I have failed miserably at getting to bed at a decent hour for the last week. Tonight is more of the same. I had intended on going to sleep shortly after returning home from meeting with my women’s group, but instead got sucked in to HD TLC while multitasking and on my laptop – catching up on email, price shopping for Christmas gifts, and looking at flight options for a vacation we’ll be taking at some point. I need to work on getting a little more sleep. I walked around in a fog most of the day today, even parking in a spot at our church that I shouldn’t have. Whoops! No wonder the people in the car next to me looked at me so funny.
On a kid note, Shecklet #2 was doing kiddie push-ups tonight. I had put him in the pack & play for a time out because he chose to stand up in his highchair for the umpteenth time today. Apparently he got bored and started doing what looked like a combination of yoga and push-ups. Add in running around in circles and giggles and you’ve got quite a dinnertime show!
I accomplished something today that has been on my “to do” list for many months. It’s not earth-shattering, but is slightly remarkable since it’s not a task I tend to make a priority. Here’s a little tidbit that most people probably don’t know about me: I’m not particularly good at keeping up with the pile of ironing that collects in our laundry room. Jake would tell you that I’m usually so far behind, he just takes the shirts he wants to wear from the ones hanging on the line instead of waiting for me to iron them and bring them to his closet. I guess I just prefer other household chores (or naps – if I can get both boys to take one at the same time.) That and ironing isn’t really something I can do with Shecklet #2 running around, so I have to do it when he’s napping or after the kids are in bed. Anyway, the story of the day is that I am currently caught up on all of my ironing. This might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but if you knew how much was hanging in the basement (and for how long) you’d be excited for me. 😉 Now if I could just get a handle on my laundry. My boys create more dirty clothes than Jake and I combined. It’s amazing!
Speaking of laundry, as I was hanging clothes to dry this afternoon, my little architect was creating this:
It’s so fun to see what he can build when he’s playing by himself. He has really been using his imagination a lot lately too. Our house is constantly a construction zone – trains, buildings, forts. You name it, the Sheck boys can build it!
I gave myself more than 5 minutes on this one because of all I attempted to cover.
Friday night we had a Rody rodeo at the house. Jake gave Rody a little extra bounce and the boys loved it!
Our 7th anniversary was yesterday (10/18.) It’s hard to believe how fast the years have passed. I recently realized how close Jake and I are to having been together for 10 years – we started dating in 2000 when we were at the U. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be spending this crazy, fantastic life of marriage & kids with than my husband. For all of the ups and downs that life brings our way, he has been (and continues to be) a source of calm, strength, and consistency for me.
Saturday morning we were planning on bringing the boys to Jake’s parents’ house for the day so we could go on our anniversary date – a day early. Jason, (Jake’s brother) called and offered us his Ford Mustang for the day, so we altered our plans a bit and exchanged cars and transferred kids at his house instead. I didn’t know where we were going until we left our house. All I knew was the attire for our date. It was great to be surprised!
Short side story. My mom and I had the most successful 10 minute shopping trip on Friday night. I didn’t have anything fall-ish to wear on Saturday, so my mom agreed to meet me to do a little shopping. On my way to Maple Grove, she called and suggested we try Nordstrom Rack. When we arrived, it was 10 minutes until they closed. We hustled in, found a couple of dresses to try on, found one, scooted over to the shoes, and successfully found a great pair of red heels. Love them! Not too bad for a “let’s just see what they have” stop.
Back to Saturday. Once we picked up the Mustang, we headed east on 94 and traveled various small highways up through Wisconsin to St. Croix Falls. We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant called Grecco’s on the St. Croix. The place is quaint and has an intimate feel. We sat near the fireplace, which was great because if you know me, I’m always a bit cold. We ordered an appetizer and each chose the herb crusted walleye for our main dish. To our surprise, the host came over a short time later with a different appetizer, Ahi Tuna, “compliments of the chef.” I had never eaten pan seared tuna until Saturday. It was delicious! In fact, every part of our dining experience was amazing. We plan on returning and would highly recommend Grecco’s – it’s worth the drive to St. Croix Falls!
We drove back to Jake’s parents’ place through Minnesota. It was such a beautiful day and the leaves still had some color. We stopped in Afton and got an ice cream cone (my 2nd dessert of the day) and then finally arrived back in Hastings. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football (poor Gophers :(), letting the boys and dogs run off energy (and ride) outside, and finally having dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, the boys, Larissa, Jason & his girlfriend B. It was a nice way to end the fun day Jake and I shared together.
Our actual anniversary was pretty laid back, which was ok with us. We went to mass in the morning, came home and had donuts – Nolan’s favorite 🙂 and then watched the Vikings game. Jake also worked on a few things around the outside of the house since the weather was so beautiful! Later in the evening, my mom came over and watched the boys so we could go to a movie. Neither of us would recommend seeing Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunately, it was a depressing movie with no real plot. I’m glad I know the book is good because had I not read it before, I don’t think I’d even pick it up. It seems we’re 0 for 2 lately with picking movies to watch at the theater. We seem to do better with our picks from RedBox. Plus, in my opinion, it’s way more comfortable to watch a movie at home. I’m guessing we won’t be hitting the theater again for a while – unless someone can recommend a really good flick for us to see.
Today was business as usual. Nolan went to school and Lincoln and I headed to the gym. I feel so much better when I get a workout in in the morning. After school, we came home for lunch and then everyone took a much needed nap. We spent the afternoon outside – took a walk, played with chalk, and took “cheesy” pictures with the bale of hay we received from the local volleyball boosters we supported.
Here’s something I never thought I’d be writing about myself.
After consulting with the nurse line at my clinic this afternoon, I went to urgent care for a suspicious set of bumps on my hand and a sore throat that has been annoying me for several days. I left the doctor’s office with a prescription and a chicken pox diagnosis. Can you believe that?!?
I’m not really sure where I contracted them from. There is one possibility, but if it’s true that the virus doesn’t make itself known until 14 days after exposure, then my potential encounter last week was quite likely not the cause of the outbreak. Then again, I really shouldn’t even be a candidate for even getting them – I already had them when I was a kid. Apparently I’m one of the few lucky ones who gets to experience them twice. I’m hopeful that the breakout won’t be too bad, but regardless, I’m now home-bound until things clear up.
Thankfully, the kids and Jake are currently in the clear, and not subject to the same quarantine that I am. I’m praying things stay that way. I’ll gladly endure the sore throat and house arrest if that means they stay healthy!
The thing I dislike the most about being a parent is having to discipline. I hate being the bad guy. I wish someone would invent a fool-proof way to get my kids to listen to what I’ve asked them to do (or not do) and have them follow through.
Today Shecklet #1 was having a overly-whiny afternoon, so I told him he would be taking a nap. No tantrum was thrown when I said it was time to head upstairs (which was positive) but the little guy refused to stay in bed. This tends to happen when he naps, so I’ve been having him sleep in our bed instead of his so at least Shecklet #2 has a chance to get a good nap in. I swear I went back upstairs to check on him a half dozen times. A few times he was just sitting up on our bed, so I had him lay back down. But at one point I walked in to find the lamps on and clean socks, that were previously in the laundry basket, strewn all over the room. Apparently I missed the memo that nap time meant throw the laundry everywhere. At this point, I had to follow through with the consequence for not napping that we had talked about – no afternoon trip to the park. I don’t know who was more disappointed, him or me. It hurt to have to say we weren’t going, especially when he turned on the waterworks, but I knew I had to remain firm. I’m hoping that one of these days, something will click in that little 3-year-old head of his and he’ll understand that his actions have consequences. Until then, we get to keep working on the meaning of cause and effect.
