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ann arbor

Mini 2 Class at Goldfish Swim School

Posted on August 31, 2018

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School. While I was provided lessons in exchange for this review, all opinions are 100% my own.

Can you believe summer is almost over? The weather says otherwise, but I’m seeing back to school and Halloween (!) items everywhere in stores…so I know fall is coming.

I don’t want to name drop, but yes. ELMO is in our class!

This summer has been a whirlwind of fun. Our little lady is learning so quickly, is super curious about everything, and always on the go. We’ve really just been trying to keep up, and wear her out with fun outside activities, trips to the splash pad on the weekends, and our favorite: swim class at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor!

Not having any fun at all.

Yep, we’re back and having so much fun! Last year Isla completed her Mini 1 classes, which got her comfortable in the water. At 16 months, the little ones move into the Mini 2 class, where we start focusing on the mechanics of swimming unassisted.

High fives with her teacher!

Classes have a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, with more focus on unassisted kicking with a barbell, pulling paddle, underwater dips, unassisted gliding, wall holds, jumping in the water, rollover breathing, back floats, – plus more water safety skills.

I’ve talked about water safety before in previous Goldfish posts (you can read them here, here, and here), but after reading about Bode & Morgan Miller’s daughter last month I’m even more vigilant about water safety.

In the 4 weeks that we’ve been back in the Mini 2 class, Isla has progressed to kicking and pulling on her own, almost reflexively which is so impressive! We’ve noticed her practicing these skills in the shallow pool at the local splash pad pool here, she knows to keep her mouth closed and head above water. Obviously none of these things replace close, constant supervision…but it’s a step in the right direction.

Jeremy and I are still switching off who gets to get in the water with her each class, since it is a lot of fun. On top of the safety skills we’re learning, we often end up laughing a lot – it is great bonding time.

We’re enjoying watching her continue to progress, and have fun!

If you’re looking for swim lessons for your water babies (or big kids), you can find a local Goldfish Swim School at their center locator, and more information below:

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Have you had an awesome experience at Goldfish Swim School? Would love to hear your stories in the comments!

Family

Sunday Funday at the BIG HOUSE

Posted on August 28, 2018

Hail yes, friends. It’s that time of year…we are huge Michigan football fans in this house. I know I’ve mentioned that before here. So on Sunday, when the team had an open practice we couldn’t resist heading down to check it out!

It was so much fun. After practice, they open up the field to the families to run around. We weren’t able to get Isla onto the field because it was pushing bedtime and she was super grumpy. We did get some cute shots of her in the stadium though, she was so curious about the field!

We also got to take a peek at the Jack Roth Stadium Club! It is a bucket list item to watch a game from here one day.

Our little lady had a great time, and a few epic meltdowns. Regardless, we’re not-so-secretly hoping that someday she’ll be a student here.

It is looking like it will be a great season, and we can’t wait until kickoff on Saturday. Happy college football season, friends! GO BLUE!

Family

The Big House 5k Run

Posted on April 23, 2018

Spring finally showed up – which means it’s running season.

I took the entire winter off of running. I get bored on treadmills, so I used to run outside through the winter – that ended about two years ago when I went for a run one snowy January morning, slipped on some ice and fell. I should have broken something, but luckily I was just bruised. That was the end of winter running for me.

This Michigan winter has been a long one, and after about 10 weeks without running I was starting to get really stir crazy (and grumpy!), so I signed us up to run the Trail to the Victors Big House 5K.

We are huge Michigan fans, my husband works for the University, and thought it would be a really run event to run as a family.

credit: mgoblue.com

You run the course through downtown Ann Arbor, and finish on the 50 yard line in the Big House – how fun is that?! Plus, 30% of the registration fee is donated to 6 local non-profits to benefit the community. Not a bad reason to get some exercise.

photo credit: mgoblue.com

We ran it a few Sundays ago. We had to leave the house at about 7:15 and we were all tired, but excited! My brother Eric met us there. It was 22* when we left the house…soooo cold, probably the coldest “fun run” I’ve ever done.

So cold. So early. Jeremy was PUMPED.

Jeremy was nice enough to let me run ahead so I could get in a good run, and he pushed Isla in the running stroller. It was a little slower than normal because I was weaving in and out of people – there were over 7,000 runners, but I had a great run!

It was one of those rare unicorn runs where you feel the sun and wind on your face, enjoy your surroundings, and feel like you can run forever. I caught a view of the stadium about 2.5 miles in and thought “whoa, it’s almost over already!?”.

It was so incredible to run down the tunnel with “Hail to the Victors” blasting, and onto the field to finish on the 50 and jump to touch the iconic M GO BLUE banner. My brother finished just a few seconds behind me.

Poor Isla though, she gave Jeremy a hard time. She was cold, and tired, and just wasn’t feeling it, so he had to carry her and push the running stroller for the last mile and a half.

over it.

Once they crossed the finish, he immediately handed her off to me and she was screaming. I don’t think she’s a runner – and I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of it from either of them. Sorry, guys.

She was fine once we got her warmed up and fed. She’s also mildly obsessed with her finisher’s medal, and keeps putting it on so she can wear it around the house.

Overall it was a really fun time, one of the most fun running environments I’ve ever been in! If you’re in Ann Arbor next April and have a chance to sign up for this one, do it. Check here for more details on next year’s run.

Have a great week!

Family Pregnancy/Baby

Water Safety at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor

Posted on September 22, 2017

This Water Safety post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School. While I was provided lessons in exchange for this review, all opinions are 100% my own.

Hi readers! How have you been? We’re enjoying the last little bit of summer here, almost 90 degrees all week.

Most pools here close after Labor day, but we’re still in the water every weekend! Isla has been in classes at Goldfish Swim School for almost 2 months now, so I wanted to share a little update.

All ready for class to start!

When we started her in swim lessons at 8 months old, I wasn’t sure how much she would really pick up. I am pleasantly surprised at what’s she’s learned so far, she’s made some great progress in the last 7 weeks.

Last week was WATER safety week at GSS – which is a big deal in our house if you read my last Goldfish post. Even though the outdoor pools have closed, water safety is a year-round issue!

Source: Goldfish Swim School

The WATER acronym stands for:

Wear your life jacket!

Act. Throw! Don’t go.

Take swimming lessons.

Educate, learn swim safety skills.

Respect, play it cool and follow the rules.

“Mini 1” WATER Safety Awareness

In our class we focused on staying within an arm’s length of baby when they are in the bathtub (or near any body of water, really), and practicing conditioning, floating, holding on to the edge of the pool, and climbing out.

She was in the water with daddy this last week, while I cheered them on. It’s such great bonding time with her during class, so we alternate who gets to go in every week.

Chasing Bubbles!

On my “out of the pool” days, I often leave with sore cheeks from smiling so hard watching them in the water together. She’s learning a ton, and having fun with her dad at the same time. It’s precious.

Conditioning is so much fun!

I have noticed that while Isla is still completely unafraid of the water, she has a newfound respect for it. She’s learning to take a breath and hold it before she goes underwater, so now there’s no more swallowing and choking when she’s taken for dips under the surface.

Bouncing: great practice for holding on to the side of the pool.

I’ve seen her practice this in the bathtub as well. Little lady has been pulling up to standing in the tub, and sometimes falls back into the water. I’m right there to make sure she’s okay, but I’ll watch for a second (seriously, like .02 seconds) to see how she handles the situation, and she’ll usually make sure she rights herself first. Sometimes tears follow, but it’s amazing to watch her focus on making sure she is safe and can breathe before she gets upset.

She’s also started to float on her back, on her own – that’s her default position, and one of the best skills she’s learned thus far. The babies are learning that if they fall into a body of water, the first thing to do is to flip yourself on your back so you can breathe.

Like a little baby otter.

Now when we’re in the pool with her, she tries to sprawl out on her back and float. It’s amazing to watch, and hilarious when we’re supposed to be doing something else.

At the end of the class, Isla earned her WATER safety guard ribbon! I love these little milestones – it’s still so much fun for us to watch her progress.

So excited for her Water Safety ribbon!

I’m thrilled with how far she’s come. I definitely feel like these lessons have been invaluable for her safety as well as for our peace of mind. We love our Saturday mornings in the pool with her!

If you’re looking for swim lessons for your water babies (or big kids), you can find a local Goldfish Swim School at their center locator, and more information below:

Facebook | Instagram | Website | Twitter

Have you had an awesome experience at Goldfish Swim School? Would love to hear your stories in the comments!

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