Two words: NEIGHBORHOOD POOL
Three more words: SWIMMING IN OCTOBER
We are renting a house in a neighborhood that has a pool which is open to all residents and their guests. It's about a block from our house and is absolutely wonderful. I love to swim; I always have. Being able to relax at the pool in the midst of all the unpacking and adjusting to a new place was a very welcome break for all of us.
I never thought I'd take my kids swimming after school on a school day, but I did. A lot. We have made some friends from church who also live in our neighborhood. They have two girls about the same ages as Adah and Maggie and then a son who is Holly's age. We would often meet up with them at the pool, but frequently we had the whole thing to ourselves! It was certainly never crowded.
The best thing I did for swimming in the pool was to put Holly and Gunnar in life jackets. We're an anti-training wheel family. Damon and I believe kids just need to go for it on a bike. However, that philosophy does not translate to the swimming pool for me. Safety first. And with the safety came tons of freedom. Holly just motors her little legs and goes anywhere in the pool. It is freedom for me, too. I don't have to hold her the entire time we're in the pool. I can really swim for myself.
Of course, someone is always nearby and I'm keeping an eye on everyone.
The kids rarely fight when we're at the pool. We rinse off and shampoo our hair right there at the poolside showers and then go home, get in jammies, and have dinner. It's a great way to spend a hot afternoon. Often we were still there when Damon got home from work. Sometimes we could talk him into putting on his swimsuit and joining us. The hot tub calls to him.
We used to go to the pool 2-3 times a week. It's now been about 5 weeks since our last trip (meaning it was mid-to-late October when we swam last). We'll have to wait a few months before it warms up again. I'm already looking forward to it.
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