Daughter generates plenty of energy in this house

I used to think of watching TV as a sedentary activity. I guess it is for a lot of people. Not for my daughter, though. She wiggles, tumbles and hangs upside-down.

“Stop bouncing,” my husband pleads during each family movie night. You see, her grandmother sent her an exercise ball for Christmas, and she’s been bouncing on it ever since, only breaking for meals or sleep. I have taken to using the coffee table as a barricade during movie night to keep her from bouncing in front of the couch or too closely to her dad. Just trying to keep the peace.

We installed a yoga swing in my daughter’s room a couple of years ago. She likes to read while in an inverted pose. Let’s face it, the kid has a lot of energy. One time, we went to Sears to find a table saw. That was the first time she laid eyes on a treadmill. It was true love. Actually, I can relate. I’ve often wished for a treadmill at my desk. So far, I haven’t been able to get my boss on board with the idea, but I haven’t completely given up.

Over at a friend’s house, I was introduced to a man who told me this story. When he was a kid, his mother would make him run 10 laps around the outside of their house before she would let him in. She wasn’t going to let him inside with all that energy. Everybody assumed that they had a dog because of the track burned into their lawn. “Nope, that’s just from me,” he’d explain.