We’ve Got Our Stroll On!
As much as I’d like to spend all day outdoors with my daughter, there’s a sad truth that keeps us indoors all too often – some would call it the mortgage.
I know, mean ol’ Mommy.
But I try to make up for the hours inside with a walk as often as weather permits. When Jillian was a baby, we’d stroll down the back road where I grew up, a flat but winding one-lane street that parallels the river. Packed into her stroller with a mountain of supplies in the bag slung over the back handles, we’d set off with my closest mom friend Denise and her son, Michael.
With Denise’s second pregnancy came the necessity to find additional walking partners, and my little politician has picked up her own friends and made their mamas mine. Well, at least made these women I already liked into friends to head out on the open road with for an evening stroll.
Moms are lost without their strollers – and we all know mamas can’t move without them. The styles on the market are getting better and so are the accessories! I don’t leave home without my Beverage Caddi hanging off the stroller handle. Using centrifugal force to keep my precious caffeinated beverage du jour inside, the simple (and inexpensive!) beverage sleeve has its own handles so you can carry it with a pinky to save your other fingers for all the other baggage of mommyhood. Or the handles slip on over the stroller – where I usually park it.
Of course these days, Jillian has grown resistant of the buckles and straps, and our walks have changed up a bit. Anything under a half mile or so, and she insists she can walk herself.
Frustrating at first, I’ve come to realize this is our down time, our special time. On my three major work-from-home days, I don’t have as much Jillian time as I’d like. She spends a lot of time playing on her own in my office – and, yes, the TV might be on for extended periods, but I can assure you she’s usually doing something else!
A short walk to the post office each day is our special time, our Mommy and Jilly moment. It’s a quiet time – no TV, no ringing phone. It’s a chance to point out the birds perched on the neighbor’s roof or provide names to the flowers she picks on the way. Mamas on the move need that. Not to the post office, perhaps, but a walk around the yard or to the park. I’m counting on these being the moments I look back on when she’s too big to cuddle on my lap and too cool to bother holding my hand.
In our case, the walk has already given rise to a new tradition – wanting to be “just like Mommy,” Jillian now plunks one of her “dollies” in her doll stroller and away we go.
A few of our favorites:
The Valco Mini Marathon we found at Joggermom is Jillian’s number one pick. A three-wheeled stroller, it’s the doll’s equivalent of the jogger we all drooled over in the stores in our baby registry days. My husband promises it’s a snap to assemble (oops, yup, the secret’s out, when I say easy-to-put-together that means my husband did it!), and the under-the-carriage basket is just the right size for an extra sippy cup, a spare book in case we stop somewhere on the walk or the pair of rubber boots she’s decided we need just because. This stroller’s a perfect height for mom to push when little girls get tired, and it folds right in half for easy storage in the back of the car! Joggermom Kelly is a true mama on the move with four kids – including a set of triplets! She promises this is a stroller that will stand the test of time, and with the fantastic assortment of stroller goodies on her site, I trust her wholeheartedly!
If your little one is more of an umbrella stroller type of gal, my little girl product connoisseur would send you over to Pottery Barn Kids for their Doll Zooper. Rumor has it this is the stroller Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s little girl pushes around town, and I can see why. Not as easy to assemble as the Valco (sorry, honey), this is still a solid little stroller that folds up quite easily to throw in the back of the car when you’re on the go. With an umbrella to protect their precious cargo, this is a stroller for some high class dollies.
Jillian’s doll buggy from Magic Cabin is less of a walking companion and more of an at-home toy, but a list of doll strollers just wouldn’t be complete without it! Hand crafted, it requires minimal assembly, but the simple design gives this stroller a classic look. Reminiscent of the old “prams” that are still popular in some spots of the world, this is one toy that really feels ageless. Its only décor is a simple yellow “mattress” and “pillow” for their special friends, which makes the buggy stand out from all the other frenzied toys vying for their attention.
So moms, what are your tips for getting in a special few moments of Mommy and Me time? Leave them in comments . . .
August 12th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
My baby and I take a daily walk through the garden to see what creatures we can find, what is in bloom, and what is ripe and ready to pick. At 10 months old, she is already starting to point things out to me… which I think is pretty cool
August 13th, 2008 at 1:08 am
My daughter and I always enjoy our bedtime book reading and morning snuggle. I love that we end her day together and start her day together.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
It is all about books and reading as much as It isn’t my # one I only do 2 novels a summer for me but we do at least 6 hours a week as mommie me reading time. ps I’m getting my beverage caddi right now!
August 15th, 2008 at 12:42 am
I try to spend as much mommy time with my little one as possible. We garden and pick the fruits of our labor, read every night before bed time and as he gets older he helps me cook/bake wonderful meals. I try to get him involved in everything I do so we can spend more time together. We also go for walks almost every night. I don’t know how us mother’s can do so much in so little time we have?!?!