Summer solstice

Summer in the northern hemisphere officially begins now. Happy am I when my favorite season is here!

We opened the pool yesterday at my parents house. Even though the water was c-c-c-c-old and there was some algae at the bottom of the pool, it looked awfully good.

Oh, yeah. Happy Father's Day to all those of you to whom it may apply.

Summer Update

With the start of the 2007-08 school year just under a month away I thought I'd bring you up to speed on a few small things that have made this summer special, aside from the fact that it's my favorite season.

Swimming in the pool: While conditions have to be perfect for me to take any extended time in the pool, V and M will go in in virtually any conditions. They continue to progress in their swimming ability by leaps and bounds. This year neither of them need a floatation device in order to safely enjoy the water. V is able to stand flat foot in the pool and the water is just over M's head, so that he has to keep bouncing around in order to stay above. They both have become adept at holding their breath and going under the water. It is evident that they are both feeling more at home swimming under the water, which is fantastic. I've always said my kids resemble fish this time of year.

M's interest in playing sports: Starting last summer when M first asked me to play catch with him, his interest in baseball has grown. He's able to throw a lot better this year, though sometimes he doesn't look where he's throwing and does so wildly. This year he's caught on (pun intended) to the proper way to hold his glove and his catching ability has improved substantially in a short period of time.

M's current baseball glove is kind of small and rather than buy him a new one (which would have been cheaper), I decided to have my (circa late 1970's Jim Rice model) old glove re-laced for him, since tanned leather doesn't go bad under normal circumstances (unless it's abused, which wouldn't be normal I guess...) and it makes the glove become an heirloom. This place did a wonderful job and was very efficient in getting the work done and sending the glove back to me. Total turn around was about 10 days from the time I mailed it off. If you have an old baseball glove in need of repair, I highly recommend checking them out for yourself. Unfortunately, M's hand is still a bit too small for the bigger glove, so he'll probably start using it in earnest next spring.

M's interest in football is growing as well. He wanted to participate in his town's flag football program this year. He's in a league and on a team of 1^st-3^rd graders. Twice a week practices started last Tuesday and the coaches are teaching the kids the fundamentals of the game. His league will play games on Sunday afternoons in September.

Like father, like son: Last fall M had more of an interest in watching Patriots games on television with me on Sundays. This season should be better because he's more able to understand how the game is played. He even knows some of the Patriots players by name, position and uniform number. M has had an interest in the Red Sox since the start of the baseball season back in April. He's wanted to watch many games with me and he asked me to teach him how to keep score. As with football, M's knowledge of the game is improving the more he watches and he also too knows some of the players by name, position and uniform number.

V's interest in playing baseball: While not as great as M's, V does enjoy playing catch with us on occasion. She even asked me if I'd get her a glove, which I did for her birthday in May. And she'll never have to share it because no one else in my family at present is a lefty. One more reason why V is so special.

One interest I'll never understand: This isn't particularly a summer thing, but both V and M love collecting and trading Pokemon cards with their cousins. They even like to play Pokemon video games. Harmless fun, I suppose, though I'll never understand the infatuation.

I must be....

...the biggest loser in the world. I honestly think I'm the only one matriculating the blogosphere^TM on a Friday night. Well it seems like that anyway. Aaaah one of the few drawbacks to having kids.... no weekend social life. Not that I have much of a social life during the week, mind you...

Honestly, though this is the first real time of peace and quiet I've had all day to just wander about on the net. Aside from a few quick checks during the day, I spent most of the day outside at the pool with V and M. Met ex at Marshalls in Bedford at 10 this morning. Made the kiddo exchange and were off to see the wizard by 11:00. Usually the kiddo exchange happens around suppertime, so it was nice to get in a full afternoon of pool use.

Pool water today: between 83-86 degrees. Air temp was in the low 90's, so the pool water felt like bath water. An absolutely gorgeous day for non-productivity.

Opening Day

A long awaited day to be sure. A day that is looked forward to all year.

No, I'm not talking about baseball's opening day which takes place at the beginning of April. I'm talking about opening day as in opening the swimming pool at my parents' house.

Once we took the pool cover off, we saw what we'd hoped to see - nice clear, clean water. V hosed off all of the loose debris and pollen that had remained on the cover. After 15 minutes in the sun, the cover was dry enough to fold up. Dad and I filled the filter halfway with water and added 100 pounds of sand. We took out the chemical jug suspended across the water over the winter and removed the three air pillows strung out across the pool, two of which were deflated and partially filled with water.

While we went to lunch, we left the garden hose on to fill up the pool to the proper water level. Once we got back, we added the proper chemicals and now all we have to do is wait 24-48 hours, I think.

That the pool is open now is good, because the temp is supposed to reach into the 90's this week.

Speaking of lunch, my parents took V, M and I to the Rainforest Cafe at the Burlington Mall. My kids and I had never been there before. The atmosphere was cool for the kids and the food was okay because none of us has gotten sick yet. The quality of food at that restaurant has been known to be questionable, as Rebecca from I'm Just a Girl can attest.

Next, it'll be ice cream sundaes at 18:00.

So far it's turning out to be a wonderful weekend.