Although I should have been getting ready for Tessie’s party, I had to watch John’s last bowling tournament for the year. With all the safety protocols in place, parents were not allowed to attend the tournament so the coach used Facebook Live to allow us to watch our boys play.

John was named Co-Captain of the team because he was always staying positive and always looking for ways to improve. The coach felt he was a great role model for the rest of the team. Well today I got to see that side of him. After each player’s turn John congratulated them on a good frame, fist bumped them, and always encouraged them to keep going. Every time he got a strike or a spare he would shout Let’s go Baby! He would joke with the coach, look at the camera, and make goofy faces. At the end of the tournament the coach told the boys to thank their fans. The boys were busy packing up their belongings so no one showed up . . . except John. He popped up on the screen smiled and in a little kid voice said Hi Mommy! Thank you for watching me bowl with my friends today. I love you! I couldn’t stop laughing with my boy’s easy going personality that everyone loves.

Fast-forward to Tessie’s birthday party with my mom and sisters and the laughter continued between us adults remembering stories about my dad. I think this is one of the first times in the past 2 years since my dad passed away that I can talk about him and not break down crying. It felt good to to talk about him and truly laugh.

Throughout the night, my kids and my nieces and nephew talked and laughed and had a blast hanging out all together. Watching them and listening to them made me so happy.

This laughter-filled day filled my heart with love and gratitude.

13! My sweet, smart, beautiful Tessie is now a teenager!

Tessie is the sister that has taken care of her older brothers since she could walk. I would tell them to put their shoes on because we were leaving and she would run, get their shoes, and lift their leg to put their foot in the shoe. She is the one that goes to all of their basketball, baseball, bowling, and volleyball games. Tessie is the one that will blow a fan on Andrew when his skin burns from his eczema.

At 9:00 pm when Andrew asks, “Tessie, what’s for dessert?”

Without missing a beat she responds, “Molten lava cake.”

“Make it happen,” he says and off she goes to the kitchen because she knows how happy it will make them.

Tessie is the one that will take her dad’s socks off and give him a foot massage after a long day at the restaurant. She gives me back massages, foot scrubs, and scalp massages to help me relax, as well as giving me a warm blanket and fuzzy socks when I’m freezing (but too lazy to go upstairs to get them).

She goes out of her way to choose gifts that are specific to everyone in our family, even when I would prefer to give a gift card or cash to make it easy on myself.

Today it’s our turn to spoil her. We will celebrate by going to Wildfire for Filet and mashed potatoes, opening a couple of gifts, and getting ready for her party.

Tomorrow we celebrate with my side of the family and next week with my husband’s side of the family. We usually have everyone together, as well as my cousins and their families. But with everything going on and not everyone vaccinated, we are keeping the parties smaller and including only our immediate families.

Happy 13th Birthday to my sweet, smart, strong, sassy, 13 year-old Tessie!

Tomorrow is Tessie’s 13th birthday. She is the kid that is so extra. She makes the best cards, buys the thoughtful gifts, wraps the presents in wrapping paper that matches the recipient. She makes you feel important and loved on your special day!

So now it’s my turn to shower her with the little things that will show her I thought of her and what she likes.

UM . . . this takes planning ahead of time and that is NOT where I excel.

She had some sweatshirts and pajamas in my Nordstrom “shopping cart” so last night hit “purchase”. They will be available for pickup tomorrow. I thought I purchased door decorations for her, but when I unchecked the box that it’s not a gift, what I actually did was removed it from my shopping cart. I reordered it tonight. It should be here tomorrow, even though I was hoping to decorate her door tonight so she can wake up to it decorated. I called to order a birthday cake today. A specific birthday cake: chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream in the middle and on top, rose gold that looks like it is pouring down the sides, with white flowers. The first bakery said they would need at least a week or two, the second bakery said they need more time than just two days. Thankfully the third bakery said they could do it. Thank God.

Dinner tomorrow night at Wildfire for steak and mashed potatoes. Half of the family birthday party Saturday and the other half of the family next Saturday.

I hope her birthday is as special as she makes all of us feel.

Sitting on the couch, I hear the dings coming through my phone:

My sisters asking if we heard from my cousin about a construction project he is doing for my mom.

My nieces and my kids on our family group text posting funny memes, old photos of the kids, pictures of my dad, videos of when they were younger, and lots of jabs at each other.

My girlfriends (-1) planning our friend Jane’s 50th birthday celebration. She is the 1st to turn 50 in the group so we are trying to figure out where we will take her to celebrate.

Then the phone rings: my nephew, Kosta. He is heading home from the city, so he decided to call me on his drive home.

“Hey Kooks. I thought I would call like the younger person I am.”

In Greek, there is a saying that you would do things for your elders out of respect. My parents many times would say, “Can you get me a glass of water, since you’re younger.” When Kosta was away at college and I wouldn’t hear from him I would call him and say, “Hey Kosta. I thought I would call you like the younger person I am,” and he would respond, “Thank you, young one for thinking of your elder.”

“Yes, yes! I’m glad you did, Elder. What’s going on?” We both laughed.

“Nothing. I haven’t talked to you in awhile and I wanted to see how you guys are doing.”

We talked for the next half hour about everything and nothing in particular. I treasure my relationship with all my nieces, but Kosta was my first nephew, the only nephew for 5 years before his sister came along. On his 16th birthday they had gone out to eat as a family and I surprised him by stopping by to just say “Happy Birthday” in person and later than night he sent me a text saying, “You surprising me was the best birthday gift. Happy 16th Anniversary of being best friends”. I love him with my whole heart!

Tessa, my 12 year old daughter, loves to bake. She has been baking for a few years now. I signed her up for a baking class over the Summer of 2018 at a bakery. The baker showed them how to frost sugar cookies, and make and decorate cupcakes and a 3-tier cake. She absolutely loved this class, made all that much better because her cousin/BFF Franny was with her.

Franny and Tessie enjoy baking together every chance they get. They decided to call their “company” Fancy Treats (F for Franny and T for Tessie). They were hired by my cousin to make Harry Potter red velvet cupcakes and my parents’ 50th Anniversary cakes, as well as baking cheesecakes, cookies, and cakes for family gatherings. Excited is an understatement.

Well, when the pandemic hit, the gatherings stopped, but her baking did not. I tried to broach the subject carefully. “Hey Tess, we really don’t need to be making desserts every night.”

“I know! It’s because I have diabetes.”

I knew that’s where her mind was going to go. “No, it’s because it’s not healthy for any of us. Have we ever had dessert every single day?”

“No, I guess not,” she looked defeated.

“But, we do need to eat dinner every single night.”

Her face lit up. She grabbed her computer and began looking up recipes. Over the last year she has made chicken piccata, chicken parmigiana, penne pasta with peppers and italian sausage, beeftekia (Greek hamburgers), filets with peppercorn sauce and blue cheese crusts, along with many desserts.

Tonight, we are making chicken piccata, angel hair pasta, and garlic bread. We are both so excited to cook together again.

I’ve got nothing!

I woke up and realized it was Monday.

Not just Monday, but Monday and a migraine.

Not just Monday with a migraine, but the gas light on and “10 miles” displayed.

Not just Monday with a migraine and the gas light on with only 10 miles to go, but the day that I also have to drop the boys off at school.

Not just Monday with a migraine and the gas light on with only 10 miles to go and having to drop the boys off at school, but I forgot to grab my Coke.

Not just Monday with a migraine and the gas light on with only 10 miles to go and having to drop the boys off at school without my Coke, but I grabbed a mask that was too tight.

Not just Monday with a migraine and the gas light on with only 10 miles to go and having to drop the boys off at school without my Coke and with a mask that is too tight, but a meeting afterschool.

Not just Monday with a migraine and the gas light on with only 10 miles to go and having to drop the boys off at school without my Coke and with a mask that is too tight and a meeting afterschool, but having to write for Slice of Life.

I’ve got nothing!

Sunday is a day of rest, but only if you didn’t rest on Saturday.

I had all the best intentions – I even took my work computer with me when I went to visit my mom, but I hadn’t seen my mom in a week so we talked, caught up, grabbed lunch, and talked some more. Then my sisters came over and we had to tell them all the stuff we had just finished talking about with my mom. After our 5 hour visit, the kids and I began our 40 minute drive home. “When we get home, I have to work on my school stuff,” I warned them.

“Go ahead. We don’t bother you. You’re the one that is on the phone with your friends or reading a book or taking a nap or doing laundry. We’re just gaming.”

They aren’t lying, My kids are not the distraction. My motivation is.

We walk in the door and I as soon as I see my husband is home from work already I start, “I don’t have anything for dinner . . .”

“That’s OK. We can go out or if you have work to do we can just order something for delivery or I’ll pick it up.”

I KNOW what my response should be, but I respond, “No, let’s go out. we haven’t gone out in awhile. I can work on my stuff when we get home.”

Once we got home I was on the phone with my girlfriend, throwing in a few loads of laundry, before I settled on the couch to read a book that I’ve been meaning to start for over a month now.

Since Saturday was my day of rest, Sunday cannot be my day of rest.

I love my Girl Scout cookies! I love Tagalongs!

My obsession with these chocolate covered peanut butter cookie patties goes back years. When my dad would order girl scout cookies for us he allowed us to pick 10 boxes each so my sisters and I didn’t fight over the cookies. All ten of my boxes were Tagalongs. Once we no longer were in Girl Scouts we hunted down the neighborhood girls to get our yearly fix.

As I moved into adulthood, I turned to co-workers’ daughters and my nieces to supply me with my obsession. I ordered 30 boxes from my nieces year after year. The Girl Scout Cookie Mom was trying to be helpful when I picked up the cookies by offering me advice, “The cookies freeze really well. That way they don’t go bad by the time you enjoy them all”

“Oh! They won’t have time to go bad. They’ll all be gone in a month.”

She looked at me trying to figure out if I was joking or not. Sadly, I wasn’t. I would eat a box of Tagalongs everyday for the next 30 days.

I have since cut down drastically in my order. Last month I ordered only 10 boxes. They were gone 5 days later. I knew I have to wait 360 days before I would taste them again.

Until today. I went to Mariano’s and right outside the door was a Girl Scout Troop selling Girl Scout cookies. I spotted the red box and excitedly said, “I’ll take all of your Tagalongs.”

“We only have 2 boxes left.”

I sadly handed over my $10. I guess 2 boxes will have to be enough.

Not everything goes according to plan.

Plans: Leave work right at 3:30 pm.

Reality: I stopped by my “old” teaching partner to catch up and another “old” friend came by to talk.

Plans: Stop at the post office to send a package.

Reality: I forgot I had the package in my car and by the time I remembered it, I was too lazy to pull out of the driveway to head to the post office.

Plans: Pay bills and go through all of the paperwork I’ve been putting off.

Reality: My mother-in-law was over baking with Tessie so she stayed for a while and we were catching up.

Plans: Work on my blog, comment, work on my book club assignment.

Reality: Passed out on the couch from 6:00 – 7:45 pm.

Plans: Go out to have a nice dinner with Pete and the kids.

Reality: Pete and Andrew went to buy shoes and ate Meatheads (since we were all sleeping), Tessie ate leftovers from Yiayia, John ate at bowling, I’m warming leftovers to eat (at 10:20 pm).

Plans: Go to my mom’s on Sunday so we can spend the day with Pete on Saturday (a rare day off).

Reality: Go to my mom’s on Saturday because Pete is not taking the day off.

Let’s see if the rest of my weekends go according to plans!

As exhausted as I was yesterday, I kept my appointment for my facial. I needed that time to care of me. My girlfriend then texted asking if I wanted to go for a pedicure and grab dinner. I took advantage of the fact that I was already out and met her. We spent a few hours catching up on the kids, our worries, our hopes, and laughed until we closed the restaurant.

Today, Pete took the boys out to watch the Hawks game so I had some time with Tessie. We went out for dinner and she filed me in on all her plans for her 13th birthday. We finished the evening off with snuggling on the couch going through the menu for her party and her birthday wish list.

The last two days were exactly what I needed this week!