Ah Mondays.....

Monday, September 17th, 2018

Justin left on Saturday for his business trip back to Canada. The girls and I had a differently paced weekend than we have ad since we arrived. It was nice in some ways. Kind of like resetting a bit.

Saturday:

On Saturday we went into Zurich with Kelly and Amelie and went shopping for the girls. They each got a few tops which were much needed and will round out their wardrobe when the cooler weather finally arrives. It was exhausting, actually, to be shopping for several hours, but it was also so cool to be able to hop on the train, pop into Zurich within 24 minutes of leaving Baar. Super convenient!

Sunday:

On Sunday, the girls did homework - shannon worked for most of the day, while Sarah finished her stuff up in the morning and watched shows. I met Kelly in Zug and we hiked for about 3 hours and enjoyed a coffee at the top of Zugerberg before heading back down. Murphy was good and tired after that walk!

In the afternoon, Sarah and I visited with our neighbours upstairs. It was so great! Sarah and Livvia made an apple cake while I chatted with Nathalie and Deborah. We also had a really good laugh at my german when Livvia was teaching me better pronunciation. Oh man, do I stink!!! I have a long way to go - or to put it positively, I have lots of room for improvement!!!

Justin is visiting lots of people back in KW and Toronto. He's dropping off packages that we sent with him, and he's picking up things have been collected at my Mom and Dad's as well as back at the house. I have really shifted my brain to thinking of the house we used to live in as a "house" and not my "home". It's weird to think of other people being there, changing how it looks inside, living a life there that I don't know about. And so I choose to think of it as an investment and not my home. It is a house that we rent out and where our things are stored, and that's it. If things break or change, then we can renovate and fix them. No emotion - that's what I have to maintain. I will be fine with Justin being the one who goes back there, and not me!!!

The girls will each get last year's year book when Justin comes back, which will be great (in the long run). Shannon is doing better this week with the move, but Sarah is still having a hard time. Each night she has said "I want to go home" and I simply hold her and tell her it will be better in the morning. Now she has a week to go until her class trip (they call it PDW - Personal Development Week) to Italy. It will be a great week, I am sure, but she is nervous and I can't blame her! It's 5 days and 4 nights in another country, with kids she's only known a few weeks. But I know that it will be rewarding and some good bonding will take place. I just have to keep reminding her, and keep my Mom Brave Face on!!

Shannon is enjoying settling in with a social group. She went out for dinner with 3-4 other girls last night. I am happy for her, and being where she can get around on the train or the bus so easily is so nice for her independence. I am still trying to get used to not knowing her friends...that's weird!!! But at least she has Amelie - her cousin, as they're saying (because that is less complicated than her mother's cousin's daughter - does that make it her second cousin? Who Knows?!) 

I'm strangely unaware of Shannon's marks so far, which feels weird. She was always more quiet than Sarah at sharing things, but now it's even more so. I am letting her have the independence, figuring that report cards come out and that will share with me what's happening....hopefully  it will not be too late! She was working all day yesterday on a Science Essay. It was HUGE she said. So I just let her work away....and then she had the reward of getting together with her friends.

Justin's job is going well. The dealership opens October 1st, so this trip to Canada is not ideal timing, but also not the worst timing. He is very busy and October will be hectic and stressful for him, I'm sure. The team there seems to be quite strong, but not without challenges, which is probably to be expected.  I have my "June Cleaver" hat on and I am trying to make sure the apartment stays neat, clean, well stocked and that everyone has healthy food to eat.  Justin's German has come along so far, especially in the last couple weeks where he was speaking German all day at work to the employees. It's amazing how good he is at speaking! My german is fumbling, but I keep trying and people are so very patient and helpful. My pronunciation absolutely stinks, but I'll do my best and keep trying and with practice I can hope and dream  that it will get better! I am using the Computer program "Rosetta Stone" and also just started an app on my phone to help me. And every week, I review the grocery flyers and the local small newspapers to learn "every day" German words. Bit by Bit.

Grocery shopping is so different here. The fridges aren't very big, so you really have to go shopping every day. And the prices are so high that I shop what's on sale. There will not be a lot of red meat consumed  - chicken is so much cheaper! Shannon has already complained that we eat too much chicken, but she's not thrilled when we have vegetarian! I invited her make the menu plan and do the grocery shopping, but she declined. haha! So when I grocery shop, 2 grocery stores are only about 200 m away so I walk each day, which is nice. And because I'm shopping for so little, a couple bags is a manageable amount to carry back. Typically I go to one grocery store as well as the other, just to shop the sale items. The sales change every day - some are on sale for the week, but some change each day! The grocery stores don't have the selection that we are used to in Canada, but we've already adjusted to that, it seems. Now I'm used to there just being a few types of granola bars, and not an entire set of shelves with a plethora of options.Today I need to get a broom for the deck, and I have no idea where I will get it! That's my fun tor today....thrilling, right?! haha!

Well, I better get back to real life: my typical day starts with studying German before I go grocery shopping, then take the dog to the river to tire him out, stop in at the discount store if there are any non-perishables on the shopping list, clean the house, do laundry, iron if needed, prep dinner and get ready for the kids. June Cleaver days for me!