All in a day's work

WARNING:
THIS POST IS EXTREMELY LONG AND
MAY BORE YOU TO DEATH.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Since we've been living here, people ask me what I do all day. I know from my posts about traveling that it seems like it is all fun and adventure. The reality is that although those trips are amazing, they are the exception. A few weeks ago while Pete was on a business trip to Monaco, I decided to take pictures of an average day in Switzerland. By bedtime I received a few funny looks, the kids were annoyed and I had taken A LOT of pictures.

Our days start early, sometime between 6 and 6:30 am. We spend our mornings like everyone else, eating breakfast and getting ready for school. The biggest difference with Pete out of town is that I have to be ready to go also. Normally Pete drops the kids off at school but with him gone, it is my job and the kids informed me that I can't do it in my pajamas.

8:10 am
It is time to go to school.
It is raining this morning and so we drive.
It is still dark out and if you look closely you can see the moon.

8:15 am
Today Alex gets dropped off at the bus stop.
He takes a bus to another village for an art class.

8:30 am
Henry and I return home and get to work.
Most of our morning is filled with chores...

Today we cleaned the downstairs
and did some laundry.
We take periodic breaks to play and have snacks.

10:45 am
Henry and I head out to pick up Ruby from school.

She has gym today so we walk to the center of town to pick her up.
We get to take a fun little short cut on this path.

Here's Henry waiting in front of the gym.

11 am
Ruby's finished with the morning round of school.

On our walk home we usually take a few minutes to check out the chickens.

11:30 am
Ruby and Henry eat lunch.

11:45 am
Alex walks home from school.

Alex usually eats lunch by himself but he's a good sport about it.

12 pm
Ruby and Henry lay down for naps.
Ruby fights me a lot on this but I can usually still get 3-4 naps a week out of her.

Henry cannot sleep without his blue bunny silky.

12:15 pm
While Henry and Ruby are sleeping it's usually a good time
for Alex and I to work on his homework or read together.

1:10 pm
It's time to walk back up to school.

Since it isn't raining, we walk up the hill.
Sometimes we meet friends along the way.
This is Alex's friend Elliot. He speak French and English.

In front of the school they put up a tent in the winter.
This way the kids/parents have something to stand under if it's raining or snowing.

1:30 pm
I meet with my French tutor Isabelle.

3 pm
The kids are out of school.
Some days I walk all the way up to get them
and sometimes we meet at the crosswalk.

The ground has been really icy this winter.
They haven't been great with the snow removal
so they put down wood chips instead.

You can see the yellow reflector that Ruby is wearing.
All of the kindergartners have to wear them.

3:10 pm
It's time for Henry to wake up.

You can tell by the evil eye that he wasn't quite ready.

3:30 pm
The kids watch shows on itunes or our slingbox
while I get a few last minute chores done.

Henry usually only watches for about 5 minutes.
Today he's decided to help me put away the laundry I was folding.

4:30 pm
We drop the trash off at the dump on our way to Alex's English class.

They are really big on recycling here and there is a separate bin for everything:
paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, plastic,
(not to be confused with plastic bottles which are a separate bin)
biodegradable, electronics, metal, wood, styrofoam, batteries, light bulbs, bread....
You get the idea.

4:55 pm
We drop Alex off at English class.

Alex and Ruby both go to English class once a week.
It keeps them up to date with their US grade level in reading, writing and math.

5:05 pm
I buckle Ruby and Henry back in to go get gas and dinner.

Not every gas station here is pay at the pump.
I'd actually say the majority are not.
The other thing which is different here is that you pump first and pay after.

5:25 pm
Tonight with Pete out of town, we will be eating at McDonald's.
It is not cheap. Feeding the whole family usually costs around $45.

Of course I get to order in French which is always fun.
I've definitely improved and can usually get through it without confusing them.

5:40 pm
We arrive back at Alex's English class and
Ruby and Henry eat dinner in the car while we wait for class to end at 6 pm.

6:50 pm
We are home, the kids are bathed and have brushed their teeth.
We read books, tell stories, say prayers and sing songs.
At 7:15 pm they are all in bed and sometimes all asleep.
It is at this point that I unwind and get ready for bed.
With Pete out of town and another long day ahead of me,
I usually call it a night pretty early.