It was nice to have a MOPS Monday. Kim gave a talk on emergencies with kids that maybe would have been nice with a mimosa. We all sorta left on edge. I had a river rats meeting after where I discussed a list of suggestions I had for improvement. I am so impressed with how attentive the director, manager and coach were! Good things are already happening! Getting ready for a fun swim season ahead! Ellie had her first round of FSA's today. The school does such a great job of supporting the students! We also had dance pictures all week. I set up a little hair and make up station in the parking lot every day. Great practice for the recital. There was a huge thunderstorm on Tuesday so we had to move the work out play date to my house. It was pretty chaotic but glad I got it in. We had lunch to celebrate Meghan's Birthday- that was a nice break! I went to my parent's for lunch one day (too chilly and wet for golf). I watched my Godson and had a play date on Thursday. Phil played in the Steeg tennis tournament at FYC with his pal, Vaughan. It was a long weekend of tennis. They didn't play very well; but it was fun to watch and visit with everyone! I had a little last minute girls night on the porch on Thursday night. Friday I took the Nixon twins and had a play date at the park. Then more tennis watching and swimming for the kids (it's still too cold!). Ellie and Marly had their annual check up. I'm so proud of how healthy they are. Maybe we can work on calcium intake and manners! Saturday we did a girls run then more tennis watching! That night was the big party. Lots of fun! This morning I watched a match then went to mass then back for lunch. We went to TCC for river rats sign ups. Sunday Funday after despite the rain! 

The week started off fabulous. I was so lucky to tag along with Phil to the Masters! One of his clients invited him and someone couldn't go. Phil asked if I could join. Bonus points for him! It took a lot of last minute scrambling to figure out child care, but it was totally worth it! We left after the MOPS leadership meeting and drove up to Augusta. We were greeted and welcomed into a home (people apparently rent out their houses for the week). So, Phil's client rented the whole cul-de-sac. We got settled then met in the game room of another house. We were wined and dined! There was a chef and even a poker dealer. I won a limited edition Masters hat by answering a question correctly (with some help, of course). The next morning we got up super early, had breakfast then took a shuttle to the Augusta National golf course. It was so beautiful. We raced to put our chairs down to save seats in a great spot- between the 16th and 17th hole, where we could watch them skip balls on the water. The weather was perfect. We got to walk around and see so much. It was so hilly, you don't notice that on TV. There are some tough shots! Geeze, golf is a hard sport! We got back late Tuesday. Wednesday morning I dashed around bringing dinners- one to the Cornells and meeting their first baby another to Erica to welcome her 4th baby! Abby's friend Abigail had a Birthday party on the playground (I love those!) Golf for Marly, dance for Ellie that evening. Early dinner at TCC. I tried so hard to eat better this week- but that leftover bag of jellybeans kept calling my name. I had to finally toss it. Thursday Voss and I ran the bridges. I forgot how long that run was. So pretty and so much to see, but Voss threw a tantrum because we ran out of time to go to the train park. Dance for Marly and golf for Ellie that afternoon. Our neighbor, Linda came to babysit last minute. Ellie had a piece of artwork chosen to be recognized in the Celebration of the Arts at the Times-Union center! We went downtown to see the show and a video of her artwork. Friday we rode bikes to school then the littles and I took the skyway to story time downtown (and got to see Ellie's artwork live). It was a successful play date. I've been reading my book club book and learning all about the history of Hollywood. Also, working on monogramming, sewing and Silouetting for party gifts (there's always a Birthday party!) We went to First Friday while the kids did the tennis party. I love that! Saturday morning I did cardio tennis. It was just Melanie and I and it kicked my butt! I took the kids to Argyle to meet up with one of Ellie's friends from school, Isabella. They invited us to swim at their neighborhood pool. It was a nice morning before the rain (and cold) came! Last night, Kasey invited us to the ExZOOberation. The rain was a bummer but we still had a great time! Too late, though! This morning was rough. We slept in and went to 10:30 mass. The kids were off today- maybe over tired? We went to E-street with the Freemans for lunch and a little hair of the dog. Phil took Marly and the littles to a Birthday party at Mellow. I took Ellie to see A Wrinkle in Time. I told her we could read the book then go see the movie. We did this for Wonder but it's already out of theaters. I had high hopes for a mother-daughter movie experience. Honestly she seemed a little ungrateful and entitled. So, we need to work on that. The movie was a bit strange, but good for a 3rd grader. The love theme is perfect for us, too. Home just in time for shower and family rosary. Cheers to early bedtime!

It took a few days to stop feeling like I was swaying on a ship- we had a slow time getting back into a routine. Luckily, I had lots of fun things to look forward to! Monday was MOPS with Dr. Linda Miles. She always has such wonderful words of wisdom! I'll do the blog recap soon. I had book club that night at April's to discuss Finding Me. Not the best book to read on a spring break cruise, but the discussion was pretty good. Tuesday, Voss and I had a play date with Huck and Jude then story time in the garden. It was Phil and my 14th wedding anniversary! I got a facial and Phil got a massage with a dinner together of zalads (I'm trying to recover). Perfect timing for Dr. Miles right before our anniversary! My MOPS therapy sessions have saved me these last 8 years! I went running then to Tracy's. It was so nice to catch up! No religion class so we did kids night at TCC. Thursday was coffee club to discuss racism and health. I heard this podcast on the way to Miami last week and inspired the topic. We had a pretty good turn out for a last minute meeting. It was good. That afternoon my mom watched the 3 youngest kids, while I picked up Ellie and 3 of her friends and took them to the mall to get her ears pierced to kick off the Birthday festivities! We got milkshakes then headed to the TCC pool. It was kina neat being with the older kids. We came home and had frozen pizza then ice cream cake. We did nails. Phil took the younger kids to family movie night at school. Bedtime was a little hairy with the younger kids. Of course they wanted to stay up with the sleepover. The big girls watched a gymnastics movie with popcorn and candy. They tried to stay up. I was wiped out by midnight. Hopefully they fell asleep soon after. On Good Friday we played outside and rode bikes until the girls got picked up. We got my mom and went to the FFC Stations of the Cross in Marywood. They always do such a good job making it so kid-friendly! The sky opened up that afternoon- perfect for Good Friday! Mom took Ellie shopping. I snoozed a bit while trying to read. That evening we played in the wine and 9 with the Hollands. Vanessa's first time playing golf. It was really fun- drizzly but it finally cleared up. We went to my parent's house to visit a bit- Matt is here for the weekend. Saturday morning was breakfast with the bunny at TCC. They dyed eggs, did crafts, had a petting zoo and also golf ball and egg hunts. It was awesome! After we headed to the Freemans for Sophia's 6th Birthday party. It was nice to catch up with the Steinhatchee crowd! Later was an after party at the Nixons to watch their Michigan game. This morning started early with singing to the Birthday girl and seeing what the Easter bunny brought. Egg hunt in the yard, new rafts and lots of candy! We were a bit late to mass but still got to sit up front. Our CEO, Voss was awful in mass. He was pretty cute when he yelled out during the consecration, "I want to eat Jesus, too!" We came home and made eggs benedict then headed over to my parent's house. Fr. James did a magic show. The kids went swimming and did an egg hunt. The girls went swimming at the Vereens, too. So we got some peace on the dock. Matt and Ellie celebrated their Birthdays. It was a beautiful and special day! I can't believe I have a 9 year old! It hasn't hit me yet, I think! And I haven't spent a Birthday with my brother in a really long time. We got smoothies and milkshakes for dinner, rode bikes then did a family rosary. Watching the sunset- what an Easter treat!
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We started in Miami with a spring Birthday party for Marly, Ellie, Michelle, Tati and Vane. We got to hang out with Phil's Uncle Edgar. It was a fun afternoon visiting with everyone. After a yummy pancake breakfast we headed to Ft. Lauderdale to board the Independence of the Seas, our first family cruise! It was fantastic! We had two adjoining rooms. We spent lots of time at the splash park pool. The kids loved the Adventure Ocean youth program. Phil and I got to take a break, listening to live music all over the ship. The first day was at sea. I read my book club book. Fancy dinners, I'm scared to weigh myself! The entertainment was amazing- an ice show, musicals and concerts! The Herhsorins were there, too so we got to hang out with them a bunch, too. In Haiti we went to the beach and explored the cove. In Jamaica we used Patrice Bailey to tour Dunns River falls and a private beach. The kids loved the falls, even though it was pretty tough climbing while holding hands with a 3 and 5 year old. All in all a cruise was definitely an awesome family vacation! We drove back yesterday and did dinner at TCC with friends. This morning we went to mass then back to TCC for breakfast with the Freemans. It's Palm Sunday! Holy week is here! We went to my parents for tubing and burgers to celebrate Alex's Birthday. Abby and I went to her friend, Kayla's Birthday. Salmon burgers for dinner and a family rosary. It was a wonderful spring break!

Pantry moths have taken over our pantry. It's so gross. Bug Out has been over a few times this week to help. I took everything out of the pantry and went through all the food. I think the nest was in a bag of pecans. Bug Out thinks they came from a store. I think they came from the garage door always being left open. I've learned it takes weeks to get rid of the cycle of these nasty things. So, we're on week 2 or 3. Having all of our pantry items on the dining room table has been fun for the kids. I have no hiding spots so it's just a grazing fest! I'm hoping it'll be better by the time we get back to our house. I've already noticed a difference in the last few days. I soaped all the cabinets then sprayed with vinegar. Fingers crossed! It was chilly this week. It was a MOPS Monday. Here's my recap. We had a play date with Jude and a nice visit to the book fair. I just finished reading Ellie's new Wrinkle in Time. Once she finishes we can go see the movie. We started packing for spring break. We're all so excited! We had a nice lunch at Stephanie's to celebrate Jess's 40th Birthday. It was nice to connect with the Steinhatchee crowd again. I went on a field trip with Abigail to the Diamond D Ranch. It was a sweet time with her  complete with lunch at Firehouse (her favorite)! Voss got to spend some time with his pal, Huck. We went to a dinner at FYC to celebrate Heather's 40th Birthday. It was very nice. Spring break started on Friday for everyone. I got a blood test then we did the MOPS Easter egg hunt at the park. We sang my mom a Happy 65th Birthday! After at Target, I was peer pressured to play tennis at TCC. A little crazy with the kids making slime while I played, but worth it. That night we did the Married People Night out and had a date at Barrique then talked about how technology can mess up communication. We had a pretty good crowd! Saturday was busy. The girls and I went to the FL Eucharistic Congress for a bit. The program was running slow so we had to leave mass. But it was a neat event. I'd like to participate more next year. The guys picked us up and we saw the Disney on Ice princess show. We all loved it! We came home in time for our neighbor's 1st Birthday party. So cute watching a baby eat cake for the first time! Then, Phil and I met friends at TCC and took a party bus to the Massey's St. Patrick's day party. Lots of fun! This morning we leaded up and we're headed out to start our official spring break! Yay!

Now I'll post pics from Marly's park party last Sunday. A park party is perfect. The weather was awesome- a bit chilly yet sunny. There were a few other parties happening at the park, too- which was perfect since I forgot a lighter! The Winn Dixie unicorn cake turned out way better than I expected. It was also way larger than I planned. Marly had a sweet group of friends with some parents. Nutella and banana sandwiches, fruit, chips and sangria for the parents. Definitely a Sunday Funday! Monday was no flag raising so unfortunately we were late. We had mini MOPS then CFA. Abby, Voss and I did an afternoon run and bike ride. I met my friend, Jacy for a girls night out at Rue San Marc which was awesome! I also got to catch up with my brother, Erik. Tuesday I went to visit my old neighbor, Gara. They just bought a gorgeous house in Mandarin, so we brought them some dinner. Voss and Julianna had a great time playing while we sipped rose and caught up. Just what I needed! Dance and park that afternoon. We learned there's a bald eagles nest at the park! Marly turned 7 officially on Wednesday. We started the morning with Dunkin Donuts. After school drop off and a run (even with this pollen killing me!) it was just enough time to pick up lunch and bring it to Marly at school. Phil met us, too. It was a busy night with dance, golf and religion. We had a quick Moe's dinner somewhere in there, too. Thursday I went with Marly on her class field trip to see a Dr. Suess play at the JCA. It was neat to get to spend time with her, I even rode the bus. But man, I was worn out! My parents got to have a morning with Voss. More dance and golf that afternoon. I tried to get in a little run/walk working on this new tempo run. I stayed up late that night making cake pops out of the leftover cake for Marly's class snack. It's not easy peasy but it wasn't as bad as I was thinking. Friday I got up early to run then took the kids to the zoo for the dinosaur exhibit. Then we went to Jack's Birthday party. That night Phil and I went to dinner at Ruth's Chris with some of Phil's new bank friends. It was really nice. I almost fell asleep on the way home, though. A busy Birthday week! It was nice to have the weekend off. Gorgeous weather- lots of playing outside. We added a patio to our backyard and even roasted marshmellows tonight with the Hershorins! We rode bikes to the Weisses for a farms play date on Saturday. Early bedtime then thai takeout for Phil and I. Mass and breakfast then just a Sunday Funday. I cleared out the top of Paul's grapefruit tree. I've been enjoying salty dogs all week. Yay for the spring! (Aside from all this pollen- blah!)
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I'm not the best at this. But this week, I tried. I shared last week my latest health kick to get in gear after meeting with a personal trainer. I'm still truckin along and have even got a few folks to get in on my daily strength work outs. I brought my pal, Rachael to book club Monday night to discuss Black Flags. Heather did an awesome job with the middle eastern cuisine. I got to wear some Turkmen clothes. Matt sent me this great article to catch up on what's been going on since the book was published. It was a thoughtful conversation. MOPS was a craft but I still had fun chatting. Tuesday my pal, Anne took Voss to play with his pal, Jude so I could go for another round of laser. Getting ready for spring break! Woop! Wednesday Voss and I ran errands prepping for Marly's unicorn extravaganza. We didn't have much luck but I did find lots of cute Easter items. That night the girls I went to a parish mission. I'm not sure it was worth it for the girls, but I enjoyed listening to Jon Leonetti speak. I wish Catholics had a better reputation. Thursday, Meghan watched Voss so I could go get a pap smear, tetanus shot and hang out with my new primary care doc. Horrible wait time, but good once I got in there. We did a MOPS photo fundraiser. Can't wait to see those pics! Friday we ran/rode bikes to school. Then, the littles and I headed to the beach for a play date. It was a bit chilly but still a gorgeous day to be out there! There's just something about the peace of being on the beach. My mom took Marly shopping as a pre-Bday treat. Then, all the kids went to the first Friday tennis party while I headed to the bar for a kid-free TGIF wine! We had dinner with friends to celebrate Alan's Birthday. The next morning I did cardio tennis, then we had a family breakfast and day of shopping. We checked out the new Costco, got stuff for Marly's party and ordered her cake. We spent the afternoon playing in a huge dirt pile in my neighbor's yard. Voss was in heaven. The kids have been riding bikes before and after school every day. I'm enjoying my peace alone inside. Although, I feel a little nervous having them all out there riding up and down the street. That night we went to an oyster roast at TCC. This is my happy place. A chilly night, raw and steamed oysters- my favorite!, live music, the most gorgeous moon rise. My parents and brother joined us, too. Good convos around the firepit. It was excellent. As usual, we stayed out way later than we should have and drank too much. So the night didn't end well. Lillians should always be a no-no. I got up and took the kids to mass. We even got to sit in the front row. Marly was so excited to stand up for her Birthday! Fr. Luke was sweet to make a big deal out of her turning SEVEN! We had a great breakfast at TCC then got ready for the party in the park. I'll post pics for that next week so we can have it be all about Marly's Bday. We had a Tijuana Flats dinner then family rosary. We needed another early night to make up for a fun weekend!

Tuesday I had coffee at Anne's again before story time. We hung out this whole week. It was nice! I met with a personal trainer at TCC. It was neat. She took a good look at my My Fitness pal app and suggested that I eat more protein. I should be aiming for 144g and right now I usually have maybe 50g/day. So, I've got some work to do. Also to be drinking 90 oz of water a day! She suggested a 1,2,3 tempo run to work on my speed and adding strength training to my work out. I started the same thing I did last spring and I'm still sore from the end of the week! Whew! Wednesday was coffee club at Jessica's to discuss safe injection sites. We reluctantly agreed that it's worth a try. We had a good, diverse conversation, though. I liked it. It was Spirit Night at Tijuana Flats that night. Thursday, Anne and I took the boys to the zoo to ride the train. I tried to go walking with the little kids during golf. That didn't work out too well. Later that night was the MOPS & POPS Valentine's Day dinner. We had an after party at the Spencer's. Anne's husband was cracking us up with the creation of FOPS (Father's of Preschoolers). Friday was a little slow. Abby and Voss had their annual check-ups. Both are healthy and doing great- in the 50th percentile for height and weight. I wouldn't say they were well behaved in their appointment, though. We did a work out at the park after. That afternoon I prepped for another CEE weekend. The girls rode bikes to my parent's house and stayed for the weekend. I think they had a great time but were wiped out tonight. My parents were wonderful! Phil played a few holes of golf and picked up McD's on the way home. After another movie night and family rosary, they were all asleep by 7pm! I did a quick grocery run to load up on some protein! The CEE weekend was nice. It's always a hustle to get out there, but once we're there, it's so nice. It was a gorgeous weekend. I even got to try out that tempo run during the break. We only had 8 couples on the weekend and I'm not sure one will get married. I loved reminiscing young love and remembering the sacrament of matrimony. It's always so nice!

After a week of sickness and running around, our marriage needed a pick me up. Que MOPS speaker on marriage, Dr. Roxanne Louh. She was amazing! Lots of great thoughts! I scheduled a "wine on the porch" date with Phil that night. Perfect. Abby had a Valentine's tea play date with her pal, Poppy. The weather was chilly and misty the first half of the week, then gorgeous the second half. It feels like April! We wrapped up the high five campaign at the girl's school- me selling hands in the carpool line. Tuesday was Fat Tuesday. I had coffee at Anne's then story time. I had Huck, my Godson for the morning. We had the MOPS pancake dinner for Shrove Tuesday. It was so nice to just work me shift and not be in charge of everything! Phil got me 2 dozen roses that night! Wow! For Valentine's Day we went to the nursing home to deliver Valentine's that we had made. It was the coolest thing ever. It was also Ash Wednesday and I couldn't think of a better thing to do to start out Lent and Valentine's Day. We really did make people smile. Krispy Kreme after was pretty great, too. We went to mass and the fish fry that night. Thursday, Anne came over. It was so nice to have a good ole low key play date. I feel like I used to do that all the time and have really gotten away from it. Also, I feel like I could talk to Anne for days. Friday, we ran/rode bikes to school. I raced home then drove out to the beach for "gymnastics class". We made a quick appearance at the Greek festival before both kids passed out on the way home. Good thing because I got a call from school to pick up Ellie. She had a bad fall in PE and has a nasty scrape on her thigh. It already looks much better. Not before Ellie also wiped out on her scooter this weekend. Poor girl! Marly rode her bike home alone with me following her in the van. She loved it! We took advantage of the married people night out for a bit- and played 3 holes of golf. Then, went to have dinner at my parents. Preben and Chili, Danish cousins and my brother, Matt all came in town. We had an intense conversation about gun control all weekend after another school shooting. I am thinking no one needs any kind of gun ever- that's how far left I'm going. Matt has lots of friends with ARs and seems to think that's why countries don't mess with us. So, we had lots of conversations about it this weekend. He spent the night with us on Friday. The Kuders came over and we did a PH and sat on the porch enjoying the awesome weather. Phil made us breakfast after a quest for bacon the next morning. We all went to play tennis then lunch at CFA. Mom and Dad picked us all up for a boat ride. Phil and I went to his tennis friend's wedding shower oyster roast at FYC. So nice! Matt came out with us after and we met up with the Hershorins. We did a few rooftop bar hops then ended at Mellow Mushroom. In mass on Sunday Fr. Luke talked about the importance of quiet. That was perfect because that's what I'm doing for Lent- taking time each day to just sit in silence. It's actually harder than I thought it was going to be! We did TCC bfast then a bike ride to Mimi and Papa's. The kids and I went to the Suter's for a play date- decorating pots and planting flowers. Great additions to the fairy garden! Matt came over to fish with the kids for a bit. We went to Trents for dinner- then another late night porch chat. This morning we took it easy for President's Day. Matt and Phil went golfing. The kids and I went to the Weatherly's farm to help with chores. Later frosty's and swimming at Mimi and Papa's. Voss is potty trained all of a sudden! A few accidents, but I'd say this week was a success! Family movie night with homemade pizza and the movie Sing. Great ending to a long weekend!

Lots of running- physically and mentally! It's always a juggling game around here! Monday was a bit of a surprise as I realized the half marathon I'd been training for was THIS weekend, not next like I had it marked in my calendar. I did a long run on Monday night and then tapered (I'm so good at that part). We had a MOPS leadership meeting then CFA for lunch and play. I just finished this awesome Podcast then finished this show on Netflix called Dear White People. It's blown my mind as far as race in the US is concerned. Tuesday was the usual story time, Wednesday was Friendship chapel at Abby's school. I snuck out for a girls night that night to see the movie Molly's Game. The flu has struck the town! One day there were only 7 students in Abby's class! Phil's been home sick most of the week with a #mancold. Thursday we went to WEE trade then CFA again. Friday was pick a park Friday to make Valentine's. I picked up my race packet for the Donna. That night we went to the Massey's for Grace's 11th Birthday. The older two stayed for a sleepover. Phil played in a tennis tournament Saturday morning which nearly did him in, I picked up the girls and we all watched him play. While he re-couped, I took the kids to an awesome Mardi Gras party at the Boring-Wagner's then Jessica's Bday party at Engine 15. I cancelled our sitter bc Phil will was still not well and went stag to a couples night out at Town Hall. Don't worry, I came home early to get some rest before the race this morning. Aubree rode with me out to the beach. It was HOT and I was slow- but it still feels good to be finished and inspired by such an amazing race! Rough afternoon with the boat selling it to the Suter's. It was redeemed with quality Valentine making time then dinner at La Nap with the Suter's. All is quiet now!