Here's the fantasy:

I blade gracefully to YMCA, head held high while my smiling children quietly sit in their stroller and take in the scenery.

Here's the reality:

I'm pushing the stroller weighing an extra 70 lbs that I hadn't figured into the equation.
(30lb kid + 30lb kid + stroller = heavy)

So in the first five minutes, my glutes are aching, my quads are shaking and my heart is pounding like crazy. Heart-pounding,red-faced, gums bleeding, and sucking wind I make half way to the Y.

The kids spot a park, "can we play there mommy?"
"Of course you can" I reply, telling myself what a good mom I am for stopping. When in reality, I'm thanking God that I can stop before my lungs explode!

So I watch the kids play while I try to pick up the pieces of my shattered delusion that I'm still in "good shape".

Then its time to go home. Every few minutes I give it a good push, partly for cardio-training, and partly to get home faster.

So we're whipping down the street now. Rebecca has her hand up and she's yelling "faster, faster, faster...." Now I feel like a sled dog, so I start to break into fits of giggles....which isn't good as I'm already sucking wind.

Isbella is yelling "Whee weeeeeeeeeeeeee" and I'm laughing at both of them, red-faced and wild-eyed from the blading, as I whip down the street at top speed.

Just when I don't think this scene couldn't make me laugh any harder, an elderly lady out for a walk sees us and "tsk tsk"s as she shakes her head at us......well.....I'm sure she never.....

Which is too bad, because that's the most fun I've had in a long time!!!!