"Me Time" Monday - No Excuses Exercise

It's true that Monday isn’t the first day that comes to mind when I think of having some time for myself. I’m more likely to spend this particular day tackling mountains of laundry, piles of dishes and otherwise catching up from a busy weekend. So each week, I’ll be making a point to try out a new idea for “me time” and reporting back every Monday, when we all need inspiration the most.

At times, I exercise a lot and with a good amount of consistency. And then there are the other times. You know what I'm talking about, right? The times when life always seems to get in the way. The days are too long, too full and too many other people need to be taken care of . . . and pretty soon, my daily routine slips away and it's all I can do to drag myself to dance class once or twice a week.

Let me tell you up front that I'm great at the excuses. And some of them are actually legitimate. After all, in addition to caring for and teaching my kids during the day, I work as a technical writer at night. Working until 2 or 3AM make it hard enough to drag myself out of bed at 8AM to start our day - much less get up at the crack of dawn to get a workout in first. Evenings prove equally challenging. When school is done for the day, there's still a household to run, dinner to cook, children to care for and - once my husband is home and has taken over - my paying job to do.

I know you get it. You're busy too. So what's a time-starved homeschooling mama to do? This past week, I made my second attempts at "No Excuses Exercise" - 5-6 workouts a week no matter what. My first attempt several weeks ago failed pretty miserably. But this time turned out to be quite a success.

Here's what I think helped this time:

• I put each workout for the week on my schedule, finding the right time for it based on the day's activities. I like structure, so I used to give up completely if I couldn't work out at the same time every day. Unfortunately, my late nights and Jim's occasional early mornings don't always allow for this. But being flexible - yet still having a plan - seems to be the key.

• I was more realistic with my goals. About a year ago, I purchased the P90X DVDs. I loved them, but I couldn't figure out how to do 60-90 minutes of P90X a day in addition to my existing commitments to dance and running. This time, I'm aiming for three P90X workouts a week and am substituting the cardio I'm already doing (running, swimming and biking) for his two weekly cardio workouts. Plus, I'm not a fan of his yoga, so I'm subbing a yoga DVD I love so that I'll look forward to it each week.

• This time, I decided that this commitment to myself is just as important than any I typically make (and follow through on) for family or friends. I wouldn't back out and let them down, and I'm not going to let myself down either.

Over the years, I'd fooled myself into believing that it was okay to let exercise slip down to the bottom of the priority list - that my other responsibilities were more important. But deep down I knew that wasn't true, and I'm ready to make excuses a thing of the past.

Disney Princess Half Marathon

In case you're wondering, this post has absolutely nothing to do with homeschooling. Instead, it's one of those "All About Me" moments. But hey, how many of those do busy homeschooling moms get to have?

This past weekend (yes, the same weekend as the duathlon), I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon with some friends, and we had a blast! I love that this race lets me combine my love of distance running with my passion for costumes. Where else can you toe up to the starting line in full makeup and jewels and have people think it's more cute than crazy? Along the way, we decided this race was definitely less about having a good (race) time and more about having a good (fun) time. And that we definitely did.

After an icy cold start at EPCOT, we headed to the Magic Kingdom and back, stopping to snap pictures with the characters along the way. Although I've vowed to take a break from running, it's hard to imagine not doing this race again next year!

Kids Tri 2 Spring Duathlon

Ava made her duathlon debut at the Kids Tri 2 Spring Duathlon last weekend, and Noah was thrilled to have to opportunity to take part in a multi-sport event once again. They were joined by five members of the DuathLONG training club ranging in age from 3 to 7 who were all giving duathlon a try for the first time.

Our five younger team members (including Ava) raced in the 3-6 age group, completing a 1/2 mile run, a 1.5 mile bike and a run to the finish line. The two older kids (including Noah) ran 1/2 mile, rode 3 miles and ran another 1/2 mile with the 7-10 year olds. All the kids received medals and great goody bags, and one of our team moms made everybody matching club T-shirts.

The kids were all amazing, and everyone seemed to have a great time. It was fun to run along with Ava during her race and to see all the little kids cheering on the older ones during their event. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a great dinner and our post-race celebration and the kids slept really well that night!

Learn to Skate Classes at RDV Sportsplex Ice Den

Last week, the kids wrapped up their first series of Learn to Skate classes at the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den. After seeing how excited they were to skate over the holidays, my mom gave them the gift of lessons for Christmas so their skills could match their enthusiasm.

Noah had been on the ice a total of four times before starting the classes, and Ava had only been twice. Eight weeks later, Noah is zooming around the rink and Ava - while still a bit slower - is definitely holding her own. Noah wanted to continue lessons, so we just signed up for another session, after which he plans to begin their Learn to Play Hockey program!

As a homeschooler who loves to be out and about, I've seen a lot of classes for kids - some quite exceptional and some . . . not so much. Overall, I've been really impressed with the Learn to Skate program. The classes are well organized and age appropriate, and the kids have fun and learn great skating techniques. Best of all, all participants receive one free public skating session per week to practice their skills - we've been logging lots of ice time lately!

Eight weeks ago, I would never have expected my son to be the proud owner of hockey skates and other equipment. But it appears the skating thing is here to stay . . . for a while, at least. Ava has decided to stick with her bellydance and ballet classes, but I've already seen her eying the figure staking costumes in the pro shop. We'll see . . . but she wouldn't be the first in the family to take up a new hobby entirely for the cute costumes!

DuathLONG Training

So when Noah told me a few months ago that he wanted to start a club, I was imagining the "secret knock" variety that involved a handwritten "Kids Only" sign on the door. But no, I soon found out . . . he wanted to start a triathlon training club.

But since kids' triathlons are in short supply, we settled on the Kids Tri 2 Spring Duathlon coming up in March. He'd done his first duathlon almost a year and a half ago (at age four) and loved it, but we hadn't found another race since.

He was really excited at the prospect of racing again, and - even more so - of having his friends do it with him. So this week we held the first meeting of the DuathLONG (his name) Training Club. Jim was on hand to do safety checks on the bikes and helmets, and then we were (literally) off and running. We had 10 little ones, ages 3-7 head out to run, bike and learn what exactly a duathlon is.

Hopefully, they all had a blast (I know that mine did!) It was fantastic to see so many of them asking to go "just one more time!" And we will . . . next week.

Little Runners will Love the Kids Fall Classic

Noah was so excited to hear about this brand new running event for kids from 1st through 5th grade sponsored by Front Running Sports in Lake Mary. Now I just have to explain to Ava why she can't participate (only open to kids in 1st - 5th grade).

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009
Time: 8:00am start
Event: Kids Run event
Location: Sylvan Lake Park, Sanford

Participation Limit: Due to space restrictions this event is limited to 300 children so sign up early!

Registration: all registration fees are non-refundable
$10 through October 10
$12 October 11 - October 16
$15 Day of event - cash or check only

Register Online

Download Registration form
Kids Fall Classic Reg.pdf

Distance:
Distances will vary based on age division. Longest distance is 1.25 mile course. All courses are contained within Sylvan Lake Park. Each heat will be monitored with a lead and tail end adult.

Team Award:
A special team trophy will be awarded to the school that brings out the most participants.

Awards:
Awards will be given to top 3 boys and top 3 girls in each of the age group heats.
ALL children will receive finishers ribbons for their participation.

T-shirts
All registered kids will receive an event day t-shirt. All sizes will be youth sizes.

Age Groups:
1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade.
Each age group is separated into a separate boys and girls start.

Timing:
All heats will be manually timed. No official results will be posted. Time will be displayed on the finish line clock only.

Homeschooling in Orlando - More on the YMCA

I'm happy to report that our first week as YMCA members has been wonderful. Busy, but wonderful.

The homeschool P.E. class is all I hoped it would be - a chance for Noah to be active with his friends a few times a week while learning specific sports skills he'll most likely never learn from me. Tuesday was soccer and touchball; Friday was swimming. Actually, I can handle swimming, but Noah is very competitive and definitely pays more attention when swimming with the other (mostly older) kids.

Last week, both kids attended Kids Yoga and loved it; the instructor did a great job keeping the poses kid-friendly and engaging the kids throughout the class. The class ended up being cut short to start the Kids Zumba class, which was moved to this room due to remodeling in the main studio. Noah jumped right in and enjoyed this class as well.

This week, we went for Running Club and both kids had a ball. After some running drills, they were timed in an obstacle course and had some free time in the gym. The sight of Ava charging through the hurdles and loving it (you can see her in the background in the picture above) was in itself worth the monthly membership fee (well, not really, but you get the point . . . it was ADORABLE!)

Later in the week, we're planning to check out the Aqua Fun class as well as the Itty Bitty Sports program (free at the Oviedo YMCA but an additional fee at Lake Mary for some reason). I love that Ava has been able to participate in a lot of the afternoon classes even though she is too young for P.E. And, of course, having so many options available at no additional cost is fantastic!

Homeschooling in Orlando - Central Florida YMCA

Recently, I heard that the Longwood-Lake Mary YMCA was launching a Homeschool P. E. class. Although I was intrigued by the idea, it was only open to YMCA members. But after learning a little more about it, I decided it was worth joining just for this.

For only a little more than we used to spend for a once-a-week class Noah will now be going to P.E. twice a week at the YMCA. Two separate classes (one for ages 5-8 and another for ages 9 and above) are offered at no cost to YMCA members on Tuesday and Friday morning. Classes will include group sports, aquatics and games . . . there's even been talk of a kids' triathlon, which would be Noah's dream.

Noah's been playing with the boys in the neighborhood lately - football, hockey and other games. And it occurred to me that he really didn't know how to play any of these sports. Football, baseball, volleyball . . . if it ends in "ball", he probably isn't going to learn it from me. I'm glad that he will learn these skills while playing with his friends several times each week. He attended his first class today and was sorely disappointed when it ended!

In addition to the Homeschool P.E. classes, the YMCA offers a number of free youth classes in the afternoon, including Kid's Yoga, Kid's Zumba, Kid's Running Club, Kid's Fitness, Kid's Karaoke and Aqua Fun. Free parent/child classes in cooking, crafting and science are each held once a month.

For an additional fee, YMCA members can also participate in the Youth Swim Team ($50/month), Youth Sports ($75/session for soccer, basketball, flag football, T-ball and cheer) and Tae Kwon Do ($35/month).

YMCA family memberships cost $95 per month plus a joiner's fee (usually $150 but $50 off until September 20th). Members can use any YMCA location in the Central Florida area. Other locations may offer similar classes (I've heard that Oviedo offers Homeschool P.E. plus a wide variety of youth classes), so check the location nearest you for details.

Homeschooling in Orlando - ZOOm Air

ZOOm Air Adventures is an aerial adventure course at the Central Florida Zoo that will allow you to explore the tree tops from an animal’s perspective. You won't find a lot of information about it online, but I definitely recommend a trip there to check it out for yourself. Just be sure to put your child in closed-toed shoes (no sandals or Crocs allowed), because they are likely to want to start climbing right away!

We found ZOOm Air a little bit by accident - when we dropped our Styrofoam off for recycling earlier this summer, workers were literally in the treetops building the course. Noah was fascinated and insisted on doing it "right now", so I found an zoo employee to get the scoop. She told me that the course (not yet open at that time) was one of only a few of its kind in the United States and would include two adventures for adults and one for kids.

Today, we finally made it back to try it out for ourselves. After buying Noah's ticket ($12), we got him outfitted with a harness and were given instructions for navigating the course - mainly, he was to keep at least one safety hook attached to the cable at all times (in case he fell while he was repositioning the other one), and I was to follow him from the ground making sure he did that.

After that, he was off on the Upland course, which was a smaller practice course that was perfect for getting him used to the equipment and the process of moving his hooks one at a time. From there, it was on to the jungle course, which took the adventure to (literally) greater heights. While enjoying the view from above (and pointing out animals and waterfalls along the way), he navigated along a series of 19 platforms connected by suspension bridges, tightropes and other wobbly pathways suspended among the treetops - and capped off with a zipline-type swing to the final platform.

The kids' course is designed for children 36" - 60". Noah measured right at 46", and I really can't imagine anyone much smaller or younger completing the course. To think that Ava is already tall enough to do it is a little scary; I just can't imagine her being able to move the hooks on her own or having the focus to keep her footing. Maybe that's just the overprotective mom in me!

Parents must follow along from the ground, so closed-toed shoes are a good idea for us too. Many areas of the course are underwater due to rain, so I was very glad to have switched to running shoes from the white platform sandals I originally selected for the day.