Hike

Going Forth
I'm going to sign up for Crossfit. After my last blog post, I started to reconsider it. Not because I didn't like it because I did like it. I was reconsidering because it threw my walking routine in disarray due to the extreme soreness. I am pleased with my energy and desire to keep up with my daily 4-mile walks. I don't dread them and my days go much better when I've done them.  That said, I know if I stop for more than a couple of days, I'll fall off the wagon completely and not get back on for months. When it comes to good habits, I have to work really hard to be consistent. When it comes to bad habits, I'm an expert level backslider. All this self-knowledge made me think perhaps it was wiser to get a few months of daily walks in before taking on other activities. Two things changed my mind:

1. Today I did my walk in the morning before I took Avery to school (6:30 - 7:30). That was great because it was done and out of the way for the day. Doing it mid-morning made it feel like it just ate up my entire mid morning. 
2. I talked to one of the women in my Crossfit class after Avery's Kung Fu class today. And the instructor remembered my name. Two minor human interactions and I felt like, OK, I can do this. 

The key will be to not push myself in the Crossfit class so I am not too sore to walk the next day. Also, I'm going to (try to) walk in the early mornings. This means I will still be doing my usual hilly walk everyday. Originally I was planning to just walk around Gabriel Park for an hour on Crossfit days, but it's not hilly enough. I feel like I'm "wasting" my hour because of the lack of hills. 

Hiking

Today was my day with the G kids. It was such a nice day that I decided to take Avery and Elise and Nolan on a hike up the trail, then down through the cemetery. Considering it was over an hour, in the hot sun, and a 1.4 mile hilly walk, they all did great. Breakdowns of each child's positives and negatives (clearly this is subjective to what I like on a walk). 

Kid	Positives	Negatives
Avery	--Strong and fast walker --Easily excited by New and Exciting Destinations! (makes it easy to keep her moving)	--Does not ever stop talking --While not whining exactly, Avery does announce every so often that “I’m tired, but I’m going to push through it. Did you hear me, Mommy? I’m going to push through it!”
Elise	--Doesn’t whine --Quiet for long periods of time --Can walk barefoot on grass without complaining once about needles or ouchies.	--Slooooowwww --Unwilling to run to catch up; sits down if a race is ongoing to declare her lack of participation in said race. --Wants to “rest” (WTF is that?)
Nolan	--Willing to run to catch up --Doesn’t whine --Doesn’t ask to take off shoes in the grass.	--Slowish --Talks not loud and like an almost 3yo boy = hard to understand if I'm not concentrating completely on him.