6:30 – Wake up and Breakfast. Ethan goes to the local boutique to pick up our bread while I cook some eggs and get their school bags ready.
7:30 – Off to School – Load up the car and head off to school, picking up a friend on the way
8 – Charge up Strength for the Day ahead – Time with God, a must for survival here
8:30 – 12:00 – French – Speak, get corrected, listen, and try to put the pieces together
12 – 1:30 – Lunch Prep – Lunch is our big meal and by far takes the most time to prepare.
1: 30 – Lunch – The boys return from School and we eat lunch all together
2 – Nap – 15 minutes to close my eyes and recharge for the rest of the day and then prep for my next language session
3 – 5 – French – Because if I hope to ever get done once a day is not enough. This time my language helper comes to my house since the boys are home.
5 – A little time set aside for the boys – We start with Ethan’s homework and once that is done we have a little time to play whatever they would like to play. It is the time fully reserved for them
6 – Dinner – This is less involved for us, but still takes time none the less. No microwave or dishwasher here 🙂
7 – Bath, Books, Bed – Time to get the Boys ready for bed.
8 – House maintenance and Emails – Time to do anything that needs to get done before the next day. Pump water up to our tank, filter drinking water, squish any cockroaches, catch up on emails and the likes.
10 – Crash
Those are everything normally planned in my day, but then there are the added unplanned normal events which include at least a few visitors and probably one or two problems that arise. All of those which can show up at any moment and can rarely be ignored.
JOEL IS COMING HOME TODAY!!!
Although little changes about my schedule when Joel is here, it does mean that I am not facing all of these things on my own. It makes a world of difference, because there are two people carrying the load. This trip was probably the smoothest, of all the times that Joel has been gone. Tyler ran a fever the first day, but after that most things went as planned. The boys did great and there were not many unexpected big events or problems that popped up. We are still, however, super excited to be back together as a family. It won’t last long, but we will treasure every minute of it.
Hi Andi (and Joel) from west Michigan,
It’s always a joy to read your blog updates! You are always so honest and forthright in reporting your feelings and activities and, though we don’t write often, it’s a privilege to pray for you. Your pictures are great too and add so much to the dialogue! God gave Karen and me the opportunity to go to Thies in 2005 with your mom and dad-in-law and a team of Haitian pastors, children’s workers, and medical professionals so it’s even more fun to pray for you because we can picture all you are doing. I guess living in Haiti over 30 years and raising three kids there also helps us know your situation.
I find the difference of cultures (vocabulary?) fascinating even here in the USA. You referred to lunch being your big meal of the day. Here in the Midwest, dinner is always the big meal of the day whether it is served midday or evening. If dinner is served midday, our meals are called breakfast, dinner, and supper. If dinner is served in the evening, our meals are called breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Call it anthropology or whatever, I find differences fascinating. So much for getting off on a rabbit trail! Blessings on your times together as a whole family and blessings on you when Joel needs to travel.
Love, Roger for Karen too
I remember those days as a single mom when my husband’s ship would be gone for six months or more; or when he would be unaccompanied and we would be waiting for him to come home on leave. It’s not easy. We didn’t have e-mail in those days so everything was by e-mail. Hugs to you and the boys!!!!! I can’t tell you enough how important God time is during the times when you’re a single mom. He has seen me through so much.
Take courage, my precious Andi! The Lord always sees His children through.