History Girl had her first swim practice this evening. Maybe I should change her name to Swim Chick here....maybe, but not yet. I am so proud of her I could burst. History Girl is known for not really working hard at anything. She coasts, she is very smart, and because of that she can do well and not really apply herself. It is something that she gets from Fly Guy....I am not being mean or anything if you asked him he would tell you the same thing. Any how back to History Girl and her swim practice. They were working on stroke drills to prefect their swimming form. Drills can be hard to do because you really have to think about what you are doing, but History Girl did it all and without a fuss. She listened well, she took criticism well and the coach was very good at complementing her when she did do what he wanted her to do. She swam about 500 yards in the hour practice, which is a fraction of what I do, but for a kid who is just starting that is pretty good. She does have a natural breaststroke...with a little refining she really will do well at it. I am so proud of the fact that she really worked hard at something and she did an amazing job. I told her how proud I was of her and how she did a great job.
Fly Guy is out this evening so I can't even share with him how proud I am of History Girl. I tried to call him on his cell phone, but he didn't pick up, so I am stuck gushing here. :-) Can I say again how proud I am of her? :-)
Showing posts with label Swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swimming. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Swimming and History Girl
Yesurday History Girl got a chance to try out for a swim club. The coach really liked her. History Girl is going to try it for a week before I am willing to sign her up for it. Not only it is expencive, but it takes a lot of time and effort.
I have been swimming competively since I was a little younger then History Girl. My mother expected me to get myself to swim practice on my own. Which I did without a problem. My mother only made it to one of my swim meets and that was only because my Grandfather (her dad) wanted to see me swim, since he was a swimmer. My dad made it to the meets he could because he worked nights at the time. If you work for a morning paper then you work nights to get it ready in time.
Ever since I became a Mom I wanted a daughter who would be a swimmer. Even though I wanted that, I never said anything about it because I never wanted them to feel like they had to do it. I told them both they had to learn how to swim. A child of mine doesn't grow up on the coast without learning how to swim. If they didn't learn how to swim I wouldn't let them go on boats/ships/etc. So they learned how to swim.
So I am so excited about this. I hope she likes it, but I needto make sure that I stay the suppoter and not become her coach, because having swum competively off and on for 25+ years, I have coached many of my teammates. I shouldn't coach my own daughter because it would hurt our relationship.
We are already having one minor problem. The swim club has a parent/child meet. History Girl has already told me that if I swim agaist her and win, she will be upset. I reminded her that she won't always win there will always be someone better then she is. She said that she understands it just would hurt if I beat her. Well I am one of the top backstrokers in the state in my age group, so if we swim backstroke I will beat her and a good number of the younger kids in the club...I am not delusional...I know the senior swimmers would beat me to a pulp. :-) Maybe I will do an event that History Girl isn't doing and then have Fly Guy swim agaist History Girl. ;-)
I have been swimming competively since I was a little younger then History Girl. My mother expected me to get myself to swim practice on my own. Which I did without a problem. My mother only made it to one of my swim meets and that was only because my Grandfather (her dad) wanted to see me swim, since he was a swimmer. My dad made it to the meets he could because he worked nights at the time. If you work for a morning paper then you work nights to get it ready in time.
Ever since I became a Mom I wanted a daughter who would be a swimmer. Even though I wanted that, I never said anything about it because I never wanted them to feel like they had to do it. I told them both they had to learn how to swim. A child of mine doesn't grow up on the coast without learning how to swim. If they didn't learn how to swim I wouldn't let them go on boats/ships/etc. So they learned how to swim.
So I am so excited about this. I hope she likes it, but I needto make sure that I stay the suppoter and not become her coach, because having swum competively off and on for 25+ years, I have coached many of my teammates. I shouldn't coach my own daughter because it would hurt our relationship.
We are already having one minor problem. The swim club has a parent/child meet. History Girl has already told me that if I swim agaist her and win, she will be upset. I reminded her that she won't always win there will always be someone better then she is. She said that she understands it just would hurt if I beat her. Well I am one of the top backstrokers in the state in my age group, so if we swim backstroke I will beat her and a good number of the younger kids in the club...I am not delusional...I know the senior swimmers would beat me to a pulp. :-) Maybe I will do an event that History Girl isn't doing and then have Fly Guy swim agaist History Girl. ;-)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Swimming and being social
Swimming started up for me on Monday so I am back to waking up at 5am. Yes it is early, but I need to remember that swim practice is the one sure way to snap me out a a long running depression. Not only it is because of the hard work...more work then if I was swimming a lone, but it is time with my friends.
Fly Guy for the longest time thought I never spent time with my friends and then he realized that he was looking for me to have the same pattern he has. He gets home from work comes home hangs out with me and helps get the girls to bed and then he goes out to hang out with his friends. It took him awhile to realize, but pattern is to wake up at 5am and get up go to the pool hang out with my friends pre and post workout. We talk about swimming, family, friends, work, school, etc. I have put in a workout and I have been social for the day even before Fly Guy wakes up. So once he realized that he no longer asks me why I don't go out with my friends. He realizes I hang out with my friends three times a week between 5:15am and 7am so I am good. ;-)
I saw this quote in a competitive swimming supply catalog and I had to cut it out because it is really true:
"Try explaining it to a non-swimming and you'd think it was rocket science. They ask you, "How is swimming a team sport? You're out there by yourself, it's all about individuals." But invite them to a practice, if they're willing to get up that early and they;'' see true teamwork. Friends pushing each other. Every practice, every lap, every race. Everything you do, you do it together, as a team. You pace each other. You race each other. It's personal."
I get goosebumps when I read that, because it is so true for me. Swimming helps me on so many different levels that it is hard to explain. Yes there is the obvious..the exercise, but there is the emotional well being part and the social part and it is all something that a non-swimmer doesn't get and I need to remember when I feel myself sliding in to a longer stretch of depression then I feel I can handle.
Fly Guy for the longest time thought I never spent time with my friends and then he realized that he was looking for me to have the same pattern he has. He gets home from work comes home hangs out with me and helps get the girls to bed and then he goes out to hang out with his friends. It took him awhile to realize, but pattern is to wake up at 5am and get up go to the pool hang out with my friends pre and post workout. We talk about swimming, family, friends, work, school, etc. I have put in a workout and I have been social for the day even before Fly Guy wakes up. So once he realized that he no longer asks me why I don't go out with my friends. He realizes I hang out with my friends three times a week between 5:15am and 7am so I am good. ;-)
I saw this quote in a competitive swimming supply catalog and I had to cut it out because it is really true:
"Try explaining it to a non-swimming and you'd think it was rocket science. They ask you, "How is swimming a team sport? You're out there by yourself, it's all about individuals." But invite them to a practice, if they're willing to get up that early and they;'' see true teamwork. Friends pushing each other. Every practice, every lap, every race. Everything you do, you do it together, as a team. You pace each other. You race each other. It's personal."
I get goosebumps when I read that, because it is so true for me. Swimming helps me on so many different levels that it is hard to explain. Yes there is the obvious..the exercise, but there is the emotional well being part and the social part and it is all something that a non-swimmer doesn't get and I need to remember when I feel myself sliding in to a longer stretch of depression then I feel I can handle.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
More problems History Girl and a little bit of rambleing
I don't know what to do about History Girl. Her therapist is away for the week. On Tuesday she totally lost control and freaked out and kicked me. She was upset about something....I can't remember what. It had to do with her worrying about something poisoning her and when I tried to calm her down she was on the stairs above me and she kicked me in the stomach.
Yesturday she ended up not going to Girl Scouts, because she scraped her knee on a rusty piece of metal and she was sure she was going to die from it. I showed her she was up to date on all her shots and stuff, but she freaked out for hours. We couldn't let her go to Girl Scouts like that. She was so looking forward to working with the Brownies that were visiting her troop yesurday, but all I could see is her freaking out on a poor little Brownie and scaring that Brownie for life. So I sent her to bed early and had her rest.
What is heartbreaking about the whole thing if you talk to her about it later, she knows she is not being logical and rational when it comes to the things that cause the panic attacks. It seems like the panicing part of her brain totalally takes over rational side of her brain and she can't contol it.
I have talked to the people at her school and we are working on a behavior menu for History Girl so she knows first she does A...if that doesn't help she does B...then C and so on until she feels normal again.
Fly Guy says he sometimes wonders if it was a bad idea for us to mix our genes with the mental stuff that flows through our families. Well with my cronic major depression and my learning issues, anyone mixing their genes with me would have kids with some sort of problems. I guess I have always known that but it is hard concept to realize.
I have been feeling very high levels of stress and of all things that could be helping me. The thing that has been destressing me the most is reading Fan written Harry Potter stories. Some of them are quite good and they take my mind off of things.
Normally I swim to destress, but at this point if I swim any more I will grow gills. Plus two people that I swim with in high school have joined my Masters Swim Team. I am not sure how I feel about it, because I have never been an awesome swimmer, even though I love it. I am like the 7th best backstroker in Maine in my age group, but that is mostly because I keep going on while other people drop out. These two people from my past who have showed up in my Master's Swim Team are people swimming fast is second nature to them. One of them at 40 years old and nearly breaks the one minute mark for 100 free. I have to say that I am a little upset with them showing up because I finally was viewed as good at swimming, when growing up I was just average when it came to it and the only way I have been able to become one of the best is to keep doing it while others dropped by the way side. So I am a bit bitter right now and I know that isn't right for me to feel that way. So this is just the long way of me saying I am not as joyful about swimming as I have been lately. I have always loved swimming and once I get over this bitterness I will love it again, just give me a month or so. :-)
Yesturday she ended up not going to Girl Scouts, because she scraped her knee on a rusty piece of metal and she was sure she was going to die from it. I showed her she was up to date on all her shots and stuff, but she freaked out for hours. We couldn't let her go to Girl Scouts like that. She was so looking forward to working with the Brownies that were visiting her troop yesurday, but all I could see is her freaking out on a poor little Brownie and scaring that Brownie for life. So I sent her to bed early and had her rest.
What is heartbreaking about the whole thing if you talk to her about it later, she knows she is not being logical and rational when it comes to the things that cause the panic attacks. It seems like the panicing part of her brain totalally takes over rational side of her brain and she can't contol it.
I have talked to the people at her school and we are working on a behavior menu for History Girl so she knows first she does A...if that doesn't help she does B...then C and so on until she feels normal again.
Fly Guy says he sometimes wonders if it was a bad idea for us to mix our genes with the mental stuff that flows through our families. Well with my cronic major depression and my learning issues, anyone mixing their genes with me would have kids with some sort of problems. I guess I have always known that but it is hard concept to realize.
I have been feeling very high levels of stress and of all things that could be helping me. The thing that has been destressing me the most is reading Fan written Harry Potter stories. Some of them are quite good and they take my mind off of things.
Normally I swim to destress, but at this point if I swim any more I will grow gills. Plus two people that I swim with in high school have joined my Masters Swim Team. I am not sure how I feel about it, because I have never been an awesome swimmer, even though I love it. I am like the 7th best backstroker in Maine in my age group, but that is mostly because I keep going on while other people drop out. These two people from my past who have showed up in my Master's Swim Team are people swimming fast is second nature to them. One of them at 40 years old and nearly breaks the one minute mark for 100 free. I have to say that I am a little upset with them showing up because I finally was viewed as good at swimming, when growing up I was just average when it came to it and the only way I have been able to become one of the best is to keep doing it while others dropped by the way side. So I am a bit bitter right now and I know that isn't right for me to feel that way. So this is just the long way of me saying I am not as joyful about swimming as I have been lately. I have always loved swimming and once I get over this bitterness I will love it again, just give me a month or so. :-)
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Greek God
I took this Greek God quiz for fun. The result didn't suprise me with the amount of time I am swimming or thinking about swimming.
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
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