In a world full of endless electronic entertainment, I find it challenging to get our boys outside (and myself at times). There are few kids in the neighborhood, leaving very little draw to the world around us. Never mind that there are four of them to use their imagination with!
Perhaps I should intervene. Georgia has great parks and hiking, maybe we need to start using them.
Last summer my two eldest boys were in cross country, so I started by taking all four of them to the park to run 1 mile. Easy for the big boys. Tough for the younger boys...and me. No one likes these mandatory trips, but I'm glad I stuck with it because even when they returned to school I continued going until the cold weather returned.
We would pack nothing but water and head out to do our mile walk/run.
"My life is not walking and running, mom!" said my then 6 year old, Evan, who brought up the rear every time.
But my other younger child surprised me with his effort to keep up with the big brothers.
This year I fully intended to renew our running tradition again, but things change, don't they? Both boys are no longer in cross country. One decided to go with football and for some reason it throws me off. However, I still need to look for ways to keep our family outdoors some! Not just for the sole purpose of exercise, but our household bonds better when we get out and move. If we stay home the temptation to do our own thing usually wins out. Each one to their own electronic device or a spot in front of the television.
So we must leave. Of course there is swimming, plenty of swimming at various "borrowed" pools.
But I wanted to add another activity, because like anything else our boys get bored of swimming. Spoiled. We are so spoiled. How about hiking? Since we live less than an hour from one of biggest tourist attractions in Georgia, Stone Mountain, which has a 1/2 mile hike up, we decided to start there.
My husband and I planned a test trip to see how we'd fare. We learned two things that day.
- We are both cardiovascularly challenged.
- My hiking shoes of 16 years, needed to be replaced. Going back down was a little slippery.
I recalled my 7 year old's lament: "my life is not walking and running". He and I share in the art of drama. Here's a silly clip we made once we peaked the "mountain".
Oh we would be hiking up that mountain again. And I'd be ready for it, starting with the proper shoes. REI kindly informed me of their anniversary sale, so we loaded up the van and went shopping. After trying on many pairs of boots and trail runners, while peppering the seasoned hiker and REI rep with tons of questions, I chose the trail running shoes over hiking boots. I don't foresee too many adventures during the cold weather season. I also went for the biciclying socks over the hiking socks because of vanity. Pure vanity. The REI rep assured me that I would love this brand of hiking socks. "You don't even need liners with these." However, she did advise me to get the hiking style. Vanity.
Introducing my new
Salomon trail runners and amazing socks, by
Darn Tough, I found...
Now that footwear is accomplished, we just needed a date on the calendar. And why not add some friends to ensure less complaints from our boys?
The day arrived and we took to the hills. Glen and I did fine, though it was still a challenge. My trail runners were great. I confidently scaled up and down without fear of slipping. Even after hiking another trail, the shoes felt great. However, I would advise against the lower cut socks if you're shoes comes up high in the back. Probably should have gone with the crew socks as advised. (Vanity.)
How did the boys do? The big boys lept from rock to rock, ran some, etc. The younger guys struggled. One laid out in the middle of the trail and rolled around, groaning as other hikers stepped around him. (Note: he is our dramatic child.) With the top of the mountain just a few yards away we were able to encourage him to move on. Once we made it, we all sucked down water and gained a burst of energy.
We see you Atlanta!
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| Child on the right...his life is not walking and running |
Now we just need another outing on the calendar. Let's get out and move! What do you do to stay active?
Chrissy
P.S. Linking up with The Sits Girls Blog, Beauty 101 by Lisa and The Pleated Poppy.
I close with a few pictures from our Sunday brunch buffet at Aunt Catfish. Yesterday's outing brought on nostalgia, as I recalled our first visit to this restaurant when the boys were 7, 5, and 2 months old. A lot's changed since then. Ethan and Collin are big enough to dish out their own food AND help their younger brothers get theirs. Our parenting is complete. ;) (Aunt Catfish is known for their chocolate fountain and these fabulous cinnamon rolls!)
