Walks. Easy right? Walk out of the house, lock the door, go for a walk. Done. HA! Somehow adding Sweetpea brings ridiculous game changing difficulty. Getting out of the house has been one of the most daunting things to do by myself with Sweetpea (add the dog in for fun). I thought I’d share.

Step One: Make the decision and commit to getting out of the house.

Step Two-Ten: Jackets (found) and put on, dog harness put on the dog, stroller prepped, coffee in un-spill-able container (coffee made), blanket that was supposed to be in the stroller spot is missing, find blanket, realize collapsible stroller is in the most awkward position ever, phone charged (enough), headphones in hand.

That’s all before clambering down the steps. The steps for us aren’t 4 nice steps right out of our house. It’s the flight of stairs to get to the front door that’s super challenging. Carrying Sweetpea, the stroller and hoping the dog stays at the bottom of the stairs is super fun to say the least — so slow is the name of the game.

***I make it out of the house!!!***

Front doors locked — check, house alarmed — check, the sense of accomplishment is beyond high. The accomplishment level is somewhere between Olympic gold and an Oscar. In my Super-mom minute, I casually flip the stroller into position and puff out my chest. Right about then is when I realize I’d forgotten my gloves and sunglasses. Going back into the house is simply not an option. I take a minute to connect my headset to my phone, put on my Amazon mp3 player, start my “Map my Run” and step out, dog in tow.

A block later, the phone dies…