Tykes on bikes

I'm ambivalent about kids' sports teams.  In my experience, soccer teams and dance lessons have often been more family unfriendly than my job is.  That whole segregate-people-by-age thing; the whole kids-run-around-while-parents-sit-on-their-duffs thing; in those senses, I'm not really a good sport.

But weekends during the summer, those let us be active together as a family.  Last Saturday, the three boys and their two parents all got to do a 5k race together.   The boys bragged up a storm beforehand, and J-son proved his mettle, finishing the run in 22 minutes.  The other two boys, they talk the talk, and they walked the run.  We'll have more chances to run together as a family this summer.  Some of us, it seems, need to get in shape.  But that's something we can do as a family; we don't have to do it one-by-one, within our own age-specific groups.

After the run, there was a food fair and some bike races.  What a great day for hanging out together!

The boys got to chow down on hot dogs and ice cream.

Um, so did I!

They got to climb on the Turkey Hill cow . . . 

. . . and to cheer for their father in his bike race.  

See the bikes in the distance?  I love seeing the neon colors come into view
over the Lancaster farm land.  

Today, while I'm marching in commencement (wearing those robes that came into style a half a millenium ago), the boys will ride their bikes with my husband to a race he's doing about 10 miles away.  Once again, food will be involved (a "free" breakfast is included in the race fee).  The boys will get to cheer for their dad, then have ice cream, and then ride home together again.  The family that sweats together, gets together.  Or something.

This is a great Miser Mom style entertainment.  It's not free, but it's a fairly cheap way to celebrate in a crowd.  And to get exercise, too.