It takes some getting used to...

It's 10:08a.m now.

Ayah had just left for the hospital 15 minutes ago and should be back by 10:45a.m to send the kids to their dance class.

Breakfast was simple - leftover Nasi Goreng from yesterday, and for Hilman, leftover pizza from Nachos Nachos which we tapau-ed last night. He didn't quite like it, so I had to add new toppings of sausages and more cheese to it. And the pinggan is licin already :) And Hilman said 'Thank you' to me three times for making the pizza taste better :)

It'll be a Sunday at home for us today, but not a relaxing one, I'm afraid. Ayah has to finish his article for MM by 6:00p.m today, and as for me, I plan to clear the porch of some boxes which had been there for the last one year and REALLY make time to send them to the intended recipients either later today or tomorrow morning. Apart from that, of course - the clothes need ironing, too. Anyway, I'm just going to iron Ayah's work shirts enough for 2 weeks, and of course the kids' school uniforms - all 15 pairs of them...again. First thing to do - to find them shirts and uniforms in that pile in Dar's room :(

And I forgot to remind the kids to wash their school shoes yesterday, so they're doing it now. Hope the sun shines the whole day today so that the shoes will be dry in time for school tomorrow...(Hmmmm...macam lyrics lagu lah pulak ;))

Sabarudin reported for duty on Friday, and I took the day off to show him the routes to the kids' schools/centres, and also to Ayah's hospital, etc. Also got him to bring Hilman and myself to Tesco that afternoon. It did make a huge difference not having to go round and round finding a parking space myself. It saved so much time, and of course energy because I had him to push the trolley to the car at the end of it ;) I didn't have him following me around while I was doing my grocery shopping, of course. That would be really awkward for me (and for him, too, I guess?). So, I just asked him to wait for me at the entrance near Pizza Hut.

So, Friday was his day with me and the kids.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was his day with Ayah and the kids.

He arrived at 7:15a.m as Ayah needed to be in Co*um*ia As*a by 8:00a.m. Hanna also had to be in school by 8:00a.m as she had Handball practice until 10:00a.m. Hanna was sent first, then Ayah. At 10:00a.m he fetched Hanna, sent her to my MIL's house so that she could get ready for her guitar class. At 10:45a.m, they left my MIL's house to fetch Ayah, sent Ayah to TMC, and then sent Hanna to OU for her 12:00p.m guitar class. As for me, I only had to send Hasya and Hilman to their Chess Class in Taman Tun at 11:30a.m and then came home straight. Hanna was fetched by Sabarudin at 1:00p.m, thereafter he fetched Hasya and Hilman and then off he went to TMC to fetch Ayah. They all arrived home together at 2:15p.m.

When I asked Ayah what did he think of Sabarudin, he told me that the whole time they were together in the car, Ayah had to keep on reminding him to use the indicator lights when changing lanes or making a turn. And according to him, they nearly hit a car as they were going out at the junction near our house! Hmmmmm...risau jugak, kan? But, I hope in time he'll know what we expect out of him. He needs to get used to our style of driving if he's driving us around, right?

Anyway, he's on a 3-month probation. If we feel he's careless and bukan pemandu berhemah, I guess we'll have to find another driver then.

I felt so much more relaxed, and I found that there were so much more things done at home with this arrangement. One of the things is that, now, I don't have to bring the semi-dry washing in everytime I want to go out sending/fetching the kids (fearing that it might rain while I'm out) and the laundry gets done earlier and easier. And the kitchen sink is clear and empty all the time because now I DO have time to wash the dishes straight away after our meals, and not have to wait until I'm done with the ferrying around job.

But, I think Ayah feels a bit awkward having a driver because he's so used to driving himself everywhere as and when he pleases whenever he's called to any of the hospitals, and now he has to wait for Sabarudin everytime he needs to go somewhere. Ayah may feel that it's so much easier and so much faster if he drives himself all the time. But, I guess it takes some getting used to.

As for me, I told Ayah that the driver is primarily for him. If Sabarudin can send and fetch the kids in between, it'll a bonus. If he can't, I can always ferry the kids. After all, their schools/centres, my office and my MIL's house are all quite near to each other. The only days which I may not be able to do so would be on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have full teaching schedules.

And the difference between Ayah and I is that I tak sampai hati nak bagi Sabarudin kerja more than his hours, while Ayah said I should not feel like that because we're paying him for his OT. Furthermore, he had been out of work for the last 2 months, and he probably doesn't mind working over-time anyway. And Ayah said, he should expect to work over-time as that is what's expected of a personal driver anyway. I guess Ayah has a point there. I guess on this issue, it's me who has to get used to the idea of asking Sabarudin to kerja lebih masa.

I guess we see things differently - we men and women. To me, I think he would want to spend more time with his family. But, to Ayah, he thinks he probably wants to earn more money to support his family. It's kind of reflecting how both of us view our own careers and lives, I guess. But, I'm still in a dilemma when it comes to ask Sabarudin to do OT. How la like this?

I guess in time I will know what Sabarudin wants from his job, and insya Allah we then can somewhat balance that with what we want him to do for us to make our lives easier.

And our lives will be even easier if Dar is around nanti. Talking of whom - she has yet to call... :(