Thanks to the holidays, extended sickness, our two week trip to Iceland, and my parents’ own week long trip, the kiddo didn’t have a normal weekday at their house in six weeks. He loves his days with his Nana and his Grammy (my grandmother), and it was clear he was overjoyed to be back to a regular schedule with them.
I got to their house at a reasonable time and the weather was really nice for January (see: low fifties and not rainy or windy), so the kiddo, my grandmother and I headed down to the waterfront and let my mom do a bit of work before dinner (our regular routine is for me to stay for dinner on the days I pick him up there, both to avoid traffic and have a weekly family night).
We stopped at the bakery and Starbucks and then headed down to the shoreline to enjoy the unusually nice day. We walked around (and played PokemonGo) until sunset, where we were rewarded with a beautiful darkening sky to finish out the afternoon. The kiddo also skipped rocks and drew in the sand (a rainbow plus a bunch of letters) while my grandmother and I chatted and strolled up on the bulkhead.
After that, we went back and had dinner with my parents before the kiddo and I headed home for the evening. My husband doesn’t join us because his work days run later – and traffic gets particularly bad – but he also doesn’t mind having an evening to himself to relax and tinker on projects in the garage.
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Ps – if you follow me on social media you might have seen this already, but my mom’s newest book came out this week! Eighteen years after writing her blockbuster The No Cry Sleep Solution, she did a complete revision and update of the book. That second edition is now out, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She changes families lives in such a positive way, and she sure changed our first few years with the kiddo as well.
1. I had a couple friend and their kiddos over on Saturday for lunch, where we cobbled together food we had in our freezers while the four kids under six played together. That was the day I woke up with my right heel in agony (which I now think is plantar fasciitis). I mentioned it to my friend when she came over that day, not thinking about the fact that she was a massage therapist.
She sat me down and massaged my heel expertly for an hour, which was incredible. In a loose exchange, she left for a couple of hours while the kiddos stayed and played at our house. She was back for dinner, when we had a couple other friends over as well. It was a low key day filled with people and support – my favorite kind of Saturday, even with a painful injury.
2. Beyond the Saturday meal, we had leftovers multiple times this past week. We did such a poor job of eating them previously that we’d adjusted to cooking mostly just for that night, or maybe enough to take for lunch the next day.
Lately, we’ve been doing a much better job of eating leftovers, and more than that, we’ve come to appreciate them a lot more. When the food is good, it’s nice to just reheat a meal and be able to take a night off from cooking. Wild, I know, but it’s taken us far too long to realize the awesomeness of leftovers.
3. Our garbage service had gotten skipped due to the snow, so last Friday was the first pickup in two full weeks. We almost never fill our trash or recycling though (or our compost/yard waste), so it wasn’t a hardship. We pay less than if we had a bigger can, but the bigger incentive is the reduction of waste – and the ability to skip a week without worry.
4. One of the headlights on my car went out this past week. My husband noticed right away, but two of my neighbors also made sure that I knew it was out. The husband ordered new LED lights and replaced them himself one afternoon. It didn’t take a ton of time, and it was way cheaper than taking it in to an auto shop.
While I could learn how to do some of the car maintenance myself (and have changed tires, oil, and wiper blades in the past), I really appreciate that my husband takes on all the maintenance stuff for us without me having to think about it. One less thing I need to worry about – especially when it’s the frugal answer – is always welcome.
5. I’ve been getting my money’s worth out of the gym thanks to my messed up heel. I’m hopeful that it will be well enough for at least a short run next week, but we will see.
In the meantime, I’ve been spending more time on the stationary bike than I probably ever have in a given week. I only pay $18 a month for my gym membership anyway, but my per visit cost has been driven down thanks to my bike workouts that would otherwise be a trail run. Silver lining, I suppose.
Exercise Update
I went for an hour long run on Friday, which felt fabulous. Until, that is, I woke up the next morning with that awful pain in my heel and spent the day sitting as much as possible. Sunday was a slow walk and a forty minute bike ride at the gym, followed up with more ice and foot massage.
Monday was a ten minute bike ride (thankfully the work gym also has a stationary bike). Tuesday was an hour long bike ride and then an upper body only lifting workout at the gym by my house. Wednesday was a half hour on the bike – again. Thursday was a meandering walk through the woods with the kiddo, followed up with more ice and sitting on the couch.
Are you good about taking it easy after an injury, or are you inclined to push it and get moving like me?