A typical day for us

We've finally kind of settled into a routine. Weekdays I'm up at 6:30 so that I can start getting ready for the day before I wake my son up at 7:00. I help him get moving while my husband makes breakfast. By 7:30 we've loaded our son up with his various school bags and, if it's Monday or Wednesday, I walk with his school group the entire way to school. Other weekdays I walk him halfway so that I can get home and walk the recycling or garbage (depending on the day, sometimes both) to the select site in time for pickup.

First on the to-do list every morning:
remove the washed, now-dry recyclables
from the wall and counter

My husband heads off for work a little before nine, and then my daughter and I have breakfast, I hang the laundry out if it's not raining, and we head off to the grocery store on our bicycle (she has a child seat behind me). The grocery run almost always ends with me trying to figure out how to carry too many things home when all I have is a front basket and a backpack (and two handlebars that are just asking to carry something, too, right?), but we manage to wobble home safely somehow. Thank goodness the way back is downhill, and my husband can make a quick run after work for anything else we need!

By the time we get back home it's about lunchtime and my husband will be joining us soon. I can hear the first town bells of the day play "Greensleeves" on the noon hour while I prepare a quick something (sandwiches, or some of the prepared foods from the store). We all eat, maybe watching a few of the Japanese kid videos available on Japan's youtube, and then my hubby takes his leave so that he can be back at work before his hour is up.

My daughter and I snuggle in for a nap that ends too soon, and then it's time to walk to my son's school. We pick him up at 3:10 and I have a quick minute to check in with his teacher and see if we're still on track. Then it's time to head back home with his group (smaller, since the older kids stay at school a little later).

The second bells of the day ring at 4:30 during the winter, 6:00 during the summer. That's when I take my cue to pull the laundry in, if there is any. My son and daughter have free time until 5:00 (I try to get the dishes done), and then it's time for homework. If we're lucky, we'll be finished by 5:30 and I can start dinner. My husband comes home just after that and keeps the kids happy while I cook something. The meal takes us until 6:30 or 7:00, and if it's one of our two weekday bath nights we get the kids squeaky clean, read books, and tuck them in by 8:00. The hubby and I work on any leftover chores, start a load of laundry, and without fail make sure the sink is clear (and the recycling washed and hung up to dry) before we have a few minutes to ourselves and call it a night.

Our library has the most beautiful stone
mosaic art piece displayed inside.

Weekends are completely haphazard. We check out the local festivals or go to the library and find something interesting to read or watch. It's also a day for catching up on the chores we couldn't get to during the week, or exploring the nearby playgrounds with the kids. Aside from where we shop, our weekends in Japan are a pretty good copy of our weekends in America.

There is a reason our time here is passing so quickly! :-) That darned sun just keeps insisting on rising every day! And then it goes and sets again!