Happy Monday! Wasn’t the later sunset so lovely last night?? I’m here with Holly sharing some fun from our weekend. I hope you’ll link up with us for Hello Monday!

I spent the weekend at a swim meet again. The boys swam in Junior Champs and had a great meet. Jeff took Jack on Friday evening. I took Luke Saturday morning. Jack caught a ride on Saturday afternoon and Luke and I stayed to cheer for him. Luke had to be back at the pool at 7:30 on Sunday morning. The pool is about an hour and twenty minutes away so we usually drive back and forth. With the time change, I decided that we were going to get a hotel room this weekend. The team had a pizza party on Saturday night in the lobby of a hotel. The kids had a blast and it was nice to talk with the parents.

On Sunday morning, Jack slept in a bit at the hotel while Luke and I headed over to the pool. Jeff met us at the pool to watch Luke swim a few events and then took Luke to play his futsal game. I stayed and cheered Jack on while he swam a few more events. Our team has three seniors that Jack has gotten to know and I’ve gotten to know the parents over the past few years. This was their last short course meet and it was great to watch them swim so well.

I think this will be the last meet the boys swim in different sessions. Most meets separate sessions into 12 and under and 13 and over. Luke turns 13 next month, so they’ll probably swim together. I’m not sure what we’ll do with all of our free time!!

The Share Our Lives ladies are sharing five things you can’t live without. I decided to do a Swim Mom version of the month’s prompt. Here are the five things I can’t live without as a swim mom.

Phone/Phone Charger:: Most swim meets are run on an app called Meet Mobile. That’s how you know when your kids are swimming, what heat and lane they swim in, and what their times/splits are, and the same info for all their friends and teammates. I look at Meet Mobile a hundred times a day at a swim meet. I also use it to see when my kids last swam something and how their times have improved over time. With all that action, it is not easy on the phone battery. I use this phone charger and I love it. It is a little heavy, but it can charge my phone and the boys’ phones if they need it.

Cold Drinks – Swigs/Cooler:: Swim meet stands are HOT!! I always bring a cooler with snacks and cold drinks. My Swig tumblers keep my ice icy and my drinks cold all day long, even in that hot meet. I love this cooler because there is plenty of room for waters, Diet Pepsi, fruit or veggies, snacks and lunch, ice packs, and a little candy.

Seats:: This year I added a seat to my swim meet must haves. At 43, I need something to lean against if I am in the stands for 9 hours. I wanted something lightweight and slim. The Dick’s Sporting Goods seat fits the bill. It clips to the bench and stays put while I am getting up and down to cheer for the boys. It is also great for saving my seat when I go for a walk.

Sneakers:: Even though it is HOT, I always wear my sneakers so I can go for a walk in between swims. We usually have at least an hour break between events at some point in the day. I always use that time to go for a walk outside. The pool where the boys swam this weekend has a great path that wraps around a recreation complex. It’s wonderful!

Kindle:: I would be a mess without my Kindle at a swim meet. There is so much down time in between swims and I can do a lot of reading. I talk with the other parents a bit, but sometimes it’s nice to zone out and read my book. My Kindle is so small and lightweight that I toss it in my purse and can read as much as I want. I also don’t have to worry about losing my place when I jump up to cheer or let someone through in the stands. It is nice when we’re all sharing a hotel room and the boys need to go to sleep, but I am not quite ready to sleep. Kindle reading with the lights out is perfect.

What are 5 things you can’t live without? What were you up to this weekend? What do you have to look forward to this week? Last week was pretty busy around here and I didn’t get around to sharing my March goals or my Friday Favorites. This week looks pretty packed, but hopefully I can share them with you this week. Don’t forget to link up below if you blogged today. Have a great day full of sunshine and books!