Into the swing of fall

We have been back at school for a month now and are certainly in the swing of things in terms of school and activities.  It's still pretty warm so we still aren't spending too much time enjoying the outdoors unless we are poolside or have an activity that keeps us outside.  We're all feeling really good about this year.  I think we've found a good balance of activities so that the girls are doing things they enjoy but making sure we have enough time for them to just play as well.

Here is a summary of what our week looks like:

Sundays:  Jane has soccer right after school and Regan stays for a special crafting class.  Anna's ballet is from 3:45 to 4:30 which is a bit of a problem because Jane's soccer ends at 4:15 and she's not old enough to be unsurprised on campus!  Fortunately she can walk to Regan's craft class which is getting out by the time Jane gets there and they can meet us at the school gate at 4:45.  Everyone has to be running on time because we have to dash home for Meredith's piano lesson at 5:00.  Whew - it's a crazy start to our week.   We're doing a longer piano lesson this year as I'm joining in and am trying to remember the tiny bit of piano I learned as a kid.  It's fun to take alongside Meredith and we practice together through the week!

We also try to do a family dinner after piano as it's really the only night Jake can be home from work in time for a family dinner.  We try to have a family meeting to talk about how things are going and we're also going through the first Awana workbook that Anna would have done this year had we not decided that we just can't do Awana this year.

Mondays: Monday and Wednesdays are *crazy* days for Regan as she really wanted to be on the 6th grade soccer team and she also really wanted to continue in her dance class.  The only problem?  Soccer ends at 5:00 and dance starts at 4:45.  Luckily her soccer coach and her dance instructor are super nice.  The coach lets Regan (and another friend with the same conflict) leave soccer 10-15 minutes early and they can make it do dance just as they are finishing up their warm up.  Since Regan and Sophia have spent the last hour and 15 minutes running around in the 100 degree+ temperatures, they are definitely "warmed up" by the time they burst into dance.  They change clothes in the back of the minivan between soccer and dance and my car is beginning to smell like a teenage boys locker room!  Fortunately I only drive them once a week as the other mom does it once a week.

I can only drive that crazy carpool once a week because Meredith has her beloved yoga class on Monday afternoons.  I love that she's found a unique activity that she definitely loves doing - she can get overwhelmed by chaotic things so this seems to be a nice, calming activity for her.

Tuesdays:  Our no activity/ no playdate day!  I found that we really need a day with no other commitments so we can catch up on projects, homework, time together and have a bit of downtime.  I'm experimenting with a no playdate rule for this day as well so make sure we keep it calm.

Wednesdays:  Basically a repeat of Monday (Regan has both soccer and dance) except that instead of yoga for Meredith, Jane has choir after school and Anna has a building activity after school as well with her teacher from last year.  She's enjoying getting to see her and have a bit of fun after school.  Meredith checked out a gymnastics class that happens to meet at the same location at the same time as Regan's dance class (would have been a logistical score!) but it was a bit noisy and overwhelming so she's just sticking with yoga on Mondays.

Thursdays:  We try to keep this as our "fun day" at the end of the week where we do the beach club and/ or schedule playdates with friends.  It's a fun way to start the weekend and nice to keep it free from activities.  Regan and I do have a mother/ daughter book club that meets a little less than once a month.  This book club has been going on since Regan was in 3rd grade with many of the same girls from different schools all over Abu Dhabi.

Fridays: Church day and the night Jake and I try to do a twice a month date night.  We've started attending the early service this year as the late service is getting crowded and they asked people to consider switching.  We're enjoying the new schedule and have implemented a "Power Hour" after we get home where we all curl up on the sofa and read books (quietly!  to ourselves!) for a whole hour.  I get so much joy out of seeing us all enjoying getting immersed in our own books (although we do let Anna color if she gets antsy).  Regan and Meredith are turning into real readers which is so fun to see (especially since I am a real reader).  Jane's not quite there but she tolerates the hour!  We try to make sure homework is done and backpacks are packed so that Saturdays can be spent on fun things.

Saturdays:  Anna has swim lessons first thing in the morning and then the rest is family/ fun time.  Once a month, Jake takes one of the girls out for a most of the day daddy/ daughter date.  This week, he took Anna to Adventure HQ where the trampoline park is and out to lunch.  The big girls and I went to a used book sale (we donated 3 big stacks and then ended up buying two big stacks!) and then off to Art Beat which is an art place.  They love going there and working on projects.  It was nice having just the big girls there as Anna usually finishes first and needs a little entertaining.  Today everyone could take their own time and we had a best time.  We went out for lunch afterwards, too.

Other Saturdays may be a big clean up day or a family movie or game day.  Meredith and I are also going to be in a new mother/ daughter book club for 2nd graders that will meet monthly.  We're enjoying the board game "Ticket to Ride" these days and have recently discovered the Disney Nature movies which we are so enjoying.  Soccer games seem to be coming soon which will take up some of our Saturdays.  We also want to head back to Ski Dubai to get the girls ready for our upcoming ski trip to Austria in December.  It's great having a relatively free day so that we can have some down time as a family.

Regan - a big sweaty mess after soccer.  She comes off the field smiling and happy and energized which is so fun to see.

Meredith had an ill-fated sleepover where she and her friend got up *way* too early.   Poor thing - it was her turn to clean the kitchen and she fell asleep *at* the kitchen table after lunch (and this was after she fell asleep on the kitchen floor (above) while we were preparing lunch).  I think she learned a lesson!

Anna with her friend Margot getting ready to go into ballet

The little ballerinas

Meredith - the one who can get food on her face no matter what she eats!

'Beginning of the weekend' trip to the beachclub with friends.

I *love* that the girls have enough down time that they can write and put on shows for us.  This one is an adaptation of the movie Rio and the kids were amazing!  Anna is a little bird swooping around, Jane is a blue bird "Jewel" and Regan and Meredith are other singing birds in this scene.

After a quick costume change, Regan is now the bad bird and Meredith is Blu (main character and love interest of Jewel).

Jane as Jewel singing her solo

Dance scene

The cast out for a bow

The crew clearly bonded over their production!

Happy ending! Jewel and Blu and their new blue offspring!

Slip and slide in the backyard!

Oooh! I'm so proud of this.  This corner in the office was literally the dumping ground of junk.  I cleaned it all out, found this long while table and made a decicated homework zone for Regan, Jane and Meredith.  All their school supplies are there and there is plenty of room for library books, homework, workbooks, etc.  Best thing I've done this school year so far and it's definitely used daily.  We've since put a small red cabinet at this end where Anna can perch but it's too bad there are only room for three zones here.

Each girl has a little cubby on the red shelf for books, notbooks, etc. Girls' homework zone is behind those red shelves.  Now my workzone (in front of the black chair) is not taken over the girls and all their stuff each day!

Meredith and Jane in "jail" at church.  Jake and I were teaching the 5 and 6 year olds and taught about Joseph being in jail.  The kids loved the little box jail we had!

Meredith after a beach-themed birthday party

Umm, yeah.  This is Regan's Arabic homework.  There isn't a single English word in her entire book.  I'm a *big* help if she gets stuck...  So proud of that kid for working hard and making it to the advanced Arabic class for the past two years even though she doesn't exactly get a lot of exposure at home.

Making some art at Art Beat.