Category: Kids

Two Weekend Catchup

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Last weekend (9/23) was Wookie’s birthday party (she turned a year old on 9/21). My brothers and R came over to celebrate, although R couldn’t stay long as she had a wake to attend. I made homemade sloppy joes and we drove my brothers back to B’s house around 4 pm so J could drive home from there since B wanted to attend the wake as well. They brought their dog over and she wasn’t too thrilled with Wookie. Anytime Wookie would get close their dog would growl at her. She seemed better once she was off-leash in the dining room, though, so it might have been leash aggression which I’ve read about. I do hope they end up becoming friends, or at the very least can tolerate each other, since I don’t like the idea of leaving Wookie with a stranger when Joe and I go on vacation. That’s why even though we’ve talked about going to Disneyland California next year I haven’t started planning anything yet.

Saturday (9/30) we met the kids for breakfast at Denny’s. They were a half hour late which was pretty irritating, but I gave them shit about it and plan to address it again before we see them again. Unfortunately their tardiness is becoming a habit which I really don’t like as I find it rude and insulting to make people wait for you and not even give them a heads up. Other than that it was a pleasant breakfast, and E brought us gifts he found at the secondhand store – whiskey stones for Joe and a copy of Aggravation for me. Hopefully I didn’t insult him by asking whether he wanted to keep it. I just didn’t want to take it knowing we have like three others at home since we always buy them when we see them too.

In the afternoon we took Wookie to the harvest festival near where I work. We went to the same festival several years back and were underwhelmed by it. Unfortunately, it really hasn’t improved much in all those years. The only good thing was the zucchini bread we purchased from the Girl Scouts’ bake sale. Now I want to make my own!

Pumpkins

Yesterday (10/1) we spent some time at the arboretum to check out the scarecrows. Unfortunately the trees haven’t really turned color yet but I got some pumpkin photos.

We walked around Yorktown mall afterwards since there’s some home stuff we’re in need of (specifically a new bedding set, silverware, and a bath mat although we didn’t find anything we liked) and I really want some new fall sweaters. I found a black one at Forever 21 and then noticed it was tearing at the sleeve so I left in disgust. We went to Savers earlier in the week during their 30% off sale, and I went again today since everything was 50% off, but none of the sweaters I tried on fit properly and I tried on at least 15 between both visits. I did end up with a black cardigan, however, as well as two more pairs of flannel pajama pants, a blue t-shirt, and a cute Tsum Tsum blanket I got for Wookie’s crate.

I’m in the mood to shop lately for some reason. When we had dinner at Red Robin a couple of weeks ago we went into Bath & Body Works to, as I told Joe, look around, but I ended up buying a leaf Wallflower plug and 5 wallflower refills because I’m addicted to the Marshmallow Fireside scent. A YouTuber who I watch recommended the candle version but the plug-in diffusers are a better buy since I only keep them plugged in over the weekend and the smell lingers for days afterward.

Sunday after the mall we stopped at a new fast food chicken place called PDQ for lunch. I got the Thai Peanut Bowl since it sounded really good, but it wasn’t that impressive. Turns out I really don’t like mango salsa. Joe had the California Chicken sandwich which was better, but the star of our meal was the zucchini fries with ranch. Mmmm…

Father’s Day Weekend

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This weekend was the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and Redbull TV was streaming selected acts live so we tuned in on Friday and Saturday night for a few hours. Unfortunately all my favorite acts played quite late and with the two hour time difference I couldn’t stay up until 3 am to watch them (assuming they would have even been featured on the stream). It was still pretty cool, though.

Sunday the kids came over to celebrate Father’s Day. They got Joe a nice thick cocktail glass that has drink recipes on it.

In addition, they gave him a $25 gift card to Red Robin and a $25 gift card to Starbucks. I was impressed at the thoughtfulness of their gifts.

I grilled some burgers, brats, and a hot dogs and we had corn on the cob and some cold salads and chips. I made brownies for dessert. I think I may have finally learned the secret to a great burger –

Use fresh patties (we got the Market Pantry ones)
Bring out of fridge about 10-15 minutes before attempting to grill
Sprinkle liberally with salt and fresh ground pepper
Grill on medium low heat – it will take longer but you’ll get an evenly cooked burger that isn’t dry

The kids thought the burgers were delicious so I’m pretty psyched. My biggest fear is serving an under-cooked burger so I often overcook them to compensate. They came out just right yesterday thought. Nice and juicy but still cooked. Leaving them out before grilling wasn’t intentional but when Joe went to turn on the grill he realized the propane tank was empty so he and E went to the grocery store to exchange it.

After dinner we played bags for awhile and then two games of Clue: Big Bang Theory edition. By the time the second game was over it was around 9 so the kids left and we went to bed, although I had a hell of a time falling asleep since we were up late the two preceding nights.

Weekend

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My off balance feeling came back with a vengeance recently so that sucks. The back of my neck is super sore and my head feels like it weighs twice as much as normal. Since I’m sick of going to the doctor and getting tests that come back normal I’m just waiting it out. At some point it will go away like my other transient ailments. 

Despite feeling like crap we still took Wookie to a pet wellness event at a local pet store on Saturday to get a bag of freebies.

Joe also shampood the living room carpet Saturday night since I’ve noticed the bottom of our socks getting dirtier quicker even though I clean the house more often and more thoroughly than ever. Having a dog just makes it get dirty faster. We used vinegar and got water to clean the carpet so it’s probably not as clean as a soap would have gotten it but I didn’t want to use the bottle we already had since there was no indication it’s pet safe. 

Sunday we were going to go to the Festival of the Fox but between me not feeling up to walking and how hot it was we opted to skip it. 
That afternoon I called Nicor about a possible gas leak. There was a strong mothball smell in the laundry room and kitchen and after some googling one person said it turned out to be gas. I only called to be safe and they sent someone out to check but everything is fine. This smell seems to materialize every year when we run the A/C so either it is somehow creating the smell or the neighbors are using mothballs. I suspect it’s the latter which sucks because I don’t know how to address it. I have to wonder if it’s the source of my headache and dizziness though. 

Sunday evening we treated E and his friend to dinner at Bakers Square since they were in the area. I haven’t eaten at one in a long time but it wasn’t all that. The reuben I had was pretty good as was the strawberry rhubarb pie but my stomach hated me the next day.  Plus the service was slow. 

3-Day Weekend Roundup

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Posting the weekend roundup today since I’m working Mon-Wed this week since Wookie’s spay surgery is on Thursday. It feels so weird only having three days off (I know, I know, cry me a river).

Friday (3/17) I took Wookie to the vet for pre-surgery bloodwork. Everything came back normal which is a relief. We ended up paying for a vet visit too since I had a couple of concerns including her increased itchiness, how she chokes on water sometimes or when she pulls on the leash, her vomiting bile overnight, and her having a possible ear infection. The vet spent a lot of time with me answering all my questions, and I learned that one of her ears was a little irritated so I’ve started putting in the medicine again. The vet also felt the itchiness could be diet related so we’re going to try a different food with beef or fish since she’s currently eating chicken. She also said it’s ok to free-feed Wookie to prevent the vomiting as long as we keep track of how much total she’s eating to ensure she doesn’t get overweight. In addition, the vet agreed that the new harness I bought is not good for Wookie – it’s too heavy and tugs at her neck which caused her to choke. It’s too bad since it’s actually really nice. She’s wearing it in this photo I took of her in the backseat of my car.

I also asked about clipping her nails and they said the groomer was available so they whisked her away to have that done. I have to admit, I’m not really happy with the results. She supposedly clipped and dremmeled them but they felt much rougher than the last time and the charge was $20 which is rather high for how quickly she did it. On the plus side I didn’t have to leave a tip since they included it on the overall bill which was $173 (yikes!), but that did include $80 bloodwork, $53 visit fee, $10+ toothpaste and toothbrush, and $12 to remove the hair from her ears.

I introduced Wookie to the new toothpaste and brush and she seemed to like them both much more than the vanilla mint toothpaste and finger brush I tried using before. I was actually able to get the brush, with paste, into her mouth and rub against her teeth a bit. I think with time it will be easier. She still has some baby teeth so I can’t give her any of the dental chews yet. I have 13 Greenies and one sample chew from the vet which I plan to use once the time is right.

I also made corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot like I do every St. Patrick’s day but I wasn’t really happy with the results. The corned beef didn’t fall apart like previous years so I took a picture of the kind we got so we don’t get the same type next year.

We also made a minty shake with peppermint schnapps but I wasn’t really impressed.

Saturday (3/18) morning we went to Target to take advantage of the sales on Easter candy so we can make baskets for the kids (and each other).

Wookie’s puppy training class was at 1 pm and she actually played with another dog this week! It was Stormy, the humper, which is funny to me. They only played for a couple of minutes but she was way more outgoing than she usually is so I’m happy to see her adjusting better.

Today (3/19) we ran a few errands, including dropping off the Amazon return (Wookie’s harness) at an Amazon locker in Caputo’s. Now we’re just waiting for E to arrive. He’s got some stuff going on with his ex so we invited him to come up and hang out. He’s been wanting to see Wookie again so it works out nicely. We plan on going to Half Price Books since they have a 50% off coupon even though Joe and I went earlier before we knew E was coming up. We’ll probably have some wings over at Bulldogs too since they are discounted on Sundays.

Christmas

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The past few days flew by. Trying this half bullet half regular journal thing since I really don’t have the time for a full blog entry.

Thursday 12/22
Noon-2:30 – Christmas party @ work where I got “drunk” for half a lemon drop martini. Wasn’t even good but damn am I lightweight. I got a decanter and glasses during the grab bag. Too bad the decanted is cracked. Ugh. At least I got a decent Christmas bonus check and didn’t have to perform like a monkey for it unlike last year. Our table was all girls. No one got dessert. Apparently last year’s Nothing Bundt Cakes cupcakes didn’t go over well. I think what happened was we didn’t know we could eat more than one because I know everyone loved them. Party ended pretty early (before 2:30) so I couldn’t even finish my second drink (a raspberry vodka lemonade)

4:40 pm – Dentist appointment with a new person who cleaned my teeth. She either didn’t do as thorough of a job or is just faster because I was done in a half hour and it’s usually longer with my regular girl. Not that I’m complaining.

Friday 12/23
Early morning – Walmart to buy gifts for the kids.

Saturday 12/24 (Christmas Eve)
Morning – Baked cherry pie bars for Joe and I to enjoy on Christmas day.
Evening – Celebrated with my family from 5:20-9. Wasn’t too happy about a) having to leave Wookie at home and b) my mom waiting until we arrived to hop in the shower. Seriously? My parents gave us way too much money this year; queue feeling guilty for not even wanting to go. Only person who asked Joe about his new job was my dad and the only one to ask about Wookie was B’s girlfriend. Gee, wonder why I’m ready to move to Arizona?!?! J got me two CDs I’ve been wanting and I got two things off his Amazon wish list plus two poop emoji cups which I filled with holiday-themed fruit snacks I found at Aldi.

Sunday 12/25 (Christmas Day)
Early afternoon – Opened our stockings which was just candy we gave one another (and Joe got me the cutest Disney Tsum Tsum makeup bag).

Gifts From My Husband

Watched Suicide Squad which sucked. Also made a shank ham (purchased at Walmart) in the crockpot. Best way to make a ham! Made homemade mac and cheese.
Evening – Saw the lights in Aurora. Took Wookie who cried half the time in her crate and then puked on my lap shortly after we were done seeing the lights. Good times.

Monday 12/26
Morning – Went to Target for some last minute gifts for the kids where some lady ran over the back of my foot in the clearance holiday section. I’m SO sick of this happening, not to mention when I said “excuse you” she was pissy back toward me. Yea, sorry I don’t like people running over my feet over 30% off items. God forbid you a) say excuse me and b) watch where you’re going. Also visited Pier One but even at 50% everything was overpriced. Came home and baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, brownies, and made green bean casserole. Joe wrapped gifts and cleaned the house.

4-9 pm – The kids came over to celebrate Christmas with us and Wookie was absolutely terrified. So much so that when E approached her she peed. I was holding her at the time and she’s never peed in my arms before. Luckily it hit the floor and not my clothes due to the way I was holding her. It was shocking since she’s actually met E before but it was a month ago so maybe she didn’t remember him. Everyone wanted to play with her but she was so timid she wouldn’t come close enough to anyway, although by the time they left at 9 pm she was more comfortable at least sitting on the rug near everyone. She’d also sniff people’s hands or ES’ feet, but if they so much as moved an inch she’d run away.

Presents Under the Tree

As for the gifts – We got E a Deadpool hoodie (which he liked so much he put it on immediately), a Star Wars t-shirt, a Funko Pop of the robot from the latest Star Wars movie, as well as gift cards for Culvers, Half Price Books, Starbucks, and Target. For K we got some wax melts in her favorite scent (vanilla), some Pyrex containers, two cookie sheets, and some empty journals, as well as gift cards for Culvers, Half Price Books, iTunes, and Target. We got her boyfriend, ES, an iTunes card and some Dunkin Donuts coffee. Oh, and we also gave everyone some candy and K an oversized coffee mug with a stuffed bear in it. Everyone seemed to really like their gifts which was nice since we got nearly everything last minute. K’s boyfriend helped us with ideas for her since we weren’t sure what she was into these days. Joe was worried that getting her the cooking/baking stuff was lame but she really liked it and even mentioned to him later how excited she was about the Pyrex so that’s good. It was nice having everyone over. My social anxiety always has me dreading get togethers yet I always end up enjoying myself. Go figure.