Day 6: The Plan

As I mentioned on Saturday, I need plan to truly succeed. I don't want to find myself at 6pm and wonder how I am going to get my walking in for the day - it is hard enough getting shower in!

The plan needs to be simple. The plan needs to be independent of me relying on anyone else. That might sound a little harsh, but if my plan involves Steve or friend watching the children, then at some point they are not going to be able to watch the children. No one's fault, just a part of life. Perhaps they get sick, or go out of town, etc. The plan also needs to be somewhat flexible. If I sign up for a walking group that only meets at 12 noon then at some point in the future that 12 noon time period will stop working for me. Again,  no one's fault, but life changes and I need a plan that can change as well. And finally, I need the plan to be cheap. We currently have the money for me to go to a gym, but I don't want to a) spend the money if I can get the same results without spending the money (I am a little too frugal) b) feel stuck in a membership or plan that stops working for me c) feel like the money is a drain on the finances if in the future we no longer have the same level of income.

For the colder months, the children and I will walk at the mall.

Before we started our walk this morning, K took the picture.

We are attempting to get there every morning by 8am. The  mall is a 5 minute drive, two laps equals a little over one mile, and they have a children's area. My thought is that we all walk and then I can give the children some run around time. While they play, I can eat a snack and/or read a book.

We are not quite up to 2 full laps, but we do walk the full 30 minutes...it is just harder on some children than others.

K barely made the last 10 minutes, she was so tired.

K gave it the ol' college try when it came to running around with her siblings.

But she gave up after a couple of minutes. K spent the rest of the time laying on the bench and listening to me read "War Horse".

The main children's area was closed this morning for cleaning, so the children made do by climbing all over the "ride" toys.

S is still a toddler at heart (she even likes to sit in the high chairs at restaurants) and probably had the most fun on these riding toys.

Z didn't want his picture taken today. He had fun playing, but did it boy style - climbing on top of and over the riding toys instead of sitting in them.

In the summer months, we would switch to a park because I think fresh air is paramount. If I wasn't such a wuss when it comes to the cold, we would walk outside now! (Did I mention the high today was 35 degrees?)

Finally, I think the children need this as much as I do, especially K. Lately, she has skipped the run around time with her siblings to read a book. I love reading, but I want her to balance it with some physical movement. (Now if I could convince Z to balance his run around time with a little bit of reading!)

I am a little nervous that with the Christmas season & winter approaching this might prove harder than I think, but 2 days down and a whole year left to go!