I don't even know how I have been so busy-- so busy that I haven't blogged in almost a week again. I am not reading very quickly either, and I don't even know why. As I typed that last sentence I panicked that I haven't submitted by grades for the semester yet, but then I just did it. Phew!
Tonight, I left the house almost by myself (Harry came with) to go grocery shopping, but horror of horrors, Costco was CLOSED, so I had to go to Super Target. And now, I think I will become totally addicted to the Cartwheel app because between that and my RED card, OMG. I mean, I can't get everything I need at Costco, and I have to supplement at Whole Foods or a local grocery store, but we have been saving tons of grocery dollars by shopping around and hitting up more than one store a week. I have a little under half of our grocery budget left (another insane thing we are trying-- a GROCERY BUDGET. I know-- so retro), and I got everything on my list tonight at Target. And! Applegate Farms lunch meat is SO CHEAP at the Super Target deli counter, and it came with a free half pound of cheese. The only thing I completely missed from Costco is that awesome $9 plastic tub of organic apple slices that don't turn brown in the kids' lunches. Also organic spinach by the half ton because I eat about 3 cups in my egg white scramble every morning. But Target's wine totally sucks, and I need to go to Whole Foods for the snowflakes' syrup because they require from-scratch pancakes about 3 morning a week. And there's a local store that carries a local brand of salsa I am addicted to and another cheese shop that has the best snacks. But my point is! TL; DR Super Target can be a really good deal.
What else? I organized a pedicure party this week at my fave trashy salon that serves wine because the POOL IS OPENING, and then I sneaked behind Ben;s bed to shut the window when the air came on today, and knocked over his bedside lamp and it fell on my toe and ripped all the skin off of it and I don't think I can go to a trashy nail place with gaping wounds. Bummer.
I have a terrible Veggie Straws addiction and cannot buy them at Costco ever again.
My parents got me a Fitbit for my birthday. and I LOVE IT. But I ordered a small because when given the choice between a small and a large (there is no medium), I assume I am a small. But it's really tight, and now I hate the one body part I have historically been fine with. THANKS A LOT, FITBIT.
On Tuesday, Ben was in charge of the kids for breakfast and I worked out, so I didn't see Jack's ensemble before I got to school to volunteer in his class. Look at his shoes. That kid kills me. On anther note, I ordered all the boys Adidas sandals today because their feet smell so terrible I almost puked when I was on the floor changing Dorothy's diaper, and all of their shoes have to stay in the garage.
On my birthday eve, I dressed these two in my favorite jammies leftover from Harry and Jack's babyhood.
Cooper is apparently part cat. (The other part is monkey)
Ben put flowers on the doorstep for me on my birthday when he left for work, leaving me home with the kids for 14 freaking hours. I found them when I ran outside in my PJs around 9:30 with a dirty diaper I wanted to stuff in the curbside garbage can before the truck came by. SO GLAM.
My birthday was so low key it didn't HAVE a key, even. I stayed home with the kids. I took an hour nap with the babies but then had to wake up and run to the grocery store to get vanilla because the day after my birthday was Harry's snack day, and he wanted oatmeal raisin cookies.
When the big kids got home from school, we loaded up and went to the library, ate a picnic by a cute little pond, and played at a park until bath time. Then after everyone was asleep and my
truly outstanding cookies were done Ben came home with adorable margarita glasses and pitcher and bowl and Patron and we had delicious margaritas.
Dorothy LOVES the library we just discovered last week. We've already been there 4 times.
Cooper is also a huge fan.
So's Harrison. He is so weird, by the way. HE DOESN'T LIKE the 4th Harry Potter book. He reluctantly started reading it again because I said we could go to Universal as soon as he finishes the series because I need to go there with someone who gets it, but then he stopped because the last book in his James Patterson series came in from his old lady library holds.
Dorothy loved the cupcakes at our picnic.
Harry thought the park would be too babyish for him and ransacked the car for a lacrosse ball. But when he could find one, he scampered to the top of this geodesic dome and spent the next hour and a half playing like an 8 year old.
Parks are her favorite. Also her favorite? Glitter Mary Janes that have lost all the glitter on the toe.
Not too cool for the park after all.
Cooper was FREAKED OUT even with a spot.
On Thursday, Dorothy packed her purse with crayons and Princess Elsa dolls and came to the office with me for a quick meeting. She was super annoyed that none of the pictures on the wall-- and I do mean none of them-- are of her. She kept asking why, and I had no good answer.
Then I had to run to school to deliver food for a pizza party that a first grader won in our school auction. I took a moment to laugh at Jack, who was almost the slowest eater in his class-- everyone else was at recess already.
Thursday afternoon was the pioneer museum in Jack's class. His teacher team teaches with harry;'s old first grade teacher, making this our
second pioneer museum.
Jack is demonstrating pioneer toys.
Harry and I totally broke his diorama and then we tried to nonchalantly reassemble it, but obviously we messed it up even more.
Such an authentic costume.
Thursday night was a helluva cluster. Jack had a make up soccer game. Harry had soccer and lacrosse practice, and Ben had a condo meeting. Plus I invited friends over to watch the Scandal finale. I took the babies to the park in the rain until soccer practice got cancelled. Dorothy took her purse because she takes it everywhere.
This was HILARIOUS. Cooper kept getting knocked down by the swing. And then at one point he ran in front of it to give Dorothy back her purse, and he got knocked down that way too. He took it well.
Friday, crazy hat day. I mean, I think that's why he was wearing the hat. I don;t totally know though given his pioneer getup.
Baby Henry came over, and we had a garage sale, which is why we are sitting in the garage in this pic. But poor baby Henry had a fever-- his first little cold-- and he was pretty grump. But still adorable.
Found this on my camera. Honestly didn't know I could be this ugly, so that's awesome.
SHE MADE HER DOLLIES LUNCH. So cute.
He is right to be wary. She is a monster.
Ben is still a bay charmer, and he can drop Tylenol down tiny little throats like nobdody's business.
Harry and Jack watched Paddington and slept in a tent in the basement last night. I made them some popcorn in the Whirlypop and brought down a bowl of Reese's PB cup minis and a plate of two different kinds of cookies and asked if they needed anything else, and they said yes please a fruit salad and the most unbelievable thing is that I made it.
Harry and Ben had a lacrosse tournament an hour away from 9-5 today, so I took these little clowns to the zoo.
They were being flamingos, obvi.
Oh, Jack.
Her pouty face is my favorite.
