Iron Man!

*Warning: This post has been rated G for Gushy. Some content includes accolades and shameless bragging.

There appears to be a universal unbreakable law. Perhaps it is not universal but a law unbreakable nonetheless in the confines of our household. It is a law that decrees that there is to be frantic activity and ridiculous over-scheduling or idle wallowing. Nothing in-between. It is the All or Nothing Law and it came to fruition this week in a perfect storm of sporting endeavours:

Benj was the unfortunate fellow in the eye of the storm. Here is a sampling of his schedule this week:
8:15 am leave for (highly intensive) soccer camp. Our soccer club imported a very nice young Dutch fellow who is presumably enough of a soccer expert to be imported. He also became increasingly sunburned over the course of the week as he did his best to kill our children by way of exhaustion. (But they would die with great foot-skills by golly, and that is what counts, is it not?)

11:15 am picked up from soccer camp go directly to swimming lessons

12:15pm drive home for lunch and to hurriedly change back into soccer gear.

12:45 pm leave home for afternoon (highly intensive) session of soccer camp. He was the only person to participate in 2 sessions (the afternoon session was for the older boys/teens) but the gracious soccer powers-that-be had allowed him to participate in the afternoon if he liked, due to the fact that he would be missing 45 mins in the morning because of swimming classes. He, in what I consider an insane move, decided that this was exactly what he would do. Our Benj is nothing if not driven. We hope this results in wealth one day rather then complete physical and mental breakdown. Wealth would be far more fun for us all.

1:00 pm Extricates himself from neurotic mother and her embarrassing inquiries over whether he has enough to eat/drink/protect him from the sun/ease his pain in the form of ibuprofen.

(He in true male fashion, denied feeling pain but adopted a old woman type hobble mid-week. He claimed it was from unevenly worn cleats. Stoic little chap. Also a wise little chap who knows his neurotic mom will put the kibosh on further activities if he admits to hobbling like an old woman from over-exertion.)

4:20pm Staggers through the door. To put this in context, the people doing the one session were completely wrung out after one session and they did not have to contend with swimming classes, an extra soccer session and...

6:00pm Tennis class!

7:00pm Soccer Scrimmage

8:45pm Staggers through the front door. Note that this grueling schedule did not result in a decreased need for us to shout and threaten kids about not talking and going to sleep already at 10pm after they had been in bed for over an hour. Kids are freaks.

Impressively at the end of the week, Benj participated in the prize-giving with the older group and won "Most Promising Player". He was also the youngest player. Go Benj! His coach commented on his great willingness to learn and work hard.


On Friday all 4 kids also graduated to the next level of swimming! Yay kids! Gracie and Finny got several opportunities to go off the diving board. Yesterday when we went to family swim, Gracie jumped off it sans life jacket and swam all the way to the other end of the pool, which freaked me out somewhat when she did not emerge on the side I was watching for her.




At swimming again, Benj's outstanding diligence and eagerness to learn and practice was noted. I am so proud of his work ethic and determination. Even if he was a rubbish soccer player (which surprisingly, given his lack-lustre gene pool, he is decidedly not,) I would be so very proud of our boy for genuinely always doing his best. As my dad would say (in my case it was in admonishment), this kid is willing to pay the price.

All four kids have also been participating in the push-up challenge. They are getting ripped man! ;)










Of course, after Monday of next week, there are no activities whatsoever.

This week I participated in the lesser known sports of Xtreme nose blowing and Head holding. For the first half of the week I had a migraine and for the second half I experienced a potent dose of allergies, the likes of which I have not grappled with since I held the title of Snot Queen of Johannesburg in my early youth. I would express great sympathy for those who have to deal with either of these conditions on a chronic basis, but since I currently feel another migraine coming on, and I am systematically working my way through a large box of Puffs Plus and figuring out a way to scratch my nose, eyes, and throat simultaneously. So perhaps I will just feel sorry for myself. This comes easily to me.

In closing I would like to note the following:

This time 10 years ago I was not yet a mom. I was at a prenatal exercise class, very cranky and very insistent that I was NOT having this baby any time soon, I still had a week to due date for goodness sake and it was my first baby, why did people keep saying I was going to have the baby any moment now? My water broke about 10 mins after having a big rant along these lines to Aaron after his mother called to say she just felt that I was about to have the baby.

This time 8 years ago, I was watching the movie The Perfect Storm with my friend Kim. She had come to help us out with Benj when I had Gabe as we'd just moved and knew no-one well enough to ask them to stay with our precious only child (once you have your 4th you are asking the girl who packs your groceries if she is available on short notice) . Ironically, I'd never met her either, she was my brother's girlfriend. She lived in Vegas, he lived in SA (long story). He took pity on me and asked her if she could help and without a moment's hesitation she took 10 days off work and hopped on a plane. I'm certain it was the most boring 10 days of her life. She is a saint.

Anyway she had been suggesting that Aaron and I go out instead of she and I since it would be our last chance in a while. I said," oh of course not, no baby ever arrives on their due date, let alone their older sibling's birthday, Aaron and I will go out tomorrow night, or next week when the baby still has not come". I went into labour that night/early am.

I'm starting to sense a pattern of not being in touch with my body and also a tendency toward denial

Anyway, it's been a great 10 years. A decade of motherhood deserves special mention right? So long as you don't mention it on the actual birthday of the actual birthday child. Because then they write books like Mommy Dearest about you. But today that is my justification for making a key lime pie and consuming most of it myself. Which is what I am about to do. Until next time...
AaaahhhhhhCHOO, Ahhhchooo..... to you and you and you!

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