Category Archives: swimming

Water Slide Persepctive

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The other day I took my kids to a local swim center. This facility is awesome since it has an outside section with a lazy river, two areas which have small water slides, water guns, buckets, a pool, and an inside section as well.

This year the pool added big water slides – you  know the kind – where you have to be 48 inches tall to slide down. They looked really awesome and my boys had a great time going down them for hours.

I, meanwhile, hung with my six year old who will, unfortunately, probably be 17 before she hits the 48 inches mark. Thankfully, she didn’t mind since she was having a wonderful time on the smaller water slides and the lazy river.

At one point my 10 year old came over to me and said, “Mom you should go on the water slides. They are so much fun.”

“Yes, they do look fun but I don’t think I can go down today.”

Here was what I was thinking when I said no to the slides:

  • 1. I have a strapless suit on and I really don’t want my top to slide down.
  • 2. Caroline is not tall enough to go down the slide so I don’t want to leave her.

Let me tell you what wasn’t my concern but what my 10 year old must have thought as to why I turned down this water slide opportunity.

“Mom, you can go. I looked and the weight limit says 300 pounds so you should be able to go.”

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“Well thank you for checking on that son but my answer is still no today.”

I mean, really.

What Happened to Your…?

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You know the rule about never asking a woman if she’s pregnant?

Even if she’s so round in the belly she looks as if she’s having triplets?

You. Just. Don’t. Say. Anything.

Well, I was asked something along those lines today.

After I swam for an hour with my team, I was drying off with a towel and just throwing a dress on over my suit to go home in. I put my shoes on and turned around to grab my bag all the while talking to another swimmer who was also drying off.

When I turned to grab my bag he yelled out, “Oh my God! What happened to your calf?”

I looked up to see him looking at my calf wide eyed and with his mouth gaping open.

I glanced down and saw all of my varicose and spider veins swirling around my right calf. Looking back at him I said, “Having kids, that’s what happened to my calf.”

Well, he was pretty mortified.

As he should be.

“I’m so sorry, I just didn’t know. It looks like you had a big accident.”

“It’s fine.”

I walked away. I got my kids from the waiting area where they had patiently eaten lunch and read books for the hour that I swam and we drove home.

Only to tell you the truth, before I got home I did shed some tears. Not big sloppy boohoo tears but those silent behind the sunglasses kind.

Yes, I look at my calf and think what a nightmare but there’s always that little part of you that thinks maybe people will not really notice as much as you think they do.

And then they notice and it just feels bad.

I sulked a little but I’ve figured out what I’m going to say the next time this happens.

“Oh my God! What happened to your calf?”

“Oh this, yeah it’s bad. But what happened to your head? It’s so shiny! Although on the positive side I guess you save a lot of time in the morning getting ready.” 

Jar of Teenage Love

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I think everything a teenager says should be bottled up and then given back to them in 30 years.

Just open up that jar of love and say, “Enjoy!”

Am I talking about my own kids?

Nope. Not yet.

I’ve still got 2 weeks to go before I officially have a teenager.

Nope. I’m talking about the lovely young receptionist at the swim lesson place my daughter goes.

The other day was a lazy morning for my daughter and I since we didn’t have to be anywhere bright and early. Granted, I had eaten, was showered and dressed in jeans a t-shirt by 8:30 but it was still all done at a leisure pace.

We showed up at the swim lesson shop about 8:56 for her 9 AM lesson. I took her clothes from her, grabbed her progress card, and gave Caroline her goggles.

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After she was called into her class I walked over to the receptionist to schedule a make up class.

The young girl at the front desk told me there were two times available next week for a make up – a 9 AM lesson and a 10 AM lesson.

I hummed and hawed for a minute to myself, thinking about what I already had scheduled for that day.

I eventually said, “I’ll take the 10:00.”

To which she said, “Yay, that’s what I was thinking. You look like it was pretty rough for you to get here for 9.”

Just ponder that for a moment.

I looked at her and thought, “Did you really just say that to me?”

Oh yes she did.

I just walked away. It wasn’t worth it to get into it with her. After all, with those amazing people skills I’m not sure she’s going to be sitting at that receptionist desk too long. Just wait for some sleep deprived mom who’s hanging on by a string to come in their and get greeted with that.

Now if I could only figure out her last name, track her down in thirty years after she’s had a couple of kids, and open up that jar of love for her. Wouldn’t that be the best?

Discipline

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This morning at swim practice my coach said to my teammates and I,  “I don’t see a lot of discipline in this pool right now. People are having lazy turns, some lazy stroke work, and it’s not that pretty.”

Now let me clear something up for you in case you are wondering.

I did not have an arranged marriage at 8, children by 10, and now have the luxury to train for the Olympics at twenty.

I am 39 years old and I swim so I can fit into my jeans.

I’m pretty sure the average age of the twenty of us at practice is about 50.

Maybe even 55.

And it is 6:30 in the morning.

And we are jumping into cold water.

And it is 26 degrees outside.

I see plenty of freaking discipline.

We are at swim practice and we are old.

That’s discipline, my friend.

–

*Okay, so the cold weather was a rarity this morning but I’m still using it.

Jake

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Man o man.

This thing called life just knocks the wind out of you sometimes.

The first thing out of my middle schoolers mouth when I picked him up from school yesterday was, “Kids told me Mrs. Matheus’ son died. She got a call during 6th period that he died. He’s in the Air Force. We watched her walk out to her car and leave.”

First off. How Awful.

Nothing is worse than your child dying.

Second off. She had to find out that horrible news in front of a bunch of 11 and 12 year olds.

Fast forward two hours, back at our house, with me at the computer checking to see if soccer practice was still on.

I open an email from my boys’ swim coach.

It informs me that one of the summer swim coaches has died.

He was 21.

It was self-inflicted.

First off. Again. How awful.

Just being a parent makes my heart break with this news.

I only knew this kid from afar.

He was always smiling and laughing with the kids and the other coaches.

For three years my kids knew him and loved him.

Second off. How dare you? Why would you do such a thing?

I’m not really mad at him. I’m disappointed and sad for my kids.

And heartbroken for his family and friends.

I know I will never know what led him to that decision and I’m not sure I need to know.

But I do know that I will continue to tell my kids everyday that I will always love them, forever and ever, no matter what.

I chose not to share with my kids the manner in which Coach Jake died. That’s too much information for even an adult to comprehend, never mind an 8 year old. He died. His family is sad. We are sad.

The next day I again picked my son up from middle school and asked him if he had a substitute in Mrs. Matheus’ class.

“No. It was actually her dog that died not her son.”

We had a bit of a laugh, learned never to completely trust the word of middle schoolers sharing information in the hallways, and went on with our day.

And I may have told him thirty times that day, ” I will always love you, forever and ever, no matter what.”

*I never use real names in my blog except those of my children.

Just in case

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Just in case you were thinking about going to swim for an hour shortly after eating an apple and 2 homemade pumpkin poptarts...

Don’t.

That is unless you like swimming with the feeling that there is an alien about to burst through your stomach.

Of course, that feeling didn’t deter me from eating 2 more pumpkin poptarts when I got home shortly after.

But hey that’s me.

Complete self control.

After all, I didn’t have another apple.

6 Kids at the Pool

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So the other day I took 6 kids to the pool by myself.

I know, breath a moment, and take that in.

Now this wasn’t any ordinary pool either.

It was a 50 meter pool, with a separate shallow end, and a separate kids pool.

A bit stressful keeping tabs on everyone as they swam with their buddy.

3 were mine, 3 were friends

11 yr old, 11 yr old, 8 yr old, 7 yr old, 5 yr old, and a 4 yr old.

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Putting sunscreen on 6 children – awful and long

Seeing friends go down the water slide with huge smiles – delightful

Having the lifeguard tell my daughter to stop climbing up the water slide – not surprising

Having my 4 year old go off the diving board – exciting

Treading water while holding the 4 year old and 5 year old in the deep end – hard

Watching boys race each other in the water – amusing

Losing two pair of NEW goggles – frustrating

Everyone getting out of the pool when I asked – miracle

Arrive home & eating a piece of cake before dinner while hiding in pantry – well deserved.

Swimming Girl

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In May, when the water was cold, & I didn’t really want to get in the pool, I swam on 15 different days.

Why?

Let me show you why.

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“Mommy, can we go to the pool?”

Gets me almost every time.

The kids are finished school today as of 3 pm so I’m pretty sure my 15 days of swimming in a month will be doubled this month.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Dallas Color Run 2013

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My friend Melissa, my 10 year old, and I ran the Color Run this past Saturday in Dallas.

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It was tons of fun and would have been even more fun if I had properly trained for the 5K.

I know many of you can run a 5K no problem but let’s remember I’m a swimmer. I’m really not good at exercising on land.

Our team name was The Footloose and Fancy 4 but ended up being The Footloose and Fancy 3 when my sister couldn’t participate at the last minute.

Here’s the before:

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The after:

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During the run there are several chutes to run through. Volunteers line up at the chute and throw colored powder at the runners. The colored powder is dyed cornstarch. Here we are giving you the idea with our powder packets.

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Alex was generous enough to stay with us the first half mile. I could tell he was itching to go faster so I sent him on praying that he would be at the finish line like we had arranged. Alex had a great time and was a tad disappointment that there wasn’t a clock at the end.

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Melissa was kind enough to stay with me as I took walking breaks through the run. I’m pretty sure she was itching to go ahead too 🙂

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There were plenty of jogging strollers, lots of kooky socks on display, countless tutus worn, an Elvis runner,  and even a runner in a wedding dress.

Color Run of Dallas = 2 Thumbs Up!

Next Dallas run is November 16th.

Click here to check when the Color Run is coming to a city near you.

 

Thanks to Ryan for taking the pictures!