Colorado Nelsons

Back in March when Tyler was out of town, I was bored one night after the kids went to bed. We only get PBS and Telemundo on our TV here, so I decided to go to nbc.com and see if there were any shows I was missing out on. I saw a link for "The Biggest Loser" so I watched an episode. It must have been mid-way through the season, and I didn't know who any of the contestants were, but for some reason, I really enjoyed it.

I missed a few episodes after that night in March, but sometimes when the stars would align and Annie and Cole were taking naps and Whitney was doing quiet time, I would catch an episode. Whitney joined me on one of those afternoons and she fell in love with the program. So we had our own little Biggest Loser Club going on, and once a week we'd put Annie & Cole down for naps and then go watch a Biggest Loser episode together.

I didn't realize till recently how much that show has stuck with her and all that she has remembered. In all, we probably watched 6 episodes together. Here are some great moments Whitney has recently surprised me with:

* The other day Cole asked for another glass of milk. I said, "No buddy, you already had one cup. You don't need another one." Whitney chimed in, "Nuh-uh mom! The Biggest Loser says you should have 2 glasses of milk a day!" I guess she was really listening during that "Trainer Tip" moment in between commercial breaks.

* While watching a particularly tender moment on the show -- I think someone got reunited with a family member or something -- Whitney turned to me and said, "Mom, do you have water in your eyes?" And I said, "Yeah, almost!" Then she said, "I do too because I'm so happy." Really? This show is moving my 5 year old to tears? Oh man.

* We saw a dad running around the park with his baby in a jogging stroller. Whitney turned to me and whispered, "Mom, I think he is getting ready for a marathon." I asked her where she learned that word, and I should have known her reply would be, "The Biggest Loser, remember?!"

* Last week we were at the park, and Whitney & I were on the hydrolic see-saw thing. After a few minutes my legs were burning and I said, "Ooo! I need to take a break!"
Whitney without missing a beat, yells in her most drill-seargent-like voice, "This is your LAST CHANCE WORKOUT, Mom!! LAST CHANCE!!" If you have ever seen the trainers Jillian or Bob yell that at the contestants on that show, then you will know how awesome it was for me to hear my 5 year old shout it at me. I got a great laugh out of that.

We enjoyed watching the season finale together after we got back from our vacation and I'm happy that Whitney learned some fun things in the process. I'm grateful that what she took from that show were lessons of a healthy lifestyle--not a lesson of having a skinny body.

I'm glad that Whitney is learning how to balance her healthy and "sometimes" foods and that she sets a great example for her younger siblings. We got some books from the library about the food pyramid, and she has made it her quest to learn what food group things are in and to find that balance each day. Sometimes she'll tell me, "Mom, I haven't had a vegetable yet today. Can I have some carrots?" Really? You're ASKING me for a veggie right now? I love you, Whit!