Week-In-The-Life: Friday

The monkeys start out in my bed for a few minutes.  Jack tells me that he wants a baby to keep (a recurrent theme in our family over the past few months).  He suggests that we hide Grady next time that he and Kris come for a visit.  He is interested in my suggestions for a good spot…

We get up I decide to offer yogurt for breakfast (something I know they both like even on their “off” days.)  They are both happy to eat yogurt (despite the fact that they feel slightly deprived since I won’t put sprinkles on it – our sometimes dessert…)

The happy eaters soon start teasing each other mercilessly and I declare a soundless breakfast after several warnings.  Since I didn’t state that they couldn’t make faces at each other – they move in that direction…I put on some tea.

Luckily breakfast is quick, and the monkeys put on their clothes quickly (in different rooms today).  I brush Jack’s teeth and make Owen’s lunch.  It is salami, cheese, and crackers; dried apples, carrot sticks and cucumber slices.  I used a small cookie cutter to cut the cucumber slices and they were so cute, but I wasn’t sure I was going to make the “Week-In-The-Life-Blog” if my children were going to kill each other before the morning was over.

When Owen came downstairs, he was in a great mood and had a costume on over his clothes – including his new wings.  He and Jack played beautifully together in my bedroom – their good-guy hideout.

I have time to flat-iron my hair.

We drop Owen off at school and buy a baguette and a croissant at the table they have set out.  Every Friday Owen’s school picks up items from a local French Bakery and sells them in front of the school.  Dangerous. 

At home I do the dishes and start to play a game with Jack.  We are waiting for our friends to arrive. 

After our game, I make the bed.

Then we go upstairs and make Jack’s bed.

We read all of our stories by Karma Wilson (our favorites) and I organize Jack’s kitchen area – putting the vegies and fruits together by their velcro so Jack can cut them up again. 

How cute is the the little swaddled baby in Jack’s shopping cart?!

Downstairs, I notice some scratches on the floor under Jack’s chair,

and change the pads on the bottom of his chair.

We have lunch (salami on our fresh French baguette and fruit)

I do the dishes, then get Jack set up on playing with blocks while I clean our bathroom and listen to my audiobook. (Sometime before we have decided that our friends have forgotten our playdate.  We will have to reschedule.)

Next, I paint my nails and Jack wants his painted too.  I indulge him and glad I chose a quite sheer color…

We sit on the couch and watch a show while our nails dry.  Jack falls asleep, so I cover him up, make tea, and blog our morning.  It is almost time to pick up Owen from school.Jack woke up just in time to pick up Owen.  We listened to James and the Giant Peach – a nerve-wracking part where everyone was almost eaten by sharks – It was a hard decision to keep in on…  Snack and drive home.  Owen has a name tag on that says “Buzz.”  Apparently the kids in the class got to pick an alter-ego for the day??  Owen thought it was great.

Jack announced to Owen that there were small pillow-pets at Fred Meyer.  They both rushed to count the money that they had to see if they had the required $12.  Jack did, but Owen didn’t.  Owen is trying to decide if he should buy a pillow pet a week from Saturday when he has enough money or wait and save for a General Grievous Lego ship that he has been wanting – about $50.  He wants Eric and I to pay for half.  Smart boy…

We brought the other set of blocks downstairs and the monkeys built with them.

Grandma came and took the boys out to McDonalds so that Eric and I could have a date.  We went to dinner then went shopping for clothes.  We returned home later to change and get ready for a party at our neighbors house (the neighbors who know everyone in the neighborhood and have great parties and are kind and thoughtful, and useful – and basically make Eric and I look bad – we love them!) 

The house is clean when we return…

Week-In-The-Life: Thursday (Not Wednesday Again As I Originally Wrote)

I woke to two little monkeys climbing into bed with me at about 6:45.  We snuggled and talked until the alarm went off at 7 and Owen turned it off.  I was about to get out of bed, and heard a noise of someone in the kitchen.  Eric walked in and scared the &^%$ out of me.  He is not usually home at this time.  Eric said goodbye to (and was attacked by ) the monkeys while I got up to survey the kingdom and make breakfast…

Jack tells me that the kitchen is a mess (thank you) and that he is not eating oatmeal for breakfast because he hates oatmeal.  I suggest that he open the packet himself and pour it in the bowl.  He suggests that he pour the oatmeal all over the floor and throw the bowl away.  I suggest that he not do that.

I start heating the water in the electric kettle while the monkeys play and Eric leaves.

I refill my tea container with tea bags,

and bring in the Amazon Fresh order of food and Owen’s new lunchbox (since the one we have been using is borrowed – I wanted to make sure that it was worth the money for all of those little containers – I do, it makes me pack healthier lunches in reasonable portions…)

I ask Jack if he wants Apple and Cinnamon oatmeal or Cinnamon and Spice.  “Oh, I LOVE Cinnamon and Spice Oatmeal, Mama!  I want that!”

Owen eats his oatmeal and a bowl of Fruity Cheerios.  He wants orange juice, but doesn’t actually drink it.  He is pretty sensitive to sugar.

Jack eats two bites of oatmeal and drinks a glass of juice and a glass of milk.  He sits the rest of the morning at the table jabbering away but not really eating.  I suggest that he get ready for school, but he says he wants to finish…

Owen’s lunch is milk, blueberries, yogurt, cashews, avocado, and a granola treat.

I load the dishwasher and get it started.

Owen brushes his teeth, then gets dressed in the clothes that I get him, but changes the pants because the ones I got feel too loose?? 

I get Jack dresses while he scowls because he wants to finish his oatmeal.  I brush his teeth, then help Owen put on his shoes.  Owen checks for his coat in the closet, and decides it must still be in the car.  We’re finally off – running a bit late.

We listen to James and the Giant Peach on the Zune.  We listen to an audio book on the way to and from Owen’s school each day.  We have gone through many Henry Huggins books and Ramona books already.

The day is yucky and the traffic is bad on the freeway.

But the boys love listening to more of the book…

Owen can’t find his coat when we get to school (I guess it was in the closet after all…)  I grab a thinner coat with no hood out of the back of the car (all we have) and send him off to school. 

I grab some homework from Katie and Sarah’s teacher since they are sick today(they go to Kindergarten at Jack’s school)  I drop Jack off in his classroom, say hi to Charlotte, Bridget and Becca as they come in, and head out to the car.  I listen to my own audiobook as I head to Lisa’s to drop off the girls’ homework.

Lisa makes me a cappuccino – she always makes things look pretty.  I messed the heart up a little when I added sugar…

We hang out for awhile and I snag some oatmeal since she was making it for the girls.  Yummy with almonds, cinnamon, and coconut on top!

On my way home I pick up our Farm Box that is delivered to a house at the bottom of the hill every other week.  I forgot about it yesterday, but it is fine.  The fruits and vegetables are really yummy and fresh.

I blog the day so far so I don’t have so much to do later tonight. 

At home I look for Owen’s coat in the closet and realized that it is not surprising that he he didn’t see it…

I take his coat to school and give it to the secretary along with some lunch notes that Katie and Sarah wrote to him this morning when they realized that I would be heading back to his school before lunch.

It is already time to pick up Jack and Bridget so I head straight over there.  I pick up the two individual pizzas that Katie and Sarah have automatically delivered on Thursdays  - but couldn’t eat since they were sick.  The three of us eat in the car and I give some to Charlotte and keep a slice for Owen.  (Not sure about Bridget’s face – Jack wants to know why she is “mad” – I think she is trying to figure out how to smile with food in her mouth.)

At home I empty the dishes and fill it up again with more dishes from last night.

Jack seems tired so we lay on my bed and watch a show.  Of course I am the only one who falls asleep.  Jack wakes me up after an hour or so saying he wants to get up.  He has a few books that he must have got up to get to look at because he was bored…

I talk on the phone for awhile with my mom and Lisa then head off to pick up Owen.  When I get to Owen’s school, our spot in the line is in the road outside of the school parking lot.  This means that Jack has to stay in his carseat – so we can’t read or play in the front of the car.  Jack starts to doze so I watch something on the Zune.

Owen eats his slice of pizza and a Z-bar for a snack in the car.  He  is still hungry when he gets home!

Owen says that he wants to make wings for his back to be like Buzz Lightyear (a movie is doesn’t like to watch – too scary…)  We look around for cardboard thin enough  for him to cut himself.

I help him color,

and drink my tea while it is still hot. (Jack was the photographer on this photo and the last!)

I am quite impressed that Owen was able to figure out how the triangles needed to be made to have them line up and look just how they do!

Eric comes home and starts making polish sausages for dinner for himself and the boys.

I arrange to meet my mom at Barnes and Noble later and head there myself to hang out.  I look at the kids section mostly – until my mom comes and we have coffee and hang for a few hours.

I return around 9, kiss the monkeys goodnight  and am off to take a shower and head to bed to watch a show with Eric…

Week-In-The-Life: Wednesday

I wake up at about 6 to Jack crying upstairs.  Owen is standing beside my bed.  From what I can tell, Jack tried to get Owen to play hide-and-seek and Owen figured that Jack would run downstairs while Owen was counting.  So, he ran down instead.  Jack comes down upset and O yells his side of the story.  grr. 

They climb in bed with me and we listen to the shower water from Eric’s shower.

We all get up, and I make fried eggs and mangos.  Jack refuses to eat eggs and runs away.

I make Owen’s lunch.  Pear slices, cheese, crackers, cashews applesauce, yellow carrots, Scooby Snack graham cookies.  I write Owen’s note for his lunch and put everything in his backpack.

Jack returns to the table of his own accord – I never beg my kids to eat – I serve it and take it away after the meal.  Not sure what the whole eating issue is this week – maybe that we had cereal or pancakes during the week-off break last week??  He  eats all but the yolk of the egg.

The monkeys get dressed in the clothes I get for them.  Owen picks out his shirt…

I put away some laundry from yesterday,

Flat-iron my hair and get dressed and ready.

As I grab my sweatshirt, my car key falls out.  Yea – I knew it would turn up…

I make the bed,

and drive Owen off to school.

When Jack and I return home, I find the now-cold tea that I had prepared for the car-ride.  I pour it back into the original cup and microwave it…

Jack and I play for awhile.  He demonstrates his skills now that he has his super-man cape on.

Later Jack plays his Leapster while I wash and cut up fruit that I am bringing as our contribution to lunch for Owen’s school staff today.  I like that each class does that one time throughout the year, and that I didn’t miss it.(mangos and kiwi)

Jack helpfully tests all of the fruit for me.  What a helper!  He adds a yogurt to his snack and we drive to Owen’s school to deliver the fruit and set up the trays.

For lunch Jack and I have cheese and crackers and some cashews.

Jack is supposed to be washing his face afterwards while I clean up the fruit cutting mess.  He experiments with dripping water all over his face – and the countertop – to see if that does the job…

I write some mails and while Jack plays in, and then cleans his room.  We make his bed together – he is super proud and wants to do it every day!

Change into gymnastics clothes (shorts and a wick-away shirt)

Rock out to Wonderwall and Lazy Boy on the drive over…

Gymnastics!!  I try to watch Jack and jabber incessently with Lisa.  She has been out of town for about 10 days so we have a lot of  catching up to do…

Jack always loves seeing Sarah and Katie (and her new missing tooth)  Owen doesn’t seem to understand that Jack gets to see them on Wednesdays – I hope he doesn’t put that together…

Jack and I run to QFC for a few last minute groceries for tonight.  Afterwards we drive to Owen’s school to wait for dismissal.  We have about 40 minutes.  We park and Jack hops in the front seat.  He reads to me, and plays with some toys, and draws.  I love this little together time that we have on the week-days when we wait for Owen.

The great deposit – that must be gone through and cleaned up…I sweep and vacuum the downstairs.Then I become a little obsessed with wiping blinds.  I really don’t have time to do them, but they are bugging me…better

Owen eats strawberries and grapes for a snackthen he and Jack play super-heros

 

 

As I check my mail I hear the boys giggling in Owen’s room telling jokes…

Jack’s:

knock knock

who’s there?

banana

banana who?

banana-peel!

(hilarious bouts of laughter)

 

Owen’s:

knock knock

who’s there?

poo-poo head

poo-poo head who?

poo poo head toilet!

 

Jack’s:

knock knock

who’s there?

ice-cream

ice-cream who?

ice-cream cone!

 

Owen’s:

knock knock

who’s there?

poo-poo pee-pee toilet

poo-poo pee-pee toilet who?

poo-poo pee-pee toilet stinky head!

 

Jack’s:

knock knock

who’s there?

ice-cream

ice-cream who?

ice-cream soda!

 

Owen’s:

knock knock

who’s there?

poo-poo head

Jack: you already did ‘poo-poo head.  I am not going to listen to that one.”

I didn’t feel much like listening either…

I go downstairs and make mashed potatoes for dinner (the secret is to “rice” the potatoes with a ricer and add cream cheese…)  Jack is my photographer…

Eric gets home and plays with the boys for awhile while I work on dinner.  Dinner tonight is pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, salad with strawberries/walnuts/avocado.

Eric’s friend Dion comes over for dinner.  We have some cheese and crackers for an appetizer and open a bottle of wine.

As I am getting the final touches to dinner, I keep checking on the meat, but it is cooking sooooo slowly.  I finally realize that I turned off the oven when I turned off the timer earlier.  Grr. 

We all eat salad first then the monkeys go play until the rest of dinner is ready. I feel really dumb.

We have a nice dinner, then Owen dances for us – hilarious.  Jack seems to have a hard time understanding Dion – who has a South African accent (sounds a bit like Australian and British combined)  The cracks me up because Jack thought he understood the French, but can’t seem to get a slight accent????

The monkeys get themselves ready for bed, and I put them to bed – we each read a book.  Eric entertains his friend. 

Dion, Eric, and I spend a few more hours together.

Then, off to blog for me.

Good night!