Swim time!

I can't believe it! Where has the time gone. I can't believe my little babes are already two years old! Time has certainly been flying by. One of the fun things the girls got for their birthdays (thank you Grandma and Grandpa) are swimming lessons. It has been a blast so far. The pool is indoors and heated so it doesn't matter what the weather is like and they have so much fun. Of course, having twins, this is not something I recommend a mom of multiples to do alone at this age. My husband comes and we switch each class who has which girl, so we both get time with each of them.

They have a class for babies, the toddler one my girls are in, and one after (they have to be three) and it teaches them to actually swim. The class for babies is to get them used to being in the water and to have fun. The toddler one is about teaching them the skills they will need to use later to learn to swim. We do fun activities, singing songs, blowing bubbles, etc. BUT it also teaches them to reach forward, kick their legs, work their arms and get used to going under water. The two biggest skills for them right now, in my opinion, is learning to float (they hate this) and getting in and out of the pool.

To teach them how to float, we have them put the backs of their heads on our shoulders and look up, with their feet out, in a floating position. It appears kids are either okay with it, or like mine, they resist. Each class seems to get a little better.

The other big skill is having them climb out of the pool, ask if they can get in. and their favorite, jumping back in. So far, I get "mommy pool" as they try to jump and I catch them. I make sure they get a big splash as I bring them into the water and they think its just the greatest. This is their favorite and they get so excited over it. Every class they have gotten a little more daring.

I've had people ask why I was teaching them so young to swim. That they were so little. I feel it is never too early to learn to swim. In fact, if things had worked out differently last year, I would have started them then. Not only do they have a blast and look forward to their time in the pool, but they are learning a very important life skill. Every summer growing up in Arizona, I would see babies drowning in pools. Now in the Midwest I see the same issues with ponds and lakes. People think, the doors are locked, I have a fence, everything is fine. Yet the toddlers manage to get out regardless, and in that split second things can happen. So yes, I intend to teach my kids to be able to float, climb out, and one day soon, swim. Give them the skills they need to at least make an attempt to wait for help. If you haven't seen the videos of babies dropping into a pool and knowing how to flip over and float until safety arrives you should check it out. While no one ever wants their kid in that sort of situation, it doesn't hurt to teach them.

 The hardest part is getting them changed. Sure you can put them in their swim suits, but as mine aren't completely potty trained yet, they still need swim diapers. Swim diapers hold poo but not pee, so I don't put those on them until we get there. If we can catch the family rest room it works out great because Adam and I can take the girls in together to get them ready. The times I have to take both slippery girls back to the locker room and try and get them changed myself can be challenging. I like to get them out of their swim suits right away and dry, but I have to keep my swim suit from dripping water onto their dry clothes. Trying to keep them both by me while we all get changed, keep their dry clothes dry, keep them from slipping, all in a new environment can be interesting, but it gets easier. In the locker room they want to explore around the corners, say hi to everyone and check everything out; which is fine, except the door to the pool is just a push open, and I constantly have to make sure they don't sneak towards it. Hence why I tend to make my life easier and just wait out the family room. I am sure as they get older and can start getting dressed themselves it will get easier. But right now I prefer not to have my half dressed babies trying to run around the locker room.

Even with the challenges of getting them changed after class, I would completely recommend teaching your kids to swim. It's never too early and they will have a blast!

Win Money & Lose Weight

Hey all.
So I thought I would pass some information your way. If you go to www.bodybuilding.com you can sign up to win up to $250k for your weight loss journey. Some of the lower prizes are still 10k. Shoot I would be happy with no money at all and just feeling more amazing, but if you are planning to work out why not give it a try? You'll be losing weight any ways right? Besides, a little extra motivation never hurt anyone.

It is free (I just signed up myself). All you have to do is join bodybuilding.com, go to the transformation challenge and click register  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/transformation-challenge.html  , and upload your before pictures (showing the date). If you think you may want to try this do it soon because there are only a few days left to register for the transformation challenge.

If you would like to follow my transformation friend me - dmblsnstrollers - just be sure to put in the friend request comments who you are. I'd love to see your transformations!

Good luck!

Katie

Looking for a new challenge?

Ahh it is time again for New Years resolutions. As I have said before, any weight loss changes really needs to be a lifestyle change. That being said, if you are looking to make that change, I have a new challenge for you this month.

I decided for the first month to start out with something simple. If you are already hitting the gym this probably won't be for you. This will be for someone just starting their journey toward a healthier life. As the months progress we will make it more challenging.

For this month we will be focusing on toning your upper body, lower body, and core. The first week we will be doing 10 squats, 10 push-ups (if you need to start on your knees that is okay. If that is too hard start with your hands on a wall and angle your feet back a couple steps. Eventually you will be ready to move to the ground), and either 10 crunches OR hold a plank as long as you can. Do these every day. The second week will be 20 of each of these every day, the third week 30 and so on. When you get further on you can separate them out if you want and do 20 in the morning, 20 at night, or however you can get them done. Just get up and get moving. Make this your minimum goals for the month.

Be sure to take before pictures. That way, at the end of every month, you can take a new picture to see your progress. I would recommend taking your measurements, or checking how your jeans fit, instead of using a scale to asses your achievements as water weight etc can effect the scale on a daily basis. If you do use the scale, don't check it every day. I would recommend every two weeks, but knowing most people can't wait that long, I would say no more then once a week, at the same general time of day.

If you decide to try this challenge I would love to hear back from you. Let us all know how it went for you, share you stories in the comments below. What would you like our challenge to focus on next month?

An extra Bonus:
Now, if you really want to start off your month with a bang, the first week you start your challenge try a liver cleanse. (I do not recommend trying this until you are 100% done breastfeeding as I do not know the affects it would have on that and am waiting myself) I know people who do this once a year and have had great results. This isn't a way to lose weight (although I've heard 10-20 pounds lost that week). It is a way to kick start a healthy life. It helps cleanse your body of toxins and should make you feel better. The one my husband is doing is called Dr. Groups 6 day liver cleanse.

You may want to check with your doctor about this if you have any health concerns, but if you decide to try this portion we found it on Amazon and had the product 2 days later. There is a diet you need to do with the cleanse. If you can't find it on google let me know and I will try to get you the information you need. I will try and update you all as his week progresses. That along with our new challenge for the month should have us headed in the right direction.