Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons go either way for me. At times they are the bane of my summer existence. It means no lazy mornings, constant laundry and lost goggles on a weekly basis. At other times I love the summer sounds of splashing and coaching and the relaxation of reading by the pool. It has certainly gotten easier over the years. When we started, Colin was a babe and the prep work was insane. Suits, towels, diapers, multiple changes of clothes, snacks, juices, bug spray, sunscreen, toys... all for a measly hour at the pool. Now, as the kids are reaching the age of self-sufficiency, they each have their own swim bag and they are responsible for packing a change of clothes, a towel and goggles. The bags hang from the banister in front of the hallway laundry, and that is their permanent summer home. The suits get hung up to dry, and the towels go directly from dryer to bag and as soon as the suits are dry, they go in as well. The goggles are accounted for before we leave the pool, and again as each kids tosses their wet stuff in the washer upon arrival home. I only wash the suits every other day, so wet suits go on the drying rack. Rylan has taken over snack duty, and she actually does a great job. Usually a yogurt, granola bar, banana and a juice box. She even packs a snack for me! Swimming lessons have actually become enjoyable, except for the fact that the youngest child has made a thorough nuisance of himself. He refuses to get in the pool for his lessons now. He lasted all of seven days - and they weren't even consecutive. I want to rid myself of the ultimate motherhood fear that a child will drown (followed by run out into the street and get hit by a car), and Colin will have none of it. This may take years. :( Rylan and Owen are doing great though. Rylan has reached the point that she is a competent swimmer - just not a strong one. She missed out on the latest swim session because there were not enough other kids to make a class, so I opted to pay for a couple private lessons for her. At $20 a pop, this is not sustainable. And, as I was watching, I kept thinking..."I could teach her this... why am I paying for this??" This is a similar thought pattern that we have all experienced - you know the scenario - you're standing in front of a painting worth millions, and you think to yourself, "Why, I could paint this!!"
Forgetfulness
In the midst of worrying about hail damage, my knee and stuff, I forgot to do something. I had arranged with my friend/girl scout co-leader last weekend to do a playdate on this past Thursday. A lunch playdate. We would all eat lunch, the kids would chase chickens and play, play, play, and we would wrap up the paperwork and badge stuff for the year, and strategize for next year. I thought about it a bit on Wednesday. I was planning on bringing a fruit salad, so I made a mental note that I needed to go shopping. Unfortunately it didn't stick. Thursday came, we did our swim lessons and then headed home. According to my calendar, we had a whole day ahead of us to do with as we wished! We went to the river and the kids played for a good long while and then we came home. I was standing before the fridge, wondering what miracle I could perform in coming up with something for lunch when the phone range. I saw the name on the caller ID, and my heart exploded with self-loathing, stupidity and embarrassment all at once. We were late. Like an hour late. They were hungry - I could hear the girls in the background fussing. She had grilled chicken for us. She was worried. I'm an idiot. Luckily for me she is the forgiving sort and knows that I am the most forgetful person on Earth.
I have difficulty remembering things in times of stress. I have to write everything down - sometimes in multiple places. This is supposed to be second-nature for me ever since I had a head injury when I was 19, but sometimes I still forget - as I did this time after I forgot to put our plans on my calendar. I remember thinking to myself, 'I won't forget! This is a fun thing, so I will be looking forward to it and I won't forget!', aaaaand I forgot. This really sucks because a.) she cooked and cleaned for us b.) I have annoying financial paperwork for girl scouts to finish up and we need to do it together c.) I struggle so much with making solid friendships - somehow I always screw up by saying the wrong thing, doing something wrong, or...something.... I don't know. I feel really bad that I screwed up yet again. I just have to shake it off and move on, and try and act like a responsible adult next time.
Paper Overload
Mail, medical paperwork, scout paperwork, schoolwork, forms for everything under the sun, warranty stuff, 'art work', receipts, three different copies of the same bill (ahem)... There is a pile of some sort of paper on just about every flat surface in this house, which means I currently have to check about six different places in order to find something. It is just how it has come to be - it is up to me to gather it all up, sort it all out, and deal with it. Sometimes I begrudge that fact, other times I think that if were the both of us handling the influx of all things paper - us with two very different levels of pickyness, trying to handle something as volatile as FILING, emotional disaster would ensue. I know it could all be easily managed if I had a system in place for every different piece of paper that comes into our possession - and indeed I do, just like I have a system for coats, shoes, library books and wet bathing suits. It's just that nobody else seems to be aware of the system. The memo must have got lost in all the paperwork...
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