The day was gorgeous, Katie was cute as a button, and I had my real camera, so we’ll start with a few pics of her.
Some of the coaches!
The best place to try and get pics (since I can’t be on the field) is beyond the first base in the outfield. Telephoto to the rescue! I love in the first pic you can seem him looking at Tom!
Pitching!
Getting a pep talk from Coach Dad!
Warming up for the next inning. I finally just went and stood in the dugout to get a few closeup pics.
This is what Katie does for most of the game!
Batter up! (He got walked.)
We won! Now we are off to the first round of championships!!
Tom and I did something tonight we’ve never done before—a Paint and Sip! I’ve been wanting to do this ever since we moved here and I found the studio…and the stars finally aligned and we weren’t busy, had sitters (thanks to Anna for the sleepover), the design was perfect, and Tom agreed!!
It was so. much. stinking. fun!! I had no idea what to expect but the owner and his wife were totally wonderful and meeting some totally awesome new friends helped for sure. (Jennifer and Brigette brought margaritas and chocolates to share—how could I not immediately love them? I mean, I don’t hug just anyone within five minutes of meeting!!) We’re actually already making plans to go again with them (and snagging some other friends to join us, too)!
I’m am so glad we went outside our normal date night box… It was hard letting go and being creative (I like rules!) but the friends and alcohol helped with that—and I even liked my painting so much I had it framed on the spot!!
I wasn’t having good luck with the black on the trees.
So help stepped in. 😄
The original painting on top and the current work-in-progress on the bottom.
Tom took some time off (the days he previously asked for for the family vacation that I screwed up) and we decided to go to the zoo!
The Lego dinosaur exhibit! (For an extra $3pp of course!)
This was life size! It was like 5′ long!
Also life size!
If you look closely in the foreground you’ll see a bloody stump of a leg.
Cool Lego ferns in stone.
It was really hard to get me and the dino in the same lighting to see us both, so here are two versions.
Katie could fit inside one dino footprint.
Dino family!
Katie always wants to get her face painted so we finally agreed.
So then we offered it to Owen but he opted for a tattoo!
So while the kids were getting this done, we decided to grab a snack—so Tom walked to get himself a beer and some loaded fries for us to share. Well, then we came upon more food, so the kids had to make a decision because they were sharing it.
And then we walked some more and HOLY SHIT BEER ON TAP?! Then Tom had to make a decision. 😂
He opted for the Coconut Porter and got me an adult root beer float.
And it was right next door to Ooz, and now the kids wanted food, so… Katie got mac and cheese, Owen got BBQ pork mac and cheese, and we all shared some cheese curds.
Wording gets me.
Full of cheese…
And then we walked past a caricature booth and I decided we had to do it. Tom and I had one done probably 20 years ago and I’ve been wanting to do one with the kids but it’s expensive (like $15 per head). But we decided since we were splurging, why not?
So Tom and I sat down and we obviously couldn’t see what she was doing but she was drawing away. So 15 minutes later when it was time to switch to the kids and we saw what she was drawing…we both looked at each other like (pardon the language but it’s fully deserved) WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?! (I’ve photoshopped it a bit to make sure you can see her drawings.)
On what planet is that a caricature?! Was she serious? Were we on candid camera? Were we being punked? That thing was hideous. So Tom and I were talking quietly about what we were going to do and I said I was definitely NOT paying for it, but of course it would be awkward to say something. We let her go a few more minutes but then I just told her to stop because that was NOT a caricature and it was NOT what we wanted and we would NOT be paying for it. She was kind of surprised and tried to tell us that it would look different after she put color on it. Sorry, no. We figure maybe she was a face painter (the booth did both) but we were just aghast that she thought what she was doing was fine.
This was the sample hanging up. A real caricature.
So that was a huge waste of time and a big disappointment because I had really wanted one. There were other booths that we had passed but didn’t want to go back and find one. And I am still debating emailing them to let them know about her pathetic attempt.
The zebras cracked me up. They had a huge enclosure but they were waiting at the door—so we guessed that’s how they got fed. I thought they looked like Maggie or the cats waiting for us to feed them. We probably watched them for five minutes and they just stood there waiting.
There’s always money in the banana stand! (Confused?)
And then we let the kids play in the farm area playground and then we were on our way home. We did see animals but they didn’t do anything exciting so no pictures. 😄
He doesn’t really need one, though, so we took our time getting it. It’s really just something else I have told hold on to (because he’ll lose it). 😂 The worker was impressed that he signed his name in cursive!
We were on the way home and stopped to snag some more lilacs. These are in our neighborhood between the highway (well, county road I guess) and a private street.
It’s a bad picture because it was starting to rain and it was really windy (see my hair) and we were stopped on the side of the road.
So Tom took the day off today so we could go to lunch with Katie. This meant we got to spend the whole day together…so that means we started at Marshall’s and planned to go out for lunch… We decided to head to Kenosha to hit up Frank’s Diner, which we’d seen on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.
Our experience started with a literal bang when I went to slide open the train car door and it was much easier than I anticipated so I literally slammed it open. Everyone looked up at me and one of the waitresses made some smart ass hilarious comment and I opened my arms wide and said something to the effect of “I’m here! The party can start now!” She came back with something about knowing how to party and tequila and right away we knew these were our people. 🙂
So we ordered drinks (I got a bloody Mary and Tom got an Irish coffee) and shortly after they deliver them she came back with two shots of tequila for us. Okay, we’re in. So Tom and I cheered each other and drank them and then the waitress came back in a few minutes and chastised us for not waiting to drink with them. Apparently they all drink shots when they have first-time guests. So…she gave us each another shot so we could all drink together…and we did. 🙂 (By the way, the bloody Mary was really very delicious.)
So we were sitting at the counter directly across from the cooktop so we watched everything. I saw the cook pulling bacon out of a…greenish liquid…so of course I asked. Jalapeño juice. So…jalapeño bacon. 🌶🥓 Let that sink in. She said they used to buy it but making their own was better. So as I’m thinking about that, she hands us this:
OUR VERY OWN SAMPLE! I made some comment about it being in the shape of a heart and she laughed and said it was totally accidental. So we tried it and OMFG IT WAS AMAZING. I said it would be awesome in the bloody Mary…so when we ordered another—SURPRISE!!—they gave us more bacon. 🥓🥓😳🤤 (Don’t expect it if you go, though. They said it was a lot of work to offer it. But if you ask, tell them Jennifer Hudson sent you. 🙌🏻)
This was our view while we ate. We were actually there when they closed after lunch which is why there’s nothing on the stove.
The whole time we were there they all just had the most amazing fun happy attitudes amongst themselves and the customers. You could tell that most of the people in there were regulars. We would be regulars too if we lived closer.
I didn’t get too close to this (so it’s a bad picture). Of course now I want to go back and watch the episode again.
And a photo taken on the way out (since it was pouring on our way in).
I’m amazed the kids have time to eat anything with all the talking and messing around they do. 😂 (That said, I’m not sure how much was a show for us and how much was regular behavior.)
Tom and I don’t eat—we had plans to go to Kenosha for lunch since he had taken the whole day off!!
My husband knows that lilac season is one of my favorite times of the year, so look what was waiting for me when I got home last night… 💕
I’m honestly not sure where my intense love of lilacs came from—we had a large bush in our front yard growing up, my grandparents had them at their house, and they seemed to grow on every block—and I liked them well enough but didn’t obsessively LOVE them like I do now.
Fast forward many years and I had smelled every lilac-scented thing I could ever find:
lotions
soaps
room sprays
candles
incense
air fresheners
sachets
Some were passable (and those came home with me) but nothing EVER matched the scent of real lilacs, which was limited to a few short weeks between May and July depending on the Michigan weather. I guess maybe I started loving them when I realized how scarce they were—that seems like how my mind would work! I even tried to plan to have my wedding during the Lilac Festival on Mackinac Island but you just never knew when they were actually going to be in bloom so that didn’t happen.
Now, our entire neighborhood seems to be filled with them…except our yard. So if you can’t find me over the next few weeks, just look for huge lilac bushes and I shouldn’t be too far away.
We were trying two different types of lobster in the sous vide—fresh and fresh frozen. You had to parboil them all first so you could get the meat out of the shells.
It was a lot of work but I think it was better to have it done ahead of time instead of at the table.
It was unanimous that the fresh lobster was better, though we ate every last piece of both…plus the steak and green beans.
Which, speaking of the green beans, we had a helper:
So we originally were going to have the lobster for dinner Saturday night, so I just threw the bag in the garage fridge and didn’t think about it. Fast forward to a change of plans and we weren’t going to eat them Saturday night but we still needed to get in that fridge. Imagine Tom’s surprise when he opened the door and the lobsters were trying to escape! They had made it out of the (untied) bag and were in the door compartment!
The five of us (not six because Katie won’t eat it) side a pretty good job of almost finishing the entire cowboy ribeye… But Tom can’t let the bone go without a little cleaning. 😉
When the sun is shining so bright you can’t see if you got a good pic or not…and we lucked out with both. 🙂 I was trying to get the painted Kenosha sign in the background so blurred one and left one regular.
And, of course, a margarita—or close approximation since they offered me their house punch which they said was like a margarita.
After a few rained out games, today was the first game of the season! Owen is one of the better kids on the team (it’s about half and half of kids with experience and kids with none). Owen was tagged to be a pitcher and catcher—and of course he’s still awesome on first base! Check out these amazing catches during practice!
Tom loves being there to help coach every practice and every game!
Owen was the very first one up to bat! Talk about a nervous mama. 🙂 But I shouldn’t have worried—he got a base hit on the second pitch!
And then—SURPRISE!—he was pitching! He didn’t do too badly!
More first-base coaching from dad!
And then—SURPRISE!—he was a catcher! Again, didn’t do too badly! (My knees hurt just watching!)
I honestly don’t remember if we won or lost—there’s no scoreboard and they do know at the end of the game but I’m writing this two weeks later. I think they lost since the other team was quite good… But the kids all had a lot of fun!
She was going to get to walk in to the Friday assembly with all the ROAR winners…so we all went to see her! Tom surprised her as he had told her he couldn’t make it.
Tom texted me this morning to tell me that an old Marine buddy of his—Seth Moulton—is running for president! You might remember we ran into him a few years ago at a birthday ball… Just…wow!
You’d never guess how anxious I was two hours before this happy family photo.
You see I hate traffic, I hate congestion, I hate hoardes of people, and I don’t do well with the unknown…yet we were on our way to downtown Chicago with the kids to meet an out-of-town friend for dinner. I wasn’t even driving, but just simply being a passenger is enough to raise my anxiety levels (I can literally feel the anxiety rising up in my chest). Now, it’s not debilitating by any means and I can always power through, but it’s why I tend to be a homebody. The good part is that Tom’s presence makes me feel better and the kids get to see me handle something not fun…and everything usually ends up just fine.
We had delicious 🍕 pizza at Genos East Pizza, delicious 🍨dessert at Shake Shack, we drooled over everything at Dylan’s Candy Bar, and then went a little 🛁 bath bomb crazy at Lush Cosmetics (I’m not sure if I should thank or curse my friend Sara who introduced me to them). And I survived to tell the tale. 🥰
The kids loved it and we had a good time so I guess my anxiety was worth it…but I was glad to get back to our little burg.
Our family selfie!
And since we did have someone to take our photo…
I love me a rainbow…
I am so glad I remembered that Lush was on Michigan Avenue, and as luck would have it it was directly on our way back to the car!!
Owen has had a loose tooth for awhile now and he came home from school today saying it was time for project Nerf gun tooth removal. Inspired by his second cousin Luke he decided it was time to try it. It took a few tries (our string was way too long) but we had success!!
Owen doesn’t really fit on his ATV anymore and he’s wanted a Segway for awhile, so when we were able to grab one for free to try out and review, we jumped at it! He practiced in the basement and actually got pretty good, so today was his first real world experience. I’m amazed at how good he is!!
I even did a Facebook live of it…
And of course Katie wanted to try but she’s too light so Tom helped a bit.
I even got on (holding Tom for dear life) for about 10 seconds and that was enough to know I didn’t need to do it again. 😂
I joke that Tom said it was time for me to “get a job” and I didn’t want to do that so I did this to placate him. And while that was the truth at the beginning…things gradually changed. Now I have something that is 100% mine…and it allows me to be here for my kids, which, as they get older is actually more important to me. I want to be the house that everyone gathers at because it’s fun or comfortable or safe–and I don’t feel I can do that if I’m on someone else’s clock. So I made my OWN clock and it’s wonderful. Yes, sometimes working from home is a pain in the butt, but it’s still HOME… exactly where I want and need to be.
👨👩👧👦 So…why do I do what I do? I do it for these guys. This family that I love so much. This family that bears with me when I want to take a family portrait on a walk and it’s too damn sunny but they do it anyway. The family that supports each other no matter what. My goal last year was to earn enough for a Disney Cruise…and I did…so plans are now in motion. 🚢🙌
⏰ If you are ready to give up someone else’s clock or create your own, message me about how I can help. What would you do with an extra $300/month?
(We have a one-day event coming up Tuesday where you can learn all the details, ask any question, and hear stories or connect with people who you can relate to. PM me to join! You won’t regret it!)
Tom texted me in the morning to say they were holding him another day… So I went to visit after the kids for on the bus…and while I was there they decided he was being discharged! After waiting since 7am to get the MRI results, the doc said it’s a torn nerve (and of course the doc came in during the five minutes I ran too check on another appointment). They said he doesn’t need IV drugs so they’re sending him home since there’s not much else they can do at the hospital. It is what it is. The meds will help with inflammation and pain and he gets an appointment with a pain clinic for a steroid shot. But that’s it. If it rips more it’s serious—like they told him if his lower extremities get numb to come in immediately. 😳🥺
Of course, it took about two hours to get discharged and then an unplanned 45 minutes to get the meds at the pharmacy, so I had to scurry to find friends to get the kids off the bus. But all ended well and he’s home now.
I threw my back out last week and Tom threw his out yesterday (reaching for something he dropped). He managed to hold out overnight until the kids went to school before going to the ER…
The typical drug routine didn’t work this time so long story short about five hours in (when his pain level was still at a 10) they ended up admitting him so they could do an MRI (the ER couldn’t administer it on their own for whatever reason).
I had to go home to eat lunch, pack his overnight bag, get the kids off the bus, and then we all went back for a picnic dinner and some cuddles.
He seemed a little better, but then he wasn’t moving. He said his pain was about a 3 laying there but any time he tried to move or stand it was a 10. He has an MRI scheduled for the morning so hopefully we will know more then.
Um guys…did you know today is my day?! It really needs to be in the summer, though, right? Anyhoo, I’m looking forward to having a few sips tonight—I can’t have much more since I’m being super strict on Naturally Slim, but I can’t NOT have one today!
ROW 1: Lemon margarita!? Yes. I NEED a slushie machine.
ROW 2: YES! YES! Two bottles.
ROW 3: Always. NyQuil margarita? I believe.
ROW 4: Combine them! Nothing. There is on Facebook!
Y’all—I don’t mess around.
He’s not a margarita fan so I have to drink enough for the both of us. #FirstWorldProblems
