The MidWeek Routine

I liked it better last month when I had an abundance of stuff to keep Johnnie busy under the category of school or learning activities. He had computer programming and swimming on ONE day and I was probably even more tired than he was shuttling from one activity to the other. I thought it would make great practice for when he's a little older actually and that isn't too far away when he is actually on teams and leagues and playing in tournaments in whatever sport. In my mind, it just comes with the territory of being a dad and I embrace that role wholeheartedly. Fortunately today, he actually has that art class in kindergarten that I like and today, his project was to make a holiday card he has to give to somebody. And he made one for me and his mom. He wrote inside that we are THE BEST mom and dad ever. How can that not make your day?! And that wasn't all too. He of course still has to do his favorite SeeSaw homework and read 20 minutes of EPIC books before we can even BEGIN to think about lunch. For me, I was actually looking forward to that lunch. It gave me at least 20 minutes of time that I can do whatever. And today I chose to do my steps in the walkway right outside my apartment. 100 steps to the end of the hallway, 200 steps roundtrip. I could easily get to 2000 steps in those 20 minutes and that's already close to a mile. I wasn't sweating it really because I was still sore from last Monday's push-ups routine, which is something I want to incorporate more. I liked that my upper body and my arms looked pretty tight after that. Anyway I did a whole bunch of steps and by the time Johnnie got done with his class, he even wanted to continue reading EPIC books. He's really into Cat Ninja and the Bright Family stories. It's all good. Gives me time to do some work.  

In the afternoon, I gave him a break by having him do the 2nd part of the karate class he did yesterday. Look at the video I took of him doing frog jumps. I'm doing this to help him build strength of course but already I can sense he's turning into a pretty athletic kid and he's going to end up pretty strong. I can already feel it when he plays with me and punches me in the stomach. Another year or so and he's not going to be able to do that anymore. I know he only does it with me too because I am pretty sure he does not do that kind of horseplay with Lisa. She would never allow it. Of course she wouldn't allow him to watch videos either and now she is actually beginning to soften up on that some. So anyway, the karate class was just okay and I think I'll bring him back to the one he was doing online originally. That one seemed much funner and much more suited to little kids. After all, to Johnnie all of this is still just a game isn't it? Look at the blue tape I put on the floor just so he could practice his stance properly. My hope was actually to tire him out some LOL. Hard to do because he is a walking ball of energy. AND he eats and apparently sleeps much better here with me than at his mom's house. He told me so himself. Not going to get into that one. I can only control what I can control and that is when he is with me. And for me, if I have to feed him Panda Express teriyaki chicken just to ensure he is eating, then so be it. And if I have to supplement him with Pediasure every night, so be it too. And if he has to watch more than an hour of videos every night so he can have something to occupy himself, I'm glad to do it. Although lately he's been wanting to watch full length videos more. As in Jurassic World, Jurassic Park. Whatever happened to Frozen and Frozen II from a year ago? Today he actually started to watch Tumble Leaf all over again. Like I said, I think it was a moment of nostalgia. Hey until we get out of pandemic/quarantine mode, it's going to have to do. I thought about what we would be doing if we could actually go somewhere. Perhaps, Lisa and Johnnie would already be off somewhere for an extended time like they did last year. It would have been my turn to take him to Maui with me this past summer. But one a night-to-night basis, I remember a year ago we started to do the Italian sausage-make cookies on a Tuesday night routine. Whatever happened to that? This past summer was different because in very short order, I had him learning how to scooter, bike, and swim in that order. In a different world, I'm sure he would be learning something at Cornerstone Conservatory.  And so that is why I turn to martial arts. Gotta think of something else though... Soon.