The weekend of 1/23 was great for GSD! I had a somewhat short, thoughtful, targeted list of things to do and got it nearly all done.

Saturday, I took F to get her first pair of glasses. We also went to Mom’s Organic Market, tried a new crepes place for lunch (we were the only ones there), and stopped in to CVS. We had a lovely time. I made baked lemon garlic tilapia and mashed potatoes for dinner. I spent a lot of time online looking at couch and curtain options. After dinner, Tom and I played poker with N and F, which was pretty funny. (Not as funny as our epic Pictionary battles.)

On Sunday the kids did a bunch of cleaning. I looked at still more couches. Hit up Target for a few necessities, then walked around the corner to claim a free 2021 calendar from my Buy Nothing group. I also got a free Philadelphia magazine from the group the day before. Then the coup de grace: I found curtains at macys.com for $11 a panel for F’s room. They are pink with stars, which is what she wanted.

We ordered dinner, but I made lunch to bring on Monday. I listed something else on Buy Nothing and finally took the tree and lights down.

Monday: Spaghetti and meatballs from the freezer for dinner. F had soccer practice. Had a long phone call with my dad talking local politics. Spent a lot of time practicing times tables with F (this continued all week) after a dismal test performance. T and N got haircuts. Tom got a lot of stuff done around the house, organizing and fixing a drafty window.

Tuesday: I splurged on a gingerbread latte from Konditori, heading into work. But I can’t do it any more because their lattes are like rocket fuel. I can walk on the ceiling after drinking half. I packed lunch again! (a microwave meal). Tom made Popeye copycat chicken sandwiches for dinner. Had physical therapy. Spent some time thinking about camps for summer. CAMP MUST HAPPEN! I don’t care how much they complain or how much it costs.

Wednesday: Lunch from the Mediterranean food court place. (Zaffron?) My new favorite. So good. Dinner: chicken nuggets, broccoli, strawberries. Then it was off to pick up our new foosball/air hockey/pool table, courtesy of Buy Nothing! So perfect for N and F.

Thursday: Worked late. Tom made dinner (hamburgers). Bought soup for lunch. We started watching season 3 of The Crown.

Friday: Frigid cold descended. I splurged on a door-to-door ride from Lyft instead of taking the train. Worth every penny. A soft pretzel for lunch. Pizza for dinner. Used a coupon at CVS. Managed to get my food order scheduled for Sunday and got up to date on my budget spreadsheet. Cleaned and straightened up after dinner, then just relaxed, watched the Sixers. F aced today’s math quiz!

Saturday: F and I had another outing. We went to the new location of the local Habitat Restore, but didn’t find anything good. Then we went to Target and ended up buying a pillow with arms and another big pillow to make a kind of chair for her room. I definitely get too carried away when it comes to her room, but… it really looks cute now. And I’m done. I’m not buying her anything else. (The curtains totaled $44 and the pillows, about $50.) Next was PetSmart, then Mom’s Market for fruit, veggies and chicken. Back home, she and I cleaned up and decluttered her room and set up her new stuff. Dinner was bacon and eggs for some, egg salad sandwiches for others. Later, Tom and I puzzled late into the night on this new puzzle that is… not easy!

Sunday: I had mentioned yesterday that I felt like making sea salt chocolate chip cookies. So young T decided to make them today. They are delicious! I love having a baking enthusiast in the house. Rest of the day was mostly laundry, kitchen cleanup and excitement for the snow. My sister and nephews stopped by too. Dinner: baked chicken thighs, baked potatoes, roasted Brussel sprouts, and corn. If you’re keeping track, we avoided takeout six out of eight nights! I used this seasoning combo, from Spend with Pennies:

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (I just had regular salt on hand)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon rosemary

The parsley, thyme and rosemary were from my garden — the batches I dried recently. I think this was the first time ever that a child didn’t complain about “something green” being on the chicken.

All week I’ve been going back and forth on email with a shop in regard to having a new slipcover made for the couch. I think that’s the route I’m going to go. The person I’m working with has been so helpful and I just really appreciate not having to take the time to go into the store.

So it’s Sunday night. The house is pretty clean and organized. I’m a little closer to a “new” couch. I’m very close to cutting a check to Camp StructuredSummerFunTimes. No doubt that part of the allure of camp right now is the idea that things will be normal by then. The main grocery order came today so we are all set for the snow. I will be working from home tomorrow.