The Saturday 7

1. The girls had their first gymnastics classes on Monday. They had been eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting them, so we were all excited for them to get started.

Waiting for class to start

When it was time for them to get started, they had opposite reactions. Lucy ran right out there and joined her class. Lena clung to me crying that her belly hurt. The poor kid wants to do stuff so badly, but when it comes down to it, the anxiety overwhelms her. I gave her a Tums and pushed her out on the floor. She sat with her class crying for about 30 seconds until they started stretching. Then she was fine the rest of the time.

I am a terrible photographer and did not get many pictures.

Lucy's class started on the floor, doing a series of exercises that Lucy can't do without help (handstand, bridge, etc.), so she kind of stood around aimlessly unless the teacher was there to help her. I could see her confidence slipping and could tell she wasn't enjoying it. But then they switched to bars and vault and she loved it.

They both can't wait to go back next week.

2. One day this week I went to slip on my flip-flops but noticed how awful my feet were looking - dry and cracked, my toenail polish was flaking off, etc - so I put on closed-toe flats instead. That night as I was slathering miracle foot cream on my feet I thought, "What kind of world is this that even our feet have to be beautiful?!" I can't keep up. Fortunately, Lena painted my toenails for me, so at least I have that problem solved. ;-)

How do you like that bunion? No amount of miracle foot cream is going to get rid of that bad boy. #31goingon85

3. I read an article this week about "The Mental Load." It had kind of a ridiculous feminist bent, so I'm not going to share it here, but I thought the premise was interesting. Maintaining a household and kids is more than just making meals, doing laundry, and sweeping the floor. It's constant thinking. It's "When was the last time the kids had dentist appointments?" or "Does Lucy have gym shoes that fit?" or "What am I going to do about Lena's anxiety?" It's making sure I have food in the fridge for school lunches and remembering to mail the car loan because they won't let me set up online payments and keeping all the books separate (Cedar Springs library books, Kent City library books, school AR books, school library books). And I know that women have been doing this for centuries and it's nothing new or noteworthy. But it sure makes me thankful that I'm able to be a stay at home mom. Because all this stuff is a job to itself, and having a job outside of the home on top of that has got to be overwhelming!!

4. Yesterday was a bad depression day for me. Well, more like a depressed evening. Weekends are always hard for me. I start out the week gung-ho and ready to get stuff done. I cook and clean and run errands like a boss. But by Friday, I just want a break. I don't want to take care of any more dirty dishes. I don't want to pick any more goldfish crumbs out of the carpet. I don't want to fold any more laundry. I don't want to break up any more fights or wipe any more noses. I don't want to refill any more stinkin' drinks! I just want to sit on the couch and read my book and I want everyone to leave me alone! Why am I so selfish? Why is this so hard for me when moms have been doing this for thousands of years?

5. I read three more books this week, so I only have one more to meet my goal for the year. I've been thinking that after I read that last one, I might need to take a reading hiatus. Devouring books definitely contributes to my depression. As noted above, I just want to read uninterrupted and I'm unkind to my kids as a result. Plus, I have no self control, so I stay up til all hours of the night to finish my book and don't get enough sleep - which is a known contributor to depression. Boo.

6. I've got nothing else. Except pictures.