Weekly Review 99

Well it was a good week off from work. I normally would say great, but our house was packed all week and it was so noisy! Although, I will say I am grateful my father-in-law (will be referred to as FIL) and his co-worker stayed with us all week to frame our basement. It’s going to look so good when it’s done. 

This week brought us noise, some alone time, and one step closer to having a finished basement! 

In the early hours of Monday morning, Mr. O came into our room. He climbed up and crawled in between us and we all slept comfortably for a few more hours. When we finally rolled out of bed, we went downstairs. Mr. O and I had breakfast and then played on the floor with his blocks while watching Wake Up Barstool on TV. It’s okay. I can never get into morning shows and I have to be in the mood for sports to listen to people talk about sports. 

Soon after we started playing, the house was empty for a few hours. Lea went to work, my FIL and his co-worker went to the store to gather supplies, and Mr. O and I used the empty house to our advantage. We started playing heroes and supervillains, which means we ran around the house chasing each other back and forth. One of us was the hero and the other was the villain. Guess who was who? 

When Lea came home a few hours later, she packed up Mr. O’s stuff and they left for her friend’s house. If you read last week’s review, I mentioned we went to her friend’s house after their daughter’s baptism and they had a big blow-up water slide. Well, Lea and Mr. O were invited back and he was so excited! I’m going to assume she thought I was working, which is why I wasn’t invited. It’s okay, though, I understand. I wouldn’t want to hang out with me either.

With my little family gone, and my FIL in the basement working, I filled up my mower with gas and cut the grass. About two hours later, I cleaned myself up and sat my tired butt on the couch. I turned on the PlayStation and started playing Madden again. It’s been a while…I SUCK! Lol I was getting beat so bad (by the computer) that I nuked the entire league I created. I was over it. 

In the early evening, Lea and Mr. O came home. The little man was exhausted! He sat down next to me on the couch and fell asleep on my stomach while Lea made dinner. The rest of the night was relaxing. We played and watched TV. Mr. O was able to spend some time with his “Boo” (that’s what the kids call my FIL).

On Tuesday morning, around 5:30 AM, Mr. O comes running into our room again. He woke me up while he tried to climb over me and I’m happy he did, because I forgot to set my alarm, Lol. I quickly got up and was ready to take him to daycare. When I dropped him off he didn’t want to go, but eventually got distracted by something and said bye. 

Then I went home to pick up Lea and we headed to my doctor’s appointment. This one isn’t for my nose, it was for something else (your favorite blogger is okay!). After my appointment, Lea and I spent the rest of the day in and out of different stores. First, we went to Dollar Tree. Lea needed a few things for her mom’s group that she is a part of, so we walked around there looking at all the things they have. 

When we left we realized it was noon and we needed to eat lunch, so we drove to Potbelly. Lea ordered, I think, a chicken baked ranch wrap, while I got my usual Italian sub. We each bought a cookie and shared them with each other too. Lea got the campfire s’mores, I think, and I got the brownie cookie. They were both good but I preferred the brownie. 

Once we finished eating we headed to Disc Replay. I was on the hunt for Mario Superstar Baseball. Side bar: did I tell you I recently bought a new GameCube? I don’t remember. Anyways, I was looking for Mario baseball for my new GameCube. They didn’t have it but it was nice to roam around the store for a little bit. We ended up buying two other GameCube games: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Cars (for Mr. O). 

Our next stop was at Home Goods. Lea likes walking around there and was still looking for gifts to take to her mom’s group. In the store we went our separate ways for a bit. The isles are small and Lea stands still too long looking at things. I wanted to walk around and quickly browse so that’s what I did. When I reached the other side of the store, I came across a painting of an eagle flying. It had beautiful snow covered mountains in the background, with a big blue sky. I didn’t get it, but I wanted it. Maybe another time. 

Our final stop was at Menards. This visit was for our basement. We went to look at pocket doors, showers, and sinks. You know, being a guy I feel like people just assume we like places like Menards, Lowe’s, or Home Depot. I don’t. I think they’re boring and have almost no use to me, Lol. I’m thankful the trip to Menards didn’t last that long. 

When we finally came home for the day, we checked in on our basement. They got so much work done while we were gone! It looked like a great start. In the evening, we ate leftovers, Lea gave Mr. O a bath, and I put him to bed. It was a long day.

Mr. O was in our room once again at 5:30 AM on Wednesday morning. It’s becoming routine at this point. When we went downstairs we hung out for a bit before my FIL started working in the basement. Then we gave Mr. O his new little nerd fun we bought him the day before at Dollar Tree. It’s safe to say he loves it, Lol. Guess who he shot the most?! 

A few hours later, when Mr. O went down for a nap, I had to get out of my house. I couldn’t stand being there another minute. It has been so loud all week and so full of people. My time off never felt like time off — until Wednesday afternoon. I hopped in my car and went to sit by the lake for an hour. It was the most peaceful and quiet hour I had all week, Lol. 

When I said goodbye to Cedar Lake, I went to Sip Coffee House in Cedar Lake. I’ve never been there before but I loved it. I’m definitely to start going there to write and relax. This is the vibe: 

Later on in the evening Lea had her mom’s group meeting, so I made a pizza for the rest of us at home. The rest of the night involved playing with Mr. O. Those couple of hours to myself was the perfect reset for me.

On Thursday I woke up to Mr. O sleeping between us. Was I surprised? No. I didn’t hear or feel home come in this time though. Since I couldn’t fall back asleep, I got up and was ready to take him to daycare again. This time, Lea came with too and Mr. O was a little confused, Lol. After we dropped him off, Lea and I went to Schilling’s to pick out a few things for our basement. Lea was able to catch up with a few of her co-workers too, so that was nice. 

We spent an hour or two there and then we left for a very early showing of Spiderman: Brand New Day. This might have been the earliest movie I’ve gone to! I think it started at 10:00 AM, lol. It was really good and we had a fun time together. When we came home we ate lunch and then Lea took a nap while I played PlayStation. My FIL finally finished his framing and they packed up and headed home for a few weeks until they are needed here again. 

Before I knew it, it was time to go pick up Mr. O from daycare. He typically doesn’t see me in the afternoons and he was so excited that I picked him up. When we came home we ate dinner and then I played BG3 with my friends to end the night. 

On Friday morning Mr. O and I hung out until it was time to leave. We went to my aunts house to pull her weeds out. 

It was fun! Mr. O loves digging so he was as much help as a 3-year-old can be. He was also excited because my aunt had a box of munchkins from Dunkin Donuts waiting for him. When we came home we bathed and then sat on the couch and ate popsicles before having lunch. That’s the toddler way. 

After we ate we went to my mom’s house. She needed us there to let this guy in who was fixing something, so Mr. O and I played with her dog and looked through my old toys. Mr. I found a bunch he wanted to keep. He really loves this old Power Rangers motorcycle he found (he’s been playing with it nonstop for days). I cleaned off all of the toys he wanted to keep and he played with them the rest of the time we were there. 

While he was playing with the motorcycle, he looked up at me and asked, “Dada, who gave you this?”. I said I’m not sure and that it might have been my brothers, “Your uncles”. If you don’t know or remember (I don’t talk about it too much here), my younger brother passed away 10 years ago come October, so Mr. O never had a chance to meet him, but he’s heard of him, obviously. Anyways, after I told him it was probably my brother’s toy he asked, “where is he at? What is he doing?”.  He’s never actually asked me about this before, so it was really sweet. I told him he lives with Jesus in heaven. Mr. O looked at me and said, “Ohhhhh. VROOM!” And continued playing with his motorcycle, lol. 

When we went home in the evening, Lea picked up Franks Backyard BBQ for dinner. I got their brisket burger for the first time and it was HUGE. It was good, but it was way bigger than I imagined. Rarely do I struggle to finish a cheeseburger. After dinner we played and cuddled on the couch before bedtime. 

When Saturday rolled around the reality that I only have two days of time off left hit me. It’s the worst feeling! I took it off my mind by playing with Mr. O. We built his wooden train track, which he destroyed within the hour. Then I packed him up and we left the house. I had a dentist appointment and he was going to my moms for the day. He was so excited. He got to spend the day with his Yiayia and his great- Yiayia (my grandma).

While he was having the time of his life, getting whatever he asked for, I was having my teeth cleaned. No cavities this time! I don’t mind the dentist, but I don’t like him poking around in my mouth. It bothers me. At least this time he wasn’t asking me questions when his fingers were in my mouth. I typically don’t even try to answer, Lol. 

When my teeth were finally clean, I went home to help Lea organize this giant mess in our kitchen. By the time I came home Lea had been at it for a couple of hours already. We got rid of a lot of stuff and moved other things to new totes with labels on them. The hours in the day went by and it was time to go pick up Mr. O. Of course, he had more things he wanted to bring home from my moms house. 

When we came home Lea had dinner ready. We ate, played and watched Psych before finally putting the little guy to bed. 

On Sunday I woke up to Mr. O standing next to my bed. “Dada get up. Sleep time is over come on the sun is up!” So I went downstairs with him and we played and ate breakfast. An hour or two later we went outside in the backyard. Mr. O dug in the dirt with his trucks and had a blast in the heat. It felt like 100 degrees outside. It was rough, but he was having a blast. After an hour passed we came inside and I gave him a bath. Then we ate popsicles and watched one of his Spiderman shows until Lea came home from the store. After we put the groceries away, she took Mr. O upstairs and put him down for a nap. 

Currently, he is sleeping while Lea and I are sitting on the couch. She’s watching her show and I am writing this. It was a good week off, and I’m thankful for the progress made on our basement. I loved spending all this free time with my family, even with the noise that comes with construction. 

A Moment I’m Still Thinking About

Mr. O asking about his uncle/my brother has stuck with me the last few days. I know they would be obsessed with each other and I wish they could have met. 

That is my week in review. Thank you for reading!

Peter

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