Happy Tuesday! We had a really nice long weekend. The weather could not have been more perfect - sunny, not too hot, low humidity, lots of blue skies. It looks like the summer weather is sticking around which I am more than ok with since it cools off at night and the air is dry! We packed a lot into our holiday weekend but as I've mentioned before, the more plans we have, the better the weekends go.
The holiday weekend didn't get off to the best start, though. Phil was recovering from a stomach bug that took him down for 3 days last week and caused me to miss book club and another friend gathering. Womp womp. Then I got hit with a bad head cold on Thursday night. The bond markets closed mid-day on Friday due to the holiday weekend so I ended up napping for 2 hours and that made a huge difference. I am learning that powering through viruses doesn't work for me and seems to extend how long I feel ill, so going forward I am going to try to rest more when I get hit with a bug of any sort. I have to push back against the expectation that I put on myself that I can fight viruses like other healthy adults... but that's not how it works when you have an autoimmune disease - err, 2 in my case (RA and Hashimotos) - and are on immune suppressant drugs.
I was feeling better on Saturday morning so I took the boys to the park while Phil went grocery shopping. We had the park to ourselves for most of the time we were there!
In the afternoon, Phil took Paul to a coworker's daughter's first birthday party. I was feeling better but figured I would keep my germs to myself as I wasn't sure if the party was indoors or outdoors. Paul had a blast as they had a ball pit and a bouncy house. Will stayed home with me.
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| Real talk: this is what our basement looked like for most of the weekend. I did make both kids help me clean up on Monday night, though, as the chaos was really bothering me! |
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| Aspiring GAP model |
The highlight for me was seeing 3 baby tigers that were born earlier this year! The mama tiger walked right in front of us and then sat down and one her babies came over for a little bath. We spent a lot of time at this exhibit watching the mom and babies.
Even though it was around 80 degrees outside, I made 3-bean turkey chili for dinner. We eat chili and soups year-round but I feel especially pulled to make them when we turn the calendar to September!
What a lovely weekend! It's nice to see Paul trying some water activities!
ReplyDeleteWe drove to Iowa for my husband's family's reunion, but my husband got sick on Saturday afternoon, so we ended up calling it early and coming back home. It was a bummer, but I'm glad I got to see some folks on Saturday morning!
Oh, I so agree with not "pushing through" viruses - I think for anyone it slows down the healing process, but especially for people with autoimmune issues! But I really believe our bodies are yin and yang, and sometimes we need the yin. Sometimes our bodies force us to have the yin! Sickness is our bodies' way of telling us we need to slow down and take care of ourselves in my opinion. All of which is to say, yay for naps.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a lovely weekend and thank goodness no one else succumbed to the stomach bug. Ughhhhhh is there anything worse when kids are small?
I remember my MIL asking once when my kids were the same age as yours why I didn't just "stay home and chill" on the weekend, and I thought, "No way, getting out is much easier."
ReplyDeleteNow I like to get my kids out because if we are home for too long, I have to play Device Policeman, and I really don't enjoy that. I figure, if we get out and do a reasonable amount of stuff on the weekend, then I can just let them go Goblin Mode on the Switch or Mr. Beast when we are home and actually get a break myself.
I do admit to being a bit jealous of your basement. The crazy lives in our living room most of the time, and there are days when I wish I could just close the door on it and pretend like it didn't exist.
We had a great long weekend. It was the last big "push" of the summer. It was back to school today which the kids were fine about, but came home with lots of complaints about their classes/new teachers. Sigh. Oh well. I know that it can take some settling in and the weather is just SO beautiful right now, so after supper and some angst, they wanted to be outside with their friends so I'm thinking they'll be much happier come bedtime :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great time for everyone - aside from the various bugs circulating. Glad everyone managed to rally to make some great long-weekend memories.
sorry to hear you didn't feel well, glad it was over rather quickly. i also learned to take care of myself while not feeling well, actually it helps to heel faster if we rest mentally as well.
ReplyDeleteyou still managed to do a lot over the long weekend, looks like the boys had fun.
getting sick is not fun but sometimes i remind myself that it's my body telling me to take a rest, and build stronger for what's coming.
I would say you did really well, if you were hit with a bad cold on Thursday and then were well enough to do all those things on the weekend! It all sounds really fun. i love your pictures from the zoo- it's reminding me how much my son Paul LOVED sharks when he was 4. I'm glad you were able to enjoy some perfect weather!
ReplyDeleteI am so curious what exactly the cassette tape player is. Could you share a picture of the whole player or what company made it back then? I think my boys would have a blast with this (as well as I)!
ReplyDeleteThat does seem like a full and busy weekend, but I totally know what you mean that it's actually better that way! Those all look like really fun activities, and the weather was GREAT!! :)
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed that you already have Paul's Halloween costume! We haven't even begun to think about that yet. But you are correct that he will enjoy having access to it- just be careful he doesn't manage to rip it or stain it before the big day. haha! Not sure if you normally do this or not, but a FAVORITE activity of my boys around Halloween has always been to go browse the Halloween Express store. Obviously you don't need to purchase a costume, but they always have lots of decorations up and just tons of fun props, fake gravestones, costumes, etc. We still go every year and can spend up to an hour just browsing! They also always loved to browse the holiday aisles at Home Depot or Menards- the big blow up Halloween decorations are always a hit. It's a great free activity! :)
I just need to say that Paul's little smile always makes me so happy. He's such a cutie!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys were able to have a great weekend, even with feeling under the weather. You have to take advantage of the nice weather right now, so I think it makes complete sense that your weekends are busy!
Oh my gosh he is the CUTEST in that costume!!!! 🥰
ReplyDeleteLori
I rarely comment but did want to say hi (given San's recent post on community) and let you know that I am here regularly but, well, rarely comment. I love reading about your family and your boys. And, I love how honest you are about your health challenges and your own challenges in responding to them. Thank you for being real in this space - it's, oddly, a breath of fresh air in the overly-sanitized world online.
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