It's been a month

Yes, it's been a month since we arrived in Romania.  Nine months to go.  The big boys went to the private school this week.  There are mixed reviews on this event.  They were at the school from 8-12. They came home and had more school with me.  I do not think they have encountered any new material at the school, but the language is a challenge, and learning the language is why we put them in the school.  We are still not sure that this is the best use of everyone's time, especially our oldest, but we might give it a little more time.  Next week we will be traveling to Bucharest for a Fulbright orientation, so they will not be in school then.

This week did have me being at home alone with the two younger kids for longer periods of time than I am used to, but it did work out.  I was worried because I didn't have the extra eyes on them that  I usually have while I go to the bathroom and get dressed, etc, but they behaved.  It was also sweet to do "lessons" with the almost three-year-old without interruption from another child.  The little guys let me exercise, too.

I hope to be able to get to a gym and exercise at some point, but until then, I have been trying to stay in shape at home.  I have been alternating workouts between strength-training and Tabata.  I did not bring any weights with me, so I am using my own body weight (squats, lunges, planks, push-ups) and a resistance band on these days.  Tabata is a Japanese interval training program.  I got a free app on my phone for it with a customizable timer.  I have it set for eight 4-minute cycles with a 30 second recovery between the cycles.  Each cycle consists of 20 seconds of hard work, 10 seconds of rest, then 20 seconds of a different exercise, 10 seconds of rest, etc.  This last week I have been using moves I learned in BodyCombat for my Tabata routine.  For example, I will alternate between jabs and front kicks, then hooks and round house kicks.  The strength training and Tabata workouts are things you can do anywhere without special equipment.

I guess that's it for now.  We were very excited because today was the first time we could watch the Texas Longhorns play because they are playing an early game, but TCU is outplaying them.  Maybe next year, right?   Anyway, Hook 'em, Horns!