Feel-Good Summertime Rituals

No matter how hard I try, I can't sleep in. I have always despised this fact, especially on those rare summer mornings when there's nothing on the schedule and no one is waking me up.

But now that I have a house full of children, it's the only time I have to do my three most important "me-time" activities: Pray, read scriptures and exercise. I'm grateful that my eyes pop open by 6:30. It's my golden time. On the days that I can get all three of those things in, life is good. The Spirit is with me and I can take on whatever the world or my family wants to throw my way.

I usually only get a few minutes for the meditation part, before the first of our Rugrats wakes up. That is usually Anya. Between 6:30 and 7:00, she climbs out of bed, walks out of her room, shuts her door loudly behind her (I wince every time) and heads down the stairs. I usually put a cartoon on for her so I can finish my reading, then it's usually only 20 minutes or so before I hear Eli crying out for us. (Don't know why he doesn't come downstairs on his own. He's in a big boy bed now!)

Anyhow, Jeremy is usually gone to work by this time and the older kids are still sleeping. I know that if I don't exercise right then, it won't happen because it gets hot. So I throw on some cool clothes and tennies, put the Little's, pajamas and all, into the stroller (they always say, YEAH!!!) and we are on our way.

There's a beautiful jogging trail near our house that winds through trees, along a river. That's where we usually go. But sometimes we go walk around this little reservoir that was just made this past year. It's so pretty.

I love to run, but my knees aren't so good any more, so I usually run some of the time and walk the rest.  Once or twice a week, one of my good friends (Emily or Melissa) come along and we talk the whole hour away. (Emily took this picture.)  It ALWAYS gets the feel-good chemicals going in the brain and we all agree it makes us much happier mommies.

A little side note: If you like to walk or especially run a lot and have a baby or young child or two, I highly recommend the Bob Revolution stroller. It is an investment, but a total dream to push. I didn't realize how great it was until I put Eli and Anya in a different double stroller one time and started sweating within a few seconds.  Pushing a Bob is like driving a Lexus as opposed to an old Ford. :-) They are worth every penny. At least mine is. I use it MUCH more than my eliptical or gym membership.

So back to the subject of feel-good chemicals. There was a study done at the University of Washington on the effect of light and exercise on mood. It was found that going out for a brisk walk in the sunlight, even when it's cold and/or overcast, for a minimum of 20 minutes every day, will eliminate the need for anti-depressants in most women. Getting sunlight into your eyes is key! It totally works for me.  Read the book When Your Body Gets the Blues, then try the formula, (at least 20 minutes of light and moderate exercise and a combination of mood-enhancing vitamins and minerals) and you'll be amazed! Most people even lose a little weight as a side-effect because of the way it changes the chemistry in their brain and gets rid of cravings. Cool!

My other favorite time of day in the summer is that hour or two before dark. It's just beautiful where we live. Our family walks around our neighborhood every Sunday night at this time. It's one of our favorite traditions.

Many times, we meet up with friends during our walks.  Tonight it was the Brady's.

This was taken right in front of our house. How about that view of the Temple? Ahhh...

 

(Can someone tell me how to get a good far-away SLR picture when it's dark without the blur? I need help! I took a bunch of photos at my nephew's wedding reception last weekend and they ALL turned out blurry. UGH!)

Have a great week everyone! Enjoy your last few weeks of summer vacation.  We're going to be busy with dentist and doctor appointments, some more painting in the house, a trip to Yellowstone, Anya's school IEP meetings, a bridal shower, a Josh Groban concert (me and my sisters and mom) and Landon's birthday! We never slow down around here. It's crazy!