Week in the Life 2018 | Wednesday (Photos + Words)

I can't believe it's already Wednesday. This week has been going by very fast, although the days seem slow.

Another cloudy, cold morning. No rain.

I've been taking coffee with me in the car for much of this week. I like to hold the warm mug in my hands (since the heat isn't allowed on most days). Cold.

Last night we ran out of gas. Lately it is happening during the week, so we leave the tank on the stoop and give the money to the guard. When we get home - voila! a new tank is waiting. Of course, with this system we (Andrés and Agus) have to bring it in ourselves (it's heavy when full).

Our view from Andres´s parents´house. Snow on Pichincha this morning. The evenings have been cold.

Getting the bags in the car before they go in and have breakfast and get ready for school. They will leave with their grandmother around 7:15 for school.

Agus has been "scolded" for not saying goodbye properly in the mornings. So lately he likes to come up to the window and stick his head and hands in and wave directly in your face. Funny kid. (Love the Nico photobomb!)

Ernesto came over for a while this morning to talk about some of the changes that were made regarding the books. The contract was terminated a few weeks ago and he had just found out. Nice to talk to him as he was very supportive. We'll see what happens.

In the meantime, the sun comes out and it looks like we might finally get a sunny day.

Reading over some of my notes while Andrés is in a meeting with the tech people about online appointments for placement exams. We share an office, so I usually get to overhear the details.

Didn't get around to breakfast until almost 10 am when the office got a little quieter. What I've been having lately = cereal + Greek yogurt and a piece of fruit.

Quiet around here. Placement exams probably won't pick up until next week or the week after.

Listening to videos. I gave my office headphones to Nico for Galapagos and haven't gotten them back. These only work in one ear and are too low. 

 Signing class registers. And signing. And signing. And signing...

Morning treat from Andrés - orejitas.

He has something to say. I listen. Then I go back to my desk.

Lunchtime - up in the computer lab again, where it's relatively quiet. Looks like rain (but it's not raining, even though there is a lady with an umbrella. Hmmmm).

Dark clouds. Pichincha looks so ominous in this type of weather.

A little work after lunch. Or, rather, it probably wasn't work work. Although I did have to contact some prospective teachers to set up demo classes next week.

Leaving work. 3:45. It's started to rain. Again. Luckily it's a light rain and stops the further north we get, so traffic is manageable.

Yesterday our Roomba had some issues docking and charging and I spent sometime looking up possible causes. So many people said you had to take it apart and rewire it. Finally I found a video that said you just need to clean the sensors well, even if they don't look dirty. It worked! I also decided to take this time to clean out all the parts and change filters as recommended. It's like brand new.  What a relief.

I sat on the couch crocheting while Andrés got supper ready. He made this chicken enchilada casserole. Very tasty. (Agus, strangely enough, was not a fan. He says he doesn't like melted cheese + chicken or any type of casserole. He had to choke it down.)

During dinner the highlight was Nico teaching Agus the word "taunt". Apparently this is something you can do on Minecraft to lure other players.

I made a light snack with the leftover tortillas while we waited for dinner to be ready. Nico really likes guacamole. Agus not so much.

After dinner Andrés and I did clean up and some prep for tomorrow's breakfast/lunch/dinner (I feel like all we do at home is prep food lately). The kids took their evening showers and I sat on the couch to work on a crochet project while Andrés snored away.

45 degrees. At 9:15 I went upstairs to read with Nico. Agus proceeded to play with SnapChat filters with Daddy.

Kids were in bed around 10 and then I decided to read (finally). I'm reading The Alice Network. It's ok. I had started it a week or so ago and had a hard time getting back into the story and trying to remember what was going on. It's very unsatisfying to read on the Kindle, but I love being able to have access, through the library, to so many good books for free. Three weeks usually isn't enough for me to finish a book in anymore, however.

I fell asleep and woke up about ten times during my chapter, but got stubborn and decided I needed to finish it. The second I did it was lights off - probably around 11:15.

Hasta mañana!

Week in the Life 2018 | Tuesday (Photos + Words)

Day 2 of Week in the Life is over and I am here - two days in a row. Yay me!

The day started out quite cold, so I decided to wear a warm sweater with a turtleneck and boots. It turned out to be a good decision.

The view out the window is cloudy/foggy but at least it isn't raining. Came down at 6:10 to get the boys' water bottles ready and heat up some coffee for me while I wait for the boys to come down so we can leave.

Getting shoes on. Agus has a hard time waking up and says he's a "zombie".

Love how he walks out to the car with hands in pockets. Daddy has already brought all his things to the car so he's traveling "light" this morning.

Pulling out of the conjunto in back of our neighbor "Pepito", who goes oh-so-very-slow, but which leaves time for a couple of quick car selfies.

Often the first two or three hours of work are quiet. Today placement exams start at 9 a.m., so it will pick up around 8:30. Until then, we just check email, check the news, do anything that was pending last night, and always with 80s music (courtesy of the secretaries) in the background.

First cup of coffee in the morning. This is essential. Mostly because I appreciate the warm mug in my freezing cold hands. 52 degrees

Working on my blog, getting pictures uploaded and posts written. Feels good to be back here.

First reheating of the coffee of the day. I took two pictures - one after I realized the chair back was in the way. After seeing the full-body picture, however, I decided it was better with my backside covered. Sigh. Someday I would just like to not cringe when I see myself in the mirror. I know it's my story - and I own it - but it doesn't have to be, yet I feel powerless and helpless to change it.

We've been thinking about (for quite some time now, granted) selling some of the kids' old toys, to make space and also to update their rooms into something more suitable for teens. Andrés was checking out a type of Craigslist for Ecuador. Hopefully we can get (or WILL get) this taken care of before our summer trip.

I spent quite some time this morning catching up on Amy's and Jennie's blogs. So fun to see Amy's posts about Disney World, since we were just there as well. Quite depressing to read about Jennie's struggles, but I'm glad I did and so glad she's writing honestly about them. I imagine it is somewhat therapeutic, but it's also painful and raw (as she herself says). She's really a great writer and I felt like I was swept up in a memoir or something. Really she should write a book, she's got some talent. Anyway, I feel such compassion for her and Tom and what they are going through and have decided to intensify my prayers and good vibes (whatever works). I totally emphasize with her and I'm not sure I would actually be taking it as well as her. Sigh. Real life is a real b**** sometimes.

Feeling guilty that I haven't gotten much "real" work done, I go back to my desk to work.

Making thesis corrections and suggestions for one of my students.

Notes taken. Ideas given.

A break from corrections in order to contact the chat desk of TOEFL iBT. Scheduling problems with upcoming administrations. 

Some days lunch can't come soon enough. I had some mixed nuts for a snack but was still hungry at lunchtime. I had leftover mashed potatoes and gravy (purposefully no meat - not a huge fan). Andrés and I went up to the computer lab to eat (everywhere else was too crowded). 

Another one of my hang ups is that I feel guilty eating. All I can think about while I'm eating is that I'm eating too fast, eating too much, not eating healthy enough foods. After I eat I feel sick and guilty, like I did something really wrong. Yet obviously the feeling isn't strong enough to stop me from my bad habits or from eating again or eating differently. I'll get home and eat crackers and peanut butter or open a small bag of chips or make popcorn - because I'm hungry - but then I will eat too fat, too much and the cycle will start all over again. It feels like an eating disorder, although it isn't one. But this relationship with food is complicated and terrible and I hate food but I love it. Geez. I should just exercise and not worry about the food - but that doesn't seem to work either. I don't know what's wrong with me. Probably it's my lack of uterus. Or the altitude. (My two go-to excuses for everything in life.)

The ride home. Pretty much always 45 minutes, unless there is a detour because of rain/flooding/bomb threats (all of which occurred last week). Great! No rain or flooding or bomb threats today. Oh, but the road by work is closed for repaving (really this is overdue) so we must take a 20-minute detour in the opposite direction (because of all the one-way streets + traffic). Still, we ended up getting home around the same time, so not too much complaining (last week's flooding added 1.5 hours to our commute).

Kid pick up - outside Shushú's house. It has rained here but at the moment is just cloudy.

There they are! Man, my day is instant sunshine when these two are around. Enjoying them so much. Such a different season in life. They are not the cute little kids who say funny and sweet things or do something so amazing, but they are just absolute fun to be around, and I feel a sense of peace when they are near me. I suppose that's my Mama Bear instinct. Not something I ever thought I would have when I was young, but definitely what suits me at this age of my life.

An added plus is that they've already finished their homework.

Getting the bags into the car to go back to the house.

Nico, fluttering around the house, pumped up because BATI'S COMING, knocked over a pencil sharpener and got pencil shavings all over. He cleaned it up. This is one thing I remember he always asked to do when he was small (sweep). Nowadays, not so much. But he did it, and then asked what else he could do, so I sent him to dust the downstairs.

He was finished in two minutes. I decided to just go with it and sent him to clean out and then turn on the Roomba.

Bati came, Andrés got beer and chips and chifles, I made salsa rosada and the boys turned on the TV. Liga was playing in the Copa Sudamericana against a Bolivian team and had a good chance to go to the next stage.

Excitement. Liga is playing well. Then - the goalkeeper makes a mistake and the ball drifts s l o w l y into the arch. Liga is losing 0-1 at the end of the second half.

During half time Bati asked to see our Galapagos pictures. Nico and I talked about our trip. Second half starts but no one is very interested in the game, when Agus gets a phone notification: Liga SCORES! Game's tied up.

A few minutes later, the Bolivian team makes another goal. Then another. Liga is down by two and the celebratory vibe in the room has quickly faded. Then, in the last five minutes of the game, Liga scores! Liga still loses the game 2-3 but it's enough to send the team to the next stage of the Copa. Now everyone is happy.

Pizza is ordered (Bati's suggestion). Pepperoni and Hawaiian, and it is quickly eaten in the elation of a win. Of course, I didn't get a picture because I too was partaking of UNHEALTHY food once again. I need to get organized - all I thought about all afternoon was that I should make a salad for myself, but then it starts raining, temperatures plunge once again, our team wins, and everyone is eating pizza and so am I. Too much and too fast and then I'm mentally berating myself again.

After showers, Nico is ready to do our nightly reading. I don't remember this book starting out so slowly. He doesn't mind. He's seen the movie and he loves the story. And I think he also loves procrastinating bed time.

He never wears socks to bed. My feet freeze just looking at him.

200 pages in and we still aren't even at Hogwarts yet. I'm anxious to get to the good part.

Agus playing with SnapChat filters as Nico and I read.

The kids were in bed by about 9:30, and I was excited because this is earlier than normal and I thought: great! I'll get some reading in after a quick round of Candy Crush (you know, to decompress). An hour later I woke up to a blank screen and Andrés snoring softly next to me, so of course it was lights out.

Until tomorrow!