Yesterday for the first time in my life, I took the kids to Buffalo State Park where they have a man made lake. My friend Tami took her kids as well. Boy did they have a blast! I admired the hoards of people swimming, diving, and wading in the water. My own children in particular were so carefree. I am not a lake person at all. I have thought many times that I would love to have a lake to go to, but in reality, it's not for me.
I am very scared of lakes, lake water, aquatic life, and most things related to nature. Bless Tami's heart for going in to the water with my kids. I walked in to almost my waste, but that was all I could handle. The anxiety instantly kicked in, and I had to go back. Give me a cement walled chlorinated pool any day, but a lake? No thanks.
Today was another scorcher. Ryan went with a friend to the Moorhead Pool. This place was my second home for years in the summertime. My bestest childhood friend Stephanie and I headed there every possible day. I can still hear Y94 blasting, watching her go off the diving board (I couldn't swim so I didn't try to pass the test you had to take to do that), laying out on our towels, eating crap food, and being lost in our own little world.
But I digress....since Ryan was off at the big kid pool, and Kate was busy with her friends, I took Brady, Olivia, and my friend Jenny's boy Brandon to the park pool. Brady isn't a fan of the water yet, but we made do. He did enjoy sitting on the edge and splashing his little chubby legs in the water. Olivia and Brandon were so cute to watch. They splashed, sang (mostly Olivia), played games, and enjoyed the wonders of summer.
Tonight the rain is falling, the thunder is rolling, and cool air is returning to the area. I am sitting in a quiet house while Thad is away on a boys' weekend, Kate is next door having a slumber party, and the three other kids are sleeping. I have nothing good to read, doing school work is still not happening, so here I sit blogging. If nothing else, this quiet time enables me to sit and reflect on the great couple of days I have had with the kids.
There are many parts to each day where I feel a little cranky (like today when I spent over one hour putting away load after load of laundry), frustrated that my girls ask me daily "how many more bites until I can be done with supper?," want to pull my hair out at back talk, defiance, and rudeness, or get mad when I eat a big blizzard that I didn't even like AND a bowl of cheetoes (ahem tonight).
The beauty of blogging is that it enables me to set myself straight. I can focus on the positives, feel blessed and grateful, and even get to read about other people I care deeply about. It's rather cathartic actually. If people think it's foolish to do this, so be it. I for one, feel pretty darn lucky that there is such a thing as a blog...and hot summer days!
4 comments:
I love reading your blog, Bonnie. I think it's great to be able to read someone's blog and relate to so much of what they are saying. Of course I also love the adorable pictures of your kids!
Holly
Remember when you said to me the other night how you can't write at all? You should reread your last two posts. You capture so much emotion in your writing: contentment, anticipation, frustration, and thankfulness all at once. Your children are so blessed that you are their mother. I admire you, sis!
I hear you on the lake thing. I've always thought it would be neat to have a cabin but I think putting in a pool would be cheaper and more fun for our family.
~R
What a GREAT post!!
Our lives are so parallel in so many ways - that's what I love about reading your blogs.
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