lovin' life... lovin' food

My review: Lifetime Fitness – Fort Washington

I am obsessed with out new gym. It’s the Lifetime Fitness in Fort Washington. Since a million of you have asked me about it I thought I’d write up a full review.

Here are my thoughts:

1. It’s 6 full miles away from my house, which is pretty far for a gym where you’d plan on exercising every day. It is WORTH THE DRIVE. I’ve gone almost every day since we joined.

2. I’m really into fitness classes like barre, circuits, dance classes, and weights classes. Lifetime Fitness has a great variety and the instructors are amazing! Every class I’ve been to has been packed and beyond packed which keeps the energy high and the classes pass so quickly. The instructors all have different styles but are so encouraging and play great music. I haven’t tried spin because it isn’t my thing, but a friend of mine said they are super high energy.

3. There is free childcare, but not like the normal childcare you’d expect at a gym. They offer children’s classes at the same time as adult fitness classes. So if I am taking Dance Jam at 9:30 my kids might have the choice between arts and crafts, music and movement, yoga, or gym skills. My kids are 5, 4, and 2. There are lots of morning classes for ages 3-6 and lots of afternoon classes for both the 3-6 age group and the 7-12 age group. If your child doesn’t want to take a class there is also a 2 story indoor jungle gym and a little coloring table. Toddlers have their own separate space (but you can give them permission to roam and play in the bigger kid area) and babies have their own designated space.

The employees are always so happy and patient and almost always carrying a baby on one hip. They are getting to know my children by name and my kids are making friends too. In the fall they will start progressive classes which is just like classes anywhere else – you sign up for a session and then bring them each week so they will progress with their skills and see the same kids each week.

So far my kids have cried every single time we need to leave, and believe me I’m a fun mom. They just enjoy it that much. The only annoying thing is that they always need to wear socks so I started stuffing extra socks in my gym bag in case I forget.

4. The gym floor itself is state of the art. They have all the classic cardio machines like treadmills, ellipticals and stair steppers to nowhere. They have every machine you can imagine and a great selection of free weights. Besides that they also have less traditional gym equipment like heavy ropes, bosu balls, kettlebells etc.

5. I haven’t tried them yet but it’s worth nothing they also have a yoga and pilates studio.

6. There is a salon and spa. A salon!!! I got my hair done already and it was so nice not needing to find a babysitter. My kids took a soccer class while I got my hair done and we were all happy.

7. The pools are beautiful. They have an indoor lap pool for adults only, an indoor lap pool for children’s swimming lessons, and an indoor baby pool. Then outside they have a huge water slide, a baby pool area that feeds into a larger pool and an adults lap pool. With our membership our kids also got one month of free swim lessons.

8. I haven’t tried the food yet but they have a cafe indoors and out by the pools.

9. You activate your locker with your membership card so you never need to worry about bringing a lock. The bathrooms are stocked with shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, razors, mouthwash, hairspray, and body lotion. I’m sure I’m missing more. They have great soft white towels and plenty of showers.

I am OBSESSED with our new gym! If you have any more questions let me know and I’ll try to answer them.

Life Time Fitness
375 Commerce Drive
Fort Washington, PA

Raising three good kids.

I wonder if I’m failing at all of this momming stuff. I am definitely a good mom when it comes to teaching my kids through play. I come up with really fun activities and always have the energy to teach them in ways they enjoy, whether it’s obstacle courses in our yard or science experiments on rainy days. I remind myself of my mom in that she was a young, fun mom. She always had a desire for adventure and she always treated me as a person with my own thoughts and ideas. She indulged them, like the time she spent an afternoon with me making profiteroles from scratch or the time she took my brother and I blueberry picking right after school. I learned a lot about the world from her and am so thankful for that. I’m happy I’m like that too.

But there’s this whole other part of being a mom that I am just… not good at. I never know the right way to discipline my kids. I’m inconsistent – I will discipline consistently when I’m alone with them, but the minute my husband is home or we’re in public or with friends I let a lot more slide. I know I shouldn’t, but I do because it’s HARD to leave a fun activity when my kids have misbehaved. And it’s hard to discipline one child without punishing them all at once. And sometimes I’m just tired from a full day of discipline and parenting.

I yell too much. I swore I never would but I find myself yelling at them about random things like getting their shoes on after the third time I’ve politely asked. Or I send them to play alone in the basement so I can cook dinner without listening to them argue. Sometimes I have expectations that are too high of them, and other times I don’t expect enough.

Sometimes I feel this panic rising in my heart like I just have no idea what I’m doing and I’m failing them. I don’t think I give them enough attention, but with three of them and a house and part time jobs and endless to do lists I just can’t always find the time.

I find myself worrying that while my kids are very academically advanced, they are missing manners and skills they should have by now.

But then my oldest will surprise me as he looks at the director of the school straight in the eye and wishes her a good morning. Or when he tells me he is happy I am going to hot yoga so I can be strong and feel good and healthy. Or when he helps his baby sister by bringing her favorite blanket to her.

And sometimes my middle child will surprise me as she navigates a playground with a million older kids without a problem, making friends left and right. Or when she tries a brand new food, and instead of spitting it out will swallow it with a polite “no, thanks.”

And sometimes the baby will surprise me with how much she loves her brother and sister. The adoration can be seen in every moment, from her kisses and hugs to her grabbing their hands to pull them to help her with some activity.

All of those moments are so sweet and make me proud as a mother. What do I do to make them happen more and more frequently? I want to raise good mannered children who are not spoiled, who will try new activities and who will have a thirst for knowledge and life that never ends. I want them to be kind to one another always, and kind to me. I want them to learn to make their beds every day and to take care of their things.

I am just babbling here, but it’s something I think about often. And if I’m thinking about it maybe you are too.

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