Disappointment

Today was the first time in some time that we have just stuck close to home and had a "chill" day. No errands, no play dates, no plans. It was just what the doctor ordered. The kids have been sweet all day. They have played with toys, watched movies, we "hunted" tigers together in the afternoon, etc.

We had some yard work done over the last few weeks including installing an irrigation system, drainage work and new sod. (I promise I'm going to tie it together...) The landscape company wanted $350 to deliver and spread mulch to finish off the job. Ummm, I don't think so. Instead, I bought 22 bags of mulch and paid a college student from our church $40 to spread it and saved $250.

Anyhow, said college kid was due to come over to finish the job this afternoon, and I had promised the kids that after he left we would go to the pool to end of our stay-at-home day. So, after he left, we went to Chick-fil-A to pick up some nuggets, came home and packed our picnic, put on our bathing suits and trudged up the hill to the pool in the 90-some-odd-degree heat and humidity. As we got closer and I saw the unusual number of cars on the street, I started to get nervous. It slowly began to occur to me that I had read in an e-mail at some point that the pool was closed one night a week for swim meets. WHY I didn't think this information was important enough to file away in my memory, I WILL NEVER KNOW... Yep. Tonight was the night. So, we turned around to head back home, all sweaty and hot with no pool to cool us off.

Now, I'll tell you that I was panic-stricken when I saw all the matching bathing suits through the fence and I began to connect the dots. I was certain that I would have two GIANT melt-downs on my hands and the evening would be just a difficult mess. But, it did not happen that way at all. The kids were disappointed, for sure. (So was I, with the trickle of sweat running down the center of my back.) Yet, they rallied beautifully. We had our "picnic" at the kitchen table - still in our bathing suits - and sitting on beach towels, because wouldn't you know it-this was the one time I remembered to lube them up with sunscreen before we left the house. And, as I type they are in the jacuzzi tub in my bathroom - still in their bathing suits - playing and getting the sunscreen off before we head downstairs to have an impromptu movie night. What little troopers.

I know I often tell stories of frustration about my kids. My blog. My prerogative. But, today I realize that we must be doing something right. They are pretty great kids.