Holy Countdown, Batman

I've now been saying that I will do the triathlon in November for almost a month, despite my back issues. Today my countdown meter on the left side of this blog went from triple digits, which in my head felt like the twelfth of never, to double digits, which seems like TOMORROW.

HOLY COUNTDOWN, BATMAN, that's SOON.

This afternoon I walked to a garage sale with my daughter and the neighbor girl. I think I spent the most I've ever spent at a garage sale: $25.50. I left with a $10 (paid $2) candleholder I've been eyeing at IKEA, but hadn't previously been able to justify, a $1 paperback book by an author I've been wanting to check out, a $1 photo album that will hold 48 pictures (which will be a granddaughter scrapbook for my mother-in-law), a $4 ski helmet one size up for my daughter (my husband was so THRILLED at this he didn't even complain about me spending the money on everything else), a $7 queen comforter and pillow set, and a small microwave for $10 (to use in my massage practice).

My daughter picked out a toy for 50 cents that she wouldn't let go of.

Did I mention I WALKED to the garage sale?

The neighbor girl was kind enough to haul everything in bags for me.

Except the microwave.

Which I decided I would carry.

All the way home.

Because again, not so good with the moderation or common sense.

I lost count of how many times I shifted it from shoulder to shoulder and hollered, "MOVE PLEASE" to my daughter who kept coming to a dead stop in front of me.

She would laugh hysterically, run forward 10 steps, slow to a walk, and then repeat.

Booger.

I did manage to make it home without any actual mishaps, and was a bit achy (my abdominal muscles and my back), but was still better off than when I started this whole project.

Later, we went swimming at family swim night again. I was so excited to see my three-year-old swim all the way across the pool by herself, using front crawl, back crawl, then later doing elementary back stroke on her own. I was utterly amazed at the improvements she made in just one week.

Oh dear. I'm sounding like the overproud mom I never wanted to become, bragging about how exceptional MY child is.

Still, considering the number of kids over six that were wearing arm floaties or lifejackets in the pool, I am very pleased with my three-year-old because she could, in an emergency situation, survive at least a little while. This was our whole purpose in putting her in swimming lessons.

Of course, it doesn't mean we're going to stop now. She loves it, so we'll keep her in it as long as we can--ideally at least until she can swim a mile (this is an arbitrary thing I picked out since I think I swam my first mile around age 8).

If she's anything like her mother, she may eventually have something else to say about that, so I may end up eating my words in the interest of family peace.

At least when I eat words I don't have to worry about the effect on my waistline.