Daily Routine

Ever since school started, both boys sleep at 20.30. They used to sleep at about 21.30. Gabby has to wake up very early at 6am. Poor boy usually by 8pm he`s exhausted. So, we`ve roughly settled into our new schedule pretty alright but it`s still a rush in the mornings especially since the school bus doesn`t wait if you`re not there.

So, here`s our daily schedule:

6.00
Mummy wakes up and prepares herself

06.15
Gabby wakes up
Eats a quick breakfast
Go potty
Change clothes

07.00
Lucas wakes up
Change clothes

07.20
Both boys have to be ready to walk out the door to get to Gabby`s bus stop up a hill (more on that below)

07.40
Gabby`s school bus arrives

07.50
Mummy & Lucas go back home
Lucas eats breakfast
Watches TV for awhile and play
Slips on school shorts and smock

08.35
Get into car to go to kindy about 4.5km away but morning traffic is sometimes bothersome

09.00
Reach kindy and Mummy drops him off

11.30 (1st week); 14.00 (2nd week onwards)
Fetch Lucas

14.25
Fetch Gabby

*Mon & Fri
15.00 both boys go for English class till 17.00

*Wednesdays (twice a month)
Boys have swimming lessons at 16.00 till 17.00

*Thursdays
Gabby has Day Service (in a special kids club) from 15.00 to 18.00


For the 1st week, Lucas` kindy ends at 11.30am so that kids can slowly adjust to being away from Mummy (blehh)
So Lucas & I have been eating happy lunches together while we wait for Gabby.
Gabby`s school bus reaches at 14.25 Mon,Tues, Thurs & Fri. On Wednesdays it reaches at 15.20

So far just for this week alone, it was hard, next week will be HARDER coz i have to pack Lucas` bento since school will go back to ending at 14.00 for the rest of the term. Urghhh

And since Terry has told me that for every month he is in Japan, he will go off for 14-16 days to New Zealand/KL. Because he wants to indulge in trying a new market otherwise he will get bored.

To say it`s been a frustrating week is an understatement. The amount of paperwork is incredible. The painstaking translation process is excruciating. I have to `snap a pic of the document` then bring into google translate and slowly read it and try to understand the mumble jumble that it translated in English as not everything is accurate. I think the first 2 days i really wanted to bury my head and cry. Plus Gabby`s school documents, it takes me nearly 1.5 to 2 hours each night.

Then, there was once i stayed too late into Lucas` kindy PTA and was late for Gabby`s bus for 7 minutes. The driver looked at me in disdain. I wanted to curl up. I wanted to just quit this whole Japanese school thingy. Why do i have to take this hard route, why not just go into International school. I probably will excel in that environment. At 40, am i really supposed to try and just suck it up and take this hard route? I don`t know. I really don`t.

Okay, so about the hill stuff. Our apartment is at the bottom of this slope. Up this slope is Gabby`s bus stop.

Now, you think it`s pretty harmless right? Just a small slope? Hah! Wait till you push the stroller, with Gabby in it and Lucas holding on to it!! Dead weight! No joke. By the time i got to the middle I`m ready to collapse. I know I`m not the fittest person but damned, it`s torture. Everyday i have to do this twice, another time at pick up. Only that Gabby`s not in it, just Lucas...urghhh

Of course i can drive, but then I`d have to lug both kids up the car, park at coin parking, pay 200yen, bring both kids down, lug one kid back up to the car and go home. So, unless it`s raining i don`t think this is easier.

End of first week, i foresee still many documents incoming, many more PTA meetings. here goes my free time.

Hello misery....