Browsing Tag

love goldfish

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!

Holidays

Christmas at the Smied House + A Goldfish Swim School Giveaway!

Posted on December 12, 2017

Happy Christmas season! I don’t know about you, but the last few weeks have felt really crazy for us here – we celebrated Isla’s first birthday (post coming soon!), celebrated Thanksgiving, and have been trying to decorate for the holidays.

The rule at our house is no Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving. Last year I had a baby on Thanksgiving day, so we hardly decorated; this year I was ready to go ALL OUT on November 24th!

But my toddler had other plans.

She is so active now, that it’s hard to carve out time to get much done. It took me over a week to get the Christmas tree setup (1 day), get the lights on the tree (4 days), and get the ornaments and tree topper on (another 3 days).

But now it’s done and she loves it! She was only a few weeks old this time last year, so it’s really fun now to see her enjoying the snow, and looking at all of the Christmas lights. It’s so precious watching her experience the magic of Christmas for the first time.

“Decorating” the tree = ripping bows and ribbon off presents and stuffing them into the branches.

We taught her right away that we don’t touch the tree – and she loves showing us the things she’s learned. So she’ll crawl up to the tree, make sure we’re looking, and then wag her finger at the tree and say “no no!”. Not touching the tree is pretty serious business to her.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Considering how long it’s taken me to get my decorating done, you can bet that I don’t have my Christmas shopping done yet. How about you?

On that note, for my Metro Detroit readers out there – I have a great idea for a gift this year! We have had an awesome experience this year at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor, so I am really excited to give away one Goldfish Swim School Holiday Package to one lucky reader! These packages are *adorable* and are a wonderful way to give the gift of experience (the best kind of gift!) and water safety.

This giveaway isn’t just for Moms & Dads, I’m also looking at you Aunts & Uncles, Grandparents, any of you out there with a special little one in your life!

The package contains:

2 Months of Swim Lessons
Waived Registration Fee
Family Swim Passes
Fleece Blanket
Winter Hat

The winner will pick up their prize at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor, and it can be redeemed at any of the 7 Metro Detroit area Goldfish Swim Schools:
Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Canton, Clarkston, Farmington Hills, Macomb, Rochester

HOW TO ENTER:

Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter the giveaway! If you cannot see the Rafflecopter widget, you may need to reload the page (or if you’re viewing this in an email, click over to the post).

1 winner will be chosen randomly on December 15th at 12AM EST, and will be notified via email.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck (I secretly hope you all win), and Happy Holidays!

Family Pregnancy/Baby

Benefits to Pre-First Birthday Swim Lessons

Posted on November 29, 2017

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.

I can’t believe it, but we officially have a one year old! It doesn’t seem possible.

We’ve been going to swim classes at Goldfish Swim School in Ann Arbor since August. When I tell friends and family about it, they’re often surprised and little confused that I would put her in classes so young.

To be honest, when I started Isla in swimming I was just as skeptical that she would learn much at all, but the skills she’s gained are noticeable and definitely beneficial. It was recently progress report week, and she’s doing so well!

Oh hey, guys. Just taking a picture with Bubbles!

So I felt the need to share the top reasons – from a personal experience – why you should enroll your baby in swim classes before they even turn 1!

As I’ve talked about in my first lesson recap and water safety posts, we’re in the Mini 1 class, which ranges in age from 4-15 months.

1. Confidence In the Water
I’ve met many little babies and toddlers who HATE the water. Bath water, pool water, lake water, they hate all of it. Some of this boils down to the baby’s personal preferences, but some of these little ones just weren’t exposed to it (other than bath time) early on in life, and end up developing a fear of it. Isla was introduced SO young – she had her first dip in the pool at 6 months, and started swim classes at 8 months – that now it’s no big deal.

2. Bath Time Fun
This brings me to my next point – bath time! Some babies love it, some hate it. Isla was in the former category when we first started baths, at least when it came to getting her head and face wet. She would gasp, choke, and try to climb out of the tub to get away from the water – and this would usually end up in panicked tears. Poor girl.

Since we’ve started at Goldfish, her comfort level with water has increased 1000x. When we wash her face/hair, it’s a non-issue. We tend to do bath time every night right before bed, so it’s a huge relief that she can relax now and wind down instead of working herself up.

Floating like a little baby otter.

3. Bonding Time with Mom & Dad
We LOVE class time with Isla. So much, that we have to take turns every other weekend getting in the pool with her! Not only does it solidify the trust between you and baby during teaching moments, but we also spend most of the lesson smiling or laughing.

4. Physical Activity
Swimming is great exercise for kids and adults alike, and I’m glad we’re getting her started early. I’ve also noticed that she naps a lot better right after class — she usually fights naps like it’s her job, so I’ll consider this a big win.

Practicing climbing out. Elbow, elbow, belly, knee!

5. Social Interaction/Observation
If you’ve ever visited GSS on a weekend, you know it can be busy. However, I’ve found that to be a plus for our girl. She loves watching all of the other kids and babies swimming while we’re waiting for class.

My favorite thing is when we’re in the pool trying something new and she’s hesitant, she’ll often look to the other babies in class and watch what they’re doing. When she sees that they’ll try it (and have fun!), she’ll look right back to us with a new found bravery and try it herself, like “I can do it, too, Mama!”.

6. Babies love it!
This one is pretty self explanatory. When we’re in the changing room, I can hardly get her into her suit and swim diaper before she’s demanding I pick her up. She’ll look at me, point at the door, and say “bye bye!” – it’s her way of saying “okay, mama! I’m ready for the pool, let’s go NOW!”

My two favorite Goldfish.

We are looking forward to growing up through swim lessons, and learning how the Mini 2 classes will be when she gets promoted in just 3 short months!

We love our instructor, Miss Megan!

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 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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