Fun nighttime rituals of parents

Stats:
3.02 miles
36:16 minutes
12:01min/mile
best: 8.01 min/mi
366 cal burned

I did NOT get up and meet the gals today in the park to run. Am not even sure they met. Felt bad but we are ALL (mi familia) still fighting this cold. Makes nites pretty NONrefreshing. Wake up off and on to a THROBBING head and a throat that, IF i CAN swallow, feels like KNIVES going down. So, when the alarm ALARMED (emphasis on LOUD) went off, i'd of course JUST gotten settle down to some REAL sleep and couldn't make myself get dressed to go. Of course, i REGRET it! I LOVE the feeling of HAVING DONE it! But nope. I even had all my clothes out. And i purposely have my aLARM clear across the room so i have to get up to turn it off.

As an aside (so i am not just rambling endlessly) my 'sleep' (i use the term loosely) is already broken up in the following manner: anywhere from 2-4a.m., Sam, the one cat we let stay in the house at night, awakens me by meowing, purring, and alternately walking all over my body and jumping off and on the bed. After a while of this fun activity, I get up, take her downstairs and put her out in the garage w/ the other two purring felines. I then proceed to ds N's (9) room, and ATTEMPT to awaken him to go the the bathroom. This proves to be a feat, since, for instance, last nite he sort of half sits up and keeps saying, "i don't know what you're talking about!"
Me: "i just want you to get up and go to the bathroom." (i pull the covers back)
He: "i don't know what you're talking about!"
Me: "just get up and go to the bathroom." (i bring his feet outta the covers)
He: "i don't know what you're talking about!"
Me: "get up, honey, and GO TO THE BATHROOM." (i start to TRY & pull him outta bed)
Finally, he gets it, leaves and i fall into his bed.
(mom, does this encounter remind you of anyone? auntie susu, what about you?)

Then, I go up and awaken dd J (almost 7). She is MUCH easier! She wakes immed., I guide her to the pot, then i tuck her back in.

Then there's dd (4) K. Well, she's already moved in to our bed for the nite. I do have to drag her limp body up into my arms...while she stays asleep. She's like a rag doll. I put her feet on the floor but she crumples right down. This SORT OF wakes her. I prop her on her feet (she's just too darn heavy to carry around in the middle of the nite anymore!) and guide her to the bathroom. In her slumber (I don't think she ever woke up!), she DOES now pull her own pants down! Yeahoo! She sits, falling forward ( I think she STILL slept!) and then i wipe. (details details!) Now, if i carry her to her own bed, even tho she never seems to awaken for the potty, she KNOWS i'm not putting her back in mine, and starts wailing! Anyone who knows her, knows this is the highlight of my life. Dealing w/ my screaming meemie! (i made that up=))Then, some nights I just don't fight it at all and just take her straight back to my bed! This was one of those nites.

THEN I get to go POTTY (will we parents ALWAYS call it that???)(yep, even when they're 15!) and tumble back into bed.....MY LITTLE SLIVER OF BED SPACE!!! =)


now, i'm NOT COMPLAINING. i LOVE my life. and i LOVE being a mommy. i don't even MIND these mid of nite rituals! i'd much rather that then the LOADS AND YARDS of laundry when someone pees the bed! UGH, YUK, DOUBLE UGH!


ALL THAT TO SAY, i did not meet girls to run. BUT, after daddy left for work, i bundled up the kiddos, packed 2 bikes and a scooter into the van, headed to the park-w/-path for a WORKOUT! (yes we're sick...but exercise is GOOD for sick people!....their ears were tucked under woolen head bands, mittens and coats on, and j even had 2 prs of sweats on!) I got to slog/run/jog and the kiddos rode and scooted! You can see by the stats it wasn't so bad.

AND THE GARMIN IS SO GGGGGREAT! no more guesswork. No more "okay, the NEXT landmark...no, I'm here, i can make it to the NEXT landmark" always wanting to go FURTHER, so after i turned around and ran back, i'd be sure to make it past 30 minutes and it will have been over 3 miles and i could feel good about it! NOW, i could run 1.5 miles and turn around. I knew the kids (poor N on the scooter...it's harder than it seems. And K on the bike w/ training wheels...tho she's a sport, sometimes her little 4 y.o. self just gets tuckered out!)

So, I turned around at 1.5 or so (yes, i did go to 'that next land mark' but i think it was early cuz w/ my garmin, after we got back to where we started we could just KEEP on going till the GARMIN told me we'd gone 3 miles which was my goal!!! ..am I explaining this right? DO YOU GET IT??)... and, then we wound back around the playground that i wanted to end up at, came to right around 3 miles (yeahoo! so liberating) put the paraphenalia back into the van and went to the play stuff. I was too cold to stay long. What with sweaty UNDERTHINGS (didn't sweat too much. wasn't long enuff or hard enuff) and lots of bundled up over. But even that was perfect: as soon as we left, it started to sprinkle! all in all a PERFECT OUTING!

And, to top it off, we got to head straight for my parents' HOT TUB! Oh boy! What a great day! Like I've said before, even tho it is so mighty GLOOMY out, the day is GLORIOUS once i've run or exercised! Serious! YOU REALLY SHOULD TRY IT! AS hard as it is to GET OUT THERE, it is VICTORIOUS, GLORIOUS, absurdly AWESOME AND WONDERFUL after you've DONE IT!

And, to top THAT off, my mom was cooking and we ate chicken w/ WHEAT, some salad, beans, ...and, good parents that they are, they EVEN had a diet pop there for me!!!! (just for ME, i'm sure!) Too cool. Okay, about that wheat up there? Well, i know you expected I'd say "rice." NOpe, she cooked up WHEAT. Looks like brown rice crispies. It was sooo good! I'm sure I'd manage to butcher even that dish, but she made it in her rice cooker and it was vunderbar!

life is grand.
except for the fact that J is getting sicker and we had to MISS my dear nephew's dedication afterwards. had to come home and hit the hay after doling out the medications. NOTHING TO DO W/ THE EXERCISE OF THE DAY! i know you naysayers are out there. I truly believe that working out is beneficial. Outside, fresh air is GREAT for us! And the whole outing was only about an hour. So, it's not like I worked them to death or anything. J did great on her bike. And she was the most bundled of us all.

in Him,
kt