This Week’s Plan

Don’t know about y’all but I operate much better when I have a plan. And I like to prepare and set things out the night before too. It makes me as sane as possible each morning.  Here’s my plan for the week:

Dinners:

1.  Artichoke chicken with some sides that I don’t know yet, maybe just applesauce and peas

2.  Shrimp Brouquettes with caesar salad and slaw

3.  Meatballs with green beans

4.  Pizza casserole with this crust

5.  Breakfast for dinner 

Activity ideas for the kids which we don’t accomplish all this week. Usually we play outside after naps until dinner so these are mostly morning activities. 

1.  Playdoh

2.  Molly Anne will do some of this workbook

3.  Field trip to one of my work construction sites

4.  Walk every morning

5.  Play with solo cups. I always see Ally talk about her children loving this so we need to try!

6.  Going to curbside pick up some canvases from Michaels for the kids to paint and we will hang in the playroom

7.  Play in the playroom

8.  I’ll probably set out some stations like I did last week. 

9.  Fill our sidewalk with chalk drawings 

10.  Tee time at golf course to let them run wild

11.  Taking our easel outside and putting some paper on there and letting them go crazy with paint. 

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Lots of driveway hangout time this past weekend. 

Drew an obstacle course on the driveway. 

I can’t get enough of my buddy.  Im so glad he’s feeling better from pneumonia!!

Mama night on zoom!

Mills always wants to play ball after the kids are in bed!


Sunday morning lovies.

There was lots more in between these pictures. Have a good Monday!

Five on Friday

ONE:
I've eyed these Violet and Brooks hair clips for awhile and I think they are so adorable.  I finally bought the navy set yesterday.  I bet Molly Anne will love these and they're a little "older" for her than her typical bows.  You can sign up for their email list and save 15% on your first order which covered shipping for me.


But I can totally get on board with this hairdo, I think it's so fun.  So we'll probably be sharing these!



TWO:
My friend Tess has been putting stations out for her two children each day and I have been needing to do that.  The toys she uses are ones that they haven't seen in awhile and she puts them in a different room they don't always play in.  For Molly Anne I used the magnetic dress up dolls, magiclip dolls and a puzzle.  For Grady I did a Little People School Bus, musical instruments and a shape sorter.  (Sorry for the odd picture with the light coming in our doors)

THREE:
Molly Anne entertained Grady for 45 minutes yesterday morning and I literally thought I had won the lottery.  She is SO good with him.  

FOUR:
The performance polos are my favorite for Grady during the summer because they're so much cooler for my hot natured boy.  I try to get one here and there when I see them on sale.  Prodoh had a sale earlier this week and I grabbed this one and one other.  I also got him a pair of shorts and Molly Anne a tee!  Prodoh stuff is so well made and held up the best last year out of everything else!


FIVE:
Mills is like can you all get back to your regular life so I can sleep all day again?  A little paw trim is in his future soon and very soon.  He loves laying out on the porch for a few hours during Grady's naptime and enjoying the sunshine. 

Randoms - Grady Sick and Surprises

Last Tuesday (as in over a week ago), Grady woke up from nap with a 104.2 fever. It went on and on for a few days. Nothing unusual because he gets fevers randomly often. And we hadn’t been ANYWHERE. Thursday it goes to 104.9.  I scheduled a virtual visit with the doctor because it was the last day before the long weekend and because his primary doctor wouldn’t be available for a week. Basically the result was if he still has a fever Sunday, he must be seen in person. Monday I still didn’t want to take him because of obvious reasons but I did and he has pneumonia. I should have known.  Molly Anne had it a couple of years ago. I know what to look for and I didn’t!  So just because the world is losing their minds (some rightfully so) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your child to the doctor!  Lesson learned. Thankfully we think it was caught in time, his oxygen level was lower than it should be but manageable and two antibiotics should make him feel a lot better.  So far no fever this week so I’m hoping he’s turned a curve. This poor boy!  Debating whether we do a virtual visit follow up to observe his breathing or I take him in again. I know I’ll make the right mama gut decision for us but it’s slightly stressful, all of it!  I’ve been up A LOT very worried this past week and a half for a lot of reasons, as I’m sure you can imagine. 

Backing up to last Friday when a box appeared on our front step from my parents. They just knew we needed a little pep in our step.  It wasn’t planned at all but it was a huge treat for us!  They always go all out!!  Tons of Easter treats!

Mills took one of Grady’s loveys from his basket and acted like it was his.  Awwww. 

Took my bike (from growing up) on a cruise last Friday night. Mental help ha ;). It was funny riding a real bike after being so attached to my Peloton!

Poor Mills!  He loves to be right in the thick of their play area but then gets sat on. Mills doesn’t mind probably because he just likes someone touching him!

yep, rewind to the beginning of the blogpost. Molly Anne took this picture!  Lots of this the past couple of weeks. And I don’t hate it! :)

Sweet little buddy. 

I’ve instituted nap time a bit more structured for Molly Annie. I need two silent hours by myself in the middle of the day to work.  Occasionally I bribe her with a surprise to make her sleep when I know she really needs it. I think this bribe was alphabet chalk on the driveway after naps. Which really isn’t a bribe at all but she just likes a “surprise” no matter what it is!

Talking about surprises!  This adorable crafty box that my friend Sarah dropped off. I mean it was unreal!!!  Such a huge treat. I wouldn’t even think to do something so creative let alone make the presentation this fun!!

Grady has learned how to cheeeeeese!  Molly Anne loves setting up obstacle courses and making him do them. Hey, whatever!  It entertains them and they both love it.  And yes the laundry basket was part of this course....

Cheeeeeeeseeeee!

Hope everyone is having a good week!  Keep your head up sistas, we got this! 

Kid’s Meals

None of these meals are rocket science but sometimes I see friends post their kid’s meals on Instagram and I’m like duh let me add that to my cart. It’s always fun to have something different.  

Not pictured - frozen waffles and a yogurt pouch for breakfast. PB&J for lunch with chips and pickles. Or noodles with butter, garlic powder and grated Parmesan (they both gobble this right up)! Fancy I tell ya! ;)

Cottage cheese (Grady is obsessed) mixed fruit, mini pepperonis, cracker cuts and crackers.  Molly Anne loves this meal, it’s her fav. Hers is on the pink plate. 

Smoked sausage and mushrooms roasted with seasoning, peas. 

“Chicken bites” - grilled chicken with panko on it. Lima beans Molly Anne picked out then barely ate. Mandarin oranges. 

They like to have half pb&j and half Nutella and PB. Pretzels sticks and string cheese. 

Turkey and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls, carrot chips and raisins. 

Perdue chicken nuggets, green beans and applesauce pouch. This is our standard eat outside on the driveway meal when Kevin and I have something else for dinner. 

That’s all I have for now.  Keeping it easy!

Easter Day

We had a nice Easter day and hope you all did too!  We were lazy minus all of the cooking!

The kids loved coming downstairs to find out the Easter Bunny had been!  Grady went straight for the Hot Wheels and Molly Anne to Hatchimals!

He's my attachment in a big way these days!

PS - yes, both of them happened to be wearing Christmas pajamas for Easter.  Oh well!

We watched some church and definitely did not sit still for an entire hour.  Keeping it real. 

Kevin entertained Grady and I was able to pull off getting the table together with some yard clippings and decor.  Found these bunny ear candles that Mom had given me a few years ago.  The table runner is old school PBK or PB.  The napkins are Serena and Lily and I can't remember where the placemats are from.  The vase that the flowers are in is Vietri.

This was my mom's china.  We ended up using it for dinner and used some smaller bunny plates  (big sale if you want to stock up for next year) from Williams Sonoma for lunch.  

Bloody Mary's obviously.  Took one to my next door neighbor too.  Old Bay rim!

I fixed 5 things and this was a big adventure doing this while having Grady with me.  YIKES.  
1. Cantalope balls
2. Ham Sliders
3.  Deviled Eggs
4.  Green bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup
5.  Sausage Egg Cheese Casserole

He did crack me up because from the time I put the plate in front of him, he just kept staring at it and was so happy looking at his food!

One of our neighbor friends who always walks by and talks to us dropped some cute things off!

Molly Anne made her Laura Cox Collection necklace and loves it!

Grady played with his cars more. 

Molly Anne put together some puzzles that my parents sent her!

For dinner we had picked up some steaks, bbq slaw and mushrooms from the Butchers Market.  They never disappoint.  

Added some Bob Evans mashed potatoes, opened a nice bottle of wine and dinner was done!

I got some things organized and most of the Easter stuff put away after they went to bed.  I had to get my act together before the circus of this week started again.  Printed some worksheets for Molly Anne and cleaned up the place.  AHH.