Get to Know Olympic Hopeful David Oliver

Hey guys! I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to an athlete named David Oliver. Many of you might already know who he is or have at least heard of him. David Oliver is a USA Track & Field athlete (in hurdles) with many championships, awards and honors under his belt. Some of those athletic achievements include being a three-time USA Outdoor Champion, two-time NCAA All-American, 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist and several other awards and honors. You can take a peek at his specific rankings and events here. It's quite impressive!

He will be leading a spectacular group of American hurdlers in the 2012 Olympic year. He is hoping to pull from the momentum he had in 2010 since he has been fighting through injuries in 2011. I am quite sure that through determination, hard work and a positive mindset, he will be amazing!

Besides being an incredible athlete, he also helps inner-city children through his organization called SUB 13. In October of 2011, David and his SUB 13 organization hosted their annual speed and agility camp in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. The kids went through a series of drills focused at helping them improve their performance. You can check out the full photo album of the event on the Facebook page. Imagine how cool that would be to get training from such a popular athlete? I know it had to be a big boost for those kids to learn from someone that took time out of his busy schedule to work with them. I have always respected athletes that give back to their community in such a big way.

You can check David Oliver out on Facebook and Twitter as well as his official site.

 

Psst.... stay tuned to find out how you can get a chance to meet David Oliver in person and help your child's school with Coca-Cola. I promise you that you won't want to miss out on that!

Happiness

Isn't William the cutest fisherman? He is so content when he is out back with his daddy fishing. Look at the concentration face! They did catch some small fish. Of course I make them throw them back in the water. Mean momma! :)

Safeskin Kids Sport Wrap Review

Being the mother of 2 student athletes, you deal with many issues concerning their bodies. Both of my girls play volleyball and it is not unusual to see them or their teammates with wrapped wrists, ankles, fingers, elbows or knees. Safeskin Kids Sport Wraps are a great way to help get through the game when those body parts are not fully cooperating. What better way than to have a fun, colorful wrap instead of the traditional white. These sport wraps come in four bright colors – blue, red, green and yellow – and is ideal for securing bandages and splints and cushioning or supporting wounds. My daughters say that having the colored wrap makes them look "cool".

In addition to these benefits, SAFESKIN* Kids Sport Wrap is:
· Self-adhesive and reusable – with no clips or pins needed to secure the wrap into place.
· Soft, cushiony and comfortable against the skin.
· Water-resistant.
· Latex-free
Safeskin Kids Sport Wrap is currently available at Walmart locations nationwide for a suggested retail price of $3.94. It will be available at other retail locations in early 2012. For more information, visit www.kcdiy.com/safeskin/.

I will be purchasing a pack for each of the girls' gym bag. I wish they came in orange so they can wear their school color! Sadly, my girls would want to wear these even if they don't need to because they love looking cool :-)

I received a product sample for review purposes and all opinion are 100% mine as always.

iRenew Review

I received an iRenew bracelet to review just like the black one pictured above. I have heard of this type of wristband before and was curious to see what kind of results it would give. The fact that the iRenew may help promote balance, strength and endurance was very intriguing to my husband. He was instantly attracted to the look of the bracelet so he decided to try it out for himself. It is made out of 100% silicone and has a durable stainless steel clasp. It can get wet and it won't get damaged like some similar bracelets might.

I asked Dwayne if he felt any difference after wearing it for a week and he told that he had a great week and did not feel excessively fatigued. We can't say for sure if it had anything to do with the bracelet but we will take it! I did read up on the web about the iRenew and saw many satisfied customers as well as the opposite. I think that for the price ($19.99), the iRenew is not bad to try out and the good thing is there is a 30-day money back guarantee (-s&h) if you are not satisfied. I did see many similar bands on the web that cost a whole lot more. I do like the fact that you can adjust the band to fit smaller wrists. I think I might steal the bracelet from Dwayne and cut it down so I can try it out for myself. The iRenew comes in many colors and styles. As a matter of fact, my teenagers hinted that they would love the orange one (one of their school colors) and that it would be a great item for a student-athlete to have. Hmm, looks like it would make a unique stocking stuffer.

If you have tried this item I would love to know how you liked it!

I received a product sample for review purposes and all opinions are 100% mine as always. 

My girls are gone :-(

I woke up this morning at 4:30 so I could take the girls to meet up with their volleyball teammates to board the bus to Charleston for a 3-day camp. You would not believe the amount of stuff 2 teenage girls carry along for such a short time! I tell you what though, I miss them already. As a matter of fact I started missing them since Monday. William woke up this morning and gave his usual good morning greetings. He then asks to go downstairs so he can see his girls. Yep, he refers to his sisters as "my girls". I told him that they were not home and he got teary eyed. I am sure he will be missing them a whole lot too. I know the girls will have a blast and at least they can get away from the mountains of summer work they have for a few days. The upside to all of this is that we will actually have food in the house for the next few days!

Oh, one last thing...Chardie got her score from her AP European History exam she took in May for college credit. You get scored from 1-5 (5 being the highest) Guess what? My girl got a 5!!!! We are so proud!!!

Doctor's diagnosis "You are not dead"

The other day my 16 year old was complaining that she was having some odd pain in her chest when she left volleyball practice. I asked her a bunch of questions like "Did you spike the ball hard? Do you think you pulled a muscle? Could it be gas?" She said it was not a normal pain. After about 2 hours I felt like we had better get it checked out, just in case. Off to Urgent Care we went. I told Chardie we should go ahead and get her knees checked while we were there since she has been suffering from knee pain for some time now. We were so glad that we were the only ones in there and was able to be seen within 5 minutes. Wouldn't you know that the pain stopped? Yep, no more pain. Classic. Long story short~ the nurse checked her vitals and did an EKG. My daughter has a problem with anyone touching her. She is VERY ticklish. I mean even if I try to give her a simple manicure she will go nuts with laughter.

Flashback- When Chardie was 6 months old she fell off the bed while I had my back turned to grab a diaper and powder. I was frantic and she was on her back laughing heartily. She has never changed. Whenever she falls or runs into something you will see tears streaming down her face. This is not because she is in pain but it is from laughter. Yes folks, my kid laughs when she gets hurt. You can never tell if she is okay or not.

Now back to the doctor... He walks in to let us know of any findings from the EKG. He let us know that her problem had nothing to do with her heart. It was more than likely from her physical activity that she irritated her chest muscle. He said that if a 16 year old was having a heart attack that they would not be able to survive. He then tells us that the good news is that she did not have a heart attack and she did not die. I could not help but giggle. Every time he tried to touch Chardie, she would start laughing. The doctor said maybe it's a good thing she is that way. He said if she is alone with a boy and starts to giggle then we would know that he better back off of our daughter. He then attempts to touch her knees. Of course we all know how that went! He told us that knee pain is the most common problem in teen athletes and recommended she take Ibuprofen. So the end result is that she is fine, just as I suspected. Thank goodness! We keep cracking jokes about her not being dead. That doctor was crazy but we really liked him and will surely go back to him again :)

Go Brie!

We attended Briahnna's middle school athletic banquet last week to recognize all students that participated in the sports programs. For each sport the coach gave out 3 plaques to the athletes they thought were most deserving for a specific area. Briahnna was given the 'Coach's Award'. Her coach was pleased with Brie's readiness to work hard, perform well and be a team player. We are so proud of Brie and she certainly deserves this great honor. What a nice way to close out her middle school volleyball career. Next stop high school!

Topricin saved my back [and butt]

I did something really bad today. I decided it was a good idea to move my exercise bike from downstairs by bring upstairs in my office. I moved the heavy thing by myself. Dumb move. I felt my back do something. Next thing I know I was having difficulty bending over. I remembered that I had just received some homeopathic pain relief cream called Topricin to review. Now I was not intending for the review to go down this was but it kind of worked out. I grabbed the tube and the first thing I did was sniff it (strange thing I always do). It smelled like, well, nothing. It was odorless. I squeezed some onto my fingers and applied it the best I could on my back.
It was completely greaseless which is usually never the case with pain relief creams. I sat down for a bit to see if the Topricin would work. I figured since it did not have a mentholated scent and was non-greasy that I should not expect much. Do you know that within 15 minutes I was not feeling the pain anymore? I am completely stunned! If the hubby only knew what I did and the kind of effect it could of had on me, he would be so upset with me. This is why I said that Topricin saved my back [and butt]. I really did not think a homeopathic product could really work as well as Topricin Pain Relief Cream did. I am thinking about purchasing some for my parents and my mother-in-law for their pain ailments. The beauty of using this type of pain therapy is simple- no drugs and no side effects. This makes it safe for everyone to use.

Topricin products can be purchased here and comes in different formulas including Topricin Junior and Topricin Foot Therapy Cream, as well as different sizes.

I received product samples for review and all opinions are 100% mine as always.

The last jacket this child will ever get

Back in early November Dwayne and I ordered a Letterman's jacket for Chardie since she has expressed numerous times that she really wanted one. She has already lettered twice so we finally broke down and let her get it. As we made the order and picked out the patches, I asked the salesperson what the turnaround time was. He said roughly 6-8 weeks since it was the holidays time. He said that it would be closer to 8 weeks. You should have seen the look on my child's face. I think she was thinking more like 1 week. So for 7 weeks I had to listen to her complain and whine about how her jacket was taking forever. With all I went through having to listen to an impatient teenager I told her that this would be the last jacket she would get for the rest of her high school career. I also informed her that she better wear it all the time since we spent $200 on it. You see, my child is one of those girls that will love something and finally have it and decide that it is not quite her style.

Well the jacket came in on New Year's eve and she has almost not taken it off since then! She is so happy with it. We ordered a size small short since she is a little munchkin. She could not wait to go to school today to show it off. After all, she will be the only girl at her school that has one.

She loves the HUGE volleyball patch with her number on it. It is way bigger than we were expecting actually.
She wanted the embroidered letters for the back instead of the chenille. She is my classic baby.

Of course she has her full first name. She goes by "Char" at school but I think she wanted her full formal name since she is once again my classic baby. I am glad she finally got it so I don't have to hear about it anymore. Oh the things you do for your kids....

Mixed feelings

Well volleyball season will be coming to a close next week. Chardie's team improved tremendously this year although it was not enough to take them to the play-offs. Brie's team is undefeated as of this week. Next Wednesday is the final game of the season and that will determine who the District Champions will be. We are facing an equally talented team so it's any one's game. I won't lie, my nerves are bad right now!

I am really happy in some ways that the season is almost over yet really sad. The girls really love the sport and don't want it to end. The bright side of things for them is at least they can have more time for schoolwork, friends and family. During v-ball season they have no life. Just school and volleyball. I have really enjoyed watching some good volley action and next year both girls will be at the same school together. This means only going to one school for both! I really am so happy about that yet at the same time I can't believe little Brie (although she is taller than me) will be a freshman in high school *sighs* I guess growing up is something that can't be avoided. I sure am proud of those girls. At least now I can see them a lot more and I can have my shopping partners back. It's not the same gallivanting all over without them :)

Someone is getting contacts

We finally decided to let our Briahnna get contacts. I had to take one last photo with her glasses to remember her this way. I know that once the glasses come off she will look more grown up and quite frankly, I am not ready for it. I know that it will be so much better for her with playing volleyball and other sports. I will post photos of the new Brie when she is ready.

Look at what your boy found....

Dwayne and I were taking a little drive this evening and on the way home he took a little detour. Of course I knew he had to be up to something. He pulled over on a dead end street and jumped out and came back with a bag filled with these funky dirty golf balls. Then he brings them in the house and puts them in my kitchen sink to wash them off *BIG sigh* I asked him why he needed 50+ golf balls and he tells me "I was doing my civic duty to remove them from the roadway to protect the citizens of my fine city. We would not want anyone to have an accident". So I asked him "What do I do with you?" Of course he tells me I should go play some golf with him.

Random

It's supposed to be summer break for the kids. They have summer assignments that consume a good bit of their day, everyday. It's as if school did not end. They still have practices and camps so I still drive them all over the place each week. So much for saying good-bye to the carpool line. I'm not complaining. I have not heard the "I'm bored" bit as yet. Of course I am one of those old-school moms that will put your butt to work if you feel you have nothing to do. I think my girls have caught onto that pretty well. Also I have noticed that I am spending less on food. Yes, you read that correctly LESS. I guess since the days aren't as structured as school days I am not forced to buy as much stuff to accommodate breakfast, morning snacks, lunch, afterschool snacks and game snacks. I can get used to this. So how is summertime coming along in your home?

The disappearing household

Has anyone noticed how busy everyone seems to be these days? Parents working (some at home), kids in school, activities, sports, practices, etc... Don't forget all the games, meets, tournaments, recitals, open houses, PTO/PTA meetings, fundraisers, business functions and the list is endless. Oh and let's not forget the Internet (social sites, email, shopping, uh pretty much everything you can imagine right at your fingertips) I am sure this all sounds very familiar to most of you. I know it has been a theme in my household over the past few years. When you were growing up did you remember your family being this busy? Not me, we actually had so much time on our hands that we became bored. We always found something to do though...riding bikes, rollerskating, hanging out at the mall or going to the movies. Those were much simpler times. Now society tells you that your kids need to be involved in extracurricular activities every single day. We did this last year with the girls. They went from a variety of summer camps then to school volleyball, club volleyball and piano on top of a FULL school workload. Once you added in all the travel time and expenses (yes, it was very expensive) the end result was a completely burned out family. Every last one of us.

I was chatting with a friend on the phone the other day and we discussed how hard it is to have your children involved in multiple activities and school at the same time. She mentioned that she even knew a couple that divorced over the same thing. Their marriage suffered because of neglect due to traveling all over with the kids. I can't imagine it coming to that extreme. I decided a few weeks back that things will be very different around the Ismail household. We are going to say NO to some things. We can't attend every single game or event. We have to say no to some parties and gatherings. We have to put our family first. We must have more sit-down dinners around the table. We must connect on a daily basis. We can't let all the "stuff" we have going on take over our entire life. No way. Already I have been feeling so relaxed and not so cluttered with feeling like there is no time. I can't stand when people always complain that they have no time. Sometimes just moving things around a bit can give you some more breathing room. I think we will be a even happier household in the long run. I apologize for such a long post. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please share your thoughts on this subject.

Saturday's v-ball tourney

We spent Saturday in North Augusta for Chardie's volleyball tournament. It was a long but really good day. Chardie's team won first place in the Bronze division, not exactly Gold status but it is always great to place first in any division! The team was so excited and here are some photos of the day.

William was SO well behaved and all the parents were bragging about the fact that he was so quiet. Yeah, that was just because he was surrounded by women and girls all day!

Here is Willie with Brie before the first match.

Papo, Chardie and William getting some floor time before the next game started.

William and Chardie

This is what it looks like when we have to pack up to go to an out-of-town event. ALL of that stuff belongs to our family. It was like home away from home! Beverage anyone??
Chardie and a few teammates just goofing around.

The victory "T"!!

The team with their winner's t-shirts.