A mid-winter swim

I can't really complain about the rain. I want to. Really, I do. I want to moan and groan about how much I need some real sunshine. About how it has rained every day for weeks (well, I'm not entirely sure, but it feels like it has). In reality, I'd rather the rain than the snow. Sure the snow is beautiful, but then it melts and rains and freezes and the whole place turns into an ice skating rink. Trust me, it's not fun to try to get three kids from the van and into the store/church/post office/library/house while walking across the ice - even with my fancy clip on ice grippers. Especially since Joshua is a typical 5 year old boy. He wants to run and slide on the ice, or gallop from the van to the store, or periodically starts hopping when we walk and other such annoyances that are not so appropriate when mom is trying to carry Daniel and hold Megan's hand as she gingerly traverses the parking lot.

Which brings me to today. Joshua has been begging to go to open-swim at the base pool. This presents a problem because kids that are ages 4 and up are supposed to use the dressing room appropriate for their gender. Keith has duty today (basically his schedule chronically stinks, so let this just be the one complaint that encompasses our entire remaining time here). So there is no way I could take them to the pool by myself, for fear that Joshua would be crying in the Men's locker room because he's cold, or he didn't dry off good enough and now can't get his underwear on. After all, he is only 5. There is a family dressing room, however it is always locked and no one ever seems to know where the key is or if it truly is occupied, making it more of a hassle. I'm more worried about Megan in the locker room - she asks a lot of questions and is fascinated by tattoos. So my compromise today instead of going to the pool was to take a swim in Mommy's tub with lots and lots of bubbles!!