Looking for swimwear

Despite the cold nights and the rain (with snow!) we've been getting, summer is well on its way. And with that comes swimming. The past few years we haven't done much swimming. We haven't lived near any pools and we would only be able to go once a week anyway so a membership would hardly be worth the cost. But since I'll be driving this summer, I'm hoping to get us to the pool more often, even if I have to drive twenty or thirty minutes to get there. (If anything, the kids will sleep on the way home and I can get a quick snack and eat in peace once in a while. Ha) Either way though, we do plan to at least go to Blue Marsh a few times and I'd like to take the kids to Hershey water park once or twice. That means we'll need swimsuits.

Swimsuits have never been fun. I'm not comfortable with my body so I don't like being exposed in swimsuits. This presents a challenge, because finding a non-exposing swimsuit that doesn't like something from the Elizabethian period is next to impossible. I've tried looking up "modest swimwear" as that was the only thing I could think of that might be closer to what I wanted, but even those are frumpy and mainly ugly. If I wanted to wear that much material in the pool (and it's a lot of material - I wouldn't want to wear that much in general in the summer) I would just wear regular clothes. And then there's the swimdress. This has got to be the dumbest thing ever. I mean really, how do these women not overheat in those things?

The next problem I have is getting swimsuits for the children. I'm just not comfortable having them in swimwear that exposes more of their bodies than their normal clothes would. I need/want anyone learing at my children. Ugh. Until they are old enough to make their own decisions, I would like to protect their innocence as best as possible. But finding swimsuits for them is nearly just as difficult. They make bikinis in 12 month size. I'm sorry but a 12 month old (and just because a child wears 12 month clothing doesn't mean they are 12 months. My son - at 10 months - can wear 12 and 18 month clothing) does not need a bikini.

And so my search for the right swimsuit for all of us continues.

In addition to tolerable swimwear, I need to get swim diapers (since Quinnten can't wear Maeleigh's old one and neither can she) and some toys, like an inner tube for the two of them. I'd love to get them into swim classes but that isn't in the budget. A pool membership may not be either but hopefully we can make that work.

I must say, though, I am pleased to find cute, non exposing suits for both Maeleigh and Quinnten at target.com. And swim diapers!! I'll have to head over to target next weekend and see if they have them there, otherwise I'll order them online. They're only $12.50 a piece so $25 for a suit for each othem (which consists of shorts and shirt) is pretty reasonable. They have two different swim diapers, but the price difference ($3) between the two brands hardly seems problematic. I'll probably get the more expensive one simply bc I know the brand and I trust it. I'll have to see if the company sells it cheaper direct though.

After doing google searches all day, I've come to the conclusion that I'm probably going to buy a rash guard for myself (a shirt designed for swimming, more so for those who practice water sports. It's designed to protect them from getting rashes from their boards.) and then just get cargo swim shorts from the mens department at target. Mainly because it's cheaper. This shirt is only $15 but shorts to go with it cost twice as much - as a start. The swimming trunks are between $15 and $20 so I don't see that as much of a problem. We can deal with that. I'll do some shopping around (boscovs, sears, old navy - they all tend to have deals once in a while) but I'm not spending more than that.

So it's looking like I'll be spending less $100 for swim wear for us, which is awesome. I'm not sure if Dan will want a shirt, but the ones for men are the same price as the ones for women at the place where I found the one I like. So less than $50 for suits and diapers for the kiddos, $30 for suit for me, $15 for Dan (or $30 if he wants trunks. I'm not sure if his old ones fit anymore or if just would like a new pair. They are old). I think I can live with that.

Hopefully we can order them, soon, because I really want to go swimming as soon as possible. I asked Dan to be treated to breastfast at home and to go out to lunch while having a day of swimming - and visiting Chocolate World - for Mothers' Day. Sooo excited.