I Preach Movement

***This post was originally written as a Guest Blog post for Momstown.ca.

This is my final post for Momstown, as I’m finding the time commitment to be too much when my personal blog is where my true passion lies.  It’s been a great experience with a wonderful company and I’ve learned a lot about the world of blogging!***

~~~~~

With a five-year-old and a two-year-old in my house about to embark on their respective SK and Nursery School starts, I’ve been thinking a lot about the ‘teacher role’ I’ve played in their lives to date.  I’ve been fortunate to work part-time, and so I’ve been able to spend the vast majority of my daytime hours with their amazing little selves by my side.

I’ve thought back to the practical skills I’ve taught them: putting on coats, taking off shoes, washing hands.  I’ve thought about the academics: colours, numbers, shapes.  I’ve thought about the life skills:  taking turns, using manners, saying hello.  But if I had to choose one thing, just one thing, that I’m proud that they’ve learned from me, is that I’ve taught them to move.

They’ve learned that movement makes you strong.  Movement makes you grow.  Movement makes you confident, capable, and full of life.  That movement makes you healthy.  That movement is simply a part of life.

I practice what I preach, and I preach movement.  They see me come home from the gym in the wee hours of the morning, tired and sweaty and happy.  They see me huffing and puffing as I push them through the snowy streets in the running stroller.  They see that we choose bikes rather than cars, exploring rather than TV, and playgrounds rather than movie theatres.  They see movement not as a daily chore, not as a ‘physical activity requirement’, but rather as a normal part of every day.

Have you seen this phrase floating around?

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I couldn’t agree more.

Teach your kids to move.

Cozy and ready to run.

Cozy and ready to go for a run.

 

 


60 More Adventures…

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Whew!  Another busy Summer is in the books, as Fall officially rolls in next week.  The Summer of 2013 brought my family 60 adventures in 60 days, and while we didn’t set out to match that number in 2014, we did try to enjoy a fun experience each and every day.

If you live in the Burlington area, bookmark this list, as nearly everything we did was within a two-hour drive. We re-visited some favourites from last year and found some new hidden gems:

 

1.  Canada Day 5k race at Spencer Smith Park.

3.  Hot Spring Spas video promo shoot.

2. Hot Spring Spas video promo shoot.  You can watch it here.

3.  Wild Waterworks at Confederation Park.

4.  Fern Resort in Orillia.

4. Fern Resort in Orillia.

5.  Picking strawberries, raspberries, peas, and beans at Uncle Scott’s Farm.

6.  Swimming in friend’s/family’s backyard pools.

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7. Watching my husband play touch football.

8.  Outdoor food truck picnic.

10.  Playhouse delivery!

9. Playhouse delivery!  Read about it here.

10.  Feeding the chipmunks at LaSalle park.

11.  My 5-yr-old's TBall league.

11. My 5-yr-old’s T-Ball league.

12.  Within Range driving range and mini-putt.

14.  My son getting his first pair of glasses.

13. My son getting his first pair of glasses.

14.  Alton Village splashpad/skate park.

16.  Safari Niagara.

15. Safari Niagara.

16.  Hosting playdates.

17.  Celebrating 8 years of marriage.

18.  Eating outside, or in the playhouse, as much as possible.

18. Eating outside, or in the playhouse, as much as possible.

19.  Patio nights with my girlfriends.

20.  Crossfit, running, hot yoga; staying active.

21.  The Tim McGraw concert at the Molson Amphitheatre.

21. The Tim McGraw concert at the Molson Amphitheatre.

22.  ‘Planes: Fire and Rescue’ movie.

24.  Burlington Beach

23. Burlington Beach.

24.  Golfing at Lowville.

25.  Tansley Woods library trips and the BPL Children’s reading club.

27.  A Bluejays game.

26. A Bluejays game.

27.  Nelson outdoor pool/splashpad.

29.  Bronte Park outdoor pool.

28. Bronte Park outdoor pool.

29.  Running hills at Bronte Park.

30.  Family skate at Appleby Ice Centre.

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31. City bus ride on the Upper Middle Road route.

32.  Orchard park splashpad.

33.  Millcroft Park splashpad.

35.  Our neighbour's cottage on August long weekend.

34. Our neighbour’s cottage on August long weekend.

35.  Helping with my in-law’s basement after Burlington’s August 4th flood.

37.  Hiking at Cherry Hill Gate.

36. Hiking at Cherry Hill Gate.

37.  Mountainside pool/splashpad.

39.  The Brantford Twin Valley Zoo.

38. The Brantford Twin Valley Zoo.

39.  Neighbourhood playgrounds.

41.  The Jordan Harbour shipwreck.

40. The Jordan Harbour shipwreck.

41.  Burlington Mall Farmer’s market.

42.  Oakville’s Valleyridge splashpad.

43.  Central Library’s showing of ‘The Lego Movie’.

44.  Back-to-school shopping.

45.  Lil’ Monkeys Indoor Playground.

46.  The Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls.

46. The Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls.

47.  ‘Camping’ in a tent in the backyard.

46.  Tough Mudder.

48. Tough Mudder.

49.  Burlington Children’s festival.

50.  Backyard BBQs with our awesome neighbours.

51.  The odd (gasp!) sleep-in.

46.  A visit to my sister-in-law's cottage.

52. A visit to my sister-in-law’s cottage.

53.  Giving “Injury Prevention, “Biomechanics,” and “Movement Screening” talks at the Running Room.

54.  Naturopath appointments.

55.  Refinishing furniture.

55. Chalk-painting furniture.

56.  Assumption High School football camp.

57.  Meeting Baby Charlie in Washington, DC.

57. Meeting Baby Charlie in Washington, DC.

58.  Fantasy Football draft.

59.  Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Park.

60.  Ribfest.


What-Shall-We-Do-Today Mornings

PLEASE NOTE:
I will be expanding my practice to
include MORNING appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays,
effective Thursday, September 18th.

 

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For more than five and a half years, I haven’t had to rush out of the house, amidst the madness of a morning routine.  You see, I’ve been very lucky to be able to manipulate my work schedule around the needs of family life.  And with young children, those needs have involved me at home every morning.

I don’t want you to get the impression that my mornings are wide open, because they most definitely are not.  We always spend mornings out of the house and on-the-go, going about the daily ritual of teaching, building, and growing little minds and little bodies.  We’ve done dozens upon dozens of registered programs over the years, and hundreds of playdates, playgrounds, and trips to the library.  We’ve done Nursery School, swimming, skating, and story-times.  We’ve done Early Years drop-ins, indoor playgrounds, and trips to the mall.  We’ve done more day trips than I can count and more overnights than the norm, but we’ve never had a daily early morning deadline.  No rushing kids through breakfast, no frantic searches for shoes and water bottles, no we-need-to-leave-five-minutes-agos.  Until now.

Gone are the days of the pyjama-lounging, coffee-drinking, what-shall-we-do-today mornings.  For nearly six years, this has been our luxury.  But that all changes this week, as my son begins full-day Senior Kindergarten and my daughter starts Nursery School twice a week.  Morning routines will begin.  Clock-watching will start.  I may even have to (gasp!) wake my children up.

I’m sure we will manage.  I’m sure we will find our ‘new normal’.  I’m sure we will scramble through September, only to find that October comes quickly.  And soon, very soon after that, I will look back at September 2nd and not be so scared.

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