Month: September 2015

A new year, a new plan

Three weeks into the school year and I’m getting used to the 6:30 am wake up, but I have to set 3 alarms to keep me on track. 6:30 is to knock me out of my sleep, 6:45 is to remind me that I need to actually get out of bed and make sure Camille is awake so I can help her get dressed and eat, and finally 7:05 is the “go outside because the bus could come at any minute” signal. The boys wake up at 6 or 6:15, but I’d rather have her get a few more minutes of rest and she sets everything out the night before so our morning routine is fast. That’s my girl.

So far so good. Only a few tears in the morning (not mine) as Camille has been really tired on a few of the days, but she has pulled it together every day before the bus comes. Then I go back to bed for 45 minutes and read, pray/nap (every time I pray I fall asleep so I decided to make it a thing), or write this blog post before 2 more alarms remind me that it’s time to get back up and then time to get in the car to head to CrossFit. Yes, I’m still doing that 5 days a week. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it so that’s probably as good a review as you’ll ever get from me. I’ve made it a commitment that I have to keep so I don’t have to make the decision every day: “Do I go and work out?” Because my answer to that would be “No! Stay home and lie in bed and read this book or drink more coffee and knit while you watch TV.”

As soon as I had the above worked out, Calvin and Carter came home talking about Cross Country starting up. Which starts at 5:30 every morning. For the past 2 years we’ve been taking Calvin to school at crackodawn o’clock for soccer and basketball, but each year the seasons seem to get longer and the time seems to get earlier. I joked last year that I was going to hire a driver and spare myself the pain.

Three weeks into the school year with months of 5:15 departures stretched out in front of me? We hired a driver. Yep, just call me Expat Mom. I have a house cleaner and a car washer (and a pool guy and yard guy paid for by the landlord) so why not add to my household staff? Madame of the Manor. Good grief.

We called a friend and she had a recommendation and a few texts later Josh arranged for this guy to come pick up the boys at 5:15 yesterday morning. Josh got up with them, met him, shook hands and said, “every day at this time?” And we were set. It’s a small price to pay for an extra hour of sleep every morning. Hallelujah.

My alarm to get up for CrossFit just went off. I’m out!

1st day

First full week of school down, many, many more to go. In spite of casting off all the anchors holding me back (said totally tongue in cheek), I had very little free time this week. Trying to get all the Kid’s Church stuff finalized for our Fall semester, sorting through materials, and then dealing with the Revenge of the Cat. 
I won’t tell the entire story, because it’s a bit traumatic, but I will say that for an entire day I thought I was responsible for a kitten’s death, but it turned out to be an entirely different (and large) stray cat that chose to climb up inside the wheel well of my car and die. And remember I’ve been complaining how hot it is? Not a good mix. So that day was completely unproductive as I cried on the couch trying to escape the smell of death in my yard — discovered when I thought I had an oil leak, but quickly realized . . . . that’s not oil! 

Josh was my hero and with his tools and headlamp, unscrewed the wheel-well panel and disposed of the mess once he got home from work. The only good part about it was seeing how big and heavy the body was and realizing that it wasn’t the mama or any of the babies — hopefully it was an old stray who had lived a long life and decided my car was the perfect final resting place. Mama Cat probably sent him there. Anyway, I’ve had enough animal stress to hold me over for a long time. 
On to more pleasant topics: Camille’s first day! All hennaed up for the special occasion. 

The women at the salon were so happy to see her after our long break this summer. 

Scrambling to finish breakfast and finish dressing in the final minutes before the bus comes.

And off she goes! Hello Kitty shoes, My Little Pony socks, her German dirndl, her Middle Eastern henna, and her many accessories. An international mishmash.

She rode the bus with her brothers (she sat next to Caleb) and then I headed to school to meet her for Morning Meeting. 

Each morning they line up by class, have announcements, do the pledge, tell a few jokes and dance. Today was the Chicken Dance. 

She’s in class with a friend, Talia. 

The new kindergarteners are taking this very seriously

Aren’t they the cutest?!?

Ready to go off with their teacher. No tears for anyone. 

She rode the bus home by herself the very first day (because all of her brothers had sports after school). She loved it and told me she got to sit with a first grader who loved her henna. 

She is already commissioning a replacement dress for when she outgrows this one. 

At the end of the week — 4 days of work and 1 day of fun! (Her teacher’s motto. Thursdays are “fun days.”) Aside from being extra tired on Thurs morning (after late night Bible Study group Wed night), the transition has been a success.