Summer vacation finally has arrived. The family has been looking forward to long, lazy days, sleeping in, and a break from the stress of the school year.
Instead I signed up all my kids for swim team. It’s been rough as they swim hourly starting at 7:30 in the morning, every weekday morning, for the next two months. We have slowly been adjusting to the schedule but this morning we found out Sam has been cut from the swim team (I swear he could swim better last year) and Grace is on the verge of being cut, partly due to how she is dealing with her anxiety. In full disclosure I also cried when they told me this, in full sight of a lot of my swim and homeschool friends. Crying in public always makes me feel awesome. Grace and Sam have also shed a lot of tears, mostly in private, but not exclusively, and we are only on day four. I’m almost hoping they cut Grace, so we can just move on, to be honest.
I have a couple garden plots in the community garden next to the pool I planned on working on this summer while the kids swam. Now I’m not sure how long I’m going to be there each day, or if I’m going to just be sending the big kids on their own. My plot has also been getting completely over-watered, so my plants are sad and in some cases dead. It’s all starting to feel a bit hopeless, especially when looking at the neighbors' thriving plots. My mind chooses to ignore the plots that have been planted but have gone completely to weed already.
Ethan, meanwhile, was hoping to find some sort of employment this summer, so he filled out an application for Sonic. He was surprised and pleased to get a call setting up an interview (he did say he was under sixteen on the application). At the appointed time, he brushed his hair, got dressed up and headed down for the interview. He returned home fifteen minutes later. He was informed he was too young and was not granted an interview. He was understandably frustrated, as Sonic had that information before they even called for an interview.
To add to his misery Ethan also found out he has a mouthful of cavities, so he has been spending part of his summer in the dentist chair.
We are only on day four of the summer and we are on the verge of giving up. Everything seems to be falling apart and our stress levels are intense. Libby wants to quit swim team as an act of solidarity with her siblings, although it will achieve nothing. Ethan hates swim team but doesn’t want to quit (no, I don’t understand either). I’m out more money than I like to admit for Grace and Sam’s registration fees, which I am too tired to fight to get back, not to mention swimsuits, goggles, and swim caps. Ethan can’t find a job, and Libby is feeding off everyone’s stress. I really hope we get better at having a nice summer break this year, or we are aren’t even going to be able to get out of bed by the time school rolls around again.
**Also, I am writing this in a word processor and hoping to eventually post it to my blog, because our internet has completely died and I really don’t have the energy to call our internet providers. Crying at random people is an experience I can only do once a day.
*** It took three days, but we have internet again. I had a nice talk with Grace's swim coach about how her anxiety was being compounded by a couple older girls who were trying to help, but really making the whole situation worse. The next day at swim practice Grace was left completely alone (which she needs when she is stressed), and she swam well enough to stay on the team, at least for now. Also, her coach is a lovely person who deals with anxiety herself. And I didn't cry. So that's all good news. Sam was able to switch to swim lessons, for no extra charge. Ethan still does not have a job but it pretty resigned to waiting until he is older. The next week of summer vacation may be manageable after all. And thank you to my wonderful and kind husband who spent time on the phone with technical support and arranged to have a technician come out and fix our internet.
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