This’ll cover the last two weeks…

Fave pic of the week

Highlights of the week…  They didn’t find anything abnormal in Gage’s 72 hour EEG!  He was a trooper and all three of us appreciated the cards and gifts you sent.  It really did help keep his spirits up.  After he was released we went home and packed and hit the road for the Washington DC area where we played tourists, visited and stayed with old friends and attended a wedding.  I’ll be honest, I was cooked by the end of the week, but it was worth it.

This week has been full of meetings- book club, friends board, event walk-through, but the highlight is that we finally ordered carpet for our family room.  The only room in the house we’ll have carpet.

Could’ve been better…  I feel like I could fill up this section with all of the things, but I will abstain this week because of Gage’s EEG.  They want a follow-up so we’ll see what they suggest next, but I’m feeling positive.

Books read for our September book a day challenge…

If you want daily pics of Gage’s books too you’ll need to follow me on Instagram.  I can barely keep up with reading my book and posting it on there!  We did take 4 days off when we traveled.  Book reviews will happen at some point in the future.

Plans for the weekend…As much as a quiet weekend appeals to me we have Jason’s company picnic today and then swimming with friends on Sunday.

Happy Labor Day weekend to all.  Gage checks in to the Cleveland Clinic for 3 nights and 4 days this weekend.  As soon as he’s checked out we head east to visit friends and attend a wedding.  Crazy week.

Fave pic of the week

 After a month of sleeping with my kid, per doctors orders, I can say that I am now looking forward to the 72 hour EEG just so we can get answers and hopefully get back to our own beds!.  Snapped this pic of my two nightly bed partners.  Razzi was on the floor next to the bed.  Kinda cracks me up that he’s got a Thomas pillow case and a train sleep shirt.  Amazingly, he couldn’t really care less about trains these past few years.

Highlights of the week… We saw The Lion King musical downtown this afternoon and it was fabulous.  I also took Gage to his first garage sale Friday and he was enthralled by what we could get for $1 or $2 🙂  Seriously, he was trying to convince me we needed a $2 chandelier 🙂

I should also mention that I appreciate SO MUCH the effort, big and small, that friends have have made to make Gage’s hospital stay a little better.  Honestly, some of the things you all come up with…a big teary thank you from this mama.

Could’ve been better…I don’t know, all of the stress.  So much to do for the hospital stay, our wedding trip, prepping for the library event I’ll be missing, and about a million other things that need done.

Finished reading… loved it,  loved it,  really good

Plans for the weekend…Do you know about the monthly challenge blog that Jason and I started a few years ago?  Well, I’ve taken over this year and for September, my 4th year in a row, I be attempting to read a book a day (minus the 5 days of our trip.  I’m crazy but not that crazy). The last two years Gage has participated.  Here’s our pic of 30 possible reads…

I intend to keep up to date on the reads on Instagram (stacybuckeye).  I should also note that this pic was 30 minutes before a date with Jason and after 2 bites of ravioli in marinara sauce, this shirt will probably never be worn again.

It’s been two weeks since I posted because last weekend Jason and I went out of town to the Shawshank Reunion Anniversary events.  I posted some pics on FB and IG so I won’t post again, but it was a really fun time.  When we got home I took Gage to a back to school breakfast at the church down the street and then we met friends at the Wizard of Oz musical at a local college.  I’m looking forward to a quieter weekend!

Fave of the week

Highlights of the week…Before Gage started 1st grade I took him on a cruise along the Cuyahoga River and a bit of Lake Erie and told him we should make it a yearly thing.  He’s held me to it and last year and this year we invited Dad and Grandma too.  I leave them alone for 10 minutes and this is what Jason has done to his hair.  The first day of school went well and he’s a fan of his new teachers.

Could’ve been better…I’m not sleeping well.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Gage will get a 72 hour video EEG in September.  The doctor recommended that I continue sleeping in the same room with him.  So, the last 3+ weeks Gage has moved into our bed and real sleep is elusive.  The first week was fine, but the 3-5 hours of sleep is starting to wear on me.  I’m not 25 anymore!

Finished reading... (review)

Finished listening...

Recommended kids book of the week… Gage and I both loved this pictorial history of how NYC’s Central Park came to be.

Continued reading... It’s my morning devotional book and I’m really liking it. 

Started listening...

On the big screen…I’m no Quentin Tarantino fan, but this was so different.  I actually thought it was boring some of the time, not something I’ve ever said about a Tarantino film.  Obviously this was Jason’s pick.

On the small screen…This week we received $5 cash in the mail from Nielsen telling us that they were interested in talking to us about becoming a Nielsen family.  Jason and I are still laughing.  Four nights this week for a total of four episodes of Justified on Amazon Prime.  That’s it.  Gage has watched a few episodes on Spongebob and that has been the total of our household TV viewing.  I’m not sure we’re Nielsen material but I appreciate the $5.

Plans for the weekend…We have a few good options for Sunday, but will most likely go with Big Bounce America for Gage.

Fave Pic

 There weren’t many rides at the fair, but the swings made him happy.

Highlights of the week This was the last full week Gage has at home before he starts 3rd grade.  He’s got Lego camp next week and a few more days and then, poof! School starts.  Last weekend I had the 24 hour read-a-thon and it was a lot of fun.  And the fundraiser for DBSA Solon was a wonderful afternoon at a renovated home in Shaker Heights.  I’m sharing a few photos because it really was hard to believe that people lived here!

We also went to the Cuyahoga County Fair for the first time and I fell in love with pretty much every animal in the rabbit and chicken barn, lol.  I’m a city girl and was amazed at the variety.

Could’ve been better  Well, for the past few weeks Gage has been waking up with nightmares every few nights, completely out of the blue.  And then he woke up and got sick two nights in a row.  So, we headed to a doctor who was lovely, but mentioned sleep seizures as a possibility and ‘as a mother’ would recommend being in the room with him when he sleeps.  And to touch base with her on Monday.  So, sleep is…tricky.  It’s only been two nights so we’ll see.  Prayers are always appreciated.

Finished reading…and Sound Bites:Life Lessons By a Boy Who Ha Autism.

Continued reading  as part of a TLC book tour I was supposed to have this review up days ago, but I still have two chapters left that I’ll finish when I take over bed duties from Jason in a bit.

Plans for the weekend As part of house renovations we now have a room ready for Gage to use for Lego City so his #1 goal this weekend is to go and buy all of the necessary tables. As for me, I’d love to go see a movie.  Have you seen a good movie at the theater lately?

Fave pic of the week

 I didn’t post last weekend because I was at my family ‘girls’ weekend.  We were in Madison, Ohio, only 40 minutes from me, and our rented house was within 10 minutes of at least 4 wineries, probably more but that’s all we managed to visit.  I always appreciate the time and effort from everyone to make this happen every year.  Next year my mom and I are in charge of planning.

Highlights of the week  This week Gage didn’t have camp (next week either) so we picked up Grandma and headed to the President McKinley Library & Museum and Memorial.  It was 55 minutes from home and was a full day affair after we stopped at Aladdin’s for a very late lunch and a quick stop in Books a Million where Gage bought a Lego set and I bought up the board game Labyrinth.  It was a fun day.  Also, Gage was so proud of himself for completing the library Summer Reading Challenge.  We made a special trip to the library so he could get his free book.

Could’ve been better  They have started ripping up our side of the street so it’s 2 more weeks of parking on the cul-de-sac and walking through our neighbor’s yard.  But at least we got front row seats to how it was done.

Finished reading   and listening  both of which I reviewed here on the blog.

Still reading  and Started reading .

On the Small Screen  We wrapped up season 3 of Stranger Things and I finally finished the last season of New Girl.  And we’ve starting watching a few shows a week of Justified.  I love Timothy Olyphant so I’m a fan.

Plans for the weekend  We have a wedding tonight at 5:30 and then there’s this

On the way home from the reception (whatever time that will be) we’ll start listening to a Stephen King Book in the car and then I’ll see if I can make it the rest of the 24.  I’ll post updates in IG.  I’m stacybuckeye if you want to follow. Here’s my stack to choose from

Anyone else giving the reverse readathon a try?

I’ve been absent this week, because Gage had a rare week of no camps so we were able to spend lots of quality time together.  It was a really good week even though the heat has been a bit unbearable the last few days.

Fave pic of the week

 This may be a pic that that only a mom can love, but every time I look at it I crack up.  Gage got a haircut this week and because she offered I told her to spike it up into a mohawk.  Gage doesn’t like gel in his hair so his reaction was priceless.  He proudly showed it off the rest of the day 🙂

Highlights of the week  We did go to the Tall Ship Festival last weekend with my parents.  The ships were cool, but the lines were long and there wasn’t as much for Gage to do as I was led to believe from the promotions.  It was still fun and I have a new favorite shot of dad and son… .  On Friday we visited the Botanical Garden with Grandma and we spent a very hot few hours there.  It’s one of our favorite places and we hadn’t been in awhile… It was so hot he had the sand box to himself for 30 minutes (at least it was in the shade) We had a fun play date with an old friend on Tuesday and yesterday Gage and Jason went swimming at another friend’s house (the highlight here is that I got some alone time in the house 🙂 )

Could’ve been better  No real complaints this week.  Even a doctor’s appointment that involved taking blood and a hand x-ray turned out just fine.  It was routine and not a big deal.

Finished reading  I finished  and wrote about it here.  Gage and I finished up our months long President studies by finishing , a great book for kids.  Well, okay, we both learned a lot 🙂

Still reading   and started listening to 

Watching on the small screen We finished season 4 of Game of Thrones which is where I started watching originally and started the third season of Stranger Things last night.

Plans for the weekend  The weekend’s almost over, but Jason took Gage to play tennis.  This morning Gage said, “Do I have to go?  I don’t see the point of it.  It’s just hitting a little ball.” LOL.  As you can see he did have to go and Jason just texted me to tell me he did great.

So what did you do this week to escape the heat?

Fave pic

Gage was at horse camp this week and he loved it!  This was at the therapeutic horse farm that he took lessons from when he was younger.  He told me he missed the horses so we signed him up this week.  So glad we did.  I didn’t think he’d be interested enough for 6 hours a day but they kept the kids busy and he came home a sweaty, happy mess every day 🙂

Highlights of the week Well, I did go the the Author Alley that I mentioned last week and it made me feel good to see so many readers crowding around the 52 authors at the independent bookstore.  And on another bookish note, my book group had Christmas in July this week.  We met at a restaurant and brought the books that we’d received at out Christmas exchange.  I ended up bringing Hillbilly Elegy home in a more than fair trade.  Oh, and Jason and I snuck in a weekday date with dinner and a movie (John Wick 3).

Could’ve been better  They’ve started work on our street and it’s been disruptive to say the least.  They are starting with the cul-de-sac circle, but since we are the next driveway there are always trucks in or blocking our driveway.  And because our house wraps around the corner we have the biggest front yard on the street, which means we have the porta john, everyone’s mailboxes, all extra equipment they are not quite ready to use and currently half of the street’s trash cans in our front yard.  sigh  This may be what shows up in this section every week for a while 🙂

Reading  I finished and reviewed The Dinner List and spent time with

Listening  I’ve started a few audio books but have abandoned them.

Watching on the small screen I’ve been gone most nights this week.  In addition to what I already mentioned I had the library board meeting on Monday.  I think Jason and I managed one episode of Game of Thrones and one episode of Justified.

On the big screen  Jason gets to pick our movies for a bit longer because he won our March Madness bet this year, but for some reason he chose something I wanted to see (he’s good that way).  Why do I like the John Wick movies?  I have no idea.  I spent much of the movie looking way or closing my eyes in disgust at the violence.  I love Keanu Reeves and I liked the story in the first two, but this one not so much.

So, what’s been happening in your neck of the woods?

Fave pic off the week

 We needed a new pic of the three of us!

Best part of the week  Well, we spend some lovely hours today with our friends, the guys swimming and the moms talking non-stop, BUT I have to say getting a new AC after going over a week without one in the sweltering heat wins the week.  The local fireworks with the three of us and my mom was nice too 🙂

Could’ve been better  Remember how excited I was to go to the wedding reception last week and eat all of the wedding cake?  Well, it turns out you can be at a wedding reception for 4 hours and still not get cake 😦

Reading  I just started my first Mary Stewart.

Listening   I just finished today and I loved it!

Watching on the small screen  We’re still working our way through season 4 of Games of Thrones.  Once we finish that we’ll catch up with the kids in Stranger Things.

Plans for the weekend  It’s All-Star weekend here in Cleveland and they have a lot of fun things set up for kids downtown.  Depending on the weather we’ll probably get there.  And hopefully Jason and I will catch a movie when Gage is at Grandma’s tomorrow.  There is also an Author Alley (20+ local authors all there to sign and sell their books) at my favorite independent bookstore tomorrow, but seeing how it’s 1:30 am I’ll have to decide if it’s worth it when I wake up.

Favorite thing I got in my mailbox  The picture doesn’t do it justice but I love this postcard I received from Dennis in Los Angeles.

What’s been happening in your next of the woods?

Fave pic of the week

 Oh, he is so proud of this sign.  Our county library system is giving them to patrons who signed up for the summer reading program.  He still struggles, but with extra effort we are able to stay afloat.

Best part of the week  I had coffee with a long time friend?  As I look back at my week that’s the only thing that stands out.  And that is enough because she is always good company.  Our boys were at camp together this week.

Could’ve been better  Hm.  Gage had three wonderful days at camp, out in the woods at a farm and then came home with bug bites covering his body, most turning into angry welts by Thursday morning.  The worst one is still swollen now, two days later.  So, out of an abundance of caution he stayed home the last two days.  In our house that has been without AC all week.  It’s midnight and 82 in here right now 😦

Reading  I’ve spent quality time with all three of these books this week…

Listening  Okay, as some stay at home moms know, camp or school is time you have have already scheduled for yourself.  I am greedily listening to  in the car and when Gage stayed home the last two days that meant an hour each day that I didn’t have to finish.  I love it and I’m thisclose to finishing.

Watching on the big screen Gage and I went to see The Secret Life of Pets 2 today at the theater, mainly to escape the heat.  It was cute.

Watching on the small screen  Jason and I finished up season 3 of Game of Thrones a few days ago.  I have season 4 checked out of the library so we’ll probably start next week.

Plans for the weekend  Gage has swimming in the morning and Jason and I have a wedding reception.  My parents are out of town so we had to find a sitter for the first time in three years!  When Gage was a wee baby I had two sisters who live two houses away come over for a few hours at a time to give me some non-Gage time.  Well, their little sister is now old enough to babysit 🙂  Gage is excited and so am I.  I saved up my gluten and sugar day for all the wedding cake I can eat!