Family Walk Club

Cameron and I started a Family Walk Club.  For each 10 miles we walk, we get a prize.  Cameron has been incredibly motivated by this idea and prefers to walk just about everywhere now.  Granted, he's always been pretty good about walking or biking instead of driving.  "I should make a sign," he grumbles as we walk, "that says 'People!  More walking!  Less driving!  Good for the planet!'" 
But the club has motivated him to suggest a walk even more.  We've had some adventures already.  Earlier this week, we walked about 2 miles to the pool for Cameron's swim lesson.  When the lesson was over, we hadn't even walked to the sidewalk before thunder started to rumble.  We hurried along and about 1/2 mile later it started raining.  We took shelter in a drugstore, where wasted time and made some random purchases.  "Hmmm.  We are running low on vitamins.  And I guess we could use some envelopes . . . " 

After a while, we ventured out and it was still pouring.  So we went into a costume shop and bought a long white beard and half moon spectacles. 

Cameron started planning the 2010 Halloween Costume around November 1, 2009.  He will be going as Dumbledore.  I am planning to make Matthew a Hedwig the Snowy Owl costume.  If all goes as planned, I will be Tonks and David will be Harry Potter. 

Dumbledore props stowed in the stroller, we walked out and it was STILL pouring.  Finally, we resigned ourselves to getting wet and walked home in a downpour.  Everyone was quite good natured about the whole thing though, and the boys delighted in telling daddy about how wet they got and how brave they were.

We also walked to the park early yesterday morning and stayed until after our picnic lunch.  By then it was sweltering and I really, really didn't know if we were going to make it the last 1/2 mile.  Thank goodness for very large water bottles.

The prizes for our Family Walk Club make it worth the heat stroke, though -- all stuff we can do as a family.  We just hit 20 miles and our reward was a gross science kit.  The boys enthusiastically chose the experiment which teaches about passing gas.  We carefully measured yeast and water and sugar and bits of bread into a plastic bag, sealed it and place it in a bowl of water.  "Over the next 1-2 hours, you will see small bubbles of gas escape the bag," I read. 

Cameron promptly pulled up a chair and said, "Set the timer for 2 hours!"

Upcoming prizes will be somewhat less disgusting, focusing mainly on trips to museums and such.  But we do still have quite a few disgusting experiments to complete -- we're talking snot and scabs and foot germs!