First and foremost, THANK YOU to all that have sacrificed for our many freedoms in this great country. I came across a wonderful quote the other day…
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.
Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
– George S. Patton
– George S. Patton
Other than the Braves game last night, we spent our long weekend doing lots of relaxing. Boy was it nice to not have any real plans for a change!! When we weren’t at the pool, John spent the night out and went to another Braves game, we cooked out, and we sat on the porch. Low key and perfect!
We’ve got our first swim meet this week… y’all have any tips or tricks for what to bring, etc?!?!
xoxo
Yes, pack as if you are going to the beach for the day…sunscreen, extra goggles, LOTS of food and drinks, chairs, towels, a tent/canopy if your pool allows it…our summer meets last about five hours with total pool time about 4 minutes with my two daughters…cards to play games, a sharpie to write heat numbers on your littles' arms, highlighter to highlight heat sheets and cash…have fun!
That pasta looks amazing! Recipe please?
It was smoked mozzarella pasta from whole foods :-)
A sharpie! You'll use it to write his race and lane info on his arm and his teammates can mark him up….swim fast, eat my bubbles, etc. It's a swim team tradition!
My kids have aged out of the swim meets, but since we did them for 12 years, I do have a few tips. ? Definitely pack a cooler with lots of drinks and healthy snacks. Swim meets can last 1.5-3+ hours! I didn't know this at our first meet. I thought we'd be able to go out to dinner after the meet! Bring some of the collapsible chairs. You definitely will want to get there early to get your "space". Preferably, under an umbrella! Or in the shade. Dress comfortable! If you volunteer, be a timer. I found it to be the best "job". Being a runner or ribbon writer was crazy! Don't worry about how fast they are or where they place. They are learning a wonderful skill and getting great exercise. Just encourage them and don't let the color or number on the ribbons lessen the fun for them.
Swim meets – take water, Gatorade, and snacks, but also cash for the concession stand for when the kiddos inevitably talk you into purchasing some ridiculous sno cones that they will leave melting when they have to hurry to their next line-up. :) Also, 2 pens and 2 highlighters for the heat sheet. Obviously, a camera and towels. Also, comfy but cool shoes. I like to wear Keens. Have fun!
Can you share your recipe for the pasta you had with your burger? I'm always looking for good pasta recipes and that looks wonderful!!
Julia from SC
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It was smoked mozzarella pasta from whole foods :-)
Make sure you have at least 2 extra sharpies for marking their arms. My kids like green sharpie bc it's the team color. I also carry an extra towel or two & always an extra pair of goggles in case of a broken pair. For the 6 & unders I take a ba of starburst & give each swimmer a piece after each race they swim (they usually only swim 3 but love
Patience, a light jacket or hoodie in case it's windy, and a sharpie to write race numbers on their arm.
It's been awhile since I was on swim team but we always packed lots of towels, pasta, Gatorade , and sme other. Snacks. Also make sure you have an extra pair of goggles!
Bring your patience and lawn chairs! Oh, and tons of card games and things to keep your kids busy. We actually have the waterproof Uno cards, nice because they won't get soggy. Don't forget a cooler with snacks and cold drinks. Then get ready for the loooong haul. Swim meets are hours of sitting to watch your kid swim four events for for 38 seconds each!!!
So cute…two of my three are on a swim team. They practice 6x a week. It is an intense league, but they seem to love it. I pack extra towels in car to have a clean, dry one for the ride home. I also pack protein bars, nuts, a piece of fruit, Gatorade, and extra water. They sell snacks and drinks at our meets, but my kids are always starving. I also pack extra goggles. I wear my teva sandals and a cool cotton dress, bc it gets wet and hot in Charleston. Oh, and I keep books, games, etc…in car for rain delays, and magazines for me. Have fun! Mandy
Our swim meets last from 7:30am until about 1:30pm. We have one of those utility wagons from Costco to help carry everything. We bring…. canopy for shade when we are at pools that have no umbrellas or if those spots are already taken, chairs, beach towels, lots of cold drinks, water, snacks (fresh fruit, cut up veggies, sandwiches if there are no concessions, etc. and my boys love an Airhead after each race!), sunscreen, a Sharpie for writing heat numbers on arms, books, magazines, iPod/iPad, DS games, cards, etc! :) Oh and the camera of course! Have fun!
Natalie
I was a swim team mom for many years. One of the things that I found helpful was to have a large plastic tote bag with all my swim needs in it. I think I bought it from Target. It was plastic and had handles. When the pool water gets sloshing, it then gets all over the pool deck and your canvas or fabric bag gets soaked on the bottom…not good with chlorinated water – leaves water stains that won't come out. I also kept large ziploc baggies in my bag for wet swimsuits – my daughter never wore them home. Keep an extra long sleeve jacket or shirt just in case it's cold when they get out from swimming. I also had extra googles, a wide tooth comb, ear drops to dry ears out quicker (avoid swimmers ear…yuck), and eye drops if the pools we swam in were highly chlorinated and my child's eyes were really red. Of course towels and flipflops and an warm jacket for me too, just in case.
Mikki
Oh, yes, I do remember those days when you & your sister swam in the meets. I just remember getting there around 5 or 6, and leaving around 10 or 11 PM! And that very 1st meet! Daddy-O and I had no idea about how long it would last……no chairs, snacks, magazines…nothing! And since we got there early (Daddy-O's compulsion), we had seats on some benches at least. I also remember everyone snickering when we got there, and commenting that we must be first-timers to a meet! Then they gave us the lowdown on what we needed to bring with us! Despite all of that, those were happy days!
Love, Marme
Looks like a fabulous weekend with great eats. Ours never participated in swim meets, as they were ice skating competitively. But, I do remember my girlfriends saying how LONG they were!! Better to be over prepared.
Sounds like the perfect Memorial Day weekend to me!
Can't help with the swim meets since they have changed so much since I was on swim team but I am sending best wishes to the littles for a wonderful season. I know they will excel!
I must ask, where did you find those playing cards? I LOVE them! I need a new set for our beach place and those would be perfect and I would definitely keep a set at home as a wonderful reminder of the beach and boating when I am not able to be at the beach!
Have a blessed day Amanda!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer! I love those cards too. They were a treasure box prize at disney Hilton head :-). I wish I had a few more decks!
Thanks for the info!