Circuit Training aka PE

Today the boys got out the workout stuff Aunt Heather got them for their birthday and we set up a circuit.

Medicine Ball-cardio-stretchy band thing- cardio - 2 lb weights - cardio

We turned on some Toby Mac really loud and they did each station 1 time for 1 minute. They loved it!!

Here are some photos

The medicine ball was too much for Griffin...he just did "crunches"

Aiden doing some work with the weights.

Aiden on cardio- Maverick on weights

Maverick working with the Medicine ball.

Maverick doing some cardio dancing and Aiden on the stretchy band thing.

We may have to add this to our morning before we start school...until the weather gets nice. I'm gonna have to figure out what else one can do with this particular equipment. :) And maybe I should join in. :) And maybe next time we'll get dressed first...

Feb 7

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted in 3 weeks. Things are chugging right along here. We have had some horrible storms and were without power for a while...but we got ours back way faster than many. We spent a lot of time taking photos of birds and of the ice and snow.

Now we are back in the swing of things.

Today has not been a good one. We had a very very busy weekend full of sledding and the Super Bowl...no naps were had by anyone and there were too many late nights. This morning Griffin was up at 5:30. Then no one took a nap again today. I have been ready to pull out my hair. Then I realized that we had bagels with dye in them today...bad bad bad. Although I'm still ready to pull my hair out I at least know what the biggest factors are and can make sure it doesn't happen again tomorrow.

Gonna do better posting.

SNOW DAY!

we had another snow day yesterday! Overnight we got several inches of snow. Now, typically, as a home school family snow means very little to us. We still sit in our school room and get our work done. But yesterday, I volunteered to watch a friend's kids so she could go to work since they weren't going to school. And it was a wonderful way to spend the day.

AJ and Emily are such pleasant kids. AJ is entertaining and funny. Emily is sweet and helpful. We had only one fight all day and it was between Maverick and Aiden (shocking, I know).

We got "behind" on school work but gained so much more. They played and had some fun. That is important for kids. They played restaurant, legos, and I'm sure more that I missed out on. I got out art supplies and they made masks. It was a wonderful day!

And while they were playing, I was able to clean and get some other things done. Snow days are fun when we spend them with friends.

Today we got back to school work slowly. Aiden is starting subtraction and it is a little frustrating to him. But I think he will get it once he gets rolling.

2011 is off to a great start! :)

Complicated Computer!

I am simplifying online. It takes forever to get through emails. Flylady has already gone. Step one is completed. Now you know all that junk mail that you have to delete everyday. Mine was excessive. So right now, instead of deleting it, I am finding the link to unsubscribe. I unsubscribed from several today...I'm sure there will be more tomorrow. It will take a little extra time for a few days here but in the end, will save me loads of screen time (I would think). If they aren't there, I don't have to worry about them or take the time to delete them. The important emails from real people will be easier to find and enjoy. I also set my facebook account that I get NO emails about ANYTHING! NONE! I get tired of reading everything twice. And it wastes time.

That was my step for today. I could do that much on a busy busy Sunday! Feels good to clean out that inbox!!!

Simplify 2011

This is my theme for the year. Starting now....I am getting rid of stuff. I've cleaned off my desk area. And cleaned out kitchen cabinets. And started on bookshelves (this one is hard since I am mildly addicted to books). Things of sentimental value are safe Things we use regularly are safe. Things that I have to dust and that is the only time I notice them are GONE!!! I am boxing things up to have a big yard sale this spring.

I was inspired by this post I read on the Happy Housewife's website. Her theme for the year is also to simplify. The same day, the boys broke the second of their Christmas gifts (they lasted less than a month) and I decided to put ALL the toys up. Then Shane sent me this link on "minimalistic toys." The boys have had only a couple toys out for almost a week and we have no tv (only movies). School has gone better, we've had less fighting, and the toys they have are being taken care of. All the other toys are still in a closet for rotation...but they aren't necessarily going to last long...I am going to be doing some careful weeding.

I have been trying to use Flylady to keep my house clean. But she is not working for me. I like many of her principles. "You are not behind. Do not try to catch up." "Do a little bit every day" and "You can not organize clutter...you have to get rid of it" (These are paraphrased). So I am taking her advice and unsubscribing from her emails. The "inbox clutter" her millions of emails every day creates is not worth it. I can not organize them...I do not read them...not even the reminder ones...so they are going. Sorry Flylady.

In her post, The Happy Housewife mentioned the Motivated Mom's Planner. I am going to get this. It is $8 and it is a chore planner. (If you follow the link above you can use the $1 off coupon code). You can get it on a weekly or daily basis (daily has a little agenda spot) in a full size or half size. You can even get one with daily Bible readings to read through the Bible in a year. Unlike Flylady, you download the ebook and then print each week/day page and then you have a checklist. I like this. It is not computer based and I won't be inundated with emails each day. Bible time is something I really need to work on and I have something to check off when I do it that day. Plus, I LOVE LISTS! I love checking things off. Sometimes I am making a list to get ready for something and I put things on it that are already done just to cross them off. I hope this will work for me.

Part of my goal is to make/save some money. We would like to build a substantial savings account in the next few months...I'm hopeful that living simply will help contribute to that savings.

As I think about simplifying our life, it is a daunting task. We are so connected to our stuff and our habits. Since it is such a HUGE thing to do, I am breaking it up into "baby steps " (stolen from Flylady who I really do like except for the emails). I am setting many small personal goals. As I get them figured out and into place in my mind, I will share. Right now, I am just purging...if it isn't nailed down it is under scrutiny. And it feels great!!!

Thankfulness!

Well, Thanksgiving is here and it would be terribly un-American of me to not post something about being thankful. But it strikes me that as a larger group we are really an ungrateful bunch. We are rarely satisfied with what we have and are always wanting bigger or better. And we want it now. I am no better than anyone else and I would venture to say that I am not as good at thankfulness as many people I know. But in this week where we celebrate Thanksgiving, I can be thankful with the best of 'em.

So what am I thankful for...well, this month someone on facebook challenged people to do 30 days thanksgiving and to put as your status something you are thankful for every day. And I took up the challenge. It was surprising to me that early in the morning, I often couldn't think of anything to be thankful for....seriously, nothing. Before I had time to get the day going, my mind was blank...here sitting in my warm home, with my 3 healthy children playing around me, with breakfast baking or already filling my belly, and my husband safe at a job that provides well for my family, I was drawing blanks. It is ridiculous. Of course, as the fog of early morning cleared from my brain, these things became more evident and I always had something to put as my status.

But thankfulness isn't a mood...it shouldn't be effected by time of day, amount of sleep, or other mundane petty things. Thankfulness is knowing that God has provided all that you NEED (even if not all that you want) and will continue to do so for as long as you live. It is being thankful that although sometimes things aren't exactly as you wish them to be, that you are never alone.

So what AM I thankful for...

1. my God, my Savior who loves me no matter what...loves me better than anyone else ever could
2. my husband - although neither of us are perfect, we are perfect for each other and make a good "team"
3. my children - even on days when I think I would sell them to the circus (or pay the circus to take them), I am thankful for the laughs they provide and the lessons they teach. I am thankful that *I* get to raise them
4. freedom to raise our family as we see fit - Not everyone has the freedom to worship as they choose, to stay home and not send the kids to daycare, home school or many of the other choices we take for granted.
5. I am thankful to live where I live - although there were times in my life that living in this little town was enough to make me want to run for cover, and there are times now that everyone is just a little to "close", I love knowing that my kids are safe from many influences of the "big city." It makes me feel safe.


And there are so many other things to be thankful for...but those are a few that come to mind this morning.

Oh, and I am thankful for coffee...that clears the haze of morning that makes me wonder what to be thankful for!! :)

A (Great) Day in the Life!

The weather has changed. It is finally acting like November. Cold nights and cool days. It has been cloudy and although there is a chance for rain it is still dry. It's time for sweatshirts, hoods, and hot cocoa.

And as the weather changed, life inside my house has changed as well. I don't know why but since it is a change for the better, I'll take it. Since we got back from vacation, we have struggled with getting school work done (without weeping and gnashing of teeth), getting along, keeping the house liveable, really everything has been a battle. I was ready to pull my hair out, throw in the towel, throw them all on the big yellow bus that goes by our house-even the ones that aren't big enough for the ride yet. We were sick and tired and sick and tired of each other it seemed.

Then I woke up with this idea on a Saturday morning. I was on steroids for a cough and I think that may have induced the idea AND the fact that it was completed before 7 that morning. We rearranged their rooms. (yes, before 7 am). We moved their dressers into one room and all their beds into the other. It must be noted that their rooms are small. There is no room for anything else in the "sleeping room" but they like it. They are all sleeping better. Plus now they have a "play room" that is not part of the public area of the house. Sure, there are still PLENTY of toys in the "library" but the ones that really annoy me (like Legos, and the hot wheels track) are in the play room where I can close the door. It also give the bigger boys a place to play during Griffin's nap that they are out of my hair. Very good thing!

At the time change, I decided to change one of my habits. Not really change, exactly, but start a new, good one. I started reading my Bible every week day morning as I woke up. I have been trying to read the whole thing for almost 2 years now - I've finally made it to Psalms - I had time to check facebook and email and putter around really doing nothing. I could fit this in. So I did and I still am. Another very good thing!

Then school changed, last week we had three good days in a row. On Thursday, they spent the day with friends at a Veteran's Day program and I was told it went well. Friday was not a good day but four out of five were great. And yesterday went well! It was actually a great day! School was done well and without whining. They were a joy to be around. The worst thing that happened all day is that as I was finishing brushing my teeth I realized I was not using my toothbrush. That is gross but if it is the worst a Monday can throw at me then I am doing alright!! Another good thing!

So I am hoping that we are on the upswing and that we are going to have a few good weeks (dare I say months?) With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, I can see potential for it to go either way!! I have faith that even with the disruptions, we can continue on this run of great days! And that is all I ask for for Christmas! Another good thing!

:)