I work 4 days a week, which includes a full day Saturday.  My partner not only is working on his Masters programme, but works a part time job on the side which includes working on Sunday.  Between both of our schedules, we have it orchestrated to a tee to whom is dropping or picking up the kids from school on which ever day, morning, or afternoon and who can be with the kids on the weekends.  Heaven forbid one of them get sick, than our just perfect scheduling matrix will crumble and we have to figure out who can bend their day and pick up the pieces.  Ryan has gotten to take the boys to parties that I could not attend on Saturday because I had work.  I get to take the boys to church and often will take the long way home so we can stop at the park or get something to eat along the way.  I have so far gotten out just once in the evenings, and that was to watch a band play by myself.  When Ryan has gotten to go out with his Uni friends in the evenings and I stay at home with the kids, it seems no different from when he would go out with his military mates and I watched the boys.  But my partner and I hardly have any time where we can just have a date night and spend time with out the kids, let alone all of us together. So today when we had an odd that we were both free this afternoon, we took it and it was lovely. 

  We started with a morning walk from the school into town.  This include taking a short cut through the park, a new way that Ryan had not been before.  This led us to where we stopped inside a french patisserie for breakfast pastries and hot drinks to keep us warm in the cold morning weather.  We chatted about politics and school and all those topics that you cannot get in depth about when you have a six year old whining because his brother will not play by his rules.  Afterwards we took the train down to Brighton and went browsing in the Lanes.  

  

Ryan has been on the hunt for some new sweaters to fill up his closet to keep up with the growing cold temperatures this Autumn.  Though we did not find any perfect matches, Ryan did try on this brown leather jacket that was perfect.  As soon as he tried it on, we both knew it was a keeper. Fingers crossed it will still be there in a few days when Ryan goes back to purchase it.  *knock on wood*  Afterwards we took the bus to the beauty supply store and I felt like a kid in a candy store.  It did not have as many hair and beauty supplies that I would have hoped, so hopefully they carry more items on the website.  I picked up some hair colour to keep up my ginger colour and then we took the bus back to the rail station.  Before getting on our train we bought some roasted chestnuts and hot pasties to eat for lunch.  Both were delicious and really hit the spot.  I had only a few minutes to beeline it to the kids’ school upon getting to our station, so I pretty much walked as fast as I could to get there.  Of course I was still early, but at least being early is on time and so I felt much better as I waited with the other parents.