The Mister was gone all this week–he gets back late Friday night–and I survived! I’m glad school is over in a few weeks. I’ll have the summer to get used to this new schedule. One thing I’ve realized the last three weeks of flying mostly solo is that having some freezer meals/crockpot meals ready is key. It’s too tempting when it’s just me and the boys to eat light or get take out. That’s fine when he was traveling a few times a quarter, but several times per month is a different story. Any tips?
Monday
On Monday I spent hours working on my book review post and it felt so good to finally get it done! I didn’t add the pictures I researched because sourcing them took more time than I was willing to commit. You can see them here in a pinterest board I created. I like to create pinterest boards for books that inspire me to fall down a rabbit hole of information. It works better for some books than others. Yes, I’m doing one for The Shoemaker’s Wife. You can see that one here. I’m just getting started and have barely touched locations, so don’t be expecting to find pictures of a strapping blonde Italian…yet.
Tuesday
Jacaranda season is in force around here. When it’s overcast around here, which is admittedly not often in May, even the air has a purpley hue. Everything is so pretty, which might surprise some people. A few months ago I mentioned on twitter that the Inland Empire is really pretty in the early spring because of all the flowers, plants, whatever. So this person replies something along the lines of, “Yeah, I bet that’s the only time you could ever say that.”
Guess what? Not the only time I got to say it. Here I am, end of May, and it’s still pretty. Sure, I get hit on the head constantly by falling jacaranda petals while I’m walking and it turns out bees love the petals all over the ground so there are days when I am quietly and calmly walking through bees, but it’s a pretty dangerous!
Wednesday
Nicholas is allergic to penicillin. GUESS HOW I FOUND OUT! I was in the emergency room with the boys–remember, husband out of town–at around 7am and as they are checking out Nico, Mikey says, “So, am I going to be late for school? Because I really don’t want to be late for school.”
After I was sure Nico was, you know, going to survive, I texted 4 parents from the school who were close to the hospital. They all responded almost immediately, but it was Jen, Emma’s mom, who got there within minutes to take His Royal Highness to school. Of course I’m happy Nico was fine, but I was also happy to know I am part of such a wonderful community of parents.
Thursday
Mikey had his end of season baseball party, and the coach called him The Little Professor. This made me laugh because the teachers at school call him Professor (they also call him little old man) and so do a few of his friends. And, of course, he will always be my Professor Wentworth.
Friday
The Mister comes home for a few days (yay!) and I get to take Jen out for her birthday lunch. Then we’re going shopping at a local Catholic store. If we have any time left after that, we’ll probably hit some strip bars and place some bets at the track.
The Weekend
I’m finishing up The Shoemaker’s Wife and, if all goes as planned, conducting a thorough research of the back of my eyelids.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I think my poor parents found out I was allergic to penicillin in a similar way when I was that age. Poor thing (both you and Nico). I hope you have a lovely weekend full of well-deserved rest!
Thanks! It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure. :)
Sean is allergic to walnuts.
Want to know how HE found out?
He would tell his parents that they made him feel sick but his father didn’t believe him and made him eat a few, in front of him, for confirmation.
What a peach.
Haha! Sounds like something immigrant parents would do. (i.e., MINE.) Is his father Chinese, too?
He isn’t….
Sorry to hear about Nico! I had so much penicillin as a kid (ear infections like, every day) that it doesn’t actually work on me anymore – I always have to ask for an alternative!
Have fun with the strip club and the track…sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon! ;-)
Thanks! I’m hoping to make back everything I spend at the strip club! ;)
Regarding freezer meals: I may not do marathon prep days as suggested in the freezer cookbook you and I both love, but I do consistently buy extra chicken breasts when they’re on sale and freeze them in bags with marinade so that they’re ready to take out, thaw, and grill or roast. It has kept us from eating takeout more times than I care to count.
That’s what I’m talking about!
We’re from Corona and I MISS those Jacaranda flowers… not the clean-up, but their beauty with the fern leaves and the clumps of lavender flowers… just beautiful! I don’t miss driving the 15 freeway past the dairy farms – stinky-poo!
Happy weekend!
Oh, wow! We haven’t had those dairy farms since the late 90s! They were taken down/moved to make room for houses and businesses. If you haven’t been to Corona since before then, you wouldn’t recognize it today!
I love that reference to the inside of your eyelids=nap! When my friend and I can’t find an article of clothing we always check the round drawer…the dryer drum!
Hey! I’ll have to remember that one. :)
Your purple driveway is so pretty! Sorry about the emergency room visit, those are the worst.Jana @ 333 Days of Hand Lettering
It’s not my driveway, but I do live in a similar house. :)
I realized yesterday that spring is winding down, and it made me feel just a little sad. I love all the petals everywhere. We don’t have many jacarandas. But I wish we did.
I love them. Of course, I don’t have one in my yard, so I don’t have to deal with all those petals!
Yup, my allergy to penicillin was found out in much the same way – and there was some school missed because of it! :) Sounds like you have a great weekend planned – starting with a trip to the Catholic store! You girls party hard in CA. :)
You know it! Like it’s 1999.
You had an action packed week for sure. Enjoy your weekend!
I just can’t wait for him to get home.
My husband does have some travel monthly to every 6 weeks. We do breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes or waffles), sandwiches or inexpensive pizza. Other fast-ish meals are pasta with jarred sauce or rice and steamed veg with bottled stirfry/General Tso’s sauce. I have been known to do cereal also. If he is gone for more then 2 nights there will be drive through something because the temporary single parenting thing gets hard, especially since I don’t sleep as much or well when he is gone. Perhaps figure out a couple meals your husband doesn’t care for as much as you and the boys and use the time he is away to enjoy them.
I need to see how often he is going to be traveling. This past month we have eaten out (fast food) too much. That, or cereal or dinners that aren’t really dinners. If it’s only every now and then, fine. But I’d feel guilty if they eat more fast food than not on a regular basis.
Jules, I have the freezer meal book you like from the library and am wondering what recipes you found good. The whole thing is almost too overwhelming for me to imagine. ..cooking in bulk, and who has that much freezer space for loads of pans of food? I only have a 3 person family and my husband tends to cook pasta and vegetables for himself, mostly spurning meat, though not a formal vegetarian. I would like to know how to freeze something and avoid ice burn. I need to review the book again for that.One easy meal my daughter and I like is quesadillas. Pioneer woman had a great (very rich) one with bacon, cheese and avocado, and I added tomato to mine. There are a lot of variations on that theme, once you starting thinking about it. . adding chicken, salsa, beans, or whatever the theme is. I’m in a rut . . .good luck. And I LOVED Out of Africa. Wonder if I saw it today if I would still love it. . .
You should check out Jessica’s blog. (Life as Mom). She has all sorts of tips. Since I’m going to be making the meals for me and the boys, I’m going to take the 9×13 recipes and put them in 8×8 pans. I’ll buy the little disposable trays from the store. I *do* have that much room in my freezer because my husband needed a full-size freezer for his previous job. Before that, I was able to fit 5 or so dinners in ziploc bags on top of the other stuff in there.
Love the photo. Make me homesick. I’m pretty sure a jacaranda would shrivel up and die here in Ohio. Blurg.