Whirlwind Weekend...

It was one of ‘those’ weekends. The kind where you are almost constantly on the go and the time just slips away.  It wasn't as if we had any major all-consuming plans. It was just a bunch of little things…all in different directions…that needed to be done.  The kind of weekend that you try, unsuccessfully, to explain to your friends without kids as they wonder what in the world you do all day/weekend that is so exhausting. I saw it coming on Thursday.  C and I still hadn't made it to the grocery store (we normally go, list and coupons in hand, on the day before payday when the store is far less crowded and we have the opportunity to take our time and not forget anything…I detest the grocery store, always have) and there just isn't time on Thursday after Coffee Group so, no grocery store. I knew then that it was going to be ‘that’ kind of weekend…not a bad weekend, just a full one.  Friday would have worked except we’d already made other plans so by the time we could have gone, it would have been too close to K getting out of school (Friday afternoons are always rushed anyway since it is also gymnastics day for K….so we get her from school, get her home to get changed and then are right back out the door). By the time we got home from gymnastics, I had no motivation to cook and there were (of course) no leftovers in the fridge…since J had worked late and we had STILL gotten home before him, he was in no mood to cook either…so back into the car we all went and enjoyed a delicious Mexican meal as a family from one of our favorite local restaurants.  For everything else, that left the weekend…

…still no trip to the grocery store…

My hubby had some errands of his own that he needed to accomplish…some stuff that he needed to get done for/with the garage (he has a project car that requires as much attention as a child), haircuts for him and C and a couple of other things.  I really wanted to get a chance to meet with my Mary Kay consultant…I love their products but sometimes getting together to experiment with new colors can be downright impossible.  I was also unhappy with a hair color that I had tried back in November. It wasn't exactly bad, but it was really dark for me with a lot of red and I was ready to give it up.  So, being the super-involved Daddy that he is, my hubby gathered both of the kids, their Kindles and drinks and they went off together so I could do some ‘Mamma Stuff’ (that’s what C calls all that girly stuff like hair, nails and makeup).  I met them for lunch (I love finally having a local Chick-fil-A!!) after my makeup appointment and then headed over to my favorite DIY beauty products store.   They spent the rest of the afternoon trolling around town while I spent it upstairs in our master bedroom/bathroom stripping color out of my hair and putting new color on…from chocolate cherry to golden honey in about 2 ½ hours. Not bad. 

…still no trip to the grocery store…

But with our Super Bowl (Not A Party) Event (see Super Bowl post) looming, we at least needed supplies for the wings, potato skins and sauces. So…back into the car again…stop at the grocery store to get what we need for that event.  And then out to supper again. For the love of eating out!

…still no trip to the grocery store…

Sunday morning we realize that we STILL haven’t made it to do our usual household shopping so we decided to make it a family trip (I secretly love family grocery trips…but they aren't always practical as far as schedules are concerned). Off we went, list and coupons in hand.  When we returned home, fully stocked with food and necessary supplies, it was time for naps (munchkins must either nap or observe 2 hours of quiet time in their rooms to be allowed to stay up a bit late for football fun).  While they napped, we did everything else necessary to get ready for our ‘Not a Party’ Event.

Wings were a new experiment for J and I. We wanted boneless, skinless wings (basically poppers tossed in sauce) so we cut boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins in thirds…after tossing them in some seasoned flour and quick-frying them (1-2 minutes in a deep fryer), we seasoned and fried them a second time. At this point, they were already yummy enough to snack on, but wings aren't wings without wing sauce/seasoning.  We’d already decided on one wet sauce and one dry toss.  The wet sauce was a Honey Chipotle sauce that would clear out your sinuses in a heartbeat…I pureed it in the food processor, then dumped it and the wings into a bowl and tossed it around.  SO. YUMMY.  The second was a batch of dry toss Taco wings. So when we fried them the second time around, we added some taco seasoning to the flour mixture…then tossed them in more taco seasoning (dry) as soon as they came out of the deep fryer. BEYOND. DELICOUS.  Our sauce bar was equally as awesome…sour cream, ranch dip, two guacamole choices (regular and spicy), an extra batch of the Honey Chipotle and some salsa.  With the Mexican-y foods that our friends brought, we had a pretty awesome tex-mex inspired Super Bowl. And I am pretty sure we all ate too much…then half-time came and we ate more. **groan**

By the time the game was over, everyone left and the dishes were done, the weekend was over. Seriously OVER. What happened to the, roughly, 84 hours between Coffee Group and falling into bed Sunday night?! **Most** of our single friends don’t get it. And I don’t blame them…I didn't get it until about 5 years ago…and I get it even more now than I did then. Sometimes the minutes and hours just slip away and the next thing you know it’s 3 or 4 days later and the project that you started on Wednesday is still folded next to your sewing machine. And the singles wonder why you didn't just finish it on Wednesday evening. Now I just smile and say ‘I just decided to do something more fun instead’. They will understand…when they are married and have their own kids.  But as a single, I hated it when people would say ‘you just don’t understand what it’s like until you’re living it’…don’t get me wrong, it is a TOTALLY true statement. But I don’t want to make them feel bad. And the truth is, snuggling with my Lil’ Man, coloring my hair in silence while I read a good book, watching a show/movie on the couch with my hubby or building Lego pet shops with my Lil’ Lady is far more fun than anything else. 

~Jac