01 March 2013

A Day in the Life

As we wrap up things here in Bangkok and head back to the US for a bit, I thought it was a rather appropriate time to share another day in our life. Last time I shared about our day we had just moved to Bangkok and Asher was 17 months old, now it's three years later and we are heading back to the US with a 4 year old and a 2 year old.

Asher gets up early, but he's pretty good about playing in his room until his "green light" comes on. Once the light turns green he turns off his AC and comes running into our room demanding breakfast. At this point his typical breakfast includes 2 pieces of toast, oatmeal and yogurt. The boy loves to eat.

Mornings are hectic as we get breakfast, a little play time, get bags packed and wrestle Asher into his school uniform. Depending on the day either Roger or I and maybe Jack take Asher to school. Before I leave the house I try to throw in the first load of laundry.
The drive to school is somewhere between 20 - 60 minutes long depending on the day of the week and the time of year. We spend a while playing on the playground with Asher and his friends before the morning assembly starts. After we get Asher settled in at school we either head home or, since we are already downtown, go visit some friends.
Usually we just head home and while Jack plays I hang up the laundry and do the first round of dishes. If Jack is doing good I can go ahead and get the house straightened up or work on packing up and cleaning out different areas. Did I mention we are moving out of this house in 16 days? Everything has to either go into storage or into a suitcase bound for America.
Sometimes in the mornings Jack and I join the other househelpers and grandparents around the neighborhood for a morning stroll, but usually we stay indoors where it's somewhat cooler. If we have to we head to the grocery store or up to the mall to run errands, but most days we just stay home and play.
Closer to lunch time Jack and I walk up to the top of our street and order lunch. His current favorite is fried basil pork with no pork. He just really likes the rice and green beans. Jack has all of his favorite routines and pretty much has the cook at the restaurant wrapped around his finger. He points and squeals and she gets him his rice as fast as possible. Right before we leave he always makes all the ladies swoon when he speaks his little bit of Thai, wais and then gives her kisses.
After lunch Jack gets a quick spray down in the shower and heads off for his nap. I try to do absolutely nothing while he sleeps, but sometimes I am forced to get off the couch to do more laundry, wash more dishes or cook dinner.

Most afternoons Roger can work at home while Jack naps and I head back down to the city by myself to pick up Asher. I repeat the morning commute (although it is usually a bit faster in the afternoons) and wait outside with all of the other parents for Asher to appear. We almost always make a pit stop for milk before heading to the playground and then heading home.
After school we tend to just hang out at home. Lots of afternoons are spent on the couch eating a snack, watching a show and reading books. After a little time to unwind both boys usually head right out the front door and spend the rest of the evening playing outside, only taking a short break for dinner.

After it cools off we go for bike rides, run up and down the street pretending to be airplanes or play soccer in the middle of the road with the neighbors. There's also a healthy dose of cat chasing, knee scraping and sibling fighting. Once it gets dark the garbage truck comes by and we head inside for baths.
Just a side note about awesome Thai people can be: one night I had bubbles out in the street and most of the neighborhood preschoolers were chasing me around. We saw the garbage truck coming and as usual my boys started cheering and waving and, this night, blowing bubbles. All of the other kids were whisked inside away from the dirty garbage men. Evidently our fascination with the garbage truck is very American. The very next night the garbage men all came back with bubbles and they stopped the truck in front of our house and blew bubbles for Asher and Jack to chase. Of course, now the neighbors think we are even stranger than before.

It's also worth mentioning that Jack has a rather small vocabulary for a 2 year old, but he can say garbage truck and Gangnam Style.

Bath time is rather unexciting at our house. No bathtub means quick showers for everyone and then off to bed. We don't mess around at bedtime. I'm too close to the finish line and have them well trained to brush teeth, put on pajamas and get in the bed.
The rest of the evening is for relaxing, exercising and occasionally heading out for a massage or a coffee with some girlfriends.

I can only imagine how much our day is getting ready to change. In 19 days we will be back in America (at least for a while), settling into a new house and new routines. While I know I will miss Asher's school, being able to play outside every day and our garbage men, I am very much looking forward to dropping the boys off with Mimi, reconnecting with old friends and (at least for a while) not being the weird neighbors.