spokesNspin

A short time ago somebody sent me a news article about a discussion in the mommy blog world about when or if someone should add a third child to the mix. I guess more couples are opting to have three children nowadays. My friend wondered what I thought given that I have six children. Today for Carrie’s Foto Fiesta I want to share my wisdom gained through hard earned experience along with a favorite pic of my children.

This is my fav because it accurately depicts my children. When they are together they often look like a basket of puppies sitting and lying all over each other. I think this pic was taken in 2004 or 2005. I have trouble with dates including birthdates of my children. I am certain that each of them has a birthday and it comes around once a year.

Back to the original theme. Here is what I tell people about adding children.

Number 1-This is an exciting and life changing experience. One day there is just the two of you and the next you are three and your life will never be the same again. There is a lot of learning and anxiety in taking care of this first baby.

You faithfully complete the baby book with lots of pictures and each new milestone.

Number 2-This is exciting but you have one under your belt so you can be more relaxed and enjoy it more. The baby book gets most of the blanks filled in.

Number 3- This is a major leap. You know why? Because now the parents are outnumbered by children! Any time you go anywhere it becomes problematic about who is taking care of which child. In our case number 3 was born at home in a freak May snowstorm. The midwife didn’t make it and Nancy delivered on her own with me frantically telling her to relax and her telling me that she was relaxed and would I please take a chill pill for hell sakes.

The baby book has the child’s birth date and a few comments about the birth recorded.

Number 4- You have now reached the point where things are again difficult. All the hand me down baby clothing is competely worn out. You have out grown most normal cars. You figured out a long time ago that a daily bath for a baby and each child isn’t necessary. They get one once a week whether they need it or not.

You bought a baby book but damned if you can find it.

Number 5-Who is counting at this point? The oldest children now have friends coming and going. You are not even sure if all the children in the house belong to you. You just discipline who ever needs it and feed who ever shows up.

You keep telling yourself you should go pick up a baby book.

Number 6-Four of our six children were born at home including number six. It was a crazy night. When Andrew arrived and everything was cleaned up and he was wrapped and in my wife’s arm I looked at her and said, “I don’t know about you but I can’t go through another labor and delivery”.

And the baby book? What’s a baby book?

I have been scheduling an appointment with my doc for a physical and follow-up dexa-scan.  Yep that’s right.  A few years ago I was reading all the press about apparently fit cyclists who were getting major bone fractures from minor falls. 

It turns out that there seems to be a higher than normal incidence of osteoporosis in cyclists.  There hasn’t been enough research to determine why this is the case.  But they have a higher incidence than couch potatoes.  Bicycling around ten hours or more per week seems to be the threshold.

I was discussing this with my doc a couple of years ago and she decided to order a dexa-scan.  I had osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Now every two years I have to go hang out with old ladies and get a scan.  I also have to take a prescription.  The worst is my kids look at the prescription brochure with pictures of gray haired grandmas  and laugh and say “look dad is taking old lady medicine”.

Cross training is important for everyone.  But it is very important for people who engage a lot in one activity and do very little of some others.   Since my diagnosis two years ago I have put more emphasis on x-training.

A good x-training program consists of three parts, cardiovascular, resistance and flexibility. 

Bicycling is very good cadiovascular but not much else.  Bicyclists should spend time running and/or lifting weights.  Running of course helps with cardio but it is also good for strengthening bones.

I also take classes in yoga and Pilates each week.  I have been very impressed with how much these classes improve my bicycling.  Let me give two examples.

A month or so after I started with Bodyflow(a class in yoga, Pilates and tai chi) I was bicycling in the winter and slipped on an ice patch and fell.  I wasn’t hurt but normally after a fall like that I would have some aches and pains and stiffness the next day.  I woke up the next morning without a trace of any of that.  I attribute that to increased flexibility and core strength.

In May of this year I participated in a century(100 mile)bike ride.  This was the first century I have done in about three years.  At the end of the ride I was very impressed with the lack of fatigue and aches in my back, shoulders etc. 

Again I think it was the improvement in my core strength from Pilates.  I think Pilates is the best thing I do for my body that carries over to every other aspect of my life.

If you are a runner you can give your legs a rest but continue to train your cardiovascular system by bicycling.  In fact it is an important part of Jeff Galloway’s training for runners.

If you are a male the other benefit to yoga and Pilates classes is the number of women in the class. 

I keep preaching the need to for x-training to my friends but unfortunately they don’t listen. 

It’s interesting to see the collection of bikes on racks at work.  They range from high priced road bikes to old rusty single speeds.  This bike win’s the prize:

This guy doesn’t even have a seat.  He has tied an old sofa throw pillow on the bike.  Ouch!  The bike didn’t have any front brakes either.

He has a pretty heavy duty lock on it.  I have noticed that the most beat up old bikes often have the best locks.  I guess if you can’t even afford a seat for your bike you certainly don’t want it stolen.

One bad thing about our bicycle racks at work is they are located in the same general area where all the smokers congregate.  So people who are trying to be healthy and ride bicycles to work often have to walk through a blue haze of tobacco smoke to get to their bikes.

Ironic isn’t it.

I saw this yesterday at the racks:

What is it about some smokers that they don’t seem to think they should put their butts in an ash tray?  Just throw them on the ground.  It’s a dirty stinky practice.  It’s not good enough to do this in the smoking area.  Whoever this person is feels the need to come over to the bikes to crush his butts.

I’d like to kick somebody’s butt!

Remind’s me of a No Smoking sign I saw once.  It said, “This non-smoking area patrolled by Smokey The Bear.  If you are caught smoking he will crush your butt”.

The results for July: 

Bike miles: 759, 27 days and 32  trips.

Car miles: 194, 10 trips of which 3 were less than 10 miles.

The trips on the bike aren’t exact.  I will often take more than one trip that doesn’t get counted as a trip but does end up in total mileage. 

For example, yesterday I rode to the doctor.  That is about a two mile round trip. Later I rode over to the gym for a class.   That is about a mile and a half one way.  And that doesn’t count that I also took a fitness ride during the day.

I do several several errands like that every week.