I Am An Unfit Mother
Date: Wednesday September 19, 2007Posted in: Emily, Family, Life In The Sticks, Nathan
That’s right. I said it.
I am an unfit mother.
I am not physically fit.
I won’t bore you with the minute details of my fitness history. The quick version: I was inactive and a “big girl” for the first twenty-four years of my life (save for a stint of anorexia in high school). In my twenty-fourth year I started eating well and exercising and felt good about my bad self.
I took up running before we had kids and have run sporadically since then (apart from running after children). I have also dabbled in Tae Bo (Nothing like Billy Blanks in that unitard).
Since Emily was born I have not been physically active. That is, unless you count the sprinting I do whenever I hear one of the kids screaming like bloody murder.
It is kind of difficult to take all three kids for a walk by myself. The logistics are beyond my mental and physical capabilities. Have you seen the size of my children?
However.
Graham was at Kindergarten all day Monday and Tuesday.
Nathan started a community program called Puddle Jumpers on Tuesday morning. See?
Look at me. Last week I was all weepy about Graham starting Kindergarten. This week? Dropping Nathan off without shedding a single tear. Maybe I really am an unfit mother.
It is only for two hours, and he gets to make crafts and sing songs and have stories read to him. Because apparently I’d rather pay someone else to do it so that I don’t have to. We all know what happens when I try to do crafts with my kids.
Anyways. He and Emily and I had plenty of time outside of those two hours to figure out what to do as a party of three. I realized that in her eleven months of life, Miss Emily had never been on a walk. Never. Mother of The Year over here.
**waves**
So? I dusted off the bike trailer/jogging stroller. Then I put my two babies inside. Like so.
I just realized that they are all matchy-poo in grey tops and blue pants. I have a knack for that, without even trying.
Check out the smirk hiding behind Emily’s thumb.
She’s all, “Just try and push all sixty pounds of us Mommy. I dare you.”
I took that dare.
We went for a half an hour jaunt on Monday. It felt good. Really good. Except for the butt jiggle on my part. But that’s the point, right? To get rid of the jiggle? Or at least reduce it to a dull roar.
We went for another half an hour excursion on Tuesday. I even ran. In short spurts, yes, but I still ran. Nathan kept egging me on. “Faster, Mommy! Faster! Go super fast!” It was hard work running while pushing those two. We may live in the sticks, but these sticks are in the mountains. Mountains equals hills. Hills equals I JUST MIGHT DIE.
The second half of our outing consisted of more running than walking as it was mostly down hill. Though I don’t know if I should refer to it as “running downhill” or “being pulled against my will by the force of sixty pounds of kidlets barreling out of control”.
Then we get to our driveway, which is more like a country road with about a forty-five degree grade. I was almost horizontal while pushing those two back up our Driveway of Death.
But we made it. Emily looks unimpressed by the whole affair in this photo.
Or maybe she’s steamed that she has been missing out on the whole “going for walks” scene.
She need not be worried. Now that I have started this routine I plan on sticking with it. I tend to do that with things I enjoy. I add them to my daily routine and cling to them for dear life. Just like my daily oatmeal for breakfast and my daily Diet Coke or two (And some days? Three.)
Though I have to admit that these bursts of exercise gave me far more energy that my caffeine addiction has. The added bonus? Exercise doesn’t cause my left eye to twitch either. Sweet.
I really do hope I can keep it up.
20 Comments
Wow, cool! From what I’ve read in your blog, you seem to be an AWESOME mom. Going for walks doesn’t make you an awesome mom (not going for walks doesn’t make you an aweful mom), but it sure is fun!
Kudos for you in your new running routine! I wish I could start one, but that would take will power, and I do’nt have any. You inspire me though, so maybe I’ll try!
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Comment by Jen on September 19th, 2007 @ 11:10 amI look forward to going on walks again! I was on a roll last spring, then summer happened.
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Comment by LVGurl on September 19th, 2007 @ 11:24 amI love the look on Emily’s face in that last pic. But good job on getting some exercise back in your life. I hear that caffeine is actually supposed to enhance the exercise high! 
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Comment by Jill - GlossyVeneer on September 19th, 2007 @ 12:13 pmGo you!! My kids are now too big to be taken for a walk in a buggy. In fact, I just sold my buggy!! Now a walk with the kids is slow and involves frequent stops for various things … not easy to get the heart rate up!!
This is why I joined the gym last year
So you enjoy the opportunity to do it while they are still small enough!
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Comment by Hannah on September 19th, 2007 @ 12:53 pmYou ran with 60lbs! You go girl. I am teaching myself how to run for the first time in my life and I go when Kamo is at preschool.
Running minus at least 40lbs = me.
You rock!
2 SLEEPS!!!!!
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Comment by Kami on September 19th, 2007 @ 1:25 pmWay to go!
Taking Marin for walks has been my way of exercising ever since she was born.
Your post made me chuckle 
I love how unimpressed Emily looks, cute cute!
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Comment by Kristin on September 19th, 2007 @ 1:45 pmexercise is good for your energy levels…at least that’s what I tell myself…today was the first day in the last five that I’ve been able to get out to do something..rode a bike. I have been so tired. But at least I’m thinking about buying a new bike for the Disney 1/2 70.3 race.
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Comment by Suzie on September 19th, 2007 @ 1:51 pmI’ve loved my two days in the gym. LOVED THEM. I drop off the kids and get my butt all jiggy on that treadmill to warm up my muscles. MWF I work those muscles on machines and T and Th I kick it in for another half hour on the treadmill.
I want to work up to an hour and 1/2 of cardio on those two days.
Maybe even yoga on Saturday.
I’m so excited.
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Comment by OMSH on September 19th, 2007 @ 2:35 pmKeep up the good work, and keep writing about it (because maybe that will guilt ME into getting out there)! Good job!
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Comment by Shawna on September 19th, 2007 @ 4:42 pmGood for you, Angella.
Work it.. own it!
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Comment by Elizabeth on September 19th, 2007 @ 5:08 pmYour driveway would make me cry. It’s a treacherous slope and I can’t imagine pushing 60 lbs up that hill! Good for you for sweating it out!
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Comment by Amanda Brown on September 19th, 2007 @ 5:29 pmNice work! I just started, (for the 100th time) to eat better and excersise more. I hope my commitment lasts more than a few days this time!
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Comment by Michele on September 19th, 2007 @ 11:14 pmI might borrow your kids for an added excuse to go for a walk. I need all the help I can get.
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Comment by daybe on September 19th, 2007 @ 11:23 pmI agree, you ARE an awesome mom…and remember, I thought you DID work out. You look like you do. So, I’m not seeing the “jiggle” you are talking about. Anyway, it is good that you did that though – you just feel so much better when you exercise. Love the pictures, especially the last one of Emily.
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Comment by Dana on September 20th, 2007 @ 11:05 amWow! I am impressed!! Also because I have been generally a “heavy girl” throughout high school, and I’m now 21… I think I’ve been hoping that this wonderful metabolism will just hit me and I’ll get to my ideal thin-ness, but I think it takes choices. Mid-20’s seem to be the time. You and Amanda and others inspire me to find a system and stick with it. If YOU’RE that busy and you can do it, so can I!!
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Comment by Tricia on September 20th, 2007 @ 12:54 pmGlad to see the dust on your stroller has disappeared.
Keep it up momma!
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Comment by little miss mel on September 20th, 2007 @ 5:05 pmWay to go! Me and hills don’t get along, so I am impressed by your effort to push 60lbs up the hill.
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Comment by Filtering Life on September 24th, 2007 @ 6:24 pmLine and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
you deserve a medal for just attempting to push that thing ~ or at least an ice cream cone
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Comment by Lisa on September 19th, 2007 @ 10:44 am