Adventures of Janet

Mid March Weekend

Per usual the weekend came and left too soon. The weather was super windy so we didn’t get to do as much as I wanted outdoors but we kept busy.

Saturday, my middle had swim lessons and afterwards Dan suggested going to a new place in Minneapolis. He had been craving a good bagel sandwich that wasn’t Einstein bagels so he found this place called Rise Bagel Co and it was really good! They have limited hours and offerings so they ended up being sold out of the turkey sandwich Dan wanted so he got some egg and sausage one. I got a plain bagel with honey rosemary cream cheese and the kids shared an everything bagel with plain cream cheese. The bagels were so good and they were very generous with the cream cheese which was great for us because we love lots of cream cheese. The coffee was also tasty and I can see us going back again. The place was located by a couple of breweries so we also hope to go back to check those out. We then went to the park where the kids rode scooters and tired themselves out.

After lunch we put the baby down for a nap then left my oldest in charge so we could get a super early dinner date. We love this place located in our local grocery store called Pezzo Pizzeria, they make amazing Chicago style deep dish that reminds me a lot of Lou Malnatis but maybe even better! This time though we got thin crust and it was also very tasty. We also ordered a salad to start and it was HUGE!! The kids wanted Canes for dinner so afterwards we picked them up that and stayed home for the night.

On Sunday, we went on an early morning walk and me and my oldest went to high tea. The St Paul Hotel reopened their high tea and I booked it for a mom and son date. This time it was located in the basement as opposed to the main floor. It was very good and we spent 2 hours eating and talking. I love the stories my oldest tells me about school and life so being able to focus on just him without his brothers interrupting us was really nice and a special treat.

I had a dream this weekend that I made 2 new best friends, one was a city girl born and raised in St Paul and the other another city girl born and raised in Minneapolis. It was amazing, I took them to Chicago and showed them all my favorite eats and bars and they took me to their favorite places here. We then opened up a tour company and offered tours to and from Chicago for long weekends. It was so nice that I wish it was true lolololol. Growing up I always wanted my own tour company so I could take people to all of my favorite things in Chicago. I would have a food tour, a ghost tour, a boat tour etc. I never imagined myself leaving the city I absolutely loved but then the cliche you fall in love and leave certainly hit me. Sometimes I wonder if we will move back but even though my suburb in all senses is far from Chicago it is quickly becoming home. I have made some nice friends through ECFE and my MOMS club and have a lunch and playdate set up this week so things are looking way up.

I remember reading blogs in college of girls just moving to Chicago and writing about their experiences and feeling territorial of my city and those girls never really showing Chicago in all its glory with all the fun dive bars and delicious hidden eats but now here I am a transplant in MN and now I am in their position LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. So funny how the world goes round and man how I am biting my thoughts. To be fair I am trying to make new friends to show me everything St Paul and Minneapolis have to offer but everyone I have met so far is also a transplant lololol so basically not as useful as a born and raised person but it is also interesting to see their point of view of these great cities.

Makeup Brushes

To say I love makeup brushes is a severe understatement. I ADORE makeup brushes and when I misplaced my Artis Oval 6 I went on their site and found this cute set on sale. I love the pearl finish and the ergonomic shape that just molds to your hand while you apply makeup. I have tried many many brushes and Artis always ends up as number 1 on my list. A close second are the Hourglass ones and then of course my Real Techniques ones.

I am holding the Oval 6 and the grey one on the table is Oval 7

My Artis brushes fit in the case for now

I can’t wait to test these out this weekend! I should also note that I have so many brushes because after I use one I wash them and they can take awhile to dry so I need backup. I noticed I break out if I don’t wash my brushes after every use. I also have been collecting makeup brushes for about 10 years. That’s crazy when I think about it. I used to have a makeup blog that I enjoyed writing and testing makeup but since I have finally found what works best for me I don’t really enjoy buying so much makeup and now just stick to the makeup that works best for me.

I have a couple of things planned this weekend and can’t wait to get it started. I can’t believe it’s mid March already! The dreary winter months are behind me now and I love Spring!!!!! We recently got our Parks and Recreation Summer catalog and I have highlighted so much for the kids to do, I am happy they will be able to enjoy their summer this year and plan to sign them up for everything. Just call me chauffeur Janet but I don’t mind, they love to be busy especially my middle child so I love when they wake up to ask me what’s the plan for the day and to actually have something to tell them that they are signed up for will be really nice.

Botox

I recently went to get Botox and it was exactly what I’d hope it would be. Before I show my before and after I want to write down to remind myself why I got it.

Growing up, my dad and 2 of my brothers were my biggest bullies. I don’t think they really understood how mean and harsh their words were and how badly broken my heart got but it did. Always being called a name and being made fun of my appearance and just put down day to day was too much. I hated being home so I would sign up for every before and after school activity not to be an overachiever but just to get a break from the teasing at home. I couldn’t handle another slut, bitch, buck tooth beaver comment anymore, I mean who says that to their daughter, their sister? I don’t get it, who bullies so relentless that I hated even waking up every day. I just wanted it to stop. So needless to say my self confidence was shot at a very early age. I mean I would have people tell me or my parents how pretty I was but I never believed it. How could I when I knew at home what I really was to the people I cared for the most.

Somewhere along the line, I decided to not let it get me down. I never got to go on playdates or play outside or have friends over so books and tv were my only companion until we got birds and then dogs so I started to make it a point to sit in front of the mirror every day and tell myself one thing I really liked about myself, whether it was superficial or something I felt good I did in the day I started to talk to myself in the mirror. I always would look at my reflection and pump myself up. The mean words were still there but slowly they just didn’t bother me. My mom got me braces, I went through puberty at age 16, and I finally had my first kiss at 17. I really came into my own in college and while guys finally started to notice me the only real opinion I cared about was my own.

I remember people either talking about me or telling me how conceited I was and how I should be more humble, but I would just ignore it because they had no idea how much I had to do to even be able to look in the mirror and admit “I am pretty.” I have been called lots of names in my life and while most were lies (well to me, maybe to someone they actually believed I was that) the only name that bothered me was conceited.

Now I am 36 and slowly started to feel less “pretty” I know I am pretty but I don’t feel it (if that makes sense.) It sounds terrible to admit and even though I don’t judge someone by their appearance because I know exactly what that feels like I want to feel pretty again to me. I want to be able to look in the mirror and give myself that compliment. I don’t need someone else’s opinion because I could care less but I want to hear the voice in my head look and say yes you are beautiful today. I’ll age gracefully later in life but for right now I want to hold on to my youth as much as possible. 3 kids in and I know I could lose weight, I know I could eat better, I know I could do so much, but I want to give myself this little thing.

I finally was talking to Dan and he asked me what would realistically make me feel better about myself and after much consideration I realized I didn’t like to smile as much because of my crow’s feet. I love my smile, I love my big teeth but I was hiding them because of wrinkles. On top of that wearing a mask you can only really see your eyes so I definitely noticed my wrinkles a lot more. I reached out to a friend and was able to schedule an appointment to get my first Botox.

Minutes before I left to get Botox. So many wrinkles!!!

It was all very fast and the esthetician made me feel very comfortable and explained everything. After discussing which brand I wanted and the pros and cons of both, we decided to start off with 12 units, so 6 on each side of my eyes. Some injections didn’t hurt but some felt like a sting but it didn’t last long at all. In fact the actual injecting lasted mere minutes. My after care was no touching my face for a couple of days but especially the first 4 hours after. I was very lucky and didn’t get bruising or a headache and just noticed the little dots on my face where she actually injected.

Right after I got it done, I already notice less wrinkles

This is the following night I got it done. Again, I already see a huge difference in my wrinkles

I love that I can’t see any wrinkles when I just stare whereas as before I would notice some right by my eyes even just staring straight

I have felt so much better about myself. When I went to Chicago my friends asked if I did my eyebrows or something because I looked really good. I admitted I had Botox done and they couldn’t believe the great results! Most of my friends are pregnant right now but will look into getting Botox once they are done having kids too. Now, I am thinking of dying my hair, like highlights or going lighter all around anything really to get rid of my grey hairs.

This is today with my biggest smile and no crows feet!!! Can’t wait to get my hair dyed and bye bye grey hair.

I should add, my brothers have since apologized and we have an ok relationship. Sibling relationships are always so complicated and I never see eye to eye with them. I love my brothers but we are very very different in a lot of ways and we always find a way to fight even now. Although, I am grateful our significant others don’t get involve and complicate things even more so we always say mean things to each other but by the next night we are fine and continue with life as usual. Me living in MN has helped a lot and even though I sometimes wish I was closer to my brothers time doesn’t heal all wounds and I really hope and pray my 3 boys become best friends and have that special sibling relationship I wish I had with my brothers.

My Week in Chicago

My kids had their Spring Break this past week so we went to visit our family. I always have mixed emotions going in, I want to see my mom and some of my brothers, but I also know at some point I will argue with my brothers and it just becomes so stressful. I do love going back to visit my friends and mom though so that always outweighs the bad.

We drove in on Tuesday, the 6 hour drive wasn’t too bad and I hung out with my mom and caught up with her what has been new. I FaceTime her daily so nothing is ever really new but it is still fun to talk and gossip. On Wednesday we visited Dan’s mom and had a nice lunch and caught up with that side of the family.

Once we got home I went out to hang out with my two friends Michelle and Elaine. Both are amazing people and I am beyond lucky to have them. I have known Laney since 2nd Grade and Shell since Freshmen Year of High school and we all went to the high school so we all go way back. My other friends are still weary on going out and that is completely understandable so to even see 2 of my friends I was ecstatic. Laney is a nurse so she was already vaccinated and Shell went in the next day to get her vaccine which I was jealous about because I look forward to getting mine.

We went to an old favorite Pita Inn in Skokie and they took me to a new Bubble Tea place called TeaRex. You can never go wrong with Pita Inn so I got the Vegetarian Plate and at Tea Rex I got the Mango Lychee Bubble Tea. Pita Inn was delicious as always and TeaRex reminded me a lot of Tii Cup and Chai Time that we have here in Minnesota. We somehow always incorporate Bubble Tea in our outings lolololol

At night we went to eat dinner with my brother and his fiancé, we ate at a place called Zia’s Lago Vista. Dan and I used to eat at the sister restaurant Zia’s Trattoria in Edison Park so this was nice to eat something we used to eat a lot of. We ordered Bruschetta and Limone Chicken. The meal was good but nothing extraordinary so we probably won’t be going there again.

Portions are huge! Dan and I split and this was my plate.

On Thursday was our super busy day. Dan, me, and the 2 older kids went to the Museum of Science and Industry to see their Marvel Exhibit and OMGGG it was amazing!!! The MSI has always been a favorite but this exhibit was really well curated and I hope it comes to MN. They had the original Marvel Comic Book #1, a bunch of original art work and costumes from the movies. My kids LOVED IT!!! My friends Laney and Shell went to the exhibit too and enjoyed it a lot. We spent a good couple of hours in that exhibit alone and before we knew it time flew and we had to go. Me and Dan bought tickets to see the Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit at 4pm so we had lunch and headed home to drop off the kids.

This picture kills me, I always have one of the kids’ clothing wrapped around me or dangling off my purse.

We got to the Van Gogh exhibit right at 4pm but our friends Shell and Adrian were running late. The exhibit was INCREDIBLE!!! It showed Van Gogh’s works with music on a 33 minute loop. We ended up staying there around 3 hours and saw the video numerous times in every room they offered. We also got some drinks while we were waiting for our friends and that was a nice (too expensive) treat. Afterwards me and Dan had to go back to give the kids a bath.

On Friday, we met up with my brother’s ex girlfriend for breakfast at another old favorite Wildberry. It was so much fun catching up and again eating food that brought back so many memories. I always love how food and smells can instantly take you back to a different time. We were able to get a table quickly so afterwards we walked over to the Art Institute. I have been a member on/off since I was 16 years old so I always make a point to visit it when I come in. We were lucky to see the Monet Exhibit in October when we came in but it was really nice to see it again. They have a new system where they text you when it’s your turn to enter the exhibit and I really liked that because then I could go see other displays of art. We only stayed for the Monet and headed home afterwards and later that night my other brother came over with his family to celebrate my youngest’s Baptism. They left late and Saturday morning we drove back to MN. A quick but jam packed week which I really enjoyed but it is always nice to be back home.

I recently found out the Van Gogh Exhibit is coming to Minneapolis so you know I will be going again. It was on the expensive side so Dan opted not to go again but I already had a friend asked to go so I signed up for the email alerts and am happy I have something to look forward to.

Dental Floss

I often wonder if I am the only one who had a crazy upbringing. I know that can’t be true because the world is crazy but the stories that pop into my head from memories of crazy times make me think I was insane or something.

We recently ran out of Dental Floss and since we were at Target, Dan mentioned picking some up. We walked to the floss section and once I saw the options I panicked and kept walking leaving Dan to pick the floss. I typically buy the Floss pack at Costco but this week hadn’t gone yet. When the time came to brush, Dan mentioned that the floss was bad and it wasn’t the kind I typically buy. I was like huh and tried it and then read the label and saw that it was satin floss. Dan began laughing and I was like what and he said, “remember that story about your dad and the floss?” And just like that the memory flooded back.

When I was growing up, the city was littered with corner stores and of course we had one at the end of our block. I wasn’t allowed to go out to play but to run errands for my Dad I was allowed a little freedom. One day he asked me to get him floss. I was like ok easy. NO!!!! And looking back I should have known it was never easy with my Dad. I think he had a lot of undiagnosed mental problems and that with his alcohol addiction always led to a perfect storm. Anyways, I come back with his floss and when he went to open it and use it, he flipped his lid. See, I didn’t realize I bought Satin Floss. BIG MISTAKE! He threw that thing right at my head and I had a huge welt for days. He yelled at me that why didn’t I read it, why didn’t I see that it said Satin and not wax like he specifically asked me, he went on and on how even though I was born in this country I still couldn’t even read basic English. I mean who gets that crazy over dental floss?! My dad that’s who. He was furious over something so minor. The worst part for me and even worse that I had a welt on my head was that he took away my $0.50 allowance for weeks until he finished up the floss and that was brutal. That meant no candy for weeks!!!!! At the time candy bars costs $0.50/$0.25, Air Heads were $0.10, little bags of chips were $0.25, and my beloved Rain Blo pack was $0.10, ugh it was awful not being able to get anything and having to beg my brothers for any loose change and dig through couches and the car for anything.

My mom and dad argued that night and I remember my dad saying why didn’t I just come back and ask if he wanted that floss and not waste money. I guess returns weren’t big because that wasn’t an option and neither was exchanging it. He kept saying that I had a voice yet I never used it, I should have just asked the right questions, I should have made sure he wanted that floss. I mean he just wouldn’t let it go. Mind you I was like 8 years old, I didn’t know.

Moving forward if my dad ever asked me for something, I had a pen and paper and made sure to cross reference anything. If they don’t have it, what do you want instead? What is an ok substitute for whatever it was? Should I come back home if they have something similar but it isn’t exactly what you said? It was crazy but it did set me up for life. To this day if I don’t understand the slightest thing I immediately ask for clarification and specifics. I was that annoying person in class to shoot my hand up as soon as an assignment was given to ask the teacher again to reiterate what they just said because I did’t want to make a mistake. I ask a million questions for the most basic thing all because of Dental Floss.

I finally bought the package at Costco and Dan mentioned how it doesn’t say wax anywhere on the package so if I were getting this for my dad what would I have done and immediately I said, I would ask an employee, then google, then ask the Costco Fans FB page for help, then call Oral B, and while waiting on the line I would email to ask them and hit up their social medias. I mean it’s just natural now to think of various solutions right away thanks to my dad.

I can laugh about it all now because so many years have gone by and as I get older with my own kids I understand my Dad way more. I resented him for so long but happy before his death I was able to forgive and move on. He wasn’t the best dad by any means but he was the best grandpa I could have ever hoped for my kids.

Last weekend of February 2021

I am still on a high from this weekend! My husband and oldest son surprised me with tickets to see Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel at Mall of America. My oldest got us tickets for Valentine’s Day (I had no idea) and so on Saturday he stayed home and babysat the 2 littles while me and Dan went on a day date. (Can I just reiterate how happy I am we got him his babysitting certificate and CPR certified last year pre pandemic because it has been so helpful leaving him alone and knowing he can handle almost any situation.)

Dan and I have been wanting to go back to Italy for years and we had hoped for his 40th this year we could go back and visit our favorite place but the way things are still looking it doesn’t seem likely. I can always dream though and having this exhibit here is so cool!

I really didn’t know what to expect so walking in we got an audio tour for $3 and it ended up being life size posters of the sections of the actual Sistine Chapel. I can still remember seeing the real thing and of course not being able to see every inch so this was a real treat. I meant to ask about their numbering order but it slipped my mind. I loved being able to read what they had to say and then listening to the thought process of what Michelangelo was thinking when he painted it.

Overall it was really interesting but not sure I would go again since tickets were $19 each and I know Dan said one time was enough for him (he isn’t a big art fan but he does keep me company for anything.)

Afterwards we picked up some more Nespresso coffee since we were running low on pods. I am obsessed with my Nespresso and it has been seriously the best gift I could have gotten so I love getting the chance to visit the boutique and stock up.

To my surprise, Dan suggested eating lunch at the Nordstrom Grill/Cafe! We used to go a lot pre pandemic but haven’t been since and I was so excited! Needless to say, our basic lunch was AMAZING!! I had forgotten how much I loved it. I used to go a lot to the Nordstrom in downtown Chicago and loved getting either lunch or dinner with friends and it is a fond memory I have gossiping, shopping, and eating and just having so much fun.

Anyways, I got the Blackberry Lemonade and Dan got Iced Tea, we decided to share the Turkey/Avocado sandwich and the Simple salad. I loved that they separated everything without us having to ask.

I don’t know if it was the great conversation, the fact that I was at the mall on a Saturday, or that I was eating at an old favorite, but I just had such a great time. Dan even suggested getting dessert, so we got the Flourless Chocolate Cake and it was so decadent and so good. Dan typically doesn’t eat desserts unless I suggest it and make him eat what I want so I was super happy when he suggested it. I like to think he did it because he was also enjoying our time there too and wanted to make our lunch last longer lololol

Once we got back, Dan took the all 3 boys on a walk so I got to have some alone time and watched some of my Asian Dramas and napped. When they came back, the baby and my 5 year old went down for a nap and I watched my oldest play video games in his new gaming setup in the basement. He is so proud of it since he cleaned the area and it was nice seeing him so excited about something and watching him play the games he always describes to me. Our night went by fast and after dinner, showers, and 2 bedtimes me and Dan relaxed and watched Netflix.

I absolutely loved Saturday and Sunday came and went super fast. We relaxed and Dan took the 2 older boys to the Minneapolis Sculpture Park to walk and burn off energy, while I stayed home with the baby. It was around the baby’s nap time so I didn’t want him to go out and mess up his schedule. He has been so good with his 2 naps and sleeping through the night that I try not to change it up too much. It was an early night so after the boys all went to bed, me and Dan watched TV and talked about random things.

I always love when our weekends are busy because living in suburbia gets boring a lot. I often wonder how I ended up here in both good and bad terms. I always wanted to have a home to call mine and great schools for the kids, but when we moved here I left my friends and family and even though I don’t miss my family as much I miss my friends a lot. We speak about moving back but again the benefits living here outweigh going back to Chicago by a lot. Deep down I know I will always be a city girl so I hope to venture out to the cities more this summer because I know St. Paul and Minneapolis have a ton to offer too, I just need to be more adventurous again.

Whirlwind Week

What a week it was this week. It was a rollercoaster of emotions so since I like hearing bad news first I will start there. On Monday, Dan was eating banana and peanut butter and he offered some peanut butter to Scott (9 months) but Scott refused to eat the peanut butter so Dan ate that part and Scott ate the banana. They took turns taking bites when we noticed Scott kept scratching his face, next thing you know he was turning red and he had hives. He was breathing fine so I called the Triage nurse and explained everything. I had washed Scott’s face and hands and while on the phone his itching stopped and the redness and hives went away. It all happened in less than 30 min but it was super scary. The nurse scheduled an appointment with our regular doctor for the following day and he had blood drawn to find out what he is allergic to. We found out on Thursday he is allergic to mostly eggs, peanuts, and a slight allergy to bananas. We picked up his epi pen and are now waiting to hear back from the allergist on what to do next. I am so thankful he didn’t consume any of the peanut butter and count us very lucky but since no one in our families have any food allergies we hope to become more educated on what to do. For now the obvious, no peanuts in the house and since he has consumed eggs with no break out we aren’t going to give him anymore eggs but I will still make eggs for the rest of the boys since they love eating eggs in the morning.

On a side thought, we have all been practicing using the epi pen in case of an emergency so we all know exactly what to do. I was shocked to see that if I didn’t have insurance the pen would have cost me $340!!! Thank goodness I have insurance so it cost me $20 but man that is extortion and really hard to think about people having to choose between paying for a bill or paying to save themselves or their kid. I am going to research more on the cost of this and in typical me form I am going to email to see what campaign or petition I can sign or really what can I do to see the price of this life saving medicine get lowered because this should not cost this much.

That was all my bad news of this week so not too bad but definitely going to change our lives.

The rest of the week went fine and I was able to get 2 lunches with Dan and enjoy some alone time. We had our first lunch at El Burrito Mercado. I had to pick up my favorite tortillas that for some reason are only sold there so since I had that errand anyway we decided to get lunch there too. Dan got the tacos and I got the Gorditas. Sadly, we got there too late and all the kids’ favorite sweet bread was all sold out but I did get to pick up some tamales and random spices I needed.

Our second lunch today was at a local place called Woodbury Cafe it was really breakfast and so yummy! We are very lucky to have my oldest home both days to watch the baby while he napped. We have also been extremely lucky that when we put the baby down for a nap and leave, he is still sleeping when we come back.

This week we also found out my oldest will be going back to school in person after spring break! He is very excited but will miss sleeping in. He will be going 4 days a week with shortened hours but he is very happy to be able to see all of his friends again. Out of my kids he is definitely the most social and thrives on being around people. This past year has been so hard on him with no social interaction and even with the hybrid set up it wasn’t enough so we are very happy he will be back.

To end my week, I also got my Amazon gum delivery. I don’t know why it is so hard to find Rain-Blo bubble gum at stores/gas stations but thank goodness for Amazon. I absolutely love candy, but most of all bubble gum! I especially love gum balls and I do get sad from chewing Double Bubble because it gets so hard so fast and the flavor goes away almost instantly, I am so happy I have my Rain-Blo again. I do wish it came with the yellow-orange with red spots gum ball but beggars can’t be choosers and I love how chewy it stays and how the sugar still lasts after multiple gum popping. I can almost hear my dad yelling at me for snapping my gum like a “woman of the night” LOLOLOLOLOL. I still don’t have the confidence to snap bubbles in public but I love how freeing it is at my home without my parents judging me.

I also went to Target and while picking up some Easter basket fillers for the kids I found my only caramel candy I like in single packets. I have never liked caramel but I have an exception and love Caramello. It also brings back the happy memories of my older brother working at Cub Foods and one time I complained I was hungry he gave me his Caramello and eating it at 11pm at night at age 8 was everything! This particular brother doesn’t really share in general and imagine my surprise he just handed me this candy bar! I was smart to not complain about not liking caramel and to this day sometimes he will randomly hand me a Caramello candy bar.

We don’t have much planned this weekend so I will see where that takes us….

Oribe

Anyone else excited that Sephora now carries Oribe? I know I am!!! I got the email they finally carried it again and immediately ordered some things. I didn’t get too much just the large Dry Texturing Spray and the Oribe Obsessed Hair Set. I love the smell of Oribe and wish it was more affordable but now that I am older I do want to splurge a little on myself.

I use the Dry Texturing Spray the most and love the volume I get from it.

I wish I knew how to braid my hair but curling it is the best I can do and always love the results. Also I heard how side parts and skinny jeans are out and that makes me sad and old lolololol. I feel like my whole life I have had a side part so I am never changing that and as I get older jeans feel so restricting but I am keeping my skinny jeans until they don’t fit or wear out and then I will look for new styles. My oldest always tells me I look great in my outfits and since he is 13 years old I trust his opinion the most lololol

Valentine’s Day to now

It is crazy how fast a week went by, we kept our Valentine’s Day low key. We picked up a sandwich from our favorite place, Cosettas and then drove around Summit Ave and ended our drive with picking up my favorite popcorn from our local theatre.

At night we ordered in from that Andiamo place I went to a couple of days ago and relaxed the rest of the night with a movie and popcorn.

One of my friends here ended up sending me a Galentine’s Day gift and it was a tasty cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. How sweet and so thoughtful!!! I swear Valentine’s Day is the best!!!

A couple of days later I had that MOMS lunch and it went great! It only ended up being 4 moms total but it was a lot of fun connecting and talking to the moms again. I hope we have more meetups like this because even though I don’t know these people it is nice that there is hope to make some friendships. We ended up going to a place called Crave and I had this yummy Pineapple Mojito that came in the cutest pineapple cup and I got the soup and salad again lol. Both were tasty but it is pretty hard to mess up something so simple.

This past week my middle child turned 5! We ended up going to Mall of America the day before to ride the rides, build his birthday bear at Build a Bear for $5, and of course got lunch at his favorite restaurant, Benihana. It was a lot of fun even though we weren’t able to have a party this year I think he enjoyed it a lot. The day of his birthday he went to school and we had birthday cake later that day. He is currently obsessed with Minecraft so we got cookies from our local bakery Dorothy Ann to pass out to his class and an amazing Minecraft Birthday cake. We have a tradition for our birthdays and we buy the jersey of a famous player the age we are turning. This year he wore Joe DiMaggio’s t-shirt jersey and it was the cutest! I love the Yankees and love these early years because they are mostly Yankee players.

We couldn’t believe how many Legos he got this year from friends and family and he has been busy building them all. He has gotten quite good and I enjoy the quiet time they provide.

Yesterday I got Brunch with my husband at one of our favorite places Lowbrow in Minneapolis and it was amazing to have a day date with him. I always love how Dan makes such efforts to make me feel special even when I tend to be more selfish and want my alone time he reminds me the importance of alone time together.

Today, I went to Brunch with my friend Jackie at a place called the Red Rabbit. The food and drinks were delicious but the ambiance left a lot to be desired. We both agreed to come back in better weather because maybe with windows open and not so stuffy it wouldn’t feel so dark and meh.

Hoping this week provides more excitement with the warmer weather, but I doubt it lololol I don’t have any plans this week besides my son’s 5 year old checkup at the doctors.

Life

I have never liked the months of January or March, maybe because I have lived in the Midwest my whole life they always feel sooo long and boring and filled with snow. I absolutely adore the cold but I have never liked the snow. I do the typical winter things like sledding and ice skating. I watch my kids ski and play in the snow for hours but I have never been to join in on that. I do love living in MN for the sheer amount of the love cold weather gets here. There is so much to do and if you have kids its awesome and one never needs to look hard to keep you busy. This weekend is the coldest in a century and I will be nice and cozy inside. I love February because of Valentine’s Day and it’s my middle son’s birthday. I had planned so much to do but alas the virus is still here so this week will be low-key. I had a fun snow shoeing event on Thursday at our Sculpture Park but the sub zero temperatures came and they cancelled the event 😦 but I did get dinner with one of my friends at a new restaurant in our suburb.

I decided to just get soup and we shared the Caprese salad and both were delicious! I also got the Cheesecake and a coffee for dessert and we spent a nice couple of hours catching up and relaxing. It is always weird going out now with the virus still around but I am happy since we got there so early we missed the busy dinner crowd.

I recently joined a MOMS club in my suburb and we have our first in person lunch meetup this week on Tuesday. I am excited but nervous, only 3 people have responded yes and 3 maybes, the other 32 have not responded yet. Making friends as you get older is just like dating when you are younger. The awkwardness, will I have something in common, dressing up to impress, etc all just like dating. I hope I at least make a handful of friends but not holding out too much since people here are very different from me.

OMG, this reminds of this lady who wrote in our suburb page that she had an 8 month old and wanted to connect and blah blah blah, anyway I responded to her and we DM each other for a couple of days and then she GHOSTED ME!!! She is probably busy and she joined the MOMS Club because I suggested it but crazy! I won’t hold anything against her though because we all have lives to live but this goes back to making friends at an older age. I mean I’m 36 not 99 but it feels like I am putting myself out there like I’m 20 again. Finding common interests is so hard, but I am still holding out to meeting some fun moms. If I were in Chicago I definitely wouldn’t be in this situation since I have all of my high school besties and they have their kids so my group would already be formed. I always hear how it’s hard to break into cliques here since so many people went to high school together but I can’t hate on that since I would be the exact same way lololol There are so many inside jokes and laughs that I can see why someone new it would be hard. Anyways, I am off to to keep my kids entertained. Stay warm and safe wherever you are 🙂