
This week has been CRAZY. I don’t know how people survive when they have chaotic and busy evenings week after week, year after year. This one week of having something going on every single night just about broke me. Well, this week plus all the busy weeks before it and the busy weeks ahead. I can’t handle it. It’s been a really fun week with a lot of fun activities. But I miss my quiet and boring life so much. Why did things get so insane this spring?! When did we become a family that only seems to be home to eat together once a week? I don’t understand. I’m so tired and stressed out and I know May is like this for everyone, but it’s just TOO MUCH.
On Monday night, Shepard had a soccer game. Greg and I missed his first one last week when we were flying home, so it was fun to watch them this time. At what age do kids start getting GOOD at sports? Just curious. 🙂 Watching them play definitely made me really appreciate Shepard’s coach! I’D be crying if we had the other team’s coach. We play the same team each time since this is just a small little fun league. Afterward Shepard grabbed this free desk from the neighbor and immediately had to set it up perfectly.

Tuesday was Greg’s 35th birthday. I got my hair cut in the morning, so I had to take some selfies. It doesn’t look much different, but it curled better than it’s been curling for awhile. I wish hair wasn’t so much work. I mean, I could just put it up every day, and I will once it gets hot. But I HATE how it looks in photos. Fat head, no hair.

We had a little pocket of time between Greg getting home from work and going out to dinner, so he opened his presents. I think he liked them! Chocolates, legos, a rice cooker, Guster tickets, honey.

Don’t forget the sunflower seeds!

More selfies.

The boys wanted Greg to ride in back with them on the way to the restaurant.

We had dinner at Sake House in Beaver Dam with Greg’s parents. He didn’t want to go back to Madison with all the crazy construction that started up a few weeks ago. The meal was good, though! He got a pile of fried oreos for a dessert. Overall, it probably wasn’t the most exciting of birthdays, but I think he enjoyed it. Hopefully.

On Wednesday after school I brought the boys to the dentist. Always an ordeal because our dentist office is SO disorganized. It drives me crazy every time we go. They’re all friendly and everything, but the appointments seem to take three times longer than they should because they never have the right things in the rooms, they’re always trying to multitask beyond what’s reasonable, and it’s just so dang chaotic. The boys even went with separate hygienists this time and their cleanings still took an hour and a half! Then they both cried all the way home because they were STARVING TO DEATH and they can’t handle eating a minute past 5:00, EVER, no matter how weird our evening schedule might be. I was hoping dinner would magically be ready when we walked in the door, but Greg was mowing the lawn because it was crazy long and when else would he have had the chance?! TOO BUSY.

After I was done literally tossing food at the boys, I had a few minutes to whip up the butterbeer Greg requested for his birthday dessert. I think it turned out pretty good!

The tiny amount of work I managed to do the first half of this week. I’m so behind. So, so, so behind.

I’ve had my eye on this book for a few weeks, but my facebook book groups started reading it and obsessing about it, so I decided to order it for myself. Seemed like the best week of all to jump into it. I’ve only read the intro so far, but I’m hoping it’ll help me. Though really, just May being over will probably help a lot. Two more weeks. I’m both excited and dreading it with all my heart.

It was raining on Thursday morning, so rather than trying to haphazardly fit in some work, I just read and took a nice nap in preparation for spending most of the rest of the day in Milwaukee. I left after lunch and stopped at stores in Johnson Creek, Hartland, and a few places in Milwaukee. I had a restaurant all picked out for dinner and then I noticed a new place called Cantina Milwaukee: Taco and Tequila Bar. So of course I had to go there instead! I guess I’m on a mission to try every taco restaurant I ever see in every city I ever visit! I was surprised to see the restaurant was relatively empty too, so I had plenty of time for a relaxed taco meal. I picked sweet plantain with jalapeno crema, Caribbean pork with mango avocado salsa, and a Gochuchang Asian fried chicken taco. The chicken taco was one of the spiciest things I have ever eaten. I was dying. And I live on spicy food.

I still had a little time to kill, so I found a bench near the river and just relaxed for awhile. I kept expecting a storm to blow in, but I got lucky!

My purpose for being in Milwaukee was to see the Happier Podcast live show with Gretchen Rubin and Liz Craft. Their podcast is one of the ones I’ve been listening to from the very beginning of my podcast obsession. I love it! It’s so positive and interesting and chock full of great tips for being happier. I was a little bummed I couldn’t find anyone to go with me, but the atmosphere of fans in the room was enough. I had so much fun!
The only downside to that trip – I couldn’t find my car afterward. I went to the exact spot I came out of a garage earlier, but the door was locked, so I had to find another entrance and it just messed me all up. I was seriously freaking out. But, I found it and made the long drive home.

I spent Friday morning working, FINALLY, and then I took a really long nap since I only got 4.5 hours of sleep the night before. I’m used to getting around 6 most days, which isn’t enough either, but 4.5 was pushing it! Then Greg took Shepard to soccer practice and I did some cleanup around the house. And then we all went to the school carnival. I had to check on my raffle baskets. They didn’t seem to have as many tickets as I was hoping. But hopefully whoever won them is very happy with all the goodies I put together! I think maybe one basket will be enough next year.

And finally today, the last in a long chain of busy, busy days. I went grocery shopping early and then to my goddaughter McKenna’s dance recital. I’ve never been to a recital before – it was so much fun! I loved all the colorful outfits! It made me really want to start going to all the local dance recitals filled with kids I actually know. It was a very lengthy event, though, and McKenna wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t get to see her afterward. Instead I had to go pick up some more cold groceries and head home.
Once at home I found out from Greg that I missed the police being here, asking about a string of car burglaries that have been going on in the area. So that was crazy. Then I tried to take a nap, but there was just too much going on. Right after I gave up, Shepard came running into the room crying and Greg took his hand away after a hug and saw he was covered in blood. So we rushed Shepard to the ER for a gash on his head and he ended up getting two staples. So now both of my kids have had staples in their heads. He was very brave, though, and got to pick out our dinner meal. He wanted Mod Pizza, but I seriously could not deal with leaving town again tonight, so we went with the local joint instead.
And now here we are. The week is done. FINALLY. Besides the boys – Caden especially – being pretty grouchy and difficult all week with the added pressure of needing to “be good” on Mother’s Day and Daddy’s birthday, it WAS a good week. I’m just really tired. And so behind on work and feeling very discouraged about ever being able to catch up with summer just two weeks away. And a garage sale two weeks after that with a MASSIVE load of work that will need to be done first. I just need to breathe.