In the Netherlands , swimming is a big deal and kids start diploma swimming usually when they are 4. Of course , before this they do baby swimming and toddler swimming. Most kids do this. The basic diplomas are A, B, C. After that there are more diplomas you can go for , if you want to continue with swimming. These basic diplomas are required if you want to swim on your own without parental supervision (parents in the pool with you), or some sort of arm bands. Especially when recreational swimming, vacation parks having tropical swimming pools, and birthday swimming parties, having a basic A and B is a must.
With Elijah , we went quite fast with this process and he is one of the best students in his class. Diploma A went by perfectly. And then the drama began for his Diploma B lessons. Something happened to make him afraid, unwilling to enter the pool. I think he didn't make it through the hole for one of the lessons and this sabotaged his confidence. Now this "hole" is a huge thing for kids. Its a rubber sheet with a hole in the middle placed at the bottom of the pool. And kids need to jump, swim underwater , and go through the hole. With each diploma the distance from the jump to the hole increases. We made it somehow to gain the confidence and get Diploma B.
Diploma C lessons went well. After a lot of asking and prodding he finally said even though he does the swimming perfectly and well, he doesn't like it. How is that possible?
And then finally the saga ends , the Saturday before the Christmas holidays began , we , actually him got his final C diploma. He definitely didn't want to pursue anymore. But he was ecstatic and proud!!!!
Now it will be a few years , until I will return to that hot, sultry swimming pool and sit for lessons.
Since we started our holiday break just one day before Christmas Eve, everything was busy and rushed. Even though I was late for getting the turkey, we managed with duck. Since I already bought duck for Christmas Eve, which we celebrated just the 5 of us, we weren't complaining about more duck for Christmas dinner. We usually have dinner together with another family. But she was sick with the flu and we decided to take all the food to their place. Just as we were getting things in crates and getting all my good dishes, something crashed! Yes , a crate full of Brussel sprouts Jamie Oliver style, two cake trays(thankfully with out any cake in it yet), some non alcoholic beverages for the under 18 , came crashing down, exactly in between the kitchen and the dining area. It was a sight to see. Brussel sprouts , mixed in Crodini drink, and glass , everywhere. The boys tried to keep their smile tucked away, since now they didn't have to eat the sprouts. And yet look concerned and truly upset. Yeah right!
End of the year we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary, and we attempted to go for the movie "Sing" with our friends. It was too full and we didn't get tickets. So we came back home rented a movie from iTunes , The secret life of pets and had pizza and fries. 
