Day 2309. After another short night it was tough getting up at 8:30 am on Saturday morning but I had a student at 9 am. I taught until 10 am, then I left the house with Tammy and Emmy to take them to their piano class. We did reading practice on the subway on the way there.
The class started at 10:30 am, and for the first time our kids were the only one there for their class. The whole music school was very quiet with lots of students obviously not there. It was eerie. For our kids, it was a foretaste of what it's gonna be like starting next fall, when they have their teacher to themselves. They had a good lesson, playing what they've been practicing and learning a new song to play that they'll be practicing until next time. She also did the two songs with them that they'll be singing at the end-of-semester party in January. We haven't been practising them so they didn't know the words any more. At the end they got their stickers and stamps, then we left.
We walked back to the subway and took the elevator down, when the kids suddenly realized that Tammy didn't have her mascot Max with her any more. I had not taken a picture of her with Max at their piano class and never seen it there. I thought that Tammy had left it on the subway coming downtown. She started crying. We decided to go back to the music school in case she had left it there. I didn't really have time for that as I had to teach at 1 pm. Back at the music school, Tammy quickly found Max. When they had played with the foam cubes before class, Tammy had put it down somewhere there, so it never came to class with her. I took her picture with Max, then we walked back to the subway for the second time.
Even with the detour, it was just after noon, when we got back home. I immediately started cooking a quick lunch, then we sat down to eat. I was glad when my 1 pm student canceled and moved my 2 pm student to 1:30 pm. Randy and Sammy left at 1 pm to go to Sammy's music class. I then taught from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. I was obviously very tired. Once I was done, we got ready to leave and all left the house together.
Sammy goes to horse therapy every Wednesday, and this afternoon the horse riding place had a Christmas celebration they invited everyone to. It had started at 4 pm but we got there at 4:30 pm.
When we got there, the show was under way. The different horses and riders were showing what they could do. People were sitting on benches and standing up watching. The kids went to the front while we found one free sit to go to with Sammy. Randy stayed there with him, while I went to the back to stand where Emmy then joined me. The program was long, and the kids (and I) were bored. Horses are not my thing. They also had one show with a dog and had four girls with a stickhorse do a show. They had another group do acrobatics on top of the horse. Randy suggested at one point we go home as there was nothing else going on there. All the food had to be purchased. However, there was horse riding after the show, and all the kids wanted to ride a pony/horse so we stayed and stuck it out.
And then the show was FINALLY done and over with. We went to the front for the horse riding and were lucky when there were only a few kids in front of us. Sammy is not able to wait for anything and he was eager to ride even though he does it every week anyway. And so he was the first one on top of the horse, and Daddy walked with him. Each kid got to go around the place once for 2 Euros. Emmy got on next and Tammy third. At one point Emmy's horse stopped to poop which Emmy thought was hilarious, and I even captured it on video.
Once back on the ground, we walked over to another horse that Tammy got to feed. The girl there had candy for the kids, so they all got some. Then it was finally time to leave. We walked to the exit where we saw Sammy's horse riding therapist for the second time and talked to her briefly, then we left and walked to the bus stop. Our hands were all frozen having been in the cold that long. It was 6 pm. We couldn't wait to get home and warm up. I made noodle soup for everyone that they appreciated. Then I made their sandwiches, followed by cutting up their fruit. While they were eating, I sat down at the computer to prepare my 8 pm student. My last evening student before Christmas. Then the kids went into the bathtub, followed by getting ready for bed. I barely had time to pray for them before having to sit down to teach from 8 to 9 pm.
Sunday, time to sleep in! Both Tammy and Emmy were sleeping next to me last night, one on the left and one on the right, after Tammy hadn't come in about a week. Emmy woke up early but then he wouldn't fall back asleep but kept me awake and wouldn't leave. Eventually he did leave but came back a few times waking me up while I kept begging him to let me sleep. They didn't even go downstairs so the noise level kept being too high for quality sleep. At 11 am I got up and went to the kitchen to cook lunch.
Just before noon we sat down to eat, then Randy left with Tammy and Emmy to take them to their maths club that starts at 1 pm. Sammy and I stayed home. I turned my computer on to catch up on work and helped Sammy as needed. At 1:30 pm Randy returned and played with Sammy, then he left again at 2 pm to go pick the kids up again. Just after 3 pm they were back home. We then went downstairs for piano practice. Tammy practiced long, for 25 minutes, but Emmy wasn't really in the mood and only did 15 minutes. We do more than the other kids in class as they're signed up for a piano-playing competition in Feburary that they have to practice for.
After piano practice it was time for what Tammy had been looking forward to: decorate the Christmas tree that has been sitting all bare in our living room. We got the boxes out, and Tammy and I started putting the string lights on the Christmas tree. It looked really pretty. Then Emmy and Sammy wanted to help as well when we put the balls and snowflakes on the tree. I was the one putting the hooks on them and then giving them to them. As for the chocolates to put on the tree, Randy hasn't bought them yet.
It was 5 pm, and the kids were hungry, so we went upstairs where I made their sandwiches and cut up their fruit. I got the cookie mix out and realized I had not taken the butter out of the fridge which meant that it was too hard to use. I then microwaved it and cooled it off. That way I was able to make the cookie dough and put it into the fridge to rest for an hour. The kids went into the bathtub and put their pj's on, and we also did the advent calendars. Finally no time constraints as I didn't have a student! But there was one. Just before 8 pm the cookie dough was ready to be used. Sammy went to bed, while the others joined me in the kitchen. I rolled out the dough, and they cut out the cookies of different shapes that I put on the baking paper. We baked three rounds of cookies in the oven, but by the time they were all done, they were already asleep. It was 8:45 pm before they made it to bed. And it was after 9 pm before I got to eat dinner. It was just like the nights when I teach utnil 9 pm.
