working out – "MOM!"

Maria had four parties to attend this weekend. Mario had a 150 pound tire to pick up and turn over. Let me explain….

Maria is up for most anything. She went to the 4-8 grade swim party on Friday night from 8:30-10:30 pm with her friend Henley. There were only five fourth grade girls who showed up, including Ri, but lots of boys. She hung in the entire time going off the diving boards and eating chips and cookies.

On Saturday, she played softball and then went straight to her girlfriend’s house for a birthday party sleepover. When we walked in the condo lobby, seven girls ran across the hall to greet her. So precious. She didn’t even say goodbye as she ran with them towards the elevator.

I picked her up at 11 am on Sunday morning and she went straight to the basement to get revived for her 1 pm soccer party. She was ready to go at 12:45. She chowed on pizza and lemonade and ran around with her girlfriends while one of the parents got the Kaoroke machine running. Then they all let loose singing Lady Gaga and Katy Perry songs.

After some brownie batter ice cream (La Tavola ice cream is the BEST), we hit the road to go grocery shopping. We came home with 50 minutes left before book club, and cranked out some lemon zest cookies to take over to her friend’s house. I picked her up at 7 pm and we went home to throw the softball with the boys until 8:30. Party girl!

And then there’s Mario. I am sure he will follow in his sister’s footsteps in a couple of years – running around with his buddies to their different houses. But for now, he still hangs with mom and dad more often than not. He’s my biking and running buddy – we walked to Stauf’s and ran Rocco on Saturday.

On Sunday, Mario’s friend Henry was available to play. We biked over to get him at 11:30 am (it was blazing hot already) and decided to hit the football field.

These two ran the steps with me and threw the football together. While we were tossing the frisbee, we noticed two guys close to us who were doing a Crossfit workout with a huge tire and weighted sled. Mario was entranced. One of the guys asked if the boys wanted to help him flip the tire. Neither of them hesitated.

After the thrill of flipping it with one of the guys, they had to try it themselves. I tried to help them but Mario shoved me away. “We can do it, mom!” And they did.

The testosterone was pumping after the tire flip so they moved over to the weighted sled. They looked like mini weightlifters with their shirts off and muscles pulsating.

But what did they like most? Acting like hamsters in a hamster wheel when I let them run in the tire as I rolled it across the field. They may be strong men but they are still kids at heart.

Even though I run and lift weights and do yoga, that is not what keeps me in shape. These three keep me in shape.

The pup goes nuts in the house if I don’t take him on at least two runs a day. This is a sign that the run was long enough.

As for Ri and Mario, they require a different energy. They are not so much into running outdoors as they are into indoor play. It is this type of play that is ten times more tiring than my Rocco runs.
Our first game was an obstacle course created by Ri. We had to toss a football ten times. If it dropped before you hit ten passes you had to start again. Then you had to hold a sticky pad and throw a ball to one another ten times without dropping it. After you did that, you had to connect the sticky pad with your teammate’s sticky pad and jump on separate chairs. Then you jump off the chairs and climb under the table together and then run into the family room to find the hidden potato. There were three different teams: Maria and I; Mario and I; and Mario and Ri. The person not playing kept time. It took Ri 15 minutes to explain the rules to us. After playing that game several times, we moved onto a board game, Life. Life has changed since I was little. I don’t remember “Action” cards. Each time you land on a blank space you pick up an Action card. This takes the game from a sitting game to a moving game because the Action cards require you to “show off your dance moves” or “walk the catwalk.” Seriously, what happened to spinning the wheel and moving your car?

After an hour of Life, we moved onto body jumping. Yea. You lie down on your stomach on the bed. Then you get covered with blankets and pillows. Then someone jumps on top of you. What fun!

Finally, we ended the night of “games” with a tickling bout. Basically, Ri and I tickling Mario who loves the torture. Oh, and a piggy back ride for each kid to their respective rooms to get in their pjs. No gym could offer a class as good.

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama

Tag: working out

Party animal and fitness freak

Why I’m in shape