So Mads has been taking swimming lessons for a few months now.
As you may recall, we had one heckuva time trying to get her acclimated to the water. Of course, it was that last class before vacation where she really enjoyed herself. Lucky for us that it kicked in right then as Mads thoroughly enjoyed the pool during our Maui vacation.
A few weeks after we got back from vacation, we re-enrolled her. Things were different, though. Now that she had turned three, she had “graduated” from the toddler and me classes to the class without the parent.
Mads being awarded her Rainbow Ribbon!
I was a bit nervous for her first lesson, since she kept asking me to put my swimsuit on so I could go in the water with her. Umm…So, she reluctantly got in the water with her teacher and for the first few weeks, it was going well. The best part of these first few weeks, Mads was the only child enrolled at that time slot/level – so it was really private lessons for a few weeks. We had only one bad week, where she cried for the entire 30-minute lesson (yah, that was pleasant) – from that point on, we made sure she ate and slept, even if it was for 15 minutes, BEFORE class. Next thing we know, Mads is following instructions (shocking!): wearing both the goggles and the fins, waiting her turn, etc.
A week or two pass, two little boys join her class, and we can see her progressing a little bit quicker – she’s one to do what the others are doing. Before we know it, Mads has earned her rainbow ribbon (read: graduated to the next level)! To earn her rainbow ribbon, Mads had to follow directions, safely wait for her turn, make “Balloon Faces†and no crying for at least 3 weeks in a row.
Next up: the Green ribbon!
To earn the green ribbon, Mads has to doggy paddle swim six feet, using her arms and proper breath control.
This may take a bit longer…
Also known as Halloween.
All ready for trick-or-treating!
Last year, despite having a sweet tooth already, Mads wasn’t too keen on the whole trick or treating concept.
This year, was a whole different story. This year, Mads was more excited about Halloween…and this year, I was able to coach her to say “trick or treat” and always reminded her to say “thank you” after she received her candy.
So, on a tip I received from another parent, the three of us made our way to Belvedere Street in Cole Valley.
When we were getting close and saw the decked out houses and blocked off streets, we knew parking was going to be challenging, especially in this part of the city. Luckily we found a spot at the top of the hill and trekked down. The trouble was definitely worth it.
Homes were decorated in full Halloween regalia – from the fun to the almost-but-not-quite-scary-for-kids scenes. People everywhere, kids everywhere, candy everywhere.
As we made our way up and down the street, Mads was doing a great job trick-or-treating, saying thank you everytime she got candy and by the end of the evening, neither S or I had to prompt her to say “trick-or-treat”. At one home, she walked up and said, “trick-or-treat”. The woman handing out candy was talking to another person on the stoop and didn’t hear Mads, so louder, Mads yelled, “TRICK-OR-TREAT!” Still, no response. So even LOUDER, Mads belted, “TRICK-OR-TREAT!!!”, finally the woman apologized and gave her a handful of candy. Mads, then said politely, “Thank you!” and made her way to the next house.