work hard to get the house in tip-top shape for the appraisal, I got a call letting me know they had decided we didn't need a full appraisal after all. It's a good thing because it should make the whole process easier, but I'm kinda of frustrated with all the hard work that ended up being for naught.  Once we got the call, our get up and go, got up and went.

Planned: I think I already have the majority of the school's Halloween party done.  I just need to come up with a craft that I love. 

Loved: Watching the cousins have a blast with each other, especially during Papa Lee's tractor ride. This years theme was definitely Hayride Hijinks. I will be putting together a collage card shortly n

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack requested that I take a pic of him and Barley. I thought it turned out pretty cute. 

A view of the front of the house with the windows washed, new door up, fresh mulch in, etc

Jack opening his Wii U. Our Wii was on it's last legs and so we decided to upgrade him.  Nick couldn't just let him have it, so we told him he was giving his old Wii to Grandma Denise and we had to pack it up. He was pretty upset that we had given away the Wii. I told him he had to go downstairs to grab the box to pack it up in. It took him a second to realize that the Wii U was in the box and that it was for him.  It's taken some time to adjust too, but we like it.