So...what does she do all day?!

It's a fair question: with all 3 kids in school, no lunches to pack, just a small, rented apartment to clean with no home improvements to execute or yard to maintain, a husband who is very hands on with the kids and house chores (and only working part-time), and not working--what DO I do all day?

I did originally think I'd be swimming in spare time: I came with a list of books to read, years of online scrapbooks to catch up on, knitting gear to learn from my son, a few Netflix series in mind to watch, aspirations to join a tennis club, ideas for blogging, the hope for occasional naps and yes, an intention to be more present and have quality time with my kids.

Enter the switch in school schedules, with Gabi in school from 8am-1pm, Jonty from 1pm-7pm, and Catarina from 9am-4pm...WTF?!  But you know what?  The schedule is working for me!

• With all the comings and goings to school, I am not bored.
• Multiple walks each day in the glorious sunshine is good for my health.
• The route is along the beach and up quaint, cobblestoned village roads speckled with art and gardens bedazzled in flowers.
• I interact with people along the way. The Portuguese are friendly and approachable--locals smile and say "Bom dia" or "Boa Tarde".  Lovely.
• My daily coffees (80 cents for a frothed cappuccino!) and fresh pastries at cafes are delicious, and wine with my hubby every evening provides a zen moment together.
• Mark is working 5 days a week, but fewer hours a day.  So we have slower mornings and earlier evenings as a family.
• I do not have to rush, and that my friends, is a gift, all on its own. The kids and I sometimes take 30 minutes to walk home from school, just taking it all in!

I am managing to get to my TO-DO list (minus the tennis and knitting), albeit in 1 hour chunks instead of 6 hour chunks.  And yes, I still have to cook and clean and parent. Here is a look at my day, yesterday:

7:15am - wake up
8am - walk Gabi to school (the school & nursery school is a 10 minute walk from home); stop by the market for veggies, fruit, fresh bread, and fish for supper
8:45am - arrive back at home, have a coffee with Mark on the balcony, see Catarina off (Mark walks her to school), hang with Jonty reading, playing and doing homework, hang a load of laundry (no dryer here--the sun is reliable all year long!)
10:45am - walk 15min to the High School with Jonty for his 1 hour badminton practice (I read while he trains)
noon - walk Jonty to school for his lunch and school day
12:15pm - read on the beach waiting to walk back home with Mark after his swim across the bay
12:45pm - lunch with Mark
1:30pm - go to pick up Gabi between school and her afternoon music and gym class (we head to the beach to play cards for an hour)
2:45pm - drop off Gabi at school, meet a new friend for coffee
4:15pm - pick up Catarina at her school, head to the library to play and get books
5:15pm - pick up Gabi from school and the 3 of us head home and play
6:30pm - make/eat supper; Mark heads out to pick up Jonty and they go straight to hockey practice
8pm - girls' bedtime
9:30pm - Jonty&mom's bedtime!

Here is what our walk to the school looks like:

Right outside our apartment - I say, on cue: "Another gorgeous day!"

Chasing the Sea gulls

Ok, sometimes we fuel up with Pastries and Coffee enroute...

Watching the Surfers

Gabi Walks the "Beam" without fail

Just another historic building...

Pondering: What to Buy with my Allowance?

Think twice about having a bust made of you...so much bird poop!

Mommy's Favorite Flowers

#thefunpartisgettingthere