Our Routine

As we have had now wild adventures lately, I figured I would update the blog with information about our typical routine. So, grandparents will likely read on and others might surf elsewhere and check back with the Familybath blog after our upcoming weekend in London.

The kids wake up early. I am not sure what time they get up, but they are both awake when I get out of bed around 7. They both have bedside lights and read until I come up to snuggle with them and encourage them to get some breakfast. Liv is reading 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'; she just finished 'Harry Potter 3'; and she also just finished the 'Penderwicks on Gardenstreet'. Noah is reading 'Gregor the Overlander 5'; he just finished 'Skulduggery Pleasant' and 'Skullduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire'. (the kids double-checked my listing of these books).

Both kids have British Frosted Flakes and Cadbury hot cocoa for breakfast. Unfortunately, I fear that Cadbury has ruined them for ever drinking Nestle Quik hot cocoa again.

Rachelle and I chase the kids around encouraging them to get on their uniforms and then stay off the floor and each other so that they can look presentable for at least the first 5 minutes of school.

We then all pile into our cute Clio for the treacherous and exciting drive to school. We first come down from our hill (Claverton Down) taking in the beautiful view of downtown Bath. We are so lucky to live in such a gorgeous setting. One woman described the town with all of the stone buildings as the color of warm buttered toast. We weave through our narrow shortcuts downtown and come up Snow Hill. This is an incredibly steep and narrow road winding up to Fairfield Park and St. Stephens School. Incredibly, it is the widest road up the hill. As you go up the hill you watch up ahead and determine whether the car approaching is going to pull into a driveway or opening so that you can pull up onto the curb and squeeze by them or whether you should pull over and let them pass. This is coordinated by flashing of headlights, waving of hands, and smiles. I actually find it fun and socially-affirming; everyone is in the same situation, we work together, and we wave to say "We did it and cheers!" Rachelle finds it a bit harrowing. The other day a taxi was squeezing by a bit quicker than most cars and just as we passed he reached out, folded in his side mirror so it wouldn't smack mine, and then folded it back out. Smooth. See the picture taken this morning while driving down Snow Hill.

We then squeeze down the skinny street in front of the school and look for a place to park. Let me tell you, parallel parking on the left and sitting on the right side of the car is not natural. All of the little blue and green clad children stand and talk and bustle and wrestle by the 2 iron gates. At 8:30, the gates are open and the kids flood onto the playground to find their buddies. The kids play around and the parents stand, chat, and watch the kids, until 8:40 when a teacher blows the whistle and announces, "Children, line up smartly!" The kids all line up by class and head into their classrooms, waving to their parents, with the older ones (such as Noah) waving much more subtley than the younger ones.

Rachelle and I then drive down to Kevin and Janet's. We pick up Kevin to bring him back with us to the University. Kevin and I head into work, which is just about 50 yards from the Cohen Cottage.

Yes, I do work. I know some of you have wondered if I just travel around and write on the blog, I do have an office with a chair, desk, computer, and shelves. I am sitting in the office now as I write this account. If you are interested, Kevin and I are working on a paper examining parents' report of adjustment and functioning in their adolescents with chronic pain. We also had a Skype meeting with a Georgia State colleague yesterday, Aki Masuda, to discuss the grant application we are preparaing. If the NIH is cooperative, this grant will evaluate the Bath pain service applied to a population of adolescents with sickle cell disease in Atlanta. I am also meeting regularly with my wonderful Georgia State graduate students via Skype and keeping them on track, and vice versa.

While I am at work, Rachelle is engaging in a variety of activities. The combination of active children, frequent rain, a pitiful and slow waching machine, and lack of clothes dryer or dishwasher makes for a messy home. So, unfortunately, Rachelle is doing the bulk of the cleaning. She is also getting to the gym frequently, going for walks, meditating, visiting with Janet, reading, and planning excursions for our family.

Rachelle and I will pick up the kids today, and follow the pack of boys and Noah to Noah's first soccer practice. Liv has her first practice tomorrow. After that, we will head home.

After school, the kids will do their homework, play outside, wrestle, and play legos. Rachelle will make dinner and I will help out with one activity or another. We will eat and the kids will do the dishes. Yes, they are now quite good and rarely break dishes anymore.

After dinner, we will play 4-Square or do more homework before brushing teeth, bathing, and heading to bed.

We still have the bedtime routine with a solid 45 minutes or so of reading followed by the songs and lights out.

That is our typical routine now that we have settled in to our new but temporary home.