Practice makes perfect

Practice makes perfect in music - and in going places with your children.



I finally have figured out a system for taking my kids to the pool. By myself. If you'll think back with me when I nearly made a pool of myself...you'll remember that I had no system. I also discovered that I'm not a completely random person. Going to the pool, with 4 kids, randomly simply became a definite "no."

I discovered that I needed to be prepared mentally.

We went yesterday and again today. And it was in these two outings that I realized I had a system. It works best if I can get J-man & Mini-E down for a nap. And then just before we wake them up - we get ourselves ready. "We" being Mini-Me, G & me. (That could be a song, I think).

If I'm really lucky, I get a small nap out of the deal, too. Today I was really lucky.

So we three get ready.
Swimsuits on.
Towels for everyone gathered.
Pool bag packed with swim diapers. bandaids. Tissues. and sunscreen. The spray on kind. Very much worth the money. Pool passes. A pull-up & diaper.
We pack snacks to eat in the car on the way there.
We pack juice pouches & waters (for me) for the ride home after.
The bigs get their sandals on. I spray them down with sunscreen.
Today we got the little kids up and Mini-E wanted to be squirted with sunscreen. So, that only left two to squirt. or screen. Or ... um... uv protect.
Sandals on the littles.
Off we go.

It takes us 30 minutes to get to the pool.
They have "Adult" swim at the top of the hour - which is a guise to make the kids get out of the pool and rest. It last for 15 minutes. We got there yesterday during the adult swim...today we got there right after.

I got j-man into is swim suit. And got him sunscreened.
Got Mini-e into her swim clothes.
Got G sunscreened.

We checked in. Got 2 life jackets. 1 of Mini-Me in case she wants to jump off the diving board.
1 for J-man so I know I won't find him on the bottom of the pool.

The bigs go for the slides and the deep end to practice their swimming.
J-man has this one ladder that he loves to play around. up and down he goes.
Mini-E is still not sure what she likes. She doesn't want me to hold her...but she does.
She doesn't want to get wet...but she does.

She does like it when other kids come up to her. She just Smiles at them and jabbers at them and says "hi." She does know she doesn't like to get her face splashed.

So I end up carrying her around. She can be bold at times and a chicken at other times.
But so far the system is working. I'll watch her and J-man at the same time.

I'm glad I've finally got a system. Just in time for the pools to close for the summer. *L* They close the week before school starts. That's about 3 weeks away.

The only glitch in my system - spraying sunscreen on myself.
It's not a bad sunburn - and it won't rob me of my joy at my new found system.
And that sounds funny to say, too. I - the Queen of Random - have a system. Does that make me a semi-queen?