Kids are a Reason, not an Excuse

Okay, for those of you who don't know, I have 3 kids under the age of 6. Most of the time I'm down to just the two little boys, currently ages 3 and 1. And don't let anyone tell you that being a stay-at-home mom is a walk in the park. Because even though it is, I'm still busy as heck. When I quit my full-time teaching job to be home, I decided that I would treat being a mom/homemaker as my new career. But I this also means I have a hard time just dropping them to workout and then feeling like a good mom afterward. As I write I have Connor (1) sitting in between me and the computer poking the screen and periodically grabbing my ears and pulling me in for a kiss. Not say it isn't cute, just saying it takes work to get the job done.

So, to the point. You CAN workout with your children. That's right, ladies! Any guilt you may feel by "neglecting" your kids to workout is GONE! Here are some tips from me, but I hope that others will post their ideas as well:

1- Do the DVD!
I must have 7 different workout DVDs, and my kids like to do all of them with me. It used to be: wake up from naptime, workout with mom, have a snack. It's so fun to watch my highly uncoordinated Timmy try to do crunches. It's also fun when Connor jumps on me while trying to do Pilates. Just gives more resistence!

2- Go for a HIKE
Okay, so this can be harder in winter, especially if you're not prepared. But 3/4 of the year you can get out there and get your heartrate up while teaching the kids about nature. There's even a great book: "Best Hikes with Children: Utah" by Naureen Keilty. But to be honest, I've dragged my kids along on every hike I want to do. I started the beginning of the summer with easy, and worked our way up to "moderate" hikes. We even take them in winter, down around Moab where the snow isn't so deep.

3- Play a game
Last Tuesday it was snowing like the Dickens outside. So we made an obsticle course in our basement. We went over, under, around, tossed balls, played the piano....a whole sequence. Then we did it again and again as fast as we could. One mistake, though: now all Trinity want to do is build courses in our basement!

4- Multi-Task
No kidding! Like you need more practice at this! Ha ha ha! There isn't a woman I know who doesn't juggle two or three things at a time! But the other day I really wanted to be on my trainer. I wanted to listen to music on my new MP3 player. I wanted to watch a rerun of "Glee" on Fox. And Trinity wanted to play cards. So I did them all. "Glee" on the TV, music in one ear, me on the bike, and holding a hand of cards while playing "Go Fish" with my 6-year-old. Did she have fun? Yes! Did I get my activity in? Yes!

5- Just Dance!
This is seriously one of my favorite things to do. We turn on the music, and we dance like no one is watching. Even though we do it in the front room with the picture window and I have no doubt my neighbor's all think I'm totally out of my mind. But it's a BLAST! I hold Connor like he's my dance partner, the others run around us, and I practice my dance moves from high school: Cha-Cha, Waltz, Swing.....maybe I am crazy! But having this cute of a dance partner, how can I lose!?!

Okay, I'm sure I"ll come up with more- but Connor has progressed to licking my nose (messing up my glasses), dinner is ready to come out of the oven, Tim just fell off the counter, the phone is ringing, and Trinity needs help with her homework! Chao!