ahhh mercury, sweetest of the transition metals

In Colorado, not too many homes have personal pools. Instead they have community pools/clubhouse for each subdivision. Our community pool is great--very family friendly (zero entry for the wee chicks and a water slide that even Bryn loves). There are about 750 homes that belong to this community, and there are loads of kids on all the streets. It is the beginning of August and school starts in a few weeks. In Utah, this would mean the pool is jammed with moms and kids from sun up to sun down.

The girls beg every day to go to the pool. Most days, I take them. Here's the rub, our pool has never had more than 15 kids/people while we've been there. And that includes us! Me and the ladies make up a third of the pool population. I don't get it. Where are all the kids? Is swimming no longer cool?

Here's my theory, and I think it's a good one: working moms. All the kids are stuck in daycare. There are rarely any kids under 6 at the pool. Usually me and one other mom/dad. The other kids, that are at the pool, are old enough to stay home by themselves; thus they can go to the pool.

This theory makes me sad...sad for all the children stuck in daycare instead of swirling down the slide or diving under the waterfall.

It also makes me feel incredibly grateful to Aaron for working hard, so that I don't need to put our chicklets in daycare. I am very grateful to spend every crazy day with the girls.

I feel for working moms. I know that some of them don't want to be there. But unfortunately, their situation requires it...Carolyn always comes to mind. And now that she and Johnny are divorced, she really has no other option. Or sweet amazing Cindy, who lost her husband, and had to pick up the pieces.

poolside sidebar: I am finally tan enough that I like my freckles. I hate my freckles most of the year, except for now when they blend into my tan but pop just a little to make me look freshly sun kissed.