Routines

We're all starting to get into our routines. Today's routine involved greeting DD at the bus stop after school, coming into the house so she could drop off her back pack and pick up a juice box to drink, then heading off to gymnastics. Amazingly, I've been home to do this every Monday since school started. It was almost 5PM by the time we got home. DH had just taken out some Chicken Cordon Bleu from the oven. (Don't worry, DH didn't actually cook it. We had picked it up from the frozen food section at Costco this morning.) As per our routine at dinner time, DH was trying to convince DS#2 that he would like this. This time he actually ate it. DH and DS#2 ate first, so that they could leave for DS#2's soccer practice by 5:30PM. As per DS#3's routine, he saw someone eating and wanted some of what they were eating too.

Dear sis was here still today, which isn't usually part of our routine, but alas, for her and her family, her visits have become routine since last Friday. She plans to return home when she gets word that their power is back. There's no sense in going home when there isn't any power yet. A neighbor checked their house, and luckily there has been minimal damage. A tree fell in their back yard, but didn't damage their house. There was some fence damage, but so far so good. My other sister, who stayed in Houston, has been dealing with a huge roof leak, so it was a good thing that she was there when it happened. She ended up going to work today, but then leaving early to get someone to at least help with the drywall over her dining room, which collapsed yesterday. My parents finally got to go to their house today, after staying at my sister's house over the weekend. Everything was okay there, too. All in all, we're thankful that everyone in my family came out of this hurricane unhurt and without catastrophic damage to their homesteads.

Tonight, again as per her routine for the last few months, DD played with her neighborhood friend L. We have an "open door" policy at our house. When friends are over, the kids' bedroom doors stay open at all times. Despite that, when L left (he is six months younger than DD), I found his shirt on the floor in DD's bedroom. Hmmm, I could have sworn he had a shirt on when he left... :) Needless to say, I reminded her about the open door policy. I got her ready for bed, brushed her teeth and brushed her hair. She started reading a Dr. Seuss book to me. Halfway through I asked her if she had any homework, and she did! Mind you, this was at 7:25PM and her bedtime is at 7:30PM. Ugh! We're just now getting into the routine of having homework again! Luckily, she was on the mark tonight. She had to write three sentences using three of her vocabulary words. She completed it very easily, only needing help in spelling one of the words. For the word "on", she wrote, "My brother is ON the computer." She thought, at first, that the first vowel in "computer" was a "u"--very understandable mistake to make. That was the only thing she needed help on. She was still in bed by about 7:40PM--not bad.

DS#3 has his little routine too. I'm talking about bedtime routine here. I gave him his bath, which he LOVES. Sometimes I'll bathe him with his sister. Tonight it was him by himself. While DD was reading to me, he got his last cup of milk of the night. When she was doing her homework, he let me know he was ready for bed by lying on the floor next to her chair. When she went to bed, I put him in bed with her while I sang her chosen bedtime songs. He then "gave her a kiss" goodnight, which meant that he put his cheek on her lips. :) I took him to his crib after turning out all the lights. I sang his bedtime songs while rubbing his back, then I got up while humming and rubbing his back, then I quietly left the room. Before the last couple of weeks or so, as soon as he sensed that I wasn't there anymore, he would turn his head to look and then start crying. I don't know what happened, but he has let me leave quietly for the last couple of weeks. I hope this lasts!

Okay, I've rambled enough for tonight! I'll try to post photos tomorrow!