Snow Long, January

Well we began the week with record setting cold weather and 2 more days off of school for inclement weather. I appreciate not having to get dressed and leave the house. I am hoping January ends these days off because otherwise we might still be in school by the 4th of July.
There were dance parties, performances, lego building, baking, movie watching and crafting. Rob went into work on Monday but stayed home on Tuesday. Everyone went back to school today and the bus was on time. I did some listing this morning and then ventured out this afternoon. It was bright and sunny and I just needed to get out. Stopped into a couple thrift stores but didn't find anything. I stopped at Aldi to pick up some fruit. Ellie stayed after school to watch the boys basketball game. Nick and I sorted out his lego bin. We had dinner and watched the Middle. Mom and Dad didn't join us tonight because it is still cold out.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Blowin' Away

As I type this, I swear, paper is flying off the table in our house. It is so windy here. We got the call from school this afternoon that school is cancelled tomorrow for the extreme cold weather.
I am not liking the post tonight...I had most typed and it decided to jump to the top and erase it.
On Thursday morning I picked Mom and Dad up and we went to the Crate and Barrel outlet to pick up some more fabric for Mom. We had lunch before heading home. Rob had to work late on Thursday night.
Friday morning I headed over to Mom and Dad's to play with Teo. I brought with a set of Legos to set up and play with before I list them. I came home and did some more listing. Friday night we picked up Catherine and went for dinner at Panera. We headed over to the high school to see the dance troupe preform. Rob had to tape a wrestling meet but was able to get us some tickets. It was good.
Saturday Rob was back at school by 6 AM. The kids and I got motivated and got out of the house. We had lunch out and did a bit of shopping. We came home around the same time as Rob did. We divided and conquered in the evening. Rob and Nick had dinner together and then did some Lego building. Ellie and I went grocery shopping with Mom in preparation for the very cold temperatures.
Today we started the day with cinnamon rolls. Ellie took on her room - not sure who won yet. She got rid of a bag of garbage and really started to organize. We worked in Nick's room for a bit and got him organized. I did laundry and put a bunch away. Ellie and I ventured out to CVS. She is into the tween nail art thing and wanted to get some of these nail sticker things. We went to Mom  and Dad's for dinner, no Jo, Ole and the boys - they are sick. Mom made pasta, broccoli and cauliflower, salad, fruit, potato pancakes, and chicken. Mini chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We came home and the kids had a dance party while I packed up all my ebay packages. Rob is going to bring them into work since I am not sure we will have mail tomorrow. We got Ellie and Nick to bed early - Nick was on the verge of break down too many times today.
Hope everyone stays warm and safe. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

More Cold

It is going to be a cold couple days ahead. I spent all day inside besides walking to/from the bus stop. I was able to tackle my men's clothing pile and get about half of it listed. It was a far more reasonable goal since I only have about 5% men's versus 95% women's. I did realize how much more time clothing takes compared to other things. Many more pictures and staging of pictures and more details. Nick was the daily reader today at school and was so happy. He also passed his race the clock test and is now onto subtraction. Ellie had her 1st couple days of the 3rd quarter and seems to like some of her new classes. Mom and Dad came for dinner. I made a tray of macaroni and cheese and cleared the freezer door of all the veggie burgers. I made mummy dogs for the kids. Mom brought a salad with. We had a nice dinner and then we put together Nick's puzzle and played Bunco before watching the Middle.
Tuesday I had to drive the kids to school because the bus was extremely late. I volunteered in the morning. I had a handful of kids share their stories. I came home and did some listing and organizing. Ellie was invited to Catherine's to play after school - Nick and I hijacked the play date and stayed. We all had a great time - it has been way too long. We came home and I made dinner.
Monday we all had the day off from school/work. We did some thrifting and some shopping. No major finds - stores seem sort of empty. We had lunch at Mariano's. We went to Northbrook Court and Nick bought some track at the Lego store, Ellie loaded up on earrings at Claire's. We came home and had dinner.
Stay warm friends! Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

I Did It

So I went for a haircut on Thursday. This would be my first haircut in about 5 years. I  have been researching salons for a while and found a local one that specializes in curly hair. Bette cut about 24" off my head, it could have been 30" but she wasn't sure how much elasticity my curls were going to have. I was very happy with the cut and the curl education. I stopped at Mom's afterwards and got to visit with her and Mrs. B. I came home and got my hair listed on ebay. Hey, it is my hair, I can do what I want with it. Nick came off the bus and told me I looked weird. Ellie just kept telling me how much her friend was going to freak out. Rob was proud of me. We went out to Red Robin for dinner.
Friday I did some thrifting in the city. I fit Unique and found a couple mugs, a flat iron, and a stitch kit. Rob had to work late on Friday. It was snowing by the time the kids got off the bus. We went to Costco to replenish lunch supplies. We ran into Target because the kids still have gift cards burning holes in their wallets. We came home and had dinner.
Saturday morning Ellie and I ran to Kohl's. I realized that she has grown so much that she needs some new shirts. I originally thought we would go to Salvation but I thought we would check Kohl's clearance first. We found long sleeve shirts in the athletic section that Ellie really liked and they were less than $5.00 each. We walked around the mall and Ellie found a couple things at Claire's. We came home and Rob went to work. I made a batch of pumpkin muffins for the week. Ellie made some cookies. When Rob got home we left to go and visit Dean and Lauren. We picked up dinner on the way and the kids got to play for a couple hours. Luckily, the roads were a bunch cleaner on the way home.
Today we started the day at church. I did a bit of grocery shopping on the way home. Ellie made a batch of vegan cupcakes to take to Mom's house. I made a big pot of apple cherry sauce. Nick played with Legos all day. Ellie worked a bit on her school crest project. We went to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. We ordered El Famous and Mom had made tortilla soup. The kids got to have some playtime and we played scrabble. We came home and Ellie showered and we got ready for bed.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Hard to Believe January is Half Over

Time seems to be flying. I cannot believe January is half over. Monday I got the kids on the bus and got in the car for some shopping. I started at Goodwill and Savers but left without finding anything. I stopped in to the Palatine Wings and lucked out there. I bought a bunch of Christmas stuff for 75% off. I found one of the leap pad books I was missing. I hit all the Goodwills and Salvations on the way home. I ended up with some more Christmas stuff. I came home and did my research and got some of the items listed. The kids came home and did homework and I got dinner started.
Tuesday morning I went and volunteered at school. The kids have started their writing for their books. They were fighting for my attention. I came home and continued to list. My fun finds this week was a 1988 Jim Beam holiday decanter for a whopping 12 cents. There isn't another like it listed so I listed it for 75.00...we will see. The kids came home and did homework and when Rob got home we were still working on it. We ordered pizza for dinner.
Today I continued to list and I did some organizing and cleaning. It is the first time in weeks that the entire dining room table has been cleaned off. I waited around for our mail lady today but we had a sub. I had a package I mailed on Saturday that was never scanned in. It was going to Indianapolis. It was finally scanned in as 'en route - Mobile, AL' tonight. I have no idea how it got to Alabama on its way to Indy. I went through and looked at other tracking and found a package I mailed on Monday going to Florida is currently in Puerto Rico. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We had make your own tacos and fruit, cookie for dessert. We played Mall Madness and watched the Middle. Nick read his book to Mom and Dad. Once a month, he will get to read a book to his class...very exciting.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Sunday, Sunday

I will begin with Friday since I sort of re-capped Thursday when I last posted. Friday morning I got the kids on the bus...that was almost on time. I was still in the shopping mood and drove out to Glenview but even at 25% off, they are still priced too high to flip. I stopped by Wings and was pleasantly surprised when I found I needed a cart. I found a cart load of clothing on their $1 rack. I found 6 needlepoint/cross stitch kits for $1.99 each. I rescued 2 McDonald, limited edition, art cels from the clearance bin. I came home and instantly got those stitch kits listed...at $85.00 each. It started really raining Friday afternoon. Luckily the basement stayed dry. The kids came home from school and wanted to see Mom and Dad since they hadn't all week. We went there for dinner and to play. 

Saturday Rob did side obs during the day. I ran to Salvation for some tag of the week items. Ellie watched Nick while I ran out. I did some more listing during the day. The kids played with legos and were taking it easy. When Rob got home they got dressed and we went to Toys R Us so they could use their gift cards up. I never want to step foot into a Toys R Us again. The prices there make me insane. It took forever and a day for them to decide what they wanted to spend their money on. We went for dinner at Portillo's on the way home. 

We started this morning out at church. We were the parents for Ellie's Sunday school group. They made seed mosaics and seeds and glue were everywhere, including all over my sweater. We stopped at Big Lots on the way home. We needed to re-stock some lunch snacks. We did some cleaning up around the house. I did some adjusting to my listings. We went to Mom and Dad's for family Sunday. Mom made alfredo pasta with chicken and a vegan version, green beans, broccoli, salad, and fruit. Scones, brownies and chocolates for dessert. It was nice that it was almost still light out when we left. We came home and had family game night - it was our family new year resolution. We played Ellie's newest thrifted game, Mall Madness. Rob and I watched Downton. 

Looking forward to this first full week back at school, last week went by so quickly. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

I am Blaming the Inclement Weather

This week has my life all jumbled up and I honestly haven't known which day is which, thus forgetting last night was Wednesday and posting. We were in the "polar vortex" section of the US early in the week. The kids didn't have school on Monday or Tuesday but Rob had to go into work since he is a 12 month employee. I kid you not...the kids and I were in our pajamas from Saturday night through Tuesday.
On Monday they went down to the basement and printed out instruction sheets to Lego sets and built happily for quite some time. It allowed me time to list a few dozen things on my last free day. We needed to warm the house up in the very cold temperatures, so be baked. Ellie started complaining her ear was bugging her in the late afternoon. I called the doctor but they couldn't get us in on Monday but found an appointment first thing Tuesday morning. We had no mail on Monday but I had 2 bags of mail to go out. Rob nicely ran to the post office for me when he got home from work. Ellie requested soup for dinner. I had a batch of tortilla soup frozen and we made mummy veggie dogs to go with it.
Tuesday morning we braced for the cold and dressed in layers. Only the front doors of the car would open so Nick and Ellie had to climb into the backseat from the front. We were able to get the appointment at Lincolnwood so we didn't have to walk far from the car into the office. Ellie was seen right away. She had redness in one side and an infection in the other. The big push is to not treat with anti-biotics so we were told she could have ibuprofen and Tylenol. We went to Mom and Dad's for a bit after. Teo and Tony were there because they also had a inclement weather day. We came home and I was able to list a bit more. I finally planned ahead enough to try out this pottery bread bowl I thirfted a while back. You need to let the bread rise for 5 hours in the pot and I never plan ahead enough to have that happen. I made a huge pot of veggie soup with faux chicken and noodles. We had homemade bread and potato cakes, too. We worked to get the kids in bed early to be up for school.
Wednesday morning, still in the negative degrees outside, the bus was a no show. I drove the kids to school and got on the road. I hadn't been out alone in weeks. I went to Salvation, Goodwill, Savers, Meijer. I spent the day out and felt so accomplished. I talked with Mom and Dad and told them to not come over. It was still cold out and not worth getting sick. The kids facetime'd with them. We had a make your own nacho bar for dinner. Rob and I worked and got Christmas down and packed.
Today I started the car warming up just in case the bus was a now show - probably cursed myself because sure enough - I drove the kids to school. I did my Unique run this morning. So funny to see all the objects marking people's parking spots in the city. I picked Mom and Dad up and we went to Whole Foods and Costco. It was fun to get out 2 days in a row. We came out of Costco and it was snowing though. When Rob got home from work, Ellie and I ran to the library. She was thrilled because her card finally expired. She has been asking to replace her card for years because she signed it when she was 5 and didn't like that signature. We came home and had dinner. Rob and I got the kids trees down and packed and then the basement organized.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Cold, Wind, and Snow

I am not who pissed off Mother Nature but they should apologize. I am sitting in the back room typing this and I swear the curtains are moving occasionally from the wind outside. I am pretty sure it hasn't really stopped snowing in days. Now we are in the running to break the record for the coldest day in Chicago history. Ellie and Nick will be home tomorrow because East Prairie has canceled due to the inclement weather. It is supposed to be -30 to -50 in the morning. Although we were all ready to get back to life...I am happy they don't need to be out waiting for the bus that may/may not arrive tomorrow morning.
On Thursday we were going to meet my friend Laura and her girls to bowl but they called us and were sick. We made a quick Plan B. We all went to see Frozen. It was a cut movie and we were basically alone in the theater. We came home and the kids packed up for their overnight at Mom and Dad's house. It took about 30 minutes to drive to their house in the snow. Rob and I wanted to avoid the snow and cold so I brought dinner home and we cuddles up and watched some movie on Netflix.
Friday morning I did some ebay listing. I went and picked the kids up and we came home and relaxed. I can't really remember all we did he rest of Friday - I think we didn't do anything.
Saturday morning Robe went over to work a bit at his side job. The kids and I ventured out to Mom and Dad's house. We put together 2 puzzles. Dad and Nick played with trains and then did some work with the erector set. Ellie worked on her spa creations until the porch smelled like a peppermint stick. We came home and I saw a bunch of friends commenting about grocery shopping which triggered me to want to go shopping. Ellie and I braved the elements and went to Mariano's. It was like people were prepping for a disaster. The produce shelves were empty. The bakery baskets had a few packs of hot dog rolls. The meat section was bare. The worker in produce said their trucks couldn't deliver. We were able to get enough to last us a couple days.
Today Rob went out to shovel and try to find the paper. He successfully shoveled but we will have to wait until a thaw to find the paper. I didn't get out of my pajamas all day. Nick stayed in his pajamas, too. Ellie did the second round of shoveling and then showered and got dressed. We pulled all the LEGO bins upstairs and let the kids go nuts today. I put away some of Christmas. The tree is still up but I got down all the mantle stuff. I was able to get a couple listings up onto ebay. It has been a good selling weekend - I guess when it is cold - people turn to ebay. I made a batch of macaroni and cheese for dinner with mummy wrapped hot dogs. Ellie made a batch of brownies.
Hope everyone stays warm and safe.
Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

And the New Year Brings Snow

I have to say the kids are loving the snow. They were out a couple times playing in it and shoveling. I think it has snowed for about 30 hours now and more is still expected.
Monday the kids and I hoped in the car and drove out Northwest. We started at Community in West Dundee. I am proud of my wee ones for having 'the eye'. Ellie found most of my toy purchases. I found a bag of stitch kits. New in box Handy Manny set. The kids found a couple board games. We stopped at Target to look through clearance. We hit the new Goodwill in Hoffman Estates. I found a couple ties and some neat book/card sets for tarot and crystals. We went to the new Savers. Found a new in package cross stitch kit...one on ebay currently for $75.00. Scored some great toys - bag of duplo bricks, leap frog set...and I had 25% off because it was Monday. We went grocery shopping at Meijer. Ellie raided the Christmas candy clearance. We made pizzas for dinner and watched a video.
Tuesday we did some baking in the morning. We made a couple batches of cookies for New Years Eve. We were going to try to hit Costco but the lot was packed. We ran to Target instead and Nick found the Lego train set he wanted for Christmas. We did a quick run through at Whole Foods to use my coupon that was expiring. We came home and Ellie frosted cookies and Nick helped a bit. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Jo, Ole and the boys were back home from their trip and joined us, Katherine, too. Mom made a bunch of Polish food. The kids were so happy to be able to play together. We came home and had a count down to 10:00.
This morning I decided to start listing. I have free listings through the 6th and I wasn't planning on listing while the kids were home for break but the free listings not being used are killing me. I got some of my art stuff listed. Nick worked diligently on his train set - all day. Rob took them out to play for a bit and then took them to Mt. Trashmore but it was too cold and really crowded. I made cocoa and they showered when they got back to warm up. Ellie worked on her book report for school. Rob did some editing. Rob braved the elements to pick up dinner. I went to move his car across the street for plowing and it took a while to be able to get through the snow to turn around.
Hoping everyone is staying warm in the snow storm. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree