Shifting into a lower gear....

Today is the last day of the whirlwind of summer sports here. Baseball ended for us with two rainouts earlier this week. Tonight, Son One is going to swim the 25 free in the local 5 club tournament. Here he is on the blocks for this event last Saturday. I'd like to say that he's probably visualizing his perfect race, but he's probably just wondering the best way to get me to give him money for candy after the race is over.....


He would have been swimming two or three more events tomorrow too, but both smallish bears are leaving for vacation with their dad in the morning. Not only is he missing swimming in the tournament, but the boys will be gone for the baseball tournament that starts next Monday. No matter how many times I suggest that their dad plan the vacation for the END of July, this happens every year.....

So we have to pack this afternoon. A week's worth of clothes, because their dad doesn't have his own clothes for them. I will be doing that laundry when they get back as well, I'm sure. Now, moms among us, let's put this in perspective. I'm the one packing the clothes for two kids for the trip. I'll be the one doing the laundry when they return. You'd think their dad could make it to the swim meet tonight, but he said he's going to be getting ready for the trip.

I am on the verge of eight days of no parenting responsibilities. I realize that this is a dream for mothers everywhere, and I believe every mom deserves a week off at least once a year, but I don't advocate divorce as the way to get there. It's actually overrated when you end up with too much time off-duty...I actually start missing the whining and bickering and being pecked to death after the third hedonistic day of chinese food, wine, and watching Grey's Anatomy and Sex and the City on dvd. Without laundry/carpool/cooking/supervising piano practicing/work to punctuate the silence, it gets pretty lonely pretty fast!

So I'm going to remind myself of that fact today when I hear "MOOOOOMMMMMMM" for the 95th time and when I'm picking up the wet towels and swimsuits off the floor after swim team practice and when I'm throwing away half the lunch I just made when they complained that they were starving and when I'm mediating another stand-off and.....