Locking Up Another Good Family Time at the Y

It was a small thing that is making a big difference. I speak of buying a second padlock, so that when we all go to the Y, the Huang boys can use the men's locker room and the Huang girls can use the women's locker room. The family changing room is a bit of a bottleneck and a bit of a mess, so this approach is much preferred, and has the added benefit of giving each of us quality time with one of our children.

So yesterday, we headed to the Y, arriving just as Aaron's soccer practice was about to start. Amy took Aaron to the gym and then lingered them for a bit to watch him and take pictures, before locking up her stuff in the women's locker room and heading to the fitness room. Meanwhile, I took Jada to the kid room and then made a beeline for the men's locker room and then the fitness room.

I got through a quick upper body and ab workout, while Amy arrived and hit the treadmill. Then I changed into my swim trunks, watched the last bit of Aaron's soccer practice, shot some video, took him to the kid room, brought Jada to the gym, kicked the soccer ball with her for a little bit, and then watched her practice start before heading to the pool for laps.

After I was done in the pool, I went back to the locker room to shower and change, and then headed back to the gym to catch the end of Jada's practice. Not long after I arrived, so did Amy, after she had finished her workout in the fitness room. She took Jada into the women's locker room and they put their swimming suits on, while I grabbed Aaron from the kid room and put his swimming suit on.

The three of them splashed around in the pool for about a half-hour while I read a magazine. Then we split off again into our respective locker rooms, bathed the kids, and got them back into their clothes. Having worked up an appetite, we walked down the street for lunch at McDonald's, and then headed home.

Once we got home, I took the kids immediately down the block from our house to play with Jada's school friend and her little brother. Later that afternoon, their mom brought the four kids to our house for a change of venue. Wherever the kids were, they were having a blast, and not requiring much in the way of supervision, so Amy and I were able to get through a number of lingering house chores, like vacuuming and putting away stuff in the kitchen and sweeping the alleys and raking up the leaves.

Not a bad day for the Huang family. And to think that something as small as buying a second lock made such a big difference.