Mom on the Make

Finding fun amidst the chaos of Motherhood

Michael Phelps is the Most Decorated Olympian Ever

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Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps, the Most Decorated Olympian

I am finally getting caught up on the Olympic action.  Swimming is by far my favorite sport to watch, and tonight I was able to sit down and watch the 4 x 200 free relay that propelled Michael Phelps into Olympic history.

This win and gold medal brought his total medal count to 19 for the four Olympics that he has participated in for the past 12 years.  Incredible.

It was really exciting that the 19th medal occurred from a relay race, so the other three members of the relay could participate in this historic event.

Where did he win all of his medals?

Phelps has participated in four Olympic Games including Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.  The medals were all earned in the following races:

2000 Sydney, Australia Olympic Games

Phelps participated in these games at the age of 15 and finished 5th place in the 200 meter butterfly. So, no medals here.  Fifth place at the age of 15 is not too shabby though.

2004 Athens, Greece Olympic Games

GOLD

100 m butterfly

200 m butterfly

200 m individual medley

400 m individual medley

4×200 m freestyle

4×100 m medley relay

BRONZE

200 m freestyle

4×100 m freestyle relay

2008 Beijing, China Olympic Games

GOLD

100 m butterfly

200 m butterfly

200 m freestyle

200 m individual medley

400 m individual medley

4×100 m freestyle relay

4×200 m freestyle relay

4×100 medley relay

2012 London, England Olympic Games

GOLD

4×200 m freestyle relay

SILVER

400 m Individual Medley

200 m butterfly

The enormity of this accomplishment really smacks you in the face when you see a complete list of all the events where Phelps finished with an Olympic medal over the last 12 years.

Pretty Incredible.

 

USA Olympic Swim Team Performs “Call Me Maybe”

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ryan lochte

Dreamy Ryan Lochte

This video is do darn funny.  You just have to check it out.

The members of the 2012 USA Olympic Swim Team perform “Call Me Maybe”, by Carly Rae Jepsen, on the plane, signing autographs, at the pool, under the water, etc…

I love the robot dancing under water.  And, of course, Ryan Lochte blowing a kiss to the camera.  So dreamy. 🙂

Enjoy!  Click on the link below to watch on YouTube.

2012 Olympic Swim Team Performing

“Call Me Maybe”

My Summer 2012 “To Do” List

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To Do List

Summer 2012 To Do List

The kids’ first day of summer was this past Monday, so I am almost through one whole week of Summer 2012.  Its been great. And, I’m not just saying that to force myself to be positive 🙂  .  It truly has been relaxing and full of fun activities.

I love watching my kids have a ball in the pool splashing around and hanging out with their friends.  It has been so nice having a break from reminding the kids about their homework or school projects.

I’m also lucky this summer since all of my kids are doing the same activity this summer – Swimming.  This is my first summer where I only need to think about one activity.  SO nice.

Since all three of my little ones are on the swim team, we have great structure to our days with swim practices, swim team acitivities, and swim meets on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings.

With such a nice start to the summer, I thought it would be a good idea for me to write down a few goals for the summer to ensure these two months continue to go well, and that we accomplish items on our lingering “to do” list.  Here is my list so far (I will probably add more later….)

Summer 2012 Goals

  • Finish Reading the Autobiography of Steve Jobs – – I really love this book, but keep getting distracted by other books, like NurtureShock and ScreamFree Parenting.  I am halfway through and really love Walter Isaacson’s writing style, and find the behind the scenes look at Apple and Jobs fascinating.  Now, I have to focus and put this book in the finished pile.
  • Read The Hunger Games Trilogy – Broadway is reading this right now, and, since this trilogy has taken the world by a storm, I am really curious.  I also want to be “in the know” about popular reads for my kid’s ages.
  • Paint My Kid’s Bathroom Aqua – been on the “to do” list for at least a year now
  • Put a new sunbrella covering on the top of our outdoor play structure
  • Take more bike rides with the Family – we are finally at a point where all five of us can ride together on a long bike ride.  Bam-Bam is now able to ride on a tag-a-long that we have attached to Mountain Man’s bike.  Instead of being couped up in the burley trailer, he now gets to pedal along with the rest of us.  So much fun and so cute.  🙂
  • Book a four night getaway to the Mountains – we rented a beautiful condo from VRBO last summer in August on the Lake and just loved it.  It was one of the best family getaways we have ever had and I would love to repeat this one!
  • Take the Kids to the Library at least once per week
  • Read “The Bronze Horseman” – I read this glowing review on The Scribbling Bookworm about this book and I just have to read it.  It is a love story set during World War II.  This will be a nice change for me from the intense Steve Jobs biography and my parenting books.
  • Get Rid of Clothes I have not worn in a year – been on my list for awhile.  🙁
  • Get Rid of Clutter around the house

And Finally……

  • Keep my cool with my Kids – I am trying to follow the advice of Hal Edward Runkel and keep my cool with my kids, instead of being reactive when the long summer days get the better of my patience.

I plan on sticking to this list and knocking off the goals one by one.  As Imagineer pointed out, we only have 77 days left of summer.  We better make the most of it!  🙂

 

The Best Swim Goggles Ever

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Aqua Sphere Goggles

Aqua Sphere Kaiman Goggles

I have been swimming for more than three decades now.  Fifteen of those years were competitive swimming, and now I’m on a Master’s Team.  I have swum a few meets in my Masters Career as well as several open water swims, but mainly I swim for fitness now.

In all of my years of swimming, I have never found a better set of goggles than the Aqua Sphere Kaiman Googles.  I mean nothing else on the market even comes close to these little wonders.  Seriously.

If you enjoy swimming often, you know that the comfort of your goggles is a big deal.

I can’t count the number of times I have adjusted my various goggles during my workout to make them more comfortable.  Then only to get out of practice and notice the raccoon eyes and red mark on my nose from a sharp nose piece.

Those days are long gone now with my Aqua Spheres!!!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  🙂

A few highlights of these goggles are the following:

  • They do not leak!!
  • The suction around the eyes is just right.  I used to always have the raccoon look around my eyes with my old favorite goggles, and I just learned to live with it.  About half hour after practice, the skin around my eyes would go back to normal.  With these, you never have raccoon eyes, period.  Amazing.  🙂
  • You get to enjoy peripheral vision with these goggles.  Typically, you would need to use really big scuba looking goggles to have such great peripheral vision.  These are normal size goggles with peripheral – gotta love it!
  • The nose piece is SO comfortable!!  This is probably my favorite part of these goggles.  I have never felt a more comfortable nose piece or one that even comes close.  The rubber is so soft and conforms to your nose size.  You will never have a red mark at the top of your nose again.

I know I may seem a little over the top about a pair of goggles, for goodness sake, but I’m seriously in love with my Aqua Spheres and I think all swimmers need to know about them.  I purchased mine at SwimOutlet for only $19.99.  I have not found a better price anywhere else.  I would pay $40.00 for these goggles, they are that good.

Enjoy swimming with more comfort!

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