I love having child care in my gym!

At my gym, I can bring my kids in to the daycare for two hours while I enjoy working out.  It's a fabulous little deal that assures that not only do I get a workout, I can take an un-interrupted shower as well!  For those who are not moms, you may not understand what a glorious thing this has become!  It's something I took advantage of in my pre-mom state of mind.  Now, I make sure to finish up my workout in enough time to enjoy the nice shower afterward.
I highly recommend ensuring a gym membership with child care if you are a mommy or are planning to be.  Not just any gym will do.  Check out the child care area to see how much fun the kids are having.  Does the staff seem to be engaged with the kids?  Are the babies separated from the bigger kids?  I visited a gym (I will not name names, but it's a big one) and watched as a new walker babe of about a year was knocked down hard.  All of the kids were just roaming the entire space.  Then I watched the embarrassed child care attendant pick the baby up and almost scold her as if it were her fault for getting knocked over!  The staff in my gym are top notch.  Most have been there for several years and know each of us by name.  How do they do that?  There are sections for each age group.  Infants start in the the infant room.  Once they begin to crawl, they move on to crawlers.  Once they begin to walk, they move on to the next room.  There are six rooms for the kids to graduate until eventually at age 11, they become too old for child care.  I feel good knowing my kids have a safe and fun place to play with their peers while I make sure to get my time for sanity.
Another option at my gym is Run Club.  Three days each week, I can attend run club where we venture outside for a 4-8 mile jog, speed and agility work, or timed runs.  If you don't have a gym in your area that offers such a thing, start it up if child care options are available!  Who wants to run on the mundane treadmill where your run is only half as effective as the real deal outdoors?!  Train with friends for a big race or just get some lovely vitamin D while getting in your workout.  Follow it up with some nice stretching and a relaxing shower.  You have yourself two hours of pure bliss!
Gotto go to the gym now!!

Biking with kids

I have found it fairly easy to get my workouts in during the week, but weekends are tough!  My husband and kids want all of my time.  I love being with them, but find it harder to get a jog in or head to the gym where I work all during the week.  Solving that problem is actually fairly easy!  I should have thought of this before!  The doctors say not to bike while pregnant, but I am not convinced that it is so dangerous when going on a casual stroll with my kids.  We rode along the Willamette river from the south waterfront area along the trails to downtown Portland.  While I would not recommend downtown Portland, I do highly recommend the trail along the Willamette.  We parked by Fultan pub (a pre-pregnancy stomping ground).  It's just under 3 miles to get to River Place where there is a row of restaurants and shops.  We had sandwiches at a little cafe and sat outside to eat.  Then, we biked into town for an ice cream treat at Ben & Jerry's.  The seating at Ben & Jerry's was terrible and the constant flow of bums slowly walking by with cigarettes in hand were definitely a nuisance!  I would skip the downtown portion of the trip and stick with the nice path along the Willamette.  All in all, we had a great time and I am looking forward to more casual bike rides for a little exercise with my family.