Small Victories

We didn't do much this weekend.  We went to Jacob's lacrosse game on Friday night, and church on Sunday morning, but in between seemed to be a whole lot of down time.  That can always be problematic around our house, since the boys tend to argue about the TV, Craig's phone, their toys, and whatever sport they may attempt to play.  When we're home, there's a lot of that.  But the weather was cold and particularly yucky on Saturday, so it wasn't like there was much we could do outside.  I also had to take my car in for an inspection and oil change on Sunday, so that was limiting too.

We can get to the end of a weekend like this and feel like we didn't do anything, but when that happens, I need to remind myself of the stuff I/we did do.  So...

1. We went to Jacob's lacrosse game.
2. I read newspapers/mail.
3. I figured out that Carter's snow pants fit but Jacob's don't.  I proved Jacob also needs new boots, which I already knew, but he insisted was false.
4. I found a pair of boots online that he likes, though I did not order them (yet--he always reserves the right to change his mind).
5. I went to Walmart and bought two medicines we needed, snow pants for Jacob, and light bulbs to replace one in our kitchen ceiling fan. (I was not, however, able to buy one for our front entry light, as I realized I wasn't sure which type it was.)  I also found promising new underwear there since Target hasn't had my beloved clearance undies lately.
6. I exchanged Carter's sneakers that fell apart after a month.
7. I went to Kohl's and found two pairs of knit capri leggings for 78 cents each, and a long sleeved shirt I can dress up or down for less than $5.  I also picked out a winter coat, though I realized that I had a coupon for $10 more off that started Sunday, so I opted to wait on that one.
8. The boys set up a floor hockey rink in the basement.
9. We all had a dinner of our choice (courtesy of one of our pick-your-own-drive-thru nights).
10. We dropped off my car at the mechanic before church.
11. We still got to church on time.  Bonus points that the sermon was a great Veterans' Day one.
12. I vacuumed the kitchen, entry, and part of the living room, and Wet Swiffered the kitchen.
13. I baked an apple pie.
14. Craig secured the pool cover and mowed part of the lawn (he didn't do the whole thing because of #15).
15. I raked a bunch of leaves in the front yard so Carter could jump in them.
16. I cleaned the leaves and some dead stuff out of our front flower bed.
17. I cut a few more branches off our front tree in an ongoing effort to make its canopy higher.  It previously was too low to mow under.
18. I jumped in the leaves with Carter.
19. I ordered the Kohl's winter coat online (saved $50), and for an extra $5ish for three pairs of earrings (including a rose gold pair to finally match a necklace I have), I got an extra $10 of Kohl's Cash, for a total of $15 for next week. I'll pick the order up at the store in the next few days.
20. Jacob constructed a giant football stadium complex using mostly Lego, Oyo, Lincoln Logs, and magnetic tiles.  The living room is a mess but I'll count not losing my sh** about it as a win.
21. We all played family football in the front yard, per Jacob's request.  Jacob and I lost by a touchdown, but if you ask him, we tied.  We needed instant replay to know for sure.
22. The boys dropped me off to my car.  Bonus points for getting the mechanic to put on my registration sticker.  I hate that job in cold weather.
23. I ran back to Walmart to return the snow pants that Jacob didn't like, check that the bulbs I got were the best option (and buy more so they'll all match, if they were the right ones--which they were), and get the right ones for our front entry.
24. I remembered to put out the garbage and the recycling.
25. I changed two lightbulbs.
26. I cleaned the front entry light fixture, which I'm pretty sure I haven't done in the eight-plus years we've lived here.  Oops.
27. I did a whole sinkful of dishes.
28. I made a yummy dinner, one from Pinterest that was a previous winner.  Well, Carter doesn't like it, but he loved his sandwich.
29. I moved more warmer weather clothes out of my closet to make room for heavier winter stuff, since the cold weather is imminent. 
30. I did Carter's laundry (and added a pair of my pants I bought last week that didn't wash well, in an effort to see if that was a fluke.  I'm hopeful, but at least I'm one step closer to knowing if I need to return them).
31. I looked through Carter's backpack before the end of the weekend.
32. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and finished off with some weights and abs.
33. I put Carter to bed.  He not only told me that if I need him to help with cleaning (ideally in the kitchen as he likes using the hand broom), to just ask.  Then he prayed for my smell to come back, ideally as my Christmas gift.  Sweet kid.
34. I thoroughly enjoyed my apple pie.
35. I wrote a blog post.

So...35 little victories.  Not too shabby.  So many of them seem like mundane little things, but each one is one less thing I need to do later.  The bad news is that there's a really long list still waiting, but one thing at a time.  Next up--survive Monday!