Swim day without a twitch

As reluctant as I was to re-embark on swim lessons at Swiss Cottage leisure centre, that’s precisely what we did early this morning. We’d gone through one swim lesson in the fall and it rattled me so much I couldn’t rally the resources to return until now.

Essentially, we’d arrived there after school, rushing all the way to pick up temporary membership cards, get outfitted and fight with swim caps (they look easier than they are under duress in a chaotic, noisy locker room). Then we had to find the right entrance to the pool (which involves meandering through a parking garage entrance, counterintuitive to the entire lay out of the place).

At this point I was already exhausted. Add to that poor Ava sobbing out of apprehension, convinced she’d have a male teacher. For whatever reason this male instructor thing throws her for a loop, though she’s grown to like Mr. Chubbers and Mr. Doyle at Abercorn.

Eventually we made our way to the check-in area in front of the teaching pool, where a mass of adults and children huddled.

We joined the huddle and the kids were eventually assigned to “phase 1” since they were new. I then peeled Ava off me and went behind the big glass window with all other parents banished from the pool side.

From there I attempted to keep track of my two children, whose swim caps blended in with all the other pink and black swim caps.

Thirty short minutes later we all re-amassed to collect our dripping charges, Ava again sobbing (not sure why as her teacher was a woman and the most they did was blow bubbles).

Suffice it to say we were all very grateful to get out of the place, which was noisy chaos as the next group worked their way in.

And I was even more grateful, later in the week, when I received a text saying the pool was broken and lessons were cancelled indefinitely.

What brought us back yesterday morning, you ask? This looming credit that I must use or lose…and the fact that the kids need some exposure to water – beyond shower/bath – regularly.

The idea of doing a week of lessons rather than hiking up to Swiss Cottage immediately after school and rush rush rushing through the hair-raising process every Monday also held some appeal.

So I clenched my teeth yesterday morning and got everything ready early so we set out the door with plenty of time. Ava shed a tear or two on the way but held it together. The lobby of the place was actually (dare I say) quiet. As was the locker room and pool area.

We got dressed in calm, checked in with a lovely woman who assuaged Ava’s fears immediately and I again disappeared behind glass to try to pick out my children among the mass. (Smaller mass this time, but nevertheless a mass similar in height and swim attire.)

This time no bubble blowing – the girls had been placed in classed deemed appropriate to their abilities. Again, the 30 minutes flew (an hour and a half of preparation and de-preparation for 30 minutes in the pool -- how much sense does this really make?!?)

This time Ava was upset upon leaving the pool but only because the swim cap was bothering her forehead. Claire seemed relatively unscathed by the process.

And after a relaxed locker room experience we were home by 10:15! Therein I escaped the first mid-term break lesson without a twitch. We'll see how I do today.

What else, praytell, will our agenda bring today? Shroave Tuesday! (Pancake day here – instead of “Fat Tuesday” we’ll be cleaning out the cupboards and making pancakes in preparation for Lenten fasting.) So it’s BFD (breakfast for dinner) at the Webers tonight!

And sometime between swimming and BFD we'll hit Topsy Turvy for some indoor fun (yesterday's cold and snow flurries are on the agenda for today. Bring on the inside entertainment)!