Swimsuits

In the past 18 hours, I have ...

• searched & found this year's team suit for LM (which arrived 5/15 per the FedEx email, but which was buried in a closet),
• thrown away a swimsuit that was falling apart,
• put three swimsuits in a hand-me-down bag and left it on a friend's doorknob,
• ordered a new hopefully tug-less tankini top & swim skirt,
• listed & sold an outgrown (but new with tags) swimsuit on Marketplace, and 
• returned a swimsuit to Amazon via the UPS store. 

And don't even get me started on goggles! :) 

Thankful for swim & what a great outlet it is!

T-13 days to summer vacation

T minus 13 days until summer vacation.  (Last year's post here.) 

How will we fill our time? 

BK now has youth group on Wednesday nights. That is a big change for us, because we have not been in the habit of going to church on Wednesday nights in the summer (because there is no Awana).  But, it's a good change! 

Youth group has a 6-day trip in June which sounds exciting!

LM does not have speech at the university clinic once a week.  I waffled about enrolling her, and when I called the office to see what day & time she has, I learned that the schedule is full and she is not on it, so I must have decided not to. :)  More breathing room. 

She has tutoring twice a week.  And I'm hopeful she can attend a math or reading camp led by a phenomenal tutor nearby.  

We'll try to hit the library program a few times. I'm not sure if we'll do the summer reading program, because it's not set up for an emerging reader... Sigh.

LM is most excited about being registered for one day of a pony day camp! :) 

She would like to attend 1 or 2 weeks of gymnastics camp (one hour a day; 5 days a week) at a local church, if it fits our schedule.

The nice summer daycare she attended at the nearby Christian school is not happening this year. 

And she always looks forward to VBS at two local churches.

Summer swim team for both (barring weather, eight weeks of four mornings a week practice plus eleven evening swim meets). And I'm sure we'll have spontaneous swim dates at a local pool in the next farm town.

What will BK do besides summer swim team? 

Sadly there were not enough boys to field a rec league baseball team...

He is registered for one week of spend-the-night camp and waitlisted for another.

Hopefully working on the farm. 

Mowing 2-3 yards.

I think my summer is planned - taxi driving! :) 

Summer slump? Hmmm... Not sure what we'll do about that ... 

What else do we have planned? 

Family reunion one Saturday evening ("Best night of the year," according to BK), an epic small town 4th of July celebration, trips to WI & TN ~ and possibly another massive road trip?  We shall see.

Fancy Lunch

Naptime Kitchen on IG speaks of "Fancy Lunch," and has lots of tips for SAHMs to have a great lunch by cooking ahead, etc. 

I had a Fancy Lunch the other day. Truth be told, after too many days of completely skipping lunch, I forced myself to stop and eat. It took less than 15 minutes to prepare (although longer to eat ... I'm a very slow eater). 

I was motivated by a conversation with a friend who had recently attended a seminar in which the speaker mentioned focusing on the things one can control. There are a lot of things outside of our control (in farming that would be weather, the markets, international politics, etc.). But by God's grace, I CAN control what I put in my body ... nutrition ... and what I put in my mind ... what I read and listen to. 

What are you controlling today? Did you have a Fancy Lunch?

 

Broccoli, salad, & salmon

Valentine's Day

How was your Valentine's Day?   

Valentine's Day in our house came & went without much notice.  (And we're okay with that.) :) 

I put out a few heart-shaped decorations. My mom sent the children each a card, and one of their aunts did also. LM wore clothes with hearts on them throughout the week, and was excited about exchanging cards in her class. :) 

On Wednesday, I included a mixed bouquet in my Walmart pickup order, and I added some pink heart-shaped macarons to my cart at Aldi. :) 

On the actual day, I mostly had a day alone to be quiet and rest. (After my infusion the previous day, my body needed that.  Well, and after some stressful events lately, my body needed it.) 

The children spent February 14 skiing!! Their uncle and a few adult cousins took them for their birthday present.  Very exciting! 

I went out for breakfast with a friend.  Jim had pig chores and a farm errand. I was home most of the day by myself, and spent a lot of time under the blankets with my weighted eye mask on, listening to music or a Mitford audio book from the library Libby app. 

I ended the day with a heart-healthy smoothie! :) 

 

Looking Ahead to 2026

Looking Back

I patterned my previous post on my friend Wendy's. She also writes a post, "Looking ahead to 2026." (As a missionary in a foreign country, this topic seems more applicable to her life perhaps, but I'm going to attempt my own "Looking ahead" post.)

Big Rocks 

The "big rocks" are 

• planting & harvest (though both come with lots of uncertainty & timing is weather dependent)
• school & summer, and 
• trips & extracurriculars (all to-be-determined).

In all of these areas, my big rock is logistics & background support.

Areas of Change

We always want to be growing in our marriage & as parents & in our relationship with the Lord. Practically I'm not sure yet what that looks like. Suggestions are welcome. :)  Our small group does not require homework or prep. And I'm not in a Bible study, though this year I'm trying to follow along with our church's Bible reading plan.  And I want to memorize Scripture, even if it's minimal. Minimal is more than zero. :) 

In addition, I want to read more in 2026. My piles of books to read are truly overwhelming. I have chosen 12 missionary biographies & 12 fiction books.

I listen to podcasts, but more for falling asleep, so I can't say those are expanding my horizons or helping me grow in knowledge. ;) 

In terms of blogging, I blogged more in 2025 than I had since 2010, and I hope to continue at this pace. 

Exercise is always something I want to change ... yet never do.  My rheumatologist recommended pilates with Move with Nicole on YouTube. In my dream world, I would do water aerobics. Time will tell. 

I'm hopeful I'll get down to 5 mg or less of prednisone daily in 2026 & hopeful that my body will be able to tolerate it. (My rheumatologist says the side effects diminish greatly once you get below 5 mg.)

My team leader in Japan always asked us how we wanted to grow in character, skills, and knowledge.  Hmm...

Our church is looking for a new senior pastor as ours plans to retire in the next few years, so that is a big prayer request and an exciting (and sad) prospect.

Lily Pads

Wendy mentioned the term "lily pads" in her post, and I will copy that concept.  

"It's a helpful concept for maintaining mental health and includes things that you've got planned for the future to look forward to. Here are some of my lily pads for 2026 (the one's I know about now):"

• long weekends off school (two each in January, February, and April, plus a week of spring break in March)
• possible trips on those long weekends (Chicago, ?, ?, ?)
• exploring new-to-us places in Chicago beyond the Museum of Science & Industry, Children's Museum, Aquarium, Planetarium, and Field Museum
• possible spring break trip (who knows where?)
• hopeful 24 hour date with Jim in February or early March
• summer swim team a few farm towns away (such a great team!)
• summer vacation (another 10-11 day road trip; the kids are voting for an exact repeat of last year's but I think it will be somewhere different)

I think it would be good for me to have small lily pads, like reading a few chapters in a current book, fresh sheets on Mondays, trying a new recipe every other week, or even my 1-2.15 PM rest time on school days.   (I'm going to try to incorporate reading into my school day rest time. Reading before bed is not a good option for me in this season ... zzzzz!) ;)

What are your lily pads or recommendations? 

Ultimately

Ultimately, we have no idea what tomorrow will hold, much less this year. May we walk into this year (and each day of it) with steadfast hope in the One who holds our hands and leads us. 

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

A week

Monday I got 16,000 steps cleaning LM's room. [It was a major job, involving multiple bags of trash, multiple loads of laundry, bags of books to be donated, etc.]

Tuesday Jim and I went to Chicago to see my rheumatologist, who was visibly happy to see my reduced symptoms! (Weaning from all the meds will likely be a multi-year process.) I also had blood drawn there for a specialized lab that isn't available here in the hinterland. Thankfully the results show that I am negative for TB. Thank you, Lord!

Wednesday I made a big pot of vegetable beef soup. Yum! And my new loose leaf teas arrived! 

Thursday I learned that my brilliant and hilarious second cousin who had been on dialysis since the mid-to-late 80s (?) has his new body & heard, "Well done, my good & faithful servant." 

I also spent a lot of time on the phone, had a hair appointment, dropped off a trunk load of donations to my favorite thrift store, went to ALDI for a huge grocery haul, took one child to an appointment in town, etc.!  (And was thankful swim practice was canceled and that I had canceled the housecleaner!)

Friday I did dishes and laundry and more dishes and more laundry and made a bunch of phone calls to people to make sure they're doing their jobs (!). I made one of the two birthday cakes for the family party Saturday evening and gathered all the birthday party supplies. 

My week included interactions with the following professionals: nurse, immunologist's office, insurance company, pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, investor, tax guy, school principal, social worker, and probably more I am forgetting. 

Is it any wonder I am sleeping 8 hours or more most nights?!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #72

701.  Advent studies

702.  Christmas music

703.  Christmas lights

704.  friends who pray

705.  friends who ask thought-ful questions

706.  encouraging texts that make me smile

707.  the antibiotics worked!!

708.  my infusion was one of the smoothest ever (& I slept three hours during it!)

709.  getting lots of steps on my Fitbit when BK borrowed it for a few hours (so he'd have a timer)!

710.  swim meet Saturday and dropped times! Woo-hoo!

Meet Day

We sort of slid into swim team.  After 3.5 years of swim lessons (minus some pandemic months), BK was struggling with motivation in swim lessons, and on a whim (or Holy Spirit leading) at the end of 3rd grade, I said, "Do you just want to do summer swim team instead?" "Yes!"

We didn't really know anyone on the team very well, and that was the first summer of the pool problems with the 50 year old high school pool. So practices were here, there, and everywhere in farm towns across our large consolidated school district. Sometimes early morning. Sometimes late evening. 

And the first meet. Well, that's a story!  I was hosting a bridal shower, so Jim took both children to a distant meet. It was pure chaos. He had trouble finding the team (knowing no one on it), forgot to apply sunscreen on BK's half-naked body, and had no idea he needed a sharpie to write all over BK's forearm.  

But, we survived! :) 

BK has completed three seasons of summer swim (and LM has completed two!) and is in his third year on fall/winter swim team (and LM is in her first year!).

I know how to go to a swim meet now.  I know how to pack folding chairs, good snacks, activities for in between events, $ for concessions, extra towels, suits, and goggles. I know to wear short sleeves in the winter for indoor meets (the stands get HOT!). I know how to write all over their arms. I know that the $13.99 annual fee for the Meet Mobile app is worth it! 

I love cheering on my two swimmers ... and their team! I enjoy conversations with other parents and the camaraderie that quickly builds among team families. It is like a camping atmosphere in the gym where we set up our chairs & wait. 

But ... it's exhausting!  We just had two Saturdays in a row of swim meets. Both were 30 minutes from our house, which is not as far as some of the meets will be.  We were gone 7 AM - 3.45 PM the first Saturday, and 8.30 - 5 the second Saturday.  I got 10,000 steps in easily at the second meet.  We sat in the gym, and then walked a long ways and upstairs to get to the bleachers when our swimmer was swimming, and then went back to the gym ... and you get the picture. :) 

Both Saturdays, I came home ready for bed! :) 

We are skipping the November 1st meet for a church event, but we have the opportunity to spend six of our Saturdays between November 15th and February 14th at all day swim meets 30 minutes to 2.5 hours away.  

Send caffeine!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #66

641.  beautiful October scenery - blue skies, bright sunshine, and golden stubble as fields are emptied

642.  two Saturdays in a row at swim meets - a combined 24 seconds dropped by BK & LM in four events

643.  answered prayer in so many areas that are not mine to share publicly

644.  a church that believes in prayer & lives as if we do

645.  Scripture journals (Seriously, check them out as a Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy-for person in your life.) Link to ChristianBook.com (The full set is 54% off for $125.)

646.  completing some home projects 

Still waiting on one item to be framed.  I was so happy to find the bamboo frame at Hobby Lobby!
I love reading Scripture in Japanese on my walls!

 

A variety ... our home states, a barn Jim's aunt painted, and one of my dad's barns that someone painted. A fort my great-great-something-grandfather built or lived at, and some photos taken by Jim's cousin.

647.  parent-teacher conferences

648.  opportunities to serve (albeit food; not classroom volunteering) in our children's schools

649.  an after-school club for BK

650.  options for so many services our children need; I keep thinking of the desolate places we drove through in Wyoming this summer, and while I know the Lord would provide, I'm thankful I only have to drive 30 minutes for services :) 

Summer Vacation ~ Day 60

Monday, July 21

Up and at 'em for 8.30-10.30 AM swim team practice.  Picked up a handful of ribbons for both children from Thursday's swim meet. 

Lunch was grab what you can find. 1 PM tumbling in a town about 10 miles north. Thankfully it has an IGA, so I was able to get enough food for the next few days. 

Is it bad I'm glad tutoring was canceled? 

And in between all of the above, I made more phone calls than I thought humanly possible (trying to get to the bottom of four sticky issues for my mom), and spent time on three medical facilities' portals. Ai-yai-yai. Office hours on the go!

Summer Vacation ~ Day 57

Friday, July 18

One of the very few designated sleep-in mornings of our summer! I slept in until 7.30.  

BK worked on the farm, while LM and I straightened the house so the housecleaner could come. 

A quick lunch of hamburgers, corn, and watermelon.  Thankful that all four of us were home at the same time to eat together! 

The housecleaner came as the kids & I were going out the door to meet friends from church at the pool for two hours.  It had been 5 weeks!! Yikes!  (5 weeks since the housecleaner had come; definitely not 5 weeks since we'd been to the pool!)

Home via the post office & library in time for a 4-5 Zoom. 

By then I was ready for bed. Ha! 

Spoiler alert: I stayed up. 

After breakfast-for-supper & cookies in a mug, the children and I tried out our town's new pickleball court.  Whew! I'm not as young as I once was!

Summer Vacation ~ Day 25

Monday, June 16

This is what happens when one child is at camp and the other is skipping swim team practice in order to go to VBS. :) (I still felt like I could sleep all day.)

I have canceled several alarms on my phone this week. :) I kept the 2.45 PM alarm for LM's pill and I added a 9.15 AM alarm for Duolingo. BK doesn't want to lose his streak while he's at camp. We're going to see if I can keep his chess streak by doing Japanese daily.  We use the same app, so possibly??? 

LM went to VBS from 9-11.30! And her first day of gymnastics at 1 PM! And tutoring from 4-5.30! Whew! Let's go to bed early. :) 

Summer Vacation ~ Day 21

Thursday, June 12

Out the door by 8 AM. 

Swim practice 8.30-10.30 AM.

Drop off LM at daycare (their field trip today was a swimming pool!). 

Pick up mail at the post office (we had been so busy we hadn't been in days!).

Pick up BK's friend to come play while his siblings were in swim lessons 5 minutes away. Take him back. 

Drive to a bigger city to get a camp physical for BK. Swing by ALDI first, because, why not?!

Home. I had ten minutes to pack LM's bag for tonight's swim meet and pack a snack bag, also. 

3-4 PM Zoom meeting for me (for my mom's business).

Jim and BK left at 3.40 to attend the visitation of a young man (the parent of one of BK's baseball teammates). Jim dropped BK off at the pool at 4.35. 

I picked LM up from daycare, got her a cheeseburger at Casey's (she's burning lots of energy swimming!), and got to the pool at 4.40. 

Warm-ups started at 5. 

When your child is on swim team, parents are supposed to volunteer. In our third year of swim team, I volunteered tonight for the first time ... in the bull pen. 

That means I spent two hours on my feet looking at the list of swimmers in each event, and calling out, "Event 5! Event 5! Sara, Jill, Ella, and Stella! Line up in front of me. Event 6! Event 6! John, Joe, Levi, and Zach!  Where is Zach? Does anyone know Zach? Do you see him? Can you go get him? Line up in front of me." For. Two. Hours!  

Volunteering also means that I asked a girl a year older than LM to make sure she got in line for her events, I gave her my Sharpie (every swim mom carries a Sharpie on them!) to decorate LM with goggles and bubbles :), and LM ran free for two hours and had free reign to our snack bag. 

Afterwards, a parent thanked me, and said, "You must have experience as a junior high teacher." I replied, "I'm just bossy." :) 

Another day of barely being home. I ate no lunch, but after the swim meet, bought a chicken bacon ranch salad from a food truck and ate it when we got home at 8.30. 

Another day of not doing oh, so many tasks that need to be done ... update forms for upcoming dental appointments, pack BK for camp & fill out all the forms, etc. 

Another day of no reading or math by the children. 

Another day of falling into bed exhausted.  But thankful, so thankful that my health is the best it has been any summer since 2020.  I can stand!  While I still have issues with mobility, I can bend and move so much better than I have the past four summers! Praise God! 

Summer Sports

Registration for summer baseball closed March 15th.

Registration for summer swim team was due mid-May if you wanted a t-shirt. 

Registration for fall football & cheer closed April 1st, with the season starting in late July. (Spoiler alert: we did not register for many reasons.)

The first baseball practice was April 25th, and the parent meeting was April 27th. 

Swim team practice started May 27th, and the first meet is June 10th.  Suit try-ons was on April 26th. 

I am still waiting for a spreadsheet showing how all the sports overlap, when the season starts & ends, etc.  Guess I'll have to make one if I want it that badly. :) 

For baseball, they prefer Venmo, but I am old fashioned and mailed a check via USPS.

For swim, there is an app for registration, payment (including a $3 fee for paying online, which is the only option), waivers, etc. 

Both teams have apps for communication & scheduling purposes.  The apps don't always work. Sigh. 

For baseball, of course BK needed new cleats and new baseball pants (both of which had to be ordered), and new socks. (I posted last year's pants & socks on Marketplace.) We're hoping that his bat, helmet, and glove are still the right size. :) 

For swim, practice suits, meet suits, goggles, and towels are about all we need.  BK needs a new suit & practice suits; LM's from last year still fits.  I bought her a new black suit from Amazon. Team colors are burgundy & black, but $18 for Amazon versus $60 for a team suit works better for us.  

We took a risk by signing up for both baseball (BK) and swim (BK & LM). Swim practice is in the morning. Baseball practice is in the evening.  But games might be on the same evening as meets.  Who knows?! When you sign your child up for rec sports, you're basically blindly handing over your family's calendar.

For now, 12U baseball practice is 5.30-7 PM on Mondays and Fridays.  (What about supper is the burning question in my mind!) BK has swim practice Monday through Thursday from 8.30-9.30 AM, and LM has it from 9.30-10.30 AM.

This is BK's 3rd or 4th year of baseball.  The last two years he was on 10U.  It's nice to be reunited with the 12 year olds he played with when he was 9 and they were 10.  We miss some of the boys from last year whose birthdays are a few months behind his even though they're in the same grade, so they are on 10U this year again.  

God bless the two dads who volunteer to coach year after year!!  They are brothers-in-law, married to sisters who are related to the wife of one of Jim's cousins, so it feels like it's all in the family. :) 

One mom told me at the first practice that she likes her son to play in this rec league because "most of the families have a religious background." The coaches are believers, and start and end each practice with prayer. Boys aren't required to participate (though they certainly can), but are expected to be respectful.  At least four of the boys are homeschooled, and at least one attends the Christian school.  In other words, I have great fellowship at the ballfield! :) 

The question is ... how tired will I be at the end of the two seasons?!  The benefits are many (and hopefully long-lasting), and we are thankful for two very supportive teams and these wholesome activities that our children are privileged to participate in! 

Summer Vacation Minus 15 Days

Last year I wrote Summer Vacation Minus 20 Days.  

I'm scarfing down the book, "The Opt-Out Family," underlining many sentences on each page, circling parts, adding exclamations in the margins, etc. We'll see how or if we opt out of screens over summer vacation. :) 

Swim team and baseball (and gymnastics, if I can find a class at the right time for LM) should help work off some energy and give some structure to our days. 

We plan to purchase a pool pass to the little pool 5 miles down the road. Several friends do, too, and it's hardly ever crowded.  We would only have to visit 8 times over the summer to make it worth it.  Last year I estimate our children were in the water 70 out of the roughly 85 or 90 days of summer vacation.  

I always have goals for reading & math workbooks &/or games. Not sure exactly how we'll plan those this summer.  I'm envisioning 15 minutes of silent reading in the same room every weekday. We shall see. LM has tutoring twice a week. 

BK has two yards to mow and will hopefully work on the farm as well. LM is set to go to the Christian school's daycare 1-2 days/week. 

There are one or two weeks of VBS to attend, trips to WI & TN, and 1-2 weeks of spend-the-night camp for BK.  

Daily/weekly chores + menus are the big rocks we haven't addressed yet. 

What are your best tips for a good summer?  

Pendulum

Last week my days resembled a pendulum.  Rest. Race. Rest. Race. Rest. 

I spent Monday in bed with a fiction book, recovering from the church ladies' retreat (& the fallout from my being gone for two days). 

I spent Tuesday during the school day at my eye appointment and running errands in town. 

I spent Tuesday afternoon taking the children back to town with me for one to have an appointment and the other to run in ALDI with me. 

I spent Wednesday getting almost 12,000 steps ... tidying the house for Moms in Prayer, going up & down stairs putting things in the basement, bringing laundry downstairs, changing sheets, etc.!  (Basically "righting the house" after being gone on the retreat & then not having "housework" days.)

I spent Wednesday afternoon helping BK clean out the garage while LM was at tutoring and then attending Awana Sparksville with LM (instead of sitting in a pew at prayer meeting).

I spent Thursday recovering moving very slowly.  At 11.30 I was still in my pajamas, after a phone call and a little computer work.  

Thursday afternoon BK mowed the yard for the first time, and we sold the airplane teeter-totter.

Friday morning I visited a friend. Friday afternoon we played in the back yard, and then spent a couple hours at the grandparents'.  We are in a strange place between the end of basketball & cheer season and the start of baseball season.  Plus two standing appointments in our life have mostly been rescheduled each week, so it's hard to know what day it is! 

Do you ever have pendulum days? 

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #40

391.  BK & LM's first time skiing!

392.  an uncle & cousins who took them :) 

393.  BK's last swim meet of the season!

394.  a Sunday School teacher (who is also his Awana leader) driving an hour to watch him, cheer him on, and encourage him!

395.  a week packed full of friends, family, athletic events, tutoring, a birthday party, play date with friends, ET CETERA!

396.  a Saturday morning to sleep in, a Monday holiday, and potentially a Tuesday remote learning day (due to dangerously low wind chills)

397.  friends to help give rides

398.  grandparents to visit & hang out with

399.  books to read!

400.  encouraging sermons & pastors who preach the Word faithfully & pastorally

One Saturday in October

::written Saturday evening, October 26th::

We aimed to pull out of the garage at 6.55 AM.  Yikes! We almost made it, and immediately saw the low fuel light.  So, we made a quick trip to the nearest gas station.  As we were making plans for our later-than-anticipated arrival and the possibility of dropping BK off at the door, we realized that I had forgotten to write his events on his arm.  So we pulled in to a parking lot before getting on the interstate, and I used the trusty Sharpie in my purse. Whew!

200 yard freestyle, 50 yard breaststroke, and 100 yard freestyle

He was to be on deck by 7.45 for warmups.  We made it! 

He finished swimming at 11.45. We ate lunch in Chick-fil-A, and then we met friends at the pumpkin patch at 1 PM! 

Childhood should have more days like today of playing outdoors with friends for four hours on a PERFECT fall day!

A quick Walmart pickup, a slow Culver's drive-through for Daddy, and then a field meal delivered to the tractor in the driveway of the grain elevator.

I wouldn't want to be gone from home eleven hours every Saturday!  But today was good, and I believe everyone will sleep great tonight!

7000 steps by 12 noon

If you want to get 7000 steps by 12 noon, I recommend a lost pair of eyeglasses during the rush to get out the door to school. :) 

Even though I had a long to-do list including making a phone call, writing a thank you card, mailing a package, putting away laundry & dishes, and cooking four dishes, what did I do after school drop-off? 

It took one hour, 4000 steps, one bag of trash, one load of laundry + sheets, one box to donate, and a box of things that live elsewhere in the house. 

But a child's bedroom is CLEAN!! And vacuumed. And has clean sheets.  (And, the eyeglasses were found - by Mom's eagle eyes - before we left for school. I just wanted to prevent a repeat performance every morning.)

Then ... I put cowboy soup in the crockpot, potatoes in the oven, and chicken in the air fryer.  Whew!

Jim had a great lunch. :) And we have leftovers ... and food cooked ahead.

And some other day I will (hopefully) make my phone call, write a thank you, mail the package, and make quinoa egg bites to freeze.  

Any tips for helping distracted kiddos keep their rooms clean?  A friend shared this: “If it’s put away it’s yours; if it’s on the floor, it’s mine.” We shall see.  

Our summer of swimming

Today is the first day of practice for BK's fall/winter swim team.  And it's fitting to look back on our summer of swim! :) 

Having two swimmers is a definite game-changer.  (That came at the cost of Saturday mornings from January through May spent at a swim school 30 minutes away, and involved a lot of sticker reward charts & dollar store prizes.)

Being on a team that practiced 4-5 mornings a week was great!  Buying a pool pass ($125 for the four of us; $115 if purchased before the early bird deadline -- reminder for next year) was a blessing!  There are bigger pools with slides, etc., but it takes 30 minutes to drive to them, and their admission (+ passes) is significantly higher.  

It might be easier to count the days of summer vacation that we did not swim! :)

17 trips to the local pool (as of 8/30)

motel pool (2)

swim party (1 for BK, 1 for LM, and 1 for both)

fun evening at a local pond/lake (1 for BK)

water park (1)

pool in Tennessee (1)

beach in Wisconsin (untold times)

LM w/ daycare - 2

BK at camp - 13 days at overnight camp, so I assume 9-11?

swim meets - only 3

swim practice - only 16 (the pool opening was delayed by weeks + I was gone one week)

how many pairs of goggles - unknown!! (But each child has to pay me back $10 when a pair of goggles is lost.)

All I know is that I have just lost the best motivator I had in my tool bag - "First clean up; then we can go to the pool." :) 

And, as BK so sweetly said, "Mom, you've spoiled us this summer." <3 

In my mind, it's not necessarily spoiling.

It's 

• exercise,
• time outdoors,
• learning skills (& in the case of swim team, listening to coaches),
• obeying lifeguards,
• social skills, and
• time away from screens.

Was it a summer of swim for you?