Before lunchtime, my daughter and her friend were outside playing in the backyard. She came rushing in, breathless, demanding her swimsuit. I refused her at first, then finally gave in, figuring the natural consequences would convince her that it was too cold for swimsuits outside.
She changed into her swimsuit and went back outside where she filled up the sandbox lid with water and attempted to swim. A bit later, I went outside to check on them and found her friend complaining of cold hands while my daughter stood shivering with visible goosebumps covering her pale body.
She said, “I’m trying to swim, but it’s too cold!” Yeah, that’s what happens when it’s forty degrees outside. Next time, listen to your mother!
* * *
Tuesday night turns out to be the perfect time to shop at Costco. One day I will be a regular housewife who can run errands during the day. In the meantime, I’m some sort of errand-vampire, able to leave the house only under cover of darkness lest I shrivel and die in the light of the sun.
Tomorrow is a half-day of school, which means I just might be able to answer the one hundred and eighty-three emails in my box before my afternoon baby arrives to monopolize my arms. (I remember now that it’s virtually impossible to type while holding a wobbly 4-month old.) If you are waiting to hear from me, do not despair. One day, I’ll catch up.
Actual Unretouched Photo 
You are the BEST mother on the entire planet! When I was a kid, I loved to swim & my mom would never let me swim in the winter time. What a blast that would have been…
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I am a fellow errand-vampire. Totally.
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I’m smiling at your Costco paragraph because over the past 2 weeks (since I put in my resignation) I’ve been day-dreaming about … and I’m serious here, so don’t laugh… about shopping at Super Walmart and Costco on a Tuesday morning at 10:00!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously. When I was a SAHM I grocery shopped at 10:00 on Tuesdays. For the past 2 1/2 years I can’t even IMAGINE what a store looks like at 10:00 on a Tuesday. But… I can tell you what my OFFICE looks like at 10:00 on a Tuesday.
🙂
Even though we are going to be so poor I can’t afford food soon, I’ll be sure to let you know what Costco looks like at 10:00 am on a Tuesday as soon as my last day gets here. I won’t have any money to spend since we’ll be broke, but uh, I’ll window shop and take photos for ya! 🙂
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Yeah, I know about the “errand vampire” thing. I actually took yesterday off, and sent my daughter to the babysitter anyway, so that I could get some things done. Do you know how empty some stores are on Tuesday afternoons?
Probably about as empty as Tuesday nights.
It made me wish I was an actual housewife, and wonder how much I could get accomplished if I were able to stay at home full time.
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I love that you could let her try winter swimming! My little one wants to (we’ve seen the “polar bear” clubs on the news often lately) try it, but not only is it only 19 degrees here in Michigan, the Child Protective Services type people would most likely rip her out of my grasp (because they have no one else to worry about)– at least that’s what I imagine would happen.
I used to do most of my grocery shopping and such after 10 pm (many moons ago) and it was wonderful as the stores were usually quite empty and rarely ever a line of more than 1 person! Now…I feel like I spend, rather, waste much time at the stores. Tuesday afternoons are just as busy as most other days here, though noon and 5-6 pm are definite times to avoid.
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Errand running in the middle of the morning is no better than doing it in the evening, other than you are more likely to meet someone in PJ’s and slippers!
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