5 years 4 months 10 days

Day 1958. This is the fourth day in a row we have not gone anywhere, which is unusual. I guess we're enjoying the Christmas break, especially as it's about go get really busy again. Of course I still had to work - teaching, as well as doing office work for the ministry in relation to the change of year. I wished I could say that I'm more rested, but the opposite is true. Emmy has been sick, coughing mainly, and so the nights have been rougher than usual, especially last night. And because the heating downstairs is not working - for the second winter in a row - it's 17 degrees Celsius, so that the kids spend more time upstairs, which means too much noise for me to sleep in in the morning.

The kids now wake up over an hour later than when they go to kindergarten every day, even Sammy. And especially Sammy misses kindergarten and is looking forward to going back on Tuesday. Tammy misses her friend there, and Emmy misses kindergarten, but they both don't like their main teacher much.

On New Year's Eve it had started snowing, but on January 1st there was no time for the kids to go outside and enjoy the first snow of the winter. They went outside the next day, on Thursday, with Randy, while I was teaching. They took their sleds with them and sled down a hill and on the path for a while. Sammy wasn't too excited, and they all returned home earlier than I had expected.

On Wednesday they didn't go outside in the afternoon, as we were waiting for a couple to come by. I had posted on Facebook that we needed someone to put up some lights, as I had given up on Randy ever doing it after a year and a half of asking him to do it. This couple had responded, and I was excited for it to finally get done.

They came just before 4 pm, and the husband put up the ceiling light in the kids' bedroom. It has different colors and even a speaker. Then he put a little light in my pantry, and a whiteboard in my office. I was talking with his wife, while the husband was working, and we were watching and helping as needed. It was a Christmas present for me for this to get done, and I was very thankful.

I didn't have any students on January 1st, but on the second I started teaching again. I had 3 students both on Thursday and on Friday, and did office work the rest of the time, even at night until midnight or 1 am. I didn't have any students today, on Saturday, but continued doing office work.

I had to print and had to go downstairs to my office to do so. I also did piano practice both with Tammy and Emmy; we had started practicing again the day before yesterday. I was also surprised, when Emmy said he wanted to work on writing, as that's his weakness as he does not really enjoy it. So we took some books downstairs, and he was tracing lines. I also showed him how to write his full name Emmanuel, and not just Emmy, as they have to know how to do so before they start school in September. I did the same with Tammy, but Tamara is easier than Emmy's long name.

Tammy wanted to do do some cutting and glueing and coloring, and I had just the right book for that. She did an excellent job. Emmy also did one paper, but cutting is also hard for him. Tammy also wanted do have some blank paper and created some letters, writing and folding paper. Then she showed me a drawing she had made, and I had to take her picture. What five-year-old draws music - lines with musical notes!

Because of the cold, they soon wanted to go upstairs. I finished what I had to do downstairs, then we went upstairs. Randy is eager to take down the Christmas tree, but I convinced him to wait until Monday, which is a holiday, because we celebrate the Magi coming to Jesus.

Once upstairs, I soon started making their dinner, which started our evening routine. Tomorrow, we'll be leaving the house again - for the first time this year, if you don't count the sledding right outside our apartment.