awesome!  I used to go San Diego every other summer for about 6 years or so.  In the off year my cousin came to me.  Anyway, my favorite part was boogie boarding.  She moved on to surfing when she got older but I never did it.  This will be GREAT mother-daughter time. 

 I love this goal!  But before I comment I have to say....Brady Bunch????  You are totally dating yourself girl :)  Seriously though, this is great and maybe your daughter might want to try too.  When I took my boys to Costa Rica, we met this family on a bus.  The dad happened to teach surfing and volunteered to teach my boys for free. They had an absolute blast! 

As far as your biggest barrier...work will always be there.  Your daughter will only be young once.  There will come a time when she won't want to "hang" with mom anymore (I know because I'm at that stage with my kids).  I went from being the "cool" mom, to being the "wish she was invisible" mom in the blink of an eye.  I'm not old, but what I'm about to say is going to make me seem like I'm 100....I have to say that looking back, the most fulfilling times I've had were not my professional accomplishments but rather the family time spent with my kids.  You'll be surprised at how precious those memories are especially as she gets older.  Hope you have a blast and post lots of pics!

Hey, when you figure it out (about the entrepreneur/break thing) can you PLEASE let us know??  I completely remember that Brady Bunch episode.  As for the 'workaholic ways', it's only a few short days and think of the incredible memories you'll be creating together.  The time we get to enjoy our children seems to just fly by.  Thankfully, the technology today is so compact and easy to handle, otherwise, so much of those precious moments would be lost.  I look back at the video of when the twins were little and am so grateful for the record of those moments because I was too zombified to enjoy them... which is why it's so important to make that time with your little girl - especially after it being so crazy for the past few months.  Love your goal and can't wait to see your pictures.

I love this!  I have a slightly smaller but related thing I do when my girl (age 8) and I go swimming.  I'm a wimp when it comes to cold water, but when i go swimming with my daughter I dive in just to show her that it's good not to waste valuable time being a wimp when you could just endure a few moments of discomfort for more fun longterm.  You go Mama!!!!

Thank you ALL! I so enjoy coming back to my own goals and finding you all still here supporting me.

I am definitely going to make the time as much as possible, starting with this trip. I'm already sensing a shift in our connection and I'm going to do everything I can to make the most of what time I've got. Isn't it strange, being a mom and loving these little monsters to death, only so they can turn around and get all autonomous on us??

I'm joking, I can't think of anything better in the world than giving her the runway to take off on a huge, wonderful life. And I know I will be part of it, somehow. Weird to not know what the future holds in a parent-child relationship. I didn't do it, but maybe she will be one of those kids who grows up and moves far away and we only see each other on holidays. *Shiver* Oh, please, don't let that be. But I will never limit her. I will let her decide her own path. I talk myself through this all the time.

Anyway, I am going to block off the week in April, so no one should freak out if they don't see me here posting comments and praise. I will be off living my own life so I have something new to share with you all! About time, right?! 

And as long as I don't get whacked in the head with the board like Greg did when he was wearing the tiki, I think surfing is going to be AWESOME.

Go for it! I took wind surfing lessons in Santa Cruz, CA.  and loved it! All I can say is relax and enjoy. This is a fun goal you can continue to enjoy all of your life. This May I'll be in Tampa with a couple of friends trying to wind surf again. Enjoy your surfing adventure!

Alright, time to get focused on this one, time is getting closer and I hate last-minute travel plans.

In the next week, I'm going to book flights and reserve surf times, though we might end up at a school in Venice Beach rather than San Diego, due to changes in our itinerary. It really depends on where we stay.

I'll keep everyone posted and thanks for the encouragement! I keep wondering whether I'll have the balance and the core strength to do this without getting hurt or totally embarrassing myself. My daughter is inclined to be really intense during the lesson because she doesn't naturally like to do things she isn't good at, so it's so important I stay lighthearted and cool about this. Truth is, I'm a little nervous. Anyone have any tips or workout ideas I can use to develop the right muscles before I go? I'm planning a gym extravaganza between now and the end of April to get ready.

Right now the thought of even putting on a bathing suit makes me die a little inside ... LOL 

See? Leonard, wind surfing I might be better at ... I understand wind and how it works in counterbalance to keep your body on the board. Plus, there's something to hold on to! Maybe we should do that instead ...

No. Gotta stick to my goal and at least try, right? I need some surfing support, stat. I do not want to chicken out!

Alright. Found the right new surf school in Venice Beach, closer to where we're staying. And I've actually started to think I might be good at surfing.

This is usually the way it goes: I get an idea, I think it's scary and probably a bad idea. Then I have an ill-advised moment of "I'm awesome" and I go for it anyway. Turns out my first impulse was usually right, but I end up having great adventures by forcing myself to try new things.

Time is tick-tick-ticking. Have not started said gym extravaganza yet. This week for sure. Starting to look forward and commit in my head to really going.

The apartment is booked in Marina del Rey! And I'm pretty much banking on my body weight working on my behalf as my own flotation device. LOL. Two weeks till we fly. I need to pull out my summer clothes and see what I have to work with.

This one is going to have to wait until summer, unfortunately. I was under the mistaken impression that the Pacific Ocean is always warm. WRONG. I tipped one little toe in and realized, in April, it is no warmer than the Atlantic. Then I got a sinus infection and actually had to call my doctor from California to wire a prescription to CVS. Painful. But the rest of the trip was beyond amazing, so I have lots of other stories to celebrate! This one stays on the list for now, but only short term. Summer's coming!  

Surfing school in San Diego that gives mother-daughter lessons

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Website: www.alohasurfergirls.com/surflessons/lessons_teen.htm