How many steps you got?

The kids' reward this week for doing their chores everyday was pedometers for everyone. Here's the background. The last DMBA health challenge was a walking one. You had to walk so many steps a day, and to measure this, John and I wore pedometers all day every day. Some how we ended up with an extra one, and so the older girls started taking turns wearing this one and seeing how many steps they could get in a day.

One day I saw Mary jumping from foot to foot in the back room. "What are you doing?" I asked. She said, "I'm trying to get to a 1000 steps." Whatever, I thought.

Another day I found Emma sitting on the side of our bed, bouncing up and down. Again I asked, "What are you doing?" She lifted up her shirt, pointed to the pedometer and said, "I'm trying to get more steps." Whatever makes them happy I guess.

So I picked up a pedometer for everyone at the dollar store and when I handed them out on Friday, you would have thought that I was the greatest mom ever. We spent an hour outside of the kids running around frantically, then stopping and comparing how many steps they had on their pedometers. Ruth, Lily and Adam ran up to me about every five seconds, pointed to their pedometers and asked, "How many do I have now mom?" It was pretty hilarious.

Adam, especially, got the routine down. For the rest of the weekend, he has been coming up to everyone, lifting his shirt and when they ask, "How many steps you got?" he answers enthusiastically, "Eight!" It's always eight, but he seems happy.

I never realized pedometers could be so much fun. I'm tempted to send the kids outside and say, "Don't come back in until you have 3000 steps." Sounds like fun to me.