JEI - Sports and Exercise Edition

Welcome back to another round of JEI (Just Enough Info) with The Zelie Group! This week we're talking about sports and exercise. Make sure to leave your answers in the comments, or link up your own blog post!

1. What sports do your kids play?

This weekend is John's last weekend of Soccer for the Fall!

This was his first year playing any sort of team sport, and it only happened because my husband completely took on the responsibility of signing him up, getting gear, and taking him to practice.

I think it's safe to say he's savoring this part of the father-son experience.

Therese gets to come too! But she mostly does this. And makes friends with the other adults on the sidelines. Can't keep an extrovert down...

Ballet is our other big addition for John this year.

As we'll discuss in a minute, Ballet is both art and sport for me. It's been a part of my life since I was a 4 year old, and it's been such a precious experience to start to share it with my kids.

John has caught on that he is the only boy in his class, but I don't think it bothers him much. He sees a few other boys who are in the next few levels up in their uniforms that are the same as his, and he's met some of my instructors who are incredibly talented male dancers.

2. What do you do for exercise?

Ballet (lots), Pilates, East Coast Swing, and hiking/walking probably count as my main exercise.

We live a pretty active life here. We don't have a car, so the kids and I walk somewhere between 2-4 miles in a typical day going for adventures and doing errands.

I get to take an open Ballet class once or twice a week, and I have a swing dance meet up every other week. (You can read more about this Ballet journey here.)That's not nearly enough to maintain, much less build, strength and muscle memory so I fill in the other days with specific workouts, at home barre exercises, and Pilates.

John has taken to doing a lot of the strengthening and toning work alongside me. I have some basic rules for working with the kids around. Everyone has to be on their own rug/mat and no climbing on anyone else. Therese struggles with that last rule greatly.

Matt took this during our last Choreography class of the summer ballet intensive.
Therese looked at it and said, "Oh, there's mama. Where me?" 

The swing dance meet up started when I met my dance partner, RJ. (Super cool new Jesuit deacon, and soon to be priest, that you'll learn more about tomorrow!) We both wanted more of a chance to dance and work on partnering. I agreed to swing dance if he would learn some ballet partnering (because you can't pas de deux by yourself!) It grew from there, and we're putting on our second big Swing Dance in just a few weeks!

I feel very strongly that it's important to find some form of exercise that is not a chore for you. Ballet still hurts (trust me!) but I love seeing how far I can push myself, and what physical limitations I can adapt to create something beautiful and new.

3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?

If we're going purely off mom related skills, probably flipping kids onto my back.

I still wear the two year old in a back carry with an Ergo on the regular. When people see me put her up in the carrier, there is a normally mention of my "ninja mom skills". Mostly because I flip her up and around my head like Superman putting on a cape.

I want to tell them that my real ninja mom skill was that one time we had a horrendous library trip. Therese fell and was crying, John claimed to be too exhausted to walk any further, and I was carrying our 20+ typical library haul in a tote bag. I put Therese on my back, carried John in my arms, and the books in the bag uphill for half a mile.

I'm not sure if that's more "desperate times call for desperate measures" than skill, but I now know I can carry close to half my body weight for a decent distance. If I have to anyway.

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Your turn! Answer the following questions in the comments or link up a blog post!

1. What sports do your kids play?

2. What do you do for exercise?

3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?

Next week JEI is about the Year of Mercy.

The Year of Mercy wraps up on November 20th.  

1. What did (or can in these last few weeks!) What are you thankful for?our family do to mark the year?

2. What Work of Mercy is easiest or most challenging for you?

3. Do you have a story of mercy in your own life to share?  Or do you have a favorite saint/quote/resource to pass along?