Gearing Up for the Holiday

Holidays here are so different than they are in Seattle. I don't mean the special type holidays like Christmas or Easter but just the bank type holidays or even most Sundays for that matter.  Everything is closed.  Well, not everything.  Most restaurants stay open but stores including grocery stores close for the entire day.  Marty and I were talking about how this isn't even a thing one day a year in Seattle.  It used to be on Christmas and maybe New Year's Day stores would close but I think now they open for limited hours in the mornings? I half hate it and half love it.  Every Sunday and most holidays so many people are out walking or riding their bikes for fun.  There really is a complete calm over the city... or at least in our little corner.  I'm sure in the center it is pretty much business as usual , except the grocery stores. People seem to be enjoying the down time.  Something we rarely do in Seattle.  Thursday is another German holiday.  German Reunification Day celebrates when the two halves of Germany became one for the first time since 1945.  In 1990 they created the holiday so we are nearing on 30 years.  It also begins the kids' 2.5 weeks of Fall Break.  I didn't think I would like a more year round school schedule but I have to say that going on 3 years of it, that I really do.  We have a little over 6 weeks in the summer and I thought I would miss that long 10 ish weeks but with so many holidays spread throughout the year 6 weeks seems enough at one stretch.

Tons of veggies.. pre-eggs and cheese. 

Since the holiday is coming I have to make sure I have enough food on hand. I made the sweet potato/black bean enchiladas partly because I knew it would make enough for leftovers for at least one or two days.  I actually doubled the recipe - kind of so, I knew I'd have a lot and thankfully it was a hit.  I hate when I double a new recipe and then everyone hates it.  I made a tasty broccoli, spinach, cheddar frittata with the left over eggs from Josie's birthday party on Tuesday.  It was really good and chock full of healthy veggies but nothing compared to the enchiladas.  I'm sure that is just because we are so Mexican food deprived here.   I knew then that Wednesday through Friday could be left overs.
This also meant that because of the upcoming break I had to stock up on books for Benjamin.  He is currently reading nearly a book a day.  The elementary school library is only open for parents on Wednesdays from 1:30-3:30 🙄🙄 It is so annoying when you have such a ferocious reader and you are living in a country where most of the books in the public library are in German. It is really hard to keep enough books on hand.   Benjamin's library day during his school day isn't until Friday which means due to the holiday he wouldn't even get his once weekly library day.  They say he can come in during his ONE daily (albeit very long) recess.  But he forgets or doesn't want to and to be honest I know he needs that physical play as much as his books.  Thankfully I finally figured out that parents can visit the High School library ANY time.  Yay!! Plus the librarian there is so nice and welcoming.   And because he is only 9 years old, a lot of the books he enjoys are a bit immature for the High Schoolers so they are typically in and ready to be checked out.  Last week Benjamin and I visited together we told the librarian how thankful we were that we could access this library anytime and how much Benjamin reads and she winked at Benjamin and said that she was "happy to help you with your reading problem" 😉 So we checked out 2 of the series he is reading (The Cherub series - a teenage spy novel series) but he finished those last week. Thankfully I had already put on hold the rest of the 12 book series at the elementary school library but he is already at book #8 so I knew it wouldn't last us through the break.  While at the HS library last week I also checked out 5 books in a series that states it is similar to the Cherub series.  So I had those in my back pocket but still I knew I needed more.  I found the next 2 books in the newer Cherub series #2.  This Robert Muchamore is a prolific writer.  Thankfully!  It is so nice when Benjamin gets into an author that has written so many books so we have a "next book" when he finishes.    So I guess his books #8-12 of his current series, #1-2 of the next Cherub series and the first 5 books of the Alex Rider series were going to have to get him through the 18 day

break!!
Wednesday after school Benjamin had a play date at his friend Zeke's house.  The boys ride the public bus together right after school and then he rides back home solo.  The most direct route is the bus that drops him off back by school so Mogli and I went to meet him.  He, of course, was more excited to see Mogli than me.  While Benjamin was at his play date Josie and I rode the bus together to her weekly college math class.  She keeps wanting me to ride with her.  It is at least an hour long commitment for me.  The bus ride each way is only 20 minutes but the walking to and from bus and waiting for the bus, etc.   This time we took Mogli along.  I know the days where she wants me along are numbered.  I have to say she shows no signs of not wanting us along yet and I have to believe it is living here that helps with this.  It is like kids stay kids longer here.  But they also are treated much more maturely and given much more independence here.  It is a strange juxtaposition.