5 years 6 months

Day 2010. On Mondays Sammy goes to horse therapy instead of kindergarten. And so Randy left with Tammy and Emmy, while Sammy stayed with me. That meant no sleeping for me. He wanted to play, and he wanted to watch home videos which he did. At 10:15 am Randy left with him to go to horse therapy. Even though I was very tired, I stayed up and did some much-needed work. Then I went to the kitchen to cook.

Around noon Randy and Sammy came back home. The plan was for Randy to take Sammy with him to pick up the other two kids as I had a 1:30 pm student, but he preferred leaving right away to pick them up early and leave Sammy home with me. That meant no rest for me, as Sammy needed my constant attention.

At 1:30 pm I started teaching, even though Randy and the kids were not home yet. Sammy sat by the door with his tablet to greet them; it was 1:45 before they got home.

I finished teaching at 2:20 pm and was glad I didn't have a 2:30 student, which I usually do on Mondays. Instead I went downstairs with Tammy and Emmy to do piano practice with them. Then I lay down for a little bit.

Just before 4 pm I left with Tammy and Emmy, while Sammy stayed home with Daddy. We took two subways, then walked to the Robbo-Club premises. It was their third time since they started this class two weeks ago. I knew from last week that I was not allowed to stay in the class with them, and I had sat in an empty room during the class last week. For that reason I had brought my laptop and scheduled a student for 4:30 pm, which is the time the class started. It was the student who's always late, so that was perfect. I took the kids to their class and desk, and the teacher gave them their laptops and mice. Then I headed to the empty room and set up my laptop and mouse. The lady at the reception was so nice to give me the wifi information so I could connect to their network. I was ready to start teaching.

Everything was going well, until the lady from the reception came to me, saying that they needed the room for a meeting. Oh no. There were no other rooms there. So I took my computer and stuff outside to the reception and sat down on a chair. I put the computer on a chair in front of me, then on the reception desk and taught that way. By 4:35 I was done, as I had to add 15 minutes from another time to the lesson. Then I turned my computer off. After a while the receptionist returned, but I stayed on that chair until just before the end of the class.

Then I went inside the classroom to find out what they had done. They had used the same software again to make little videos/games-to-be, with moving figures.

The class was over, and we put our coats on and left to go home. Just after 6:30 pm we were back home. They had already eaten their bread, but I still had to cut up fruit for them to eat. Then they went into the bathtub, and from there it was a typical night.

Today was the only day of this week with nothing going on in the morning, and I took advantage of it. Especially after a tough night. Emmy had spent the whole night with me and had woken up frequently crying that his belly was hurting so bad, and one time he even threw up. And after four nights in her row sleeping in her own bed, Tammy joined us again in our bed. And so there was not much sleep last night. I ended up sleeping until noon today, which is unusally late.

I got up slowly and was glad that I didn't have to cook, as we still had leftovers from yesterday. Sammy came home a little later than usual today, at about 12:45 pm. Randy left again to go get the other kids.

Sammy had already eaten in kindergarten, but he also wanted some of the pasta I was eating. Then he had a pudding. Today Sammy's only concern was the package that was to come for him. My phone said that it was only one stop away, not knowing that it was still going to be hours before it was delivered. Sammy constantly asked about it and was impatient to get it, as it was his new Mickey costume.

At about 2:15 Randy and the kids arrived. I then went downstairs with Emmy to do piano practice, but didn't have time to do it with Tammy, as I still had to make their sandwiches to take with us. Just after 2:45 pm we took our scooters and left the house - just the three of us.

We took the subway and then the tram, then rode the scooters to the dance school. Tammy could have stayed at home, but she preferred coming with us. That way she also got to run her scooter.

Emmy's beakdance class started at 3:30 pm. Tammy had her tablet with her and stayed on it in the locker room. I went inside the dance studio from time to time to see what Emmy was doing and take pictures. They were doing somersaults and handstands, besides dancing. And the kids were rather rowdy today, which led to a stern speech from their teacher at one point. During one drinking break, Emmy came to me and asked me whether he was five and a half years old. I was surprised about the question and told him that TODAY EXACTLY he was that old! What are the chances that he would ask me that today!

Just before the class was over, I called Emmy out so we could get ready to leave. We rode our scooters to the tram stop and took the tram for 3 stops, then rode our scooters for one bus stop to the school, where their ball-playing class is taking place. This is the first class that will be canceled next semester; the only reason really why they are continuing it this semester is Sammy's friend Michi that Sammy wants to see.

We reached the school around 4:30 pm and saw Sammy and Daddy right away. We got changed and went inside the gym. Tammy and Emmy ran off to play, while the rest of us sat down along the wall. Moments later Michi walked in. He was playing ball with Sammy, while the two of us were talking at the same time. Tammy and Emmy were playing team games, most of them involving balls.

At 5:30 pm the class was over, and we got dressed again and left. As the bus only leaves at 5:53 pm, we had a quarter hour for them to play at the playground which they were very excited about. The sun was just going down, so it was getting pretty dark. Then we walked to the bus stop and rode the bus home.

At around 6:10 pm we were back home, and I warmed up some pasta for them and cut up fruit for them to eat. Then they went into the bathtub. After that, I put Sammy to bed with a prayer, then read a story to the other two. I was very tired, but still had a student at 8:10 pm. I put Tammy and Emmy to bed and sat down at the computer. I was waiting for my student, and waiting, and waiting. In the end, she never came because of internet issues. And so I went to the kitchen to get myself something to eat.

After having eaten, I went back to work. Now it's midnight, and I'm the only one up, but hope to make it to bed a little earlier, as I have to get up early tomorrow, plus it's a long day tomorrow.