Category: Life

Staycation – Day 5 – Tuesday

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The morning started out with disappointment. We wanted to check out a local donut shop known for their delicious specialty flavors, like maple bacon, but when we got there it was closed! Apparently they aren’t open on Mondays or Tuesdays even though their Yelp listing only indicates they’re closed on Mondays. Their website has no posted hours at all.

We both decided to work out when we got home since E was still asleep. I did the elliptical for a half hour while watching a couple of the many shows that have been piling up on the DVR.

Once E was up we made a big skillet breakfast with homemade hash-browns, bacon, cheese, and eggs.

After our late breakfast, I quickly whipped up a new batch of spreadable butter, then took the rat brothers out for some playtime while Joe and E played video games.

At 12:45 we headed over to the pool. The boys went swimming while I enjoyed a book. Around 2:15 we headed back home for lunch, then watched a movie.

I decided to try putting in my contact lens before heading to the pool since I had finished my prescription eye medication the day before. While it doesn’t hurt, my left eye still feels weird with my lenses in. It feels like it’s dry and something is caught under my eyelid. WTF? It makes me wonder whether I’ll ever be able to go back to contacts full-time or if I need to stick with glasses moving forward. Needless to say, I only wore my lenses for about six hours today.

Joe made chicken noodle soup for dinner and then we watched a really old move, Just One of the Guys.

Bedtime will be early tonight because we’re heading to Indiana Beach tomorrow!

Staycation – Day 4 – Monday

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I woke up at 5 am and couldn’t fall back to sleep so I read a few magazines, ate some fruit, and then went back to sleep around 7:30 and slept until 10 am. Joe had a hard time sleeping last night too so neither of us were in a hurry to get out of bed.

We made bagels and eggs for breakfast and then lounged around the house. I got lucky and was able to get a photo of two American Goldfinches on my finch feeder. I put that feeder out over a month ago but they’ve only recently been stopping by. Our feeders attract a lot of wildlife – from bunnies, to toads, to itty bitty mice. I didn’t get a picture, but yesterday there was a small mouse hanging out on the patio no bigger than a fifty cent piece. His nickname is now fiddy.


American Goldfinches

Male American Goldfinch

At 3 pm when we headed out to grab pizza for lunch at the legendary Vito & Nick’s.

Afterwards we headed to US Cellular Field to watch the White Sox play the Royals. We had scored free tickets from a friend so we were in the nosebleed section but I didn’t mind. It was nice going to an evening game for a change since the last two times we went to a day game it was too hot out. I did mind the crowded section we were in and the people who we’re sitting directly behind us – two boys no older than ten and their mother. The boys were swearing and using the n-word and the mother didn’t say a word. I don’t think just because they were black meant they should talk like that.

Our original view:

US Cellular Field

We decided to go get food and sit elsewhere. We ended up sitting even higher up but in a less crowded section with a better view.

US Cellular Field

We stayed until the 8th inning and decided to leave. I find baseball games pretty boring so I didn’t mind. Now take me to a Blackhawks game and I will actually pay attention to the action!

Staycation – Day 3 – Sunday

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The alarm went off at 5:30 this morning because Joe wanted to go for a run. My alarm was set for 7 am but I couldn’t fall back to sleep, so by the time Joe got back from his run around 7 am I was showered, had eaten, and was ready to run errands.

Our first stop was the produce market for some fresh fruits, veggies, and lunch meat. We dropped everything of at home and then hit Walmart and Target for more food. After dropping all that at home we went to Aldi. Suffice to say, our fridge is now overflowing with food!

After rearranging the fridge and pantry to fit all our newly acquired food, I cleaned the fish tank. Then I decided to give Marshmallow and Milo a bath. I read that a shared unpleasant experience will help bond two rats. It didn’t work. Instead, after their bath Marshmallow tried to bite Milo’s nose but he ducked out of the way in time and I grabbed Marshmallow. I put Milo on my shoulder and he was shaking. Poor baby. I don’t understand why Marshmallow can’t seem to get along with other rats but now I’m worried I’m back in the same situation as before and will need to get another baby to keep Milo company and just leave Marshmallow by himself. This is nuts! I will continue trying to introduce them because I read for some rats it can take awhile, but I’m worried now since each encounter seems to end worse than the last.

I also gave the brother rats a bath and let them run around for awhile as they hadn’t had any out of cage time in days. It’s quite challenging finding time to let all four rats out for play time because these guys can’t all get along. I just don’t have three hours a day to devote to them which is why I was hoping after the brothers go to their new home I could get Marshmallow and Milo living and playing together so I’d only need an hour a day to set aside.

Shortly after bath time we left to go pickup E for his week with us. On the way there we stopped at the dollar store and Pet Supplies Plus. After picking E up we stopped at Half Price Books since we had a 50% off coupon. I ended up getting a tabletop ping pong game which came out to $2.49 after the coupon.

I made chicken parm meatball subs for dinner. E didn’t care for them as much as I’d hoped, but Joe and I loved them.

Now we’re planning on watching Blades of Glory since E has never seen it.

Staycation – Day 2 – Saturday

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Our second day of staycation began with a trip to the arboretum for a bike ride. They shut down the roads from 7-9 am every Saturday and Sunday so people can bike and jog without worrying about getting ran over.

I thought the fact that I’ve been working out often on the elliptical would have helped my stamina. I was wrong. There are so many hills that you don’t notice when driving through the arboretum. I had to get off my bike and walk it more times than I can count. I was sweaty and out of breath in no time flat. I made it a half hour, though, and burned close to 200 calories. Will I do it again? Hell no! Oh, and bike helmets are so uncomfortable. Joe’s enployer’s wellness program paid for ours which was nice. But the clasp under my chin felt like it was choking me.

After we got back to the car I encouraged Joe to take the loop a second time without me since he had to keep stopping for me. When he got back we killed some time sitting around because I wanted to get some rat food from Pet Supplies Plus which doesn’t open until 9 am. We got there right before 9 but by 9:20 they still weren’t open. Apparently the employee responsible for opening the store was a no show so we left.

After dropping off the bikes at home we went back out to run errands which included a visit to Kmart. I cannot stand that store and I have no idea how they’re still in business with their ridiculous prices. We also went to Half Price Books and I found this board game called Smart Ass that’s been on my Amazon wishlist for quite a few years. With the 30% off coupon it was under $10.

Smart Ass Board Game

Once we got home it was only noon so Joe washed his car while I put away the groceries we had purchased and did some dishes. Then I went upstairs to let Milo out to play for a bit.

Once Joe was finished cleaning his car we both took a shower and then lounged around the house. I made BBQ chicken in the crockpot and we ate dinner while watching a movie I had borrowed from the library.

Now it’s 8 pm and I’m ready for bed so it will likely be an early night. Tomorrow morning we’ll be running more errands and then picking up E in the afternoon to spend the week with us.

Annual Party

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Sunday was our friends’ annual party. We met our mutual friends at a local restaurant to grab a late lunch beforehand. I have to admit, every year I don’t really look forward to this party because no one does anything but drink and sit around and talk. And the majority of the people are Joe’s coworkers so they tend to gossip about people at work and I have nothing to add to the conversion. Plus, I prefer to do something, even if it’s play a game of some sort. Despite that, however, I had a good time because I do like these people! When it got dark I broke out the $1 neon bracelets I had picked up at Target and surprisingly, even the guys opted to wear them. We decided instead of standing outside my friends house like we usually do, we’d actually walk over to the nearby park to see our town’s Summerfest fireworks up close and personal. They were awesome! And no one lit firecrackers in their buttcrack like during previous years (although that same guy did get drunker than everyone else which he does every year).