Get Moving, Part I

I've been trying to think of ways to get this family a little more active. Summer is easy, the girls love playing outside, riding bikes, swimming in our little pool (once I get around to setting it up), going to the park, etc. But with this cold, cold winter we're in a bit of a slump. Swimming and skating lessons have ended, except for Amelia (although I don't really consider swimming "good" exercise as a 1/4 of the class is spent watching the other kids swim) and Evelyn's birthday gymnastics won't be starting until March.

Idea #1, have them walk the dog.

Today was a snow day (again...the girls had one on Friday too). After a morning of laying around in pajamas, playing video games, watching tv and doing not much of anything I asked the girls if they would like to take Paris for a walk. Part of me wanted them to walk more than 4 steps in a row but part of me also just wanted a quiet house for 10 minutes while Lucienne slept. I've let them walk her down the street and back but this time Amelia asked if they could go a bit further...maybe around the block? I gave Amelia the cell phone "just in case" and sent them off with a skip in their step. I think they were all feeling very grown-up and Audree was over the moon to be included in such a big girl activity.

They were gone 2 minutes before the first phone call. "How do I get Paris to stop pulling?"

1 minute later, "She's still pulling."

1 minute later, "Which way are we suppose to turn?" The were suppose to go down our street, first street they came to turn left, first street after that turn left, first street after that turn left, come home. They hadn't come to the street yet but Amelia was calling just to confirm.

1 minute later, this time Amelia is in tears, "She ran after a squirrel and I fell. Can you come get us?" They still haven't made the first turn so I told her to just turn around and come back home. By the time I wake Luci up (NEVER!), get ready and get in the car they would be home.

1 minute later, after passing the leash off to Evelyn, "How does Evelyn get her to stop pulling?"

1 minute later, "Evelyn's hand hurts and my knee hurts, can you come get us?" Ummmmm, no.

1 minute later, "Audree's crying now, she thinks we're lost." So I talk to Audree, "I don't know where we are and my umbrella keeps blowing around."

At this point I'm outside in front of the house waiting for them. As I'm talking to Audree I can see them come over the hill down the street...a street we've walked on a million times.

They're all in varying degrees of distress...but Paris is happy. At least she had a good walk. She got to chase a squirrel and everything.

A quick side note on Audree. She has discovered time, age and location. Almost every time we're in the car she asks if I'm lost because she's pretty sure we're not in Orangeville anymore and that she doesn't know where we are (this is usually within 2 minutes of leaving our driveway). She's also trying to comprehend units of time by statements like "Can I watch tv in five minutes which is one hour from now?" or "I've been waiting for 500 hours". And conversations about age go something like this, "I'm going to be a mother when I'm 12 and you'll be 100."