Their very own driver

 

Japan doesn't participate in Daylight Savings time.  At least, if they do, I haven't heard about it.  The bus still comes at the same time, church still happens at the same time, etc.  Our mornings are so early.  The stake sent out a questionnaire at the beginning of the year asking everyone's opinions on seminary.  In previous years, the school sent a bus to the Temple Anex, where we meet for church and seminary.  Since Covid, they no longer do that so all the kids have to catch the buses at different bus stops and the school won't allow kids to catch a bus other than the one they are assigned to.  So, this year, most families requested online seminary.  We wanted in-person but we also realize that if they did in-person, our boys would have to wake up even earlier so that they can be totally ready before seminary and then rush home to catch the bus.  Instead, they have morphed in-person and online.  On Monday, Thursday, and Friday the boys have online seminary.  It starts at 5:30 and and ends at 6:30, which gives them 15 minutes to grab their lunches, shoes, backpacks, etc, before taking off to the bus stop.  On Tuesday, they meet at 8:00PM at the Temple Anex after Young Men's.  On Wednesday, they get a day off and sleep until 5:45.  It seems to work out okay.  Ultimately, I think in-person is better for the goals of seminary, but it would definitely make their lives harder.  I snapped these photos of the boys trying not to fall asleep during seminary.  

Yesterday was a soggy, rainy mess.  We don't have rainboots but we do have umbrellas and the little girls have raincoats.  The kids don't ever want to take umbrellas to the bus stop so they usually just end up running in the rain.  Felicity and I had to go to a baking club activity up by the embassy and it was pouring rain.  We were drenched before we ever made it to the bus stop.  It's an unpleasant part of city life but definitely just becomes the norm to walk in the rain.  Everyone owns multiple umbrellas here and all the stores have umbrella holders outside their doors and then everyone leaves their umbrellas outside their apartments in the hall, open, to dry.  It isn't supposed to rain today, thankfully.  

We have to go to a work potluck for lunch.  I'm not particularly excited to go but it will be fine.  The kids have a PACT day today, which is a teachers planning day or something, so most of them will get home at about 2 in the afternoon.  Piper, however, has a party she is going to after school.  The invite said that they would be sending their "driver" to the school to pick up all the girls and take them to an amusement park.  Since I was on my back all week last week, I was unable to get to Hardy Barracks and buy a gift bag or wrapping paper for the gift we got and therefore, I sent Piper to school with the gift tied with curly string.  I am wondering how a family who has their own driver is going to react to a lame gift tied with curly string.  Hopefully she is invited to other parties.  One of my friend's was talking about this last week.  When a family who pays a ton of money for your kid to go to their party (like being picked up at the school by a driver and then driven to an amusement park) does a $20 gift feel sufficient?  I doubt it but that's all I'm willing to pay.