**Note: Press play to hear the audio while reading this post. It will make sense by the end, promise.
Drake. “Hotline Bling.” By Aubrey Graham, Paul Jeffries, and Timmy Thomas. Hotline Bling. Cash Money, 2015.
Eighty-five degrees or forty-five degrees, popsicle or Hot Pocket, my daughter Macey and I are out the door. We have a snowsuit and blanky in January or a rainguard for most of the other days of the year. The stroller ride has become my sanity. I can exercise regardless of the weather. My little Mace face, for a while, was happiest pointing out birds, mailboxes, dogs, and people, or even taking a long nap. Stroller jogging 101 became a new class that I was only partially prepared to handle.
We have had several phases of stroller jogging. The initial death march began only four weeks post-op. I had a C-section and was determined to be the fastest healer, ready to tackle any exercise. It was a slow, steady journey that led me to this regular exercise routine. However, I soon realized that jogging was not just an option, but a requirement for this newborn. I facilitated her already innate desire to sleep while in motion. This stroller ride now meant that she needed those soothing vibrations to nap and sleep through the night. Finally at 10 months old, we made it in the crib through the night, but it was not an easy transition.
First, the infant sling, in this appropriately named Chariot, made jogging safe while babies’ neck muscles cannot support the jarring created while running. Getting my girl used to the idea of strolling/jogging created a routine, so she expected this to be a part of our day. Despite my efforts to make her jogger comfortable and fun, there are still some days that the yummiest, most enticing snacks do not last more than a mile. For a while, my now 19 month old was maxing out at a 1-2 mile jog (or about 20 minutes), and as soon as the last snack was gone, things started flying out of the stroller.
While I wouldn’t put it past me to bedazzle my stroller, it has not come to that yet. The well-equipped toddler stroller has to have some HotRide Bling—that special mom bling you need before you head out of the house for a jog, toddler in tow.
#1 Music—I picked up a $20 portable stereo at Walmart that hooks up to an ipod
#2 Food—this is the main source of entertainment, so I wait until she is ready for a snack around mid-morning or after her nap to go on the stroll. Crackers, cheerios, berries, applesauce, raisins, pretzels, oranges, apples, bananas, yogurt bites, pretty much anything I can grab and put in a cup or bag works…sometimes.
#3 Drink—pack a sippy cup and/or milk if it is time
#4 Blanket/Lovey/Animals—These are snuggly but sometimes get thrown out. If you see a small stuffed hedgehog on the sidewalk, please contact me.
#5 Books—The lift-a-flap books are great for the stroller because they take up time, but make sure you aren’t super attached to the book
#6 Other toys—Macey likes her monster truck school bus the best, but matchbox cars, trains, little purses to hide them in, etc. I put these in the mesh bag in the back of the stroller.
#7 Talking—we talk most of the run about what we see: the construction, the wildlife, the possibility of what we might see, pretty much anything!
#8 Hail Mary—have a last resort plan. I toss my phone in the stroller which at any moment might break, and with lightning speed we zoom back to the house. Is this a bad idea?
This goes out to all my jogging moms.
HotRide Bling
You used to ride in my jogger
You used to, you used to
Yeah
You used to ride all day long
Late night now I need my sleep
Ride in my stroller
Late night now I need my sleep
And I know you need that hotride bling
That snack mix combo, your favorite thing
I know you need that hotride bling
That music bumpin and the stroller swings
Ever since you started runnin’ round
You got a reputation for yourself now
Everybody knows and they hear you scream
Girl you got me down, you got me stressed out
Ever since you started runnin’ round
You started wearing less and runnin’ round more
Sippy cups, snacks it’s more than you could ask for
Screamin’ like some girl I’ve never seen before
You used to ride in my jogger
Late night now I need my sleep
Ride in my stroller
Late night when you need my sleep
I know you need that hotride bling
Books and toys and your dog that sings
I know you need that hotride bling
Saucy pouches and a phone that rings
Ever since I left the house, you, you, you
You and me we just don’t get along
You make me feel like I did you wrong
Going places where I like to jog
Ever since I left the house,
you, you got exactly what you asked for
Running out of pages in your flip book
Screamin’ like some girl I’ve never seen before
These days, all I do is give you more food
Used to always love to jog, be a good girl
You was in the zone, yeah
You should just be yourself
Right now, you’re someone else
