Summer is definitely here ! One of the most common activity we do around this time is spending our days outdoors most especially swimming in the pool or going to the beach. So it’s always important for us parents to know the safety measures to keep our kids safe around the water. Drowning is the leading cause of death among children, including infants and toddlers. It is important to know that a child can drown even in one inch of a water.
Benefits of Swimming Lessons for Children
*This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swimschool, as usual all opinions are mine. Learning how to swim is an essential tool for every human being. It is a must ! I can’t imagine any of us in our family not knowing how to swim and the sooner you know how to swim, the better. Today, i’m sharing the benefits of swimming lessons for our children. Safety – We all know that our world is surrounded with water and we are usually around with water. Being able to know how to swim is essential and i can’t stress enough the importance of it. The younger they know how to swim, the better. You will just never know, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. Remember, you can’t always be there. Learning to swim may save their life one day Confidence – Being able to know how to swim as a young child boost their confidence. Even though they might not be interested to make swimming as a sport but the fact that they know how to swim, it makes them feel good about themselves, which helps children to become self-confident and believe in their abilities A great workout – there are so many variables on how much exactly the calories you will burn during swimming. I can’t give you an exact numbers but as far as i know the more your weigh, the more you burn. It is also a healthy lifestyle that you promote to your kids. In swimming, you are moving multiple muscle groups in high intensity cardio workout. It also releases endorphins, which aid in decreasing depression and improving moods. Social development – let’s face it, our kids will enjoy better playing in the pool with their peers if they know how to swim rather than just sitting on the side. It’s an awkward position to be in for our child if they don’t enjoy spending time in the water while the others are. I truly feel a sense satisfaction when i gave my child a tool that will serve them well through out the rest of their life. It is definitely a rewarding feeling. Thank you so much for reading and have a great day!
Motherhood in Blogosphere
On April: dress: Victoria Beckham for Target girls section/ bag: Sam Edelman / shoes: INC (old) other option here On Olivia : dress : Victoria Beckham for Target / shoes: Gap kids / bag: Target (old) Some of you might be wondering if my world just consisted of photo shoots and ootd’s . If my life is perfect and put together like the outfits that i got inspired from Pinterest. If getting ready and putting make up on is breezy. My answer to all that is, NO. I like to think that it’s a yes but it’s not. We all know that it’s not. My family is my number one priority, everything else is secondary but i also want to give an importance on self-care, both inside-out.
Why Teach Reading Early
Why teach reading early? Well, let me tell you first that I am not an expert of child education or anything like that, nor a super mom. But I just wanted to share to you my thoughts as a mom. We all know that reading is important and it’s always a good thing that our child learns how to read early in life. I believe that introducing and exposing them to books is a great way for our kids to learn how to read.
Underwater Discoveries at Sea Life Michigan
This is a continuation from my previous post which is our visit at Legoland Discovery Center Michigan. Read about my last post here , if you want to know more about our Legoland Michigan adventure. Today, I’m going to talk about our visit at Sea Life Michigan . Like I said from my previous post, you can do both attractions in one day but we did ours on separate weekends because we started late when we went to Legoland and we didn’t have enough time left to go to Sea Life. But you can definitely do both in one day. I believe we spent 4 hours in Legoland and 2 hours in Sea Life. So, whatever works for you. What can you expect in Sea Life Michigan ? The exhibit have over 250 different species . They have both fresh water and salt water exhibit. A total of 10 exhibits you can explore. As you go to every exhibit, children are also encouraged to collect stamps when they find the special stations. When they fill their books, they are awarded a special take-away for their achievement. It’s pretty cool, the kids get excited everytime they spot a stamping station. At the Interactive Touchpool , you can touch crabs, starfish and sea urchins. The kids were so amaze with the starfish. Just don’t touch the corals and don’t forgot to wash your hands after, there is a sink right next to it. We love the educational talks and feeding demonstration time, it’s quite interesting to learn a thing or two about some creatures. Like how to feed them, how they live and just fun facts about the specie. The staffs are also friendly, accomodating and thoroughly know their craft. Check out the demonstration schedules here. Your tickets are already included in this, you don’t have to pay extra. Among all the creatures here, my kids love the sharks, stingrays , turtle, starfish and jelly fish. Can you spot Dory? The Sea Life Michigan exhibit is not comparable to any aquarium exhibit you see elsewhere because it has it’s own unique twist to make it more fun, enjoyable and interactive for everyone most especially for the kids. Each exhibit is elaborately designed with its own theme. My kids enjoyed the shipwreck exhibit because it looks like you are in a pirate ship. One thing you can’t do on some exhibits is taking flash photography, that explains why some of these photos are kind of dark. Sea Life Michigan is not just an aquarium that you only get look around but also they made it fun and interactive for young kids. It’s like a big underwater playground for them. Their favorite thing to do is to go in the tunnels of the aquariums (which they have tons of them) to get an underwater view. It’s actually pretty cool. After we did the aquarium, the kids went to the jungle gym playground, they played there for 15 mins. As we headed out, we went to the store and they were rewarded with medals when they submitted their stamp books. We had a great time at Sea Life Michigan and it’s something we would love to do it again! Also, if you want to have a birthday party here, they can cater to that too. Go here . I hope you find my post helpful in giving you an idea on what to expect in Sea Life. Thank you so much for reading and have a great day! *This is a sponsored post by Sea Life Michigan . As usual, all thoughts and opinions are mine.
Our Goldfish Swim School Experience
When we first walked- in to Goldfish Swim School, we were greeted with a colorful room decorated with fun tropical style decors. The first thing that came out from Olivia’s mouth was ” Wow! “. Right there, my little girl was already impressed with everything she saw – the big swimming pool with streamers all over, the little play area and the faux palm tree in the middle of the room which she taught was real. The room is so fun and inviting for the kids especially the little ones. At the reception desk, the receptionist walked us through the whole process of how their class works. She was thorough in giving us details of all the information we need. Then we went to the changing rooms that looks like cabanas, Olivia loves the colorful doors. She thought they look like playhouses. Then, we were guided in this big hallway with chairs around this big glass walls. It is the waiting area for parents while they watch their kids doing their swimming lessons. It is so cool how they set it up that way. You will never missed out anything with your child. Since it was Olivia’s first day, I went in the swimming pool room with her instead of me sitting in the waiting room. I figured, it will make her comfortable and at ease for me to be there during her first class. The last thing I want to happen is her shedding some tears on the first day. So I was glad that the instructor is very understanding. During her first session, the instructor taught the kids how to get comfortable in the water. There were three kids in the class, he gave each kid a pool toy that they could play on the side while taking turns on taking each kid in the water and do some lessons. It was pretty quick, the kids didn’t get bored and my daughter enjoyed playing with her pool toy Aurora. When it was her turn, she did amazing in following the instructions and I am so proud of her ! Since Olivia is in Junior 1 (3-4 years old) , I figured that I share to you what they will cover in this age group. No tears in swim class for 3 consecutive lessons Barbell kicking Breath Control in Underwater Dip -10 seconds Superman Glide – 5 ft Sea Otter Back Float – 5 seconds (assisted) Octopus Front Float – 5 seconds (assisted) Pulling paddle- 5 ft crab walk climb out ” elbow, elbow, tummy, knee ” ( assisted) jump, turn, swim to the wall ( assisted) Rollover from-to-back ( assisted ) Rollover back- to – front ( assisted ) Just like any regular report card, they have a skill level to pass so they can move on to the next class/level. This has been our second week in the class. So far, she has been so good. She really enjoyed the class and she always looks forward to it. Check out their programs HERE for corresponding classes your child belongs to. They also offer family swim time schedule everyday, where you can enjoy swimming with your kids and the whole family. You can even invite your friends during family swim time! Isn’t that a great idea to have a playdate here ? I think so too. After her lessons, I gave her a quick shower, changed her clothes and dried her hair by their hair drying section. I really like how they designed and set up the whole place. It was kid friendly, fun, inviting, clean and well maintained. Their main focus are the kids and we all know that working with kids is not always easy. So, big credits for this guys for making swimming class fun and exciting. If you forget any swimming gears, they have everything in their little swim shop. They have bathing suits for boys and girls, googles, t-shirts, towels, backpacks, toys, sweaters, tote bags and diapers. During our first day in class, they gave us a big tote bag with a t-shirt, a pair of googles and some little goodies in it. We really enjoyed our Goldfish experience so far. So stay tune for more as we share it through our blog and social medias from time to time about our amazing experience here at Goldfish Swim School . Check out this video tour of their facility. They have different locations nationwide. In Michigan alone they have nine locations ! Thank you so much for reading and have a great day! *Thank you Goldfish Swim School for sponsoring this post. However, I only accept services and products that would benefit my readers. As usual, all opinions are mine.
Mommy and Me: Ruffled top and Floral bomber jacket
April – top: c/o Rosegal / jeans: Hollister / bag: Prada/ shoes: Rampage Olivia- overall: Gap kids / jacket: Zara kids (sold out) similar here and here / sweater: Old Navy / shoes: Adidas Michigan winter have been nice lately, except today because it’s literally snowing outside right now. So it was refreshing to bust out a few Spring inspired outfits a few days ago. A high 50’s or 60’s might be cold for some of you but here in Michigan that weather in the middle of winter is a blessing. It’s truly amazing how weather can affect everybody’s mood, everywhere you go everybody are just happy and smiling. A lot people are spending their days outside, doing their thing. We all know it’s not going to last, so we gotta take advantage of it as much as we can.
Comfy and Cozy
Lace-Up Sweater and Boyfriend Jeans for Brunch
sweater: c/o Zaful/ boyfriend jeans: Hollister (size 1 short)sold out similar here/ bag: Prada/ shoes: Karl Lagerfeld / bracelet bangle: Loft (old) I want to be straightly honest to you, as a stay at home mom of two I don’t dressed like this on a daily basis. Most of the time, you’ll bump into me without make up and dressed in rags. But I don’t care, that’s raw and real motherhood and I’m proud of it. I’m not sure if I’m ready to be make up less and dressed up in my rags on the blog. I can’t be like one of those mamas who have no trace of make up on, just wearing sneakers and yoga pants and still look fabulous in photos or real life. I wish I could but I’m not that gifted or I’m just not confident enough. Another thing, I want to be out of my comfort zone. I want to dress up differently from what I wear on my regular days.
An open letter to my 4 years old daughter
Dear Olivia, When the doctor told me for the gender reveal ultrasound that I am having a girl, we were all so excited and happy! We can’t wait to meet you and I can’t wait to dress you up. I always wanted a girl as my second child and you are absolutely a dream come true.