Kids and Dogs

Progress is progress, incremental and or otherwise. as i spend more time with my kid and dog i've noticed that we're all getting along better. Brandy is better behaved on our runs and M is going with the flow more.

M and I spend allot of time together this time of year as this is T's busy season. we've been getting out together more and i've found that if a can just accept the requisite whining and general lack of enthusiasm that preceeds any destination other than the mall, if i can just get through the transition were good .

sadly, my kid does not share my love of the great outdoors. she'd rather have her teeth cleaned than go on a hike. good oral hygiene aside it's a little weird.

and it's all my fault.

getting her outdoors has alway's been a colossal hassle. she'd put up such a fuss when she was a baby, the Burly kiddie trailer on the bike was disaster. projectile vomitting and screaming all along the canal trail pretty much sealed the deal that we were not going to ever be that family you see on a leisurley sunday ride on their way to a picnic.

occasionally, i'd get a sitter and go out by myself for a ride or walk but for the most part, especially this time of year we'd stay home. with each passing year i'd gain a few more pounds and more embedded in that damn couch because i just couldn't deal with the hassle of getting her ready to go. i never accepted that she wasn't into going and i got stuck with the idea of how it should be rather than accepting things for how they are. this has blocked me from figuring out a way to make it work. for years!

the trick seems to be not taking things too seriously. as with my short runs with brandy the focus is purely recreational. when she needs to sniff or explore i'm more relaxed vs before when i was trying to workout. going solo is a must from time to time.

with M little things like parking really far from the mall and less discussion about plans seems to work best . when i try to get her on-board with an activity she's not into, like the body world expo or taking Brandy to the dog park, she'll resist and startup with excuses, now i just say "this is what we're doing" and afterwards we can do_________.

giving her too many choices hasn't always worked out so good. now i just sign us up for stuff, she doesn't alway's like it but now that i don't expect her to want to go and just accept her attitude she's starting to come around. go figure.

i've been feeling a little guilty over the lack of focused workouts but on the other hand things are allot more peaceful this time of the year for the taylor household and that's pretty amazing. we're cooking and crafting more. taking brandy for walks, the other night we even sang christmas carols...badly...but we're laughing and enjoying eachother's company more this year. we're both high strung and there's never going to be a lack of drama but things are getting better.