Unexpected weekend at home: School carnival, park bench reading, garage storage, and more (j/k-- that's it)

 

We planed to go to Pekin this past weekend with Ben since he had to be on his campus for commencement. But then! He was unable to leave on Friday to come home (he owes me a fancy bday dinner, BTW) because things escalated quickly, so we decided to stay in town. LUCKY FOR MINNIE because that meant she could go to the fundraising carnival at her school. (Which we neglected to tell her about since we were going to be out of town. She came home on Friday and was like um all the kids in my class are going to a water park together. I said really, and she goes, yeah I wish I was invited. It's called Splash. And, because I am not a monster, I told her that Splash is her school carnival and everyone is invited and she could go, too! SHE HAD THE BEST TIME EVER

Luckily! She and Cooper (big bro of the freaking YEAR for taking one for the team and coming along) both got whistles.

In other news, I used the Ember mug that Ben's parents got me for my birthday, and it is the most magical invention. If you do not have one already, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? You tell it your desired coffee temp, and every single sip of your beverage is the perfect temperature. You see the steam coming off my cup? EVERY SINGLE SIP was steaming. Magic.

A brand new street by our house finally got sidewalks, so I can work on finding my perfect 20-minute jogging loop. Seriously, I want a 20 minute route that I can loop around as many times as I want to do whatever run I am looking to do (usually 30-40 minutes, but sometimes more), and this street is KEY.

Also! I am in love with this new blue Lulu color. Ben bought me a bunch of workout gear from Lulu for my birthday, and I hated it all because he just bought what Dorothy wears in my size, and the thought of running outside in teeny weeny shorts and bras was hilarious to me. But! I exchanged it for the gear I wanted, and now I love it! Also, bless his heart. (I am loving Swiftly tanks, Shake Ot Out shorts (my Lulu was out of Wunder Train running shorts, but I am definitely going to try those one when they're back in stock-- I almost went with Fast and Free shorts, but they are SO UGLY with the little reflectors and the awkward pocket I would look like a dumbass if I happened to wear them to the grocery store or to watch Minnie's tennis lesson) and Flow Y brays).

My brother got me a Made In baking dish, and it made THE BEST fudgy brownies (every piece was like a corner!) and was pretty enough to also serve them. LOVED IT. Can't wait to make more stuff!

I do about 99% of my reading on park benches these days, and I am not complaining.

PARK SZN!

Also bike season-- I hope you, too, are hearing the wicked witch theme in your head

(Only Minnie and Cooper have bikes on the bike rack-- Minnie because that's what she does right now and Cooper because he might need to BIKE TO WORK at the pool if he doesn't have a shift with either of his bros)

I solved my first problem for 48, you guys! I realized I was tired of tripping over everyone's shoes when I open the door from the laundry room to enter the garage. We have shelves on either side of the door-- a set for me and Ben and a set for the kids-- and the idea is that people will put their shoes on a shelf. But instead! They kick them off as they're walking inside, creating a treacherous pile of shoes at the bottom of the steps, and I keep tripping and almost breaking my neck.

So. I asked Ben to BUILD A SHOE FENCE. Which he did with logs, garden fencing that absolutely does not keep out the bunnies, and a couple of pool noodles because the fence is sharp, and we didn't want to cause MORE accidents. I LOVE IT SO MUCH mainly because it is so very janky. **chef's kiss**

Also he finally put all the sleds in the attic, so if we get a May blizzard, it's all Ben's fault.