Silent Sunday 23-3-14 #SilentSunday

My Swimathon training

It's coming round very fast.  Seven weeks tomorrow, I'll be dangling my toes on the edge of a pool, preparing to swim 5 kilometres.  That's just over 3 miles in old money.  All in the name of charity, and giving myself a challenge.

Today I hit the pool for the first time in a couple of weeks, as I had a bit of time off work, and needed to get on with a decent distance swim to see how much work I was going to need to do.  And in 1 hour, 15 minutes, I swam the first 2 1/2 kilometres, 100 lengths of the council pool, without dying of boredom, or threatening to kill any of the annoying people getting in my way.  Seriously, 100 lengths without murderous rage.  That's a new record for me.  Swimming might be relaxing for some, but if there's someone swimming breast-stroke with one foot on the floor cutting in front of me & slowing down, I'm going to get grumpy.

I haven't even got the help of my Speedo Aquabeat, because I've lost the charging cable, and the battery's deader than my local on a Tuesday night.  I've ordered a new one online though, so all should be well soon.  Suggestions for songs to add to my swimming soundtrack will be gratefully received, I've got a lot of time to fill!

As well as swimming to build up my distance, I've been working on my general fitness, which is otherwise pretty bad.  It's difficult fitting a regular commitment in around work, school runs, and a husband who works shifts, but I'm doing the best I can.  Zumba and Bokwa have made an appearance in recent weeks, and I've been surprised by how much I'm enjoying it.  I'm not the most co-ordinated person in the world, but it's actually quite good fun jumping around like a loon, and no-one's watching.

If you haven't sponsored me yet, why on earth not?  Every penny counts.  You can click this link http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/lorrainecooper - or the badge somewhere over on the right hand side. But do it, people!  Go on!

Sport Relief Swimathon

I'm not sure what's come over me.  It could be that there's a big & scary numbered birthday less than 2 years away.  It could be the fact that my waistline is growing at an astonishing rate.  Or I could have drunk one too many cans of energy drink & started hallucinating again (that was a scary afternoon!).  I'm not going to be one of these people who can do 40 before 40 (I said it, ooops), unless it's 40 jam doughnuts.

But for some reason, I decided it would be a good thing to register for the Sport Relief  Swimathon.   And not the 1.5k, 2.5k, or team challenge. Oh no, I'm daft enough to have registered to swim 5km on my own.

I was a swimmer in my (much) younger days, and have swum quite a few 3ks.  I was swimming 2k+ a time until I was 8 months pregnant with Squeaky.  It's just kind of slipped since then, along with my social life, beauty regime & sleeping patterns.  Nothing like a ridiculous challenge to get your mind focussed, hey?

So between now and March 22nd, I've got to double my distance - I'm swimming around 2-2.5k at the moment, and get used to the ever present smell of chlorine.  It's quite a trick fitting training in around my work, Squeaky's school runs, and Daddy's shifts, but I'm doing the best I can. I think I'm going to have to take out a couple of months' membership of the council pool, because otherwise it's going to cost me a fortune.  The pool opens at 6.15am.  What's the realistic chances that I'm ever going to get up & go that early, while Squeaky & Daddy are still asleep? (that way he can deal with her toast demands)  Not gonna happen is it?

But.  I'm going to do it, even if I have to spend 6 hours gentling bobbing about in the pool, with Squeaky getting increasingly jealous that she can't come in & join me.  That's quite tough actually, she loves "going swimming", but her version of going swimming involves hanging off me or jumping in from the side like a lunatic.  I don't get many (or ANY) lengths in if I've gone with her.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, partly for sympathy.  And partly because I'd love it if you could dig down to the bottom of your pockets & sponsor me using the link, or the handy badge over on the right somewhere.  I haven't set myself a big target, as you'll see, because it's as much a challenge to myself as anything else. But if you've got some spare pennies, I can think of worse ways to spend them!

Aqua Ears Review

I love summer, and more than that I love swimming.  Unfortunately my doctor isn't quite so keen on me swimming, because I've had an ear infection for the majority of the last 2 years, or at least it seems that way. It comes, I have about three different lots of ear drops over the course of a month, it goes away for a few weeks, and then it comes back & we start the cycle again.  At the moment, it seems to be clear, and my doctor has given me strict instructions to get some ear plugs for swimming.  Squeaky also loves swimming, but HATES getting water in her ears.  So when I learned that Cirrus Healthcare were launching AquaEars children's ear plugs in larger branches of Boots this June, I was keen to give them a try.

I'd actually already bought some of the adult ones, BioEars, in our local Boots a week or so earlier, so the timing couldn't have been better.  They're a brand I recognise, and trust with Squeaky's health.  AquaEars, and the adult BioEars, are soft silicone ear plugs, designed to mould gently to the shape of the ear canal to stop water getting in, and also provide 22 decibels of noise reduction (very welcome around a noisy swimming pool!), which means they're also great for protecting delicate ears at festivals.  They've got ActivAloe and are antimicrobial, protecting from germs and stopping water getting in to the ear canal.  The AquaEars range feature a selection of favourite cartoon characters - Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty, Spongebob Squarepants, Nemo, Cars & Princess Ariel.  We were sent a set of the Princess Ariel AquaEars, and a set of standard BioEars to try out & review.

The AquaEars have transfers of Princess Ariel on them, and Squeaky was very excited to have a mermaid princess to go in her ears.  I had to remind her from time to time to leave them alone when we were in the pool, but she wasn't bothered about them, and needed reminding far less than she would otherwise have been complaining about water getting in, so I think that's a success.  When we went swimming this Friday for the second time since receiving the AquaEars to try out, she actually asked for them, which really pleased me, and shows she's happy with them.  The earplugs are reusable and can be put back in their carrying box between wears, though they don't got back to their original shape, they keep the shape of your ear.  This makes them a little bit harder to fir the second time, but it would be a bit pricey if they were single use.  Sadly the transfer breaks up a bit on use, so they don't quite look like Princess Ariel after the first wear, but even so.

Nails: Deborah Lippmann - Ruby Red Slippers

I tried out the adult version, which are just a translucent pale blue, no pretty transfers for me.  Wearing hearing aids on a daily basis, I'm very used to having something in my ears all the time, so they felt no different to me.  I'm not sure how they'd feel if you're not used to the sensation, but as Squeaky was able to ignore them, they must be fairly comfortable.

I was a little bit hesitant to begin with in putting my ears properly in the water, I really don't need another ear infection right now, but in the interests of a full review, I did it for you.  And I was pleased to find that they do do what they claim, and were properly waterproof. No water in my ears at all.  Happy girl, happy ears, happy doctor!

AquaEars and BioEars are available from Boots, as well as other retailers.

Disclosure - I was provided with a pack of BioEars and a pack of AquaEars free of charge for the purpose of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive payment for their use.

Simply Swim Review

Sometimes a review opportunity comes along that I can't resist.  Especially when it's from a company that I already shop with, and happily recommend to people without it being for blogging purposes.  If I get to blog about it too, all the better.  One such opportunity happened recently, when I was approached by the folk at Simply Swim, who asked if Squeaky & I would like to review their swimwear ranges.

Well, they got in touch shortly before Miss Squeaky came down with the chickenpox, so this review has taken a bit longer than I would have hoped, because people don't take nicely to your child being all spotty in public places, so the local pool was off-limits until the spots had completely gone away (and also, our local pool has been closed for a few weeks for repairs & asbestos removal, bah.)  Last week though, we finally got the chance to try out our new swimming costumes.

Image from Simply Swim, used with permission

I love Simply Swim.  I've shopped with them before, and have been amazed by the ranges they stock.  Everything from "posing by the pool" to serious competitive swimwear, and a range of sizes that I can't begin to do justice to.  My favourite thing is the multitude of ways you can sort your selection.  Size 8, want something with low cut legs, in red?  You can narrow it down like that.  Specific cup sizes, or a favourite brand?  You can do that too.  It's mind-blowing, and makes me very happy.

I'm a fussy one when it comes to swimwear.  Aside from having big boobs, which need to be kept securely in place, I like to swim fairly long distances, so I want a costume that can stand up to chlorine, that will stay on my shoulders, and doesn't make me look like Free Willy, and I have a favourite brand.  Putting all those together, I chose the Zoggs Mandalay BootySuit D-Plus.  And I didn't tell Squeaky Daddy.  When I put this on last week, for the first time, he not only noticed, but actually said "Wow! That's a really nice costume" (or words to that effect, I didn't have the tape recorder to hand).  If your man-creature is anything like mine, you'll know how rare these kind of events are - to notice a new item of clothing is unusual in itself, but to complement?  Well, nothing short of a miracle, so for that alone, I have to say a huge thank you to Simply Swim! (You don't get a picture of me in a swimming costume, sorry. I have my limits.)

Move over Kate Moss

For Squeaky, I chose the Zoggs Tots Girls Bowen Swimdress, at least partly because I think Zoggs are a great brand.  And I bravely risked being thrown out of a leisure centre somewhere on the South Coast to take a photo of Miss Squeaky mugging for the camera in her new cossie!  (Do not try this at home, swimming pools are not known for their tolerance of photography)

As I mentioned, we hit the pools last week.  Squeaky & I put our new costumes through their paces with an afternoon of leisure pool sliding & wave machines, and a morning of learner pool & proper lane swimming.  And the verdict?  Excellent.  Both costumes stayed exactly where they were put, looked great, and mine felt really comfortable, even when I was pounding out proper lengths.  They dried quickly, and the costumes are made from high quality, durable materials.  At £32 for mine, and £14 for Squeaky's costume, they're reasonably priced, and I can honestly say from past experience they will last & last.  I've worn Zoggs costumes for years and they are fantastically durable.

What better time to go shopping and stock up for the summer?  Who knows, if enough of us start dreaming about the beach, maybe the weather will finally pick up!

Disclosure: I was invited to choose two items from Simply Swim's range free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own. All links are provided for your convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Mortified!

We had a little adventure down to the wilds of Torbay last weekend. Any excuse, I know, but as Squeaky woke us up last week crying "I want to go on holiday, I want to go to a caravan", we couldn't really not take our latest £9.50 hol, could we?  I'll write a proper blog post about the trip another day, hopefully.

Not far away...

Today though, I wanted to share one of the finer moments of life with a 2 year old.  Picture the scene.  We've just been swimming, and are in the changing rooms of the holiday site's swimming pool, squeezed into a little cubicle.  Squeaky is dry and dressed, and giving her usual running commentary of every thought that passes through her head.  I am in the middle of getting dry.

Squeaky: Where's Daddy?
Me: In the boys changing room.
Squeaky: Boys smell of feet
Me: Yeah, ok, they do
Squeaky: You smell of feet
Me: Errr, THANKS, no I don't.
Squeaky: Incey Wincey Spider climbs up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sunshine and ... POPPED the spider out. Out came the sunshine and... POPPED the spider out. (Repeat this line 10+ times) Incey Wincey Spider climbed up the spout again

There are a few giggles to be heard in the changing room as Squeaky is not a quietly spoken child.  At this point, I breathe a sigh of relief, and continue getting dry.  I've just put my t-shirt on, and peeled off the bottom half of my swimming costume.

Squeaky: Mummy, what's that?
Me: What's what, darling?
Squeaky: THAT!  You've got a bit of hair on your bottom!
Me (thinking fast): Oh, so I have. Incey Wincey Spider?

There are now much louder giggles from the rest of the changing room, and I am looking for a hole in the ground to swallow me up.  I mean, WHAT do you say?  And is this one of those milestones I should be writing down for future reference?

Babies In Sheep's Clothing High Performance Swimwear Review

The sun's been beating down here the last few days, and it's time to start thinking about summer.  Squeaky's nursery even asked for suncream & sunhats today!  (What they've done with last year's, I don't know).  I don't envy them trying to get that many small unco-operative people liberally covered in factor 50!

But along with summer comes playing on the beach. And whether they like it or not, our little darlings DO need their skin protected from the sun.  Delicate skin can burn very easily, even through clothing, and sunburn is a sign of skin damage, and can lead to skin cancer in the longer term, which none of us wish on our children.

Well, the kind people at Babies In Sheep's Clothing got in touch with me recently, and asked if I'd like to try out something from their new range of High Performance Swimwear from Little Red Fish.  It might sound early in the year, but as we were soaking up some March sunshine in Spain last week, the timing couldn't have been better, and a red & white striped bathing suit found its way into our case to join us on our travels.

The suit was a bit thicker than normal "high street" swimwear. Not as thick as a wet suit, but a little thicker.  It was also much, much softer, almost like a thick t-shirt.  The cleverest part of the design, in my opinion, is that the zip does up at the back, like a wetsuit.  We've had an all-in-one costume before, but the zip was at the front, and little fingers find them quite interesting.  Putting the zip at the back means it stays zipped up.  Squeaky loved the Little Red Fish logo on the arm, and kept looking at it.

Fishy!

We were sent a 1-2 year old size.  Squeaky turned 2 in January, but she's at the smaller end of her age bracket, and wears 18-24 month clothes for the most part anyway, and it was a great fit, with plenty of room for growth, so I'm confident it will still fit her in the summer and beyond, there was plenty of stretch, we just didn't need to use it!  We found the suit wore and washed well, dried quickly, and didn't lose any colour, despite the intensity of the colour on the suit (shame the same can't be said for some of the other items I took away with us!).  We gave the suit a full test over the course of a week, in the pool, the sea, the sand, and the children's play area.  It still looks brand new, not a snag or a single sign of wear.  As the fabric is designed to handle New Zealand summers, and in most cases the sizes cover a 2 year age group, they are meant to be durable, and it certainly seems to be the case in our experience.

Daisy says Yes!

The fabric offers the same level of protection as factor 50 suncream - which doesn't mean you can forget all about it, there's still arms, legs and faces to deal with, as well as the bits that start out covered by the costume until they start running around, but it means that the body gets the same amount of protection, and you can rest a little easier.  As you can see, the design met with the Squeaky and Daisy Seal of Approval.  By reaching her elbows & knees, it meant she stayed cool, but had freedom of movement.  (Yes, I am the person who believes you stay cooler if you have a layer on, don't give me science, I just trust my own experience)

The Little Red Fish range at Babies In Sheep's Clothing includes Swim tops and bottoms as well as One piece suits in a range of styles, in blue or red stripes.  They aren't cheap (prices range from £24.99 to £49.99), but the quality of the costume, as well as the peace of mind knowing Squeaky's skin is protected, makes it worth every penny in my opinion.  The only thing it didn't do was magically attract the fishes in the sea, despite the fish on the sleeve.  We went paddling, and called them, but only one fish came to see us.  They must be waiting for the school holidays.

Dig For Victory

Diclosure: We were provided with a Little Red Fish swimsuit free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to say, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme, and will not receive any reward for their use.

Domestic Goddess? Not Likely

It's just after 8 in the morning, one load of washing is already out on the line, and the next load is in the machine. Squeaky is busy watching Nuzzle & Scratch (argh!), and I'm plotting a turkey curry for later today.  We're both dressed, fed and watered, and the house is as near to tidy as it ever gets. This cannot be normal.  Someone has clearly replaced my brain in the night. I must have been invaded by some sort of organised bodysnatcher.  All I need to do now is the washing up, make a drink & find a suitable snack & we might even manage to WALK to the pool today in time for aquatots. Wonders never cease.

If anyone finds my normal brain, please send it back, it's too small to be allowed out on its own.

Splish Splash Splosh

Since we went on holiday, Squeaky's been a bit of a pain when it comes to water.  Baths, pools, anything that involves her getting wet.  Strange.  While we were away she was variable with the pool & the sea, one day she'd love it, the next you'd think we were killing her.  And the bath was a trauma every time, though I put that down to the hotel bath being slippy.

Well, when we got back, the bath was no better.  Absolute murders, so she'd have you believe. We gave the swimming a miss for a couple of weeks, partly because she had a bit of a dodgy tummy, and partly because I really couldn't face that level of screaming & misbehaving in front of people I know.

Well, anyway, last week we went back to the swimming group for the first time in a while, and whileshe wasn't exactly enthusiastic, she got on with it ok.  Today? Well, I don't know what's come over her.  Never mind getting on with it, today she was firmly in charge, and jumping in!  Seriously.  I sat her on the side, I was in the pool, to get her to splash her feet about, which she normally loves doing.  Instead of that, she decided she was going to jump (from sitting) in, without even holding on to my hands.  I caught her, and she did it again.  And again.  And again.  And if I kept her in the water, she'd try to climb out & jump in again.  Eventually she even went for jumping in from standing.

Clearly today she's decided to be a water baby.  What bathtime will be like, I dread to think!

Meet our friend, the whale!

Holiday Time

The Squeaky family are just back from a short trip to Blackpool, and are absolutely exhausted.

Maybe we should have chosen a different hotel, one where the ambient temperature was slightly below that of the surface of the sun, but how do you know until you arrive?  Seriously, the place was like a sauna.  And that meant that Squeaky didn't sleep well.  Despite normally sleeping straight through the night with very rare problems, we woke 2 or 3 times every night, and took forever to settle.  Which meant that all of us had trouble getting back to sleep.

It was a good trip though.  Sometimes I, not forget, just get used to how adorable Squeaky is.  It takes seeing other people to remind me.  Breakfast took upwards of an hour every morning, due to her smiling at everyone, and the recipients of the smiles stopping to talk to her.  She's a little gem when we're out as a rule, and behaved beautifully in the dining room, eating her breakfast without too much fuss, at least in part due to the level of attention she was getting.

What is it though?  At home, where there's all the changes of clothes in the world, meals go in mouths, and clothes stay pretty clean (Squeaky's, obviously. Mine always end up with weetabix on the shoulders).  When we're away, and there's only (only!) a couple of changes of clothes per day, she manages to get covered with food every time?  She was a very grubby baby some days last week, I must admit.  The day she decided to eat sand on the beach just added to the general grubbiness.

And as usual, whenever we go away, she's picked up a cold.  I don't know whether to blame it on swimming in a different pool, or just exposure to different people (and therefore different germs).  Either way, she's grumpy and snotty, and grouching when I try to wipe her nose.  She won't let me near her with the aspirator bulb thingo, so we just have to go with the saline spray and the snot.  Mmmmm, nice.

What else to say?  We had a fab week, went to the zoo (where Squeaky promptly went to sleep and missed almost everything), went on all the piers, on the beach,  in the Sandcastle waterpark.  We walked for miles, and Squeaky happily sat in her buggy or in the carrier.  We went on buses and trams, ate lots of meals out, breastfed in cafes all over the place, ate chips, cheese and melon, but not all at the same time, and won enormous cuddly toys in the amusements.  See?  Big enough to sit in the buggy.

Oh, and yeah yeah yeah!!!  We're crawling!! Squeaky has now figured out what to do with her arms as well as her legs and is zooming around on all fours.  Watch out world, we're mobile!

We're BAAAACK!

I know, I know, I'm a rubbish blogger.  The whole point of this was to make me write more frequently, but I'm just not that kind of person, or I don't have that kind of life, or something.

The whole Squeaky family went off to Devon last week for a little holiday.  It seems quite alien to me that my main holiday for the year is a week in a holiday park, only a couple or 3 hours drive from home, but giving up multiple foreign jaunts each year is the price we have to pay for having Squeaky, and she's worth it.

Oh, we had adventures!  All sorts of adventures.  Trips to the beach during the first couple of days when the weather was sunny.  Now Squeaky's that bit older, she spent a lot of the time playing with sand.  Not in the sandcastle building sense, obviously.  But in the "Wow!  What's this powdery stuff?  Can I eat it?" sense, running it through her fingers, pouring it on her face, then objecting to the sand being on her face, things like that.  It's incredible to watch her become more and more aware of the world around her, and start to explore it more.

We also went to a "haunted" manor house, where Squeaky made very well timed comments (raspberries) while the guide was talking, but was generally good as gold, went on a funicular railway, where she charmed everyone, ate ice-cream & white chocolate buttons (don't tell my health visitor, please), and to a farm park, where she made friends with sheep, goats, horses, ducks and bunnies.  Giant bunnies, like the ones on Teletubbies!

And we stayed up late in the evening, watching the entertainment, or watching the world cup final.  Squeaky fell asleep before the end, but then again, I wasn't far behind her.  She slept in her travel cot without any complaint, which is another big relief, and means we don't need to worry about renting a cot when we go elsewhere.  And she went swimming nearly every day, making friends wherever she went.  It's amazing how many people want to talk to a small and chirpy baby.

Hooray for John Fowler holidays, because we had a lovely little chalet, right by the pool and entertainment.  Plenty big enough for 2 adults and a Squeaky, parking outside our door (you don't get that at the bigger parks).  Friendly welcome for us all, enough to keep us occupied, but not so much that you feel like you're missing something if you decide to have an early night.

And now, Squeaky's 6 whole months old!  I can't believe how the time has flown.  She's learned and grown so much, and taught me so much.  She had a whole bowl of cereal this morning, and she's having three solid meals a day, though not always very much of them.  She's eaten chicken, both fresh cooked by me, and from a jar, all sorts of veggies and fruits, and a few things she possibly shouldn't have (see above ice-cream & white choc buttons).  No great quantities of the treat foods, just a little try to introduce more texture, flavour, etc.  As long as it doesn't get in the way of proper food, or become too much of a habit, I don't see it as a problem.

Swimming revisited

So today, as previously mentioned, we gave our usual swimming session in Aberfan a miss, to go over to Aberdare, where I'd been told the pool was warmer.

Drove half an hour to get there, and found. The pool was closed. For a school swimming gala (i.e. booked months in advance). Nothing on the website, nothing outside the leisure centre, nothing told to the other mums in previous weeks. Nothing. And as you can imagine, that lead to quite a number of upset children, and parents, who'd planned their day around a swimming trip.

That was their one & only chance. I'm going back to Aberfan next week, and staying there.

Swimming

When we went on our little jaunt to North Wales last month, we took the opportunity to introduce Squeaky to the joys of swimming. While both of us are swimmers, me moreso than SqueakyDaddy, we both learned late in childhood, and wanted to avoid the same happening to Squeaky. As per usual, she charmed everyone around her and took to it like, well, a duck to water.

On returning home, I popped into the council pool in town, looking for a parent & baby type session, or at least a good time to visit with a small squeaky creature in tow. The answer I got from the receptionists? "Just put her in the bath, she won't know the difference"! Honest! I only wish I was making it up. Most unlike me, I was too shocked to reply, and too shocked to make a scene, demand an apology, speak to the manager. So instead, I'm just telling everyone, in person & on the wilds of the internet. Don't go to Rhydycar leisure centre in Merthyr Tydfil, ok? (The fact the pool was closed for AGES due to a cryptosporidium outbreak they couldn't kill doesn't add much confidence either).

Fortunately, due to my good friends at the breastfeeding group, I've now found not one, but two, baby swimming sessions. One in the slightly closer to my house, Aberfan community centre pool, and one in Aberdare. We're going to try Aberdare tomorrow, as all the reports suggest the water's far warmer. Splish splash.