Homegirl Quel (kel) in Austin

On Being Young-Old & (totally unrelated) Not Having Haters

I went to a dance last night with my husband and a few friends. It was a scholarship fundraiser hosted by  the sorority Delta Sigma Theta. My husband and I were the first of our group to arrive. When we walked in, I was pleased to hear something from the seventies (Earth, Wind & Fire maybe) blasting from the speakers by the DJ booth, to smell some type of party meat (turned out to be wings and meatballs) because we hadn't had dinner and were starving, and to see so many older people out to have a good time. While we waited for our friends to show up, I traded text messages with some of them, mostly telling them about the vibe of the event. We traded a few "old folk" jokes since we were among the youngest ones there. As they showed up two by two, we continued with the "old folk" one-liners. We danced to funk and r&b from way-way back in the day, and some hip-hop from the birth of hip-hop the whole time, taking breaks for food and water and to talk with friends. I have been known to dance all night to Gaga and Rhianna and Pitbull, etc., but I have not had more fun than two-stepping and doing dances from before I was in high school with my husband and friends. About mid-way through the event, we were having drinks, and one of us said something else about how much fun it was two-stepping and doing [insert any of several awesome old and new popular black line-dances here] with the old heads. That's when the youngest one in our group who is still a twenty-something was like, "What y'all have failed to realize is that this is y'all's music. Y'all are the 'old heads' now." That hurt. For like half-a minute. Then, on my way back out to the dance floor, in true old head form,  I was like, "Well old heads can sho'nuff show the young'ns a thing or two about how to have a good time." 

I am SO not an old head. Technically...technically...I'm not even in my mid-thirties yet. Still, I hadn't realized that while I'm talkin' about old heads, I am indeed becoming one of 'em. The greyest head there, was obviously still young at heart, and I can dig that. What I cannot dig is how some of the older women there were bringing it to some of us thirtysomethings. I left that party with a new determination to re-evaluate my fitness lifestyle and my beauty regimen. Eye cream, H2O and a little sweat ain't never hurt nobody...except haters.

Sidebar: I really like inserting "haters" into my everyday speech, whenever I can. I'm sure I don't have any haters. Nobody wants to be me, or wants what I have, or if they do (but nobody does), they don't hate on me for it, because, honestly, I'm a really nice person. I'm not one of those people who wnts to have haters so bad that I create them in my head. Still, saying "haters" whenever it's remotely appropriate makes me giggle. And speaking of people who create haters in their heads... 

 

I got the "S" ripped off my chest today. Mom FAIL?

I need my son to learn how to put a jacket on by himself and put it on a hanger. He goes to a Montessori school, so they demand early independence in children. Everything in the classroom, including the coat rack is kid-sized, and the students are required to take care of themselves and get to work, unassisted, when they enter the classroom.

Zee will be four years old in a few weeks. So far, that knowledge has been enough to encourage him to read more. He's sounding words out left and right. The first time he actually read a word I had written out, I shed two tears inside and praised baby Jesus. He's been talking since before he was two and, although I had hoped he'd be a genius baby and reading by the age of 3, I resisted the urge to buy My Baby Can Read and worked with him the old-fashioned way and it's finally happening!  I'm breaking new books out on him so he can't pretend that he's reading, when he's really just reciting from memory. He totally got away with that for a minute—gave his own self away with the little sly grin on his face as he waited for my high-five after pretending he had read something. Knowing that he will be turning four soon, or in his words, "Becoming a big four year old" has also encouraged him to insist on doing other things for himself, like plugging in the iPod Touch to charge it after he's done playing Spore Origins, picking his own afro, and "reading" more often during his quiet time at home. He is becoming a big boy in so many ways, but in many ways, he is still just an almost four year old.

Today, his teacher told me that he put his jacket on backward and then asked me why he can't put his jacket on properly. I was put off by her question, because the obvious answer is that he hasn't learned to do it yet, and I felt like her question was more like 'Why haven't you taught him to put on his jacket properly?' My answer was, "I'm excited to hear that he got both arms in! That's progress!" Then I gave him a high five, and he was excited to go home and try again after his nap. What I wanted to say was, "He's been taking off his jacket here for two and a half years, why doesn't he know how to put it on the hanger yet?" I'm annoyed by her question, but I'm trying to not let it eat at me, which is kinda why I'm bothering you guys with this whole story. Just writing it is cathartic. He goes to an awesome school, and his teacher is amazing. But her question today threw me. I'm fighting the urge to do dress-drills with my son until he gets his jacket on right this afternoon, so I won't ever have to hear about that damn jacket and hangar again. But I'm not going to disturb his chakras by drilling him like that...and it would be a drill, because I have upset myself over this and my energy just wouldn't be right.

I think I'm an awesome mom. With my son sounding out words and whatnot, I feel quite like a Super Mom. That teacher's question today totally deflated me. Maybe I'm just highly emo today and am reading way more into her words than I should. It happens. About once a month. For that reason, I won't let it color my opinion of his teacher in any way. I think she's awesome. I know that ultimately, we both want the same thing for Zack—to be confident, self-directed, self-motivated and self-controlled at school and in life. Still, I think it might be time for us to have a  little sit-down. Obviously she has some questions, and obviously, I have some too.

Between you and me, I think if my boy communicated more like an average three year old and less like a six year-old, he'd totally get a pass for being a little slow to learn to put on a jacket, but it's cool. Could be worse. I can live with higher expectations for my boy. It's actually great training for him and for me too. Raising this little brown boy to grow up and live in this country, we're both going to have to learn to deal with higher expectations  every step of the way and be ready to exceed them every time. It's gonna be a long road too…it's just a jacket and I'm in blog-therapy over it! Ay, dios mio!

P.S. Should my almost four year old know how to put on a jacket by now? Have I failed at motherhood in some way? I need to know. 

Best of HomeGirl: What had happened was...

 

I've been blogging since 2005. Over the years my blog has taken on many forms and the content has changed in waves, but one thing has not changed...I am a constant goof and crazy things happen to me. I post about them in the category, "One Time At Bandcamp." It was fun going through all those old posts. I'll probably do this for other categories from time to time too.

 In the words of THIS guy, "Let's no further then do"...or without further ado, in no particular order, here are my all time fave five what-had-happened-was moments: 

1. This happened because I'm awesome. I mean that sarcastically...but then sort of literally.
   About that time I locked my baby in the house.
2. I told my boss I did number one
   It was totally necessary.
3. Sushi
   About that time I learned that wasabi paste is NOT guacamole...the hard way.
4. So I flashed my neighbor.
   About that time, well, you know.
5. Note to Self: When traveling by air...
   About that time I wanted to put the smack down on some airline byotch.

And just because I had to share this one again, a bonus one about the time I had to use the men's bathroom...while it was in use:

No sir, don't mind me. You go right ahead and pee. I'm just changing my baby's diaper.

That Moment When You Almost Beat Your Kid

I don't hit my kid. I have been told that I talk to my son too much and don't beat him enough. My response is usually something like, "We're humans, so I prefer to talk. If I was a lion, I'd bite him on the neck and wrestle him or something, but fortunately, we have words and languages and such." I have also been told that I'm being directly disobedient to God for not hitting my child. My response to that is usually silence and a blank stare...because what's the point of arguing with that.  I don't hit my kid....as a rule. Have I broken that rule, say, on two separate occasions, both involving me trying to get a two year old to sit still and quiet in church and both times having him hit and/or kick me out of frustration? Yes. Both times, I hit him back, on the back of the offending hand before dragging him screaming out of church and to the car. He was 2. Both times, I felt horrible about hitting him, because it was totally my fault. Hitting me was his way of saying, "Mom! What the hell?! I'm two! I got places to run around and dinosaur sounds to make. Get me out of here!" I heard him loud and clear. Until he's much older and has developed alittle lot more impulse control, I'll only take him to kid's Sunday School. That last time I hit him was the last time I took him into a church sanctuary.  That last time I took him into a church sanctuary was also the last time I wanted to hit him. Until last Saturday. 

Because Shouldn't We Celebrate Christmas Every Day?

I think this is an appropriate first Homegirl post of 2012. The fact that our Christmas tree and stockings and house lights and yard ornaments are still up kind of represents my general outlook on things. If it's cute, makes you smile and isn't hurting anybody, let it be. Especially if there's a celebration involved. We leave birthday party balloons and Mother's Day flowers around the house until they die. Rarely is my home without a helium balloon floating around someplace. Because, why not. At some point, it all has to come down. The yard stuff. I have a few neighbors who are yet in the Christmas spirit, and there's comfort in numbers so... The Homeowners Association is sure to say something about the reindeer and the lights on the trees, but only after Chinese New Year which is like three weeks away. My tree is safe inside. I'm sure it won't be there three weeks from now, but I quite like to enter the room and see it there. It's not a small tree. I'm 6'1" and it has a few inches on me. I like looking at it. Most importantly, it makes my son smile. I started to remove ornaments the other day and he said , "But, Mo-Om! Don't take it do-Own! Keep it up! It's SO beautiful! I love Iiiiit!" He really didn't have to be so dramatic about it. Secretly, I had wanted to leave it there. I was trying to start off my year by checking things off my to-do list ever single day, and the Christmas tree's number was up. I'm glad the boy protested. We are still enjoying our tree, and Zack gets to have Christmas every day. When he comes into the living room or when we're approaching our house, he says something like, "It's still Christmastime!" Then I say something like, "Does that make you feel happy?" Then he says something like, "Yeah!"  Then I say something like, "Awesome." He hasn't mentioned toys or lists to Santa. He's just happy that it's still Christmas. Obviously, so am I. How does my husband feel about the after-Christmas tree? As long as he has a plate of food to eat in the evenings and knows where at least two of the TV remotes are, he's happy. Everybody wins. 

Am I alone? Does your home also still look like Christmas? 

My Son Refuses To Not Believe In Santa.

Call me a grinch, but I don't want my son to believe in Santa. It is a waste of time, and feels like a terrible, drawn out practical joke. One day, he will find out that it was all a lie and what good does the whole believing in Santa thing do anyway. 

A few weeks ago I saw the Mission Impossible meets Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer film Arthur Christmas with my almost 4 year-old. It is an awesome little movie about how Santa and his elves get gifts under children's trees on Christmas Eve. That is how my son learned about Santa. A few days before Christmas, he asked me if Santa was going to bring his gifts through our fireplace while he was sleeping. Our conversation went something like this:

Him: Mom, will Santa bring my presents and put them under the tree while I'm sleeping on Christmas Eve so when I wake up I will see them and be happy?

Me: Well. Actually, mom and dad buy your gifts, wrap them up and put them under the tree. Santa is just pretend. You know, like Batman and Little Bill? Just pretend. So, he can't bring your presents because he's not real. 

Him: But mo'om! I LOVE Santa! I want Santa to bring my presents! 

Me: But he's just pretend, remember? 

Him: No, mom, I WANT SANTA! 

Me: Mmmkaaaaay? Ok. 

Him: *pumps fist* Yes! 

I tried. I guess I could have continued to try to convince him, but he was so insistent and I am not a monster. So I gave up, and let him have his not-pretend Santa. Unbeknownst to me at the time, not-pretend Santa would come in handy during the days leading up to Christmas. 

Soular Foods Community Garden Winter Planting

Last Saturday, my husband son and I joined RawBella, Mr. Hoover (of Hoover's restaurants) and helpers at the GMZ Soular Foods Community Garden in East Austin. We planted winter vegetables and strawberries and had a great time during the process. My 3.5 year old probably had the most fun. Here are a few pictures of him and others hard at work...

Zack,  "I like planting SOOOOOO much."

WINNING as a Stay At Home Mom Today.

My son's school was closed today, so he was home with me for a change. I had planned our day ahead, but had no idea how much extra stuff I would get done. I swear there is something  about actually having my child home, as a stay at home mom, that makes me super productive.

On a normal day, after I drop him off at school, I'm constantly moving from one to-do-list item to the next, but never really completely crossing anything off it. I'd start one thing, then check Facebook, then start another thing, then paint my nails while checking Facebook, then start something else, then eat, then it's time to go pick my son up from school. Today though, I got things done that weren't even on my list.

We woke up at the same time we normally do. I made breakfast and actually ate it at the table with my son. I showered and dressed for the gym and we were off. On the way out the door, I grabbed two scraps of yarn that I'm running out of and needed to match and buy more of to complete some projects I'm working on. We went to the craft store for the yarn first, then to the gym and finally the grocery store (where I got my son to sound out "asparagus" on the label when he couldn't recall what the vegetable was) before heading back home. We got home 45 minutes before my boy's nap time. He watched PBS while I made his lunch. Then we ate lunch together, read a book, and he was down for his nap on time. 

During my son's 3-hour nap, I managed to nap for about an hour myself, bake vegan, gluten-free quinoa muffins for my son (and drafted a blog post about it) and edit & post two vlogs for one of my other blogs, (http://www.girldidyousee.blogspot.com). While he ate his post-nap snack, I put a one-pot dinner dish on (veggie stew consisting of fresh okra, corn, red & green peppers, onions, celery, carrots & canned whole tomatoes all seasoned with a glorious beef neck bone). He's in the bath tub now and I'm writing this blog post. 

And my day isn't even over. I still plan to go back to the gym to log some miles on Nike+ tonight to ramp up my 5k training. 

Oh, and I cleaned the house here and there all day and the place looks right spiffy. 

Y'all if I come home after the gym, read something, and give my husband some (I will not be blogging about that), this day goes down in history as a certified, Homegirl SAHM WIN. 

 

This is How I Mate (mah-tay)!

I made my first how-to video on Youtube! Remember when I covered that Guaryaki Yerba Mate event at SXSW this past spring? Well, I received a giftcard afterwards and loaded up on Guaryaki loose leaf Yerba Mate tea and accessories. My favorite thing ever is the gourd and bombilla (filtered metal straw). Impossible to sip yerba mate from a gourd and not relax. You're supposed to prepare a gourd in the morning and continue to add hot water and reuse the leaves to sip from the gourd throughout the day for sustained natural energy and nutrients. I'm aiming for three gourds a day. Check out my video to see how I steep and sip.

Brown mate gourd, brown mate sippin'....

Guayaki Yerba Mate-Brett Dennen Show-SXSW 2011

I was ready to call SXSW 2011 a total bust for me this year. My son was home from school for spring break so daytime shows and screenings were already a no-go. Going out at night is almost always never an option for me, so I didn't even try. But I got an email last-minute that changed all that...for one day, at least.

The PR folks for the Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate- Brett Dennen show sent me a VIP invitation to attend the show, bring a guest and collect swag. There was also a documentary screening scheduled after the show. After working much logistical magic between the family of my plus one and mine, it was settled: the men watched the kiddos and me and my plus one were out to do it VIP style in the ATX! Which was awesome and also totally not what you think...

The show was on the rooftop at Whole Foods Headquarters. It's located on my favorite corner in Austin right across from Book People (where I have spent many hours drooling over the awesomest collection of stationary, handmade jewelry, scarves and oh yeah--books)  and Anthropologie (where I usually wear blinders as I make  a beeline for the clearance room in the back of the store) and Waterloo Records (which I've never been into because I'm not hip and am not into music THAT much, but is great for people watching from the street-level cafe seating outside Whole Foods. Anyway, so the show was on top of Whole Foods HQ. Brett Dennen performed a great acoustic set as children played on the playscape behind him. Oh yeah, there's a playscape on the rooftop at Whole Foods, mostly because Austin absolutely ROCKS when it comes to keeping whole families in mind and the best businesses always keep that in mind. Austin luh da kids. 

Zilker Park Kite Festival 2011

The stars aligned for us at the Kite Festival last weekend... eventually. The day actually started out with a series of certifiable FAILs. 

When we had gotten our 3-year old and all of our park-day baggage packed into the car, it hit me that we were starting our adventure approximately 5 minutes before my toddler's nap time. I wouldn't have been so bad if we could go from the car to the park in 20 minutes, but I knew we would be in the car at least an hour during our drive from the suburbs, through the maze of downtown traffic and the joys of finding a place to park. Awesome.

So we get on the road and a few more things occur to me:

Diana Ross on Oprah

I'm writing another blog post right now and watching Oprah on DVR. I tried to post this all on a Facebook status, but it was too long, so I'm posting it over here...

This episode with Diana Ross has had me happy since I pressed play. The footage of her 1983 concert in the rain in Central Park in NYC gave me chills. She's so joyful and beautiful. She is one of my favorite people and starred in one of my favorite films, Mahogany, which I have blogged about several times. Billy D. Williams just walked out on stage and OMG! They both still look amazing! The interview with her kids had me emotional. Tracee talked about how her mom woke them up so sweetly every day. My mom is the same way! I think I have blogged about how she use to walk pass the door and sing our name SO sweetly. She would sing my name...like sing it... like, "Kay-uuuuuuul!"  Right now I wake my son up in sweet ways and let him wake up slowly, because of how awesome it felt for me to wake up feeling loved everyday, and I want him to know that feeling too.  Diana reminds me of my mommy in SO many ways. What a beautiful, happy lady. End mushy love fest. 

If you're like me and this post has you feeling all emo about Mothers Day, window shop for nice Mothers Day Gifts at the perfect place to find perfect gifts...Red Envelope. If that sounded like a commercial, it totally was. Sponsored post with promo codes for HomeGirl readers coming up soon...just in time for Mothers Day. Thanks, Red Envelope! 

5 More Randoms...

It's been a while since I've posted. Even longer since I've written a 'Randoms' post. I was just checking my social networking sites and thinking during my quiet time this morning--after dropping the boy at school and before going to the gym. Picture me sipping on a cup of tea, standing (I rarely sit down during the day--even eat standing up) at my kitchen counter on my netbook. These were my thoughts...

1. I want them to bring back Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy on SNL.I thought about that when I had my own Handyesque deep thought--> We say summertime and wintertime and springtime, but not falltime. What's up with that?

2. I got a Kindle for my birthday. I bought a hard cover book the same day. I'm warming up to it. 

3. There was a delay on my iPhone4 order and we ended up not buying it when it arrived at the store. I saw a commercial for the Blackberry Torch and am torn now because there's an option for me to keep my beloved Blackberry buttons AND get a touchscreen for browsing. Both phones will cost the same thing with my plan upgrade. Heading over to the store to play with the Torch today. Decisions, decisions...
 
4. I looked at my self in the mirror for the first...er...second time in Zumba last night. I use to not look because I didn't want to KNOW how crazy I looked trying to dance the samba. I felt better picturing myself getting down like the Brazilian Carnival girls in my head. But last night, after several months of taking Zumba and totally by accident, I looked...and I LIKED! :) 

5. Today was my first snack day for my son's class. I bought a watermelon and cubed it for the kid's morning snack. I felt like a mom. :) It's so much fun being a toddler's mom. I think I'll stay here for a while.

 

My son is featured on a major motion picture DVD!

It happened. I cried after dropping my kid off at preschool.

I have been dropping him off at school for two weeks. Dropped him off for a two month period at a home daycare earlier this year. Didn't cry once. The difference between all those other times and today is that I didn't help him out of the car, hold his hand and walk him to his classroom. His new school is a strict Montessori school, which means that they stress detaching and independence blahblahblah. lol Parents are allowed to walk kids in for the first two weeks. After that we have to stall the car at the sidewalk as teachers and assistants do the honors. Of course my kid was fine. On the way there I had explained to him that mommy wouldn't go inside with him this time. Told him that Ms. Teacher Assistant was going to help him out of the car and that he would say bye-bye to mommy and go inside with the T.A. He said, "Ok."

When we pulled up, Ms. T.A. opened his door and they exchanged morning pleasantries. Another assistant opened the passenger side door and grabbed the nap mat, lunch box, diapers and clothes for the week. He sang a quick "bye-bye mama" from the sidewalk before both doors closed at about the same time. I moved my car up a bit and stopped at the end of the driveway to watch him enter the school with the two women. At first I used the rear view mirror, but then just like in the sappy first day of school commercials, I turned around in the car to watch him with my own eyes. His shoe had come off when Ms. T.A. took him out of the car. She helped him put it back on, held his hand and they all disappeared through the gates of the school. Tears.

I cried for about 5 minutes--about the length of my drive back home. When I told my husband what happened, all teary and emotional and feeling kinda silly, I asked him, "Why do women do that?" He said that's how God made women...moms...and that I shouldn't beat myself up about it. It is what it is. I'm not embarrassed or anything, just didn't expect to get emotional like that. I think him getting out and starting his day there without me just symbolized him not needing me as much anymore. I know he still needs me, I mean duh, but I really had a moment when he disappeared behind those gates without me.

I do get to go to his classroom to pick him up though. So I guess now I'll appreciate that moment more--when he's elated to see me and calls out to me and gestures to be picked up and hugged. As a stay at home mom, I don't get many of those moments. The boy saves up all that excitement for daddy when he gets home from work everyday. So now I get to be missed a bit too...get some of that extra loving in the afternoon. I make no apologies for my big mom-ego. :-D

Words I did not expect to hear at the gym today...

"You smell so good!"

We had just finished Body Jam (a choreographed fitness dance class) and as I was headed to the back of the class to grab my things, the woman who had been next to me tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and she was all bleached teeth and blond hair and skinny and pretty (not because of all the aforementioned attributes, but she really was pretty) and sweaty and still high off those workout endorphins--we both were. Anyway, she was like, "Oh my goodness, you smell so good, what is that you're wearing?" Then she demonstrated just how good I smelled by sniffing me and pretending to faint in ecstasy. We laughed and I told her how glad I was that she said I smelled good, because halfway to the gym it occurred to me that I had forgotten to put on deodorant after my shower, so I was a little nervous about creating any potential odors during my workout. After revealing my secret, I told her it was my hair, "A natural hair product from Whole Foods."

That's what I told her. If she had had curly hair I would have told her that it was Kinky-Curly Curling Custard aka my new crack, which I will blab on about in a separate post sometime soon which will prob'ly be entitled, "Why I will pay $30 for 16oz of heaven in a jar" or "How the hell can Kinky-Curly charge $30 for hair styling jelly?! Oh! I get it. Because it really is THAT awesome!" Or something like that.

Crescent Moon and Venus

 

As a kid I would go outside and sit on the ground at the end of our driveway and stare up at the stars on nights when they were visible. Very often during the summers. I took a long time looking up at the beauty of the sky last night as well. The moon and this one bright star were the only light in the sky, which is why I noticed it and went for my camera. Took tons of photos. Happy to share these two with you guys. I took the first one in my driveway before I left home to make a grocery store run and the second, close-up one in the parking lot of the store before returning home.They're not the best quality photos, but I'm glad I had my camera handy.

Tony Robbins Is My Homeboy

On a road trip to New Orleans this past weekend, one of my roadies brought along CDs by life coaches. She told me ahead of time that she would be bringing them and I had hoped that my iPod playlists and casual conversation would be enough to occupy us both ways during the 9-hour trip. I told her I wasn't into self-help things and motivational speakers (and by "not into" I meant "hate"), but she said she'd bring them anyway just in case. There was a third person in the car with us who, turns out, likes motivational things. So, subject to the majority rule, I had to listen.

Reason 127 why I love my two-year-old...

Today after I changed his diaper, post "nap" ( The quotation marks are because he actually spent 2.5 hours in his room singing songs to his Thomas The Train singalong book and playing with his Lightning McQueen cars), he stood up on the changing table and said, in the cutest monotone staccato, "I'm. a. ro.bot.  How. 'bout. you. ma.ma?" Oh emm gee, y'all. He keeps me laughing and shaking my head non-stop.

5 Things I Learned Over 18 Holes

 

1. Diving into the deep end can be fun--even if you've never been swimming!
   Figuratively, of course. Do NOT literally dive into the deep end or the shallow end of any pool if you cannot swim. What I'm saying is, if it's something that couldn't potentially kill you, and you want to try it, do it! Sunday was my first time playing golf and it was fun! I actually had some pretty good strokes too. The thought of playing 18 holes of golf was intimidating, especially when all the other teams were experienced men, but once we got out there the guys were supportive and we shared some laughs and it was awesome. In my swag bag I got another free 18 holes of golf and I cannot wait to play!
2. Sun visors are stupid.
   But they are highly functional. That is all.
3. Golf is hard!
   I ended up with some pretty good strokes, but it's a tricky sport. Only if you're scoring fairly though. I missed on almost every first, second and third attempt to hit every ball. The difficulty made me appreciate the sport though. I intend to spend some time practicing hitting whenever I can. Golf's really good for personal challenges like that.
4. Men really do have it all figured out.
   After spending four hours rolling around in a golf cart with friends on a beautiful course laughing, talking, breathing fresh air, and challenging myself mentally, I totally get why golf is such a popular sport. And the animals! There were cranes and some other bird I'd never seen before, turtles... I would choose playing 18 holes of golf in the afternoon over dinner and a movie with my girls any day--as long as the weather is good.
5. Golf is an incredible workout. I haven't googled it or anything, but I'm guessing there was some serious calorie burning going on Sunday. I woke up Monday morning feeling like I had done Body Pump the day before. Muscles in my back that I didn't even know I had were sore, and I wasn't even using proper form. And we had carts. I imagine that playing 18 holes of golf using proper form and walking is a pretty decent workout. It's like an added bonus to #4.