Rapunzel she is not!

Little Princess is well a princess. 

She might be Cinderella, she likes shoes.

She might be Belle, she likes to read and dance.

She might be Snow White, fair complected, dark hair, ruby red lips.

Rapunzel she is not.

Stick her in a tower, she will not let down her hair.

She will CLIMB out of her tower and be free.

She is sweet.

She is tender.

She is kind.

She is loving.

She is compassionate.

She is STRONG!

 

There was a climbing competition at the Y this weekend.

We weren't sure how to make it work. 

Hockey Player had a tournament in OKC.

Then my head cold worsened.

I wasn't sleeping well.

In a hotel, that is not a good thing.

It was decided best for everyone if mom stayed home.

The girls were given the choice.

Then Fun Girl's cold worsened.

Little Princess definitely didn't want to be alone with the boys.

AND she had a competition to entice her away from a trip out of town.

As the boys drove south, we headed north to the Y.

 

Warming UP!

 

Stretching and demonstrating flexibility

 

 

 

Half way across the boulder

 

 

It is hard to tell in this photo, but she is hanging on by her finger tips.

She is trying to get her footing so she can inch her way to the right.

 

 

To the corner and now to cross the bridge!

 

 

Pulling up and heading to the red and yellow markers on the right

 

 

Touched at last!

 

 

One exhausted girl

750 points

She took 2nd place. 

7 point difference between her and first.

She tied her friend for second.

She chose chalk as her prize.

 

I DID IT...and I owe it all to Sisterly Competitiveness

Last night I read this post on my sister's blog.
I was taking note of her goals.  Never had I set out to make monthly goals aside from school stuff.  I make weekend goals.  Sometimes goals for the week. These goals are out of necessity.  I need to communicate with the family and hubby what I need to do, so I am afforded the time to accomplish these tasks. 
Last night I stopped and pondered her personal goals.  I just skipped over the ab stuff 'cause I do all those things in my dreams.  That works just as well, right?  But I double blinked and froze on the words "Swim 500 3 days weekly". 
Humph,
You see I have started swimming again.  I mean purposely swimming laps.  I haven't kept track of my laps.  Or my length of time.  My sister was swimming when she lived in Canada and I was cheering her on from my Kansas home.  Never gave it a second thought. 
I mentioned starting up swimming to hubby a couple of months ago and he laughed at me.  Not in a mean way.  He laughed and said, "Yeah, like that is gonna happen where are you going to find the time?"  It is true the kids keep me running and until this past Spring, he was never home in the evenings to help with kid activities. 
About 2 weeks ago, I talked to Fun Girl, the lifeguard, and asked her if lanes were open during swim practice.  She quickly tried to direct me to the quietest times at the pool.  I hushed her and said, I need to swim and the only way I have a chance of swimming is when you are at swim team.  Are there any lanes open?  The boys can go to hockey.  Little Princess could climb and/or swim with me. 

Perfect.

That is exactly what has been happening.  Fun Girl has practice 3 times a week.  I don't swim the whole time.  I wait till about 1/2 hour is left to her practice.  This is when there are some open lanes.Little Princess climbs till then and joins me.

The first few times, I coughed and sputtered.  My lungs were so affected by the ragweed, they were not exactly receptive.  But each time it has improved.  I have noticed my allergy suffering is decreasing.  If too many days pass between trips to the pool, my allergies are insufferable
. 
Fast forward to last night, I see my sister's goal.  500 m.  Well, humph, if she is going to swimm 500m then I should too.  Why had I not thought about setting a goal?   I have to admit there is some serious competitiveness motivating me.  I can't let my OLDER sister be swimming further and more than me. 
So hubby wakes me this morning. He let me sleep in.  We were visiting and hanging out and he asked me if I was going to get ready?  What? Why?  He reminded me I said I was going to swim.  He reminded me The Man had gymnastics and my plan was to swim meanwhile, then we would leave.  Oh.  It took a bit more finagling, but we came up with a workable plan.  That is when I did it.  I opened my mouth.  I told DaddyO my plan to swim 500 m.  Then I said, Fun Girl probably wouldn't be impressed.  He agreed.  She swims 1000s of meters.  Almost 2/12 miles a practice.  Nothing like announcing your competitive goal to family.  It was just my hubby.  He would understand if I bit off more than I could chew and swallow. 
I didn't stop there though. I told Little Princess.  She was so encouraging.  I was so excited, I had a goal!  Then we arrived and I discovered Fun Girl was life guarding the lap pool.  I need her to pick up The Man right after her shift, so I can finish my swim and shower and get ready for the day.  But I didn't stop there.  I told her my goal and plan.  My mouth was in over drive. 
She laughed.  She laughed and she chuckled. 
My goal was nothing more than a warm up for her.
HumpH!   Well if she had been having babies and raising them the last 16 years, maybe she would be excited by this goal.  How rude!  Does she not know her out of shape mommy has been spending all her waking time tending to her children.  Sacrificing for them.  She laughed !
So I splashed her.  Rule number 1, don't splash Fun Girl.  If she is dry, she wants to stay that way.  She will get wet to rescue, but she prefers to stay dry.  Dismay was on her face.  She taunted me.  Into the water I go, and I gasped a little louder than I intended and she started laughing hysterically.  She offers to time me.  I glare at her.  She offers to keep track on the dry erase board for all to see, and I glare at her. 
I swim.  And I do really well.  After the first 125 m, I start to think how stupid I am for opening my mouth.  My lungs are starting to feel some discomfort.  I pause to wheeze and cough.  She asks how many I have done.  Quickly calculates how many more I have to do.  Naughty girl.  I swim.   Another 50 m and I change my stroke much to her dismay.  She starts trying to improve my technique and I frown and growl, that I am trying to breathe.  Leave me alone. Breath caught I revert to my freestyle.  With 100m left, I change my strokes again.  Fun Girl is shocked and raises eyebrows.  "I am still in motion!  I don't want to drown. Leave me alone."  
I am done!
She walks over.  Leave me alone.  I was trying not to drown on your watch.  She laughs and tells me she wouldn't have rescued me.  2 other life guards were in the water, off duty, and racing one another.  She would have sent them over to me, since they were already in the water! 
I am feeling the love.
All I can say, I am glad I did open my mouth and tell way too many people.  Cause I DID IT!!!!
I completed all 500m.  I laughed at myself all day.  I can't wait for my sister to read this.  I tried to call her multiple times today.  Life is life and we never seem to be able to talk at the same time. 
So, thanks sis, for unknowingly inspiring in me a competitive streak to stretch beyond my comfort zone. 

Exceptional........ and so much more............

We are spending a significant amount of evening time at the Y these days. 
I am not getting any workouts completed.  I often spend the time getting caught up on computer work, emails, or reading.  That is if my presence is not needed for supervising and spotting my children. 
Only one night is there swim lessons, the one time the children are being actively supervised and kept safe by a trained individual. .
And I really should walk during that time....but the last few weeks, I have secured that time to get some time pressing projects done, so bed time would not be delayed.

The other nights my presence is required.  The Man likes to rock wall climb.  Since he is the youngest and not "of age,"  I have to sit down by the wall while he climbs.  So I curl up, do a puzzle, read, shout some encouragement, watch and cheer.  I might even zone out a bit during this time.  I might even come back down to earth to listen to the chatter or excited youngsters who have climbed the next hardest or hardest section!

Tonight, I met Mr. Ben.  He was excited and impressed. 

He introduced himself and asked me if I had some time.  Yep, we'll be here for another 45 minutes. 
He was thrilled.  I am looking at him thinking, "OOooookAY?? What's up?" (Meanwhile, I am pulling The Man off the wall cause I am too distracted to spot him.  And I have been asked by one of the belayers to spot him.)

He explains, my 3 kiddos (The Man, Princess and Hockey Player) (by the way, Dad's Bud is at Cub Scouts) are EXCEPTIONAL climbers. 
(DUH!! They climb everything, appliances, walls, doorframes, trees, rock walls, boulders, buildings, the gym wall at church)

He tells me again, "They are exceptional climbers."  (Again, telling me this as I pull The Man off the wall yet again!)

Oh boy, I am in for it now. 

"They naturally know how to climb." (Pulling The Man off the wall again ~ Really, he naturally knows how to climb and can't help himself!)

Yep, I know that.  The Man fell 8 feet last year and broke an arm.  The Man was climbing the front of my refrigerator when he was 2.  If I can't find my children when I look out the door, I look in the trees.  I have had to ask them (threaten them) to not climb my door frames or walls unless they were willing to clean them. 

Mr. Ben, "Can I work with them? Teach them some things?"
He teaches classes and he could give them drills and instructions and things to work on.  They can learn in 30 minutes in what he usually teaches over a course of 4 weeks. 

OOooooKAaaay.
I am thinking, great what are they going to climb at home now?  AND GREAT! I don't have to pay for classes!

Then it comes.  Footwear.  If they have the right kind of footwear they would do AMAZING things when they climbed.  Oh boy.  Here it comes, they are listening.  Their eyes are sparkling.  Their ears are perked and they are listening and hanging onto every word Mr. Ben has to say!

And I listen to.  I ask questions. 

And now, I am researching climbing shoes.  Would you know, I can find very little down to earth suggestions and options and ideas from experienced moms in this area! ! ? ? ! !  
Frustrating. 
I have looked at the climbing shoes!  ! YowZer!!!  They want as much for a pair of STRICTLY Climbing ONLY shoes as I pay for a pay of my athletic/tennis shoes!!! 

These kids have growing feet. 

So I have been on Ebay.  It is not much better there! ! ! 

Where are all the children that climb!  Where are their mothers and shoes and advice????

For the first time ever, Princess is interested.  She heard there was a climbing team.  Her eyes got all sparkly, her head whipped so fast around, I thought it was spinning on an axis.  She is excited.  She is all interested, like crocheting and knitting interested.  I watched her work with Mr. Ben and saw her body splayed out across the rock wall.  Legs stretched as far apart across the side of the wall, fingers poked into little holes and she suspended in the air there, clinging to this rock.  Satisfaction, confidence and delight written over her contenance.  Strength!

A little while later, I hear Hockey Player ask if she wants to practice with him what they have learned.  Off they go.  The Man not far behind.  He doesn't see it as practice.  It is just play.  He climbs and climbs. NO fear, no second thoughts, he just goes. 

I am thinking....shoes.
Praying, please no injuries, no broken bones, no falls. 
Pleading Lord, please limit their interest to the indoors.  Please shield this Momma from thrill seeking outdoor rock climbers.  Please no ERs.

Oh NO!  We have a trip planned to Colorado Springs.  We are going to the Garden of the Gods.  Visions from my youth of climbers on the rocks in the Garden of the Gods flash through my mind.  Help me, my trip is going to involve tethering children to the ground. 

Deep breath, exhale, another deep breath, exhale. 

Wait and Pray. 

Borrow the Y shoes for now. 

Exceptional....

For my children are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Knitted together by the Creator, by the One who has a Plan and Purpose for each of them.  Each one is unique and different and set apart from the others.  All from the same parents.  All from the same Creator and yet so vastly and uniquely different.  Exceptional not only in the eyes of those who love them, but Exceptional in the eyes of the One who Created them for His Plan and His Purpose. 
Lord give me wisdom, strength and ENERGY as I parent them for you.  Reveal to them this Plan and Purpose You have created them for.  Help me to stay out of the way, to support You Lord in Your Plans and Purposes for each of them and to enjoy each day as they discover who You have created them to be. 
Continue to bless me with a sense of humor and the ability to laugh.
Amen.

YMCA ~ Young Mighty Children Actitivites

Fun Girl has started swim team!  She is loving it. 

I am so happy for her.  And it is such good exercise for her. 

After a bad experience about 4 years ago, she wanted nothing to do with swim team. 

This year, she changed her mind. 

Her siblings are loving it.  Now that hockey is over, we were spending our evenings at home.  Now we are spending our evenings at the Y.  At least 3 nights a week. 

This translates into Rock Wall Climbing, Foos ball, Pool, Swimming, Ping Pong and Video games.  Sometimes, they head out to the playground.  One night a week, Dad's Bud and The Man are in swim lessons.

The only problem with all this physical exercise is they still don't get tired and they are eating more!!

So on these nights.... I look for a head that looks like this.....

Then I look for faces with smiles like these....

Then I look for faces or bodies in positions like these............

either way up high in the sky!  !

or way down low, looking up and anticipating the next climb..

Your toes are pink? ! ?

To D...
Who painted your toes?
I did !
No picture here, Dad was not quite thrilled his toe nails were pink. I knew better than to take a picture.
On the other hand he did a very nice job for being 3 yrs. old.
S told me, he walked into the dining room and caught him sitting there painting away.
He only did one foot.
Funny part, is my discovery was just before we went to the Y to go swimming.
While in the lazy river, he became distressed cause the pink was coming off.
"My paint, my paint is gone, my paint is washing off."
Hmmm, maybe we won't tell the dad that part.
There is still just enough there to show dad what a good job he did.
Won't dad be proud ! ? !

My kids new favorite song is ......

YMCA _ YMCA _ YMCA
I hear it all day, and in the car the whole way.
They love to cool off at the YMCA waterpark 5 or 6 miles from our home. Must say it sure helps them sleep really well. It also keeps them away from the tv. They get along a whole lot better when they are in the water. The only downer is how hungry they are this week. Today, M had seconds, thirds, fourths, then there was nothing left at lunchtime so she raided the refrigerator. Fruit, yogurt and who knows what else she consumed before she felt full. I know she ate a whole lot of steamed carrots.