I swear at the start of last week, we had nothing planned for this weekend, but we filled it right up and had a really great time! Joey and I saw a movie Friday afternoon then we had dinner with Hannah, Josh and the boys. Saturday, Joey took the kids to Lydia’s swim lesson so I could have some time to myself before he headed out the the Broncos game and I spent the rest of the day with the kids. And then Sunday, we ordered in breakfast, the kids and Joey went to Home Depot and I snuck out for a chilly walk around the lake.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know Joey and I used to LIVE at The Mayan. Seemed like we went every weekend to see a movie but then the Alamo opened up near us, then the pandemic hit, and, we hadn’t been since 2019. I had missed it and it happened to be the only theater showing Hamnet, so we made our return. I don’t think it’s changed a bit! As for Hamnet, I knew it was going to be a tearjerker, but I more than cried, I WEPT. At one point, I let out a sob. I have never had a movie-going experience as painful as that one. Now, that’s not to say the movie is perfect (or maybe even good), but it is quite impressive how emotionally affecting it is. Jessie Buckley is just so so good. I want everything good for her, especially a Best Actress Oscar 😉

Had to go home and act normal afterward because we had dinner with friends planned. No pictures but there was Blue Pan pizza, kids running around playing and making a “secret hideout,” chocolate chip cookies, a long-overdue Christmas present exchange and a really intense session of Beyblades that Mason dominated for a long time. We all had a lot of fun!

Saturday started with sourdough pancakes and then the kids wanted to paint the ceramic dinosaur and unicorn they’d gotten the night before. I didn’t get a pic of the final product, but they turned out so cute. Joey took them both to Lydia’s swim lesson, so I could work out in peace and then when they got back, they helped me unload the groceries and we all had lunch. This is about when Joey headed out, so we relaxed on the couch for a bit then headed to the Museum of Nature and Science. Mostly hung out in the Space Odyssey area, which was a lot of fun, then afterward, we found an empty sunny area with chairs and the kids had a snack and put on a show for me, so that was my favorite part of our visit 😋 Headed back home to make dinner and no matter how hard I try, the kids are just not chili eaters. Oh well, I liked it 😂 Joey got home just as I was getting them into bed, so he got to finish up bedtime for me and then we watched Train Dreams, which was so lonely, heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. I really liked it.

Our Lydi Bitty was so tired on Sunday morning, so we let her sleep in while the rest of us got up and placed our breakfast order. We hadn’t had Sunny’s in so long! They changed up their green chili and while I preferred the old version, this was good too. Afterward, Joey took the kids to Home Depot to pick out paint swatches for their room and I made salads for the week while they were out of the house. Then the three of us had lunch and did some crafts while Joey went on a run. We brought up our Valentine’s decorations too, so the kids and Joey put those up while I went for a walk. I need to stop asking a man who was out on a run and tolerates the cold better how to dress for my walk because I was freezing! I made sweet and sour pork for dinner and even though it looked and tasted delicious, Dempsey was near gagging over the smell of the vinegar I put in the sauce. He inherited my sense of smell, so I know all too well that it’s both a blessing and a curse. He did end up eating it, just far from the kitchen 😬

This weekend just felt like it had a really good rhythm to it. Time with Joey, time with friends, time to myself, time with the kids. It doesn’t always go this way, so I’m grateful when it does 🥰

Hello and Happy Monday! We had a very low-key weekend and, as a result, I’m feeling both stir-crazy and rested 😂 We watched movies, ate good food, took down the Christmas tree, played at home and finished up by watching the Golden Globes. How was everyone else’s weekend?

I’m still going hard on movies and had started a re-watch of Brooklyn on Thursday night that I finished during my lunch break on Friday. It’s just a perfect movie and a perfect adaptation of the book, okay? Once the kids were home that afternoon, we unpackaged 550 new color sticks for Dempsey’s 3D pen, ordered Indian food that my kids straight NOPED and watched Strange World. I kind of lost track of the plot three-quarters of the way through but the kids got a kick out of all the crazy creatures in it. After they went to bed, Joey and I watched Twinless, which I thought I knew the plot of and ended up very surprised. I thought Dylan O’Brien was very good in this!

Saturday started with whole wheat ricotta waffles and then we started taking the Christmas tree down before Lydia and I headed out to her swim lesson. She’s working on climbing out from the side on her own and it’s so cool to see! Afterward, she and I headed to the Childrens’ Museum to pick up Dempsey’s “Rock Guy.” I love my little artist so much! We spent the rest of the day playing at home — Lydia went upstairs and came down in that outfit to go play outside 😂 — and then the kids and I watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse before I cooked us all dinner. I know we’ve had this before but it was a no for Dempsey this time around. Lydia ate the pilaf at least! The kids went to bed early and Joey and I watched If I Had Legs I’d Kick You but unfortunately, this one just really did not work for me.

Sunday was a great day. We all had breakfast then the adults were productive — I made salads and Joey got new wall photos ordered — before both grandmas came over and the kids and I headed out with them to see Goodnight, Moon. Lauren, Landon and Shelly met us there, so we had ALL the grandmas there! The show was really cute and I loved how they brought the book to life. That set is such an iconic scene! This was Dempsey’s second time seeing it and he was singing one of the songs at dinnertime 🥹 Back at home, I went on a walk then made us all grilled cheese for dinner before the Golden Globes came on. Lydia stood in front of the TV and said Nikki Glaser was talking to her 😂 Joey set up a huge fort for the kids in the playroom so they’d let me watch the show in peace and if that’s not true love, I don’t know what is. Loved seeing Leo loosen up a bit, Timmy’s win, “Golden” being recognized as the absolute banger it is and Julia Roberts hyping up Sorry, Baby but I mostly just feel like I have a lot of movies I need to see before the Oscars roll around!

Wishing you all a good week!