Rebecca singing

Happy Thursday everyone! Today I wanted to share with you a recent performance that Rebecca was in. Every year, her high school puts on a talent show to help raise money to pay for production of their yearbook, called The Forum book. You have to audition for this show and not everyone makes it. Well, this year Rebecca's friends talked her into auditioning, and she made the show! So, I hope you all enjoy her performance. She is singing "Reflection" from the Disney movie Mulan. 

Enjoy! 

Thoughtful Tuesday: Something to Think About

 

Update

Happy Monday everyone! Just wanted to pop on here to say that I am still here. It is just an incredibly busy time in my life right now and with kids' activities, work, my bum knee, and other stuff going on I am exhausted all of the time and most times don't have time to sit down at the computer to write out a post. I do read most of your blogs daily on my phone, but I HATE typing a post on my phone. So, there is that. 

Let's see what has been going on. As an update to my last post, my dryer is fixed. The heating element went out on it. Thankfully the repairman had the part in his van, and we are back in business with a fixed dryer. 

My van is also fixed. They were going to charge for a whole new exhaust system, but then the manager took a look and really it just needed welded back on. So, it was significantly cheaper to fix than what we were quoted. So, yay for that. 

Onto my knee. It has been 2 weeks since I hurt my knee going up the stairs at church. After seeing the ortho, I haven't heard a word about an MRI. It is frustrating to me. I have been wearing a compression brace during the day as that seems to help somewhat. This past Saturday morning, I got up to use the restroom and when I stood, I felt a pop in my knee and almost all the pain was gone. It is still slightly swollen and is a little sore but nothing like it was. I still can't extend it fully out, but it feels better. I am wondering if I had a bone that was out of place, and it popped back in. I am just keeping on wearing the brace and dealing. I have some things coming up that require a bunch of walking, so I am hoping that it continues to feel better. 

So, there is the update from last time. The kids have been keeping me busy between driving to and from school, track practices, Cinderella play rehearsals, etc. It is a crazy schedule, but I love doing it for my kiddos. 

Well, I need to head out to pick up one kiddo from school. Hope everyone has a wonderful week! 

Thoughtful Tuesday: Something To Think About

 

Rough Few Days

Happy Wednesday everyone. Normally, I would be doing a Weigh in Wednesday post today, but I just don't have it in me today. It's been a rough few days.

First though, let's recap the weekend before the roughness started. On Friday, the kids had lots of different activities going on. Jacob went to spend the night with his Aunts Mary and Cecilia. They took him to an indoor rope's course/ ninja course. This was supposed to have been his birthday present (from October) that kept getting postponed. They finally got to do it and Jacob had a blast.

 

Rebecca and her high school chorale competed in a large group competition on Friday night. They received a score of Excellent, which is great considering this was the first time in over 10 years that a choir from her high school has gone to competition. 

While Jacob and Rebecca were gone, Benjamin and I had a mother-son date night. We started by going bowling. Then we had dinner at McDonald's (Ben's choice). Then home to watch a movie... he chose "The Lego Ninjago Movie." It was a fun evening with him. 

Saturday, the rough week started. Saturday, Bill was doing laundry and our drier decided to stop working. Ugh. It wouldn't heat. So, he took the wet clothes to the laundromat down the street and dried them. The plan then was to have him was the remaining loads on Sunday morning, while the kids and I were at church and choir practice, and then I would take them out to my mom's house to dry. 

Well, what do they say about best laid plans? 

Sunday morning, I was headed up the stairs to our church choir loft to sing during mass, and I was 2 steps from the top when all of a sudden my left knee decided to basically give out. I felt a sharp pain and then could barely put any weight on it. I made it up the stairs and sat throughout most of mass. When I got home, it was swollen, and Bill urged me to go to Urgent Care to have it checked out and he would take the clothes to the laundromat and dry them in between taking the kids to their rehearsals and basketball that they had to be at.

Urgent Care diagnosed me with a severe sprain. The doc said he could see some arthritis in the x-ray and wanted me to follow up with the orthopedic doctor. In the meantime, I was to rest, ice it and keep it wrapped and elevated. He also had me off work on Monday and Tuesday. I was able to get into the ortho today. He said he feels it is just a sprain but wants to order an MRI just in case there is ligament damage. He gave me some exercises to do to strengthen the knee and basically told me to keep it rested and elevated as needed and if something hurts don't do it. So I am hoping to go back to work tomorrow. 

On Monday afternoon, Bill went to pick Rebecca up from play practice and as they were coming home, they heard a noise and then sounded like something was dragging. Apparently, part of my exhaust pipe on my van had come undone and was dragging on the ground. Bill took it to the repair place yesterday. They called this afternoon, and it will be $450+ to fix it. Of course, they have to order the part in, so they are hoping to have it fixed by Friday. 

Today, the appliance people came out and $230 later supposedly the dryer is fixed. I haven't run any laundry yet, although I did have Rebecca start some in the wash for me. I will put them in the dryer before I go pick the boys up from school and track practice. 

So yeah, it has been a rough week so far. So, if I have been quiet on this here corner of my world, that is why. 

How is your week going? 

Thoughtful Tuesday: Something to Think About

 

Song for Sunday: Danny Boy

Weigh In Wednesday Week # 10 of 2023

Happy Wednesday! I mentioned in my New Year's goal post that I wanted to hopefully lose weight this year. I am at the heaviest I have ever been, and I NEED to lose weight to get healthy. I am going to make Wednesdays my weigh in Wednesday day. So, this will be my weekly update. Today is weigh in #10 for the year. (I missed weigh ins 8 and 9 due to illness in the house!) 

I think, maybe, fingers crossed, I am back on track with blogging this week. As I mentioned in the past few blogs, I have been crazy busy running the kids around to their various activities, etc. Jacob has joined the middle school track team so that has added another practice daily to our schedules. Rebecca has rehearsals for the show she is in, as well as her school's musical. Ben has after school stuff 3 days a week. I spend a ton of time in my van. As I mentioned in my menu plan Monday post, I need to get back to eating better (at home!) and that will help with my weight. Last week, when I had the stomach bug, I lost 6 pounds over the course of the weekend. However, since I have been feeling better and back to eating, I put most of that weight back on. Now, I need to start focusing on getting back to moving and exercising regularly. 

So let's see where I am this week...

My Starting Weight on 1/1/2023: 265.8lbs.

My weight last week: 259.6lbs.

My weight this week: 259.0lbs.

Weight loss/gain from last week: -0.6lbs

Total weight loss Year to Date: -6.lbs

I am under 260 which makes me happy! Now if I can stay under 260 and keep going down. My plan is to take several walks this week and to work out on my bike at least once. I also want to incorporate more arm dumbbell exercises into my week. Maybe I will start keeping track of exercises and report those as well. Maybe that will keep me accountable. I hope so. 

If you are on a fitness/ weight loss journey, how is it going? 

Thoughtful Tuesday: Something To Think About

 

Fun weekend and Menu Plan for this week

Happy Monday everyone! Here we are at another Monday. We are looking at a beautiful day here with temperatures in the 60s and sunny. I can't wait. Actually, the last 3 days have been nice. Saturday, we had a great day, and it was sunny. We went to a new to us thrift store, stopped and got a load of cheap strawberries, and took a 2.9 mile walk on the Bridge of Dreams path. 

Saturday evening, Bill and I went out to dinner and then met up with my sister and brother and their respective partners for a belated Christmas present. I took them all axe throwing! It was a lot of fun and was a great new experience.

Yesterday, we went to church, and I puttered around the house. I made a loaf of banana-chocolate chip bread and homemade shortcake for strawberry shortcake. It felt so good to just be. I also made out our menu plan for the week. 

After a crazy week and a half, where we were sick and then crazy busy, I have to get back on track to meal planning. Last week, those who wanted to eat, ate a lot of processed foods. We ate out several times and I can just tell that I feel blah. So back to cooking at home and trying to eat healthier, while also dealing with crazy busy schedules.  

What are we eating this week? 

Sunday: Pork and Peppers, Mashed Potatoes, green beans, homemade strawberry shortcake

Monday: Ham and Cheese rollups, corn, cucumbers

Tuesday: Tacos with all the fixings

Wednesday: Chicken and Broccoli stirfry with rice

Thursday: Sloppy Joes, corn, peaches

Friday: ???

Saturday: ???

Friday and Saturday are up in the air, as Rebecca has large group competition for Chorale on Friday night. Jacob is going to my sister's house Friday night and Saturday. So, I am not sure what our plans are going to be.

So there you have it. I am back on track and now just need to follow through. Hopefully I can figure out a rhythm and get into a groove with our crazy schedules for this month. 

How was your weekend? What are you eating this week? 

Song for Sunday: Crazy Train

3 Books Read in February

Happy Thursday everyone! 

I figured today would be a good day to post about the books that I read in February. I actually read 3 books in February, after only reading 1 in January. 

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Book Description:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

My thoughts: 

Oh, my word, this was such a good book. It is suspenseful, cleverly written with a great plot line that keeps you guessing, and characters. I couldn't put this book down and was mad that I had to put it down to go to work. It was that engaging to me. I will say that there was a lot more sex scenes than I would have liked, but overall, it was a fantastic read. I give it ★★★★★ out of 5.  

IT STARTS WITH US by Colleen Hoover

Book Description:

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

My thoughts: 

This was the second Colleen Hoover book that I have read and it did not disappoint. Again, great plot. Great characters. Writing about a subject (physical abuse) that is sensitive, but doing it with grace and understanding for the mind of the victim. Another book that I would recommend! (And as a side note, I am currently reading the sequel, It Starts with Us,  which is also turning out to be a great read!) I give it ★★★★ out of 5. 

Still Points North by Leigh Newman

Book Description: 

Part adventure story, part love story, part homecoming, Still Points North is a page-turning memoir that explores the extremes of belonging and exile, and the difference between how to survive and knowing how to truly live.

Growing up in the wilds of Alaska, seven-year-old Leigh Newman spent her time landing silver salmon, hiking glaciers, and flying in a single-prop plane. But her life split in two when her parents unexpectedly divorced, requiring her to spend summers on the tundra with her “Great Alaskan” father and the school year in Baltimore with her more urbane mother.

Navigating the fraught terrain of her family’s unraveling, Newman did what any outdoorsman would do: She adapted. With her father she fished remote rivers, hunted caribou, and packed her own shotgun shells. With her mother she memorized the names of antique furniture, composed proper bread-and-butter notes, and studied Latin poetry at a private girl’s school. Charting her way through these two very different worlds, Newman learned to never get attached to people or places, and to leave others before they left her. As an adult, she explored the most distant reaches of the globe as a travel writer, yet had difficulty navigating the far more foreign landscape of love and marriage.

In vivid, astonishing prose, Newman reveals how a child torn between two homes becomes a woman who both fears and idealizes connection, how a need for independence can morph into isolation, and how even the most guarded heart can still long for understanding. Still Points North is a love letter to an unconventional Alaskan childhood of endurance and affection, one that teaches us that no matter where you go in life, the truest tests of courage are the chances you take, not with bears and blizzards, but with other people.

My Thoughts: 

I honestly really, really wanted to like this book. When I found it at one of our little free libraries in the park, I was intrigued by the story line as I love to hear about other people's lives and experiences. However, I don't know if it was the way that Newman writes, or what it was, I couldn't get into the story or what her overall point was. It took me a while to finish this book, but I did. I give it ★★★ out of 5. 

Have you been reading anything of late? Any book recommendations? 

Maybe we are all better?

Happy Wednesday and Happy 1st day of March! I think, maybe, fingers crossed, that the stomach bug/flu has finally left our home. It was bad!

It started last Wednesday. I had to leave work almost as soon as I got there as I got a call from Ben's school that he was throwing up and I needed to come and get him. He was sick Wednesday (couldn't keep ANYTHING down, throwing up multiple times, etc.) and Thursday (slept most of the day). Friday he was feeling well enough to be able to go back to school. 

However, Jacob woke up sick on Friday. He was sick Friday (dry heaving and sleeping most of the day), felt a little better on Saturday, woke up throwing up again on Sunday while sleeping most of the day, and still felt bad on Monday so he stayed home. He was able to go back to school yesterday. This morning, he seemed like he was back to 100%. 

Where I slept while the kids were sick and I was sick. 

I woke up Saturday feeling like I had been run over and over by a semi-truck. I felt awful and couldn't stand without getting dizzy. I was sick basically Saturday (where I spent most of the day under three blankets and freezing), Sunday and part of Monday. I stayed home from work on Monday. Monday night I started feeling a little better and went back to work yesterday which left me utterly exhausted. Today I feel better than I did yesterday and almost back to normal. 

So many people that I know have some sort of stomach bug issue going on. Rebecca told me that she read that a lot of people across the country are dealing with stomach bug issues. Ugh. On the bright side, neither Rebecca nor Bill got sick. I think if they were to catch the same bug the boys and I had, they would have gotten it by now.

I feel bad because I had to cancel a lot of things this weekend, including going to see Ben's last Upward basketball game of the season. He had a great season and even got an award for Most Improved Player! It is what it is though. Thankfully, I had the foresight to get laundry caught up and some cleaning done last Wednesday, just in case more people got sick. That meant that I didn't have to worry about those things when I was sick. 

We are also in a very busy season right now. Jacob has joined the 7th grade track team at his school, with practices every day after school. Rebecca is her high school's spring musical and is in their upcoming talent show so she has been busy with rehearsals and such. So, if we are going to be sick, then I guess I am glad we got it out the way, hopefully. 

Well, I just thought I would hop on here to give an update. I will resume Weigh in Wednesday posting next week. Honestly, I haven't weighed myself in 2 weeks and don't want to weigh today given that I was sick and not eating for 2 days. 

How are y'all doing? Is the stomach bug running rampant in your area? Have you been sick lately?