As anyone with small children knows, life can be quite monotonous if you do not leave the house. It becomes an endless cycle of cleaning, preparing meals, and breaking up fights. Not something I "love" doing in a sober condition.
Yes, the actual act of leaving sometimes seems impossible. However, if you can perserve and get everyone in the car along with the extensive gear and supplies needed you will be happy you did. Because this, people, is how time flies. As the saying goes, "Time flies when your having fun." Time drags like nobody's business when your cleaning your kitchen for the 5th time and it's 10:30am.
So each week I try and find something to do each day with the kids. The last 2 weeks, Mateo has been doing swim lessons at the Rec Center which worked out great because we would just pack lunches and stay for open swim. I'd keep us there until the kids were near exhaustion and then pack everyone in the car and drive around the neighborhood until I knew they had all fallen into a deep sleep (borderline comatose) so that they would stay asleep as I transfered them into their beds. Nice!
Anyhow, the first swim session has finished and there is a one week break in between sessions. So we are left with a week without plans. Panic. But wait, as luck would have it my friend, Jamie, found a free 1/2 day camp for ages 4-12 year olds. Vacation Bible School at a Baptist Church. Now, I'm not Baptist, but I have no problem with the nice Baptist folk taking my unruly 4 year off my hands for 3 hours. Much like my own mother who sent me to Jewish summer camp for 7 weeks. I'll have you know that I can still sing several blessings in Hebrew.
So Mateo loved his 1st day, especially since he was in the same group as Jamie's son Connor. The lesson of today was "I am special" which of course is perfect for Mateo (and most other 4 year olds) because he is totally convinced that he is the most awesome person alive. Too bad so many of us lose that confidence as adults. When I asked him what he did he replied, "I made a picture of myself, I sang songs, and I prayed to Cheez-its Christ."
Meanwhile, back at the house, Daniela took a nap and Nico did his daily ritual of lining up small toys and trying to break random electronic devices in our house. All in all, a good day.