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It's that time of year... time for me to complain about the inattentive parents at the pool. I just don't get it. My daughters have "graduated" to the big pool. I stay near the edge if I'm not in with them. I want to be able to get to them as fast as I can if there's a problem. The biggest problem, though, is the kids whose parents aren't watching them. This is a neighborhood pool, not a city pool. There is no lifeguard on duty.
One day, a little boy kept jumping in the pool... practically on top of my girls. Where was his mom? On the other side of the pool, sitting in a chair texting away. I finally told my girls to move and asked him to please be careful so he didn't land on anyone. The mom kind of glanced my way and then went back to texting.
A few weeks ago some kids were using a raft in the pool. They kept steering the raft near the steps where my girls and lots of little kids were playing. At one point the raft was OVER the head of one of the younger kids. For whatever reason, I'm the only parent who noticed this. I kindly, but firmly, suggested they keep the raft away from the steps so no one got hurt. At this point, their mom went off in a litany of Spanish. I'm not sure if she was yelling at me or them. I don't really care.
Yesterday I was at the pool and watched a mom put water wings on her two-year-old, let the little girl jump in the deep end (5 feet) and then promptly laid down on her back and sun bathed. Water wings can be a great tool to help a young child gain confidence in the water, but water wings are not a life saving device. What happens when the little girl gets tired and is stuck in the deep end with no one watching her?
I'm sure I tend to hover a bit too much at the pool. I have four kids to pay attention to, while most parents are there with one or maybe two kids. But I would rather hover and prevent a tragedy than put my child at risk.
And so, I have finished my annual rant about the inattentive parents at the pool. I will try not to bring this up again this summer!
One of my big "summer concerns" is that my daughters will end up with green hair from all the swimming they do. Their hair is light and we spend a lot of time in the pool. I'm not convinced the people who are responsible for putting the chemicals in the pool know what they're doing. My eyes always sting when I'm in the water. Any white parts of our bathing suits turn a dull yellow. I'm pretty sure green hair is next on the list.
I've been using Suave's Swim and Sport shampoo. It claims to get out the chlorine. So far, no green hair. Earlier this week we ran out of the shampoo. No big deal. When Hubby went to Sam's Club I had him buy a multi-pack of Suave kid's shampoo, the same multi-pack that contained the Swim and Sport shampoo last summer. It's not included this summer. I went to Target. There was an empty spot on the shelf where the shampoo should have been. I even looked for the L'Oreal Kid's version and couldn't find it. I went to Walmart. No Suave Swim and Sport. I just happened to walk past the baby section and found the L'Oreal Kid's version. I bought two bottles!
If you know of a better way to get chlorine out of hair, let me know!
I consider myself a good swimmer. I passed every level of swim lesson offered at my local pool and even had my life guard certification at one point. I'm thrilled that my girls love the water. I'm not so thrilled that they have graduated from the "little pool."
It was bound to happen. Last year they were the only kids their age who spent the majority of their pool time in the little pool. I would take them into the big pool for a few minutes, but the water went over their heads when they stood in the shallow end, so we only spent 15 minutes at a time there if I took them by myself. It's not a lot of fun in the big pool when four little ones are clinging to you. Last year they started swim lessons, so at least they had confidence in the water. While I think water wings are great, I just couldn't bring myself to use them. I had visions of my girls being too confident and having all four of them go in different directions. I tried swim vests, but the ones I bought never fit right.
Anyway, that brings us to this year. Our pool opened Saturday. We finally made it there yesterday. I knew there was no way I could justify letting four 5-year-olds play in the little pool. They want to splash, swim under water and have more fun than you can in the little pool. Our pool has huge concrete steps going into the shallow end. This worked out because I made them stay close to the steps and I was able to be close enough to grab them if needed. Fortunately, this year the water in the shallow end only comes up to their chest. It took them a few minutes to realize they could stand up and their heads wouldn't be under water. It took them even longer to remember you should only breathe out (and not in) when you go underwater.
It's a "not so fun milestone" because graduating to the big pool takes away some of my sense of security. The pool is always a fun way to burn off energy, but the big pool adds a whole new level of stress.
Also, thank you to everyone who voted for Buried in Laundry for the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. Buried in Laundry is on the list. I'll let you know when it's the featured blog. Thank you again for all your support!!!!
I can't believe summer is coming to an end. It feels like it just started. Where I live, school ends mid-May and resumes in August. Fortunately, preschool doesn't start until the end of the month... some schools in this area were back in session the first week! Anyway, we've packed our summer with plenty of trips to the pool. The past few days have been cool, so we haven't been swimming, but I'm hoping for a few more trips before Labor Day.
I recently read an interview with Julia Roberts. She was promoting her new movie and talked about what it was like having her family with her while she was on location. One thing really stood out. She mentioned how hot it was and said she and her family spent their free time in the pool. Then she said something along the lines of "It's a maternal triumph that no one ended up with a sunburn or green hair." Amen, sister!
I slathered these girls in sunscreen all summer long. Two of them ended up with a minor sunburn at the beginning of the summer, but that was before I wised up and spread the sunscreen under their bathing suit straps. Hey, we've all got to learn somewhere. It was a minor redness and gone in a day, so I still count that as a triumph.
As for the green hair... I don't know how we avoided it. These girls go blonde in the sun. They naturally have a dark blonde color, which tends to go 20 shades lighter if you just say the word sunshine. One of my neighbors mentioned that her daughter's hair turned green in our neighborhood pool last year, so I spent this summer being very diligent about keeping the green at bay. Fortunately, Suave has an inexpensive "swimmer's shampoo" for kids. We used that any time after a dip in the pool.
Of course, summer isn't over, yet. Even though school starts in a week, we still have time to enjoy the outdoors and the pool... so we'll still be slathering on sunscreen and scrubbing the chlorine out of our hair!
When we began swim lessons, my girls were fairly confident in the water. They didn't mind getting in the pool or getting their faces wet. At our first session, the instructor recommended I buy goggles. It makes sense. When I was younger, and spent my summers in the pool, the chlorine always did a number on my eyes. I remember coming home from swim lessons one day and not being able to open my eyes for the rest of the day. My mom realized it was a reaction to the chlorine. She bought me goggles and I never had another issue.
It hadn't occurred to me to buy goggles for my girls because while they spent plenty of time in the water, they didn't spend much time under the water. That all changed the first time they went to the pool with goggles. I'm surprised they came up for air. I regretted not bringing anything for them to dive for.... but soon found a rock, which worked just as well as any dive stick. (The rule was and has always been: only Mommy or Daddy can throw the rock). Their confidence and their skill level has grown so much in the last few weeks. We're close to being able to spend the majority of our time in the big pool, as opposed to the "little" pool. Right now I can handle the big pool with them when I'm alone for about 10 minutes. That's enough time for them to sit on the steps leading into the pool, take turns swimming to me and do a little "space walking" (that's what they call walking under water). When they grow a few more inches and increase their skills we'll be ready to say bye-bye to the little pool for good!
I've made no secret of the fact that we like to swim. My girls would stay at the pool all day if I let them. Now that they've started swimming lessons they're so brave. They like being underwater. They like diving for coins, rocks and diving sticks. Unfortunately, swimming is taking a toll on our health.
So far this summer I've been to the pediatrician for two ear infections and one case of Swimmer's Ear. Tortilla had the two infections. Each time it was a different ear. I don't know if that's good or not. In all fairness, the first ear infection came after one trip to the pool and it turned out she had pink eye, too. I doubt the swimming caused that ear infection. The second ear infection came just a few weeks later. The pediatrician recommended Tortilla stay out of the pool for 10 days. I'm pretty sure I laughed out loud... possibly even snorted. I explained that we have weekly swimming lessons, so she prescribed ear drops and recommended ear plugs. I care about my daughters' health. I really do. But how do you explain to four four-year-olds that they have to take a long break from swimming when it's sweltering? The ear plugs and drops seem to be making a difference.
Just a week after that second trip, Cakes started complaining about a sore ear. Fortunately it wasn't an infection, just a case of Swimmer's Ear. Unfortunately HER ear drops cost $30 more than Tortilla's. She's now wearing an ear plug in her affected ear.
It's only Tuesday, so I'm sure I'm jinxing myself by saying we don't seem to have any health problems this week... but it's just a matter of time before Roo and Sue Sue start having issues with something, too, I'm sure.
Remember when I blogged about my "End of School Blues" and said I would be teaching my daughters how to swim? Yeah, feel free to call me a big liar. I had every intention of taking on this task by myself, with some help of Hubby, of course. That went out the window about a week after my post.
We had friends visiting us from out of town. We used their hotel pool and I quickly realized I am not the best swim instructor for my daughters. They didn't want to try anything I suggested: floating on their backs, going under water (which they love to do), heck, even hanging to the side of the pool without my assistance.
I was somewhat frustrated, not because they weren't good "students" but because I wasn't a good teacher... at least not for my own flesh and blood. Then my stepmother found a fantastic website. It's a website made just for swimmers. You can go to the site and find profiles for private swim instructors in your area... they come to your pool, whether it be in your back yard or your neighborhood pool. Some of them also have access to their own pools. I gave it a go and found someone who seemed like a good fit: previous experience with children, CPR certified and decent rates. (Turns out, she does "semi-private groups" with three or more kids so BINGO!)
We had a free evaluation last week. She was amazing with my girls. Within minutes they were floating on their backs, with minimal assistance from her, blowing bubbles in the water and begging for another turn. I'm hooked! I'm also willing to be called a big liar if it means my daughters are learning how to swim!
DISCLAIMER: I am not endorsing this website or any of the instructors. It is up to you to research any instructors you may find on this site.
My HOA board is currently on the top of my "naughty list." If I could give the board members a time out, I would.... and they know it. The other day we received our monthly newsletter. (Really, it's more like a "whenever we choose to send it" newsletter, because we certainly don't receive one every month). Among the items in the newsletter was a snippet about the neighborhood pool. Due to "financial and membership needs" the pool will open at 11 am and close at 9pm during the week. Last year the pool opened at 9 am every day. I would take my girls to pool in the mid-morning hours when it was still somewhat cool out, the sun wasn't shining directly overhead and the teenagers weren't there swearing and making out. To me it is a drastic change to open the pool two hours later than normal... and the members weren't consulted. It's technically my pool. I pay my dues. My account is in good standing. I think I should have been consulted. I'm not the only parent who would go to the pool early in the day. A lot of moms (and a few dads, too), were there on a regular basis for a morning of swimming, a quick lunch on the grass, maybe a little more swimming and then, presumably, an afternoon of napping. I get that the board is trying to cut costs. The pool doesn't have a lifeguard but we do have a "monitor." This is typically a teenager paid to sit in the shade all day while listening to her IPod and checking IDs to make sure only residents use the pool. She's not there to enforce rules... she's mainly there to chat on her cell phone and make a quick buck. The shortened hours are to cut back on the money being spent to pay her. But is it really necessary to have a pool open until 9pm on weeknights? Couldn't there have been a compromise? Open at 10 am and close at 8 pm? I know working parents want to have pool time, too, but last summer I rarely saw anyone in the pool after 7 pm, regardless of what night it was.
I immediately fired off an email to the board. I pointed out that surely I'm not the only homeowner who can't attend monthly HOA meetings. Hubby's schedule just doesn't allow it. I just feel like we should have been notified sooner than two days before the pool opens that the hours are changing. One board member called me back right away.... AND HE AGREED WITH ME! According to him, though, he was the "odd man" out. He didn't want the hours changed at all, but no one would listen to him.
So, now I've got to start a "movement." I'm making it my mission to get all those other parents who like to use the pool in the morning to complain to the board. Maybe it will help. Maybe it won't. But at least I'll feel like I made my point clear.
Hubby and I have exactly one day a week where neither of us have to work. This means Sundays are typically filled with chores. Yesterday, however, we decided it was time for a "lazy Sunday."
Hubby let me sleep in, which was wonderful. I was up by about 8:30 a.m., which is unheard of in this house. Before I even got out of bed Hubby had already filled up our two backyard pools (we need two because I can't find one pool to accommodate quads... don't get me started on the fact that the picture on the box of our newest pool showed four children in the pool... with plenty of room to "swim.") We headed outside and let the girls do what they wanted.
It was quite comical. Roo soon filled up a bucket with water and dumped the water on each of her sisters' heads. Suddenly, Cakes, Tortilla and Sue-Sue were in the other pool, leaving Roo by herself. When she went to the other pool, the three of them moved again, not wanting to be in the path of her bucket dumping. Tortilla took over an inflatable innertube and spent the day floating in the pool. All she needed was an umbrella drink and she would have been set. We even had lunch outside and ended up wasting a good three hours doing nothing.
We're somewhat paying the price. The only chore we accomplished yesterday was mowing the yard. That's OK... every now and then we need a week where we just say "to heck with it" and have fun. All the girls except for Roo have a slight sunburn on their backs, which bothers me. This is the first time I can remember that they have ever burned. I slathered them in sunscreen, but we were simply outside too long and I should have reapplied it. Lesson learned... but at least it's not a severe burn.
Today, the girls are begging to go swimming in their pools again. I think I have them convinced that their skin needs a rest... and so does mommy!
