Teaching Kids To Love Water

National Learn to Swim day is the third Saturday in May! Teach your kids to love the water by learning to swim early

This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

I'm pretty sure Henry was born with a love for water. All things water. I remember the first time I took him to a friend's pool, he jumped in fearlessly and I had to jump in after him because he was only 6 months old and couldn't swim! He just went for it, and came up laughing. Otto, on the other hand, is more reserved about water. He hangs back when we turn the sprinkler on, and clings to me when we do play dates at pools. Whether your kid is a natural like Henry or more timid like Otto, Swim Ways promotes water safety and even founded National Learn to Swim Day in 2012.

Clearly, Dallas isn't near a body of water. Heck, I don't even think there's a natural lake here! But pools are abundant. Most people have in ground pools; while we don't, we do have a huge blow up pool with waist deep water for the kids to play in. With the heat we get here, it's the only way to enjoy being outside from late May through September. Because of the "pool scene", water safety is SO important to me. Even more so with my fearless Henry! And I want Otto to become comfortable in a pool, too.

SwimWays has this cool baby float for kiddos 9-24 months. It folds easily into a small carry case, and then pops open. You blow up the two floats and there's a seat for your babe to hang out in. It also comes with a canopy that has a 50SPF factor, which is awesome to shield Otto from the harsh Texas heat. And the best part? Target has them fully stocked both in store and online, so no need to go to a specialty store to find it.

Speaking of Texas heat, we haven't had any this year. It's so strange to be in pants and long sleeves in mid May! One day it got to the mid 80's and Henry was gun-ho to get the pool out. I thought it'd be warm enough, but as we started to fill it with (freezing) hose water, the sun went away and the kids started to shiver with blue lips! So they got to splash in ankle deep water, but by the time the pool was filled we had to go in and take a hot bath to warm up. Of course, Henry was willing to stay in the pool indefinitely but Otto? He was ready to get the heck outta dodge.

I'm super excited to use this baby spring float canopy when/if (!!!) summer ever arrives here. Henry will play endlessly in water, but Otto will be able to relax in it. The water is too deep for him to sit on the bottom of our pool, and this will enable him to relax and start to get more comfortable in water. And when we go to our friend's with in-ground pools, it will give me more confidence as I attempt to manage two boys in deep water!

Water safety is important where ever you live and however old your children are. Want to learn more about SwimWays Teach Me to Swim initiative? Check this out, and make sure you keep your family safe with proper water safety knowledge this summer pool (or lake) season.

Be Back Thursday!

Hey y'all, I'm likely in the air coming back from a mini-vacay as you read this, so no post today! I'll see you Thursday with some fresh content and some cute pics of baby belly's (not mine; baby belly meaning of my kids!) in swim suits, mmmmk?

Time Saving App For Busy Parents

The Sam's Club app saves you time and money!

Thanks to Sam's Club for sponsoring this post. All opinions and images are my own.

Ever feel like there is just not enough time in the day? You run from place to place, checking items off your to-do list but it never seems to get smaller. Things come up that throw off your schedule, a kid gets sick or has a melt-down and you have to carry over various errands to the next day. And on and on, right? One of the best things about being a 21st century mom is the access to technology to help us. More specifically, time saving apps for busy parents that give you back precious hours to your day.

I know most women love to shop. I kinda wish I were one of them, but I'm pretty sure my husband is glad I'm not. Either way, shopping still takes up the bulk of my "errand running" time. I go to an all organic store for my fruits, veggies and meats but I can't get my diapers there. I go to another store for laundry detergent and toothpaste. And I go to Sam's Club for diapers, crackers and other large items we use a lot of regularly. I have a feeling when my boys are 8 and 9 years old, I'll do most of my grocery shopping there (they have so many organic options!) because my kids will eat me out of house and home otherwise, but for now, I have three stores to go to weekly and it feels like it takes forever.

Anyone else have the multiple stop shopping situation I have?

I just learned about the Sam's Club app. You download it (free!) and create your account. Then you can do all your shopping within the app. You can do it in bed before you go to sleep, you can do it at the park on a play date, whenever. You can get everything, from groceries to diapers to electronics - anything Sam's Club sells! Then schedule your pick up (or delivery - DELIVERY!) and they have your order waiting for you. Want to learn more? Check it out here! Want to sign up? Get a $10 credit here!

I scheduled a delivery right before I got the kids from preschool, since Sam's Club is on the way. I pulled up, and my cart of goods was ready for me! I threw it in my car and was on my way again in less than 5 minutes. That trip would have taken me a solid half hour, but I was able to narrow it down to about 3 minutes of pick up/load time and less than 5 minutes on the app.

This time saving app means I get to spend more free time with my kiddos! Instead of dragging them around on all the errands I typically have to run, we were able to hang out in our backyard and blow up our bounce house. Seriously, even if you just have a small yard, you should get one of these. (Pssst - you can get them at Sam's Club!) Our kids bounce out all their energy and fall asleep in minutes after playing in this thing. 

Fewer errands, happier kids and more playtime? Yup. Go download this time saving app, busy parents!