Fit Family

Farewell to Fit Family Blog

2011-06-10T09:08:00.005-04:00

Though our family fitness hasn't slowed down, my blog postings have.

As the girls get more involved with school and friends, their fitness now includes participation in organized sports in addition to our outings as a family.

It is a bittersweet transition, somewhat like when your first child goes to school and starts learning from someone else.

The kids' schedule now includes baseball games and mountain bike camp and the usual swim lessons. I know the sports schedule will get busier and busier as the girls get older, but I can't think of a better way for kids to spend time with their friends outside school.

We can always count on some family adventures on school vacation. In April, we were lucky to travel to Arizona, where the girls enjoyed climbing the red rocks in Sedona.

For the most part, we'll be right here in the Green Mountain State of Vermont, where all of the spring rain has made it especially green.

Though I'm saying farewell to the blog, my Fit Family book is still available and it makes a great gift for expecting parents.

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Family-Infant-Toddler-Preschool/dp/0941950417

Happy Summer.

- HH

Sweet Skiing

2011-04-03T08:19:00.007-04:00

The promise of gooey, warm maple syrup drizzled over snow got my family back on skis this weekend. Though the skiing is still great, we've transitioned to biking for the kids and marathon training for Tom and me. Given that the sugaring season is so short (for those of us who don't do the labor), we headed to the Trapps sugarhouse for one of our favorite spring rituals.

Despite the forecast for rain, we had sunny skies and 40-degree temps. Our fish scale skis worked well and Ava took off the moment she was in hers. I could only make out her yellow hat in the distance as she headed down to the sugar shack. Julia cruised, too, though I think that she was surprised by the stop-and-go warm snow.

I had just run 19 miles so was happy to devour several donut pieces guilt-free. The kids tried the pickles to cleanse the palate, but preferred sweet to tart. Tom and I had only planned on the short ski to the sugar shack, but the kids were eager to keep skiing, so off we went.

We finished catching some sunshine on the bandstand.

And, on the way home, we bought a new camera as ours is as old as Ava. More zoom and less delay. You might actually be able to see our faces in future blogs!

Off to the Races

2011-02-16T08:09:00.006-05:00

We made it to another ski race on the weekend. The girls sure are getting comfortable with the race routine. Our venue was Sleepy Hollow, a quaint inn and touring center tucked in the hills of Huntington, Vermont.

I remember going to the same race last year and carrying Julia up the hill to watch the start of Ava's lollipop race. This year, Julia herringboned right up the big hill to the race course and skied the lollipop course without a parent accompanying her. She was confident, full of smiles, and said that she only fell once.

Ava joined a few boys in the 1st and 2nd grade race and finished so fast that I didn't even have my camera out. I did capture her huge smile when she got her water bottle prize.

We have one more race for Ava in a couple of weeks and then we're hoping to ski to the sugar shack at Trapps to sample sugar on snow. The "sugar" is maple syrup, of course.

Paintball Biathlon

2011-01-27T08:17:00.007-05:00

The girls got their first shot at paintball biathlon on a cold, sunny Saturday at the Mountaintop Inn near Killington, Vermont.

The shooting range was located in the middle of a 1K loop. Ava was disappointed that she only got to ski one loop for the 1st and 2nd grade division. She made up for it by skiing multiple laps before the race started and she kept skiing the sidelines after her race. The lollipopers, Julia's category for preschoolers and kindergartners, did not shoot during their 1/2 K race but they did get to try some practice shots. Though the paper-plate target was big, there were not a lot of hits from the younger age groups. Looking through the rifle sight to see the target is a new concept for most of the kids, who are skiers but not shooters.

Ava had the fastest ski time in her group of about 15 girls, but placed second behind a girl who hit more targets. (I don't think Ava hit any.) Her actual ski time beat the boys' times, too, which goes to show that good, classic skiing can be fast even though skating has the look of being fast.

At some point, Ava will learn to skate, which is the required technique for a traditional biathlon. But for now, she and her sister are classic skiing and doing fine. Julia placed third in her group and she skied without poles.

Now, we'll just have to get the girls to practice shooting.

Freedom from the Kids on Martin Luther King Day

2011-01-18T07:56:00.008-05:00

I spent the Martin Luther King Day holiday skiing with my husband, a rare treat that we manage about once a year. Both of our kids were invited for a playdate, which left us with a few hours free. The single-digit thermometer reading was intimidating, but the sun was out, which made it feel warmer than it was. I also heard the weather forecaster say that the higher elevations would be warmer than the valley floors. That's really what got me out the door.

Tom had raced the day before so it was a good day for him to go easy. Of course, his easy is hard for me, but going a little faster than usual kept me warm. There was blue sky, powdery trails and snow-covered trees, and the trails we skied on were relatively quiet. I even got a few pointers on my technique (which I asked for and which were helpful).

We enjoyed a quick soak in the fitness center's outdoor hot tub after the ski. Then when I found that my locker was next to a mom with a loud toddler, I moved my clothes to the next room so I could hold onto that relaxed feeling a little longer before picking up my own kids.

Stowe Mini-Marathon

2011-01-09T20:49:00.005-05:00

Blueberry soup, s'mores, and lots of skiing made up our adventure today in the Stowe Mini-Marathon. The girls both got in their biggest skis: Julia skiing 6K with Daddy and Ava skiing 15 K with me. It was quite an accomplishment.

Ava wanted to be up front though it was a tour not a race. After the first big hill, in which she wanted to be away from her mother, we had a good time until the last couple of kilometers when she fell a couple of times on the downhills. Tom reported that Julia was all smiles. We finished and found lots of yummy treats to gobble up in the yurt making for a sweet end to a long outing.

Winter in New England

2010-12-13T09:33:00.006-05:00

What a difference a day can make in New England weather. We got the whole family out for a ski on Saturday. The conditions were perfect for classic skiing and the girls did some team work to ski together.

We also got our family Christmas photo taken, which was a bonus.

Yesterday, Tom skied in blizzard conditions at the Bolton Opener and the girls and I spent an hour in the pool at the Nordic Center. Today, it is full on rain, but the switch to snow comes this afternoon. The forecast looks promising heading into the week and for Thursday's ski program at Trapps.

Annual Tree Trek

2010-11-30T19:32:00.004-05:00

This year's Christmas tree trek took place a day or two earlier than our usual ritual. We went scouting for a tree in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest the same day that we returned from New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest, where we spend Thanksgiving with my family.

Unlike my dad, who can get a tree permit and go cut his tree practically down the road on national forest land, we have to drive about 25 miles to reach our national forest.

We started off across the river from the access road where we park since Tom had seen a good tree there last year. The girls were thrilled to cross the river with Dad's help.

Unfortunately, the tree that looked good last year, did not look so good this year. We had to keep on looking. You would think that there would be a ton of possibilities for Christmas trees in the forest, but once you start looking, you see why most people get a tree that's grown on a tree farm.

Pickings were looking slim, daylight was fading, and Julia was fading, too. All this driving and we're not going to find a tree today, I thought. Then Tom and Ava motioned for Julia and I to come up a hillside. We bushwacked our way to them and there was our tree. Sweet and dainty.

Double Session

2010-11-23T12:36:00.005-05:00

It took me a while to recover from last weekend's fit family adventures. For me, it started out with a 10-mile solo run. I couldn't get myself up to join my friends at 7:30 a.m. so waited until 10 a.m. when it was bright, sunny and warm. The solitude and warmth reminded me of spring training for last year's Vermont City Marathon.

In the afternoon, we had planned that Tom would take Ava on the Stowe Bike Path. She would bike while he roller skied. But Julia wanted to go too. She has not taken to biking much and the roundtrip would be 10 miles, so it was up to me and the tag-along to include Julia.

I had trouble keeping up with Tom and Ava. The many narrow bridges slowed me down. Plus, my attire was poorly chosen. I wore yoga pants that were too wide at the bottom and they kept getting pulled in by my chain guard. Fortunately, it was mild enough that I finally rolled the pants up above my knees.

I hadn't been on the bike in a while so my bum was sore and my shoulders, too, but I was proud of getting in two 10-mile activities and for getting out as a whole family even if Julia wasn't always pedaling.

First Ski

2010-11-09T08:27:00.004-05:00

When the mountaintops become snowy in the fall, my family gets thinking about ski season. My husband, especially, likes to go in search of skiing. The search takes place at Mt. Mansfield and hiking is usually required.

After watching her dad get dressed in ski clothes and disappear for a few hours, our six-year-old asked if she could go skiing, too. I think it intrigued her to think of skiing when our yard was still all green.

We explained that we'd have to hike to get up to snow, but Ava was up for the task. We arranged for a play date for our four-year-old and off went Mom, Dad, and Ava.

Ava was running around in circles in the ski area parking lot. She was excited and invigorated by the cold air. About five steps up the ski slope she asked how far it would be to snow. About a minute after that she said that her legs hurt because it was so steep. Then she asked how far again. And, when are we going to eat? So, we chatted and answered questions for a half mile or so until we reached the snow. Then the world transformed into a winter wonderland.

The snow stuck to the bottom of my skis at first and Ava's binding kept undoing itself. It wasn't perfect skiing, but it was a gorgeous day. The sun was out. There was no wind or precipitation. Even though we stopped a lot, we did not get cold.

When we saw our friends coming down, Ava got really excited. She zoomed up to meet them. Then, when we turned around, she skied between Daddy's legs as the cover was unpredictable for coming downhill.

Ava has chosen the experience for what she will talk about at school tomorrow for her Share Day. I'd say that means she was proud of her ski adventure.

I Wish I Brought the Camera

2010-10-26T08:57:00.005-04:00

The blog hiatus was a result of writing my Nordic Family columns for Cross Country Skier magazine. The columns are done and the first one of the season is now online at: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/cdf4ba7d#/cdf4ba7d/9

Back to Fit Family. This fall has seemed especially busy as Ava is now in school all day as a first grader. We still manage to get some walks in during the late afternoon. We've been frequenting the local farmer's market where we've gotten great apples and bread. We walk back home through town or along a path in the woods. The girls like changing our routes.

On the weekends, we've done many short hikes. All of them have been local and some of them have been new territory for us. Every time I say, "Oh, I wish I brought the camera." This was the case when the girls were eating their apples on a bench by the reservoir with all the foliage in bloom. It was beautiful, almost peaceful, except that our dog kept barking for me to throw the tiny piece of tennis ball that she'd found in the grass.

I finally remembered the camera when we went on a short hike with a friend in a nearby state park. We walked all through the campground and the girls pretended the cabins were their houses. It was a great way for them to get in a lot of walking without thinking about it. The cabins looked good to me since I've never liked pitching a tent.

The photo below is of a cabin for kids to play in -- complete with washer and dryer.

The girls decided to wash rocks. I'll make sure they stay away from my new drier in case they think that rocks are going in there, too.

Back to the Wheels

2010-09-14T08:11:00.004-04:00

With fall in the air, at last, the girls have gotten back into riding bikes and scooters. Tom tried taking Julia's training wheels off last night as she is uncomfortable when the wheels tip, but she was apprehensive. She's a daredevil on the diving board or flipping off the jungle gym, yet she is very cautious on her bike. Today, I may try taking her to a street that is flat and quiet for some practice. We'll go when her older sister is in school to cut down on distractions. I'm hopeful that if Julia can make some headway, she'll be able to bike while I run. Pretty soon, Ava is going to be too fast to be my partner.

Still Swimming

2010-08-29T20:36:00.005-04:00

School has begun here and yet we're still swimming. It's the first fair weather summer we've had in New England in years and the hot weather is sticking around.

Today the girls and I headed to the brook with our dog to cool off. Our summer goal has been to stay cool so we've been in the water rather than out on the hiking trail. Even our bike rides have been connected to in-town transportation rather than long, scenic outings.

I usually like to mix up our exercise routines, but this summer has been the summer for swimming. Our neighbor's pool closed on Tuesday (the day before school started here) and we went for our last hoorah. Ava jumped in and swam the length of the pool using her crawl stroke (stopping once for a breath), and Julia swam underwater.

I'm already looking forward to the day that the girls pass their deep water test, which may be next year.

Summer Vacation

2010-08-15T08:18:00.004-04:00

I can't say that our family vacation to the NH seacoast was relaxing, but it was filled with a lot of new experiences for the girls. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Portsmouth and got to walk to dinner and around the city streets.

We hit the beach with friends in York, Maine and Rye, New Hampshire and I even let the girls indulge in a big, sweet slurpy from the beach snack bar. Boy, were they surprised and happy.

The walk back from the snack bar across the hot, dry sand was torturous.

Though I prefer the lake over the beach, I appreciate the vastness of the ocean and the beach and how much you walk to explore without even realizing it. Tom and Ava walked way out to a crop of rocks that jutted out into the ocean and joined a family in a cliff jumping adventure. Ava came back with her teeth chattering. The "cliff jumping" was the highlight of Ava's trip.

I think Julia was happy just playing in the sand and filling her pail with water time and time again.

As much as I felt guilty about not getting much running in, the rest was needed. I returned home to run my usual 10-mile hilly loop with friends and seem to have aggravated a case of tendonitis in my foot. If only I could keep that relaxed vacation mindset at home....

Peaks Island Road Race

2010-08-04T21:38:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, we went to Peaks Island, Maine to visit my sister, to run a road race, and to have a mini-vacation. We accomplished all three things. Though the 5-mile race was prefaced by a kids' 1K race, my husband and I opted to have the race event to ourselves while my sister and her husband watched our kids. That was a good choice. The kids' run was only 15 minutes before our race and with 600 runners warming-up and lining up in small, island downtown, it was quite a scene. I was very happy to focus on my own warm-up rather than my children's finish.

Every once in a while my husband and I run a road race together. That is, we both run in the same race. In this particular event, I was at the mile 3 marker when my husband was heading to the finish line. Though we didn't race together, Tom and I ran to the race together, waited together in the long registration line, and ran home together. It's kind of like going to movies together. You don't talk during the movie, but you both experience it then share opinions afterwards.

The race headed out along the perimeter of the island and offered ocean views. I took them in. Tom did not. This is something we talked about afterwards. We also agreed that we were both happy with our pace and overall time. That afternoon the girls had a chance to dip in the salt water, get buried in sand, and play at the water's edge. The whole family go to do something they wanted to.

When we left the next morning, my husband and I wore our green race shirts and khaki shorts. We looked like tourists on the ferry, but it was a good feeling. It meant that we were on vacation, even if it was just a quick one.

Tag-Along Treks

2010-07-26T17:02:00.005-04:00

We have been using a tag-along bike as our means of getting around town with our four-year-old lately. We take it to concerts in the park, to the dentist, and to the pool.

We recently acquired the Burley Piccolo model. On the weekend before swim lessons began, we got motivated to get it hooked up and get Julia accustomed to riding it. The town pool is too far for walking and a bit close for driving when we could bike. Given the time constrictions of making to a lesson on time, I didn't want to worry about Julia creeping down the hills on her training wheels with me alongside on foot. The tag-along was the perfect solution. Plus, big sister, Ava, didn't have to wait for her sister on what turned out to be 10 round trips to swim lessons.

Swim Lesson Season

2010-07-12T21:02:00.004-04:00

The girls just started week two of swim lessons and their rapid progress amazes me. We come home from swim lessons, eat lunch, and then head to our neighbor's pool. Being in the water so much lends itself to big improvements in swim skills.

At the beginning of the summer, Ava could swim underwater a bit and that was it. Now, she demonstrates a good front crawl, back crawl and can tread water and float. She jumps off the diving board and swims to the ladder.

Julia has learned how to go underwater this season. She is so in awe of this concept that she dunks under just about every other minute. She has very curly hair and her new wet-head straight doo keeps me staring at her, looking for the girl I'm used to seeing.

It is often said that the second child learns skills quickly trying to keep up with child #1. Well Julia is already going off the diving board like her sister. Now, she can't swim so we have to be there when she bobs up. Sometimes she goes in with a lifejacket on so she can "swim" back to the ladder.

We have a neighbor who can do hand-stand flips off the diving board and I saw Julia putting her hands up and stepping as if she were getting ready for that flip. I think we have a dare devil on our hands.

Green Mountain Mile

2010-06-28T22:33:00.005-04:00

We celebrated our "Fourth of July" in Waterbury on Saturday, June 26. Yes, we get our celebration taken care of early around here. The celebration consists of a parade, fireworks, and, in recent years, a mile run. My husband came up with the idea to have a mile race right before the parade. It works out well since Main Street is already closed to traffic and all the parade spectators are great fans.

My daughter, Ava, is a veteran racer, having run the mile at ages four, five, and six. I told Julia that she could run when she was four and so this was her race debut. I was curious if she'd be up for the run as she does not always have the same motivation as her older sister. Boy, did she impress me. She moved along well. I kept pointing out people and attractions up ahead to motivate her until she said, "Stop talking, Mommy."

A bunch of young kids ran the race, with 200 participants in all. It's a great family event and the money funds cross country skiing at our local elementary school. I think the race has become as much of a highlight of the day as the parade. A fire truck doesn't look so exciting after you've seen two or three.

School Ends, Summer Begins

2010-06-17T15:48:00.007-04:00

This time of year I have no trouble getting the family out and being fit, it's most everything else that gets neglected - the blog, house cleaning, bills, and general household organization. We have so many things to do and places to go that before we've unpacked from one event, we're ready for another. But, we're having a good time. A couple of highlights lately - joining friends for swimming and staying at a camp on Lake Champlain. The dads braved the high dives.

And the girls and I just took a leisurely walk/run and played in a brook not far from our house.

This weekend we head to NH for daddy to run in the Mt. Washington Hill Climb.

Marathon Mom and Dad

2010-06-03T07:12:00.004-04:00

Our six-year-old told us that it was okay to have an ice cream last night since we were done with the marathon. Tom and I both ran the Vermont City Marathon on Sunday and we'd been limiting sweets and other processed foods to stay light on our feet for the 26.2 miles.

We had a great marathon day. The daunting forecast of 80-something degrees didn't prevail. Instead we had an overcast sky with temps in the 60s and a cross-breeze from Lake Champlain -- perfect. I was lucky to have a good friend to run with and the miles actually flew by (with the help of some bands along the way) until mile 20. Yup, I tightened up some and the 8-minute pace, or thereabouts, slowed to 8:50, but I didn't crash and still made it to the finish under 3:40 (Boston qualifying time for me) with a 3:37. Tom blazed through earlier at 2:53 making him the 5th finisher in Vermont. That's why when people ask if we train together, I laugh.

Even though, Tom and I have very different speeds, our training has been pretty much the same. We had a lot to talk about after the marathon: How were your allergies? Did you see all that white stuff on Pine Street? Do you think anyone high-fived the eagle (radio mascot) on the Beltway? That last mile was brutal.

Part of us felt a little sad that our kids didn't see us cross the finish line, but with the way we were walking afterward I figure we had little chance of keeping up with our kids, especially our four-year-old who still likes to take off at times.

We've already got a tinge of interest in running next year, but for now we're letting the mileage log have an empty page and we're enjoying an occasional ice cream.

Marathon Training

2010-05-21T09:24:00.003-04:00

My girls are getting excited for next weekend when they get to be with just Grammy and Grampy at the camp while Mommy and Daddy run a marathon. I'm starting to get excited about the night without kids but a little anxious about the run. The extended forecast looks like lots of 80-degree weather and I don't like running in the heat, though the girls would love it for swimming in the lake.

I know that I've trained well, I feel good, and I'll try to stay calm over the next week. My husband passed along 4 Tips from Active.com about preparing for your marathon day and the week leading up to it. I liked them. Here they are:

-Go With What the Day Brings – Don’t worry about the weather as you can't control it

-Don’t Try Anything New – Like drinking tons of water or eating different foods

-Review Your Log – Recognize that you’ve put in the time and now fuel and rest

-Have a Mental Plan for Race Day – "Training is 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental and race day is the opposite." Keep your mind in the race and have some power words to keep you going.

A more complete description of these tips is available on the active.com website , and naturally the tips work for shorter races, too.

Woods Walk

2010-05-06T20:33:00.005-04:00

The girls and I took to the nearby woods to explore today given that the skies were changing from rain to sunshine about every five minutes. The leaves are just coming out and the bright green from the forest shoots to tree tops was amazing.

The girls found a fallen tree for us to use as a bench for snack time. We brought along a few candies from Easter and the sun actually made its way through the trees for a few minutes. It felt like we were very far away with no houses in sight when really we were just a stone's throw away from the neighborhood.

I was reminded of the magic of exploring the woods and paths behind my house as a kid as well as my husband's comment that he loves New England for its' thousand shades of green.

Riding Warm-Up

2010-04-22T20:56:00.005-04:00

I just took Julia for her four-year-old doctor's check-up. It's hard to believe that she's not a baby or a toddler anymore (though she looks like one when she sucks her thumb and holds her blankie).

We just switched her to a bigger bike and she loves it. She's timid on the hills but the school parking lot is a perfect warm-up before we head to the sidewalks in the village. Big sister, Ava, gets a little bored biking in the parking lot, but put her on a scooter and she has a blast while getting some good exercise cruising along.

It's April school vacation for us. Though it hasn't been balmy spring weather, it has been drier than predicted and so we've taken advantage of a dry and empty school parking lot.

Easter Excitement

2010-04-05T22:49:00.004-04:00

We hosted my husband's side of the family for Easter this year. The last time we were hosts was 8 years ago when we bought our house. We usually travel to New Hampshire or Mass. for the holiday but thought we would mix things up this year and avoid the sugar-crash, cousin-deprivation, whiney-drive home by having everyone come to us.

The event came with its ups and downs. The biggest downside was having to get the house presentable. Our guest room only gets clean when we have overnight guests and it's been awhile. One of the big upsides: some of the family stayed over at a nearby hotel with a pool and they invited the girls to go swimming there.

My girls sure love to be in the water. They aren't able to do swim strokes yet, but I have a feeling that this summer's swim lessons will help them make some great progress and this pre-season water time is a bonus.

As for the Easter dinner, my husband and I pulled it off. The huge ham took a little longer than anticipated to warm through, but folks simply enjoyed the warm weather outside while we cooked. The kids spent most of the day chasing each other with squirt guns so they didn't get to much candy consumption. Yes, the candy requests were frequent today, but I stick to the one or two-a-day rule and in a week's time they forgot about the candy, it somehow disappears, and we wait for the next holiday or birthday-party pinata to replenish the supply.

Change of Seasons

2010-03-26T10:45:00.003-04:00

We've been changing our family fitness routine with the change in the weather and in the process I've neglected my blog. Tom and I have both managed to make a quick transition from skiing to running. We're already logging 4o-mile weeks in preparation for the Vermont City Marathon on May 30.

Last weekend we ran a 5K and asked Ava if she wanted to participate in the kids' 1-mile run. She simply said, "No, thanks. It's not my running season yet."

As for ski season, boy, did it end well. Ava was racing the first and second grade boys in the after school ski program and Julia skied a little loop eagerly on our last outing.

Now, we're into walking downtown again. Yesterday, my parents visited and we all walked down to the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Cafe to get some treats and then Grampy pushed the girls on the swings, while Grammy and I took in some sunshine and her dog, Kiesha, watched the bustle of our small town.

It feels good to have spring here, though tonight's low is supposed to be 6 degrees. I'm sure we'll have the hats and mittens out for another month.

School Vacation

2010-02-28T08:09:00.002-05:00

We've had a surprisingly restful school vacation week with the exception of last night. Today is the much anticipated Stowe Derby race in which my husband always elects to do the Derbymeister -- two races instead of one, and the classic race, which takes off at noon, is typically a waxing nightmare causing racers to lose sleep the night before the big event. Check out the unusual race, which starts atop Mt. Mansfield and finishes down the rec path in Stowe Village at http://www.stowederby.com/.

Yes, we've had a crazy weather week -- nearly two feet of snow followed by rain and high winds and power outages, which provided us with a great opportunity for a candle-lit dinner. We've skied and shoveled paths around the house and through the yard. On an especially warm, wet day, we joined friends for swim time at a hotel pool. That was a great treat for the kids, although the recent power outage meant that the pool was cold and the hot tub was bath-tub temperature. The hot tub was huge and the kids actually swam a little in there, too.

But the best part of this vacation has been sleeping until about 7:30 a.m. every morning! My youngest daughter keeps asking where we are going -- Grampy's house, maybe? -- because she associates "vacation" with travel, a reasonable assumption. But, for once, we've focused as much on resting as doing this vacation, which is harder than it sounds.

Valentine's Day Race

2010-02-17T10:08:00.003-05:00

Since we love to ski, it was appropriate that our whole family was at a ski race on Valentine's Day. Ava skied the 1K Lollipop race, her first race this season and Tom skied in the 10 K classic race. Julia and I were spectators. I expected that we'd watch and also ski, but when I realized that Ava's race had already started atop a big hill, I knew our only hope of seeing her was to ditch the skis and run. Good choice as we just caught her cruising up the last hill passing about four kids and finishing in second place.

Ava got a second place ribbon, but was disappointed that she did not get a lollipop. I'm not sure that she understands that the race gets its name for being a course for young kids that generally has a lollipop-shaped course.

As for Tom's race, I've never had so much fun being a spectator. The kids and I were able to watch the start and another lap from a little pond near the Nordic center. We "skated" on our boots while we watched. Then we headed back uphill to see the finish. I don't think that the girls had ever seen that much of Daddy's race. Now, Daddy probably would have been very happy with a second place ribbon, but he wasn't quite that fast. He did make the top ten, though, and he came home with a crazy hat from the prize table. He says that the spectators at the Olympic ski races are wearing them, but I've yet to spy one.

Ups and Downs

2010-02-08T20:31:00.006-05:00

We had both girls crying on our family ski this weekend. We were at a different Nordic center, it was a little cold, and though we told the girls we were headed for cocoa at a trailside yurt, I don't think they knew what the heck a yurt was.

I wanted to bail from the tears and the whining and call it a day, but we decided to trek a bit further uphill to the yurt to warm-up and refuel rather than head down a longer distance to the car. It was a good call made by Daddy because the girls were enamored with the yurt. It was only a small tent, but it had a wood stove inside, benches to sit upon, and very rich hot chocolate. The girls figured that maybe the Big, Bad Wolf could blow this yurt down. And, when we tried blowing ourselves, the sides of the tent did billow a bit.

After reviving, we cruised downhill to the Nordic center and the girls played on the giant snow pile outside the lodge. And so, we had a happy ending -- always our ultimate goal, to end on a happy note.

Hot Wheels

2010-02-06T19:49:00.005-05:00

There's nothing like cruising on classic ride-on toys. The girls got a chance to take them out of our cluttered basement and do many laps in the school gym as part of Big Toy Night. The event always takes place in the beginning of February and is a nice change of pace given that the temp tonight is ten degrees not counting the wind chill. Maybe on February break, we'll clean up our basement to make a bigger riding area for the kids. That's something that has been on our to-do list for years and, admittedly, we don't get much done during ski season other than skiing (in our free time, that is.)

Ice Time

2010-02-02T11:11:00.003-05:00

Our older daughter has been asking to go ice skating and we've been reluctant to meet her request. Our thoughts fast forward to a potential hockey player and the last thing we want to do is be up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning for ice time.

At the same time, we want to let our kids try new activities. So, Tom asked another family for hand-me-down skates and when I got back from my own ski at 5:30 last night, both Ava and Tom were ready to go.

"Now. Are you kidding?" said a cold and shocked me. They were headed to the outdoor rink after all.

Apparently, Ava had been going back and forth on her new skates on our rug runner for most of the time I had been out skiing, so Daddy seized the moment of inspiration.

Hats off to an accomodating Dad and a determined first child.

Here's proof of the first skate and proof that we can do something besides ski this winter.

Skiing With Gram, Grampy, and Aunts, Too

2010-01-30T19:02:00.005-05:00

I've been spending too much time on the ski trails and too little time writing of late. I can think of worse problems. I did send off a handy little fit family list to the Oprah magazine before skiing yesterday, so that counted as a work day. My one day with both kids in school is my writing day so I wrote a cover letter and took a detour to the post office before hitting the trails at Trapps.

But what I've really meant to report was a chance to have the girls ski with their Grammy, Grampy and aunts. It was not a long affair, but we did some laps in the field and then my mom got to see the girls whiz downhill on their skinny skis and see them laugh upon crashing at the bottom. That was part of my mom's birthday present. At age 77, she doesn't need any more knick knacks, but time skiing with the grandkids, that's a good gift.

My husband took a Flip video of the extended family ski, but my old computer doesn't have that new software. Here's a shot from the back before Julia dropped the rope.

More updates on our three-year-old's ski progress to come soon!

Partied Out

2010-01-13T08:47:00.006-05:00

I'm still recovering from hosting my daughter's birthday party on the weekend, but I'm proud to say that we pulled off a good one. I actually made the cake this year, searching far for pink food coloring for the requested pink frosting. I set up crafts at a separate table from the cake table so I didn't have to madly clean up foam stickers and candy necklace pieces before serving food, and my husband hung the pinata in the basement this year since the bike stand in the living room proved unsuccessful last year and a brave father had to hold the pinata for the last few whacks. (It was a drop-off party this year so Tom knew he'd be the one holding the pinata, if necessary, and some of these five and six year olds have gotten strong!)

So, what is the "Fit Family" element of this posting? The baseball bat swinging doesn't qualify, some of the crazy running through the house might, but thankfully we all got out sledding as the sun came out on an otherwise cold January day. Yes, you get a free ride down the hill, but hoofing it back up time and time again is a decent winter workout and a great way to warm up.

In an effort to cut down on collisions and keep kids from having to wait around for a turn, we brought out an old, foldable toboggan for the party. My husband managed to hold back the sled while getting 8 kids loaded. Impressive.

What a ride!

(For the kids and the parents behind the scene.)

Family Ski (All Four of Us)

2010-01-03T20:29:00.009-05:00

We had the best New Year's Day that I can remember thanks to our three-year-old's suggestion of a family ski. So far this ski season, we have been splitting up: Mommy skis with Ava for an hour and Daddy "skis" with Julia for about 15 minutes as she loses interest quickly.

Give a little sister her big sister as a companion and BINGO, there's some motivation. Thankfully, on our New Year's outing, big sister Ava was encouraging and patient and got Julia excited for the ski. Tom used his rope tow contraption to pull Julia along. (For Ava, we only used this device on the steep uphills, but Julia needed a little more motivation.)

We had a family train going along the tracks with Ava in the lead, then Tom with Julia in tow, and I was the caboose. We actually made it around a 2K loop and Julia didn't want the tow near the end. She zoomed down a hill near the end and stayed upright for quite a while, enjoying the thrill of the downhill like her big sister.

Best yet, the girls wanted to go back out after lunch and Julia got some good kicking and gliding going on her own initiative. We're hopeful that many more family skis will follow this breakthrough.

Tongue-Tied

2009-12-22T07:56:00.006-05:00

'Tis the season for frozen noses, tingly toes, and tongues stuck to frozen poles. Yes, my three-year-old had to test that tongue-pole idea on a perfect single-digit day. Fortunately, my eyes were on her and I yelled and so it was just a quick meeting of tongue and pole outside the elementary school. Fortunately, she was not stuck there so I didn't have to go to the cafeteria for boiling water. And it was too cold for outdoor recess so no kids witnessed this phenomenon.

No, we just walked home (luckily close by) with a shocked little kid wondering why her tongue was bleeding. I searched the old toddler books under "tongue" and found nothing and resorted to the Internet for the cold compress cure. I also checked in with my sister, who's a nurse, and learned that my niece (also a second child) had tried the pole trick as a youngster. I've also since learned that my mother-in-law stuck her tongue on a bridge rail as a child thanks to coaxing from an older sister.

So, watch your young kids on the playground (lots of good metal there) and ask friends and family for their tongue tales. You may be surprised to find how many kids have been stuck to a cold pole.

Annual Christmas Tree Excursion

2009-11-30T21:03:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, we carried out our annual Christmas tree search. It didn't feel like winter or look like winter, but none of us minded.

I stuffed the girls' hats and mittens in my pockets and we hiked up a forest service trail in snow boots, just in case. We hiked up and up alongside a river and all the evergreens were small and crowded. I was thankful for the walk, though, as I ran 10 miles in the morning and didn't stretch afterwards.

Before long Tom and Ava were out of sight up ahead and I could only hope that Tom wouldn't find a tree and cut it down before I could weigh in on his choice. I tried to explain this predicament to slow-moving Julia, but she was more interested in the bow and arrow she had created by crossing two sticks.

My worries were eased when Ava and Daddy and our dog, Abby, came into sight heading down the trail treeless. Then, we had a new worry of not yet having a tree. Should we get in the car and head to another national forest location or would that use up too much time since it was afternoon and we only had so much daylight?

To Ava's delight, Daddy decided that the potential Christmas trees looked better across the river. When we got down near our car, Ava joined him for a river crossing. Luckily for me, they were in view of where we had parked the car as Julia decided to park herself in the car with the graham cracker bag and with her boots and socks off.

Eventually, Tom hollered for me to check out a tree and luck would have it that it was a good one -- "the best one we've had in a long time," we both declared. He was able to drag it through the woods a bit and then across the road where there were culverts, avoiding a river crossing and a wet tree. Ava joined Julia for graham crackers while Tom and I tied the tree to the roof. Then I put our bright orange national forest service tree permit around the base -- proof that (for five bucks) we could legally cut and drag this tree from the forest.

I did forget to bring the camera for our tree excursion, but here's our good 'ole Charlie Brown tree in the living room. The girls helped decorate this year, but they were in their underwear so that picture will be saved for the family photo album.

Training With Kids

2009-11-18T10:05:00.010-05:00

I'm breaking from my usual blog post to share a few fitness-related things I'm connected to.

1. Diana Whitney wrote an extensive article on "Training With Kids" that cites my book:

"An excellent resource for how to include kids in exercise is Heidi Hill’s book Fit Family: The Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Years." The article originally ran in Faster Skier magazine and is reprinted in the current issue of Vermont Sports at http://www.vtsports.com/articles/training-kids. (Scroll to the bottom of the Latest Articles section.)

2. My "Nordic Family" column is now running in Cross Country Skier magazine. The magazine is published October through February. Subscribe at: http://www.crosscountryskier.com/ for only $12.

3. I will be giving a clinic on ways to get your family fit on December 6 at the open house for The Confluence Center in Montpelier, Vermont. This is a unique fitness center specializing in functional fitness, which is described on their website, www.theconfluencevt.org , as such: "The Confluence provides low-tech equipment to support adults, youth and children in their pursuit of strength and conditioning for a specific sport or the achievement of basic physical fitness goals."

And that's all for now.

Beyond Babies

2009-11-12T19:50:00.003-05:00

Our Friday out-to-dinner nights have been ruined this year by the fact that both girls have a full day of school on Friday and are too wiped out to handle restaurant etiquette at the the end of a long day.

Last week, we made an attempt to go out anyway and we had to turn the car around en route because of bad behaviors by the kids, well, mostly by a know-it-all kindergartner who was telling everyone what to do, kicking the back of my seat, and shouting that no one could look at her.

This week, we opted for a Thursday night out and for dinner right downtown so that we could walk from our house in the village.

One of the best fitness feats this year has been my three-year-old daughter's willingness to walk downtown. She was a jogging stroller gal for quite a while, which was a nuisance in the drawn-out stage of wanting to be in and out. And last year, when we just attempted a walk with her, she always ended up in my arms or on Tom's shoulders.

Now, that Julia is an official preschooler (two days a week), she is acting older. She is proud to walk and run and skip and jump. She is showing some stamina. So, tonight we basically ran down to dinner, trekking about a half a mile.

The kids were well-behaved and had a chance to greet a little baby in an infant car seat as we were finishing up our meal. Tom was telling the parents and our kids how he remembered when our kids were that size. Now that baby was cute and quiet and content. But I didn't go over and greet her. I reveled in the fact that I'm beyond that stage. I have two walkers. And away we went, holding hands, walking and even counting stars because preschoolers can count, too.

Jogger for Sale

2009-10-28T13:47:00.005-04:00

It looked like the perfect family outing: a father, mother, two young daughters, and a border collie all out exercising together -- our fit family. Tom ran with Abby, our dog, I pushed Julia in the jogger, and Ava rode her bike; she just upgraded to one with gears.

The first mile was great. The air was cool but not cold. We waved to friends heading home from work and school. And then Julia squirmed in the jogger and tried to break free of her harness.

Tom convinced Julia to ride longer by suggesting that she could get out and run through the paths in the cemetery. Once we reached the cemetery, Julia was happily running until she decided to climb on the gravestones! I launched into a discussion about respect, but kept it short realizing that we had another mile to go and we had to get Julia back IN the jogger.

Just before we reached Main Street, a dog start chasing us. Tom yelled at the dog to go home and instead the dog ran into the street. Fortunately, a pedestrian offered to help with the dog and Julia actually sat still in her seat, entertained by the pandemonium.

Somehow, we made it home without any more mishaps, but now it is clear that we have another jogger for sale.

Hike for Health

2009-10-14T09:50:00.010-04:00

I've been sick for eleven days. Yes, I've had some ups and downs. But I've been so tired from head and chest congestion that I've had a lot of down time, especially lying on the couch. My daughters asked me to play London Bridge and I suggested that I should sit on the couch so I wouldn't be too tall when really I was too tired to stand up.

The resting is really not that easy with kids around so I decided it was time to fight the fatigue and get the kids tired instead. We got the family up and out on Sunday morning for a fall foliage hike up Mt. Ellen, the northern base of Sugarbush Mountain Resort. (Thankfully, the foliage lift rides that were advertised were not happening as we headed up right near the chair lift.)

Julia began moving at her usual snail's pace so I had to motivate her to find Daddy and Ava at pole number 5, 7, 9, and so on. We decided that pole #12, at the base of the next big climb, would be the lucky spot for a Hershey's Miniature. And we snacked on the next chair lift.

Then we ran down another trail. We like to say that Julia"can smell the barn" like an animal heading home. She almost always has energy for the return trip.

As for me, my energy plummeted at dinner and I started getting chills. So I slept by the fire, just like our dog. That amused the girls. Then, I went to the doctor -- something I hadn't done in a couple of years. I'm on an antibiotic for a sinus infection and on the way to recovery.

Sometimes it takes a little fresh air to get you going, for better or worse, but at least going.

Army Adventure

2009-10-07T15:16:00.003-04:00

The girls pretended to be Jack and Annie (from the Magic Treehouse series) as we embarked on an afternoon adventure. Our destination: the army building. We've been seeing the Reserve soldiers walking around town and the girls wanted to know where they were coming from. So, when Ava asked yesterday, "Are we just going to stay home and do something boring?", I let her know that we had a mission. We were going on a trek to check out the local Army National Guard base, a.k.a. the Army building.

The girls found their own little backpacks. Julia filled hers with snacks. Ava put in some snacks as well as a notebook and two red crayons so she could "study" the building, as Jack would study something. We took our dog, Abby, and pretended that she was "Peanut," the mouse in the book that leads the way.

From our house, we quickly got onto a trail that linked to the dead end road of our destination. Even I was intrigued by a road that I'd never been on in my town though I pass by it almost daily. The road was probably a quarter mile long with a slight upgrade. We could see the open gate to the Army building in the distance. Soon, we could see the brick facade. As we got closer a dark sedan passed us filled with men in fatigues. When we got really close, a tank left the gates. What an adventure.

The actual building was not spectacular. Ava, however, took out her notebook and crayon and drew the building -- a rough sketch. Then she wrote down her clues: "Brick Red" so that she would remember the building. Mission accomplished. We saw the Army building and documented it.

We stopped on the way back to snack and hit a bit of slump when Julia wanted to take the sidewalk home rather than the trail and kept running away and crying and then whining to be carried. Next time I'll bring along some more exciting snacks to keep up Julia's stamina. In the meantime, we're thinking about next Tuesday's adventure.

Race Repeats

2009-09-25T10:19:00.004-04:00

"I'll race you to the little hill," said Ava.

"Okay," I said, and we raced with Julia a pace or two behind.

Ava and I tied after running from the porch steps to the little hill in our back yard.

"Let's do it again," said Ava.

"Okay," I said.

We had pretty much the same result.

"Let's go again," said Ava.

"I'm getting tired," I said.

"You can time me," she said. "Start counting."

"I'm not going to count, but I do have my stop watch."

Ava ran. "Five seconds," I yelled.

Then, Julia ran. "Seven seconds."

"Your turn, Mommy," said Ava. "I'll do the watch for you."

"Six seconds," she yelled.

We continued taking turns running and timing for a good fifteen minutes. It was an impromptu sprint session. I never liked sprints in high school, but backyard sprints with young kids is a little less competitive. Although, when Julia started running in circles before getting to the hill, she did get reprimanded, but not from me.

Pooh Sticks

2009-09-14T20:37:00.007-04:00

Our last hike didn't start out how we had anticipated. We had great plans of hiking a kid-friendly trail at Elmore State Park and we'd been eyeing the lookout tower gleaming in the sun as we approached the mountain from the back side. We told the girls about the incredible view from the tower and to be careful climbing up the many stairs to the tower's top.

When we pulled into the check-in booth at the park, the attendant asked for our dog's rabies tags. Well, our dog doesn't wear her tags since they fall off when she does her crazy swimming in the lake. We'd simply call the vet as the shots were up-to-date. Only it was Sunday. No fire tower today girls.

Surprisingly, no one complained. We left the park and ventured off to find another hike. I had lived in the area in my single days and vaguely remembered a hike nearby. I asked for directions at the gas station and we were on our way.

By the time we got to this trail head, it was approaching lunch time. Julia got into the snacks and water bottle in her backpack about three steps up the trail. Rather than work our way up to a summit, we opted to follow a snowmobile trail. We went out a half hour and turned around and came back. The terrain was easy, we had the trail to ourselves, and our dog enjoyed jumping in and out of the stream without her dog tags.

The girls decided to play "Pooh Sticks," a game they learned from there favorite story, where you simply drop your sticks from one side of the bridge and see whose gets downstream on the other side of the bridge first. With less worry about how far we were going, we could afford a little more time for entertainment.

Hiking with Kids

2009-09-02T15:44:00.004-04:00

With fall in the air, the girls and I got out for our first hike of the season. In fact, it was Julia's first mountain hike. Last year, we went on walks on flat terrain since we were beyond the backpack but still in "carry me" mode.

On Monday morning, we were invited to join other families for a hike as many of the preschools hadn't started yet and many kindergarteners were off on that day. Kids are always motivated by other kids, so I figured this was a good day to break in Julia.

Well, there were more kids than I had anticipated -- 12 in all, I think, and six grown-ups. The kids weren't off and running because there were too many rocks and roots, but they moved along. There were rock cairns to check out and the kids added their own rocks to the high piles. A tee pee was a great attraction. The boys tried to keep the girls out, but weren't successful as shown here.

The group naturally spread out with older kids cruising along and younger kids needing encouragement to keep on. I was going to leave Julia and the group of younger, slower kids to go check on the older kids, but Julia didn't like the idea, saying "I want to come, momma." She got a spring in her step and we steadily climbed a series of rock stairs to a scenic vista where the lead groups were waiting and snacking. That was our turnaround point for the day, a little shy of the summit, but we didn't care. We had a great view and we knew we still had to get back down.

On the descent, Julia complained of tired feet and legs and wanted to be carried, of course. So I pulled out a Startburst candy that I had saved for this occasion. If I had thrown the wrappers down, I would have made a trail of pink, and orange, and yellow. I did get frustrated when she stopped to pick the candy out of her teeth -- as if we weren't going slowly enough -- but I remembered that this is part of the experience. You stop and go a lot with kids.

We were the last in the pack so we didn't have to share our candy. Another time, I would pack some kind of snack that I could share as you tend to have a group of kids right near you. Also, I had Ava's snacks and she was up with other kids and parents so I'll have her wear her own little pack now. I admit that my family was a little bit out of hiking practice. Walks and hikes are not the same in terms of the preparation and motivation needed. We're definitely eager to hit the trails again, especially on a day that Daddy can join us.

Jumping on the Bed

2009-08-26T21:42:00.006-04:00

In "Fit Family" I talk about being creative with family exercise. Well, here's a new take on that.

My three year old just got a new mattress and box spring and as we were taking the old ones out of the house to the garage the kids asked if they could jump on them. For once, my husband and I gave the okay to jumping on the bed, not realizing that we had created a make-shift trampoline in the back yard.

The kids get sweaty pretty fast from jumping and have to take water breaks. I've taken a few bounces myself and it's pretty fun. We start at the back steps, jump on the mattress, take a few high hops, and do a twist and dismount onto the grass combining gymnastics and half-pipe moves (not really, but we try).

The "trampoline" gets stored on the back porch every night and will be out of here when we get to the dump run on the weekend. Then we'll be back to more traditional forms of fitness.

Water Babes

2009-08-18T23:17:00.005-04:00

August is slipping away, as it always does, and I've yet to write a blog entry!

Here's where my fit family has been:

in the pool (shown here) or in the lake or reservoir.

It's been weeks since we've been on bikes or on a hike. We're capitalizing on the weather and getting in the water. Ava has been swimming through my legs underwater, making some major headway since her swimming lessons last month and Julia stays in the water right with her sister. I've been supporting Julia while she "swims" without her lifejacket.

It's amazing what constant practice does for skill level and confidence. I wish that my older daughter practiced her violin as much as she has been practicing swim skills. I guess I've got to help make it a habit and make it fun by playing games -- the key components of our water time.

Triathlon Get-Away Weekend

2009-07-31T08:03:00.004-04:00

My life has been like a triathlon lately so I'm just sitting down to report on last weekend's actual event. It was my third annual Danskin Triathlon, a sprint series. This one takes place in Webster, MA. The best part of the event is gathering with family -- sisters, partners, nieces. Over 2,000 women compete and usually I am the last in my family to start since the younger ages are placed in later wave starts. This year my niece had a late wave and I was able to see her finish. No matter how great or horrible your race is, the finish is awesome and watching someone come down the chute and through the finish is awesome, too.

It is important to note that this is my one weekend away from my kids. I relish that since I stay home with my kids and see them A LOT. My mother-in-law commented that someday this would probably be an event that I took my kids and husband to. I replied quickly (perhaps too quickly) that I would not be taking the rest of the family. I spent a half hour just trying to find my niece in that crowd! Safety aside, I think that every mother deserves one weekend away from her kids. A triathlon is a breeze compared to parenting and the sense of accomplishment comes in a matter of hours rather than years.

Swim Lesson Season

2009-07-17T21:29:00.003-04:00

This morning my three year old suggested that the whole family should go to swim lessons. And so we did. The lessons are only for kids, so Tom and I weren't taking lessons, too (though I could use one as prep for my triathlon next weekend), but we watched proudly from the other side of the fence surrounding the pool.

Both kids are in the same class, a level one introductory swim class that follows the guidelines of the American Red Cross. Ava took the same class last year at age four and I figured it couldn't hurt to enroll Julia at age three as she would have her older sister for company.

On day 1, Julia hardly entered the pool and Ava later complained that the lesson wasn't that fun because the other kids were all boys. On day 2, I had no expectations for Julia and decided that I'd pull her out altogether if she didn't go in. Well, Daddy took her that day and reported that she was the first in and last out of the pool. Ava was happy to have her sister in the water.

Today, day 5 of 10, was the first hot day all week and the girls took to the water eagerly. Ava fetched rings, actually dipping her face underwater for the retrieval and Julia walked around with her foam noodle, proudly making it to the line rope marking the beginning of the next class. The girls payed attention to their instructor, looked out for each other, and had a great time. It was a proud day for my family -- at least for 45 minutes. I'll take what I can get.

Race Report and Vacation Prep

2009-07-04T22:01:00.005-04:00

It's now been a week since our "Fourth of July" road race. Yes, we celebrated early here and I've yet to report that Ava managed fine on her own. She ran a 9:49 mile right alongside her friend and just behind another friend and her mom.

Ava looked a bit winded at the end (she's the one in back below), but claimed that the race was easy. We're dealing with a little attitude combined with new-found confidence. Sometimes it's hard to know when to call her on it.

Now, we're off on vacation. It will be the first time that we take bikes along with us and we'll be leaving the jogger behind. We'll be swimming in the lake in New Hampshire and walking the beaches of Maine. The girls will bike in some parks while we run. I'm hoping to get in some training for the Danskin Triathlon at the end of the month. I also have to wrap-up my column for Cross Country Skier Magazine as the deadline is this month. Gotta love thinking about snow in July. Let's just hope we don't get some. Rain and 60s seems to be the New England forecast these days!

Pre-Race Jitters

2009-06-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

I have the pre-race jitters and I'm not even racing tomorrow. Nope, my five-year-old is the racer and she'll be competing in a mile race that she ran last year. She's such a confident, veteran runner that she has asked that I not go with her this time.

As a parent, my mind floods with some worries and expectations -- I hope she doesn't start too fast and blow up, I hope her shoe lace doesn't come untied, will she be disappointed if her friends finish before her?

I know that my concerns are foolish. There are many other parents who will be running and can offer support and this little girl loves to run. So, I'm trying to calm myself and get prepared early (race clothes out, change of clothes, food and water for after). Little sister and I will be at the finish line with our camera ready for action shots.

Bike Rodeo

2009-06-16T15:53:00.003-04:00

We have an annual Kids' Fest in my town that has the usual attractions for young kids: bubble blowing, bouncy house, face painting, kids' music... Another big draw is the bike rodeo.

No, it is not as wild as it sounds. Kids aren't doing crazy tricks on their bikes. Instead, they are being led in an orderly fashion through a course marked on a designated parking lot. Kids have to stop at the cross walk (indicated by chalk markings) and walk their bikes. They weave through cones and go over a ramp at fast or slow speeds depending on their ability and adventure quest.

Children on tricycles, training wheels and middle-school show offs all got something out of this event (even FREE helmets) thanks to our local Wheels Around Waterbury and Wayne A. Sourdiff Safety Foundation. We'll be there again next year.

Flying High

2009-06-09T16:11:00.004-04:00

Naturally, I'm always thinking of ways to get our family out and be fit. By chance and circumstance a new activity came to mind this weekend: kite flying.

On Saturday afternoon, we were all ready to take our first trip to the reservoir for some swim fun when in rolled the storm clouds. Luckily, I had just bought the girls kites in the morning so with the wind whipping we had a quick fall back activity.

After some basic kite assembly, we took to the nearby playground. Luckily, we had one parent for each child to help get the kites flying. Ava caught on quickly and became somewhat independent. Julia's string kept letting go and soon her Nemo fish was swimming high in the sky. Eventually Ava's fairies and Julia's fish crossed paths and some untangling was required.

The girls were laughing and running back and forth to keep the kites soaring. I was surprised by how much running they got in. The exercise was an unexpected benefit. Tom and I didn't run too much, but we enjoyed the nostalgia of the activity. Of course, the girls are begging to fly kites again and we haven't had any wind.

Exercise Playgroup

2009-06-02T16:17:00.005-04:00

It's physical. It's social. Exercise playgroup gives parents a chance to get out and exercise while other parents watch the children. Often, the kids simply play in someone's backyard or at the park. This week, however, one of the girls in our group suggested that all the kids go for a run. And so we did, once all the moms had a chance to get in their own jaunt.

I quickly took on the lead runner role dashing down the sidewalk with the five and six year olds. I let them know our stopping destination was the red fire hydrant at the end of the road so they had a sense of where we were going and it was in sight -- a good destination.

My three year old wailed because I was so far ahead of her, so some carrying and consoling was needed for the return run and another mom quickly jumped in as the lead runner. We had a 2 year old, 3 year old, 4 and 5 year olds and even an infant in a front carrier along on our run/walk.

We covered about a 1/2 mile and we didn't call it a race. The kids went out for a run just like their moms did. Active parents are great role models for kids and acting on a kid's interest in being active, too, is powerful stuff.

I just found a website about kids' running that is hosted by Runner's World at http://www.kidsrunning.com/. I'm going to check it out for ideas.

The You-Go-I-Go Thing

2009-05-26T21:55:00.002-04:00

Most parents of young children fit in their training sessions by doing the you-go-I-go thing. I learned of the term after interviewing a triathlete about how he fit in his training while also raising kids ages 2, 4, and 6. While this dad participates in many fitness activities with his own kids, he certainly isn't taking them out on the bike for hours or swimming laps with them.

In my family, when we're not out on a family fitness adventure, Tom and I are swapping training time while the other parent is on kid duty. This may be the most practical way to get in exercise, but it isn't always the most fun.

Thanks to a holiday weekend in the presence of my extended family, my husband and I actually ran together this weekend while our niece had a tea party with our girls. As soon as we saw that tea set come out and heard that juice and cookies would be served, we ran.

Now, my husband and I don't run the same pace. I have to run fast and he has to slow down, but it works out. We get to talk, to not talk, and when we're done, we're both psyched to have our exercise completed. And our kids got plenty of exercise, too, without us -- playing ball, riding bikes, walking, and running with their older cousins.

Exercise for Parent and Child

2009-05-18T20:23:00.005-04:00

A mom just conveyed this common dilemma to me:

You go out with your bike trailer and get a great workout hauling your little kid around, especially up the hills. Then, you get home and want to relax and your passenger is full of energy. What's the solution?

Let your child(ren) out to run around or bike around on their own after your ride. I even announce that this is the plan ahead of time so my kids have something to look forward to. A one year old will be happy just running around the yard. A two year old might be able to pedal around on a tricycle or trike, and a three year old could be on training wheels or on a no-pedal bike. The idea is to let kids get exercise just like you. You might need 45 minutes and they might need five or twenty-five, depending on the age and ability of the child, and on the day.

Tracking Your Exercising and Eating Habits

2009-05-14T20:48:00.012-04:00

If you're looking for a way for your family to exercise more and eat healthier, try tracking your activities on a daily basis with a focus on these goals. We did this with our preschooler, Ava, thanks to her participation in the Governor’s Fit and Healthy Kids Winter Challenge, "Stretch Your Limits."

The program encourages school age children to exercise more, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and turn off the TV by tracking their activities on a chart for six weeks. (We just celebrated Ava's participation in the program this week with a ceremony on the statehouse lawn.)

Since Ava can't write much yet, I filled in her chart but she was the doer. The daily tracking made me more aware of some of our habits. Though Ava got in a variety of fitness activities (cross country skiing, yoga, dance, walking), getting in lots of different fruits and vegetables was more of a challenge. The chart was on the refrigerator so we looked at it often and the days that were blank stood out. I know that other parents were motivated by the chart as well.

Active Reward

2009-05-09T21:34:00.005-04:00

As a reward for putting the 50th sticker on their Following Directions Chart, my girls could choose to do anything they wanted (well, within reason). They decided on riding bikes on the playground. I was surprised. I was sure they would think of some adventure for candy or chocolate or ice cream. Bike riding. Wow. What a great choice.

So, off we went to the playground today. (I should mention that our elementary school has a natural playground so the trees and boulders and hillside are the basis for play.) Ava was enticed by a swerving gravel path. She saw a boy go cruising down it last year and I said that she'd have to wait until she got her training wheels off to give it a go. Today was the day that Ava got to do her free wheeling and she was pretty confident, except on a few of the sharp turns.

Her little sister brought out the old tricycle for the event since her training wheels can't handle the gravel.

The actual riding took about five minutes. No, this was not an exercise outing, it was an act of accomplishment. These girls tried out something new. Instead of our parking lot practice sessions, there were some new elements combined together: a slope, sharp turns, and gravel. Once they could say that they did it, they ditched the bikes and climbed a tree.

Modeling Behavior

2009-05-06T13:49:00.004-04:00

My five year old's attire today includes: a running shirt, running sneakers, an antique dress, and decorative tights. The outfit clashes horribly, but that doesn't matter to me today. I know that she is a runner today. She dressed the part (for her) and she is running all over the place, racing down the halls and across the yard.

Her little sister is running in her sneaks, too, but they were moving too fast to get them in the same picture.

From the time the girls were early toddlers (they're now 3 and 5), they would dress up like their parents donning running sneakers, ski boots or bike helmets. They looked silly wearing our active wear, but now they have their own. They're even competing in fun runs and lollipop ski events. They're growing up so quickly and being active with their mom and dad is a natural habit now.

So, the next time your little one grabs for your cycling shoes or your daypack, let him or her do some modeling. That's what modeling behavior is all about.

Wagon Ride

2009-05-03T20:28:00.006-04:00

I grew up in the era of the little red wagon. So, it was with some nostalgia that my kids hopped into Grammy's wagon today for a ride/walk. Who needs a fancy jogging stroller when you've got a wagon that can be used in the yard and on the street? Well, a parent who wants to cruise along and have a child (or two) buckled in.

Yes, the jogger has made life easier for parents, but kids sure have a good time in a wagon. My kids took turns pulling each other and then got out and raced Grammy while I pulled an empty wagon. When they got tired, they hopped back in.

The best thing about this particular wagon is that it is actually a garden cart. It has big, off road wheels and a base that will never rust in the rain. And when the kids get too big for a ride, it can collect leaves instead of dust.

Moms' Run

2009-04-26T20:16:00.003-04:00

I ran twelve miles this morning with five other ladies, four of whom are moms. The non-mom has to put up with a lot of kid talk and parental venting. The run is part of our schedule. On Sunday morning, from 7:30-9:30 am, we run and we talk. Someone else watches the kids, usually a spouse, but occasionally a teenager who lives nearby and is willing to rise early.

The roads are quiet on a Sunday morning, so we can run two abreast or three abreast and be part of a giant conversation or carry on several discussions. The pace is moderate, about 8:30 minute miles, so it is easy to talk and run. We switch who we are next to when someone stops for a pee break, to tie a shoe, or when a passing car squeezes us to single file and changes our formation.

I had been on a five-month hiatus from these ladies' runs after taking the winter off to cross-country ski and today was my first day back. My legs felt great and I was eager to rejoin this comraderie. As much as I love exercising with my kids, I recognize the importance of getting in my own exercise and getting a break from parenting for a couple of hours.

And in the afternoon, Ava had her own chance to exercise and socialize while biking with a friend while the dads ran alongside. As for Julia, she had a rest day, initiating her own afternoon nap on the porch.

Stretching Session

2009-04-21T19:16:00.004-04:00

Ava and I spent nearly an hour stretching together this morning. Sounds boring, I know. And surprising that a five-year-old would be interested for so long. But our stretching session was an active show-and-tell. I showed her a stretch from my yoga core class, which we both performed. Then, she showed me a stretch from her pre-primary ballet class. We arched our backs like a cat, wagged our "tail," and rested in Child's Pose. We rocked back and forth on our spine, which Ava called "rocking chair," and tried several balancing poses.

When I went out for a run on my own later, up a long, steep hill, I felt great. Nice and loose.

Stretching is often one of those things that I don't get to often enough and my tight limbs pay. With young kids in the house, I usually dread stretching because I become a human jungle gym. Today was different. My older daughter taught me stretches. I told her that maybe she could be a dance or yoga instructor someday, that is when she isn't busy being a doctor, cheerleader, or President of the United States.

Bike Chase

2009-04-14T15:09:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that I now have a three year old and a five year old. We celebrated birthday #3 for Julia on the weekend. Sometimes she seems like a baby still, sucking that thumb and holding her blankie, but she has bumped up to the preschooler category and is gaining some independence.

I admit that I report most often on Ava's fitness endeavors... she is older and so is the first to bike and ski and hike and dance. She also has tremendous focus and so picks up skills due to a lot of practicing and determination. But I think that little sister, Julia, may possess the natural talent. The trick with her is keeping her interested.

I had a lucky breakthrough with Julia the other day. It wasn't intentional. Ava was flying around an empty parking lot on her bike and I was trying to get Julia to focus on her steering. She wasn't interested. She kept going in circles. Then she'd hop off and run around and hop back on the bike. She started biking right at me. I was about to yell at her when instead I ran. Julia was in gleeful hysterics. Chase down mommy. What a great game. I swerved this way and that and sure enough Julia kept right up, steering perfectly.

Sometimes it takes some fun and games to get those not-so-focused kids going.

A First for Everything

2009-03-29T23:01:00.005-04:00

I've been dreaming about it for five years and it happened today. We have a child that can ride her bike while we run. Admittedly, it wasn't all smooth sailing. It was more like a parade. Tom was out front pushing Julia in the jogger and Ava was either on his heels or trying to close the gap. I was the rear patrol, sprinting or jogging in place to maintain my place in line.

Our new biker has learned how to finesse the bumpy sidewalks and to stop at multiple road crossings. I'm sure that our parking-lot training sessions will seem boring soon, though littler sister needs them for some steering practice with the training wheels.

So, I didn't get a picture of this big occasion as we were on the run, of course. But we did come home and get right into another activity -- greenhouse gardening. It's our first attempt at starter plants from seeds. I didn't even have a chance to change out of my running clothes before the rest of the family "dug in" to the project. What you'll see is a bunch of peet cups that look to me like mini chocolate muffins. There is also a cover that forms the so-called greenhouse. Let's hope that little hands stay out of there and that something sprouts. Thumbs are only green around here when they've been into markers and paint!

A Balancing Act

2009-03-24T22:41:00.003-04:00

When the weekend rolls around, my family expects to get in some type of family exercise. But sometimes, a perfectly good day gets away from us. Take this past Saturday. The weather was gorgeous, the sun was out, the sap was flowing, and we were mattress shopping. A morning excursion turned into a full-day affair. We traveled around central Vermont going in and out of one furniture store after another. And when we (the parents) finally found the perfect mattress that put us into immediate nap mode, we began eyeing bed frames.

The girls were fairly well behaved and were mesmerized by the large show rooms. But when Julia decided to bounce on one bed and caterpulted into the air, we knew it was time to call it quits. So we hit a newly built playground and let the girls go crazy on the twirly slides, climbing walls, and swings. I was pretty much a spectator but the fresh air pulled me out of my mattress slumber. As for Tom, he got a quick walk in to the nearby grocery store.

And the next day, we took the girls out on their bikes even though we woke up to snow. We had made a promise, after all. And so it is in family life, balancing everyone's wants and needs. But, because of that long bed-shopping adventure, the girls think they need bunk beds!

New Season, New Sports

2009-03-16T21:22:00.005-04:00

In one week I've gone from watching a confident five-year-old snow plow down the ski trails to seeing that same kid wobble on her two-wheel bike and tip over into a mud patch. 'Tis the change of seasons here in Vermont. I'm not naive enough to think that winter is actually over, but I'm anxious to get my running legs back and to get my girls ready to bike without giving me a heart attack watching them swerve all over the road.

Bring on 50 degree weather and dry roads and we're back to biking. Well, the girls are. Me, I'm just aching from bending over giving them a "starting push." The stress of watching the bike and rider careen along ahead of me is bad for the back and exacerbates the tightness. The sidewalks with all the slopes and cracks aren't exactly conducive to a new bike rider either.

We're probably going to need a few more parking lot training sessions like this one before I let Ava bike alongside me on a run.

2nd Annual Cabin Trek

2009-03-10T16:08:00.009-04:00

In case the snow disappears this week, we squeezed in our second annual cabin trek on Saturday. The 5K uphill trek to the cabin takes a while with the family. The trip back down (5K again) takes no time if you can stay on your feet.

The weather was perfect for being outdoors with kids -- 4o degrees and sunny. But we did hit a challenge early on. Our pulk broke. The duct tape fix would last no longer. Luckily we hadn't hit the hills yet. Tom did the problem solving and headed back to the Nordic center to borrow a pulk available for rental. Ava and I forged on. Up and up and up.

Ava did get a reprieve on one particularly steep section of trail thanks to a rope tow harness that Tom devised last year. Last year Ava used the tow quite a bit for the cabin trek, but this year, just for one section.

Aside from the cabin treats (banana bread for Ava, a brownie for Julia and supposedly me, and a sandwich for mom and dad), the best part was the descent. Ava has just learned to snowplow so my heart rate was much more tame seeing her controlled downhill technique. Julia got to ski between Daddy's legs and was happy for the attention. I was so warm that I could take pictures with my gloves off.

And now that we've wrapped up that notorious ski trek, I'm ready for spring!

Just The Two of Us

2009-03-03T21:02:00.004-05:00

When you have more than one child, taking just one of them somewhere is a luxury. There's no opportunity for sibling squabbles and you get to experience one-on-one parent/child interaction.

So it was that I went skiing yesterday with just Ava during Julia's nap time. We skied side by side in the tracks and talked about Pooh Bear, about friends and relatives, and how it would be a good idea if we went into the lodge after to warm up with hot cocoa by the fire.

Ava showed off her snow plow on occasion, a skill that she is fortunately acquiring rather than screaming "track" on the downhills as she has in the past. And we did a nice loop without having to drag little sister along protesting in the pulk.

We topped the outing off by playing checkers in the lodge according to our own rules. Sometimes, I wish that I could be five again.

Exercising with Grown-ups

2009-02-27T22:20:00.005-05:00

It's school vacation week and I've had the luxury of running and skiing with friends while someone else has watched my kids. The sitters have included my sister, my dad, and my husband, who doesn't have to teach this week.

The bonus of having an exercise companion means that we get to talk about, well, all the good and bad things about our kids is a given, but we also talk about work, about the economy, about issues in the community, and whether or not the new hairdresser in town is worth going to. When you try to have these discussions with kids around, they get started but come to a quick halt when a child falls on the pavement and needs a Band Aid or when your child says "Excuse me" so many times that you've forgotten what you were talking about anyways.

It's true that exercising with a friend or two requires more planning to match schedules and to arrange for child care, but I'm up for that challenge.

The Stud

2009-02-18T13:24:00.006-05:00

My husband is in demand by a small group of ladies in town for his "stud service" or that is what he likes to call it. The ladies are my running friends and my husband is winterizing their sneakers.

Somehow, there has been a buzz this winter about screw shoes, which use small sheet rock screws inserted into sneaker soles to provide traction on hard packed snow and ice. All you need is a screw driver and some screws and a pair of sneakers that you will dedicate to winter running.

I usually take the winter off from running and instead cross country ski, but this season I have been running once or twice a week as I am able to sneak in a quick run while a friend watches my kiddo. My new stud shoes have a subtle grab on the roads. My running buddy says that she prefers these homemade jobs to YakTrax for running in town on a little hard pack snow.

Here is a photo of my converted sneakers as well as instructions by runner Matt Carpenter, which were featured recently on the Runner's World web site.

Scavenger-Hunt Ski

2009-02-07T21:38:00.006-05:00

Julia had the best ski of her almost-three-year-old life today. She had some incentive to ski thanks to a clever little scavenger-hunt course. Each fun find was spaced far enough to get your curiousity going and just out of sight, too, to keep the momentum going.

I started by holding onto Julia's hand, but she quickly told me that she could ski on her own. She was smiling and chatty and moved along steadily in the tracks until she saw a prize bucket and crossed over to collect her ware. Among the things that she tucked in her pockets: a wooden bunny to decorate; a rubber ducky; a clementine; sheep's skin (for cleaning skis); and a Kit Kat bar, purposely saved for last. The grand prize, which was passed out to the little participants, was a coupon for a free maple creemie (Vermont's version of soft serve ice cream). We're used to eating them in the summer so it was a treat today to almost eliminate the roll of drips down the kids' chins.

Ava got an ice cream on-the-house, too, after completing her lollipop race, which was about .8K. She fell down at a bottleneck on the first turn but recovered and had a strong finish. Most importantly, she enjoyed skiing with a bunch of other kids her age.

Now Tom wasn't happy with his race performance and I never got in the ski that I anticipated, but this was the kids day to shine and they sure did.

'Fit Family' Gets Good Press

2009-01-31T20:06:00.003-05:00

Tom came home from the Craftsbury Marathon today with a couple of publications that featured "Fit Family." Yippee. His race goodie bag had the current issue of Cross Country Skier Magazine and "Fit Family" is in the New Stuff/Books section -- top right-hand corner of the page with a nice summary. I looked on the magazine's website, but couldn't find a link to the write-up. The issue (December 2008) has a cool cover with an impressionist painting of a skier.

Vermont Sports' February issue also looks at "Fit Family" via a Reader Athlete profile of me. The interviewer, Sky Barsch, asked some great questions.

And, Tom finished 2nd in his 25K race. So, lots of good news from Craftsbury today.

The girls and I tried getting out on skis on the nearby tracks today, but Ava's skis weren't fast enough (she claimed), the wind was in Julia's face, and a rest day seemed the best answer for us. Technically, we were on skis, but I'm not chalking it up as a ski day.

Beyond Skiing

2009-01-27T16:30:00.008-05:00

It's obvious. My family is obsessed with cross-country skiing. On the weekends, we ski first then do other things. But we do sled and romp around in the snow, climbing huge snow banks, for instance.

These activities are a workout, too. For little legs bundled in snowpants to go up and down a hill a gazillion times is tiring. For me to chase the sled is a workout, too.

Since Ava had been getting snow down her boots a lot while trekking through the snow, we just bought some new boots. (We went shopping for them AFTER skiing on the weekend.) She is trying out some Kamuk boots that have a rubber exterior but are more pliable than rain boots. (See photo below).

So far so good for comfort, secure fit, and warmth. And we're happy to support our neighboring country, O Canada. We're so close that we get CBC as part of our basic cable package. So when we're all tired out from outdoor exercise, we come in to watch some downhill ski racing on CBC.

Seven Days Newspaper Features 'Fit Family'

2009-01-22T09:18:00.002-05:00

The Jan. 21 issue of Seven Days has a great write-up on family fitness that features my book.

"As Waterbury’s Heidi Hill writes in her new book, Fit Family: The Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Years, families can learn to exercise with their kids, almost as soon as they arrive in this world."

Link to the story at:

http://www.7dvt.com/2009baby-steps

Also, check out the entire issue, which focuses on Health and Fitness at http://www.7dvt.com/.

'I Don't Do Yoga'

2009-01-17T19:50:00.003-05:00

It had to happen sometime. My five-year-old daughter, who eagerly tries new types of fitness, put her foot down about yoga class: "I do ballet, not yoga," she informed me. I signed us up anyway as both girls and I could go and it is just a four-session class.

I didn't get into a battle with Ava and was prepared for anything on the first class. I let her wear her dance leotard and didn't get on her case when she wasn't trying the poses. Yes, she was just lying on her mat rather than doing all the poses, but she was listening and she wasn't disruptive. (Meanwhile, Julia was on my back while I was doing poses, but she wasn't disruptive either.)

Once the "Let's Go Swimming" music came on, Ava roused a bit, swimming like a fish in the water. Recognizing the music from last year's creative dance class helped, too.

My assessment: I believe in having kids try many types of fitness, even when they resist. If Ava doesn't want to try another yoga class, I won't insist. Who knows, maybe this will be Julia's thing. She is proudly practicing Downward Dog all by herself at home though she calls it "Underdog."

Birthday Party Mayhem

2009-01-12T00:10:00.005-05:00

I survived another birthday party. Number 5. I wish I could say that I look forward to the parties, the pretty cake, the pinata, the frolicking kids, but I don't. I get anxious and breathe a big sigh of relief when it is over for a whole year.

I have to admit that this one went well. Winter birthday parties can be a big challenge with rambunctious kids running around in your house for two hours. So, we planned a sledding party. I checked the extended forecast as intently as I did prior to my wedding. I was crossing my fingers for a fair weather day and I got it. Perfect snow conditions, too.

There were a couple of minor sledding collisions, but no injuries. Then we went inside for cake. It was adorable, yummy, and I didn't make it. The smile on my five-year-old girl was unforgettable.

Perfect Ski

2009-01-04T21:42:00.004-05:00

I decided to be selfless today -- choosing to ski with my family instead of ski by myself. The sun was out, the kicking was good, and the temp was decent, just a slight breeze and a temp close to 20 degrees F.

We convinced Julia to ride in the pulk though I'd sworn those days were done. It's our only solution for all getting out together now. Ava kicked up a sizable hill and then came the excitement -- the ride down, where she passed several grownups, and shouted "Track, Track, Trackkkk!" Fortunately, there were no collisions. Yup, we're going to have to give some instruction on getting out of those tracks.

Julia got her turn on skis after -- hopping into the tracks with her strap-on skis, which we reverted to for convenience. Yup, these are the days that make up for those not-so-great days. Hallelujah!

And The Wind Blew

2008-12-30T21:08:00.002-05:00

...such gusts that it was a white out at Trapps. The ski patrollers said that it was the worst they had ever seen in that notoriously windy field. There was no way that we could take the kids out there, despite Ava's protests that she could do it.

Plan B: riding bikes in the school gym. Having a Dad that teaches school and has gym access during vacation is a bonus.

Holiday Treats Overdose

2008-12-28T21:56:00.002-05:00

It started a few days before Christmas and it ends tonight -- the gorging on peanut butter balls, fudge, Lindt balls, sugar cookies, party mix, candy canes. I'm all about indulging for the holidays, but we had our last holiday party tonight and the leftover treats are getting tossed out tomorrow.

The girls have been taking advantage of my lenience with sweets over the holidays. But tomorrow, they'll see that the counter no longer has all the Christmas tins on it. We'll go back to our standard snacks of apples and yogurt and cheese and peanuts. We might have dessert and we might not. Until, Ava's January birthday. Then we'll have our cake and our ice cream, too.

Exercising Locally

2008-12-23T16:04:00.006-05:00

Just when you think that you're doing a good job eating local foods, here's a new challenge -- exercise locally. I've been thinking of this concept after reading of a local Facebook group called Recreate Locally http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40145583629&ref=mf

Cross-country ski season is the time that my family puts some miles on the car to go to the groomed trails at Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Ski Center (aka Trapps) in Stowe. Okay, we're not going to give up going to Trapps, but we're getting smarter and doing some skiing across the street from our house this year.

I have a confession: the land across the street is now being groomed by my husband, so it is a little bit of a luxury, but it takes me about three minutes to complete the loop. I just change my expectation for what my workout will be. Plus, it's great taking the kids across the street to ski instead of always loading them and their equipment into the car.

On some weekdays/weeknights, I'm getting in a quick ski instead of staying home eating cookies. Lots of bonuses -- environmental, time saving, changing your fixed routine.

Think about it.

Family Race Day

2008-12-13T21:13:00.004-05:00

Today was a first. Ava skied in her first cross-country ski race ever. Tom skied in his first of the season. I skied in my first race in a few years and Julia participated, too, between Daddy's legs for the downhill and on his shoulders on the way back. Yup, three separate races in one morning.

From a parenting perspective, separate men's and women's races are great for sharing childcare duties. I'm not usually up for all the hype and preparation for ski racing, but I figured if my four-year-old was going to race, I could muster up some energy to do a race. Plus, I knew they'd be able to play in the indoor pool with Daddy while I raced inconspicuously on a tame course without a lot of spectators.

I have to admit that I'm a little envious of my preschooler's composure for races. She's relaxed, she moves along, and she manages to pace herself. Me: I get anxious, I have trouble riding a flat ski, and my heart starts pounding like mad on the uphill.

But, I think I might be up for another race, especially if we find another kids' race. It's a cool feeling knowing that we all raced. And the girls loved their prizes -- lollipops.

Snow Games

2008-12-06T23:10:00.004-05:00

Today, I fell on Julia while we were skiing. Okay, I didn't smoosh her. We were barely moving and my skis slid out from me. We both went down and I mostly landed on her legs.

Meanwhile, older sister, Ava, and Daddy were out playing chase on skis -- the perfect scenario for a parent teaching a child to ski. They had a ski clinic admiring them.

It's hard to be starting all over again with a child that spends more time on the ground than on her skis. She's done with the pulk. We learned that the hard way with screams and kicking legs and loud protests of "I want to get out. I want to ski."

We're praying for some decent snowfall so we can let Julia walk on skis in the tracks. For now, just playing in the snow outside the lodge is okay, too.

Pee Ski

2008-12-02T13:53:00.004-05:00

Fortunately, it didn't happen on my watch though I was probably to blame. Just as I skied across the field at Trapps, away from my husband and kids, free at last, Julia peed right through her snow pants. She told me she had gone to the bathroom before we got in the car, but I guess I can't trust everything that a two and a half year old says.

The good news for Daddy was that after changing Julia into dry pants, he convinced her to ride in the pulk -- a major feat these days. Looks like we're in for some challenges this season as little sister wants to be on skis like big sister but doesn't last long.

As for me, I got in my solo ski. It's great to see the kids making strides on their own skis but there's nothing like being on my own, high in the hills, where it is oh so quiet.

Christmas Tree Trek

2008-11-29T21:44:00.006-05:00

After our family ski this morning, we went on another outdoor adventure -- searching for our Christmas tree. Sure, we could go downtown and quickly pick a pruned tree from a parking lot but we have a ritual of cutting a tree from the national forest. That means that we get a Charlie Brown tree. We think our trees are beautiful, but not everyone agrees.

The price is right: five bucks for a permit. We have to drive a bit to hit national forest land, but that's part of the adventure. Once we get out of the car, the girls start running to find a tree. Actually, this is the first year that I haven't had a kid in a backpack on this adventure. Best yet, the girls hauled the tree out.

First Ski, Worst Ski

2008-11-24T22:16:00.007-05:00

My husband said "this is the worst day of my life" when we were out for our first ski. That was when we were in the moment, the moment of kids whining, of a toddler who didn't want to stay in the ski pulk and a preschooler who was experiencing her first falls of the season.

The screams aren't fun. I felt like a horrible parent pulling a screaming child in a pulk.

But back in the car we recovered. My preschooler said that she had a good time. My toddler was tired and taking her out of the pulk to take our holiday photo and then trying to put her back in wasn't our smartest idea.

We remembered that this is how ski season starts. You have to get used to it all over again. The first skis are the ones where you have to look for the snow. They lack the comfort of the touring center. You have to start from a cold parking lot, where there are no bathrooms or hot cocoa.

Looks like we'll have to try for another holiday photo as we're squinting in this one. Maybe we'll even get Julia on some skis for the next take.

Fun Run

2008-11-17T13:18:00.004-05:00

I never thought that I'd have a child running a race at the age of four. I thought that races might start around age 7 or 8 or 9. Already my preschooler has two one-mile races under her belt. She ran this one in 9.57 minutes. I'm not out to brag, frankly, I'm surprised at how excited kids get for races.

Before a race I get anxious, shake when I put the pins on my shirt to hold my bib number, and can't wait until the thing is over. But my daughter and a host of other kids close to her age, were composed, excited, and impressive little runners. And their race was deemed a "fun run."

I used to think that getting kids into a competition at a young age was pushing a child. I have a new perspective. My preschooler loves to race, so I'll support her interests. This race was a treat in that daddy pushed little sister, Julia, alongside in the jogging stroller so that she could see the action. I was hoping for a little free time to sip coffee without kids during the race, but after taking a few photos and watching the trail of kids go by, the race was over!

Mole for Supper

2008-11-10T22:07:00.003-05:00

Tonight we had mole for supper. I had never heard of it before and frankly it doesn't sound very good. But the recipe came along with this week's CSA (community-supported agriculture) share from Pete's Greens and offered a quick way to use up many kinds of produce before I get overwhelmed with next week's delivery.

Here's what was brewing: carmelized onions, garlic, paprika, roasted squash, green tomatoes, ground almonds, kale, white beans, and quality dark chocolate -- at least 70 percent cocoa. Since the recipe called for 2 oz, I consumed the remaining 1.2 oz. I didn't feel obligated to share the chocolate with my girls since they've overdosed on Halloween candy in the last couple of weeks.

As the concoction cooked (for a long two hours at 250 F), my preschooler asked what that smell was. I admit that neither of my daughters devoured the mole, even when I disclosed that there was melted chocolate in there. Perhaps, if I'd had chiles around (as called for), my younger daughter would have demanded the "spicy food," which she has a hankering for.

Though my kids aren't gung ho for all the veggies in the CSA, they like some of them and they are always curious to see the produce spread across our kitchen table on delivery day. It's like a mini food lesson and now we all know that "mole" is a type of casserole.

Double Jogger Days Are Done

2008-11-01T22:51:00.004-04:00

We're saying good bye to an era -- the double jogger one. With winter coming, we're getting ready to convert our basement to a ski waxing room and indoor recreation area for the kids. That double jogger takes up some space and our soon-to-be five year old has outgrown the seat. Even with her bunched up in there, it's a load to push and she is dying to get out and run.

I admit that we're a little sad at the thought of getting rid of this piece of equipment. The girls have a good time riding together and my husband and I can talk while the girls talk. But thinking of making a couple hundred bucks off of our Performance Series double jogger helps break through the nostalgia.

Tricycle Tricks

2008-10-26T20:32:00.003-04:00

I just got a glimpse of how it might feel to run while my girls bike. I was running, chasing Ava and her friend on bikes, but I had Julia on a tricycle.

I've learned the trick of lifting up the front wheel of the tricycle by pushing down on the attached pole. This means that the tricycle "driver" can't steer. Of course, the rider can't pedal either, but in Julia's case, she's not pedaling much for the long haul anyway. So a little lift from me means that the two of us can cruise. I was running at a decent pace, sweating, in fact, and Julia enjoyed the fast ride.

The preschool girls stayed to the right on the path, waited if they got ahead of the moms, and put the breaks on for the downhills and sharp turns. In "Fit Family" I discuss how bike paths can have some potential cons, if they are busy and you are trying to get a child acquainted with riding. Yup, I've had some close encounters with kids and potential collisions on the bike path, but not this time.

Hiking with Friends

2008-10-19T21:43:00.006-04:00

The girls and I took advantage of an early release day from school (hence, no afternoon preschool) and got out hiking with some other two and four-year-old kids.

The revelation on this outing was that an ice pack from a lunch bag can double as a first aid remedy for the notorious forehead bump that kids get when they take a good digger.

Stowe Reporter Features 'Fit Family'

2008-10-10T20:20:00.004-04:00

The Stowe Reporter ran a feature on "Fit Family" in this week's business section. Hopefully, lots of folks will check it out while they're checking out the foliage this Columbus Day weekend. And the tourists will be happy. This year's colors are gorgeous. Read the story at:

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=999&NewsID=929397&CategoryID=19133&show=localnews&om=1

Shape Up America Reviews Fit Family

2008-10-08T14:01:00.008-04:00

Got another good book review. This one is in the October issue of Shape Up America! The organization is headed by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Lots of good info for keeping little kiddos fit in this issue. Scroll down bottom for the review at: http://www.shapeup.org/about/arch_news/nl1008.html

Race Pace

2008-10-06T21:33:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, on the morning of our local half marathon road race, my daughter, Ava, asked "Daddy, are you going to win the race?" He said that he didn't think so. She then asked if I had ever won a race. My "ummm" was so long that she changed the subject before I could rack my brain for something that I must have won. Then my husband got talking about his ideal sub-6 pace and beeped his watch incessantly.

It's funny living with someone who is so competitive and focused as an athlete while I am pretty relaxed with the notion of race pace. I did, however, get a good idea from a recent issue of Runner's World. It recommended having three goal times - one that you're really striving for, another that is attainable, and finally one that you would at least be content with. So, I picked two: a goal pace of 7:45 min/mile, something that would be a bit of a push, and a fall back of an 8-minute mile, which I figured I could do.

I started out with my running partner, who is a little bit stronger than I am, but we figured we'd give it a try opting for some company for the long run. I hung on until the turnaround at mile 7 and then there were a few small hills and I felt a little tired. She went ahead. I slowed down. I was off pace at the 10-mile mark and thankfully saw a friend who yelled "5K." That was helpful because I pulled it back together.

I finished with an 8-minute mile pace. Good enough for me this time. My husband finished 6th overall. He was a little off his pace, too, but was happy. We've since had a day to talk about the race -- where we were tired, the hill in disguise, who else we saw out there. We rarely race together because of kid duty, but I think this race will turn into an annual event for mommy and daddy. I'm already thinking about who I'll have as a sitter next year as our current one will be off to college.

Errands as Exercise

2008-09-29T21:10:00.003-04:00

I'm a big proponent of getting exercise in when you're doing errands. I'm lucky to live within walking distance of downtown so I can take my kids on foot, on bike, or in a jogging stroller to do errands. Sometimes, when I think I'll just do a quick trip and take the car, the kids will say, "Can't we walk?" and I usually say, "Yes" as it is hard to deny that request.

This morning, my preschooler walked and my toddler rode in the jogger to dance class. I used to take the car because I worried that my kids would be too pokey to get to class on time. Now, I just leave extra early and we usually arrive early. I love parking my jogger next to another jogger and maybe a bike, knowing that other families are also leaving the car at home. After class, my toddler usually wants to walk, which is great. I do have her ride for a bit so that I can get across a few busy spots, but then she is free to run with her sister.

Today, I made the mistake of letting Julia wear her older sister's boots. Julia has a shoe fetish and going against her choice of footwear often means a battle -- one I wasn't willing to fight today. The result was that Julia was tripping all over the place, including on the sidewalk where she skinned her knee a little. I made a mental note to rethink the footwear next time for my rider/walker.

Going on a Leaf Hunt

2008-09-24T21:17:00.004-04:00

Today, I thought that I would combine work and play (exercise) by dropping off my books at the Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Center/Gift Shop and then going on a trail hike with my girls. Well I forgot the books, but my girls found some discounted toys in the gift shop -- a bonus for them as there are usually only skis and chairs in that area in the winter time.

We quickly hit the trails, bringing our border collie along with us. The whole gang was excited to be out roaming the trails that we usually visit in winter with cross-country skis on.

We stopped at the first trailside bench, not too far in, to have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some fruit, and water. The minute my toddler swallowed her last bite, she was running down the trail. She is usually the one to say, "I can't walk. My legs hurt." My preschooler was a little upset that I made her finish off her last couple of bites, but abided then fled.

We soon hit a section of trail that was sprinkled with colored leaves. The girls were excited. The leaves haven't changed so much down where we are in the village over. Ava suggested that we go on a leaf hunt and we all started gathering our favorite picks from the ground. Ava had a whole bouquet of leaves and Julia figured out that she could just tuck them into my pack rather than carry them.

The next thing to entertain the girls was animal scat or in their terminology, "poop." Yup, for a young kid poop is about the best topic out there. We saw lots of it as horse and carriage rides operate on this trail. We also saw droppings from a fox or a raccoon. I took an educated guess and figured that offering a couple of animals would get my girls curiousity going.

After we crested a long uphill, my toddler asked to go in the pack that I had been wearing. I was so proud of how far she had come and figure that this might be the mode for her, which is to have her walk a ways and then get into the pack. My older daughter always wanted to walk and we wanted to get in some miles first, so she rode first and then we let her out near the end of our hikes. It interests me how as parents you really have to figure out what makes each child tick.

We continued up a steep hill to a chapel hidden in the woods. We had never been there on our skis so the girls were fascinated. Julia wanted to get out of the pack and I quickly unloaded her from my sweaty back. When it was time to head back down, Julia was eager to be on foot and to be the leader, something her older sister always brags about from preschool. Well, I had never seen that toddler be so proud to be going down a trail on her own. And luckily her older sister was a good sport (with some guidance from me) and took the back position despite her competitive personality.

The Dog Walk

2008-09-18T21:51:00.002-04:00

Today at a Coffee Talk about "Fit Family" I was asked for ideas on how to fit in some quick exercise for kids at the end of a school day. I suggested dancing around the house with good music, which is a great workout (just try it), and also incorporating a short bike ride or walk into some errands downtown.

This afternoon, I realized what I forgot to mention earlier -- the dog walk. Now, I happen to know that the person who asked the question does not have a dog, so she'll have to find a reason to get the kids outdoors. My mother always said that I needed to get "fresh air" and that wasn't all that enticing.

So here's how our "dog walk" works:

At about 3:30 p.m. my kids are at each other. One has just returned home from school and is full of energy, but a little tired, and the other is just waking from a nap (hopefully). The girls are pushing or purposefully taking the other person's toys or snack and I become the mediator. So I say, "It's time to walk Abby (our dog)."

The girls know this is the routine and get shoes on and to the door more quickly than usual. I leash Abby until we get across the street, where she can roam free. When we hit the field, the girls go crazy. They want to jump, run, play tag, do ring-around-the-rosey. Then we do a little hike through the woods and run down the hill.

Today, we saw a worm, a really long one, and the girls inspected it, quickly picked it up, and placed it back in the grass gently at my request. They were fascinated and had to tell Daddy all about the worm later. Okay, so this part isn't exercise, but it is part of the process of getting outdoors, inspecting your surroundings, and moving around.

After our "dog walk," which lasted about 30 minutes, we went back to our yard and played hide-and-seek and tag and on the swing for another half hour.

My point: If you run around, playing with your kids (instead of watching them), you understand why they want to take their sweatshirts off. Your body is working and getting warm. Exercising with kids doesn't have to be fancy or take a long time. And playing makes exercise fun. That was a great point made by another person at today's talk. More on that topic later.

Yoga Core

2008-09-16T21:18:00.004-04:00

Tonight, I went to my second yoga class -- Yoga Core, open level. I was running late (because of a miscommunication with my husband, who had to be home to watch the kids) and when I got to the studio the lights were off. I could hear the instructor's soothing voice settling the class in to yoga mode. I was ready to head back home, rather than interrupt class, when out came the instructor. She invited me in and gave me her mat. The class was packed. I felt thankful and ashamed.

The class was amazing. An hour of working the core muscles. Last week, my muscles hurt two days after class, a sure sign that I don't work my core. The other great benefits -- stretching, breathing, improving my posture, and an hour away from my kids at the dinner hour! I'm also getting over my yoga phobia, because in a core class you don't have to link flows, something I have trouble remembering how to do.

The class ends with relaxation, focusing on your whole body. I could feel my shoulders relax and my jaw loosen. At the end, in seated position, we took a moment to think of something we were grateful for on that day. For me, it was the instructor, who welcomed me when she didn't have to. Then as I walked home, slowly, I was thankful for having an hour to be conscious of the connection between my mind and body.

Fit Family in the News

2008-09-15T21:50:00.003-04:00

"Fit Family" was featured in an article called "Family Fitness starts with the very young," which ran in the Outdoors section of the Sunday Times Argus and Rutland Herald on Sept. 14.

Here's what Linda Freeman wrote about the book:

"Look no farther for the perfect guide to family pursuits in our state — or anywhere. This is a gem. Far more than a how-to book, (though chock full of excellent "how-to") or a tour guide, or a play-with-the-kids cheer, this attractive volume thoroughly presents a wide variety of family-friendly activities such as hiking, biking, paddling, skiing (both Alpine and Nordic), camping, and swimming — not just dragging the kids along, but involving them in the effort and the fun."

See the full article at:

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/FEATURES08/809140305/1017/FEATURES08

Food, The Old-Fashioned Way

2008-09-11T21:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I finally got around to making pickles. Twelve cukes had been staring me down for a few days and I had to get to them before the fruit flies swarmed all over the kitchen. I've followed the tradition of making Violette's bread and butter pickles for several years now. Violette, now 98, is my husband's grandmother and he raves about how whenever he finished mowing Gram's lawn as a teenager she'd fry him up a hamburger and bring a jar of pickles up from the basement. They are sliced thin and you pile them on with a fork.

Making Gram's pickles is not something I involve my girls in yet, other than helping to pick the cukes. (This year's garden wasn't so fruitful, so the cukes came from another local garden that had a surplus.) The glass jars, the steaming water, and the bubbling apple cider vinegar aren't a great combo for cooking with kids.

This year, I saved the pickling for my toddler's naptime and unfortunately she didn't nap. I had salted the cukes overnight so I was committed and my crazy girl Julia was getting into things left and right. I finished moments before I had to pick up Ava from preschool.

Okay, it might not have been the canning experience that I wanted -- where I'm mindful of the process and taking pride in doing what generations before me have done. But at least the pickles taste good and will last us through the winter.

Taking Your Kids to Your Race

2008-09-03T13:41:00.003-04:00

On Labor Day weekend, my husband and I both competed in a 5K running race. The entry fee was cheap, the race wasn't too far away, and the mother of our babysitter was running, so we thought why not have the babysitter come along and watch our kids during the race.

I probably should have passed the kids off on the sitter once we hit registration, but I felt that I needed to make sure they were settled in. We tried to find a playground away from the downtown fair that was taking place, but we didn't find one.

I decided, with some conscious effort, to relax and let our great babysitter do her job and I went for a warm-up with my husband. It was nice to be out on the road with him and without a baby jogger for a change.

The race course was an up-and-back so I saw my husband go flying by on the homestretch while I slogged out to the turnaround. 5Ks aren't my favorite races, I like longer distances, but I was glad that I participated and I even got an age group prize.

My daughters were delighted to watch the finish, high up on a hillside with their babysitter. They were safe and content. Would I take them along again for a race? Yes, as I think that it is good for them to see what a race is all about and as my older daughter could participate in the mile race another year. But, I wouldn't take them all the time, as it adds to logistics, and I'm not sure I like too many races anyways being the less competitive parent in the family.

Back to school, back to a schedule

2008-08-27T21:42:00.005-04:00

In Fit Family I write about scheduling exercise so it is part of your routine. Though my husband and I are pretty good at having informal conversations about when we'll exercise on our own and with our kids, I realized that it has been a couple of weeks since we've all been out together. We've been on vacation and to a wedding and we've been out of our routine at home.

So yesterday while Tom was at school preparing for his new students, the girls and I and our dog, Abby, went on a hike. The air had the first hint of fall in it and our border collie was so excited that she was doing laps, running ahead and then coming back to us. (You think your kids don't get enough exercise, what about the pet who drops in ranking when the kids come.) My preschooler, who has been so emotional lately, was energetic and carefree as she hiked along. Little sister Julia bounced around in the pack. After we turned around, I let Julia out and she ran along with Ava.

We didn't have any of the battles that we have at home, even in our yard, about who gets to swing first or who is faster or better. As much as I've enjoyed summer and our lack of a schedule, I'm looking forward to September -- to starting anew while also getting into a routine.

Fit Family Book Is Out

2008-08-25T21:47:00.003-04:00

I just got a box of books from the publisher and have started distributing them to friends and family and placing them around my town of Waterbury, Vermont. These aren't free copies, they are just the early copies as the rest get handled by the distributor and make their way to book stores.

I think this book is going to become the #1 baby shower gift. I'm getting all sorts of purchases from people who want to buy for a friend who is expecting a baby or a relative who has young kids. Since the book covers so many sports, it is a good gift for tons of parents and it beats sending another outfit.

Book stores should be stocking Fit Family in the next couple of weeks so pick up a copy and check it out, then get out and get fit with your family.