Setting A Routine

Well, we finally started what will be our weekly routine.

Now that Christmas vacation is over Cameron is going to school for 4 hours a day (thank goodness)! He and Dave catch a train into Zurich every morning (Dave says he's the only kid on the train) and once they're in Zurich they catch a tram to Cameron's school. From there Dave walks to work (about 10 min.) I quickly get ready and do errands at home. Then at 10:50 I leave and go into Zurich to pick Cameron up. I pack a lunch and he eats on the train heading back home. Then he takes a nap (awesome... I know) while I practice my German, read or clean. Then he wakes up, we have a snack, and we do chores around the house, swim or run to the store. Then at 5:30 I start cooking ( yes, me....and no body's starved yet) and at 6 Dave comes home and we eat. Then Dave plays with Cameron until bed.

I'm glad to finally get into this routine because I think it will be the final piece in getting Cameron back on track emotionally. The move has been quite traumatic for him and his temper has been all over the place. He started to really settle down around Christmas, but I think now we will get our almost :) angelic child back soon.

Cameron seems to really enjoy school. He tells me about the activities he's chosen to do, and now he's starting to recognize some of the songs they sing at circle time etc. We're very fortunate that this school took him in. Most private schools (even pre-schools) have waiting lists that extend into 2010. This school only took him because he already had a Montessori background. The best way to describe the building is to say it's like Hogwarts and his teacher is just like Minerva McGonagall. She is one of the founders of the school, she's got long gray hair that she pulls into a loose bun at the top of her hair. She wears reading glasses and shakes the hands of the children when they arrive and when they leave. She's clearly very strict but she's always smiling and warm. She's amazing, I wish I could be just like her!

Dave continues to settle in at work. He's been wrapping things up with his U.S. team and is still deciding what team he will join here. I just insist that whatever he chooses he doesn't travel as much as he did when we were in Phoenix.

I am still working hard trying to figure out how everything works here. This week I figured out what day to put out my Christmas tree to be recycled. I learned that I can't do my grocery shopping at the big store in the mall, because I don't have enough time in the morning. I continue to improve my laundry skills (see Swiss Family Hixson). Dave found bread crumbs, so I learned how to cook a decent Chicken Parmesan. I finally got how to say 20 in German stuck in my head. I found out that the NFL has a special online package for fans outside of the U.S. to let us watch the games ( good luck Cardinals! since the Cowboys are out I'm rooting for you).

Next week I hope to learn how to use my home telephone ( I'm not sure why I can't dial out) and I hope to successfully cook my own Alfredo sauce.

As luck would have it, Switzerland is having an unusually cold winter. The Swiss are complaining about how cold it is. It's actually better today, I think the high was around 0 Celsius. The snow we got on New Years has turned into a lovely layer of ice on every unpopular sidewalk. Hopefully, the warmth of today will turn into a trend. I can handle a cold day or two but a week of below freezing is difficult for a desert girl.

Speaking of ice, this week's pictures are of Cameron making his first attempt at ice skating . A friend invited us over for brunch and ice skating with his son who is 3. We knew it would be difficult.....we were right. Cameron's general lack of coordination, combined with his refusal to listen to any advice we give him left him on the ground a lot. This lead to a lot of crying. He wasn't crying because he was hurt, he was just frustrated. He assumed it would be easy, but of course....it's not. Every time he went around the rink he fell and screamed multiple times. He reminded me a lot of myself, it was very melodramatic. Unlike me though, he continued to want to try which is very admirable, and can only come from his father. Unfortunately, Dave isn't a great skater and couldn't offer him much help, and I'm completely useless. Hopefully, he'll make friends and they'll teach him when he's a little older. Or he'll pick another winter sport....he does like sledding....

So, enjoy this week's pictures, one day it will be sunny and we will get some pictures of all of us.