3 Boys Boot Camp

Most people go for the traditional January shape up routine.  They go to the gym, start spin class, do Pilates, or join Weight Watchers.  This year I went a different route.  I recommend it to anyone who sits too much and just wants to get up and get moving.  I took care of my three grandsons for a few days!  Midway through the first day hour, I was already worn out!  I don't even consider myself a couch potato or a wimp but the pace of my everyday life compared to the pace in that household is dramatically different!  I realized very quickly that I live a life a luxury.....well, I've probably known this for a while!  My time is my time, most of the time, and I've adjusted to this very easily!

A typical day here and there....
Here-
 up at 6:45, leisurely get dressed, brush hair, put makeup on, drink hot tea, eat breakfast, read email and other useless stuff on my computer, clean the kitchen, feed the dog, grab my purse or golf clubs (depending on the day) and head out to my morning activity.
There-
 up at 6 to get a head start on the boys, brush my teeth and hair, grab whatever clothes are clean, make the bed, get the 3 boys up (unless one or more woke up earlier than 6 and thas is a whole different ballgame)  dressed and downstairs with hair and teeth brushed, carry John, who is not a light load, up and down the stairs a couple of times to check on dressing and grooming progress of other two boys.  Heat water for tea, feed 3 boys various breakfasts, forget water for tea and reheat, chase John out of the open bathroom, turn off water and close toilet and the bathroom door...again, untangle two older boys from each other's clutches and tell them to put their boots, coats, gloves and hats on for school.  Pour water into tea cup with tea bag, make sure back packs have all necessary items for school, make tea, corral John again, wait for carpool.  Send oldest two boys out to catch their ride, close the garage, try to occupy John while I drink my now tepid tea and eat my breakfast which is now a petrified english muffin, while keeping one eye on him.  Take him to day care looking like a tired grandmother.  Melt when he runs back to me and hugs my leg and looks up and says "Gigi!".  Totally worth drinking tepid tea and a brick hard english muffin for breakfast!

I've never seen anyone get so excited about oatmeal!
 Makes me wish I was oatmeal.

Some untangling required.

Here-
Go to yoga  in a freezing cold gymnasium with the ambiance of a locker room while wearing long pants, yoga top, jacket and socks.  Finally feel warmed up about 15 minutes into class.
There-
Go to hot yoga  in a lovely, serene, 95-100 degree yoga studio wearing regular yoga clothes .  Leave class warm to the core and feeling like I can take on the rest of the day!

Here-
I check my phone or computer dozens of times a day.  I think in complete sentences.  Seldom feel any urgency in my day.
There-
Phone?  Where is my phone?  John has it, he wants to "see" pictures of himself and his brothers.  I don't dare get on the computer for fear that will only beg the next question from one of the boys, "Can we play on the iPad?"  Which will result in disappointment because they aren't allowed to play iPad during the week.  (Yay, Mommy and Daddy!)  I experience many moments of urgency while I'm there, "Where is John?"  "What was that noise?"  "Is someone hurt?" "It took a lot longer to get everyone ready than I expected and now we are late!".

Here-
Many days just creep by following a daily routine.
There-
The hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. seemed to fly by while the time between 3p.m and bedtime is an endless blur of constant activity.

It has been almost 10 years since I sat in a carpool line!  Things haven't changed.....

Here-
Dinner is leisurely prepared and eaten, if we eat at home.
There-
Dinner is prepared on the go, with many distractions.  It is eaten about the same way too!

Here-
The house is quiet most of the time except for TJ in his office doing the cell yell and Sadie snoring on her bed.
There-
Quiet only exists between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., otherwise there is always someone talking, running, laughing, or crying.


Here-
I never go upstairs unless I'm expecting company, then I do a perfunctory dusting, sweeping and bed changing.
There-
I went up and down two sets of stairs MANY times a day.  Some of those trips involved carrying John.  Between all the bedrooms being upstairs and the playroom being in the basement, my quads and knees got quite the workout! Not to mention the weight lifting.

Here-
I enjoy a glass of wine before dinner and another after dinner.
There-
Absolutely no way to drink wine before dinner and being a responsible Gigi I only had one glass after the boys were in bed.  By that time I was too tired for another!

Funny thing is that at the beginning of the week I was a bit  totally overwhelmed and exhausted but by the end of the week I think we had gotten into our own little routine and my stamina was up to the 3 boys boot camp level.  This was all training for the ski trip we took last week.  All those stairs carrying John really paid off on the slopes.  The cold weather training also came in handy.  Of course it was much warmer in Utah than it was in Wisconsin!

10:19 at night and it was a toasty 64 degrees inside and a frigid 0.8 outside.  Yikes!

All I need is another week of "3 boys boot camp" and another week of skiing and I can be at my goal weight.  So much better than going to the gym!

The view at lunch was amazing, almost makes you forget to eat.....NOT!

P.S.  Although I only published one post in January, I was busy writing and re-writing, you just didn't get to read any of it.  Believe me when I say, "You didn't miss much.".   This is one of the posts that I was working on in January.