So summer is quickly coming to an end in Phoenix.  While the days are still hot, the kids are going back to school and my next wave of college freshman are leaving their homes in Phoenix and heading off to places around the country.  I have committed to running the Phoenix PF Chang’s Marathon in January and I am preparing for my long training days.  This summer has been quite successful at getting back into shape and losing some pounds.  I committed to five days a week at the gym and enjoyed my morning spin classes, lifting, and/or eliptical training.  On the weekends, I usually got in a good run before the sun was high and the 110 degree day made it impossible to go outside. 

Phoenicians have it tough in the summer when the kids are out of school, unlike most areas of the country we are forced inside most of the day keeping our kids out of the hot sun.  I found lots of indoor activities for my busy three year old to participate in and was happy that many business owners focused on opening their spaces to their young clientele.  We regularly frequented a cheer gym who had a bouncy house and use of their equipment open to the public twice weekly for a cheap $3 visit.  We frequented the story-hour at Barnes and Noble, participated in the Little Gym, went to library activities, and took regular trips to the mall.  I do believe the mall became my sons favorite summertime treat.  We rode the elevators and escalators for hours and played in the mall play place.  In addition, the mall frequently had kids activities (car racing was our favorite), music, and entertaining fountains all in the cool (almost cold) airconditioning.  As long as I stayed away from shopping, the mall was a free entertainment venue! The Phoenix Zoo had Friday and Saturday evenings open with lots of water play, bouncy houses, and slides to entertain too!  Overall, summer could be a bust when it is so hot, yet you can find cheap and/or free options to get your family out and moving during those hot days.  Finally, our true family favorite is the swimming pool.  Whether you have a pool in your yard or you head to the local pool, swimming cools you down and keeps your kids active.  My son became increasingly water safe and enjoyed countless hours playing in the water.  Get yourself and your children outside as the summer quickly comes to a close!

So we are lucky enough in our little neighborhood to have neighbors with kids around the same age.  In the last couple of months we have established a roving dinner at our houses.  There are three families in our little group and each week a different family hosts everyone for dinner.  The boys get to play and the parents get some grown up conversation.  It truly has been a lot of fun.  Of course there are only three families so on the fourth Wednesday of the month we go to Chipotle and enjoy an evening out! 

When we were in college we always loved free food.  The nice thing about our meals is all the “mommies” try to make well balanced home cooked meals for the parents and children.  While the one night a month may be challenging because you have to make a dinner for nine, it is always nice to know when it isn’t “your week” that you are going to have a healthy meal that you don’t have to make.

Our weekly gatherings have become a focal point of our week and allowed us busy “active mommies” socialization and kid friendly locations.  Just as having a workout partner is important for fitness, it is also important to have other mom’s to connect with and share ideas and good food.  It also lets the “working Daddies” talk shop, sports, and repairs (at least that seems to be the common theme with our husbands).  I highly suggest finding a group of families and enjoying some good food and company, start your own roving dinner and family fun!

photo by Rail Life

Today our family went to our first art festival with our son.  Now, I didn’t see a lot of the art, but I did get a chance to see things through my son’s eyes.  We got a lot of walking in with our son leading the way and dictating our travels.  We also got a good workout dancing to some great live music.  It is so important to introduce our children to different things, including different art forms, music, food, and activities. 

We started our day riding the “light rail,” Phoenix’s new commuter train that opened in December.  This was the third time our son has ridden the train, yet he had the same excitement that he had the first time.  We rode the train for about 15 minutes and ended up at the far end of the art festival.  The first hour we simply played by the water fountain and ate kettle korn (OK not the best thing for my diet, but delicious all the same).  Then, my son decided it was time to explore.  He was fascinated by other kids getting their face painted, enjoyed a booth of animal photography that was amazing, and gave the juggling street performer about five minutes of attention.  We soon found the children’s area where he was able to do arts and crafts and play with a bunch of pool “noddles.”  My son was disappointed that the noodles did not include a pool and began to search for a body of water.  We got some great exercise going down some stairs that served as an escalator and jumping back up those same stairs.  We ended our “children’s time” dancing to a trio of stings player and being fascinated by a cello.  On our way to find lunch he was given some stickers which he used to decorate his shirt and mommy.  We soon ended up at a Mediterranean restaurant staying healthy with chicken, humus, and pita bread.

Overall, the art festival was a new experience for all of us.  Allowing our son to lead the way, we were led by his desires and enjoyed the atmosphere and freedom to explore.  Other then the food we ate, the festival and three hours of entertainment were totally free.  I highly suggest researching your own community to get out and enjoy new activities.  In addition, the walking is a great workout and other kid’s activities usually get you dancing and active.

photo by Bigcountry15

There are always many ways to workout.  As a mom, it is a struggle to workout and spend time with your child.  This past weekend my husband and I took my son to the zoo.  Now, walking around the zoo with my son is usually a workout.  We always start in a stroller, but quickly move on to him walking/running around the zoo.  We are members at our local zoo so he knows the area quite well.  I discovered this past weekend that our zoo actually has a fitness walk as part of it’s program.  This walk takes a certain path and has you do certain exercises at each stop.  It is a fun way to entertain your family, see the animals, and get a workout in.  Now, you don’t need a set schedule from your zoo, you can put in short bouts of exercise at each stop.  I found that doing lunges by the giraffes and doing squats by the rhinos may make you look funny; but it was well worth it!  Like usual, my son joined in and had a fun time exercising with mommy, now if I could only get my husband to take part!

I have also talked about the importance of group exercise.  If you are embarrassed to do push-ups by the monkeys alone, you can always enlist a friend to join you.  Our zoo also allows a local Stroller Strides to do group workouts at our zoo.  These early morning workouts are similar to other “mommy” workout groups, yet they mostly focus on fitness walking at different speeds.   Our zoo also has a great playground, we get out there and swing like the monkeys on the bars, do pull-ups like the apes, and run like the zebras.  If you pretend to be an animal with your child, he/she will enjoy it immensely and you will get a great workout.  Whether it be at the zoo or a local park, get out there and get moving.  There are no excuses to get a workout in while entertaining and spending time with your child.

photo by CRT

Well my son is finally starting to feel better.  He is definitely on the up and up, tonight he asked to go to Cold Stone.  I don’t know about you, but my son absolutely loves ice cream and in particular blue (cotton candy) ice cream with sprinkles from Cold Stone.  Because he was feeling better we indulged his love for ice cream and took him to Cold Stone after he ate a good dinner.  So it is really warm in Arizona right now, it made it to 91 degrees today. so we got him an ice cream and went outside to a nice grassy area to let him and my husband eat.  My son took one bite of ice cream and proceeded to run around and play, unfortunately the ice cream was left in my hands!

This is one of the biggest mistakes a mother can make, eating the rest of her child’s food.  When we usually go for ice cream, my husband and I share some of his ice cream and my son gets his own.  Usually, he doesn’t have a problem finishing his ice cream.  Tonight, I was left with the temptation of a whole cup of blue ice cream with sprinkles.  I admit, I started to take a few bites and realized I needed to stop.  This brings me to my point, many times we fall into the trap of finishing our kids meal.  Those few bites of mac and cheese or that left over chicken finger add up in those calories we eat every day.  I have really committed myself to stop eating his food.  The hardest part is not eating his left over restaurant food.  One of the women I do pilates with told me she actually used to order her son a whole entree and proceed to eat the rest of it.  One good tip is to actually share your food with your child instead of the other way around.  At dinner now, my son and I will split my meal.  If I have a piece of chicken my son gets part of it or when we make ravioli he gets a couple of mine.  I have reached two goals with this philosophy; first, I eat less and second, I have encouraged my son to eat the same food as his Dad and I.  I am happy to say that I have broken the habit of eating my son’s food and cut back on my usual food intake.

photo by lalaland

I often here the complaint from other women that they do not have time to workout or they feel guilty working out.  As mothers, we feel pulled in so many different directions and fitting a workout into our day is a struggle.  I have talked in the past about workout guilt and trying to spend as much quality time as possible with your child.  I have committed to early morning workouts prior to my son getting up during the work week.  But weekends always pose a challenge because of activities and family time.  This weekend, I found an easy solution for the weekend workout, take advantage of the nap!  Now on the weekends, my husband looks forward to nap time for his own nap or a little down time with the computer, I on the other hand took that time to get in a workout.  Saturday, I got a good 40 minute run in and made it home just before my son woke up from his afternoon nap.  Today, I actually got to be “mommy” to the dog and took her on a short hike up the mountain trail behind our house.  It is a steep quick trail, but it got my heart rate up and I got both the up and down benefits of hiking.   The cross-training benefit of switching up my workout is important.  I have talked about getting stuck in a rut and hiking in the mountains gives me the occasional opportunity to enjoy nature while exercising.

Finding time for yourself in our busy lives is always a challenge.  It is so important to take “mommy time” when you get a chance.  I was actually suppossed to make a mom’s day out today at the movies, unfortunately I ended up at the railroad park for a picnic and didn’t make the movie.  So schedule in some “me” time this week and refresh yourself, get a good workout in, or make that movie you have been waiting to see.  We are better moms and wives when we take care of ourselves in addition to our families.

photo by Nicole Welch

Every Saturday morning we head over to our local Little Gym for some fun.  My son absolutely loves going to his “super beast” class at the Little Gym and he looks forward to it every Saturday morning.  We started going to the gym when my son was only 1 year old.  He has obtained so many skills from attending these classes and has become so confident in his physical activities.  Some of his favorite activities at they gym include playing on the bars, playing with a parachute, and bouncing on the air track; he has also learned how to walk on a balance beam, do a forward roll, do monkey jumps and donkey kicks, and jump off of things.  The gym is a safe environment that allows him to explore and also have group instruction.  Today at the gym, my son did a surprising and entertaining new skill.  When doing a donkey kick he went up into a hand stand and flipped over.  At first he looked up in shock, but then he got really excited as the class and parents cheered for him.  The instructor was even shocked by this new skill and my son proceeded to do it again with the encouragement of “Mr. Matt.”   His new found skill was a highlight of his day and an introduction to gymnastics, but all in all the confidence in his own abilities is the most important skill he is obtaining.

Getting our kids involved in activities at a young age helps them become confident, physically adept, and coordinated.  While we have been really happy with the Little Gym, there are a lot of programs out there that helps develop your child’s physical prowess.  In Phoenix we have classes like Soccer Tots, parent/child swimming, Gymboree, etc.  Most YMCA’s have child classes that cater to differing age groups as well.  Get your child active and involved and let them develop skills necessary to be confident and coordinated kids.  If you don’t have time for a class or program, get your child outside and playing.  I am not saying your child needs to be the next great athlete, but they should be introduced to some physical activity and skills to help them be active throughout their life.  My son absolutely loves it and I do too!

This past weekend we went down to Tucson, Arizona for some much needed rest and relaxation.  The weather in Arizona is pretty cool right now and is perfect for hiking and being outdoors (with a light jacket on).  So we decided to get in one of the most convenient forms of exercise out there; we went hiking.  My mother lives near the base of the Catalina Mountains and near the state park, so we loaded up our little boy, our dog, and grandma and set out for the trails. 

Hiking with a two year old is always extremely entertaining.  We used to take our son in a backpack and go hiking quite a bit.  It was a lot of fun until he got old enough that he would get bored in the backpack.  Our son is a mover and now he wants to be out on the trail with us.  So, we headed out for the flat trails to let him explore.  Three things were prominent entertainment on this hike.  First, my son was fascinated by poop, “scat,” on the trail.  Grandma had recently bought him a nature book called Who Pooped in the Desert, so finding javelina poop on the trail was an extremely big deal.  In addition, there was horse poop, dog poop, and some unidentified scat on the trail, he loved it.  Second, my son is going to be a tree climber.  We found an old tree and he actually asked to go in it.  He sat in that tree and even got Daddy to climb up in it.  He played in that tree for at least a good 15 minutes, a long time for a 2 and a half year old!  Lastly, my son is obsessed with water and does not care about temperature.  The Canada del Oro wash had snow run-off in it.  My son watched that small stream flow, bent down and put his hands in it, and generally was fascinated by the water.  He then proceeded to walk right in and soak his calves and feet in this freezing water.  He splashed around for a good 10 minutes and the temperature did not phase him at all, he had a great time and even got the dog to play with him in the stream.  Needless to say, that was the end of our hike as we headed back to the car to change his clothes and get him warm.

Amazon.com

It was a wonderful morning.  I highly suggest getting out for a nature walk with your child, or even on your own.  Being out in the desert, on the lake, in the woods, or even in the snow can be refreshing and relaxing.  In turn, you also get a great workout for free and you can see all the beautiful scenery.  Taking a young child and letting him explore his surroundings is great fun, even if he just wants to look at Who Pooped in the Desert!

photo by Turtlebee X24

Yesterday, my son was feeling a little better and decided to go exploring.  He got on his tricycle and as I followed him down the street he headed towards the dirt lot at the end of my subdivision.  He had never done this before and I was interested to see why he headed that way.  After telling him to look both ways to cross the road, he rode his tricycle right into the dirt and start off-roading.  Now my son is only 2 and a half, but he wanted to ride around in the dirt and rocks.   He actually looked for bumps and headed over any rock he could find.  Soon he got off his tricycle and began playing in the dirt, he even found the random bug to stare at, he isn’t brave enough to touch them yet!  My son had an absolutely awesome time in this plain old sandlot and loved getting dirty.

I grew up in Michigan, I was always outside and playing no matter what time of year it was.  At the end of my subdivision there was about 20 acres of land that was undeveloped and there for exploring.   The developer of our sudivision had run out of money and left the land vacant.  He had dumped some dirt on this land which we called the “hill” (I think it was really just a dirt pile).  The area became a hangout for all the neighborhood kids and we dominated the area.  We rode our bikes over the “hill” and made paths, hid in the trees, and generally just hung out.   We had a great time and loved the freedom to make our own rules, the memories are amazing.

Of course, I grew up in a small town in the 1980’s, it was a different time back then.  But I still think it is important for our kids to go outside and explore.  In the future, I can only imagine my husband and a couple of my neighbors husbands hanging out with the boys down at the sandlot.  I can see them putting together jumps for their dirt bikes and digging up bugs and playing in the rocks.  My son already pretended to be at the zoo and called a group of rocks the “fire.”   So even if you don’t have a place for your kids to explore, get them outside and have fun with them.  Now in the spirit of exercise, you will get some too while you play.  You will build great memories for you and your child and whether it is winter or summer they will find a way to enjoy themselves!

by Linnette Alissa

When my family is in the YMCA pool, my little boy will tell anyone “I swim like Michael Phelps!”  People are always highly entertained by this comment, but they are also amazed at how confident my son is in the water.  He has an absolute blast splashing and swimming!  This past summer, we spent some part of each day in the pool and when the Olympics came on he was fascinated by swimming and track.  He would actually listen to the start of the race, get ready to go on “take your mark,” and dive on the floor to swim or run around the house when he heard the gun.  It was very entertaining and it was exciting to see him understanding the joy of athletics.   Now that it is winter time, we don’t get to the pool nearly as much (Arizona only has outdoor pools and it gets cold here too), but my son still practices his swimming in the bathtub.  My bathroom floor is constantly soaked, he dives into the water and swims his version of freestyle and butterfly.  He typically stands up and tells me “Mommy, I beat Michael Phelps.”  Needless to say, bath-time is extremely entertaining.

As many of you know I have been involved with swimming since I was a child.  I have been a swimming coach most of my adult life and swam in college.  Today my time in the pool is usually spent with my son.  We had him in the pool early on, his first dip was at 3 months old.  He is very comfortable around the pool and can swim between my husband and I and to the wall.  His favorite activities in the pool are diving (really it is jump/belly flop), being underwater, and funny enough swimming in the lap lanes. 

While I know that I am a water person, I believe his early introduction to the water is essential to his safety around the pool.  He doesn’t have to be a swimmer, although some of you wonder how soon he will be swimming in swim meets, but he must be able to swim and be comfortable in the pool.  I highly encourage you to get your child in the water early on, if you are not ready for lessons just get them comfortable in the pool.  Start with learning to blow bubbles, going underwater, and floating on their backs.  If you aren’t comfortable yourself, stay in shallow water, swim with your spouse or a friend, and try to relax so your child doesn’t feel your fear.  Have fun in the water; play motorboat, bring water toys for the steps, and have bubble blowing contests.  Your child will soon become more confident and excited to swim.  If you or your spouse/friend are swimmers, swim a length or two of each of the strokes stopping in between to talk to your child while the other talks to him/her about swimming.  They will eventually want to copy you (the reason my son likes to swim in the lap lanes). 

Michael Phelps here I come!

Finally, as you get more confident with your child in the water find a place for them to take swim lessons. 

Tips for finding the right place for lessons:

1.  Find a warm pool, kids get cold easy and lose interest in learning when they are cold.

2. Make sure you talk with the director about staff training and experience, watch a sample class. 

3. Ask for recommendations from other parents and friends, ask for reviews of the facilities programs.

 Get ready to have a great time in the pool with your child and you never know, you may have the next Michael Phelps on your hands!