It was a perfect morning—70 degrees beneath a flawless blue sky, washed clean by four days of rain, and fanned by a gentle breeze. But I woke up unable to move because of a muscle knot in my shoulder, which kept me from doing my Pilates. This made two days without exercise, since I got rained out from running yesterday.
I got up and moving with the help of Tiger Balm, and started thinking, Now how am I going to get some exercise with all three kids? And then it came to me. Alex has been riding his bike a ton every day—back and forth, as far as we’ll let him go in either direction. I have to jog if I want to keep up. Why not pack up his bike and take all three of them out to the Bear Creek Trail? It’s relatively flat, and pushing the stroller behind him would definitely count as exercise!
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
In one hour and fifteen minutes, I learned several important lessons:
- Little boys must, must, must go to the bathroom before embarking on any kind of outdoor adventure.
- There is no breeze in a creek valley.
- 70 degrees around the house equals 85 degrees on a hot, sunny trail.
- Riding back and forth for twenty minutes on sidewalks does not prepare a child for any kind of trail riding.
- Training wheels are not made to run on gravel. Particularly fresh gravel.
- Little girls who fall asleep in the front seat cause poor stroller alignment.
- There is no exercise to be had when “following” a child who brakes every three revolutions.
- Except the exercise of helping him get started again with one hand while pushing a double stroller on loose gravel with the other.
- There are few irritations more acute than trying to bully a 4-year-old who wants to be carried back to the van into walking a bicycle .2 miles back to the parking lot.
- Particularly when the sun is hot.
- And the baby wants to eat.
- And the toddler is asleep.
- And there’s no shade.
Now you know why we get up at 5:30 a.m. to exercise!
Kathleen M. Basi 
That is very funny, and oh so true! Just a couple thoughts… Outdoor adventures are great for practicing peeing on trees-an activity very much loved by little boys and generally encouraged by their daddies…Yes, gravel or bumpy roads are kinda tricky with training wheels, lets not eventalk about trying to push a fully loaded double stroller! …Yes, you definately risk having to push, pull, or carry the bike back when the preschooler decides he can’t go another inch and proceeds to through an all out fit…This is the way it is somtimes when we are just going around the block! You are very brave to attempt the trail (is that part of the Katy Trail?). Very funny though! You made my day!
🙂
Glad you enjoyed it. Thinking of the blog entry I could write was all that got me through the end of that walk hehehehe.
Bear Creek is just down the hill–it connects the east and west parks in town. Separate from the Katy Trail.
As for peeing…well, I’m not going to say anything that might get me into trouble with the Powers Who Keep the Creeks Clean. 🙂
Ha ha ha…I know the feeling!