Winter blahs . . .

Remember when I used to exercise? Yep, I do. It's been a long time. After I had Elise, I did take both kids for walks because I got a steal of a deal on Craigslist on a double stroller (she happened to live by me so I checked it out. She had been asking $40 but before I left, she said she'd take $20, and I decided that was a good deal. It's an older Graco DuoGlider -- you know, those old navy blue strollers that were popular about a decade ago). Anyway. The problem with this stroller is the fact that it doesn't have five-point harness, just a little area that clips (similar to what you'd find in a bouncy seat), leaving the upper body unharnessed. Not a problem, except if Andrew falls asleep, he topples forward, and now that Elise is bigger, she can also reach in front of her and pull Andrew's hair. Andrew is also getting heavier (he's up to 34.5 pounds) and taller, so he likes to put his feet over the wheels while I'm walking and the stroller is so front heavy that it doesn't turn that great. So basically, this is our stroller for the mall.

Before I went off on my little tangent, I mentioned exercising. See, back in the year 2000, I got on this power-walking kick. It made me feel good, it gave me energy, I listened to my tunes, and I had a lot of fun doing it. This was (obviously) before kids when I could just throw my work-out stuff on and go. I would go 4-5 days a week for 4 miles at a time and it took me about 45 minutes. I walk fast.

When it was just Andrew, it was easier for me to go and I would maybe go 3 miles 2-3 days a week. I would always get out in the spring, summer, and fall.

Which brings me to my next problem, and it's a big one: winters in Wisconsin. It's bitter here. This winter has been even colder than some of them, with many days of subzero temperatures and highs in the single digits, if that. I am not about to bundle up two kids and take them out for a walk on the forever snow-covered roads so that their little faces can freeze and my legs can be turned to icicles.

I am COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS to spring so that I can happily take my children out in the sun and warmth and enjoy exercising again. We are going to be purchasing this double bike trailer, which doubles as a stroller. Right now we have the single stroller by the same maker, and it gets great reviews and is more sturdy than the ones made by Schwinn or other competitors. Why a double, won't I need a triple, you ask? Well, in order to sit in the bike trailer/stroller, which has upright seats, the baby/toddler should be 12 months of age or older. With Elise turning 1, this will be perfect. And by summer of 2012, Andrew will be turning 5 and hopefully able at that point to ride a bike with training wheels, so I can then put Elise and her sibling in the double. The other reason for the bike trailer part of it is that my hubby is an avid biker and has enjoyed many long bike rides with Andrew in the past. He would take him down to the co-op or the big area park whenever he could, and they both enjoyed it. Now, he will have something to do when he's home with both children. We only have the one car as it is, and since I take that to work, this will leave them with both a mode of transportation and an opportunity for fresh air and ever-changing scenery.

I can't wait to get the new bike trailer! It's one fun thing we are getting with our tax return. In case you're perpelexed, we are also planning on insulating the walls of our house and fencing in our backyard. The rest of the tax money will be a reserve fund -- some of it will be used to cover the mortgage while I am on my [unpaid] maternity leave next fall, and the rest can go towards the principal of the mortgage (our goal is still to be debt-free in 7 years, as our only debt now and the only debt we've had is our mortgage).