Tuesdays and Thursdays we don't have the car because Josiah doesn't have preschool, so Dwayne drives himself to work. Some days, this is nice because there's nowhere we have to go and we just play around the house or the yard or at the park. And some days, our little neck of the woods feels too small... So, today we got on the bus and went to the library. It was a fun adventure. It's the 3rd time we've done that in the last year. It sounds easy enough, but believe me, this simple little outing is hard on a mom. But, by this time around, I've got some things figured out and it was pretty nice today.
Chilliwack is not a huge city, so the bus system is...minimal. There are several buses, but the one that does the loop by our house and to the downtown area where the library and grocery stores are only does it's loop once every hour. So, this means things have to be timed fairly carefully. We get on the bus at 10:25, get dropped off downtown at 10:35 and have to get to the library, find our books, check them out, and walk back to our stop to get on the bus by 11:20. If we miss that bus, the next one doesn't leave until 12:20, and that's just too late for my kids and I who usually eat lunch at 11:30 and for Abby especially, who naps by 12:30.
This nightmare I have experienced...there was much frustration and lots of tears to that story, but this one is different. I've learned from my mistakes. Today I remembered snacks to occupy the kids while waiting at the bus stop. I remembered my bus tickets. I remembered to have my cell phone charged so I'd know what time it was. I had Abby in a stroller instead of ignorantly thinking I could carry her the short distance we would be walking from the bus. Today we went to a stop where buses actually stop, not an old one where apparently, they don't stop anymore.... Today the kids got to enjoy the bus and all it's novelties, like no restraining harnesses, big windows, a bus driver, and ringing bells. We got to people watch, and play with the puppet stage at the library, and see the ducks, and sign out 12 books. And we made it home in time for our early Hansen lunch and Abby's usual nap time, which was great because she'd been up since 6:20am, and let me tell ya, she needed her usual nap time!
Today I'm thankful to live in a city with things like great libraries and city buses.
Chilliwack is not a huge city, so the bus system is...minimal. There are several buses, but the one that does the loop by our house and to the downtown area where the library and grocery stores are only does it's loop once every hour. So, this means things have to be timed fairly carefully. We get on the bus at 10:25, get dropped off downtown at 10:35 and have to get to the library, find our books, check them out, and walk back to our stop to get on the bus by 11:20. If we miss that bus, the next one doesn't leave until 12:20, and that's just too late for my kids and I who usually eat lunch at 11:30 and for Abby especially, who naps by 12:30.
This nightmare I have experienced...there was much frustration and lots of tears to that story, but this one is different. I've learned from my mistakes. Today I remembered snacks to occupy the kids while waiting at the bus stop. I remembered my bus tickets. I remembered to have my cell phone charged so I'd know what time it was. I had Abby in a stroller instead of ignorantly thinking I could carry her the short distance we would be walking from the bus. Today we went to a stop where buses actually stop, not an old one where apparently, they don't stop anymore.... Today the kids got to enjoy the bus and all it's novelties, like no restraining harnesses, big windows, a bus driver, and ringing bells. We got to people watch, and play with the puppet stage at the library, and see the ducks, and sign out 12 books. And we made it home in time for our early Hansen lunch and Abby's usual nap time, which was great because she'd been up since 6:20am, and let me tell ya, she needed her usual nap time!
Today I'm thankful to live in a city with things like great libraries and city buses.
1 comment:
Hey Jen. Just wanted you to know that I have been reading and enjoying your posts and having the chance to glimpse into your life. It's nice to see someone making time to blog for a change. I am not talkative lately so have not been commenting. But I have been here.
Lorena
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