diy mama

lifestyle blog sharing diy, family, travel, organization & disney tips

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Water Safety Tips for Vacation

**This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School, though all opinions are my own.

Spring and summer break is right around the corner and that inevitably means your kids will be around water. Whether you’re searching for warmer weather at the beach or hitting up a hotel pool, your kids need to know how to be safe around water.

On Vacation

We just got back from vacation and I’m so thankful that we’ve been working on our water safety skills at Goldfish Swim School. During vacation, we were at a couple different locations that had pools, all of which were deep enough that my daughter couldn’t touch while having her head above water.

Because she’s a Glider 2 at Goldfish Swim School she’s working on turning over on her back while she swims to catch her breath. This was extremely helpful during this trip because she was calm enough to think ahead when she was running out of energy or air and turn herself over. She also had amazing confidence in the water which I hadn’t seen in her before.

Our smaller swimmer was excited to practice some of the drills she learned in class such as the otter float, jumping into my arms in the pool, and climbing out of the pool herself.

Swim Safety Tips for Vacation

Goldfish Swim’s TOP priority is swim safety and in class, we learned:

  1. About lifeguards. What their job is and how to recognize them. TIP: Always know if and when lifeguards are on duty, and don’t swim alone if there are no lifeguards on duty.
  2. Posted signs. Pay attention to posted swim times. The times may be when lifeguards are on duty or when the pool is open, but the times are listed for a reason – so heed them.
  3. Scope things out. Check out pool first – for the depth throughout, any ledges on the sides to be aware of if jumping in, where ladders are, etc. At the beach, notice any boundaries and be sure to wade through the water and notice any drop-offs and what the bottom of the water is like.

These tips were especially helpful for us on our trip because we were in both indoor pools, outdoor pools, and the ocean. You can never be too cautious when dealing with water.

Stop into a Goldfish Swim School location near you today and sign up your kids for swimming lessons! They’re committed to providing WOW! customer service and they’ll have you and your kids celebrating some extraordinary results in no time!

Related posts:

Loving Our Hearts at Goldfish Swim School

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10 Things I’m Thankful For

Hello lovelies! I’ve been feeling very thankful lately. Sometimes I get wrapped up in ‘not having enough_____ (time, money, friends, space, clothes, chocolate etc.)’ and have to catch myself by thinking about all the awesomeness that I do have. I’m reading Daring Greatly right now which is helping me learn to ’embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.’ All of these things sound so simple, yet are tough for us to live in our every day lives. To start daring greatly, I’m going to notice the things that I’m thankful for every day. flowers

1. My pup who sits here as I write with her head on my lap. Tomorrow she is having surgery to remove a tooth and I’m worried for her to have anesthetics. I’m thankful that we didn’t have to face the hard choice on if we should go through with the $700 surgery because of money. A lot of people do not have the option to give medical care to their pets and I’m so thankful we do.

2. Sophie’s amazing grandparents. We are so lucky to have both of our parents in her life. They both care for her unconditionally and I can really see the love that they have for her.  I was fortunate enough to have grandparents who loved me so much and I am so happy that Sophie can experience that type of love.

3. Music. I love that intense orchestral music can make me scared during a movie. I’m glad that listening to pop music can keep me motivated to clean. I’m thankful that you can feel a special bond with someone who shares the same love for a band that I do.

4. Pumpkin flavored everything. When I was pregnant with Sophie, I craved pumpkin more than anything. It’s closing in on fall meaning pumpkin goodness is in my future again.

5. Awesome neighbors. Our neighbors are always there to let us borrow a cup of milk, watch Sophie for a few minutes, give us recipes, share books, teach us a new craft, be a workout buddy and hang out with us on the sidewalks while we wait for our families to come home.

6. All four seasons. In Illinois, we can get all four seasons in a matter of two weeks. I’m not a huge fan when that happens but I am thankful that we get to see the grass and flowers grow from the rain in the spring, sunny warm nights in the summer, beautiful colors on the trees in the fall and snow to play in during the winter. I used to love all four seasons when I was young and I know, now that we have Sophie, that I’ll love them again just as much.

7. An easy going partner. I can change moods in one second flat and am so thankful that Jeffrey is extremely level headed to balance me out. He is happy to go along with my ‘fun adventures’ and just stay home to be with our family.

8. All the luck that I’ve stumbled into and opportunities that I’ve been a part of. If I talk about all the fun things that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of, I’d just sound like I was bragging. A few of my favorite lucky things are my wonderful childhood, meeting my love, going to Purdue, being a Disney cast member and having a successful pregnancy.

9. Glitter, jewels and gems. I love sparkly shiny things. I’m thankful to have seen several exhibits on gems and start a collection of them. I think everything and everyone should be accessorized with glitter, jewels and gems!

10. The feeling of safety. Today, 9/11 is a reminder that terrible things can happen at any moment to change our lives. I’m thankful that I do not have daily fear of something terrible happening like so many people have around the world. I’m thankful to be raised where I was and to have the opportunity to live where I do today.

What are you thankful for? How are you living a wholehearted life? It’s hard, but like everything else, one step at a time.

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What’s in my…Car?

Hey everybody! Today I’m starting a new series called What’s in my ______? I’ll be doing posts once or twice per month for this organizing series. I’m choosing areas of my life that seem to get disorganized easily and showing you how I’m fixing the problem. I wanted to start with my car because 1. It was a royal mess from our last trip to Indiana and 2. It seems most people who have kids have a hard time keeping their cars organized!

what's-in-my-car

Here is the state my car was in before organizing it (not pictured: stroller and pack n’ play that was just removed):

trunk car-seat center-consoleNot THAT bad other than the trunk, right? WRONG! It bugs me really bad when my car isn’t clean. This doesn’t even show all the dust, hand prints, dirty windshield, dog hair and saw dust that has accumulated throughout the car. I also get frustrated with hearing all the change in the center console shifting around. First step: Empty everything that does not belong in the car.

clean-trunkI like to keep my trunk empty so I don’t have to worry about the stroller getting caught/breaking things and so there is always room if I decide to go grocery shopping on a whim. I’ve left my re-usable bags and umbrella so they’re easily accessible. We LOVE these liners for our floors as well. I carry a lot of flowers in our trunk that always spill and get top soil everywhere. This mat can easily be taken out, shook off, vacuumed and hosed down if needed.

car-kitI’d originally made a car kit to keep in my car with safety equipment for winter and one for random ‘you might need one of those someday’ type situations. This car has this nifty tray in the trunk that holds everything I need.

Items in said car kit:

  1. Lint Roller
  2. Emergency Food Bar
  3. Fix-A-Flat
  4. Emergency Shovel/Pick/Compass
  5. Deck of Cards
  6. Baby Wipes
  7. Kleenex
  8. Hand Sanitizer
  9. Handheld Light
  10. Flares
  11. Flash Light
  12. Band-Aids
  13. Nail Clippers
  14. Tweezers
  15. Notebook & Pen
  16. Collapsible Dog Water Bowl
  17. Screwdriver
  18. Large Ziplock Bag
  19. Socket Wrench for Wheels
  20. Diaper
  21. Tampon
  22. Bungee Cord
  23. Ponchos
  24. Jumper Cables
  25. Hand Warmers
  26. Hand Held Ice Scraper
  27. Mini Sewing Kit

This may be a bit much but I had everything on hand, it fit in my car and I’m a Girl Scout- Always Be Prepared!

My next messy space was my center console:

clean-center-consoleI kept everything in there but organized it better. I used a mini M&M container to hold all my quarters for parking downtown. I also put a $20 in there in case I’m ever stranded for gas or need taxi money. I also have a second flashlight, hand lotion, tire gauge, pen and my local discount cards. I don’t like filling my wallet with punch/rewards cards so I keep them in my car since we almost always drive my car. The bottom portion has plenty of room to grow but holds hand sanitizer, a few CDs, AUX cables and phone chargers. My glove box is also empty which I love because I’m sure I’ll want that easy access space as Sophie gets older.

Do I have entirely too much stuff in my car?? I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately we can’t access the trunk tray if our car is packed for a road trip. How do you keep things organized in your car? What else is a must-have for your ride?

 

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