A day in the life of... Connie

How do I spend my day here in Nairobi?

Typically the alarm plays me a nice melody at 6am.... The chaos begins.....
Make 4 lunches/snacks plus breakfast for children and I
6:20am Wake the boys... errrr this means tickle/urn on the light, cajole, strip off the covers, drag - you get the idea
Wake Emily if she hasn't woken yet dress and feed her
Load Emily into the cool backpack along with usually a laptop and run to the waiting school bus by 7am. Sing along to loud christian music while bumping along the back lanes collecting children as young as 3 for school/kindy... Marvel at the number of kids that can sleep while being shaken up! (Some wake at 5:30 to make the bus) or hone my kiswahili thanks to Driver Danish, or Rose the bus monitor or several of the less shy children :)
Arrive at Kindy usually by 7:30 or just after depending on traffic. The boys swap buses at the kindy and continue on to primary school... arriving about 8am.
Emily and I spend half an hour joining the Kindy teachers for worship (African style!) and devotions- this week looking at women in the Bible
Teachers Beatrice and Florence are delightful with the 9 children in the creche and I love joining them singing nursery rhymes, action songs and bible songs and stories as well as free play. When Emily is settled and happily eating her snack I sneak out and visit some other 10 classes of 3-6 year olds. They have been preparing for "Presentations"- a concert for parents next week... much singing dancing, introductions of themselves and their families in Kiswahili and memory verses in both English and Kiswahili. It has really reinforced my belief that if you have high expectations of children they will rise to meet them. By 11:30 it's time for some outside fun - Everyone is still wrapped in several layers of jackets and scarves while Emily and I are in our summer 1 layer:) Swings slides, seesaw and climbing frame. Sometimes Emily is getting tired so we head home at this point - other times we stay for lunch (rice or chappattis with lentil soup and greens) and she has a snooze while I pop out to other classes again -often sharing about life in NZ, singing some songs  , answering questions etc.
Home time involves walking for 10 mins to the big shopping centre (usually I have something to post or to buy) then catch a bus (quite crowed) to our nearest shopping centre, Usually buy 1 or 2 bags of basic grocery items and walk another 25mins to our apartment.  (Potatoes/ apples/onions/mangoes and bananas picked up from a roadside stall ) Often E has dropped off to sleep just before I get home! Transfer her to bed- carefully.
Bit of lunch often eggs as they are cheap.... some housework, quick catch up on emails and facebook. or a walk with John- if E had her sleep early
Begin preparing tea, listening for the ph call to say the boys have been dropped at the gate about 4:45pm.
Snacks and homework for the boys
Tea (Dinner for you kenyans out here)
Game of cards?/ blogging?/ dishes!!
Bed
That's my day