Will Work for Gummy Bears

Hi Friends!

So most of you know by now that I coach high school swimming.  For the most part, my girls are incredibly self-motivated and extremely competitive.  And I've found that if you throw in a little bag of gummy bears, they'll work even harder.  Such was the case with the "6 Minute Plank Club."  Have you ever done a plank?  They're pretty tough.  Go ahead, feel free to drop on down to the floor and hold a plank for 30 seconds.  It's not easy.  This summer, I put together a 6 minute continuous plank set and challenged my swimmers to get in the 6 Minute Club.  It took some of them most of the summer, but eventually, every swimmer made it into the club.  When I started at the high school this fall, I challenged my girls to get in the club, too.  I am completely proud to say that each and every girl on my team, 31 in all, have made it into the 6 Minute Club.  In fact, some of them made it on the first try.  They are just that tough.  I told the girls at the first practice that if they made it on the first day, I'd bring them a prize.  Of course, in my wildest dreams I never thought anyone would be able to do it on the first try.  Well, three girls did it.  So they got gummy bears.  You know what happens when 3 girls get gummy bears?  Yup.  Everyone else wants them too.  : )  One-by--one, they each worked to get in the club and get their own bags of colorful, squishy bears.  

Go figure.

I'm trying to decide if there's anything that I would do a 6 minute plank set for.  I really can't come up with anything.  : )  What about you?

XO,

Vicki

Currently...

Currently, I'm...

excited about having a weekend that's not jam-packed with activities and appointments.  Fall Farmer's Market, anyone?

worried about Buster's new limp. 

reading "Auschwitz" by Miklos Nyiszli. I just finished it last night.  This one will haunt me forever.

creating the last few lists for my "30 Days of Lists" book.  I'm about 4 days behind.

loving fall:  walks outside, cooler temperatures, cardigan sweaters.

hating that some teenagers are so hard on themselves, especially teenage girls.

wondering what Jack will wear for his school pictures tomorrow.  Do we have enough time to sneak off to the mall today?

craving warm apple crisp made from the apples my neighbor, Jess, grew in her backyard.

listening to Adele.  All. The. Time.  I'm more than a little enamored with this CD.

watching "Up All Night."  It's been a long time since a sitcom made me laugh as hard as this one does.
XO,

Vicki

Easy Fall Placecards

Hi Friends--

Yesterday I hosted a luncheon for the Bible Study ladies.  Needless-to-say, I was scrambling a little bit to get things together after my big weekend.  I knew I wanted to pull out my fall place mats, and I had my heart set on using mini-pumpkins on my table.  Never one to leave a good thing alone, I decided to whip out my paints and add each guests' name to their pumpkin.  In true Vicki fashion, the paint was still a little wet when my guests arrived.  The pumpkins ended up being a big hit, and by the time lunch was over, they were even dry enough to take home!  : )

XO,

Vicki

Scenes from Homecoming 2011

Hi Friends!
Well, Neenah Homecoming 2011 is in the books.  I loved every crazy, hectic, fabulous moment of the weekend!  The rain managed to stop just in time for the start of the parade on Friday afternoon and then stayed away until everyone was back home from the dance early Sunday morning. 

The Homecoming weekend kicked off with a parade through downtown.  I've got tell you--I love, love, loved being in the parade with my swimmers!  Any time I get to spend with them outside of the pool is a bonus--they are so much fun!  As coaches, we got to ride in the back of the truck, while the upperclassmen rode in the float.  Sophomores and Freshmen had to walk the route. : )

I spent the whole route waving and cheering and throwing candy to little kids.  It was the BEST!

Aren't my swimmers adorable?!?

While I was with the swim team, Emily was busy playing in the marching band.  I never thought we'd be marching in the same parade together in different groups!

Here she is, playing the school song before the parade started:

I was in the marching band in high school, too.  So many of my very favorite memories are of parades and concerts and halftime shows at football games.

Maddie and her friends put on all their red, white, and black and watched the parade go by.  Next year, she'll be on the swim team with Emily.  Then they'll be 3 Terlaps in the Homecoming parade!

After the parade, it was off to the high school for the big game.  Emily asked me to take as many pictures of the band as I could.  Good thing that band kids are always willing to pose for pictures!

Neenah ended up winning the game, but Emily didn't stay for the whole thing.  She came home after the halftime show to crash after her long day.

The next morning we were up bright and early to be on the pool deck by 8 am.  Eleven teams swam in the Neenah Invitational, and Emily got best times in all four of her events! Yahoo!  Here she is before her 100 Back:

And see that high elbow in Lane 2?  That's my girl!  : )

The meet ended at 4, and at 5 pm, Emily's friends showed up at our house to get ready for the dance.  There were girls and flat irons and lipsticks and hairspray everywhere.  It was crazy-fun.

Maddie helped one of Emily's friends with her hair, and Emily's friend, Hailey, braided Emily's hair.  I ran around taking pictures.  I adore Emily's group of friends--they are kind, fun and so supportive of each other.  I loved getting to watch a little part of their preparations.  I even lent out some of my jewelry.  : )

Are you ready for the final results?  Taa-Daa!!! 

Aren't they gorgeous...and don't they look grown-up????

The boys (and all of their parents!!) showed up for pre-dinner pictures.  There must have been 40 people in our backyard!  It definitely had a "paparazzi" feel to it.  : )

Here's the group together:

None of them went as dates--these kids are all more like siblings to each other.  They've all been together in the same magnet program for forever (although Emily does have a little crush on one of the guys.  Can you guess which one?)

One of the best parts of the weekend is that my mom and dad were here for all the festivities.  It meant so much to Emily to have them at her swim meet and see her all gorgeous before the dance.

I love these candid pictures:

Hooray for a fabulous weekend, and for having a happy, lovely high school daughter.

XO,

Vicki

Homecoming

Hi Friends--

This is going to be short and sweet because I have about zero time between now and next Tuesday.  : )  It's Homecoming weekend at Neenah High School and that means non-stop action from now until Sunday.  Twenty years after I marched with the band in my own Homecoming parades, I will be walking with the Neenah Swim Team in theirs.  I'm actually pretty excited about walking the parade.  As a band member, I was always busy playing during the parade route.  I didn't really get a chance to take things in and look at the crowd.  Not so this year!  I bought 8 pounds of candy this morning, and I intend to find each and every cute Little Rocket along the route and shower them with sugar.  After the parade, I will run home to have dinner with my parents who have come up to join in in all the excitement (yay!!), and then head over to watch Emily march in the half-time show.  Tomorrow morning, we will all head to the pool for our huge Neenah Invite where I will coach and Emily will swim.  Then it's back home to have 15 of Emily's friends over to get ready for the dance.  Wait until you see Emily in her dress and strappy silver shoes!  After pictures in the backyard, we will drop them off for dinner and then pick them up and take them to the dance.  And yes, I have volunteered my mom to help carpool kids tonight (some things never change!!).  If we survive all of this, I have a nice, quiet brunch planned for Sunday morning.  : )

Here's hoping your weekend is filled with fun, too!

XO,

Vicki

30 Days of Lists//Update #2

Hi Friends~

I'm moving right along on my "30 Days of Lists" book.  This class has been so much fun!  Who doesn't like making a list?   My little book is getting quite thick.   I may have to use bigger rings to keep it all together.

You've already seen list #17, but here's the layout:

List #18 was definitely one of my favorites--

Number 19 was a little tricky for me.  Although I would pay big money to the person who could get rid of the traffic between the middle school and the high school. : )

List #20 and 21 were fun.  I miss NYPD Blues like crazy!

You can check out my other lists (here) and (here).

Have a super day!

XO,
Vicki

I'm Cool, Aren't I?

Being a mom is the best job in the whole, wide world.
Except when it isn't.
Like when your sweet little kids grow up and become teenagers.
Brutally honest teenagers.
Now, don't get me wrong.
I have three fabulous kids.
They are fun to be around and show me lots of love.
But some days, having teenagers reminds me that I'm no longer 27.
Or even remotely cool.
And apparently I can't sing.
But you know what?
I'm going to sing anyway.
Loudly.
And completely off key.
And if they keep it up, I'm going to throw in some groovy dance moves.
In front of their friends.
It's good to be the mom. 

XO,

Vicki

Schwinn Suburban

Hi Friends!

You know what's great about being married to John Terlap?  The fact that he gets excited about doing "projects."  He loves having a project on his To-Do list, especially if it's a fun project.  Example #852:  rehabbing my beloved 1979 sky-blue Schwinn Suburban bicycle.

I bought this beauty at a garage sale down in Texas for $7!  What a steal!!  Of course, it needs a little bit of tender-loving care, but that's no problem if you're married to John Terlap. 

Last week John took it into our local bike shop to have it checked out.  It needed new brake cables and pads and some new tires,  but other than that, it was declared, "the best $7 ever spent!"

With a little elbow grease (or in this case, fine-gauge steel wool and some WD-40), a set of new white-wall tires (of course!) and a lot of tender care, I'll be tooling around the neighborhood on my Suburban in no time!

I'll take vintage and awesome over shiny and new, any day!  I'll be sure to post pictures when it's all done so you can see all of John's handywork!

XO,
Vicki

Linking up with Heather over at Life Made Lovely.

Favorite Book Characters

Hi Friends--

Today's 30 Days of Lists prompt was "Favorite Fictional Characters."  I had so much fun coming up with my list.  I went through my book journal, book-by-book.  I couldn't believe how many characters I could remember from books I read 4, 5, even 6 years ago!  Just for fun, I thought I'd share the list here.  If you're looking for a book with an unforgetable character or two, check out one of these:

Bhima: The Space Between Us, Thrify Umringar
Olly: Geek Love, Katherine Dunn
Margaret, Vida Winters:  The Thirteenth Tale, Diana Setterfield
Rachel: Moloka'i, Alan Brennert
Mariam: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hasseini
Addy Shadd: Rush Home Road, Lori Lansens
Owen Meany: A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
Scout: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Henry: Saturday, Ian McEwan
Oskar: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Janathan Safran Foer
Jacob: Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
Lucile & Jean-Marie:  Suite Fracais, Irene Nemerorsky
Mr. March: March, Geraldine Brooks
Arnold: The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Alice: Still Alice, Lisa Genova
Truly: The Little Giant of Abordean County, Tiffany Baker

Enjoy!!

XO,
Vicki

Fabulous print found (here).

Quote Love

Happy Friday, Friends!

XO,

Vicki

30 Days of Lists//Update

Hi Friends!

I'm still going strong on the 30 Days of Lists class! My favorite list so far is definitely, "Things that remind me of my childhood."  The hardest list?  Definitely the "Outfits I like to Wear."  I'm just not that good at "outfits."  I'm pretty sure Christy would looove to write that list!  Here's my pages from days 9-14:

Isn't that Barbie postcard hysterical?  I found it at an antique store.  It cracks me up!

Have a fabulous day!

XO,

Vicki