Now that the weather is FINALLY starting to warm up (it HAS! Remember the subzeros of January?), it's time to start finding ways to get outside whenever possible. It'll be hit or miss for awhile since snow is always possible until May. (Yes. May.)

Two years ago I invested in a very fancy, very expensive, but much-loved stroller called a Chariot Cougar 2. It is a very lightweight aluminum chassis with attachments to be a jogger, a bike trailer and a cross-country ski trailer. I felt it was important to get a stroller that can be used during all seasons. My husband thought it was important for me to quit talking about it.

I've found that if I don't have to worry as much about my kids getting cold while we're out, I'm much more likely to make it a habit of taking them with me when I exercise. It has a very heavy-duty wind/rain cover that keeps it nice and toasty inside for Diva and Hunk. I mean, they're not exactly sitting in our living room, but I've seen some Amish buggies that aren't nearly as tricked out. Those folks travel miles and miles. We can only manage about 60 minutes, tops.

Exercising outdoors with kids in tow is a learned skill for both mommy and kiddos. It is quite different to plug in to your ipod and pound away at a treadmill while someone else watches your kids for an hour and a half (ala YMCA child watch – which I use and love) than it is to push two kids, shoulder-to-shoulder, in front of you down the open road.

Which is why I LOVE the Black River Trail, located on Huntington Street on the Black River in Watertown.

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