The Olympics Are Killing Me!

Why would the mother of an active five year old NOT go to bed when she has the chance? Bed time for kiddo has been getting later and later, which means my time to chill and breathe deeply and do nothing has gotten even later. When she finally crashes - sometimes after 10:30 - I'm a heaping mess of tired. And I still have the fall out from supper dishes, laundry and dust bunnies to contend with. Enough of that! The pride and reputation of my country is at stake.

You would think I would kiss it all good night and nestle gratefully into the arms of Morpheus, but no! Michael Phelps could win another gold and I would miss it. The emaciated Chinese "women" gymnastics team (12 years old at the most) might make more obvious mistakes and not get points deducted for it. I think the judges must be feeling some sort of guilt. They know if the Chinese girls don't get great scores that those poor little souls will not receive their bread and water for supper. Or...or .. or the US men's volley ball team could be, you know, volleying! Not only am I amazed at the physical skill, organization and teamwork, I'm just amazed that grown men (or women) have honed their volley ball playing skills to such a degree that thay are competing for an Olympic medal.

Isn't this what we used to do at church camp or a picnic and then limp for the next week because we "used muscles we didn't know we had"? All these people are SERIOUS about volleyball, beach volleyball, and badminton -to name a few. They have taken what most families do on vacation and made it their life! Don't misunderstand me. I have nothing but admiration and respect for them. Who knows, maybe I'll pick up some tips to use at next summer's reunion. I'll ask Uncle Dave to play an innocent game of badminten and because I'm such a dedicated Olympic fan he'll have to have that shuttlecock surgically removed! Every gold medal winner started with a dream, didn't they? I digress.

So instead of resting as I should, I watch, and watch, and watch as if my staying awake is the key to the US Olympic Teams success or failure. What patriotic pressure this is for an overweight, out of shape tired mother! But I do my duty to God and country.

And I must mention the physical toll. The calf muscles I've strained helping Shawn Johnson stick the landing off the vault - the arches of my feet cramping up helping Nastia keep her balance on the beam - the shoulder stiffness from reaching, reaching reaching for the poolside as I assisted Michael Phelps break several world records. It's a cross I'm willing to bear. You know, there is no "I" in team!

Well, soon the games will be over. I will reunite with my daughter and my husband. Kindergarten will start and bedtime/wake-up time will be EARLY for all of us. The kitchen will be cleaner again. And Morpheus will be my BFF! In the meantime - GO USA!