Weekend Recap

My weekend did not get off to the best start. I had a pretty crappy day at work on Friday. This blog isn’t anonymous so let’s just say the situation at work was like a pot that was at a rolling boil - and then boiled over. It’s taking me awhile to shake it off but a strength training workout that afternoon helped a bit. 

Phil had a guys night that night which I was very happy about. You may have gathered from reading my blog that I have quite a few social gatherings - despite being an introvert. His friends are not planners and if you don’t plan, especially once you have children, you usually don’t see each other. But they finally got together last weekend and I am hoping it will be a recurring thing. I have a bit of an obsession with things being ‘equal’ - which I recognize is not possible. But I would feel better about being away for work travel and social gatherings if Phil had more plans! 

Saturday was my day to get up with the boys and they sleep until 6:45!!! That never happens!! I was so glad as I was up at 4:30 thinking about work. I read for a bit and fell back asleep and was sound asleep when Paul came in so I am glad it was a later waking than usual! 

We FaceTimed with my parents after breakfast and got to see my niece who was spending the weekend with them. And then I headed out for a run when Phil was up. Several of you recommended I wear Yak Trax and when Kyria, a fellow runner suggested them, I knew I should try them. We already owned a pair so I threw them on and headed out. I was worried they would impact my stride but they didn’t! I didn’t like running in them on pavement but there isn’t much pavement to be found these days. I felt so good that I ran around the lake which is a 4 mile loop!

This is what most of the paths look like thanks to snow and freezing rain. 

One upside to all the snow is that the creek has water again. Much of it is frozen but this area has enough of a current that it doesn’t freeze. I was thrilled to see a bunch of ducks! They were all taking a nap. They looked so cute with their heads tucked into their wings! 

We didn’t have time for the library that morning since I ran further than I thought I might. The boys had fun at gymnastics. Will is getting a little raider to shepherd through the stations!

After quiet time, Paul and I headed to my friend’s house for our annual favorite things party. We each bring something that costs around $10 for everyone. We used to do this in December but I suggested we move it to Jan/Feb when we have less going on. This is what I gave - slipper socks from Target. I love tucking a pair of these in my purse when we go to others homes in the winter. In the upper Midwest, you don’t wear shoes in people’s homes and my feet get cold, even with socks on! 

The party was so much fun! Some of them brought their kids, and the host was watching her nieces for the weekend so Paul had lots of playmates. It took a bit of time for him to warm up but he didn’t want to leave at the end of the night and said he had a blast! We were there from 4-7 which is pretty much the ideal time frame for a social gathering for me! I love getting home and being able to get some time with Phil and time to read before bed! 

Sunday was my day to sleep in. The boys slept until 6:45 again! I was planning to read in bed for a half hour or so, but Will was having a BAD morning - i.e. SCREAMING. So I headed down to help Phil. Of course he calmed down pretty quickly. Toddlers are so fun sometimes!!

He was off all morning so I tried a walk. It wasn’t great. This picture does not reflect the experience. He whined and cried on and off, even though I found multiple snowmen (his latest obsession) for him to admire. 

I did meal prep when we got back. This is what meal prep looks like in our house. I chopped everything I needed for our Sunday and Monday night meals - corn chowder on Sunday, veggie-packed ragu sauce with pasta for the boys and zoodles for me tonight, and I chopped veggies for the salads I will eat when I’m in the office this week. I take the ‘prep dish’ approach to meal planning/prep and do as much as I can ahead of time so the meals come togehh h er quickly. 

Post-nap, Paul sledded for a bit with Phil. Will and I watched as Will is not quite into sledding yet. Of course when we were at the sledding hill, he kept saying stroller over and over. But I had no confidence he’d actually be happy in the stroller after the unpleasant walk earlier that day. 

I made a corn chowder for dinner with some leftover ham from Christmas. The boys took an extra long bath. And then it was bedtime. Hurrah! I worked on my puzzle and watched part of the 49ers game with Phil. 

How was your weekend? Do you do much meal prep? I’ve always meal planned but once we had kids, I have tried to do as much ahead of time since meal time is so rushed!