Typing So Very Quietly

It's Friday night and we're watching A Quiet Place on our TV and it is SO STRESSFUL. I'm just trying to eat the new tropical flavored Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids and type out a blog post and every time I touch my crinkly sounding bag I jump. Typing is nearly out of the question, but I will try to do it without attracting any homicidal aliens.

not related to the previous discussion

This week was full and busy. Last time we talked I was trying on my perfect interview suit outfit only to discover that not a single element of it fit. Luckily my mama friends came to the rescue and I ended up settling on this ensemble of a random black skirt and jacket I bought at TJ Maxx several years apart that are not actually the same shades of black, a pink top from Ross that I bought and then regretted because I never tuck in shirts and wasn't sure when I'd ever wear it, old black heels that I discovered later had lost all the rubber at the end of each heel and clicked metal on the ground with every step, my grandmother's pearl earrings and the pearl necklace my aunt who passed away last year gave me for my 18th birthday. All in all, it worked.

And in addition to my clothes and a sleepless night answering interview questions I kept making up in my head, I had my war paint.

Let's do this. (Nervous pre-game fake smile.)

I taught barre after work and then had to get ready for round 2 of interviews the next day (these after an intense 3 hour block of written exercises two weeks before; promotions in the government are hard to come by. I'll keep you posted if I make it to the next round). After my closet adventures on Monday night I was already resigned to wearing my same "suit" on Wednesday, but I jazzed it up with a different shirt, necklace, and shoes that weren't broken. Dress for the job you want you guys.

Luckily after my second interview I got to meet up with my favorite ladies for a happy hour that was actually at the time of a regular happy hour!! Usually I get together with my mom friends at 7:30 or 8, but James's pool was closed this week for renovations so I got to go somewhere straight after work! The pool closure was not great since you can't make money when you can't teach, but it was fun to know he was getting the kids every day and I could come home to dinner already in progress and/or goof off downtown after work for a little while.

I had my first Mambo Taxi which is a famous local margarita that involves sangria swirl and brandy. Or something. It's very very good, especially when it's $5.

Moms, margaritas, much talking, and sweating outside in a faux-suit I already know I have to dry clean. It was a really, really nice night. I've said it before, but these women restoreth my soul.

Our happy hour ended at 8:30ish (oops) and I came home to find the kitchen spotless, all the kids in bed, and this cake on the counter.

Apparently they all had a part in decorating it and the design was the result of MUCH discussion. I heart them all so much and went to give all the kids laying excitedly in their beds big hugs and thank yous. James got a few hugs and thank yous as well. Putting yourself up for a highly competitive in-office promotion has been a surprisingly vulnerable process and I have felt very loved by my crew this week.

On Thursday I had a day of work without an interview so I wore jeans, just to balance at all the suityness of the week so far. I subbed a TCU barre class to help out another teacher who normally teaches yoga during that time and had so much fun bringing barre to a set of yogis. They'd been warned the class would be different and they all seemed to enjoy it! I mean, no one walked out, so that's a good sign.

Then, as I was walking up the stairs to head home, I saw my favorite swim coach and three of my favorite swimmers through the window of the pool!

Their outdoor summer league practice had been canceled so Coach Dad brought them over to our neighborhood university. I loved seeing them! I took Cora home while her big sibs finished up their practice so we could prep dinner.

It was "Quartino Night" in our house. So named for a favorite restaurant in Chicago where we enjoyed our first-ever charcuterie board in 2006, it's the night when we serve up lots of cheeses, meats, fruits, olives, crackers, and breads. We used to use it as an in-home date night after the kids were in bed when they were little, but now it's one of their very favorite dinners. It's like a picnic! Of all their favorite things.

Cora in particular LOVES a good charcuterie spread. At one point she abandoned the carbs in lieu of "spreading this cheese on this meat, okay mom? I'm just going to eat it like a baby burrito." That's shallot and onion boursin on salami with one happy toddler.

The big kids were in zoo camp this week which they LOVE. It's Landon's all-time favorite camp and in Claire's un-ranked top 3.

They had a fabulous time, saw all the animals lots of times, and made many new friends. One of their best weeks of summer for sure, though I am glad to no longer have to wash those shirts every night so they could wear them again the next day.

Speaking of doing wash, Landon has been doing his since he turned 10. Sometimes James or I will still throw his in to a load we're doing, but 90% of the time he does his laundry from smelly start to folded finish. It hasn't been a big transition- laundry is not difficult, and he's never complained about it, but he does sometimes forget that you need to start it BEFORE you're completely out of clothes.

This past Saturday was one such day. He emerged from his room (always fully clothed; ALWAYS. No pj's outside of your actual bed if you're Landon) in a pair of way too small size medium shorts that somehow survived all my clothing purges, his mickey mouse shirt he has not worn since he was within the walls of Disney's Magic Kingdom, no socks, and also possibly nothing else. He was horrified. Laundry was started immediately, but the morning walk still went on.

Later, properly fitted and Mickey-free clothes now donned, Landon decided to "beat his best planking record" and held a high plank for 12 minutes until his sweat was dripping on the floor and I made him stop because I thought he'd mess up his shoulders. He is so his father's son.

When not randomly planking for inadvisably long periods, Landon is WAY into his crafting. Pixel beads in particular.

Cora had apparently asked him for an "Elsa" and he worked pretty hard to create one. The circle rainbow is also for her. Love it. A panda, whale, tree frog, and dolphin have since joined the collection. He's going to need more beads.

Luckily it's his birthday on Sunday. He'll be 11!! I gave him full creative control over his party which he felt strongly should be "summer themed." He carefully selected plates with pineapples wearing sunglasses surrounded by Hawaiian flowers, napkins with flamingos, bright yellow tablecloths and green polka dot napkins, neon sunglasses for party favors, squirt guns for extra fun, and rubber duckies wearing goggles to use during pool games. He is so excited.

And then there's this nonsense:

Pizza and watermelon (and co-ed crew of 10 friends coming over to enjoy all of the above) not pictured.

Quite the opposite of last weekend we have one million things planned for this weekend. Our all-day Regionals swim meet is tomorrow, with the boys swimming in the morning and girls in the afternoon. I'll make Landon's requested oreo brownies that night and cut up watermelon. On Sunday we wake up to our birthday boy somehow being 11 (11! Have I mentioned this? He's really growing up and it's going by SO FREAKING FAST!) and head to Cora's school-sponsored cabana at a local water park for splashy good times. I'll leave early to go teach my barre class and James and the kids will come home and clean up the patio and start party prep. I get home at 3 and the party starts at 4. It will be a DAY, but a fun one. And then next weekend we have nothing again and I can't wait for that either!