The swim season that never was...yet.

There's one thing you should know about swim meets in the South.  Either they are going to be blazing hot and humid or there's going to be a thunderstorm right in the middle of it that will cause a delay.  And usually it's both. (Because if you didn't know it, hot humid air in the afternoon will usually bring about a thunderstorm.)

My kid's swim team has over 100 swimmers on it. Of the 8 teams in our league, we are by far the largest. So whenever we have a swim meet, it's a bit of a tent show.  We all come armed with our shade tents, or rain tents, whichever the case maybe.

And I'm always a little embarrased especially when we swim at another pool because 85% of the deck is consumed by the Arcadia Ducks and all of our tents and other necessary paraphernalia.  (Paraphernalia being coolers, snacks, chairs, snacks, towels, snacks, snacks, oh and did I mention, snacks.)

Last Thursday the first meet of the season was at our pool.  Everyone arrives early to claim the best deck space and to get everything set up.  But before we could even get one event in, a large, ominous, black cloud covered the sky, with a long bolt of lightening so bright that people literally went running for cover.  The tent city that took an hour to create was pulled down in under 5 minutes.  That swim meet never had a chance.

Yesterday was a little different.  The whole day had been cloudy because apparently we have relocated to Seattle or perhaps a tiny town in Ireland.  Sightings of the sun this spring have been rare and y'all, do not think that when I see a glimpse of it I don't say a pray of thanksgiving, because I do.  Something about not having something makes you really appreciate it more.  So, perhaps the withholding of the sun and all of the rain is God's way of reminding me to be more thankful?  Message received, Lord.  Message. Received.

Where was I?  Yes, cloudy.  Jennifer (who was able to take off work, yay!) and I got our tent set up and all the chairs set up and all the towels laid out and all the coolers arranged and all the sunscreen applied and all the duck tatoos drawn and whew!  We finally set down and the kids finally started to warm up.

After the warm-ups the kids were questioning why we even needed a shade tent on such a cloudy day.  Oh, silly kids!  We reminded them that it always rains and today would probably be no different.

The kids got their freestyle relays in.  Both Sarah's team and Peter's team came in first.  Yay!  We were off to a great start!  Sarah came in first in her heat in her 25 meter backstroke (will need to check the final scores but I think she might have gotten first overall).

As Peter dove in to swim his 50 meter freestyle, his googles got dislodged and came up.  My heart sank.  He got them adjusted and started to swim again and I kid you not, he swam into a corner of the pool wall.

I can't accurately describe it but because of the way this pool is shaped, the last lane starts out wide and then narrows.  They even had a pool chair with a life guard cushion rescuer thing strapped over it so if anyone swam into this corner of the pool they wouldn't be hurt. (I saw a lot of kids swim into this thing during warm-ups.)

Peter banged into this contraption on the corner of the pool, stopped, adjusted his goggles, kept swimming and still managed to come in second.  I was so proud of him until he came into our tent, threw down his goggles and yelled, "Stupid goggles!". And then, "Stupid corner of the pool!".

We had a little discussion about how well he did recovering and still coming in second and then a little more discussion about not letting our anger get the best of us. And we discussed this again when we got home right before bed. 

And at dinner as we were discussing the whole swimming into the corner of the pool incident, Dan reminded him that even though the lane narrows, there is still a big black line in the center of the lane that he should be following.  He also told him the best way to hold his head when diving into the pool so his goggles won't come off.

Before Sarah could swim butterfly, it started to rain which was no problem because there was no thunder or lightening.  We just kept going.  Those kids were cold and shivering but we kept going.

And then there was thunder.  Which means we have to wait 30 minutes before we can get back in the pool.  So we waited, and there was more thunder, so we waited and there was more thunder (each thunder boom means the 30 minute clock gets restarted).

Then finally, after huddling under our tent with 13 people they called the meet and decided that we will go back next Thursday and pick up where we left off.

So, two meets into the swim season and we have completed exactly 1/3 of a swim meet.

And discovered that our shade tent leaks.  Looks like Dan has some tent repairing to do this weekend.

Our little duck family! 

Jennifer draws great Arcadia Ducks!

Photographic proof that she does roll over to far when getting her breaths.  She doesn't believe me.

A diving shot because all of the other pictures I took of Peter are just water and brown hair.

Lots of talk about rear ends and poop. Mine and Sarah's respectively...

I woke up yesterday determined to get my running back on track.  This spring has been full of trips for Dan, crazy schedules for me and rain, lots and lots of rain.  Thanks to all of this my usual running frenzy/got-to-get-in-shape-for-bathing-suit-season was all out of whack.  Therefore, my rear end is larger than normal and the amount of general jiggle everywhere has me down. 

I had a dream the other morning that my rear end was so huge I couldn't keep it covered by my bathing suit at the pool and had to remain seated until the kids brought me a towel and I could wrap myself up and skulk to the car. 

Then I woke up and thought, Whew!  Thank goodness that was a dream!. And then I hopped into the shower and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized that my morning nightmare was well on it's way to becoming a reality.

All this to say that I decided yesterday morning to start the week out with a run so I could get in 5 consecutive mornings of runs and be well on my way to a less wiggly posterior.

I got up at 6:00, did my stretches, put on my running shoes, and opened the back door to discover it was raining.  I groaned, ran upstairs for my pink Red Sox hat, put it on, and opened the back door to discover that it was pouring rain.

I grumbled, closed the back door, took of my hat and my running shoes, and made a cup of coffee.

I deliberated doing a Jillian Michaels workout but that just felt like too much work.  Yes, running three miles is waaaaay easier than doing 20 minutes of Jillian.

But this morning!  This morning, it was cloudy and overcast but no rain, so I was out the door by 6:10 and I got in my three point one miles. It felt good to get it in and I'm sure after another three or four months of consecutive runs, my rear will finally not be so jiggly!  Just in time to cover it up this fall with jeans, and layers, and sweaters, and the like.  I really have got to work on my timing.

The kids have a swim meet today.  The meet from last Thursday was cancelled - due to RAIN!  And today is looking just as promising.  I am doing everything I can to avoid obsessively checking the hourly forecast because we will have to go no matter what and I can't do anything about the rain or the thunder or the lightening.  But it is good to know how many pounds of snack foods to take so maybe I should check it just once or twelve times before we leave.

Oh, and before the swim meet this afternoon I get to take Sarah's three poop samples back to the doctor so they can be analyzed.

I hope they can still see what ever it is they are looking for in 6 day old poop because I really don't want to go through that again!

What I Wore Sunday and Sunday Best...on a Monday!

Joining the ladies at Fine Linen and Purple and Sunday Best...on Monday!

What can I say?  I had Sarah take my picture before Mass on Sunday morning and then I totally forgot all about posting them. I'm going to blame it on Father's Day, a big lunch, and going to the pool with the family. 

Continuing the tradition of posing as if I am alone on a beach pondering the meaning of life.

Whew! Wiping brow and pleased that all the reflecting is over.

It's a twofer folks! Reflecting and brow wiping all in one shot.

And just to prove I did not go to Mass barefooted as the above photos might make you think.

Details:
Dress: Target
Shoes: Kohl's
Bangles: Kohl's

I wore this outfit on Easter but styled it much differently since it was pretty cold on Easter.  My arms and legs however, are still just as white.  If it ever stops raining here, maybe I can get a little sun on these pale appendages.  I'm not promising anything though as ut us raining right now.  Again.  Blech.

Yet another joy of motherhood they don't tell you about in the manual.

Even after the Mirolax cocktail and all of that good fun, Sarah's stomach still hurts.  Typically her stomach hurts two hours after a big meal.  She's afraid her stomach is going to hurt so she doesn't eat much at breakfast or lunch and then has a big meal at dinner because she's hungry.  Which means right around bedtime, she starts complaining of pain.

So I did what any seasoned mom would do.  I waited before calling the doctor again.

Sometimes it better to wait and see if things improve on their own.  And, of course, they did not.

So I finally called our doctor back who referred us to a Pediatric GI doctor and much to Sarah's delight, our appointment was this morning. 

Sarah loves going to the doctor.  She loves sitting on the examination table, she loves having her blood pressure taken, she loves answering all of their questions in excruciating detail; but  most of all, I think she enjoys all the attention.  Which is another reason I wait before calling to make an appointment.  I need to make sure there really is a problem and not just Sarah's desire to have an appointment to put on her calendar.

The Pediatric GI feels like it's a combination of constipation and gastritis.  So we are beginning a double dose of Prilosec and a single dose of Mirolax daily.  If this truly is the problem, we should see relief in a week.

Sarah also gave four vile of blood for testing.  One of the tests is for Celiac disease.  Keeping my fingers crossed that she isn't allergic to gluten.  But if she is, I guess we will do a major diet over hall. 

But the best part of all? I get to take three, count 'em three, stool samples so they can check for microscopic blood to rule out stomach ulcers. 

That should be loads (ha!  loads!) of fun. 

Luckily Peter and Dan are heading out of town tonight for a Cub Scout camping trip.  Peter and his new found sense of all things disgusting and rear-end related would have a field day with that.

So that's where we are.   And you can rest easy. I'll report back here as necessary with any poop retrieval stories.

I spelled "chores" "choirs" every time I typed it.

Well, I survived!

Survived what?

The first full day of summer vacation is what!  And while you may not consider that an achievement, I sure do!  The first day sets the tone for the whole summer so I'd say we are off to a solid start so far.

I was out the door at 6:00 AM for a run.  I have to do it before my husband leaves for work because I'm just not comfortable yet leaving my kids alone while I'm our for a run.  Maybe in a couple of years when they are older but for now, nope.

I got done with my run, showered, got my husband's lunch packed and sent him off to work.  Then I settled in with a nice hot cup of coffee and my Bible.  Got to get my daily bread!

Peter slept until 8:30 and Sarah slept until 9:30.   But, that's what happens when both kids are still wide awake at 11:00 PM.

Then we headed to the library for a book refresh and back home.

I am trying to implement a new chore tracking system this summer.  It's called My Job Chart.  I've never been very good at keeping up with check lists for the the kids and they've never been very good at checking things off so I thought we'd give this a whirl. (It's free so I figured I have nothing to lose!)

It's online so all the info is right where they already are - the computer.  I loaded it up with all the things I expect them to do every day and points for each item.  You can make the points equal cash or the points can accumulate for some item they have been wanting.  We are going with the cash option.

Sarah got right into it after breakfast and did all of her chores (practice piano, feed the cats, read, complete two pages in a  math workbook, make her bed) right away.  She got a charge out of checking each item off on the computer and posting messages for me through the message board on the website.  And when she got done with everything for the day, it tallied up how much she had earned and gave her a big round of applause.

I told Peter several times to do his chores and he kept putting them off.  Finally towards the end of the evening I calmly explained that what he didn't do he would not get paid for and he quickly went off to do his chores (sweep kitchen, practice guitar, read, math workbook, handwriting workbook, make bed).

What I haven't told him, and will probably tell him this weekend when he is completely over the new chore system is that if he doesn't have his chores completed by a certain time every day he will lose computer privileges for 24 hours.  If you live near me and hear lots of screaming and wailing later on this week, you'll understand why.

I can add chores, delete chores, and change the point values for the chores very easily in this program.  I imagine it will take some tweaking over the next couple of weeks to get it right but I've got high hopes for this system.

Sarah had piano practice later in the afternoon and Colton and  Cheyanne also came over to play.

When Dan got home from work we headed off to see Sarah bridge from Brownies to Jr. Girl Scouts and after the ceremony, we dined on a menu planned by the girls.

They wanted color foods so this is what they requested:

M&Ms
Skittles
Red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers with Ranch dressing
Broccoli
Cheese Doodles
Cheese and crackers
Brownies
Strawberries
Cantaloupe
Red grapes
Pretzels
Lemonade

The girls were in hog heaven.  The adults, not so much.

Here is a picture of Sarah with the rest of her troop (minus a couple of girls) standing around the little bridge they walked over:

Today I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some sunshine and no rain.  Feels like it's been raining since November.  I would love to take the kids to the pool this afternoon before swim practice and actually see some yellow light.

Day one, done.  Day two, here we come.

A birthday update.

Sarah's ninth birthday was Tuesday.  We celebrated with pizza with Jennifer's family at the pool after swim practice.   Dan was on yet another business trip last week so we didn't get to have our official family celebration until this weekend.

Aunt Cathy came to visit for the weekend and we went out to lunch with my family on Sunday after church and then back to my parent's house for cake and presents.

Sarah's present from us this year is a bedroom redo.  Her room is tiny but currently has a full size bed in it and it's just too big.  It takes up way too much space.  And her current dresser is her old changing table/dresser combo.  It works fine as a dresser but there's a shelf section on it that is impractical and once again, takes up too much space.

So, I've ordered a twin sized day bed and a new dresser which will be delivered in a few weeks.  While that makes it too late for her birthday, it gives us plenty of time to clean out her room - a task both she and I are dreading.  But it's got to be done.

Neither one of my kids like to throw anything away (a trait they inherited from their father) so I got three large Rubbermaid containers.  For all the items that I can't convince her to toss, I have promised her that we can put them in the containers and keep them in the basement. (Not sure at what point I will be able to toss these items but at least they will be out of sight, out of mind. And worst case scenario; Sarah can take them with her when she gets her own place!)

In addition to the furniture, we will be repainting her walls.  They will go from a pale pink to a much darker pink on three walls and purple on the fourth.  Let's just say she's waaaaaaaay more excited about the new colors than I am.  But it's her room and she definitely has her own opinions so we are going with it.  And if it looks too hideous, we can always repaint. 

Peter, Aunt Cathy, Sarah

My little family.

Sarah's birthday gifts!  She has been wanting that purple chair for a very long time!  (Thanks, Grandma!)

Peer and Grandpa

WIWS & Sunday Best

 I continue to be drawn to pink lately.  Perhaps Sarah's nine year infatuation with anything and everything pink is finally wearing off on me. 

That and I bought these cute pink sandals last year and I really needed some outfits to go with them.

Shirt:  Target

Pants:   Marshalls (Yes.  Somewhere other than Target or Kohl's.  They both failed me this year...the only thing white they were carrying was skinny jeans.  I need to drop a couple more pounds before I can get into some white skinnies.  Is it just more or is white denim less forgive than dark denim?)

Sandals:  Target

Head on over to Fine Linen and Purple and Camp Patton to see what everyone else wore to Mass today.

Oldies. Goodies.

Remember the good ole days on this blog when I used to actually write posts?  Posts that were filled with words. Lots of words.  Lots of words with poor grammar, poor sentence structure and misspellings even though I have and use spell check but lots of words none the less.

And then my blog morphed into link-ups, lists, and pictures of me dressed for church.

What happened?  I have no idea but the writer in me wants to make a comeback.  Not sure I have anything left to say but I'm going to give it a shot. 

So watch out, y'all.  "Write More!" is at the top of my bucket list for the summer.  I guess this is fair warning.  Duck and cover if necessary.

In anticipation of writing more, I've decided to join a link-up and list some of my favorite posts. 

(Oh, the irony!)

1. Tiny Hand Prints - Original post date: February 11, 2009 - My French doors are still dirty and I'm almost okay with that.

2. Don't Even Get Me Started - Original post date: September 4, 2007 - Some good old fashioned (and long-winded) venting.  Read this before you buy a Dell computer!

3. To The Tree!  -  Original post date: May 21, 20071 - Not one of Sarah's proudest moments but one that we all still laugh about to this day.  (In fact, we just laughed about this last week - kid you not!)

4. What About All The Lasts? - Original post date: July 26, 2007 - This post still  makes me wistful but is still a good reminder to me to cherish my babies.

5. At the time, I did wonder... - Original post date: November 19, 2010 -  Gross. I was in such a hurry hand santizer was my only option...

6. Sarah Said - Original post date: April 15, 2011 - Because I'm awesome like that.  Good for a quick chuckle.

I could go on and on but I won't.  If you enjoyed any of these posts, add me to your reader and feel free to puruse the archives. I've written 1,125 posts so I'm sure you will find something you like!

Linking up with Grace at Camp Patton.  Head over there for lots of other great posts!

One last trip?

I'm down to the wire.  I'm running out of time.  It's now or never.

I have two days left until the kids are out for summer vacation so this morning I headed to Target for one last leisurely stroll through the store pushing a big red buggy and sipping on a hot cup of coffee  until August 21st.

I wandered up and down the peaceful aisles reading the labels on all the anti-aging skin care products, eying pretty throw pillows, trying on over-sized sun glasses, bemoaning the fact that my calves are just too large for this summer's crop of white skinny jeans. 

You know, all the things  you do when you go to Target by yourself.

Because the next time I make a Target run I'll be telling Peter that he cannot have a new video game, telling Sarah that she can not have a new pair of shoes, telling both the kids that they are not going to get popcorn, telling both the kids that we are leaving the toy section now.  Right now!

You know, all the things you do when you go to Target with kids. 

You know what?  I think I might need to squeeze in one last Target trip tomorrow.  August 21st is a long way off!