Parenting Blog

The Broken Air Conditioner and the Back To School Routine Derailer + GIVEAWAY!

Pure Protein Back to School Derailer

This post is sponsored by Pure Protein. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve said it before but it remains a fact worth repeating, a flag I’ll proudly keep on waving: I’m not one of those back to school cheerleaders.

Don’t get me wrong; I dig the shopping, the glue, packs of freshly sharpened pencils, the process of picking out adorable pocket folders adorned with kitty cats and glitter, and the factory scent of a new backpack as much as the next lunatic parent but the kids-spending-8-hours-out-of-the-house-each-weekday bit, that’s the pits. Still, there are benefits even for a dad who’d prefer to have his kids playing, reading, and goofing around around him: routine. Back to school means a return of routine. And man do I crave some routine like clockwork every mid-August.

But, d’oh!, the 2nd day of school was canceled because the a/c quit on a 96-degree Tuesday and my short-lived back to school groove was shattered as quickly as it was restarted. No runs, no hikes, no structure once again, not for another day at least. Such a tease this back to school season was!

I was truly stoked to score a bonus summer day with my girls at home but a stable of faulty cooling vents derailed my exercise routine and I was at the mercy of a team of HVAC techs as to whether and when I’d get that back. When the robo-call from school came late on that Tuesday afternoon, my emotions were a tangled mess of ‘please let the air conditioning be fixed’ and ‘man I hope school is closed again tomorrow.’ Parenting is confusing.

It’s fitting that my summer would ceremoniously conclude with an unexpected derailer because one of the touchstone moments of the past few months of my life was a morning that got derailed in a very similar fashion, although an a/c unit was most definitely not involved. On the cool, misty morning of Sunday, July 10th, I was derailed by the new owners of a pub in the northwest of England, a pub that was supposed to, as it had for many years, serve breakfast to fresh-faced, eager-beaver hikers before day one of what would end up being a 97 mile hike across the whole of England. This change in management and their decision to ditch their full English breakfast menu meant there was nothing for my gaggle of dad do-gooders to eat for over 4 hours. This was obviously not the ideal start to our weeklong charity hike but thankfully I had a backpack full of Pure Protein Crunch and Pure Protein Bars for my compatriots and myself to munch on as we schlepped through the soggy countryside. Those protein packed goodies gave us the fuel we needed to push on past sheep, cows and pubs that frustratingly didn’t open until noon.

There’s no avoiding the derailers that will halt your momentum and/or smash your routine to bits but during the end of summer / start of back to school season, know that Pure Protein is a low sugar, low calorie option to get you your protein and get you on with life with the energy you need to succeed. The Pure Protein Peanut Butter Crunch is so incredibly good but try the newest Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Apple Pie and Mocha Brownie flavors of Pure Protein PLUS Bars — they’re made with real chunks of cookie dough, cookies, brownies, and apples, and contain no artificial sweeteners or GMOs.

BACK TO SCHOOL DERAILER PHOTO CONTEST!!

Share a photo of your adorable little derailers (your kids, babies, dogs, cats, etc), those who often and often unexpectedly keep you from your fitness regiment or eating routine and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a huge Pure Protein prize back PLUS a $50 Visa Gift Card. Share your photo on social media (Instagram or Twitter) with the hashtag #KeepOnTrack and be sure to tag me @OWTK. I’ll pick one winner at random on Friday September 9, 2016! Good luck!

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