Simply take, a tired and slightly worn out person - a mother of small children is best
Sprinkle with sunshine...
Remind said person that it isn't actually winter anymore.
Exercise. I find a bike ride is best. This encourages wakefulness, and also feelings of post-exercising virtuous-ness.
Plunge in shower.
Rinse off dirt, snot, grime, and any other debris.
Complete ablutions until satisfactorily clean and smooth.
Dry.
Moisturise.
Steer towards wardrobe.
Remind subject that clothes other than jeans exist.
Dress according to taste.
Provide cup of tea to get over the shock of wearing skirt.
Consider painting toe-nails.
Decide not to get carried away. It is only April after all.
Straighten hair.
Add necessary accompaniment to face; in this case - a smile.
And now you're done.
You're not just a mummy. You're a nearly ready for summer, even if it's gone a bit cloudy mummy.
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Friday, 1 April 2011
Momentum
I am not a physicist. (That sounded like some sort of confession, didn't it... Hello, my name's Gill, and I am not a physicist.) However, I do still understand a little of the physics I learnt at school. I feel I should apologise to Mrs Johnston; possibly the best physics teacher in the world, for not understanding more - but it has been a while... I'm sure she would forgive me.
Whilst cycling with Nathan today, I felt I had a lesson-worthy demonstration of momentum... As we cycled together, it was a lot of effort to get moving - after all, moving myself, Nathan, my bike and our tag along bike 'Caroline' is a lot of weight, and thus a great deal of inertia to overcome. Actually, maybe the greatest inertia was getting myself off the sofa... Still, we got moving.
What surprised me though, was how much less effort it was to keep going at a steady pace. Whilst we were cycling a long at an even pace (not fast you understand... I wasn't built for speed!) we could pootle along quite happily. If however, we slowed down for some reason, it was so much more effort getting back up to speed. On the way home, when I was getting a bit tired, I found myself not wanting to slow down - as I knew I would just have to use more energy to get up to speed again. When we were up to speed, we were benefiting from momentum.
Whilst cycling, I realised that inertia and momentum are not just physical phenomena; they can be emotional and spiritual too.
Did you give up anything for lent? I didn't actually; mainly because I didn't want to give myself more hoops to jump through. I just wanted to concentrate on doing the things I was already trying to do. One of the things I am doing is trying to read through the Bible in a year. This is something I started half-way through January. It took a bit of motivation to overcome my inertia, but now I'm reading it each day - it has become a good habit, and thus I have some momentum.
I guess this thought could apply to anything where you get in the groove of doing something, so it just gets that little bit easier. Giving up smoking / going to an exercise class / speaking to new people when you're a bit shy / playing a piece of music you find challenging... The list is huge when you start to think about it.
I guess it's also worth remembering that negative things can have a way of gaining momentum too... Once you're in a group of people gossipping and saying negative things about someone, it's a whole lot harder to back out of the conversation. Your mouth can gain momentum much more quickly than your brain I think... The best example of this however, is probably how hard it is to stop eating Maltesers when there's a pack of them open, and you've already eaten three... I guess Einstein never worried too much about the addictive powers of confectionary.
Here's hoping we can gain momentum with all things good.
Whilst cycling with Nathan today, I felt I had a lesson-worthy demonstration of momentum... As we cycled together, it was a lot of effort to get moving - after all, moving myself, Nathan, my bike and our tag along bike 'Caroline' is a lot of weight, and thus a great deal of inertia to overcome. Actually, maybe the greatest inertia was getting myself off the sofa... Still, we got moving.
What surprised me though, was how much less effort it was to keep going at a steady pace. Whilst we were cycling a long at an even pace (not fast you understand... I wasn't built for speed!) we could pootle along quite happily. If however, we slowed down for some reason, it was so much more effort getting back up to speed. On the way home, when I was getting a bit tired, I found myself not wanting to slow down - as I knew I would just have to use more energy to get up to speed again. When we were up to speed, we were benefiting from momentum.
Whilst cycling, I realised that inertia and momentum are not just physical phenomena; they can be emotional and spiritual too.
Did you give up anything for lent? I didn't actually; mainly because I didn't want to give myself more hoops to jump through. I just wanted to concentrate on doing the things I was already trying to do. One of the things I am doing is trying to read through the Bible in a year. This is something I started half-way through January. It took a bit of motivation to overcome my inertia, but now I'm reading it each day - it has become a good habit, and thus I have some momentum.
I guess this thought could apply to anything where you get in the groove of doing something, so it just gets that little bit easier. Giving up smoking / going to an exercise class / speaking to new people when you're a bit shy / playing a piece of music you find challenging... The list is huge when you start to think about it.
I guess it's also worth remembering that negative things can have a way of gaining momentum too... Once you're in a group of people gossipping and saying negative things about someone, it's a whole lot harder to back out of the conversation. Your mouth can gain momentum much more quickly than your brain I think... The best example of this however, is probably how hard it is to stop eating Maltesers when there's a pack of them open, and you've already eaten three... I guess Einstein never worried too much about the addictive powers of confectionary.
Here's hoping we can gain momentum with all things good.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Sweet Caroline
Those of you who know me well, know the truth about me. I'm not a lean, mean, cycling machine; more like a wobbly, knobbly, cuddly mummy. I feel I need to start with this fact - as I'm going to talk about going cycling - again. I've confessed in a previous post (See 'I want to ride my bicycle') to being pleased about having finally found a form of exercise I enjoy; but to be honest - the main motivation has been having Joel master cycling over the summer holidays, and him wanting to practice his new found skill.
We went out today, on a mission to cycle round Draycote Water. This is a local reservoir (the same one mentioned in 'One to One time') which is about five miles round. This time we took a picnic (vital fuel for the intrepid adventurers), but we also took our new piece of cycling kit.
Our friends, the lovely Diane and Aaron, had passed onto us a tag-along bicycle attachment their sons no longer need. This adds an extra seat, pedals, handle-bars and a third wheel to my bike, making it really quite long. It opens up the possibility of cycling together as a whole family, as Nathan's only just mastered pedalling, and doesn't yet have the stamina to keep up with the longer legged members of the family.
I have to admit to being a little dubious. Nathan is a wiggly child, and I wasn't sure he was going to be able to sit still, let alone for long enough for us to get around the reservoir. So I decided to have a little chat with him about it before we set off.
We stood together looking out the back door, watching Paul assembling the tag-along. He listened as I explained which bit was Mummy's seat, which was Nathan's seat, where he would hold on etc. etc. I asked if that sounded OK to him. He thought for a couple of seconds with his serious face on, and then replied that he was happy to go for a ride on Caroline.
Caroline?
I checked that he understood. I know that Caroline is the name of a car in Thomas the Tank Engine stories, so I wanted to be sure that he understood that we wouldn't be driving round the reservoir...
He understood completely, he had just named the tag-along!
And so it came to pass that we gained a member of the family. I then had tantrums to deal with as both Joel and Nathan couldn't ride on Caroline at the same time. In fact, one of us will probably have to take Joel out on it (sorry, her) later in order to keep the peace.
Our trip around Draycote Water was a storming success. Joel managed to cycle all the way round. So did Paul & I, and Nathan and Caroline were a beautiful, if slightly wobbly couple. A picnic lunch had never tasted so good.
If I do manage to get fit, it won't be down to my efforts or discipline; it will be down to the boys harassing me for rides on Caroline... :)
We went out today, on a mission to cycle round Draycote Water. This is a local reservoir (the same one mentioned in 'One to One time') which is about five miles round. This time we took a picnic (vital fuel for the intrepid adventurers), but we also took our new piece of cycling kit.
Our friends, the lovely Diane and Aaron, had passed onto us a tag-along bicycle attachment their sons no longer need. This adds an extra seat, pedals, handle-bars and a third wheel to my bike, making it really quite long. It opens up the possibility of cycling together as a whole family, as Nathan's only just mastered pedalling, and doesn't yet have the stamina to keep up with the longer legged members of the family.
I have to admit to being a little dubious. Nathan is a wiggly child, and I wasn't sure he was going to be able to sit still, let alone for long enough for us to get around the reservoir. So I decided to have a little chat with him about it before we set off.
We stood together looking out the back door, watching Paul assembling the tag-along. He listened as I explained which bit was Mummy's seat, which was Nathan's seat, where he would hold on etc. etc. I asked if that sounded OK to him. He thought for a couple of seconds with his serious face on, and then replied that he was happy to go for a ride on Caroline.
Caroline?
I checked that he understood. I know that Caroline is the name of a car in Thomas the Tank Engine stories, so I wanted to be sure that he understood that we wouldn't be driving round the reservoir...
He understood completely, he had just named the tag-along!
And so it came to pass that we gained a member of the family. I then had tantrums to deal with as both Joel and Nathan couldn't ride on Caroline at the same time. In fact, one of us will probably have to take Joel out on it (sorry, her) later in order to keep the peace.
Our trip around Draycote Water was a storming success. Joel managed to cycle all the way round. So did Paul & I, and Nathan and Caroline were a beautiful, if slightly wobbly couple. A picnic lunch had never tasted so good.
If I do manage to get fit, it won't be down to my efforts or discipline; it will be down to the boys harassing me for rides on Caroline... :)
Saturday, 28 August 2010
One to one time...
The sun shone today (hoorah!), and so the boys and I took the chance to go cycling at a local reservoir. Joel (son number 1 - aged 5) and I set off together, leaving Nathan (aged 3) to pootle along at a slower pace, with Daddy for company.
We managed about 3 miles all in all, which I thought was quite impressive. Maybe another day, with a bit more planning, and a lot more food, we'll actually make it the whole way round.
I realised whilst we were out, how little time I spend one to one with Joel, and it got me wondering how common our approach is. When Joel was small, it took both of us to look after him; although there were certain vital functions only I was equipped for. Then when Nathan came along, we tended to aim to divide and conquer - I tackled the baby, Paul tackled the toddler - after all, Joel wanted as much daddy-time as possible, and I was still feeding Nathan, so the roles were pretty obvious. We've pretty much kept things this way round though; me looking after Nathan, Joel with his Daddy; I guess the system wasn't broken, so we never tried to fix it. After all, there are many times when we (particularly me) look after both the boys.
The thing is, now Nathan's old enough to be keen on Daddy time too. In fact, he's quite a man's man. If there's one solitary Dad at a park or soft play centre, he'll seek him out for a bit of manly interaction. He likes to chat and pass the time with any man who'll listen to him.
Today made me realise how important it is to swap our natural roles around occasionally. Joel and I cycled further than we ever could have done with Nathan in tow. We also chatted about school, his friends, the universe and everything really. Nathan got some well deserved Daddy time too, and I'm certain he will have loved it.
Difficult though it can be; I'm sure it's worth blocking in some one to one time with our children. I think it might be the thing that helps me get to know them best. What do you think?
We managed about 3 miles all in all, which I thought was quite impressive. Maybe another day, with a bit more planning, and a lot more food, we'll actually make it the whole way round.
I realised whilst we were out, how little time I spend one to one with Joel, and it got me wondering how common our approach is. When Joel was small, it took both of us to look after him; although there were certain vital functions only I was equipped for. Then when Nathan came along, we tended to aim to divide and conquer - I tackled the baby, Paul tackled the toddler - after all, Joel wanted as much daddy-time as possible, and I was still feeding Nathan, so the roles were pretty obvious. We've pretty much kept things this way round though; me looking after Nathan, Joel with his Daddy; I guess the system wasn't broken, so we never tried to fix it. After all, there are many times when we (particularly me) look after both the boys.
The thing is, now Nathan's old enough to be keen on Daddy time too. In fact, he's quite a man's man. If there's one solitary Dad at a park or soft play centre, he'll seek him out for a bit of manly interaction. He likes to chat and pass the time with any man who'll listen to him.
Today made me realise how important it is to swap our natural roles around occasionally. Joel and I cycled further than we ever could have done with Nathan in tow. We also chatted about school, his friends, the universe and everything really. Nathan got some well deserved Daddy time too, and I'm certain he will have loved it.
Difficult though it can be; I'm sure it's worth blocking in some one to one time with our children. I think it might be the thing that helps me get to know them best. What do you think?
Sunday, 22 August 2010
I want to ride my bicycle...
I did some cycling today, by choice, just for fun.
There we go - I've said it. Confession over. I did exercise of my own free will. Yes, I know - it was a lovely morning. I never claimed to be anything other than a fair weather cyclist. And part of my motivation was to get some time on my own. Alone-time has been at a bit of a premium over the summer holidays.
The thing is - I've never looked forward to exercise before. It's an entirely new experience for me. Maybe it's true, you really do just have to keep trying different things until you find something you like. Odd really though, because I never liked cycling before... The difference is made by having somewhere to cycle that you only have to tackle roads and/or hills if you want to. I'm still avoiding hills - I'm too scared to go down them, and too unfit to go up them... But - thanks to wonderful husband - I have now braved roads. I can even balance well enough to signal if I'm turning somewhere... I know - impressive stuff.
The cycling appears to be catching too. Son number one has now mastered cycling without stabilizers, and son number two has mastered pedalling. Surely it's only a matter of time before Sir Chris Hoy is coming round for tea!
Hmmm... do you think they have any family events in the 2012 Olympics?
There we go - I've said it. Confession over. I did exercise of my own free will. Yes, I know - it was a lovely morning. I never claimed to be anything other than a fair weather cyclist. And part of my motivation was to get some time on my own. Alone-time has been at a bit of a premium over the summer holidays.
The thing is - I've never looked forward to exercise before. It's an entirely new experience for me. Maybe it's true, you really do just have to keep trying different things until you find something you like. Odd really though, because I never liked cycling before... The difference is made by having somewhere to cycle that you only have to tackle roads and/or hills if you want to. I'm still avoiding hills - I'm too scared to go down them, and too unfit to go up them... But - thanks to wonderful husband - I have now braved roads. I can even balance well enough to signal if I'm turning somewhere... I know - impressive stuff.
The cycling appears to be catching too. Son number one has now mastered cycling without stabilizers, and son number two has mastered pedalling. Surely it's only a matter of time before Sir Chris Hoy is coming round for tea!
Hmmm... do you think they have any family events in the 2012 Olympics?
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