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I do plan on giving this to Isaak. I feel bad because he was doing well with piano lessons, then they were ripped away from him, when COVID struck. I'd really like to get him back into playing. Even if it's virtual.
What's something you've gotten as a gift this year?
Disclaimer: I'm getting lessonface piano lessons, in exchange for an honest review.
We just got done with swimming lessons at Swimtastic.
Super Swimming Lessons!
What I think...
I loved the fact that I could see progress with my kids in swimming. They actually got the strokes down that were being taught to them. The instructor is in the pool, and shows the kids the correct strokes.
Another place we had lessons at before said, "They'll get it eventually." There were times then that the coaches never even got into the water. I was super impressed that Swimtastic didn't take this approach.
Swimming lessons always started on time. That's a huge perk for me!
They have their rules posted. Not all kids shower before lessons. I feel like the staff should enforce that more. I wasn't sure what the rule was for lightening. There was a storm here. We called to see if they were still conducting lessons. They were. I'm not sure how safe that is.
They take more of a personal approach. There's a board in the hallway that has the instructor's name and picture on it. There's also a screen in the waiting room that has the instructor's pop up to see their names, and what their interests are. The screen wasn't always on, or working, but I liked when they had that going.
I liked how they have everything you need there. The boy's goggles were leaking, so we bought some at Swimtastic. The girl at the front helped us pick out the correct size, and adjusted them. They have shirts and bags to.
I don't like that they have a glass counter full of junk food when it's a place to get fit. Snacks are great! Have nuts, seeds, and trail mix. There are healthier options for snacks.
The Pool taken with my fisheye lens.
What does Mica think?
Mica was the least excited about starting up lessons. He was so into it once he began. Mica is actually bummed it is over.
He liked how Swimtastic works more one on one with him. He was really getting his strokes down! He was more serious about learning this time around. I don't know if it was the coach, the place, or possibly he's more mature.
There was only one thing that Mica didn't care for. His coach said that she'd have Mica's progress report one week, didn't have it, and had it the week after. Mica remembers stuff like that. I didn't think it was a big deal.
Pretending to hold his breath underwater. Taken with my fisheye lens.
What does Isaak think?
Isaak was excited to start swimming lessons. He laughed at every lesson.
He loved their flippers, and learning the frog kick.
Isaak did miss the previous place's deep end. Isaak loved how the place before would get out a pole, put it in the deep end, and he'd have to swim to reach the bottom. That apparently was his favorite part of swimming lessons. We heard about him missing this aspect of swimming lessons each and every time. He's at this stage where he thinks everything needs to be fun. The practical application is what I care about.
Taken with my fisheye lens.
Swimtastic is a hidden gem that's behind PE 101 in Omaha, Nebraska.
If you don't live in Omaha, Swimtastic is in other spots in the US: Lincoln, Nebraska | Captive, Florida | Fox Cities, Wisconsin | Waukesha, Wisconsin | Franklin, Wisconsin
Everyone was happy every time we went. The staff was eager to help.
Overall the kids enjoyed their lessons. Their skills really grew. I wanted to continue them. They are fairly pricy, and I have the summer booked with camps already.
Swimtastic also has birthday parties that you can book there.
Last week our boys started swimming lessons at Swimtastic. It's a hidden gem that's behind PE 101 in Omaha, Nebraska.
If you don't live in Omaha, Swimtastic is in other spots in the US: Lincoln, Nebraska | Captive, Florida | Fox Cities, Wisconsin | Waukesha, Wisconsin | Franklin, Wisconsin
It's been about a year and a half since they've had lessons. I wasn't sure where they'd fit in. I'm glad the staff at Swimtastic was willing to work with them. Later we found the lessons they are more suited for, which they start tonight.
When we went in there was a desk where the staff greeted us. Everyone seems very happy to be working there, and eager to show us around.
It has a really open floor plan once you enter the spot where parents sit. It's called the Observation Deck.
Inside the Observation Deck There is:
Open space - One can sit close to the pool, or in the back to be on bathroom duty for their little kids
Some toys for little kids to play - Fun for siblings not in swimming lessons just yet
Signs about pool safety - I'm not sure how much they are read, but certainly important
Fun fish that hang from the ceiling - Added fun to the room
Patio plastic chairs for parents to sit - I liked sitting on these chairs over bleachers
Concession stand filled with candy - I kind of wish this spot had more things like Protein Bars and other healthy snacks
Swimtastic merchandise - To make them a one stop swimming place
A monitor - That shows Swimtastic instructors
I'm not used to being behind glass to view my kids in their lessons. I didn't mind it. It was less noisy. It keeps the establishment cleaner with less traffic into the pool area!
If I could add something to this area it would be small cubby lockers.
Shower and Bathrooms:
I have to be honest I didn't get a good look at this area. I'm only going off what Travis, Mica and Isaak said.
They are clean, but pretty small. There are no lockers in this area. Plan on having a big swim bag.
They have a boys and girls bathroom. I do like that they have 1 added family shower and bathroom. This is something I always wanted when we were at the Y.
Shower time after swimming lessons was always the most stressful time of the week. The kids were wound up after their lessons, it is close to bedtime, and kids act like they can't get their wet suit off their body. It's nice to have one room that a whole family can go to take care of the showering part.
There are colored spots in the hallway of the bathrooms where kids stand to show they are ready for their lessons.
The Pool:
The pool has 90 degree water. Isaak looked cautious when jumping in because he was expecting it to be cold. It wasn't.
They have lanes marked off for different swimming classes. I love that they could get both my boys in at the same time!
There is a slide, but as you can see in the picture below there's no diving allowed. It's too shallow of a pool to dive in.
At Swimtastic the instructors seem like they really want the kids to learn what they are there for - to swim.
My boys forgot so much of what they learned in swimming lessons before. Isaak said, "I hate swimming backwards." I said, "I'm glad they made you! It's important for you to learn how to swim like that!"
It did seem like younger kids go there. That might change with our lessons tonight. Mica will be in a class with kids more his age.
Overall the kids are enjoying getting back into their lessons. I'm glad I was asked to do this. Did you take swimming lessons when you were younger? What's something you remember about them?
Follow Swimtastic on twitter, and like their facebook page.
Disclaimer: I received free lessons for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine. I will be blogging about their lessons again towards the end.
I do have to say I had a one up from babysitting a lot when I was younger. I was a regular babysitter. I enjoyed it to. I had a another one up for my oldest sister Angie having my niece when she was 18. My niece Kailey lived with my parents for a few years. That certainly help prepare me for Motherhood. She shared a room with my sister and I. There was a lot I knew, and some things I didn't.
As a Mom I thought I'd have control over my child's clothing choices, and hairstyles. They are boys. Boys don't care about things like that. -Not true. My Mom always helped pick out my clothes, and she went through pictures with me as to what to do with my hair. I always have ideas on hairstyles I like for boys. I even have a pinned board on hairstyles for boys. Mica and Isaak don't like what I like.
It's fine. I'm glad they have opinions, likes and dislikes. It's great I'm raising independent thinkers. Dad has his opinion on these things to. My Dad growing up never cared about our clothes, or hair. As far as clothing goes I buy them what they are into. I usually get to pick it out though. I keep their tastes in my mind though.
I used to think that kids are A) Brats or B) Great Kids. It's not as black and white as that. They go through stages. Our kids are good kids overall. They do well in school, eat good, sleep good, usually help when asked, but sometimes need reminders. There were different times where both kids went through a stage where they didn't want to leave Grandma and Grandpa's house. They'd refuse to get their coat and shoes on, and they'd cry the whole way home. 20 minutes of listening to a kid scream and cry, while driving can make anyone go insane.
They love Grandma and Grandpa's house because they are nice, don't give them very many tasks, feed them throughout the day, and give them lots of TV time. I'm glad that was just a 3 year old stage. During that time I thought I was going to pull my hair out. I thought I was messing up as a mom.
Growing up my mom got mad at us for little things like our shoes being in the middle of the floor. Once she had Grand Kids she said, "Alissa you have to learn to choose your battles." She has done this more as she had grandchildren, and I have done this as a parent to.
I learn along with my kids. Somethings that they do in school is different than what we used to do. They teach me, and I teach them.
They're all different. I don't like the comment, "Boys are easier to raise than girls.", "Girls are easier to raise than boys.", or "The second one is easier because you'll know what you are doing." Each child is different, they all go through stages. We all have our happy moments, and our moments of struggle to.
What do you feel like you've learned while being a Mom or Dad?
Warning there's a cuss word in this post. So if you are reading this in front of a child that can read, STOP and read it later.
This weekend we went to swimming lessons, per usual. The swimming program leader had me fill out an evaluation. I started marking it up. Most everything was good, not excellent, but not horrible or bad either. Then I got to the backside and it had a spot for comments.
So I wrote about:
How Isaak is 4 and can't move up a level until he is 6. I find it annoying that he can't move up. If he's ready, he's ready. Two years in the same class I would think would get old. It prohibits growth in something he's good at.
I went on to say that I think all the kids would do better if they had the same coach for awhile; instead of switching coaches for each and every session.
Then I said that Mica's right on target.
I made a comment that Isaak's coach still pushes him even though he's in a lower class, which is good.
I like that everyone is happy when we go there.
My kids enjoy swimming lessons; for the most part.
As I'm writing the head coach comes to sit down beside me. She says,
"I can see that you are writing a lot...can we talk about what is wrong?"
My face probably turned 3 shades of red because I was put on the spot. I simply told her what I wrote and explained that I'm a teacher, an artist and a blogger, I like to write. I said, "I have just as many good things on here as things to work on."
She mentioned, "Well we talked about how Isaak can't move up because he's only 4. Age wise he can't."
I said, "Yes we did. That doesn't make the problem go away though."
She took my evaluation and walked out of the room.
I was thinking, Hummm...did my evaluation really piss her off, or did she just have to go put the evaluations some place? My positive, and happy mood went out the window. It was on my mind the rest of the weekend. At least I can look back at Mica's smiley face and smile myself. This image that one of my students put up on Facebook came to mind:
My face turned red not just because I was on the spot. Memories of me being cornered all came together. At one work place I was called into the bosses office because I wrote a lot on an evaluation. He questioned if I liked my job or not. I did. I just had a lot of things happen that year. Changes both good and bad. After that I wrote as little as possible.
My thoughts are this: If you are asking for an opinion I'm going to give you one. I'm going to think of the great things and the things that need to be worked on. I'm going to say them. I want places and people to get better. Nothing is perfect. I as a person need work. I have good qualities to. Everything and everyone is like that.
I called Daddy as soon as I was out of there; and told him what had happened. He told me that his co-worker filled out an evaluation on a dental student. She marked average on just about everything. The girl was going to get kicked out of dental school. Why? Because she was marked average and not great or perfect. She was rightfully in tears. His co-worker had to call and talk to the school. Since when did average mean bad?! Isn't the purpose of going to school, is to get trained to get better?
Then I talked with a guy at work about this. He told me that he filled out an evaluation for Toyota's service. He was annoyed because he had it in to get an oil change at 11:30. It was 12:30 and they still didn't get to it. He went out and asked about it. He said, "If you wanted me to get it in at a certain time, you should be ready to work on it then. It doesn't take that long to change oil in a car. Give me the stuff and I'll do it in 10 minutes." The maintenance guy said, "We can't do that sir. All places are like this." My co-worker said, "They don't have to be. I have to be back to work, and you haven't even gotten to my car!" So when they gave him a evaluation to fill out he tore the time issue apart. The manager called him and said, "I thought we had this worked out sir!" My co-worker said, "We talked about it, but didn't work it out." For the record, Honda maintenance is just as bad! I always felt that way, but just didn't say anything. Maybe I should have.
Why do people have you fill out an evaluation if they only want to hear good in things? Should people's jobs, schooling be effected based on one single bad evaluation? Seems kind of silly to me!
Then I wonder if I'm the only one that writes a lot in evaluations? Maybe I'm too critical. Maybe I'm not. Maybe they just need to put on their big girl panties and big boy underwear and take the criticism for what it's worth. How do we get better if no one says anything?
For the record if I absolutely did not like something or someone; I'd remove myself from the situation or the person. I really like the Y and I like Honda. If I didn't I wouldn't continue a membership to the Y and I wouldn't own 2 Honda's. That still doesn't make them perfect. Nothing is practically perfect in every way except for Mary Poppins. If I truly got to know her, I'm sure she could have improved herself as well.
Mica's back float was great in swimming lessons today.
When it came time to dive, he kept flopping. It looked painful.
He's been telling us that his last coach said that he needed to breathe under water when he swam freestyle. Daddy and I both told him that he must of misunderstood his coach. I explained that your head stays underwater until you have to breathe; at that time you tilt your head to the side to breath. I demonstrated. I mentioned that you tilt your head to one side to breathe, then to the other when it's time to take another breath. I watched him swim the freestyle today. What does he do? He kept his head out of the water the whole time, tilting his head back and forth constantly to breathe. He totally misunderstood me. It was funny to watch. I knew what he was trying to do. He swam better before I talked to him about tilting his head to breathe.
Isaak cried almost the entire time last week. It was all because he didn't know his coach. He was crying out my name. I kept thinking, Do I go over there, or do I just ignore that my son is interrupting the entire lesson? I went to stand up and the lifeguard pointed for me to sit down. She was his coach previously. I know Isaak and all the rest of the kids would do better if they had the same coach. I also know that's impossible.
I had two options sympathize with Isaak (baby him), or be the strict mom (give him a wake up call). I chose to be the strict mom. Isaak cries to get out of things. I always hated hearing kids whine; now I have a kid that whines! I told him after lessons last week in a firm voice, "Listen Isaak you can not cry the whole lesson! Other kids are trying to pay attention to the teacher (he calls them "teachers," when they are really coaches.) They can not pay attention when you are crying the whole time. Mommy is in the room, I'm not going to leave you. Your teacher is nice. You can't learn when you are fussing like a baby. You are a big boy!" Possibly I came off harsh, but I think he needed to hear that. Today I gave Isaak an ultimatum, "If you cry, you will not get school supplies at the store today." Again harsh. Guess what? He didn't cry at all.
He swam the length of the pool twice with no floater devices. All the other kids needed them.
Then the little punk a monk wouldn't go in the locker room until he got to say, "Goodbye" to his teacher (coach). It turns out he likes her after all.
Both boys are in swimming lessons. They've moved up twice. This last time we were told that they should stay where they are at. I agree.
They seem to listen very well during swimming lessons.
Isaak at age 4 is pretty good at swimming. We had a little problem 2 weeks ago. I went to go help Mica with a shower when Isaak was in swimming lessons. I guess Isaak was all concerned about where I was. His coach told me after lessons that Isaak would do better if I was out of sight, out of mind. I disappeared behind the glass window during the next session. I let Isaak know where I was going to be. Tonight I was talking to his coach; she was the lifeguard for the evening. I found out that she thought Isaak was 6 years old! I told her, "Nope he's only 4. His birthday is in May." She was in awww over how he did at 4 years old. The only problem is, is after he passes his next lessons Isaak can't move up to the next until he's 6 years old! I didn't know that! I don't know what I'll do. I want him to excel and be happy with his lessons; not bored!
Little Isaak now knows how to do freestyle swimming. He also likes to swim to the bottom of the pool to touch it. I taught him a stroke that does not exist, "The Tornado Stroke" it's freestyle, backstroke, freestyle, backstroke. He knows how to move his legs like a frog does and how to kick. I can stand a ways back, he jumps in and swims to me. That's 1/2 way across the pool.
He's still working on diving.
Mica likes both swimming and Jujutsu. He has taken more interest in Jujutsu when he got his uniform last week. I didn't want to jump the gun and buy him one if he wasn't interested. He seems to like it. He's not super good at it. I have to say the uniform made a difference. Before he acted silly; now he's much more serious about it. It's a room full of boys his age kicking, punching and wrestling. I can understand why he's silly sometimes. We're still iffy on Jujutsu. We may in the future decide on Kung Fu. According to Grandpa Spiehs Kung Fu is better for Mica's body build. He's going to be tall. Jujutsu is better for shorter fellas. We'll see. I thought since we belong to the Y, Mica should give it a try to see if it's something he likes.
I'm happy to say that both boys are moving up in swimming lessons. I felt like they were ready to last time. Since we take our boys swimming with us; I saw improvements that their coaches weren't seeing. It's nice that they will be challenged a little more.
The boys are back in swimming lessons. I was kind of late with signing them up, so they are in a Saturday morning class.
When they first got there I flip flopped their classes. Their swimming lesson classes are all odd names. Mica's in Polliwog and Isaak's in Eel. To me "Polliwog" sounds little! I had Isaak sitting in Mica's lesson! I really quickly realized and switched kids. All the kids looked too big to be Isaak's age.
I do have to say that they are practically just as good at swimming. It's just that Mica can touch the bottom and Isaak can't.
When it was Isaak's turn to go to his lesson he broke out in tears. I guess he really liked his last coach. He said he didn't like him because he didn't wear goggles. He had a hard time going to someone new.
Little boy's trunks seem to ride up like the photo. Little girl suits give them a wedgie. I remember my sister, Aunt Terra asked me once to pick out her wedgie. She is 5 years younger than me.
Both boys have the same coach. We'll see how it goes. They were impressed with how well Mica does the free style stroke. That clicked towards the last set of lessons he had last time.
Tonight Isaak had his last swimming lesson for a little while.
Mica sat out of his. Since Mica has an ear infection, we played this lesson by ear. We got the doctor's ok, but Mica told us before lessons that his ear felt a lot of pressure. So...he sat out.
After Isaak's lesson, he was getting dried off. I said, "Isaak can you get your shoes?" Isaak said, "I can't find them. It's seriously a mystery Momma!" He's starting to talk all funny like!
For the record Isaak's no help when he gets out of the pool. He wants me to dry him off, me to pull his swim trunks off, and me to put his dry clothes on. All while he wines about being wet, cold, says, "I can't do it!" and spins around in circles the whole time. I love that little punk!
I found out tonight that Isaak moved up in swim lessons, while Mica stayed put. I wanted to shout out, "Good job Isaak!" but I didn't because Mica was right there. Mica's done a good to. He just fears back floating on his own. I'd much rather have him stay put if that's were they think he needs to be.
Tonight the boys started swimming lessons. This is the first time they've had paid swimming lessons. Cousin Kailey worked with Mica a lot different summers. She practically lived at the pool some summers. We take the boys swimming twice a week since we've joined the YMCA. They are both willing to jump in the water, swim with the foam noodle, kick, Mica doggie paddles, back float some. They are a little nervous with the back float.
Isaak had one on one with his instructor for awhile. The other 2 boys in his class are twins and were running late. He looked timid at first, but warmed up to his instructor really fast. His instructor is younger and just tried to get him to have fun.
Mica had two other kids in his class as well. His instructor is much more by the book. He walked the kids around, talked about safety and showed them around before they got in the water.
Can you see Mica's ribs? He's so stinking skinny! Daddy said that his ribs look like an accordion.
The opinions on this blog are my personal take on products and topics relating to motherhood. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.
I am not compensated to provide opinions on a variety of topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are my own. If I claim to show knowledge of certain topic or product I will only endorse products or services that I feel, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement.
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