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My 3 year-old son at his first ever soccer practice!

Now that the weather is warming {finally!}, my family and I are looking forward to spending lots of time outdoors.  With 4 kids and 3 of them in sports - soccer & baseball - we find ourselves so busy being outside during the spring and summer months.  And although we DO love it, even I have to admit on occassion that it can be a jungle out there!  And, as a mom, I always feel the need to be prepared for just about anything that can happen while we're on-the-go enjoying the activities of the great outdoors.

2012 Team USA Olympic Swimming + SwimToday.org

In just a few short days - beginning on June 25, 2012 - the USA Olympic Swim Team will begin broadcasting their Olympic swim team trials nationwide on NBC.  The trials will run through July 2, 2012.  Growing up a Texas gal, swimming has always been a huge hit with me.  I have many fond memories of being a young girl and spending hours upon hours of my summer days while hanging at the pool with my friends.  We'd always watch the Summer Olympics on TV and when the swim competitions were on, my Dad and I enjoyed tuning in.  There's just something exciting and beautiful about watching the human body move methodically and almost effortlessly like that through water.  It's just breathtaking to me!

And, as it turns out, I am not alone.  Did you know that fans rank swimming as their favorite summer Olympic sport?  I think as fans there is just something engaging about watching that sport because all of us realize how much those athletes have done to prepare and how much work has gone into realizing their dreams of Olympic greatness!  Gives me goosebumps!!

Speaking of work, check out this amazing time-lapse video of the Olympic Time Trials pool being built.  It's incredible!

 

Last week I was honored {and excited} to have had the opportunity to participate in a special Q&A session with the ladies from USA Swimming and two former Olympic Swimming Medalists to learn all about a fantastic online resource for moms, SwimToday.org.  It provides moms with a one-stop shop to get all the information we need to make entering the sport of swimming as easy as possible. The site is packed with tons of local resources including how to find a place to swim in your area, how to self-assess your ability, and facts and tips that help you understand the benefits of swimming and fitness.  I live in the Kansas City metro area and was in awe at the number of resources I found just in my local area!  My two older kids are actually really strong swimmers and would like enjoy being part of a swim team but I didn't realize there were so many options!  Upon visiting the SwimToday.org website, I have identified at least two nearby teams that my kids are able to join.  I am very excited to get more info from those resources to see where it might lead for them!  The site truly has so much information for kids at any and every level of instruction:

I truly believe that swimming is a fundamental skill that ALL children should be taught to embrace. Not just because I know it to be such great exercise, but because of how important it is for them with regard to water safety.  One of the facts I learned while on the call last week was that drowning is the 2nd-leading cause of accidental death for kids ages 1-14.  This fact is downright scary.  But you know what?  Swimming lessons can reduce that risk of drowning by 80%!  Now THAT is truly something to get excited about! 

There were also several other bits of info I found interesting and hope you will too:

Q: At what age should I start teaching my child to swim?

A: Most places that offer swim lessons begin when the child is six months old, but there are places that do “Mommy and Me” classes as an introduction to water at an even younger age.


Q: What is the right age for kids to start learning swim strokes?  Should young kids focus on strokes or fundamentals?

A: It depends on what you are comfortable teaching them.  Focus on the fundamentals first, but if they know the fundamentals, you can move on and teach the strokes whenever they seem ready.  The goal is for kids to have fun and be safe and comfortable around the water.


Q: How can I give my child the confidence to swim without arm floaties?

A: USA Swimming advocates against flotation devices, because they can give kids a false sense of security.  Try to avoid any kind of flotation aid, and get your child in swimming lessons.  There is no substitute for professional swimming instruction, and instructors are trained to help kids with their fear of the water and help them acclimate to the water at their own pace. 


Q: What are the expenses for swimming lessons and team swimming?

A: It varies by location and club, but a full session of swim lessons (approximately 8 lessons) generally costs about $50. USA Swimming partners with about 525 participating clubs nationwide on their Make a Splash charitable effort, which provides every child in America with the opportunity to learn to swim.  Swim clubs on SwimToday.org with a water drop next to their name provide a designated number of swimming lessons for free or at a discounted cost.  The distribution of free or discounted lessons is club-dependent, and you can ask your local club about it directly.  If expense is a concern, visit SwimToday.org and enter your ZIP code to find out if a swim club in your area is a Make a Splash partner.  More about Make a Splash can be found here.


Q: For kids interested in competitive swimming, what type of time commitment should they expect?

A: Summer league teams require a minimal time commitment, take place during just the summer months and are a great way to get kids started in swimming.  Summer leagues are often offered through local YMCAs.  The actual club teams usually have two-hour practices each day, which are similar to the time commitment involved in other sports like basketball or soccer.  The club finder tool on SwimToday.org will help you locate clubs with competitive swimming programs that fit your family’s needs.


Q: What are the health benefits of swimming?

A: Swimming is one of the best all-around exercises out there for toning your body.  It is better for your knees than running, and it’s very good for your cardiovascular health.  In addition, being active generally sets a good example for kids. 


Q: What is your advice to moms of young athletes in general?

A: The most important thing is to allow kids to make their own decisions regarding their sport, and to make sure they enjoy it.  Encourage them to try new sports and identify what they love to do, rather than starting them in just one sport from a young age.  If they want to take a break from their competitive sport and the intense training, allow them to do so.  Burnout is very real.


Q: How can we support the swimmers involved in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 25 – July 2?

A: Tweet using the #SwimToday hashtag, follow @USA_Swimming on Twitter (where you can also find Twitter IDs for U.S. swimmers competing in the Trials), encourage your friends and family to watch the trials and cheer the athletes on, and host Olympic watch parties using Splash Bash resources from USA Swimming:

I hope you're as pumped as I am about the Olympic swimming trials beginning this weekend.  I am so excited that I'll be hosting a Splash Bash watch party in my home for my kids and their friends!  If you are excited and want to do the same, you can download some fun party essentials here from the Splash Bash page!

GO TEAM USA!!

{Disclosure: This post was part of a partnership with The Motherhood and USA Swimming, however all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

Ways to keep your kids reading this summer.

Summer solstice happens this week and this always makes me feel like it's just downhill from here on out.  A new school year will soon be upon us and I'll be back to the daily grind of fixing lunches and signing field trip forms.  But, when school time does roll around, one of the things I will feel most proud about is the fact that my kids stayed interested in reading pretty much all summer long.  They both love delving into a new book, but we also like to keep things fun and different around here.  You could consider doing one {or more} of the following ideas to help keep your little guys and girls interested in reading all summer long!

• Participate in Summer Reading programs.  I can't stress enough how fun this is for all who are involved!  And, coupled with the fact that it's pretty dang effortless, makes it a must-do in our casa!  I live in the Kansas City metro area and recently posted a few of the programs of interest, but many of them are also happening outside of my area.  Check with your libraries first, then bookstores and the like.  In a nutshell, these summer reading programs allow your kids to earn free books or credit towards books as an incentive for keeping track of what they've read all summer long.  Plus, you can even make it fun and "match" similar prizes, like I do.  Once they reach their personal goals, my kids get little "milestone" prizes like an ice cream cone or a new bookmark -- you get the idea.  It's my way of rewarding them for reaching their goal and sticking with their summer reading program.

 

• While you're picking up your summer reading program registration materials at your local library, pick up a chapter book {or two} and have family reading time together each day.  Designate a specific time that works for your schedule.  For us that means bedtime.  After showers and brushing teeth, either the hubs or I reads anywhere from 1 to a few chapters of our current book.  This is a fantastic way to engage in your children's development and love of reading.  After we're done reading each night, we take a few minutes to talk about things like plot, real-life situations that may remind us of parts in the story, character development, setting, and other story elements.  It is great quality time that I cherish and I hope my kids do too!

 

• Host a book swap party for your kids and their friends.  This is something I recently shared on my #Summer It Up: 61 Great Ideas for Summer Fun post late last month.  Have your child{ren} invite a few friends over and have them bring several books they no longer want.  Assign each person a ticket for each book they bring and organize all the books by category or fiction / non-fiction.  Each person may use their tickets to take home new-to-them books and they've instantly added to their summer reading collection!  Consider serving light refreshments to make the book swap a bit more social and fun!  Kids LOVE parties like this!

 

• Try the Reading Eggs online program for FREE for 2 weeks.  After getting access to a free trial to this program through my kids' school last year, I fell in love with it and what it offers.  I signed up as a member and my kids truly love working on their Reading Eggs almost daily.  It is a fun, education-based teaching method that fosters a love of reading and makes reading a blast!  I love the exclusive parent dashboard you get (yes, even with the free trial!) because it gives you the ability to track your child's progress and see exactly what program activities they have completed online.  There is also a section with free printable activity sheets that you can take on-the-go with you or just use them as needed.  For younger readers, the program focuses on giving you their estimated reading age, sight words, and phonics skills.  It gives you easy to read and understand stats for your child as well as progress they are making.  The kids enjoy this program because it self-adjusts, meaning that based on their answers the lessons stay challenging but fun!  My kids love the games they get to unlock once they've reached certain goals within the Reading Express site and I love that they are having fun while staying engaged with learning!

 

• Invite them to participate in creative journaling or storytelling at home.  My kids are given a new topic each day on which to journal about.  They truly enjoy being able to write freely anything they want that falls under that day's topic.  One of the other ideas I have {and will be implementing next week} is a family creative storytelling journal.  I will take a blank spiral and in it, write a few sentences to get the beginnings of our story going.  Each child will then take a few moments each day to read what was written previously and add their own lines of the story.  We can enjoy reading the story as it develops together and just see where our imagination takes us!

I know many of you have great ideas and traditions that have worked for fostering a love of reading in your kids' lives.  I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions about it, so please feel free to share! 

{The above may include affiliate links.  Click here for my disclosure policies.}

Summer It Up: 61 Great Ideas for Summer Fun

Since I'm doing some traveling later this week to witness the birth of my niece (EEEEEK!), the kids and I will have to make the most of the time we do have together.  It will seem like a shorter-than-usual summer break, but I am excited for all this summer will bring!  So here's to some creative inspiration to help you plan some summer fun for your kids, besides the usual visiting the pool, park, and playdates.  Here we go . . .

1.  Set up a fishing pond outdoors with plastic swimming pool and race Juice Box Boats!

2.  Pillowcase /potato sack races out in the backyard.

3.  Have your kids work on their typing/keyboarding skills.

4.  Give them some fun busy work with "Worksheet Wednesdays".  Get some great printables here.

5.  Have a Read-In -  the kids can get into their comfiest clothes and slippers and bring along a pillow and stuffed animal sit and enjoy reading throughout the day with the kids!  Don't forget an endless supply of snack foods & drinks!

6.  Set aside a day for puppet shows & paper bag puppet making.  Buy a stash of 50 brown paper bags for under $2 at Target and then set out stickers, construction paper, markers, and more for the kids to create their own fun puppets!

7.  Turn up the volume on your boombox, CD player, iPod, or whatever you've got and have a dance par-tay!  (a great way to sneak in some fun exercise!)

8.  Bust out the board games and go to town!

9.  Visit a local garden center and purchase a few inexpensive plants/flowers and plant them together one afternoon.

10.  Go on a nature scavenger hunt and take this fun printable along as your guide!

11.  Make prayer journals. Purchase small notebooks from the dollar section at the craft store and have kids cover them with paper and other embellishments (buttons, ribbon, glitter pens, etc.) to personalize them.  You and your kids will love looking back on these at summer's end to reflect on their summer blessings & prayers!

12.  Have an outdoor track & field day.  You can event print out fun participation certificates!

13.  Break out the water squirters, water balloons, sprinklers, for a water fun day!

14.  "Do-nut" use your hands for this fun game:  Simply tie a line from two trees with string or clothesline wire. Tie a single donut and each child tries to eat the donut without using their hands. First to finish wins!

15.  Bob for apples (or pears or any other fun summer fruit!)

16.  Make a yarn laser hallway like this one by using yarn and duct tape!

17.  Make a family time capsule.

18.  Bake and decorate cookies.

19.  Make tissue paper flowers with tissue paper and pipe cleaners.

20.  Have your kids make their own music videos!  Video them dancing to some of their favorite tunes. Then get ready to hit the playback button because you know they won't want to stop watching themselves on camera.

21.  Make your own pizzas for lunch or dinner.

22. Have ice cream for dinner . . . at least once!  This is a family favorite of ours and my kids go bezerk when they find out I am declaring "ICE CREAM FOR DINNER!"

23. Visit a local park and bring bread to feed the birds.

24. Park & ride your local city bus downtown or to someplace fun -- my kids and I do this every summer!

25. Visit your local library for one of their FREE children's events.  Most of them have their calendars and special events online for easy planning.

26. Have your kids document you (and their day) in photos.

27. Before finding out your kids' teacher, have them write a letter to their teacher for the upcoming school year describing what they're most looking forward to about back to school and their new grade level.

28. Interview your kids about their favorite things and their life right now. Then have them interview you!

29. Host a toy-trade-a-thon - invite your kids' friends over and have them bring 10 toys (large or small) to trade or swap with others! Assign each toy a point value - 5 points for small toys, 10 for medium, and 15 for large. Then have kids trade accordingly.

30. Have a water balloon and water spray bottle fight outside.

31. Gather some friends and schedule a news or radio station tour.

32. Make wacky paper bag hats like these.

33. Make Christmas ornaments in July.  Here's some inspiration to get you started.

34. Make banana dogs for a fun lunch or snack.

35. Play restaurant - and YOU be the customer while your kids make you lunch!

36. Hop aboard the Summer Movie Express and see a movie for a buck and all for a great cause!

37. Build an indoor fort and enjoy board games and lunch in it!

38. Build with marshmallows & toothpicks.

39. Make friendship bracelets to wear and share!

40. Sit out on your deck, patio, or in the yard and paint rocks.

41. Organize a neighborhood service project in your area. Call your local food pantry to see what their greatest need is and then go around your neighborhood with your kids to collect items in a wagon or rolling backpack/suitcase to donate.

42. Make soda can robots.

43. Turn your family room into a movie theater -- print tickets for the show and feature a great movie along with popcorn and candy.

44. Make homemade soaps with fun objects inside.

45. Attend a fun {and FREE} Pottery Barn Kids storytime event in your area.

46. Visit your local mall and spend some time cooling off in their indoor play/kids area. Enjoy some mall walking with the kids and you've got some great exercise.

47. Write letters to your friends and family and mail them.

48. Do a balloon release.

49. Bake cupcakes or cookies and take them to your neighborhood pool for sharing!

50. Decorate your bikes for 4th of July - think: streamers, horns, balloons, signage, etc.

51. Choose a weekly journal topic to write or draw about at least one page per day.

52. Play duck, duck, goose out on the lawn.

53. Organize a neighborhood block party with the kids and parents on your street. Serve popsicles, lemonade, and do sidewalk chalk.

54. Have a science day - perform fun science experiments in your kitchen with everyday household items.

55. Take a photo of your kids everyday of summer in the same chair or spot in or around your house. When it's back-to-school time, look back at the photos to see how they've changed!

56. Work on a family LEGO project.

57. Enjoy a "puzzle" day at home, where all leisure time is spent working on puzzle projects together.

58. Organize a "donation-only" car wash and then donate your earnings to a local charity.

59. Design a "coupon book" for your kids with fun things they can redeem - i.e., going out for ice cream, movie time, one-on-one time with mom, reading, breakfast in bed, etc.

60. Look through old family photos of previous summers and reminisce!

61. Visit the library and check out their selection of video games and DVDs and have a day of indoor fun on a rainy day!

And, if these ideas aren't enough to satisfy your creative mama brain, check out this list of holidays for everyday and use it to inspire you to summer it up!

{DIY Video}: Craft a Robot from Recyclable Materials

I have the most amazingly imaginative 8 1/2 year-old son.  So proud of a fun announcement he has coming soon, but in the meantime, check out the crafty creation he wanted to share with the world!

This is a great idea to add to your Summer Fun List as well! Enjoy!

 

 

Crafty robot-maker also suggests you can personalize your robot any way you like! Think: pom-poms secured with glue dots, pipe cleaner antennae, foamies or even the top of the water bottle that you cut off and use that as a hat! The possibilities are endless!

 

video and photo shot in HD with my Sony NEX-5

Our Sea World of Texas Visit

The family and I are just back from our 10-day Texas adventures!  During our recent vacation, we stopped for a couple of days in the festive city of San Antonio, Texas and were able to visit Sea World of Texas in San Antonio.  As many times as we've visted Texas over the past few years, it had been 4 years since we were last at Sea World.  And, WOW!  A lot has changed!

First off, I was totally pleasantly surprised at how many wonderful water attractions they now offer.   We visited on August 1st and it was a blistering hot Texas day.  We found ourselves spending a ton of time in the Bay of Play and Lost Lagoon, where we were able to stay cool while having tons of fun!

I love that park visitors are permitted to bring in bottled water and a small ice chest with half a dozen drinks if they so choose.  While most outside food is not permitted, you can bring in single servings of snacks. 

What we also discovered during our visit is that they will soon unveil Aquatica Texas, a waterpark within Sea World!  This will be a multi-sensory, one-of-a-kind destination spot for families everywhere!  If you thought San Antonio was great before, you'll really want to visit once they open up Aquatica Texas in Spring 2012!

Check out some of the fun from our recent visit:

Giving the carousel in the Bay of Play a whirl.  Who doesn't love a carousel ride?!

This is the only photo with Bert & Ernie where Jacob is actually looking straight ahead.  He was so in awe of them (Ernie especially) that he kept staring them down!  I guess after seeing them so many times on TV, he was like "WTH??!" seeing them life-size!

Cooling off with in the Bay of Play with Grammy!  We were so glad Grammy (my mom) could join us.  And, what's even better is she got in FREE by presenting her teacher ID!  That's right, teachers get in FREE through the end of the year!

All of the water attractions here at Sea World were just as - if not more - superb than at some themed waterparks we've visited!  What I don't have photos of {yet} are all the pics I took with the disposable waterproof camera I picked up at Target.  I was able to take it through many of the rides and even the wave pool and underwater!  I can't wait to see how all of those pics turn out!

Hangin' out with Grammy while waiting to see Shamu!  Exciting times!

The star of the day!  What a show!!  We were there early enough to sit in the splash zone and got sprayed just a bit during the show!  So much fun!

And Baby Shamu!!  My kids were in awe!

Feeding the dolphins.  What's not to LOVE??!!  We had such a wonderful time spending a few moments with these awesomely amazing creatures. 

From dolphins to sharks - my all time favorite creatures.  I can't wait to swim with the sharks off the coast of Florida someday.  My husband is less than thrilled about me wanting to though!

Ending the day with a ride on the Shamu Express!  Grammy was such a sport - riding twice - once with Nathan and once with William!

We all had SUCH a great time at Sea World and cannot WAIT to go back!  The kids loved taking home their plush Shamu, dolphin, and sea turtle and have been sleeping with them every night since we've been back.   A special thank you to Sea World of Texas for having us out to the park to visit and experience all that it has to offer!  We had an amazing time and hope to do it again very soon.  For those of you looking for a last-minute vacay before school starts back up, consider Sea World!  Such a great day of fun for families with kids of all ages!

{Disclosure:  My family and I were provided with day passes in order to review Sea World of San Antonio, however all opinions expressed herein are that of my own.  No one's the boss of me!}

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Fountains

I will certainly miss summer fun like this.

The kids and I just went school supply shopping this past weekend and it became painfully clear.  Summer fun is coming to an end.  Ugh! I dread the routine of school.  Are you excited or bummed about the kids heading back for yet another school year?

Not your typical library finds

Our summer days are filled with regular trips to the library.  Most of the time we're able to fill our canvas and reusable book bags to the brim with colorful reads, exciting chapter books, autobiographies about baseball stars and football stars, and even a few fun DVDs for the occasional movie day at home.

This week has been different.  It all began with my conversation with a friend about she and her daughter playing Zumba on Wii.  I've SO been wanting to take a class locally but wanted to get a taste of what to expect first.  So, on a whim, I thought I'd see if the local library happened to have  a copy to loan. 

Whaddya know??  They didn't!  But, they DID have a copy on PS3, so GO ME!

I immediately placed the online hold and then began looking for other available games for the kids.  We've been able to check out several other games for our Wii and Playstation 3 that the kids are enjoying.  These aren't games we'd normally buy (partly because we're Mario peeps for the most part) and the kids would likely grow tired of them fairly quickly.  That's what's so great about borrowing them from the library!  They get to play new games and then give them back and check out new ones!

So, this week make it a point to visit your local library or check their online catalog -  if they have one - for any titles available for your gaming system.  Have fun!

Happy Summer!

So it's officially the first day of summer. I'm in HEAVEN!! Let's be honest, summer is waaaaay too short! Not only do I love having my kids home for summer break, but I adore all of the fun 'to-dos' we have made an annual tradition of.

Last year the kids and I came up with our own summer poster packed full of things to do on any given summer day. We even started a few new traditions like "Brothers Day" and "Relax Day", which the kids are already looking forward to again this summer.

Don't get me wrong -- there are certainly days and times where I feel like I am going to rip my hair out because of the whining, fighting, and - yes, even injuries - that come along with having a house full of boys. But, by far those pale in comparison to the fun days that summer always seems to bring.

We're already nearly a month into our summer break and have already done so many things - playdates, pools, library, family festivals, baseball games, and more. And yet, there is still so much to be done!

So this year we're keeping it simple by utilizing our dry erase board (which sits in our laundry room) to showcase all that's on the radar for this season. We normally use the board during the school year to put up the kids' drawings, artwork, and school papers with magnets.

I, for one, am happy about the change of scenery.

Of course we still have tons to add to the board, but I think it's a good start for now. Hope you've got some fun summer plans! It's finally here!

Boys & water fun

A whole lotta this has been going on around here lately . . .

 

 

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