Surely, just slowly

I was so excited to work out this week after joining the YMCA.  I went on Sunday and did my week two workout of my Couch to 5K workout.  Even though my knees hurt during impact I stuck through it.  After all, it was only 9 minutes of running.  

On Monday my 10 year old really wanted to check it out, so at dinner time (fed the young ones a quick “early dinner” so we could do family dinner afterwards) we headed out as a family this time.  This was my first time bringing my younger two.  My daughter is five and has Down Syndrome.  She has her moments of “stubbornness.”  She can, and will, do most anything.  It just needs to be at her own pace.  That pace at the Y means stopping frequently to watch the swimmers in the pool, the people playing racquetball, and she really wanted to dive into the gymnastics area once she saw all the girls in their leotards.  (Mental thought to enroll her in that program!).  As I’m convincing her to keep walking I’m toting her 28 pound one year old sister on my hip and a diaper bag on the same shoulder.  Forgive me for wanting to walk a little faster.

Then comes the stairs. Our Y has a great program where they watch your little ones while you stay on site and work out.  But it’s located in the basement.  So down the flight of stairs we meander.  I was thankful to have my son there holding my five year old’s hand so I could shift the baby to my other hip.  Those stairs were not fun after the night before’s activity, but dang it–I was going to get a second workout in!

We finally made it around the corner and while I had to hand the little one over, Nyssa’s slow pace turned to a quick jog as she spotted slides, tumbling mats and tons of toys.  I didn’t even say goodbye as she was off to play.  Works for me.

Back up the stairs.  Drop off the 10 year old in the youth zone (bonus as one of his good friends from school was there).  I was thrilled to leave all three of them and even handed my son some quarters for the vending machine.  Repeat on the treadmill.

On Tuesday we went again in the morning.  This time I had to park on the street as the lot was full and carry the little one just as far.  Again, while trying to convince my five year old to move a tad quicker.  (Instead, she thought it would be funny to try to turn around and cruise the other direction.  It was not.  Not funny that is.)  I missed my 10 year old when it came to the stairs, but I followed my peanut and she did amazing all by herself.

What I love about my little girl is the same thing that drives me crazy–she’s often slow and steady.  She takes the time she needs.  I am impatient.  I want to just get to what I’m doing. I want results.  I want to step on the scale and see that it’s moved.  I want to be able to just start running even though I haven’t in years.  But my body is not used to it.  Thanks to overdoing it I have knee pain, back pain, and a lot of frustration.  I want to get back on that treadmill, but instead I’m going to do some lower-impact workouts.  And the scale?  It will move, but not at the pace I want.  But that’s part of a lifestyle change.  This will not be a diet that will fail.  This is what is going to get me playing soccer with my son, running around the park with the girls, and help me look and feel better.

Well-earned

I’m past just being “laid off” to now being in the routine of stay-at-home mom.  There are moms out there that choose to do this and my hat is off to you.

I love my kids.  I really do.  But I’m selfish.  I like time to myself, and being a SAHM I cannot go to the bathroom without the door opening and a toddler stumbling in, or take out the laptop and actually job-hunt.  As I write this I have my youngest on my lap, Nuks in one hand trying to one-handed peck at the keys with me with the other.  Being at home, it naturally became my duty to keep the house clean (enough, because it does NOT stay with kids playing), our laundry clean (there are always piles), and our family fed (cooking has never been enjoyable to me.  I struggle with the timing, because I’m usually stopping to shoo my children away from the hot stove which is so intriguing being off-limits).  It’s always a balance keeping things organized and even though I relish being busy, I also miss the down time that I can spend away from my house and my kids.

Which is why I joined the Y.  I am looking forward to dropping them off at mini-care while I work out.  I not only get the workout I need, but the break from my children that I also need.  This is a luxury as it wasn’t in our monthly budget, but sometimes there’s no price on sanity.  Whatever makes you a better person is well-deserved.  And quite frankly, this luxury is well-earned.

Spelling Squats

I was dancing with music with my girls the other day. They both love music-the more bass the better.  Anything you’d hear in the clubs is worthy dancing.  (Not that I have any idea what they play in clubs anymore).  My elder daughter has Down Syndrome.  She can move in ways the rest of us cannot even attempt.  The best part is she copies every move that you make, so it’s flattering to someone with two left feet and no dancing skill.

The best part about dancing with the girls is Nyssa’s signature dance move.  She will sit on the floor and rock her trunk back and forth to the beat.  There is no beat she cannot keep up with and she can bend down to her toes while giggling.  It’s incredibly impressive when she has her scoliosis back brace on.  I sit down on the floor with the girls (Annika doesn’t think twice about dancing like her big sis) and I try.  I dare all of you to try her dance.  Some of you have seen it.  I’m up to lasting through a three minute song.  This dance works not only your abs, but your legs, butt, and back.

My son wil join in and furiously dance for about 10 seconds and then say he worked harder than all of us.  That day he came home from school and saw us dancing and said, “Hey mom!  Guess what we did in school today?”  I could only huff a “what?”  “It’s something you should do.  We were doing squats during spelling.”  I commend his teacher for getting them active in class.

“You want me to do squats while spelling?”

“No, mom, just squats!  You should do squats to work out.”

I can officially not do a squat without considering brushing up on my spelling skills.  So between my ab workout and spelling squats these kiddos are keeping me busy!  Marathon here we come!

A marathon

My oldest is 10 and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes five years ago.  It’s a continuous battle for him (and us) and he has told me that he is going to grow up and find the cure for diabetes.  I believe he could do it.  However, right now there isn’t one.  As I was browsing on Facebook I found a photo of a JDRF team running a marathon at Disney World.

We originally were planning on going to Disney World this winter.  We were going to pack the kids up and put miles on my mini-van and revisit the happiest place on earth.  Last time we went I was pregnant with my middle child, so it’s been awhile!  However, after being laid off in December we no longer could financially support that.  My son was surprisingly not terribly disappointed, the girls had no clue, but my husband and I are still pretty disappointed.  Next year is our goal now.

I found that photo when I was sad about missing our vacation, being stuck shoveling snow instead of putting my toes in the sand and sun, and when I knew I needed a bit of motivation.  I wanted to run.  There’s also no better motivation than running to cure diabetes.

This means a whole lot of work for me.  I haven’t ran in over 10 years.  I used to in college.  I loved the zone and that is what I’m searching for in this journey.  That means I need to coordinate childcare during the week when I want to jog.  It means I need to find an indoor place (either treadmill or track) for cheap as there’s not a lot of spare cash right now.  It means I need to work on my nutrition as well, so I can fuel my body correctly.

But this is nothing compared to the daily challenges our friends and family face with diabetes.  And do I plan on running the entire thing?  Who knows?  I am looking forward to the training though:)