Swimming!

Do your kids swim? Mine are learning. I would like to have them all take lessons, but I haven't found a cost effective class yet. With three kids at three different levels, well, it adds up quickly. Time for Plan B, exposure, exposure, exposure!

We've been going to the YMCA since February. When we started none of my kids were confident in the water. Now, my oldest has passed a swim test and can come and go freely in the pool. My son can swim pretty well, but doesn't use strokes yet so he sticks to the shallow end.

That leaves me to my youngest and even she is getting better. She can play in the kiddie pool and go down the little kiddie slide by herself. When she gets into the big pool, she wears a life jacket and is getting a very good feel for the water.

It wasn't long ago that I was chasing toddlers and not letting them out of my sight for a minute. I must say, I like being able to sit on the edge and relax a bit. Oh, I still do the head count (one, two, three... one, two, three) but now, I do that while sitting in the sun and *gasp!* relaxing a bit. I still hope to get them in lessons someday, but for now the kids are getting better and having a great time. We're good with that.

Six Mile Hike

It is June and the weather is beautiful! The weather was in the upper seventies, and there was a bright blue sky overhead. We decided to attempt a long hike. Six miles was more than we have ever done with kids before but we thought they would be up for it. Littlest one took a few shoulder rides, but the other two hung in there for every step. We packed a backpack with fruit, water, and Cliff Bars, found our walking shoes and headed for the greenway.

Outsourcing

I know my limits. I am not an art teacher.

I am creative, artistic, and resourceful, 

but I am not good at teaching art. 

Thankfully, Juli is. I found these classes at ARTLIFE at the beginning of the semester and I enrolled my seven-year-old son and my ten-year-old daughter. It was money well spent. They discussed line, shade, variety, texture, balance, harmony, and color. They worked with lithography, clay, paint, and paper. I got lots of ideas about what worked for them and what didn't. Now I know when stocking up on supplies, paint and clay are at the top of the list while I can save money on other items that are only mildly interesting to my kids. 

Nor am I a physical education teacher. 

I enjoy walking, swimming, and going to the parks,

but know nothing about introducing my kids to sports. 

Thankfully, Jennifer and Tiffany do. I happened on the Road Runners, a kids marathon and triathlon training running club for homeschoolers, this spring also. Neither of my kids were getting enough exercise and I did not know where to begin with helping keep fit. This club offered goal setting, instruction on correct form, and tons of encouragement. Even though neither of my kids are going to do the triathlon this year, my kids have gained strength and endurance since they began. Because it is for homeschoolers, they expect the toddlers, mommies, and kids of all ages. My three-year-old daughter runs along or gets some piggy-back rides. Now that they are focusing on bike riding, she hops on her tricycle and zooms along.

After these great experiences, I will never hesitate to call upon others to help my children when I don't feel quite up to the task.