Today is Ethan’s 1/2 birthday. He turned 8 1/2. To celebrate, I took him to GameStop and let him pick out a new game. He chose Wii Petz Crazy Monkeyz. Afterward, we stopped by Chic-Fil-A and I let him order a “man size” meal…a 12 piece chicken nugget meal, large fries and large drink. I’m still in shock that is 49 pound frame finished all of it!

He really thinks he’s a grown man lately. He always comments about how he does it the “man’s way.” He was particularly impressed that the waiter in the Mexican restaurant referred to him as “sir” the other day, and remarked that “he probably thought I was an adult, but a midget adult.”

Funny how you can wake up to a little bit of sun and smile. It might be cold, but the sun’s out. Luckily, Misty and I got to take a really nice, long walk before the clouds completely covered the sky.

The weather turned on us. It was cold and damp, and we all felt like getting out of the house. Problem was, everything we had previously planned was based on the sun being out. Adam suggested the Marine Science Museum since we haven’t been in almost a year, and also because the new sections were now open. It was kind of odd that he came up with this idea, because earlier in the day Ethan had mentioned that he really wanted to learn more about the rocks you could find in the ocean. Not sure where that came from, but it was a perfect random thought to weave into our day. We spent almost three hours wandering the museum, and it ended up being a great day.

After all the wandering, we were hungry and ended the day with Mexican food at El Tapatia. I truly think they are one of the better Mexican spots in Virginia Beach. Amazing pork carnitas, great queso dip, super chunky guacamole and freshly made tortillas. So good that it didn’t matter that it was a dinner that totally blew the calories I walked off earlier in the day. It happens, right?

Tomorrow the weatherman has predicted cloudy, but in the 60′s. I won’t hold my breath for those warm temperatures. It will probably be rainy and 40. If it is, I already have an alternate plan. A day of football for Adam. Avatar or The Tooth Fairy for me and Ethan. Oh, and a nice long walk to burn those buttered popcorn calories that I cannot do without whenever I go to a movie.

I’ve got my umbrella ready. Just in case.

Today, I met my mom and aunt at the mall for a little shopping.  I really didn’t intend to buy anything, but the deals were plentiful and I couldn’t resist.

My first purchase was some wooden spoons.  I got this one and three other types.  All were regularly priced at $7.99 or $8.99.    They were on a shelf that listed everything at 50% off. When I got to the counter, they didn’t register on sale, and I explained the shelf situation to the checkout person, and she quickly said she’d give them to me at 50% off.  My aunt had a “take an additional 30% off your purchase” coupon, and the clerk let me use the same coupon that my aunt had just used before me.  Do the math.  An exceptional deal!

Next we went to Marshall’s, and I wanted some new yoga pants.  I found two pair for $12 and $15, and I’ve seen both these brands in stores for over $50 a pair.  So, once again SCORE for me!

We then went home, picked up my dad and the four of us headed out for lunch.  After lunch, my mom and I took a very long walk and then it was time to pick Ethan up from school.  With about 15 minutes to spare, I stopped into Marshall’s again, and looked for a new pair of running shoes.  I found a pair of Under Armour’s that I’d seen at Dick’s for $94.00, and got them for…drumroll please….$20.00!  Another steal.  And they are soooo comfortable.

My final deal was found while standing in line to checkout.  They had a little shelf of flat irons.  I rarely flat iron my hair, but every now and then I like to make it look super smooth.  Since it’s not something I use all the time, I really hating spending the money for a good one.  I picked up one of the boxes and the manufacturer’s printed price on the box (not the Marshall’s suggested retail price) was $300.  The Marshall’s price was $30.  When I got home, I loooked the brand up on the internet, and the best price I could find for the model I got was $129 and that was on a site with 50% off and more.  The brand was Corioliss, and I gave it a try and it’s super nice.  So, if you’re in the market for a new flat iron, check out the deals at a Marshall’s near you.

Even though, I went with the intention of buying nothing, I ended up spending under $100 for over $500 worth of stuff.  Pretty good, huh?

First off, I started the day thinking it was Thursday. That always throws me. Once I settled into the realization that it was Wednesday, I was ready to move forward with my typical Wednesday.

Drop Ethan off at school. Check!

Stopped by the grocery store on the way home. Not at all typical, but a good idea. I was in desperate need of trash bags, laundry detergent, dish soap, napkins and paper towels. All necessities. Again, a good decision.

Next, I came home with the intention of walking my usual walk on the beach with my usual walking partner. I wanted to do an early, quick five miles and then head over to my parents. My mom sounded a little down, my dad had been stuck in the house and yesterday wasn’t a stellar day for him. There are good days and there are bad days where my dad is concerned, and sometimes just having me over helps. It turned out that Janet wasn’t able to walk this morning, so I headed straight to my mom’s, and luckily she and I were able to get a few miles in, and then we took my dad out to lunch. It ended up being a good day. My dad looked good and he was happy to go out, and to see me.

After lunch, I headed home and did a few things in the house before I needed to pick Ethan and Kaiden up from running club. Picked them up, took them to Bravo Frozen Custard and then we went to Pier One because I wanted to buy a few reed diffusers at the 75% off price. They had the apple cinnamon scent on sale, and while it’s considered a Christmas scent, I just consider it a good winter scent. The kids then wanted to go to Pet Smart to look at the dogs playing in the hotel’s area. Rathern than do that today, I promised we’d do Pet Smart and Skinny Dip Frozen Yogurt after next week’s running club.

I wasn’t in the mood to cook, so I ran out and picked up KFC’s grilled chicken. We ate dinner, did homework, Ethan read a little, I goofed a little and now I need to head to bed because I need to have Ethan and Kaiden at school by 7:15 for jump rope club.

Good night.

What the hell is up with the past few weeks?  It has been freezing every single day.  It doesn’t help that the wind has been blowing and the clouds have been out for many of those days either.  I would love a few days of sunshiny warmth.  Just a few straight days to really enjoy being outside.  Although I do get outside every day, and spend at least an hour and a half to two hours a days walking, it’s some warm sunshine that I crave, more than the fresh air.  Ahhhh, to put my toes in the sand, drag them through the ripples and soak up some sun.  Is that asking for too much during the middle of January?  I think not!

Hands down, math is Ethan’s favorite subject. He always wants to do his math homework first, and can always finish it in just a couple of minutes. Having a child who loves doing his homework makes life very easy for me.

Finally feeling like I’m alive again.  Not like I felt bad all day, it’s just that 4:00 a.m. is way too late for me.  I spent the day falling in and out of sleep, watching snippets of movies and 48 hours, and around 5:00 I finally felt awake and energized. 

The late night was totally worth it.  We had so much fun last night, and laughed a ton.  Of course, the night was not without a few classic WTF moments.  Right, Misty?

This is a photo from the last time Misty and I were out…my b’day in early November. It’s been way too long, so hopefully we can make up for that lost time tonight.

The Scanlons came over to hang out and play some Wii tonight. We had the most fun and the most laughs playing Just Dance. Misty got some video of Ethan and Kaiden. Hopefully, she’ll share a big of it on her blog.

Ethan and Kaiden enjoyed some much needed time together today. After a few weeks of not getting some one-on-one with each other, today they finally got to hang out for a bit.

They had KIDS Club this afternoon, and I picked them both up at 4, and took them out for donuts. They were obviously starved because they both wolfed down two big donuts each.

Afterward, we came home and they played some Wii and were both quite upset when Misty arrived to pick up Kaiden.