Pool friends

Happy Monday! The first day back from Camp No Limits is always a little let down. No friends knocking at your door. You aren't surrounded by your group of people that get you. Your circle is now back in their part of the world. You are left to fend for yourself. Today, I worked out and then took the kids swimming to get their mind off of the disappointment.

Bella instantly found a friend. Adrianna and Bella were both swimming around in the pool then started playing together. They were  playing in the pool, splashing, kicking, going under water, jumping in and then holding hands and jumping in. Adrianna asked Bella about her hand. I couldn't hear her but I could see her. I watched as Bella lifted her left hand above the water, showed her, they talked and then begin playing again. I watched as they sat on the side of the pool and Adrianna HELD BELLA'S LEFT HAND and they jumped in! It was so naturally, it happened so quickly. Then it happened again.

My mama heart melted. I had taken a break to sit at the side and boy am I glad I did. It allowed me to opportunity to watch this sweet moment happen. My heart was bursting with joy. I'm not sure if Bella's still on her camp high or what. I'm not sure if Adrianna just has a sweet old soul or what. I will tell you that I'm sorry I didn't take a moment to tell her dad about the moment I witnessed.

Life happens so quickly. I was in the moment. My phone was tucked away in my bag. Luca was on my lap and I was rubbing Grayson's belly as he sat next to me. I'm so glad this moment didn't pass me by. I'm glad I got to watch even if I couldn't hear.

Adrianna's dad, if you are out there, please reach out. I'd like to get our girl's together again. Pat your daughter on the back, commend her for being a curious little person that didn't offend my daughter, hug her tightly and know that you are raising her right. If you happen to know a fire fighter that works on the north side of Milwaukee with a daughter that is 8 and a son that's about 2 that was swimming at the WAC in Brookfield today, please have him reach out to me!

Finding Joy

Does anyone else follow Finding Joy on Facebook? On June 18th she wrote this:

I don't want to rush through life anymore.

I realized I was a rusher several months ago. It was when I was drying my hair and I had this moment where I saw that I was racing through it. Getting agitated it took too long. And I stepped back and thought about how I had nowhere to go that day and no deadlines and yet there I was rushing.

I have taught my rushing culture to my kids too.

Sometimes in the mornings I'll be in a frenzy racing around and thinking about what to do next and totally missing out in the now. I'll lose patience for shoe tying or missing bags or being late for a line that I would end up sitting in no matter what.

So several months ago I decided to become aware of my rushing. And to catch myself in those moments and to actually take a big breath and to remind myself that rushing changes nothing.

Rushing just made me anxious.

So now, now I try to slow my pace. Being aware of the time but also my pulse. 

If we race through life too fast or looking ahead too much we might just miss today.

And today, my friends, is worth not rushing through.

-Rachel

If you don't typically follow her or read her posts, do it. Do it now, run over there and follow and like her page. She inspires me every day to be a better me, to take care of me too, to not fall into the Pinterest trap, to settle down, to live and let love takeover. 

This post rang oh so true. I'm such a rusher, which makes me a stressor. My kids move at sloth's pace. 

I get agitated and anxious when things take too long. I'm a total Type A-er. Wait is that even a word? This summer I've been trying to take the kids to do fun stuff and it hit me. I'm yelling "HURRY UP, GET IN THE CAR!!!!" I'm pretty sure even the lady down the street got in the car at that point! :) No in all seriousness, I was rushing them to go have fun. In the process, crushing their fun and causing chaos and anger for all of us. How was this fun? Would even be fun? I mean why was I rushing them and causing all of this? I wanted to just hurry up and go. It's not the fun would suddenly stop if we were 10 minutes later. 

After reading Rachel's post, I'm more aware. Yes there are times we need to be in a rush, we have doctor appointments or someone waiting on us. Otherwise, rushing was causing me more problems. I'm working on it, like really working on it. There are things that need to done right.this.minute... but the other things, we'll get to, eventually, like most things in life. 

As for me, I'm feeling a little more relaxed about the whole thing. I'm really focusing on it more and trying to improve for them and mostly for me.

Float Milwaukee Review

Sweet baby Jesus! Where do I begin? I’ve wanted to try floating for some time and it was never a priority until I won a float. A free float? Well that certainly makes it a priority!

I arrived and parked in a gravel lot across the street (free parking). I took off my shoes, put on the sandals they had and was greeted right away. I signed a waiver while they were finishing the filtration on the pod.

Once you enter into the hallway, it feels very much like a spa. It smells clean, the inside was clean and the colors were neutral and calming. The young man working showed me around and then took me to room 5 where I would see my “floating” pool. *Cue to angels singing* I was given the full rundown on how things were, how to control the light, the noise, where the panic button was located, etc. He explained to shower prior to entering and then rinse off after. He gave me a very good rundown on everything and I felt like I was very informed.

(I'm in love with that art work!)

I opted to float in the open pool when I made my appointment. I’m admittedly a little claustrophobic so I wasn’t sure the pod would be for me. I’m happy with my selection.

The young man left and the magic started. I put in the silicone ear plugs. They don’t block the sound, they simply help to keep the water out of your ears. He suggested I try them as not to distract from the floating experience and I’m glad I did. He also suggested I use the ring for your head just to be sure that my neck would fully relax. I took a shower and got in the pool in my birthday suit.

I wish I could fully describe what happened next but it’s impossible. I put the ring behind my head and relaxed back. Instantly my butt popped up and my whole body was floating. I’ll be real, I wasn’t entirely convinced that I wouldn’t feel like I needed to use my muscles to “float”. Let me tell you, you DO completely float, there’s no work on the part of your body at all. It took a few minutes for me to get situated. My mind raced, I futzed with the position of my legs and arms but what I was doing didn’t feel natural so I just took some deep breaths and relaxed into the pool.

That’s when the real magic went down. I closed my eyes and my hands instantly wanted to be palm up and straight out from my body, my legs naturally fell apart a bit and my toes relaxed. Occasionally I opened my eyes to look around and I would be in a different position than I started. I had no clue that I was just floating around in circles in there! I continued to relax and was awoken by what sounded like a door bell. I opened my eyes briefly and then closed them again. A few minutes later, another door bell…. NOOOO, I didn’t want it to be over!

I got out, showered off and then got dressed. I used the q-tips in the dressing room just to clean the extra water from the shower out of my ears. They have other products available there as well for cleaning up and getting ready. The two people working asked how it went and we talked about my experience and theirs as well.

Does it compare to a massage? Yes but no. My husband and I weren’t convinced that I would like it “better” than a massage. It’s a completely different experience. To me, I felt more relaxed and refreshed after and less exhausted. Massages always make me want to be a bum for the rest of the day. After leaving the float, I felt energized. I also liked that it was quiet and dark, except the dim light of the pool (which I could have turned off) and the faint sound of meditating music.

Try it… today! Make it a priority, for real! I’ll be back, one float wasn’t nearly enough!