Day 2287. This was week 12 of the kids being at school. This week they learned the letter "n" which is used a lot in German. They're doing really well reading, Emmy better than Tammy. Emmy also had a perfect score on their dictation on Friday, while Tammy had a few mistakes but she also got a "super" this week.
Monday
On Monday I had a 10 am doctor's appointment so I left the house at 9:15 am. I got home just before 11:30 am and started cooking. I had a student scheduled for 12:30 pm but when my 4:45 pm student canceled, the 12:30 pm student moved to that time slot. That allowed me to go to the gym after having eaten which is what I usually do on Mondays if I'm able to go at all during that week. I got there just after 12:30 pm and stayed nearly an hour, then I took the subway for one stop to pick up Sammy at the school there. I found out that Sammy had received his new walker, and the school later sent me some pictures and videos of Sammy walking with it. Just before 2 pm we were back home.
At 2:30 pm I started teaching just as Randy returned from having picked up Tammy and Emmy from school. After I was done, I made their sandwiches, then I left with Tammy and Emmy just after 3:45 pm. We took two subways then walked to the premises of their programming club. It was early but I left them there and walked to the McDonald's closeby where I taught my 4:45 pm lesson. After I was done, I returned to see what the kids had done which was programming a little device. They then shut their computers down, said good-bye, and we left. They ate their sandwiches on the way to the subway and on the subway home. But we got off early for a 6:30 pm bread pickup. As it was not 6:30 pm yet, we looked through a little gift shop there and the kids picked a gift for Daddy and one for Mommy to give them at Christmas. Then we picked up our bread and went home.
Back home, I cut up their fruit, they ate, then we went downstairs for piano practice followed by the bathtub. After I had prayed for them, they went to bed while I sat down to teach at 8 pm.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I taught from 9:30 to 12, then warmed up leftovers for Randy and myself. Randy always leaves the house just after 1 pm, while I leave around 1:20 pm. However, Sammy was home on Tuesday as they had a training day at his school. Randy returned with Tammy and Emmy at 2:30 pm, and I went downstairs with them to do piano practice as I didn't have a student. At 3 pm Randy left with Emmy to take him to soccer practice. 45 minutes later I left with Tammy and Sammy to go there as well. We took the subway and bus this time, then walked to the school in the rain. After Emmy had come out from his soccer class, we all walked to the bus stop. Randy and Tammy went one way to go to Tammy's ballet class, while I took the boys home.
By 5:15 pm we were back home. I cut up their fruit for them to eat, then sat down to teach at 6 pm. I finished just before 7 pm, then Randy and Tammy returned. My 8 pm student had canceled which gave me more time to read some Bible stories to the kids before they went to bed.
Wednesday
On Wednesday I taught from 10 am to 12:30 pm, then I cooked lunch. Randy soon left to pick up Sammy and take him straight to horse riding therapy that started at 2 pm. That meant I had to pick up Tammy and Emmy from school. I took the 1:12 pm bus and got there pretty quickly. As you have to wait outside the school building for them to come out, I went to the grocery store there so I would not have to stand in the cold so long. At 1:50 pm they came out of the building, and we took two buses home where we arrived after 2:30 pm. I again suggested we'd get piano practice done while I had time. I started teaching at 3:30 pm and was done an hour later.
Normally I then rush to get out the door with Tammy and Emmy but not this time. The only way I had been able to fit another student in at 6:30 pm was to have Randy take the kids to swim class this week. It was his first time taking the kids this semester, at the new pool. They took the 4:50 pm train, then the train for two stops and walked to the pool. The class was from 5:30 pm to 6 pm.
While they were there, I was home with Sammy. At 6:30 pm I started teaching, about 10 to 15 minutes before Randy returned home with the kids. After I was done teaching, it was bathtub time for Sammy only. After I had prayed for them, they went to bed while I sat down to teach from 8 to 9 pm.
Thursday
On Thursday I taught from 10 to 11:15 am, then cooked lunch. Randy left at 1 pm while I left 20 minutes later. Sammy and I were back before it was 2 pm, and I did not have much time as I started teaching at 2:20 pm. Sammy did fine on his own for 10 minutes before Randy returned home with his siblings. After I was done teaching at 3:10 pm, I made their sandwiches and tried to do piano practice with them as there was still time. At 4 pm we left to take the 4:20 pm train. Randy and Sammy left a few minutes later to go to Sammy's wheelchair class.
Tammy and Emmy did their reading practice on the train with me, as usual. After we got off, we took the tram, then walked to the school where they had their exercise class. I sat in the locker room while they did their 3rd of 5 sessions of gymnastics. I was so tired that I could not read the paper but closed my eyes to rest. At 5:45 pm the class was over, we took the tram to the train stop and were able to make the 6:01 pm train home. Back home, I cut up their fruit, finished piano practice with them, they went into the bathtub and to bed after I had prayed for them. As most nights, I then taught from 8 to 9 pm.
Friday
On Friday I finally had the chance to sleep longer though my phone rang twice. I got up at 11 am and started teaching at 11:30 am. An hour later I was done and left right away as I have to pick up Sammy at 12:30 pm on Fridays. Randy had already left at noon to pick up Tammy and Emmy and take them to their 2 pm tennis class. Sammy and I got home before 1 pm and then had 2 hours at home. Sammy was watching "Kasperl" the whole time we were home. Then I got him ready, got all the stuff together to take with us, and at 3 pm we left the house together. We took the 3:20 pm train, then the subway, then waited for Randy and the kids at the subway platform. Once they arrived, we all got on the subway together. A few stops later I got off with Tammy and Emmy, while Randy took Sammy home.
The three of us walked through the mall to the dance studio where we were a few minutes late, as usual. Once they had joined their breakdance class, I went to the lounge where I lay down on the couch and got a half-hour nap. Once the alarm woke me, I got up and walked back to watch the kids dance for the last few minutes. The class ended at 5 pm, then we walked back to the subway and made it to the 5:18 pm train home where we arrived just after 5:30 pm. Normally I quickly cut up their fruit to give it to them and then teach at 6 pm, but my student had canceled. That way we had more time for piano practice, and we were able to read some stories as my 8 pm student had also canceled.
Saturday
To make room for another student on Friday, I have moved that student to 9 am on Saturday which means having to get up an hour earlier than I have been which is tough. My alarm went off at 8:30 am; Randy hadn't even gotten up today. I then taught from 9 to 9:50 am, then it was time to leave the house. Tammy is always ready really fast while Emmy needs a lot of time, and that was also the case today. Still, we got to the music school a few minutes before the class started at 10:30 am. My heart fell when the substitute teacher from last week walked up to our classroom again. She said that our teacher was in the US for Thanksgiving this week but would be back next week.
Today one boy was missing so it was just our two plus one girl. The teacher didn't even do the greeting song today but started right away with the finger warmup, and she did it differently from what our kids are used to. Then she had the kids play a song they've been practicing individually as well as all of them play it together at the same time. She did the same with the next song and then the Christmas song. The kids were bored as they can play the songs well and they had nothing to do when she worked with the third kid. And there was no story time today either. The kids got their stickers and stamps, then we left.
We rode our scooters back to the subway and rode it home. It was about noon when we got home where Randy and Sammy had stayed this morning. I had put lasagna into the oven before leaving, so it was ready. I portioned it, and we sat down to eat. After we were done, I sat down at the computer to get ready for my 1 pm student. Randy and Sammy left at 1 pm to go to Sammy's music class at the music school, while Tammy and Emmy got on their tablets. I then taught for three hours, until 4 pm. Randy and Sammy returned at 3 pm, then they all went downstairs to play. Once I was done teaching at 4 pm, I lay down in bed and closed my eyes. I was so very tired after a rought night of little sleep and a long day. I lay there until the kids came into the room at 4:30 pm. I had known that it wouldn't be long before they'd come. I then got up to make their sandwiches and noodle soup and cut up their fruit as they were hungry.
After they had eaten, Tammy came to me first to do homework for their maths club tomorrow. Then it was Emmy's turn. They both did a great job; they've really made progress. Then it was bathtub time. After that, we had plenty of time for Bible stories as I didn't have any more students. Then I prayed for them, and they went to bed. It was then that I finally got to eat myself.
