Exercising at the Playground

I’ve been super stressed lately. Luckily, I’ve been able to get to the Y for a walk on the treadmill or free-weights. It’s so convenient to have the gym next door to Tootie’s school… it’s hard to make excuses why I shouldn’t stop in, even for a few minutes to do something.

There were a few weeks that I didn’t make it into the gym at all. Another convenience of the Weinberg Y is the huge playground right across the parking lot. After school, Tootie and I would stop over for “only ten minutes” and manage to stay on the playground for about 40 minutes. One school friend turned into two, to three, then what felt like half her class was on the playground with us.

I sat and chatted with the parents - always good to be in the company of folks who know what you’re going through. And of course, there’s the requisite swing pushing, slide waiting, and monkey bar lifting that every parent has to do. Those days made me feel just as relaxed as my workouts.

So, maybe I should give myself more credit. Each day, I (we), do something at the gym to relieve stress. Sometimes it’s structured and indoors. Other times, it’s whatever happens on the playground. Gotta love the Y and the diversity of exercise it offers!

Posted by Angie Kirk, Y Preschooler Parent, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Family Center Y

An Active Tootie!

Tootie makes me laugh. In the middle of Target she stretches and she tells me she’s exercising. When I’m sitting down watching TV, she tells me I need to exercise more, get moving. When I enroll her in Sports Mix, swimming, Tiny Dancers she’s sometimes too shy to participate. Two months ago, I took off from work to watch her NOT dance in a dance recital. She did the steps ad nauseam at home-but at show time, nothing.

At least I can be happy that she knows what healthy behaviors are. She recognizes a warm up, cool down, and the importance of physical activity. She calls me out if I’m walking fast, but should be running, and she has a great internal meter for knowing how much she’s been active and “neeeeding” to get some exercise.

I have to credit the Y with her knowledge and appreciation of a healthy, active lifestyle. Heaven knows if it were up to me she wouldn’t be as active as she is. Over time, she’s done really well with breaking out of her shell, doing more activities and participating more broadly. The pre-school has worked out a partnership with the Y to include some health and wellness activities in the pre-school program, so although I can’t take her, a Y staff member takes her to weekday classes in the Y health and wellness center. This has allowed her to try more activities than she otherwise would have.

Maybe one of these days I’ll have to admonish her for being too much in the spotlight. For the time being, I’m glad she’s the healthy, active girl that’s slowly moving us both off the sidelines!

Posted by Angie Kirk, Y Preschooler Parent, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Family Center Y

Save the “Mommy Guilt”

I often have “Mommy Guilt” when I add up all the hours Tootie is in pre-school. In the morning, I drop her off between 8:30 and 9:00am. At pick up I’m there between 5:45 and 6:27pm (the Pre-school closes at 6:30). Most times I rush through the door to find her immersed in a coloring project, dancing with her friends, or “reading” a book.

I build up all these thoughts in my mind about how much time she stays at school, how long we’re apart, etc. Add to some of these long days, my exercise routine that includes classes at the Y, and that could extend her day by another hour or two.

Every now and again, I have to take a breath. I get to school and realize she’s well taken care of, and actually having fun! Her nine or ten hour day has been filled with singing, dancing, arts and crafts, reading, nature walks, and all the hard work of being a pre-schooler. When I take her over to the Y for my classes, she fusses for a while, but gets right in the swing of things with the Child Watch staff and all the activities they provide.

It’s good to know that I can save the “Mommy Guilt” for some other occasion. When she’s at school, she’s in good hands. When I’m working on the “Mommy Gut” at the gym, she’s still in good hands. Maybe I can channel my guilt elsewhere… like the fact that she won’t be getting a $50,000 car for her 16th birthday, like the kids on MTV.

Posted by Angie Kirk, Y Preschooler Parent, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Family Center Y

Check the Calendar

It’s the beginning of the month and in the pre-school, we get a handy little newsletter with all the key dates for the respective classes. It’s hard to remember, but it’s critical to put those dates in my Outlook calendar.

This month, there’s a PJ/movie day, mix-match day, show and tell, etc. I’ve been a Y parent long enough to know that I’d BETTER be on top of that schedule. You wouldn’t believe the water works when my kid shows up NOT in pajamas, a princess costume, or with crazy hair. I’ve gone home, gone to the store, gone crazy, trying to make a workaround for a forgotten theme day.

If I’m honest, I’d say that SHE really should be on top of this schedule herself. She’s old enough. The Y has a challenging academic program, so she knows the days of the week. It’s more important to her than it is to me- or is it?

I LOVE her school, her teachers, her classmates. I WANT her to get the full classroom experience and that includes the theme days, show and tell, homework and all the other stuff that’s miserable to remember when we’re running out of the house late in the morning. I get a kick out of her evening re-caps of what everyone wore, said, and did during the day.

So ultimately, where does that leave me? It leaves me with a massive calendar which includes work, personal, exercise, and play-dates. Every now and again, a weekday appointment pops up which says “PJs”…and I wish it was meant for me!

Posted by Angie P. Kirk, Y Preschooler Parent