Fall Routines

Fall for us ramps up slowly.  First, the kids go back to school.  Then they bring home from school the requisite homework for the parents.  About 2 weeks later they start after-school activities, then a few weeks later they start the winter after school activities, then finally, mid-October (our Thanksgiving here in Canada) curling starts.  Since P and I are both at home right now many people wonder what we do all day.  Before curling starts up, we have time to play board games together, run errands together, bake or, more likely, have lunch together. A typical week  right now goes something like this:

Monday-go for a run after I drop off the kids at school, clean up the house after everyone being home on the weekend, P and I both curl in our club’s competitive league this evening so we’re either dropping the kids off at my inlaws after school if we curl at the same time, or flying solo through dinner and switching the kids between us at the curling club on the other side of town so the adult who didn’t prepare dinner can put the kids to bed.

Tuesday-I go to H’s class and listen to his classmates read their family reading books to me in the morning, then I’ve been heading over to my sister-in-law’s house for an abdominal workout,  then in the afternoon have a curling game. After school V has gymnastics the same time C has kickboxing so I spend the evening dropping V off, then C, then picking up V, then C.  I usually have a whole 15 minutes I can pick up something at the grocery store in this back and forth.

Wednesday- another run after I drop off the kids, then there’s a pickup league in the afternoon if we want some extra curling practice, or often I will go over to the US to do some shopping-usually stuff that the kids like that is either expensive (say ink for my printer) or hard to find over here (Ritz in a sleeve instead of thrown all together in a bag).  In the evening C has kickboxing with a friend and we alternate who does the driving.

Thursday-I have a curling game in the morning, the afternoon is usually spent running around grocery shopping or running or, there is an adult ice skating time at our local arena (I’ve taken advantage in the past, but so far not this year) or taking care of any other errands that I want to get done without kids in tow. After school H has gymnastics and either C takes another kickboxing class (he can take as many as he’s qualified for of kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu for one monthly price) or P or I will substitute in the curling league on Thursday nights.

Friday-Usually a run after dropping off the kids, taking care of anything that needs to be taken care of before the weekend and then the little kids have ice skating lessons in the evening. They both seem to enjoy it-V is starting to slide instead of walk on the ice and H races around like a speed demon.  He’ll probably skate better than I can by the spring.

Weekends we either have free time, in which case I am thankful I can usually rally the troops to do a 60-90 minute full on house mid-Saturday morning pick up if the house needs it.  There may be a birthday party or P may have a bonspiel with his team that he hopes to play down for US Nationals with again this year.  Sunday we try to make it to church in the morning, curling for the boys in the afternoon (C’s finally getting his stride and is playing short games this year- he’s also talked his friend into joining him) and then many times we have dinner with my inlaws before heading home to get ready to do it all again.

Some videos from Ice skating: H's got the black coat with lightning bolts on his helmet-V has a pink hood and snowflakes on her helmet.

In this one V falls and when she realizes H has helped her up she hugs him.

H wiggling backwards skating

 

 

V is really starting to get it

 

 

H is becoming a little bit of a show-off!

 

The boys participated in the kids' holiday curling bonspeil. C's team won first place and he was the skip-he's really starting to come along in his game!  H's team won 2nd and his skip didn't want to give a speech, so H very excitedly took the microphone and exclaimed, "this was a really great bonspeil and they have really great prizes!"  Santa then showed up and asked H if he'd been good. He explained, "well, not all the time, but I really try to be good, but sometimes it's hard.  I don't try to be bad, though."