I live with overachievers

We have been spending mucho timo at the beach lately as the kids are doing Surf Life Saving (Nippers) this summer. Everyone in the family is thrilled with this activity except the camera ... it doesn't like sand apparently and is on the blink so no photos ( I know boring).

But still I have to mention a few things that happened last weekend.

Friday Night we attended the college awards night for Bears school. Bear received a Silver award for academic excellence in his first year of high school. We obviously couldn't be prouder and given that he and David are attending the Rugby Union Presentation night tomorrow night and Bear is receiving a trophy for doing well in his first year of Rugby with his school... The whooshing sound you hear is the sigh of relief from David and I that Grade 8 has been good for Bear.

We gave Bear an itunes voucher with a card telling him how we know it is sometimes hard to be 13 and surrounded by everyone elses expectations of you and that we hope we are showing him how to achieve all the great stuff that awaits him. A little while ago he told David that he feels like we liked him better as a baby than a teenager... and it was a great reminder to us that there is light and shade in all the ages and stages of our kids. (For the record he was a brilliant baby and we may have told him he was our whole world for a while ... oops).

Saturday morning Bear scored 50 runs at cricket. Even better I was there to see it (I don't go to all my child's games ... do you know how long a game of cricket takes? and sometimes it goes over TWO weekends).

Sunday morning we went to Nippers. Both the children had to complete a fitness test called a run-swim-run where funnily enough they had to run and then swim and then run some more.

(not my kids but you get the idea)

The distances are not insignificant and the swim leg of the test sees them swimming to a can (buoy) anchored about 100m off the shore going around it and returning back to shore.

The kids were fairly casual about the fitness test (we have been doing some swimming practise at the local pool) but I could tell Bear was nervous as he had a much longer swim and run. Lulu didn't understand what was before her so she was busy adjusting her cap and making sure her bathers look cute.

So they and a few other children completed the test. The waves to get out to the cans were quite large and I could see Lulu being pushed back several times ( wow do you know how exhausting that is when you make no ground and the waves keep pushing you back). Eventually she got through the inshore waves and had to start swimming to the cans. She didn't give up (she did have a bit of a "rest" on the can when she got there until another kid more desperate for a rest pushed her off. She got back to the beach very soggy and a bit freaked by the waves pushing her back into the beach. Poor Bugger than had to start her last run leg! She made it and is now competent to do all Nipper activities.

(again not my pic )

Bear's best mate S is also a Nipper and he offered to do the test with Bear so Bear would know where to go and what pace to keep. S is a very special kid... not to mention super super fit. He coached Bear all the way and although I could see Bear was really struggling as he got out the water he still completed the last run leg and is now competent.

The whole time the Nippers are in the water the Surf Safety people are with them but I still had to walk away when the kids were out at the cans. I was scared for them.

Needless to say Lulu was stuffed after that effort and fell asleep on the way home from the beach (at 10.30am!).

Sunday afternoon David all but finished framing the extension of the house! This pleases Bear and I no end as we are David's TA's and the job entails lots of running and fetching and carrying heavy "stuff". No doubt the next part of the reno will involve equally exciting jobs for Bear and I.

I felt like I needed a nap when I rocked up to work on Monday ... imagine how tired I would have been if I had actually achieved something over the weekend ;-)