Look who went with us . .

The walk to school this morning.

I just got back from a brisk 45 minute walk with Smiley

A Nice Walk with my Kiddos

Smiley, Junie and I set out on a walk to enjoy the weather today. We walked to and from the Family Dollar store, meandering a bit along the route.

Brrr

I went out for a walk with Junie and Smiley but turned around after only about a quarter mile. The cold was bad enough, but with the wind? No thanks.

The Community Center Food Pantry Walk 2016

Earlier this month Team Slap participated once again in the charity walk for the local food pantry. It's one of the ways we try and give back to the community, and it's become an annual tradition. 

The night before I took the kids to the store and allowed them to each buy five dollars worth of food to donate, in addition to our cash gift. 

Early the next morning, under a cloudy sky threatening rain, we met up with friends at the Community Center. 

Grace's friend Nick walked with us, and very kindly offered his condolences on the loss of Jaspare. 

And then we were off, sticking to the longer 3 mile course. The organizers claim it's only 2.6 miles, but even the map they hand out betrays that white lie. 

For the second year my friend Tre and his family joined us!

Smiley spent much of the walk watching over my Godson. Cutest moment of the day: seeing the two of them skip, hand in hand, near the end of the walk. 

Alas, the skies broke open near the start of the walk and we spent the majority of it wading, undeterred, through a big rainstorm. 

Afterwards, soaked to the bone, we (well, everyone but me) dined on ice cream at the community center before walking home. 

I look forward to participating again next year, and hope to enlist even more people into joining us!

Just Walkin'

Walking the kids to school earlier today

A rare January Walk

I took advantage of the gorgeous 30 degree weather to walk #teamslap to school for only the second time in '15. It felt great!

A Great Moment!

I walked and met the kids on the way home from school. Smiley ran a whole block to give me a hug when he saw me. #BeatThat

We Have a Reader!

I don't know what's got into our #Centerpieces, but this morning both Smiley and LuLu read through the entire walk to school. (Personally, I'd throw up if I tried to read while walking, but they've got the knack.) Best of all was his choice of book - Ender's Game! 

I expect this kind of thing from the #Bookends, but from the #Centerpieces? Wow. And HOT DOG!

The St. Vincent De Paul Society Walk for the Poor

Today #TeamSlap (minus Junie and Lisa) took on The St. Vincent De Paul Society Walk for the Poor along the Oak Leaf Trail on Milwaukee's lakefront.

Despite stopping for some pictures (and to move a caterpillar out of harms way) we finished the 3 mile course in just over 45 minutes! A fine pace! Smiley, in fact would often run ahead as much as a quarter mile, then double back to us, so he probably did the equivalent of a 4 mile route. 

They ran short of t-shirts and had only one left, and Lu won an epic rock-paper-scissors battle to claim it. The organizers asked for a picture of us at the "summit" of the walk so look for that in future ads for the annual walk. 

Way to go Smiley, LuLu, and YaYa! I'm so proud of you!