Tag Archives: beaches

So You Think the Olympics Ended in August? Think Again!

Why would I be writing about another Olympic role model with adoption ties a month after the Olympic Games ended? Well, in reality the Games ended just this past week. From September 6-13, the Paralympic Games took place in Beijing. The world’s second-largest sporting event–elite competitions for athletes with physical or visual disabilities–draws the best disabled athletes from all over the world. The “para” in Paralympics is for “parallel”, on a par with, rather than paraplegic as some people assume. The Paralympic Games are held in the same year and at the same location as the Olympic Games. Cities and … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps the Comedian?

I suppose if Nancy Kerrigan can do it, why not Michael Phelps? The king of the pool will be stepping into unchartered waters when he hosts the season premiere of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on September 13th. (We all know the number 8 was great for the swimming sensation in China; now we’ll get to see how 13 treats him.) The golden boy of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China will not only be making his acting debut on the late-night institution, Phelps will also be hooking up with the recording artist whose music motivated him in the … Continue reading →

A Mother’s View from the Pool: Why are you Wearing Crocs in the Water?

There’s a fierce debate going on in cyberspace regarding whether “fashionable” people should be wearing Crocs—those plastic clog-like shoes that come in an array of bright colors—in public. I’ll leave that bitter battle to others. However, the popular footwear does play prominently in observations I’ve made this summer as a mom frequenting our local aquatic center. As I mentioned in my previous blog my 4-year-old daughter is learning to swim, thus we have spent quite a bit of time at our community pool in the last 12 weeks. In that time I’ve had the opportunity to view interesting parenting techniques. … Continue reading →

A Mother’s View from the Pool

When you take your young child to a public pool do you: A.) Kick back in a chair and dig into a pile of PEOPLE magazines B.) Watch your child like a hawk especially since he doesn’t know how to swim C.) Turn over babysitting duties to older siblings so you can return calls on your cellphone? If you frequent community pools in my city you would find that the majority of parents would choose A or C (if they were answering honestly). For the past 12 weeks my 4-year-old daughter and I have made near daily trips to our … Continue reading →

The Olympics Is Changing My Household

Watching the Olympics has been an exciting thing, but boy has it had an impact on my home. Things are changing because of the Olympics, and it makes me wonder if they will change back. The biggest change is with everyone’s bedtime, or let’s just say lack of bedtime. No one is immune, including myself, the solitary morning person of the bunch. Well, my youngest my be a morning person, but it is still a little too early to tell. Staying up just a few more minutes and then a few more minutes again to see the end of the … Continue reading →

Stretching Your Makeup Savings

Beauty can be expensive. Just the other day, I was given an “invitation” for a spa event that cost $160! Whew. There are some frugal ways that we can still pamper ourselves and use makeup and other beauty products without going broke. Here are some ideas for stretching your makeup savings. Take advantage of all of the great deals that are put out by competing pharmacies. Usually if you pay attention to what is going on at CVS and Walgreens, you can get a lot of makeup products for free. Check out the Deals forums here at Families.com and get … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps Making Waves in the World of Sports Trading Cards

How many of you knew that swimming trading cards even existed? Join the club. The average sports memorabilia collector likely has mountains of trading cards featuring the stars of football, basketball and baseball, but only a few savvy sports fans were astute enough to invest in swimming trading cards prior to this year’s Summer Olympics in Beijing and now they’re cashing—-big time. Of course, those collectors have none other than Michael Phelps to thank for making swimming trading cards mega-popular these days. According to reports, an autographed 2004 trading card of the swimming phenom, who was recently named as the … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps’ Olympic Size Diet

I don’t envy Michael Phelps’ exercise regime, but who wouldn’t love to adopt his diet? The 23-year-old swimming sensation recently revealed what fuels his intense daily workouts in the pool… and to say that the Olympic athlete puts away a ton of food is an Olympic sized understatement. Phelps says his recipe for swimming success involves eating a jaw-dropping 12,000 calories a day. That’s more than most pregnant women eat in a week. Okay, maybe not, but it is darn near close. According to nutritionists, the average man of the same age and height (Phelps is 6’4”) should be ingesting … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps… A Son and Brother First

Two down and six to go for U.S. swimming sensation Michael Phelps. Since the Summer Olympics got underway two days ago the swimming phenom demolished his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley to win the first of what he hopes will be an unprecedented eight golds in a single Olympics and then less than 24 hours later he swam the leadoff leg on the victorious U.S. 400 freestyle relay and collected gold yet again. No question the 23-year-old Maryland native defies nature, but it’s not his mastery of cutting through the water at record breaking speeds that inspired … Continue reading →

Dara Torres: Super Olympian

What is it like to have been in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles or the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea? How about the 1992 Games in Barcelona or the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia? If you want to know, you can ask just one 2008 Beijing Olympian – 41 year old American swimmer Dara Torres. Dara will be the first swimmer to appear in five Olympic Games when she competes this week in Beijing in the 50 meter freestyle, the 4 x 100 medley relay, and the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. In her four previous Olympic … Continue reading →