WEEK IN THE LIFE-Saturday Edition!

I'm not sure if if the stress about going back to work is catching up with me, or what, but I woke up feeling nauseous at 3:19am this morning.  I could barely make it downstairs and when I finally did, I grabbed 2 Pepto Bismol pills and waited a bit to see if I'd feel better.  Luckily, I did, but by then, I was wide awake so I caught up on two episodes of House Hunters and by the time I looked at the clock again, it was already 4:15am.  I drifted off to sleep until about 7:13am, when Adam came into my room and climbed into bed with me.  He was apparently well rested because there was no hope of going back to sleep at that point.  We hung around in bed for a while, and Mohammed got himself up and showered.  When he got out, Adam bounced around the room with renewed energy.  It was diaper time and luckily Mohammed wrestled him onto the bed for just enough time to get the job done. We headed downstairs to make pancakes (at Leena and Adam's request), and Adam took off to with Daddy's remote controlled "wee-oh, wee-oh" (aka: firetruck in Adam speak) to play for a while.

The girls came down shortly thereafter and while they and Adam were eating pancakes, I made my usual  (low carb) breakfast...eggs and turkey bacon.  By now the girls had finished eating and were chasing each other around the house (a usual thing for the 2 of them...chasing, bothering each other, arguing and generally being siblings).  Leena got Adam some clothes and he got dressed.  He must have exerted energy, because he then decided the pancakes he'd just eaten weren't enough, so he opted for a hot pretzel after breakfast (he's NOT eating low carb :-) Mohammed came down and started researching where he could buy a new shelf and water filter for the fridge. After eating my own breakfast, I headed upstairs for my shower.

When I came back downstairs, it was time for Yasmeen to go to TKD.  Luckily, Mohammed took her and I didn't have to go anywhere just yet.  Before I could blink my eyes, they were back and I had spent the entire time talking on the phone to my soon-to-be colleague about stuff related to...you guessed it...malpractice! I had promised to take Leena to Kohl's for a little (early) back to school clothes shopping during their Early Bird sale, and we needed to GO.  As we were getting ready to leave, Yasmeen ran up to me with adoration in her eyes because she had asked Adam to draw a picture of her and this is what he came up with:

She was so excited when she looked at his fabulous work and pridefully pointed out how he drew her hair HERE...and an eye THERE, and look, Mom, he even got my nose and mouth in the right spots.  Yep, she really LOOOOOOOVES her little brother!  So sweet.

It was off to Kohl's with Adam and Leena then (he didn't want to stay behind).  I carried him to the van and off we went.  It wasn't until we got to Kohl's that I realized his shoes WERE NOT in the car like I had thought they were.  Now he was shoeless, so that meant riding in the stroller...which he does not like.  Add to that the late morning surge of energy and subsequent crash right before nap time (which it now was) and Leena and I were on borrowed time at the store--although it doesn't look like it in THIS picture below:

With a few purchases in hand (made just as the clock struck 1pm, which is when the sale expired), we headed home.  Adam was having a meltdown and was asking for both his bobo (pacifier) and leche (milk)--neither of which we had on hand.  We got home and I told everyone we should leave before he fell asleep if we ever wanted to get out of the house.  He could sleep in the car and we wouldn't have to wait until late afternoon do our errands.  Today, those consisted of getting to Sears to make a Lands' End return, and to Lowe's to buy the girl's blinds for their bedroom window. Everyone seemed to be in slow motion, so I decided to make use of a little downtime and FINALLY, finally...start a scrapbook page.  I can't believe I had to actually talk myself into sitting and pulling out something to work on.  I've been so over the top busy lately (and exhausted) that scrapping hasn't even entered my mind.  It was nice to see something start to come together, though...I really should make more time for this hobby I LOVE! After about 30 minutes, we finally were ALL ready to leave...

Adam was sound asleep by the time we reached Sears, so only Leena and I got out to do the return.  When I got back to the car, Mohammed needed to stop in at Verizon and we decided we'd grab something to eat since we suddenly realized we were hungry...well, all of us but Leena.  We agreed to go to our favorite place, Cheeburger Cheeburger.  Adam woke up (just in time) and I stopped in at Arby's nearby to get him some peanut oil free fries (say that 5 times fast).  

We discovered Cheeburger somewhat by accident while stopping in that mall to eat at Olive Garden some time back.  We saw it and decided we'd have to try it out sometime.  Well, after that, we started hearing all over the radio about NJ's best burgers and guess what place kept getting mentioned?  YUP.  And let me tell you, they earn bragging rights, because both their burgers and SIDES are delicious.  I love their onion rings, but the fries are a hit too.  Everything is fried in peanut oil, so Adam can't have any of it (hence the Arby's fries we come prepared with), but it sure is darn good!!

Haven't tried a shake yet, but Yasmeen says they're heaven!

 Home of the Mac N Cheese WEDGE!

 Yummy (and huge) onion rings

 Not bad for eating out, but that didn't include Leena (or Adam):

 Certainly helps that there are trains around...

After Cheeburger, we stopped in at JoAnne's for me :-) and at the music store for Yasmeen.  She found the bigger mouthpiece she'd been asked to obtain there and Daddy got it for her.  That meant a lot of practicing to come later today.  We spotted a bunch of "skittles" in Princeton--what is it about that town that draws yellow cars?  Maybe the university???

Almost back home, but Mohammed couldn't resist stopping at the Honda dealership to look at options for our new minivan in the near future (mine can only hold out so long).  On the way back to our van, we spotted (aka: almost stepped on) a well camouflaged frog!

We made it back home around 7pm and we were all tired.  We did remember that tonight was also the firehouse movie night and wanted to go, but it started around 8.  We relaxed for a while, I caught up on journaling and we finally headed out (in 2 cars in case Adam fell asleep for the night) around 8:15 or so. We knew the movie was outdoors, so as long as there was light, the movie couldn't play--we had plenty of time to get there.  When we arrived, we were only 1 of 3 families that showed up, so there was lots of room to spread out, lots of popcorn to be had and lots of "wee-oh wee-ohs" to be seen and climbed on!

 The actual movie, Rango, was only second to the fun of the firetrucks!!

Adam did wind up falling asleep about 40 minutes into the movie, so I decided I'd take him home.  The girls came along because the bugs were out in full force (despite the copious amounts of bug spray we had on) and they didn't want to get bit.  So with that, we headed home and another day was done!

Hope you had a great Saturday...just one more day of Week In The Life left...let's make it great!!

WITL-FRIDAY

A step closer to finishing off Week in the Life with a bang.  Today was a day for catching up on phone calls, figuring out malpractice policies, dressing up, playing with trains, baking and taking photos.  The day started for us at the usual time although I woke up a few minutes early to make eggs and turkey bacon for everyone before they got up,  and before Mohammed went to work.  Leena had a dermatology appointment at 9:45, while Yasmeen was at Band Camp, and I didn't want to fall behind in getting us out the door. Once Adam was up, we headed downstairs together and I put on a show called TRAINS! On Demand.  He loves watching it and it buys me a few valuable moments where I can check email or clean up the dishes from the morning.  Of course, that is, if he isn't demanding that I sit down right next to him to watch along...like he did today.  Luckily, I was able to grab my laptop and check emails while sitting next to him.  Once the girls got up, they had breakfast and watched Adam while I showered.  We were out the door right on time to get Yasmeen to her last day at Band Camp, and Leena to the doctor.

On the way back to get Yasmeen (just in the nick of time), we spotted a yellow car, and then decided to start playing "skittle".  It's another car game that we play to pass the time while driving back and forth around town.  If you spot a yellow vehicle of any kind, you yell "skittle" and get a point.  The winner is the one to spot the most vehicles by the time you arrive wherever you are going.  Cars, trucks, construction vehicles, trains, and school buses are all fair game.  Even Adam has learned to play and he is really good at it--spotting a yellow vehicle from blocks away!

When we got to the Intermediate school to pick Yasmeen up, Leena snapped a photo of her as she was walking towards us.  She complains about having her picture taken, but with that smirk, I think she secretly likes it!

It was off to Costco for a much needed shopping trip, and a little lunch while we were there.  We all love Costco for their samples and have a great time going from station to station trying foods that we might not otherwise have the chance to taste.  Of course, that means that my shopping cart often includes items being sampled that day--especially when the girls beg me to buy "it"--whatever the it for the moment is.  We had lunch afterwards, and although we were somewhat full of samples, we still managed to down a mega slice of pizza, an order of fries, and a churro between the 4 of us--and all for $5--where else can you eat for that these days???

Once home, Adam napped while I got on the phone with a bunch of insurance companies about taking out a malpractice policy.  Amazing what you DON'T know when it's time to figure out something as important as this! A bunch of research and internet searches for the different types of policies available ensued. After hearing back from three separate agencies, I had a bunch of applications to fill out, scan and email back.  Mohammed got home just in time to help me figure out what was wrong with the scanner as our wireless network wasn't recognizing the connection to it.  Another hour passes by and finally we're up and running.  By then, it's too late to do anything else today, so I guess we'll pick up again on Monday.

It started pouring in the early evening and I mean, POURING! Then the thunder started, and eventually the lightning.  The girls aren't really scared of the thunder per se, but I guess it does freak them out when it's really loud and now Adam is picking up on their unease. So what do I decide to do?  Make sure to tell him it's not scary at all, and we head out to our stoop to sit and watch the storm.  He really liked going outside while it was raining, and any fears that were brewing just went away.  In fact, Yasmeen also joined us outside and seemed pretty calm despite the thunder and lightning--as long as we were safely covered under the front porch.

By now, it was getting later and all dinner preparations had gotten away from me.  We hadn't eaten and I had nothing ready to go, so that meant we had to fend for ourselves.  I did cook some pasta for the girls and Adam (although he didn't want it), and made a protein shake for me.  Mohammed had a good 'ol PB&J and Adam eventually ate a Trix yogurt.  The days are so busy that meal planning is the last thing on my mind...all this HAS GOT TO CHANGE with Ramadan starting in 3 days!  While making the pasta, the kids were off playing dress up and I loved getting these photos of my little batman (dressed in Leena's batGIRL costume), my Cleopatra belly dancer, Leena, and the very sophisticated business woman, Yasmeen! I also received a surprise visit from my Lia Sophia rep, Judy, who came to deliver the jewelry I'd ordered at an event the week prior. 

With the evening winding down, the exhaustion of the days activities hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was ready for bed and headed up early.  The girls were downstairs with Mohammed and Adam.  Leena busied herself building a super sized railway track with Adam's train set, and Yasmeen pulled out her trombone to polish up on some notes.  Upstairs, I tried to read for a bit, but was out before I knew it!

Until tomorrow,

Have a great weekend!!