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.
I think I want to turn around and get 7 more of these for birthdays in our family. My sister's kids love to camp to. It would be great if everyone of us could have a set!
The case is wonderful! The material is stretchy to ensure everything fits! I love the design that's on the outside of it.
Each Item is stainless steel. It's meant to last.
*The knife is sharp! When we go camping we often fire up a grill or fire pit, and have steak. This knife is perfect for that! It's better to get this set for ages 10 and up just because the knife is so sharp. The utensils are best to put in where the handles are by the zipper. Then you don't cut yourself.
I'm not sure if it needs two spoons, but it has them. I get why they have 2 spoons, or forks at fancy restaurants, but when you're roughing it you don't really need 2 spoons. It's good to have one for dinner, and one for dessert.
A stainless straw. This would be something not everyone would use. Travis hates straws, but the rest of us in our family like them. It has a wide opening, to make it easy to clean.
If I had to add something to this set I'd add a little scrub brush to clean everything.
I'd subtract one of the spoons.
What would you add, or subtract from this set?
Disclaimer: I received the product mentioned for a discount in exchange for an honest review. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
It's my kid's last week of school. Both my flesh and blood kids, and my students. Isaak's finishing up 2nd grade.
He still seems so little to me. He has a high pitched voice, small facial features (except for his eyes), and still loves to play hard. He wears holes in his jeans, and his hands are always messy. "Go wash your hands!" is a regular thing we say in our house to Isaak. It's hard to believe he turns 8 later this week, and will soon be called a 3rd grader! He is tall! He's fitting right into Mica's hand me down jeans - size 10. He has picked up on reading in 2nd grade. He does like to write stories. I keep telling him that he needs to read more and more to get better with writing.
Mica's finishing up 4th grade.
He's goofy around home, but mature at school. He started safety patrol training a few weeks ago. This week he's full time with safety patrol. He had a field trip last week where he got to go an hour away to the state capitol. We've taken the boys there before. :) With us he didn't get to go on a charter bus. He was super excited to have a bathroom on a bus. That seemed to be the highlight. He's so ready for 5th grade. I sometimes thought 4th grade bored him. His teacher did her best to challenge him though.
The boys have Field Day, Isaak's class is going to walk up to a park in the neighborhood to eat lunch, and play, and Mica's class is going to our local Joslyn Art Museum. Isaak's birthday is on Thursday. They no longer have food treats, so we got dollar books to hand out to his class.
Thankfully most stuff was due last week. I have a computer test that randomizes the questions, and grades for me. I have a lot of students behind. I'm hoping they get caught up this week!
Our car was in the shop getting an oil change. I wrote on the drop off form to check the breaks. There was a squeak whenever I stopped. They checked them, and it needed back breaks because they were paper thin. Travis gave the ok | thumbs up for them to put on new back breaks. Travis is a pretty serious guy. If he ever jokes around it's because I came into his life. Ha! I know how to mess with him. I paid for the car. He came home with our other vehicle.
I said to Travis, "I can't believe you'd pay that kind of money at that shop!" *Really it wasn't all that much. He said defensively, "But we needed new breaks. They were paper thin." I said, "That's what they said. Did you think to check them out at another shop?" He said, "Alissa they weren't that much." I said, "Got ya!" I got him for sure. Yes I'm a punk like that.
We went to see my parents during Mother's Day. Mica said, "Grandma you look really pretty in that color!" It sounded like a compliment.
He then said, "When you die we should put that color of dress on you. Then we should find an amethyst necklace to put on you."
Instead of me closing the conversation I said, "Mica she doesn't like to wear dresses. She can't wear her special shoes with a dress." - She had Polio.
My Mom said, "They don't bury people with shoes on."
I asked, "Well...how will you walk through the pearly gate then? I guess you won't be doing that."
We were all laughing.
We have an ant problem. I've been trying to keep the counter clean. It's just hard working full-time, and always making our own food. I've been wiping it down with vinegar, which ants are supposed to hate vinegar. Then I put Boric Acid with syrup around on bottle lids. What do you do for pesky ants?
Isaak said, "Mom when I grow up I want to be a movie maker, a movie actor, and a hair stylist. I also want to have a family. How will I ever have time for all that?" I responded to, "Welcome to my world son." What did you want to be when you grew up?
I was at Michaels with Isaak. They had all these classic books right by their cash register. I said, "Isaak why don't we get these to celebrate your class birthday." He picked out 12 Secret Garden books, and 11 Tom Sawyer | Huckleberry Finn books for his class.
My 10 year Mica is out of children's shirts. He's onto bigger, and sometimes more expensive shirts. I wondered if styles would be limited for adult shirts. Mica certainly doesn't act like a grown up yet.
The Talking Shirt has some great selection for everyone in the family!
The best thing about The Talking Shirt is that kindness is always in style! With patterns, colors, and characters they go in and out of trends.
They let me pick whatever shirt I wanted. The one that fit Mica's personality the most is the "Be Strong and Courageous" Tee.
I didn't even ask him if he liked the shirt before picking it out. It just fits his personality perfectly. The message is wonderful. He loves archery, so the arrows are perfect. I was right he loves it!
He's worn the tee four times now. He somehow got something black on the back of it. Guess what? It washed out. That's the one worry I have with light colored clothing. I do kind of wish they had the brown colored tee as an option for their men's sizes. Maybe if they let you pick a color that you'd want the tee printed on would be perfect!
About The Talking Shirt:
The Talking Shirt is a small shop. They felt the need to make shirts that are positive, and uplifting. In 2013 they began their journey to create the shop of their dreams.
They do have a lot of religious passages on their tees.
Sizes:
I love that The Talking Shirt has shirts for nearly all sizes for girls, unisex (boys included), men and women. All the messages on their shirts are positive!
Some shirts are baby and toddler sizes 0-3 months all the way to 5T. Not all shirts run in baby sizes. All running $20.
I saw others that are kid sizes Small 6/8 to XLarge 18. All running $20.
Then they have fitted shirts for women, and some relaxed shirts. Sizes run from small to XXLarge. The cost is $24 to $34.
There men's selection is a little smaller, but growing. Sizes run from small to XXXLarge. The cost is $26.
Be Strong and Courageous!
I want my kids to feel empowered to do good in this world. I think this shirt supports that!
Colors:
They have a lot of variety of colors for different tees. They don't give you the option to pick whatever color you want. I'm a big neutral color fan for my kids. They play hard, so I don't want dirt to show.
Remember to empower your kids by being strong and courageous!
Disclaimer: I received the product mentioned for free in exchange for an honest review. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I'm always on the search for toys that can be built. My boys love toys like that! I recently got Take-A-Part Build Toy to review.
Mica built the Blue Race Car for this review. I think I'm going to give it to Isaak for his birthday coming up. :)
Each of their sets comes with 2 models to give the toy some variety. I kind of wish there were more things you could build.
Other Sets:
Red Plane - I happen to like Red Plane the most. I think it's super cute!
Yellow Truck
Why Get Toys You Can Build and Take Apart?
Toys like this helps kids learn how to follow directions.
Kids are proud of their toy because they built it.
It helps with development with hand-coordination, spatial thinking, building patience, and attention.
Features:
Non-toxic eco-friendly rubber fiber material, safe to the children
Large brightly colored pieces, easy for small hands to maneuver
Precision craft, no sharp edges
Pieces:
50 flexible pieces
Tools to get the job done
Directions
I imagine the thing that would be horrible with a toy like this is if you loose pieces. Then you can't build what you want. If you loose a piece in a block set you can still build something else.
One of the End Results:
Ages:
For ages 5 and up. For ages 5 and 6 the child may need help from Mom and Dad at first.
Cost:
$29.99, but on sale for $16.99. All their sets are the same price.
Disclaimer:
I received the product mentioned for free in exchange for an honest
review. I only recommend products or services I use personally and
believe will be good for my readers.
I asked Mica to try on pjs that were in his drawer. I said, "If they are smaller than size 10 you really don't need to try them on." He's in a size 12.
We were both laughing when he came out of his room. He didn't even care that I took pictures.
Do you remember how I told you that Mica has a girl that likes him? This has been on going for awhile now.
Mica's in 4th grade. He's an older 4th grader. He has an August birthday. The girl that likes him is in 6th grade.
It started out where she invited him to eat with the 6th graders.
He thought it was weird because when Mica was in 2nd grade he remembers this same girl getting suspended from school because she stole money from a classroom. Mica's a kid that abides by rules. He doesn't like people that are trouble makers. He also has a great memory.
The girl seemed to find Mica a lot during recess time. Mica wasn't rude, he talked to her, but then ran away.
She gave Mica little plastic toys. Mica gave them to Isaak.
Mica said, "I just can't wait for the school year to end. She's going to another school. She's a little over the top Mom."
I never said anything because he is right it is close to the end of the year. She is going to a new school. He also didn't want me to say anything.
She asked Mica to help her with the Talent Show, and Science Fair. Mica declined. Remember Mica likes people that do not break the rules.
Early last week the girl gave Mica pictures of kittens. Mica passed them off to other kids in his class that wanted them.
At the end of last week the girl gave a flower to Mica's teacher to give to Mica. Mica was all embarrassed about that! He said, "Mom I had to walk up to get the flower. My teacher had a big smile on her face. I put it in my desk. One of my friends wanted it to give to his mom for Mother's Day, so I gave it to him. She just doesn't get that I don't like her. She's way over the top!"
My best advice to him was, "Mica some girls like boys that are hard to get. Just tell her that you don't want these things she's giving to you. Be happy that someone likes you, and glad that she's going to a different school next year." I think I may be contacting the teacher just to make sure she's aware of this situation.
Awhile back my mom had a cousin that passed away. She had only 1 brother, and a dad. They didn't want anything much that she owned. We went through her things picking out this and that. One thing that we got was all of The Golden Girls on DVD. The boys asked to see it. At first I declined. Then I thought, That is something I watched when I was little. The sexual things went way over my head. She we've been watching it. The love it. No questions have been asked as of yet. I'm perfectly ok with answering anything if a question arises.
Who is your favorite golden girl? I always liked Sophia.
Mica had his first Growth and Development class last week. I asked if they covered anything he didn't know yet? He said, "No." He said, "We just talked about hair growing in special places, needing to wear deodorant, and girls going through changes before boys." I said, "Well if you have any questions we're happy to talk to you about them."
The boys still think sex is naked people kissing. We're ok with that thought process until they ask us.
I figured out that the boys actually help clean pretty well as long as they are doing separate tasks.
Mica helped me clean out the microwave. We sprayed it down with vinegar, put a bowl of water in there for 5 minutes, it was steamed and ready to clean.
Isaak helped me clean out the refrigerator. I kept telling him that his job was to take everything out in an organized fashion. My job was to clean it.
What are some cleaning tips that you have?
I registered to have Isaak's friend party at Hummel Park this year. It is a park where I do have to pay. He got to pick 3 activities, and went with: Archery, S'mores, and a Scavenger Hunt. I filled out invitations for 20 kids to be there. I hope some show up! Birthday parties are so annoying because parents are so unpredictable these days. Hardly anyone RSVPs. There's all kinds of split families to. One kid I gave 2 invites - one for mom and one for dad. I don't know if that was right for me to do, but I tried to cover my basis.
I told the boys that I'm stopping friend parties at age 10. Mica will no longer get a friend party.
I stayed at work on Thursday night for a Portfolio Review Night. Pros are brought in to look at student's portfolios. It's always a success because some students get jobs through the event. YAY!
I'm a huge fan of things that can be reused | recycled. I use a cloth lunch box, have cloth baggies, and carry a thermos at work. I'm always on the look out for reuseable lunch box supplies for the boy's school lunches.
What are Yummi Pouches? They are reusable food pouches that are great for kids taking healthy snacks on the go.You can put so many different things in them. We put apple/pear sauce in ours.
They are perfect for lunches, picnics, and breakfast on the go. Mica just started being trained for Safety Patrol. The kids have to be dropped off to school early. They've been give a Yummi Pouch to have part of their breakfast on the go.
They are best for little kids, but we use them to. Costco sells apple sauce in pouches for any age. We'll use these reusable packages for any age as well.
You can combine style and convenience in an eco-friendly container.
Fill it Up With:
Smoothies
Blended Snacks
Apple Sauce
Easy to fill and clean through the top zipper opening and enjoyed by drinking from the side spout.
Keep Your Kids Safe:
Freezer safe - Make a big batch of your child's favorite blended snacks or smoothies.
Dishwasher safe - Simply rinse with warm water, expand the pouch and stand upside down in the dishwasher.
Easy to fill - Pour or spoon in food though the wide top zipper opening. Holds up to 6 ounces.
BPA Free
PVC Free
Phthalate Free
Reusable
Recyclable
Comes in 4 Fun Colors and Patterns:
My favorite color | pattern has to be this one:
Cost:
$9.99 for 4 pouches.
Disclaimer: I received the products mentioned for free in exchange for an honest review. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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.
If you have any questions about this blog, or want to get in contact with me please email me at: anapeladay@gmail.com
