Oh the things we do for our kids..................

Oh the things that we do for our kids. It is about 5:50am - yes, AM, not PM, AM. We have been up since 4am when SuperStar wandered into the room to make certain we were going to be waking up on time at 5am. Sweet of her to make sure that LAST hour of sleep was interrupted, but it is difficult to trust BigGuy and getting up in the morning. Each morning his goal is to wake at 5:45am, shower, eat and be gone by 6:30am and to work in his desk by 6:45am. Bless his heart (although it isn't what I am saying when he presses snooze 4 times) he generally gets up at 6:30am and leaves by 7:20am. So this should explain the true dedication the man has for his children and why I love him so.
As I said, we woke at 5am. He showered (I made sure he was officially out of bed because he had already tried to set the snooze button - habits are a killer) and I made his breakfast and his lunch to take. He was out the door by 5:36am!!!! Whoo hooo!!! Special project at work you ask? Nope. Has to go out of town for some business thing (which he is good at getting up this early for)? Nope. Going to stand in line at the gym to sign the kids up for swim class? Yep. Not kidding - it is so competitive to get into these swim classes that parents begin the line up for sign up at 5:30am!! We figure if he is in line by 6am we will be fine, but some parents have made the attempt to sign up for three years straight without getting in. Now, once you are in you have the first shot at classes when the next session begins - but even then you have to get there early to compete for a spot if your kiddo is moving up a class. Yikes!!! Why are they so coveted? Well, for starters they are free - can't beat that, they come with the membership at the gym. Then there is the 5 kids to one instructor deal and that they are supposedly the best in town - and many kids who want to move into their swim team - also supposedly a good team and something both kids say they are interested in. Now, here is the funny thing - in the past we have signed them up for various classes and they wanted to bail before our paid time was complete - and in some cases we let them (when it was around the holidays and really their bailing helped our time schedule - sad, but true). This time, because we have made such an effort (if we get them in) they will be expected to take all the classes. Does that make us good parents?

Post Script - 7:41am - BigGuy waited in line until 7am at which time they began taking registrations. There were 12 people ahead of him (imagine what time they got up). Once at the registration point he was told there was only 1 opening left for the class our kids qualified for - that meant 1 wouldn't get to take lessons. How do you choose? I was on the phone with him, we tried bumping them up a level, but the same situation was there - only 1 opening. The kiddos are now registered for private swim lessons (only $84 for both of them combined and it is the day and time we wanted originally for the class). Since they are registered we will qualify for the pre-registration next go round. Which means getting up at 6am and starting over, only a day earlier and before all the newbies (like us). In the meant time - they will learn how to swim, bump up a level and there will be less competition. Oh the things we do for our kids...................