The Event of the Week

Still behind on just about everything . . .

But I had to stop for a minute and update on one big event this week: Meg's swimming lessons.

Her first of many true, real (I'm NOT getting in the water with her!) swim lessons began this Wednesday. Meg is in a class of 4, set to meet weekly for 30 minutes. Not much, but enough to get her EXCITED about learning to swim . . . which is more than I can say for our last attempt at teaching her this much-needed life skill.

We tried swimming lessons back last summer. I had it in my head that weekly swim lessons would be a big part of our summer, and I had it in my head that Meg would be a total fish by the summer's end. Um, didn't happen. As you mom's out there know . . . what you plan for your kid and what they actually go along with can be two VERY different things. Meg was 10 minutes in to her first lesson when she declared, "I'm all done." She refused to participate . . . and after another failed attempt at a lesson one week later, I decided that Meg was (a) not ready OR (b) just NOT going to do it. Either way, lessons we by the wayside well before the 4th of July.

Fast forward to December, and I sprang the idea of swimming lessons on Meg once again. I feel very strongly that she DOES need to learn how to swim -- and the younger, the better. I was )(am?) bound and determined to get her in the water this winter so that we can overcome this obstacle well before bathing suit season comes back around. I threw the idea of swimming in an indoor pool her way, reminding her how big girls can swim. And, "Oh! Won't it be nice if you can jump in and slide all by your self next summer?!"

This time, to my delight, Meg was all up for swim class.

What did it take? A little more than just the "be a big girl" motivating speech, I will admit. Our preschool buddy, Niko, decided to join us . . . and once Meg knew that Niko was in her swim class, she was totally game. Sure, she'd like to be a 'big girl' by the summer . . . but spending time playing in the pool with her good buddy was really what got her to bite on the idea.

Hey, whatever it takes.

Our first lesson was this week, and it went -- forgive me, I can't resist -- swimmingly. Meg participated 100%, jumped in, face in the water, swam the length of the polo solo (with back float), and got to go down the slide as a reward.

And her proud mommy watched with a smile from the benches that lined the sauna-like indoor swimming facility.

Once again, the event of the week: Meg gets one step closer to swimming! Willingly -- and she liked it! Next week's challenge: get Kate to STOP throwing food at the table. That one may prove to be much, much tougher.

PS -- In other news of the week -- it did snow here yesterday. Many think THAT was the event of the week. But, since we Dahlbys just got back from 9 days in some serious, mammoth snow, the dusting GA got on Thursday night was a little lack-luster for us. Not saying that I don't love the Georgia snow . . . I just needed today to clean up and recover from everything, and instead -- because of the "snow" -- I had BOTH girls home on what should have been a school day!

Oh, well. The best laid plans, right?