TRI Catching Cupid

Olivia is on the AZ Desert Dolpins Synchronized swim team and I am also the land conditioning and swim coach for her team.  I have to say, I love it.

Synchro is an interesting sport that I am still learning a lot about, but the more I learn the more I like it.  It takes a lot of time, work, and effort on the part of the coaches and the girls, but there are so many great things being learned it is worth it.

One of the hardest things about synchro is once you get into national meets it is EXPENSIVE!  I think they told me it was about $5000-$7000 per girl that went to nationals last year.  Crazy.  

So as a team we try to do a lot of fundraisers to help with these costs.  BUT, what I love about this team's fundraisers is that they aren't typical.  They don't just put their hand out and ask you for money, they try to do things that you get something out of.  So our fundraiser this year is a TRIATHLON! 

Ambitious, yes indeed.

I stepped up to be Race Director for this because nobody else was and I thought I was up for the challenge.  A challenge it most certainly is.  I have a whole new appreciation for these kinds of events.  There is so much work and money poured into putting this on.  But hopefully it will all be worth it.

My goal is to get 300+ participants out to this race.  That means YOU should do it and get your neighbors, friends, family members, kids, etc. to do it too.  It's Valentine's themed and it's gonna be fun.

Sometimes people will say things like, "Why would I want to pay money to do something like that?"  So I have written a little ditty below to help people realize what it is about triathlons that makes people come out and why they should probably "tri" too.   

For your reading enjoyment....

Why TRI?

Several years ago, after my last baby was born I needed something to motivate me to get my buns in gear and get back in shape.  I had heard people talking about triathlons.  It sounded exciting but out of reach.  I thought, That’s something that “other people” can do, not me.  But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to TRI.  If other people could swim, bike, and run then so could I!

What I didn’t realize at the time I registered for my first triathlon is that triathlons are such an amazing experience from beginning to end.  From the day you register to the moment you cross that finish line, your experience is in full swing.  When you pay that registration fee (and you feel butterflies in your stomach) you aren’t just paying for the race day, you are paying for every day leading up to the race as well.  What you receive with that entrance fee isn’t just a t-shirt and a slot on the bike rack, it’s also increased motivation, physical & emotional growth, endurance, excitement for life, the realization that you can do things you didn’t think you could do, a clear-cut goal, and more.  If you are training with a friend, spouse, or child you are paying for invaluable time growing together. 

When you register for a triathlon you get so much more than a day…you get an experience that lasts several months and memories that last a lifetime.

So why TRI?  I think the real question is why not?

Here's the link: http://www.active.com/triathlon/mesa-az/tri-catching-cupid-reverse-sprint-and-youth-triathlon-2012?cmp=1745&fb_ref=event_details&fb_source=profile_multiline 

Right now you can use coupon code: LOVE 2012 and get $10 off registration!  

***

TRI Catching Cupid is the perfect triathlon for first timers or seasoned athletes.  It will be a very fun event for the whole family.  Also, following the triathlon, before the awards ceremony, the AZ Desert Dolphins Synchronized Swim team will entertain us.  How often does that happen at a triathlon?  This is one triathlon you don’t want to miss!  Register today!

Learning To Do The Little Things...

The other day Olivia (8 almost 9 years old) came home from a play date with a friend where they painted their nails and apparently they also trimmed their nails.

She told me, "Sydney was really surprised that I didn't know how to trim my nails."

"She was?" I asked, a little surprised.  Then I said, "Did you tell her that your mom still does too many things for you that she probably shouldn't?"

We laughed and then I told her to bring me the clippers because she had missed several of her nails and they were driving me crazy and I just trimmed them up for her real quick. :)

I told Shane, "I started trimming their nails when they were babies, how am I supposed to know when to stop?"

I know I am not the only mom that would rather do things for her kids to avoid certain messes, save time, get it done the way I want it, make sure they don't get hurt, etc. but the more I think about it the more I realize I NEED to let those things happen for their sake.  I have figured this out in certain areas (swim skills, aka: learning to do hard things), but I have to be willing to have my life "inconvenienced" so they can learn regular, every day life skills.

I'm working on it....

I did let them pour their own cereal & milk this morning.

Baby steps.

Speed? I Am Speed.

Being fast can be a really good thing.  Especially in things like running or swimming, etc.  But there are other times it can just be annoying.

Shane has a loving little nickname he calls me:

"Reaction Time".

It's usually used like this:

Shane is cleaning up the kitchen, he turns around to do something and while he does that Dixie puts away five things he was just about to get to and he'll say, "Thanks Reaction Time."

Or, one of the kids will ask him to help them with something and I just walk over and do it before he even has the chance to stand up. "Okay, Reaction Time."

Or, he will be doing laundry and I will hear the washer finish and go put them in the dryer as he rounds the corner to do the same. "I was going to do that Reaction Time."

You get the idea.  I'm just one step ahead of him most of the time, which, as you might imagine, could get annoying.  Especially for Shane because he is actually Reaction Time Jr.  Before me in his life he had always been Reaction Time Sr.  But he tells me all the time that I even out pace him.

But I can't help it!

I like to do things fast...I always have. (for instance, I just typed that really fast just to prove a point...to myself.)

When I was at BYU I had a class where they tested our reaction time.  As you may have guessed :) , I had the fastest reaction time in the whole class!  I was quite proud of this, until I started realizing how annoying it is to have really fast reaction time when the rest of the world around you doesn't.

Any time I am at a stoplight I swear I see it turn green about 30 seconds before the car in front of me.

Frustrating.

When I am at the grocery store in the check out line the people in front of me all move like they are 95 even though I can clearly see they are probably closer to 35.

Irritating.

When I am walking pretty much anywhere I am again surrounded by 95 year olds and I have to figure out routes around them.

That one is kind of fun because it's a challenge for me, but if I have to stay behind them for some reason...lame.

So here's the thing...  I HATE this about myself.

My reaction time is crazy fast and it makes me crazy crazy.

I am trying to learn how to slow down.

It's hard.

I Strongly Dislike Crazy Hair Day...

This is what my children looked like as they walked out the door for school this morning.

I know it's nothing impressive, but it was no small feat.

Mostly because of this girl:

Olivia plans and schemes for weeks about Crazy Hair Day.  She has all kinds of ideas about what it's going to look like.  Somehow I am supposed to know this and bring it to life and if I can't then crying and screaming will ensue.

And it did.

There was a solid 10-15 minutes of bawling and shouting from Olivia because, well, I don't even know why because every time I would touch her hair to try something she was already upset.  When I finally told her that I wouldn't listen to it anymore and that unless she calmed down she could do her own hair she shouted inane things like, "You just love Owen and Morgan more than me. You don't even love me you only love them!!!!"

Hmmmmmm, okay.

Stupid Crazy Hair Day.

I'm happy to report that calmness was finally achieved and the above hairstyle was deemed acceptable.

Ugh.

Owen, on the other hand, was pleased as punch that we were able to do three of the tiniest pony tails I have ever done in my life.  Easy-smeesy and no crying or complaining. 

Thank you Owen.

Likewise, Morgan was real easy to please. 

She took out her buns from yesterday and her hair essentially looked like this in the morning.  She has bed-head unlike any other I have seen.  So we teased it up some more and hairsprayed the crud out of it.

Is there a 1980's hair band somewhere missing their lead singer? 

I never realized how tiny her face is until it was lost amongst this massive poof of hair.

Anyway, I'm glad it's over.  

...At least until next year.

ugh.

Oh To Be Four Again...

Morgan is now officially incorporated into Swim Skillz.

It's been rough, but we are getting there.

Yesterday I explained before we got in that if we could stay focused and on task we could get through the workout in 30 minutes and then have time to play when we got home.

Now, I have said this before, but for some reason it really struck a chord with all of them yesterday and they hit the water with force.

Even the lifeguard (who has been with me through this whole journey) commented that, "They are all business today."

'Twas true.

And Morgan was hyper-focused.  This is the girl that screamed and cried at me for having to swim just one lap.  But now she was going like crazy on her own.

I told her to swim 2 laps freestyle.  Instead she swam a lap, got out and did push ups, and then swam a lap back and asked, "Okay, what's next?"

I think I just sat there blinking at her for a second trying to figure out what was going on.  Needless to say I gave her several more laps of kicking and freestyle and then she told me she wanted to do Butterfly.  So she swam about 1/3 a lap of a pretty decent butterfly and then came up and said, "Did you see that?"  I said, "Yeah, that was really good." And she said, "Yeah, but I was taking like no breaths and I was like 'What am I doing, I'm not taking any breaths!'" And then with that she decided she was done and went over to the other side of the pool to play.

Well, what Morgan doesn't understand yet is that she doesn't decided when practice is over.  I do. :)

So I let her play for a bit while I worked with Owen and Livy and then when she came back over I informed her she had 2 more laps of freestyle and then she would be done.

She yelled,  "Ahhhhhh!  I already worked so hard and now you're just making me do more!"

"Yes, you have worked hard.  You've done such a great job, now you just have 2 more laps and you are done."

And then as she slapped the water some more in frustration she yelled again and said, "I wish I was still 4! When you are 4 you have a better life!"

I looked at the life guard to see if he was getting this, and he was, and we both just laughed and I told him it was probably true...when you are 4 you probably do have a better life.  But alas, she is 5 and hard things have come upon her, the most recent thing being two more laps of freestyle.

Eventually she got it done.  She somehow survived and everything was okay.

But let's be honest, life will never be the same.

Five is just not four.

Is Katy Perry Evil?

So here's the thing...


Today I'm driving down the road, no kids in the car, and a Katy Perry song comes on the radio.  


It's Teenage Dream.  


It's a really catchy song that I have been very clear with my kids they are NOT allowed to listen to because the lyrics are so wrong it makes me sick.  And yet every time it comes on the radio I want to listen to it because really, it's catchy.  But I don't.  I change the station because I don't think I should be listening to it for the same reasons my kids shouldn't be.


So the next station I turn to also had a Katy Perry song playing.


Last Friday Night.


And I'm met with the same dilemma.  I actually like to listen to the song but I feel like it's really wrong.  The lyrics are so messed up, especially for young kids to be hearing messages like this.  So I turned it off and I started thinking, how does somebody feel like it is okay to put these messages out to kids and teenagers (or anyone for that matter)?


Shane and I have talked about Katy Perry a lot and what to do about her songs because the kids all want to listen to her and all their friends at school listen to her.  They even play her music at school carnivals from the DJ booth.  Shane thinks she is evil and her lyrics make me think maybe she is too.  Her songs are the last thing I want my kids listening to.  


I decided to research her a little more today to try to figure out where she came from and why she does what she does.  I went to the ever reliable Wikipedia where I learned she is the daughter of two pastors (of course!) and her mother never let her listen to "secular" music growing up, only gospel music.  When she began pursuing her music career her first attempts were at Gospel Rock and she was highly unsuccessful.  Of course she was.  There is nothing sexy or immediately gratifying about Gospel Rock so why would anyone care? It was only once she went to pop and dropped all things moral that she was highly, EXTREMELY successful.  Suddenly she got triple platinum songs and albums, her success is even compared to Michael Jackson in some areas, and she gets married to Russell Brand.  


As I read all that I tried to think about every moment she realized she was compromising morally for the success she really wanted, and I am certain there were a lot of moral compromises going on.  Especially for someone who grew up with a religious background.  Then at the end of her wiki page there is this quote:


In an interview with Rolling Stone she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."


And there I found it.  The rationalization that allows her to do what she does.  She has convinced herself that as long as you don't put sex and spirituality together that it's okay.  That statement, combined with the songs that she sings, is so absurd it is just too much for me to take.


I have some news for you Katy Perry, bad things also happen when you promote teenage sex as fun and exciting.


There will be repercussions for the teenagers that buy into it and someday, there will be repercussions for you.


So is Katy Perry Evil? 


I don't think so.  I think the word I would chose would be "confused", which is what happens when you compromise on your morality.  You get really, really confused.  


She doesn't know what she's doing anymore... and that's scary.

Satan Created Angry Birds--I Can Prove It.

I am nearly certain Satan himself invented Angry Birds.

"Dixie," you say, "That is simply not possible."

Ohhhh, but it is.

"You are being unreasonable."

Am I?

Those cute little birds suck me in to a crazed mental state with their sweet little faces and simple tricks. And then I keep wondering what special NEW bird will I unlock next?!

Boom-A-Rang Bird, are you serious?!?!  It's so cool!

I also care for Big Fat Bird a great deal. (I don't think that's the real name, but that's what I call it).

And if I could just get a whole slew of Bomb Birds I could do just about anything.

(Just don't give me any of that plain little red bird.  He's useless I tell you, USELESS!)

Then they create these clever levels with all kinds of fun stuff, (including bouncy beach balls for pete's sake!) and before I know it I'm sneaking the iPad around, trying to play Angry Birds in dark corners so the kids can't see because....well,  I'm addicted to it!

And I think we all know: addiction=Satan.

So clearly, Angry Birds was created by Satan.

I rest my case.