Skip to main content

Hot Water

More parenting videos on JuiceBoxJungle


I've been doing a little experiment for, oh, seven years now. The results of my experiment can be defined by the following equations:

Me + Morning Swim = 75% chance of not losing temper with children during rest of day
Me - Morning Swim = 25% chance of not losing temper with children during rest of day

Other factors play in, like coffee and time of year (Winter is not my favorite), but the biggest determining factor of my mood and level of patience with small whiny people during the day is by far my early submersion in chlorine. I guess I flush out all the wound-tightness by freezing in the dark in nothing but a swimsuit while waiting for Tim to arrive, then thrashing my arms through moonlit water before dawn. I like to top that off with a searing hot shower and rich coffee from Borrone, and by 7 AM my day is pretty much off to a gorgeous start.

It's up to the kids to bring me down throughout the day, but I'm usually able to stay afloat as long as I've spent that early hour floating through the pool.

*Caveat: I really do love my kids madly of course. It's just, boy can they make me mad.
Labels:

Comments

AM! said…
love it & totally agree...although it's w/working out for me. I am WAY more sane when I get my workout in.
April 8, 2009 at 6:47 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oxygen Depletion

I hate fins. Why, as a soccer player, I can't kick or use my legs in the pool, I don't know. But I can't kick. I seem to go backwards when no fins are on my feet, and I feel like my lungs are going to explode when I do use fins. Go figure. Today I'm also losing my left big toenail, which is always a fun sensation while finning. *warm up: 300 free, 200 back to breast, 100 kick, 50 strong add fins for: *3 x 50's free on TIGHT interval (35 s) 150 recovery *3 x 100's free on TIGHT interval (1:10) 150 recovery *3 x 150's on TIGHT interval 150 recovery *3 x 200's on TIGHT interval remove fins for: *150 easy *2 x 50's hard repeat 2x
Post a Comment
Read more

Tell me about yourself...

This is fun. I don't get to swim on Wednesdays so here's some (mostly) non-swimming information about me that I hope you will not use inappropriately against me. It's really fun to answer these questions if only for yourself. Do it. Then post them here because I'd love to know more about all of you! 1.) Q. Can you cook? A. Well, I can read, so I can follow a recipe. Can I make anything without a recipe? Yes: Cinnamon toast. 2.) Q. What was your dream growing up? A. To be happy. 3.) Q. What talent do you wish you had? A. I wish I could sing, big time! 4.) Q. Favorite place? A. California (home) 5.) Q. Favorite vegetable? A. Sweet Potato 6.) Q. What was the last book you read? A. To my kids: The Important Book, to myself: Slow Man 7.) Q. What zodiac sign are you? A. Sagittarius, but I put zero stock in signs 8.) Q. Any tattoo's or piercings? A. Yes, both 9.) Q. Worst habit? A. Never cleaning out my car 10.) Q. If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a
10 comments
Read more

For Heidi

I was nervous about visiting Heidi. I remembered her as an always upbeat, caring person who lit up the locker room at 5:45am and made me glad I had gotten out of bed. I knew she took great trips, and lived actively. I knew how happy she was about her son's marriage. Beyond that, I figured I didn't know her very well. I never saw her outside of Burgess, and I consider her a teammate and acquaintance, more than a dear friend. That said, thanks to the environment Tim has created, we teammates at Burgess definitely feel like a part of something bigger - a family, a support system, something. But as Sunday drew near, I considered the fact that I felt a chest cold arriving, and that I would have to depart from my children (who I see too little during the week) for hours to go visit her in San Leandro. I wondered what I would say to her and around her. I wondered if she'd even care to see me. And I almost didn't go. I will forever be glad that I went. And I encourage every one
8 comments
Read more