family,  family activities

Making time for family time

The Husband had been talking about going swimming with Xan for weeks, no, MONTHS! Somehow, plans always get shelved due to the weather lah, one of them fall sick lah, me predicting it would rain when it was blazing hot outside lah, the list of excuses goes on mile long. One night, the topic came up again and miraculously, we decided unanimously, we WILL go swimming the next morning. Yay! Boy, was Xan excited!

Xan looking excited
Don’t worry Daddy, you are very well hidden.

I like to hang out at the public pools. You get to see all kinds. Big men in small scary Speedos, small men in big scary swim shorts, very conservative ladies, not so conservative women (these are fortunately rare), chubby babies floating around in expensive Temptation Island-like floats, skinny boys terrorizing ladies with their water guns and maids sitting on the side next to a mountain of bags belonging to their employers. My favourite are the Peacocks. Sometimes I wonder if there’s something wrong with the mirrors in their houses or they have really sick friends & family who told them they looked really good. It’s a classic case of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

We don’t get to do healthy activities very often because I finish work late and I sleep very late. Weekend activities depend largely on mummy’s energy level that day. By the time weekend comes around, I just want to a) get the laundry done while the sun is still out, b) slump over the couch and not move, c) let Xan catch up on some sleep or d) all 3 of us catch up on some sleep together. Tough call.

I know it is important that we create great memories together as a family. Do fun stuff! Go fun places! 20 years down the road, he’s not going to turn to me and say Mummy, I love you for keeping our clothes clean and fresh all the time. I know I know! I’m a really messy person and the only thing that I can control is laundry. No, I don’t have OCD! I just don’t like laundry to pile up. Can’t help imagining the smell of the dirty clothes becoming permanent and making the rest of the pile smell equally vile.

I will try not to sweat the small stuff and focus more on my family lah. Just give me time ok?

4 Comments

  • Evelyn Tan-Rogers

    LOL! Your pool observations really cracked me up! I haven’t gone swimming in ages. I’m still stuck in the era of one-piece swimsuits, but then again they make me feel like a 12 year old. As for bikinis, my post-baby body is not ready for them yet–I know this even without a full-length mirror in my home!

  • Regina

    HAHAHAAAA!!! I kenot tahan the Speedo-ed men! Worse still… chances are they will strut around without a care in the world. Ayoh… I’m always embarrassed when I see them – and I won’t know where to look!

    Even Superman wore tights underneath his red Speedos. Pasty skin, flabby bod and short legs and the tiniest bit of lycra. Cringe worthy.

  • Susan

    For me even though there are tons of housework to do, I try to remember to cut myself some slack. Because like you said, what will our kids remember us for? Not for folding the laundry, cleaning the house, but the growing up memories, the fun times as a family. So take one weekend to clean up and one weekend to go out and have fun with Xan 🙂

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