Live * Laugh * Love

The Crunch Test

2010-04-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is a really neat test! I love doing crunches so I thought this would be fun for me. I had to do my crunches different by placing my arms next to me which I don't care for. But I wanted to do the test right.

So my result....

67 crunches in 60 seconds!

WOOHOO!!!! According to the ratings that is EXCELLENT! Actually, more than excellent and even was above the excellent mark for the men ratings. LOL! And I did this right after I had finished my ab workout.

Here's the test if you would like to try it: The Crunch Test

My ab workout and a new goal

2010-04-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

So I'm starting a new goal today! My goal is to do 30,000 crunches by January 1st.

How I do crunches

Obviously, most of us know how to do crunches. Lay on our back, knees bent up, bring our head up towards our knees and 'crunch'. Some people put their hands at their sides, cross their arms in front of them, whatever. I cross my arms in front of me. This feels most comfortable to me. If you do it this way make sure you are using your abs to bring you up, not your neck. If you are using your neck you will know it because it will start to hurt. Relax and breath. Remember it's not a race to see how fast you can get done. Focus on doing each crunch correctly.

Laying on the floor I can do 500 or so crunches at a time and while I am doing them correctly I don't really *feel* it. And I don't have all day to do tons of crunches. So now to do my crunches I lay on the girls incline mat (head at the bottom, feet at the top) and I'm feeling it pretty fast! I LOVE this!!!! I can't do as many, but I feel like I'm getting a better workout this way.

Variations

Regular crunches are great for working the upper abs... but there's more to work than that. So I do my crunches in a few different ways. I am NO expert... but this works for me. LOL! At this point I am doing 250 crunches at a time but am increasing weekly (I do not increase EACH set every week, I usually focus on increasing 1 or 2 sets at a time and then the next week increase another set or two).

50: My first 'set' of crunches I do like I mentioned above. Laying flat on my back, arms crossed and crunch up.

25: Second set I do side crunches to work on obliques. I lay on my back like I am going to do a normal crunch and then I drop my bent legs to the side on the floor. Upper body is still facing the ceiling. Then I crunch up just like a normal crunch.

25: Third set is normal.

25: Fourth set is side crunches again but on the other side.

25: Fifth set is normal.

50: Sixth set I move to the floor and do reverse crunches to work the lower abs. Lay on my back and then as I bring my upper body up I bring my knees up. On the way back down my legs go down but my feet don't touch the ground. And then repeat up and down... you get it. Simple, but effective (again, for me).

50: Seventh set... normal (on the floor).

That is the end of me 'counting' my crunches (at least for this challenge). I don't always do them in that order, but that's basically what I do.

At this point I usually move to doing planks. Here's a good tutorial on that: How to do a plank

After this I roll back over onto my back, knees slightly bent and feet spread apart (shoulder width). I crunch up and move "back and forth" tapping my heels with my fingers as I move. At this point I touch each heel 50 times before stopping. I do want to work on increasing this to tapping each heel 100 times but I always do this at the 'end' of my ab workout and I'm ready to be done. LOL!

Then I'm DONE! Roll over on my stomach and stretch out. Push up on my arms to stretch out more, etc....!

I do this 5 - 6 days/week. It doesn't take me long and I definitely feel like I have accomplished something when I'm done.

I am excited to see at what point I am able to reach 30,000 crunches. Based on what I'm doing now I should meet that goal before January 1st... but I wanted to keep the goal reasonable so I would not feel overwhelmed.

Running Schedule: April 4th - April 10th

2010-04-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Every week I will be posting my running plans for the upcoming week. I will not be posting after every run like I did this week (I have just been too excited... lol) but I am sure some runs will be worth writing a post about.

APRIL 4th - APRIL 10th RUNNING SCHEDULE:
Sunday, April 4th ~ REST
Monday, April 5th ~ 4 miles
Tuesday, April 6th ~ 2 miles
Wednesday, April 7th ~ REST
Thursday, April 8th ~ 3 miles
Friday, April 9th ~ 3 miles
Saturday, April 10th ~ 3 miles

My total miles for the week should be 15 miles.

For the next few weeks I plan to keep this plan about the same and not increase my mileage by much to make sure I don't end up with an injury. I am amazed at how fast I have gotten to this point, I don't want to push it to much!

I am really looking forward to this week of running!

First week of running... a success!

2010-04-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

It is a BEAUTIFUL day here! Perfect for getting out and going for a nice run. And that's what I did! I ran 3 miles :) YEAH!! So this week I ran a total of 10 miles! I am SO happy with that! Especially considering I just started on Thursday. LOL!

I have my running schedule posted up on my fridge now to follow. One day at a time... I will stay focused, I will remember how much I love my running time, I will make it a priority. No excuses, no pushing it off 'until tomorrow'.

The best part of my running is that I really get a chance to clear my head. Put a few thoughts together and thank God for everything He has given me. I am so blessed!

Another great running day!

2010-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up early, laced up my shoes and headed out. I ran 3 miles! YEAH! I had planned on only doing 2 since I had done 4 yesterday, but I was really feeling great so I threw in 1 more mile. I am just SO excited to be back out there.

It was VERY windy though. It wasn't so bad when the wind was behind me but when I was running into the wind I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. It was okay though.... and it did keep me cool which is always nice! LOL!

More running tomorrow :)

A confession... and a beginning

2010-04-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

So it's kind of depressing to think about... but for really no reason I basically gave up running. One day turned into two days which turned into a week which turned into a month and before I knew it... I hadn't ran for a few months. I LOVE to run. Why did I quit? UGH! I'm really upset with myself for quitting. And to make it worse I KNOW the only way to do it again is start... but where do I start? Start over with C25K? The thought of that really disappoints me... I worked SO hard to get where I was. And now I have to start over? Just thinking about it makes me NOT want to do it. What if I quit again? What if I never get back to where I was? What if I head out to run and I can't make it 2 steps?

And then there's the goals I had set. Obviously, not happening. And it upsets me so much. I should be just a month away from running my first half marathon. I'm not. Why did I quit?

Okay, enough of that. LOL! I have finally decided to stop thinking about it SO much and just do it! I mean, I think about how disappointed I am in myself so much that it literally keeps me from getting back out there and running.

Today I headed out and I did 4 miles. I LOVED it!!! I have missed running SO much!! It is such a good time for me to just clear my head for a little bit and THINK! LOL! Sure, it took me like 48 minutes so I'm not as fast... but I did it. I DID IT!! And I'll keep working on it and I'm sure in no time I'll be running under 10 minute miles again (and working towards 8 minute miles).

I am now going to stop being so disappointed with myself and just run! I'm going to stop thinking about where I should be and where I'm not.

So, 4 miles today!!! WOOHOO!!! Now... I'm off to work on a plan to get posted up on the fridge (this was what really motivated me last time... SEEING what I had done and where I was headed. About the time that plan came down because a new one needed to go up is when I stopped running... I NEED that visual)!

More running tomorrow.....

Disappointed.... Congrats Saints!

2010-02-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

Oh, those words pain me. LOL! "Congrats Saints"!

Tonights Superbowl game was a good one. But totally disappointing for us. We've been Colts fans for years and we were looking forward to watching Peyton and the Colts win another Superbowl. That didn't happen ... but I must say that the Saints really have played awesome this year. So congratulations to them on a great season.

Of course, we'll be rooting for the Colts again next year and we're proud of them for making it to the Superbowl this year.

I'm looking forward to the 2010 - 2011 NFL Season!!!

My little Colts fans....

We FINALLY listed our home!!!

2010-01-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it!!! We FINALLY did it! We have talked about it... and talked about it... and 2 weeks ago we had the Realtor out, signed the papers, took the pictures and our house is now on the market :) I am SO excited! We have had 2 showings already. I'm sure it will be a while before we sell our house but this was a HUGE step for us.

So, of course, I've been really busy working on designing the next home we are going to build. I cannot wait to build again! It is such an amazing experience. Especially watching *MY* design become a HOUSE! It's really awesome!!

Here's a picture of our home (yes, those are Christmas decorations still outside... it's been TOO cold to bring it all in... not to mention we've had the flu making it's way through everyone... and back through everyone... all of January :( Not fun!).

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

We let McKenzee try a cheese puff. As it turns out... she LOVES them! LOL!

Tasteful Tuesday

2010-01-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

I thought once a week I would post a recipe for a meal or dessert (or snack or something.... lol) that my family enjoys. Everything we make here is VERY simple. I do enjoy cooking but not ALL day ;) I like easy meals or treats for the kids that I can put together fairly quickly.

This week instead of sharing a recipe I thought I would just share what a typical meal looks like in our home. So tonight this is what we had:

* Chicken (baked with cream of chicken soup, pepper, dried onions and milk)
* Rice (yes, it's white rice... but ALL my kids eat it ... and it's SIMPLE... lol)
* Green Bean Casserole
* Bread and Butter

For our dessert we had some pears.

This is a meal we have usually about once a week. We do seem to always be trying something different with the chicken... but this is a normal meal for us here.

Memory Making Monday: January 5th - January 11th

2010-01-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

I am really excited to be starting this first week of *Memory Making Monday*!

This week each of the 3 older kids finally did something that they had been working on for a while! I am SO proud of them. I normally only get these things with the camcorder but I decided I needed to get some pics too :)

ALEXIS ~ She did her backbend and pulled up out of it! This has taken a LOT of work... she is so excited that she's finally about to do it!

Backbend...

Pulling up...

She did it!

AUSTIN ~ FINALLY got his back kickover... on the incline mat (folded up). He has worked at this for a while and just hasn't been able to put it together! I am so happy he finally did it. And now that he has done it he seems SO much more motivated to practice harder! I'm sure soon he will be doing it on the ground :)

RYLEE ~ We decided on Wednesday to set a goal to work towards... the goal was for her to be able to stand and do a backbend (she has been laying on the ground and then pushing up into a backbend). I figured she would be able to do it within 2 months or so if we worked on it each week. That day I helped her a few times and then told her we would work on it again later. As I was walking out of the room I heard, "I DID IT"!!!! LOL! She got up and showed me again!! PERFECT!!!

Ready to go...

Going...

Perfect landing :)

MCKENZEE ~ First time to play in the snow (and eat it... lol)!!! She LOVED it!! We had a hard time getting her to keep her mittens on though (just like her Mommy).

Memory Making Monday

2010-01-10T19:01:00.001-08:00

I am really good about taking pictures of my kids and getting them downloaded to my computer. I'm even good about keeping them all organized in files on my computer. However, I'm BAD about printing them and getting them organized. I do not scrapbook (I did try but it takes me so long... I just don't have the time... or the desire really... lol), I need simple. THIS YEAR this is one of my main goals! Not just capturing those special moments of my kids but getting them organized! I know if I don't I will one day regret not taking the time to do this. I'm going to start making this a priority this year!

My goals for Memory Making Monday:
* Post pictures of special moments that my children have done throughout the previous week. This could be something special they have done, an award, an accomplishment, a birthday or other holiday, a fun thing they did, baked some cookies, played a game,... WHATEVER! Just something I want to remember forever!
* The next part is the hardest for me. On Mondays, after I post my pictures, I WILL sit down right then and place an order for the pictures.
* Once I get the pictures I will file them away. Into an album, photo boxes, whatever. I will record the date and write down the special memory.

Don't have a picture?
There may be some memories that I do not have a picture of. For this I have saved a word document for each of the kids and I plan on writing about the memory here and then copying/pasting it into their word document. I will print it out at the end of each month and put it into their special folders.

I also use my camcorder a lot (well, as often as I think about it... lol) and will be posting videos of those memories :) I REALLY need to work on organizing our family videos. That is another goal for this year for me!

I am SO excited about this !! I hope others will join me for Memory Making Monday. I would love to read about memories you have made with your kids for the week!

Happy Birthday Alexis!

2010-01-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I have a 7 year old now! Alexis Rene'e turned 7 on January 3rd! She is such an incredibly sweet, loving, caring girl. I am so proud of her and happy that I am her Mom :) She lights up my life each and everyday!

First thing on her birthday she opened presents from us. We got her the Guess Who game, an art set, Little House on the Prairie Season 2, a new pair of boots, doll clothes, a puzzle, horse blanket and the American Girl "Gwen" doll!

That afternoon we had a birthday party! Alexis' grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were all here! She wanted a "puppy" themed party. We had puppy plates, matching napkins and cups and I made her this cake (I am NOT a cake decorator, but she LOVED it so I was happy with the outcome... lol):

For dinner Alexis requested beef strogonoff, corn and crescent rolls :) After dinner we spent the evening playing with her new toys :)

As I was putting her to bed she told me that this birthday was the BEST birthday ever :) Definitely made me happy to hear that!

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY ALEXIS!!!!! I love you!!

Happy New Years!

2009-12-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that it's already 2010!! 2009 has gone SO fast. We had a really great year though and I'm looking forward to the next year that I get to spend with my children and husband :)

I'm not really someone to make "resolutions". However, I do set goals for myself often and have a few goals for the year 2010:

1. Continue to teach my children about Jesus and everything he does for us everyday.
2. Never take a day for granted. I will take each day as it comes and enjoy it to it's fullest.
3. Be the best mom and wife I can be.... no regrets! My life is my family. I want to spend every second that I can with them.
4. Sell our home and build again!
5. Save more, spend less!
6. Organize all pictures that have throughout the years, put them in albums or do scrapbook pages online (and ORDER them and put them in albums... lol)! Not exactly sure what I want to do... but I must do SOMETHING!

Update: College, Running, Homeschooling, Activities, Working, Life

2009-11-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

I was out for a run today and thinking about how I haven't been updating much here. So I thought I'd do one big update!

COLLEGE
I'm half way through with this semester of college. YAY! However, I'm really not enjoying it. I find myself putting it off all week so I can work on the kids homeschool things and then Saturday/Saturday night I'm up until like 5 or 6 am finishing it all. It's not fun. I will finish this semester and then take the next semester off. Kind of feel awful about that :( But it's just not working out so great. I will pick up a class this summer and hopefully be more prepared to start again next fall.

RUNNING
Still running :) After my 10 mile run I did cut back some because my left knee started hurting and that scared me. I did not want to end up with a major injury. But I'm increasing my distance again and looking forward to running my first half marathon soon :) And I'm definitely still planning on running the half marathon in May!! I am not running in the 10K on Thanksgiving morning. I got to thinking about it and instead of spending that money to run in a race I will just run the 10K here that morning. I will get out early so I'm back before my kids get up and can do our "Thanksgiving stuff" here :)

HOMESCHOOLING
Homeschooling is going great! The kids are making SO much progress and loving school! I do spend a lot of my time homeschooling, preparing plans, making games, etc... but that just goes along with it. I REALLY enjoy spending my time teaching my children and watching them learn so as time consuming as it is... I wouldn't trade it for anything!

ACTIVITIES
With Rylee now in fast tracks at gymnastics we are at the gym a lot each week. On Tuesdays we are there for 1.5 hours, on Thursdays we're there for over 3 hours. So Tuesday and Thursday evenings that is ALL we do! We pack dinner for them and they eat afterwards. Usually on Tuesdays we go shopping once they are done. Then the girls have private lessons on Monday (during public school hours)...

Alexis is also in piano lessons every week. She LOVES playing the piano and is progressing VERY fast!! She practices every single day :) She is also in girl scouts. They meet on Wednesdays a couple times a month.

Swimming will be starting soon and that will take Monday and Wednesday evenings. Which means are evenings will be PACKED since Josh works Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights.

WORKING
Josh is working the night shift 3 nights/week... Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He works 12 hours those nights. Then he is also working Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I sell on eBay. I don't sell a lot but I have been lately. That takes a lot of time. Taking pictures, listing the items, answering questions, shipping items, the post office losing items (seriously!!!) and dealing with them...

Then I work for mom on Wednesdays. Yes, Josh works that day too. So I take the kids with me. Not exactly the greatest solution but with Josh's work schedule and us wanting to have a couple days a week to spend together as a family... it was the only option. I take the kids homeschool things up there and they work on them.

OTHER STUFF
Of course there's cleaning, laundry and cooking that has to be thrown into all of this somewhere. Somehow, it gets done.

Oh and we are working on listing our house. Goal is to call the realtor in 2 weeks!! Sure, we could do it now. Our house is 'only' 4 years old and we really don't have anything to 'do' to the house before listing/selling. However, *I* want it show ready before we list it. I do understand that it could take like forever to sell... but if we list it and the realtor calls the next day and wants to show it I want it to be completely ready. No clutter and totally clean! We've been getting rid of stuff like CRAZY the last few weeks. I cannot believe how much STUFF we have! WOW!

CHRISTMAS
And then there's Christmas. I have gotten SO much done for Christmas... but still have lots to do. I think I have almost finished all the shopping though and have all the clothes ordered for the kids pictures (it was a HUGE pain for me to find clothes for them this year... I'm so over the traditional red/green colors for or plaid, we did Christmas PJ's last year... so this year I finally decided on light blue, creamy white and brown) . I will take those pictures once the clothes arrive and make our cards (I completely make them in my photo editing program and then order them as a 4x6 photo... easy). Then I can order them (and overnight them... lol) and get them sent out after Thanksgiving (that's the goal anyways).

I still have to wrap everything which won't be done until all the decorating is done (and yes, we'll have all of our decorations out before Thanksgiving, I can't help it)!

So maybe it doesn't seem like a lot to some people. But for me and getting it all worked in it's a lot. Everything has to be done every week. I can't just 'let the house go'. I'm a tad obsessive about that... laundry will be done and put away, no clutter, house will be clean. Okay, I don't LIKE to clean... but I must have my house clean and organized... or I seriously cannot function.

Anyways, I think that's all that's going on right now.

My Trick or Treaters

2009-11-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great Halloween! They all loved trick or treating and we're SO happy with all of their candy! We had great weather too, thankfully. It has been raining and cold and windy all week... finally yesterday we had some sun :) It was kind of chilly... but the kids did not complain at all!

Alexis ~ Super Girl

Austin ~ Ninja Turtle

Rylee ~ Thumbelina

McKenzee ~ Poodle

Sorting through the candy...

McKenzee checking out her candy (LOL)!

A pumpkin we grew and the kids are so proud of it. They brought it in yesterday to carve it and weighed it first... it was 28 pounds! LOL!

Rylee has some EXCITING news!!!

2009-10-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

Rylee got some VERY exciting news this week that we just had to share! She has been OBSESSED with gymnastics for many months now. She is progressing SO fast and she is only 3!! Well, they noticed her a couple weeks ago while she was doing her back bend kick overs and she was asked to join FAST TRACKS!!!! Fast tracks is what Alexis is in... it is PRE-TEAM (but for younger girls... basically 6, 7, 8 year olds)!!! She is SO excited too! Team at our gym starts at level 4. We take the kids two times/week to gymnastics so I asked if they wanted to keep her in the K4/K5 class for the second night. They don't really "allow" the girls to be in fast tracks 2 nights/week (you can go two nights but the other night most of the girls are in level 3, which is what Alexis is doing). Well, they decided to not put her in a level class because some of the girls in those classes are 10, 11, 12, 13 years old. They did not want her in with the girls that are that old. SO... she is doing fast tracks 2 nights/week. The classes are 1.5 hours and she works hard the WHOLE time and she does AWESOME!!! Of course, the first night a lot of the parents got a huge kick out of it... I don't think they were expecting such a tiny little thing to do what she can do! They were really impressed!

Some of the things she is doing are back bend kick overs, cartwheels and round-offs, handstands, handstand roll downs (get into a handstand and do a somersault out of it), handstand drop into a back bend and kick back over, she is working hard on getting her back handspring (REALLY needs a spot for this, but she will get it within the next year I'm sure), all sorts of jumps, pullovers on the bar, working on back hip circles, handstands on the beam (obviously with a spotter... lol) and doing different skills on the beam!

She LOVES gymnastics!!!! She literally wakes up asking if she can wear a leotard. She is constantly doing cartwheels, round offs, back bends, handstands, etc... all around the house.

I am SO proud of her!! WAY TO GO RYLEE!!!!!

In the middle of a back walkover...

First ever double digit run

2009-09-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

I DID IT!!!! 10 miles... running... no stopping. I DID IT!!! WOOHOO!!!! This is SUCH an awesome feeling! I cannot believe I just ran 10 miles!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my time I get to run? I am really loving this! I never imagined I would love to run so much! LOL!

Tomorrow I will run 3 miles... which will put me at 25 miles for the week! My first 25 mile week! WOOHOO!

This has been *another* awesome running week!!!

Finally... Football Season!!!!

2009-09-13T11:44:00.001-07:00

I've mentioned a few times here lately how much I love fall. Well... one more thing I LOVE about fall... FOOTBALL!!!!

I have not had time today to make our normal football foods. But... we do have soup from last night, we made up some buffulo style popcorn chicken (and regular popcorn chicken for the kids) and nacho cheese to have with chips... it works for our first football Sunday :)

So... it's a day full of watching football :) I LOVE football Sundays!!! Or Monday night football... or the games on Thursdays... or whenever... lol ;)

My team this year? I'm not sure. I'm a big Colts fan, cannot stand Tom Brady (UGH - he's back this year) or basically just the Patriots in general (LOL), really like the New York Giants, do not like the Bears (yes, I'm from IL... but still).... my pick for the week for the team I was sure would win was Minnesota.... lol!

The Night Shift

2009-09-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Josh started working nights (3 nights/week) a little over a month ago. He actually asked if he could go from days to nights. Kind of strange, I know. But with his job he was having to work every weekend (12 hour days) and this way he will at least be able to see the kids play soccer on Saturday mornings, go to church and do some other things that he has missed out on for years.

Anyways, it's very strange to not have him home of a night and I find myself wanting to keep the kids up late with me. Like tonight... I got out the sleeping bags and pillows, put McKenzee Grace in the pack and play with a blanket and we have been watching movies since 8:30. It's past their bedtimes ... but I just like having them with me.

Of course, I do not do this every night but I'm usually up until 2 or 3 in the morning because I have a hard time getting to sleep. So it's nice to keep them up with me for a while :)

Ran 23.1 miles this week!!

2009-09-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

This has been my BEST week of running yet!! 11 weeks 2 days ago I started running (and it wasn't pretty at first).... and this week I ran 23.1 miles!!! WOW!!!

Sunday ~ Day 1: 5 miles
Monday ~ Day 2: 3.1 miles
Tuesday ~ Day 3: 4 miles
Thursday ~ Day 4: 8 miles (WOOHOO)
Friday ~ Day 5: 3 miles

My long run this week was 8 miles and I DID IT!!! That was an awesome feeling!!!

I'm hoping to add 1 mile on to my long run next week and making it 9 miles. I am SO close to running my first 10 miles... I am really excited about that!

Fall Cleaning: Week 2

2009-09-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

A new week means a new list of things to get done as I'm getting ready for fall! I got TONS done last week and am looking forward to getting more checked off my list this week!

*********************************

WEEK 2

KITCHEN
* Clean Windows
* Wash Curtains
* Clean Light Fixtures
* Wash Trim and Doors
* Clean out and organize cabinets
* Wash inside and outside of cabinets
* Clean patio doors & screen
* Touch up paint
* Wash down inside and outside of fridge and freezer(s)
* Use murphy oil to wash floor
* Clean out and organize pantry

DINING ROOM
* Clean windows
* Wash curtains
* Wash trim
* Clean fan
* Touch up paint
* Use murphy oil to wash floor
* Organize stuff that is in the drawers in the hutch

OUTSIDE
* Mow & weed eat

EXTRA
* Work on organizing Pictures
* Work on organizing basement

Friend Makin Monday ~ Favorite Things About Fall

2009-09-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT FALL?

* Cooler days & Pulling out the jackets and jeans!

* Beginning of soup season

* Weiner Roasts

* Pumpkins

* Leaves changing colors

* Apple cider

* Decorating the house in pumpkins, leaves and everything FALL (I will be getting out all of our fall decorations in 2 weeks! I can't wait)!

Fall is my FAVORITE season... there is SO much I love about it!! I can't wait to read what everyone else loves about fall!

Serve It Up Sunday

2009-09-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'm really bad about planning meals in advice and I (often) find myself standing in front in the pantry at 4pm trying to figure out what I'm going to throw together for dinner. That is not fun at all. This week I'm really going to try and stick to my menu plans. I'm so excited about this!

Here is what I have planned:

Sunday ~ Tacos, rice, pears

Monday ~ Labor Day! BBQ at my parents

Tuesday ~ Weiner Roast (hot dogs, chips, some type of 'salad' and smores)

Wednesday ~ Grilled chicken (marinated in italian dressing), green bean casserole, rice, deviled eggs, peaches

Thursday ~ Gymnastics night so I'll either pack each of the kids something to eat on the way home or we will go out to eat for dinner.

Friday ~ Spaghetti and meatballs, corn, garlic bread, peaches

Saturday ~ I'll be making two pots of soup... chili and potato. We'll also have grilled cheese sandwiches and pears. I'm so excited that we're getting back into soup season again :)

Check out what others are cooking this week over at mommypalooza

5 Miles: 49:45

2009-09-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

I ran my planned 5 miles today and made it in a time of 49:45 :) :) :) I am SO happy with that time. That is right under 10 minute miles!! WOOHOO!! I really wanted to run another mile to see if I could finish 6 miles in under 60 minutes, but last week was a BAD week of running for me (kids had colds, I had a cold and wasn't feeling to well) so I decided to not push it today ;)

I cannot believe how far I have come in just a little over 2 months. I don't feel like a real runner yet... but I am getting there! YEAH!!!

Fall is coming :) Our first weiner roast of the season!

2009-09-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

We've had some cooler evenings this week and decided it was time for our first weiner roast. The kids LOVED it!!! After eating dinner (hot dogs and chips... the kids were SO excited that they were able to cook their own hot dogs... lol) we had smores. Mmmmmmm! Those were a HUGE hit!!

We have all agreed that this is something we need to do at least once a week while we can!!

See McKenzee Grace in the pack and play? She was, of course, out there with us... she wasn't really sure what to think of it all... but she sure loved her hot dog (and the bites of smores I gave her)! LOL!

A cute pic of Rylee and McKenzee! Rylee is such a great big sister. She absolutely LOVES McKenzee Grace! She watches her, helps with her and is constantly playing with her. McKenzee Grace is SO lucky to have such an amazing sister (well, actually 3 amazing older siblings).

Fall Cleaning: Week 1

2009-08-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that September is almost here!! In September and October every year I do a big cleaning of the whole house, inside and outside. I usually don't get into the 'fall mood' until mid-September, however, this morning it is chilly (50* and the high for today is only 70*), we have our heat on (just a 'little' bit... it was 66* in here and the kids were all saying they are cold,... so I turned it on for just a little bit... can't have cold kids), I'm getting ready to light a pumpkin scented candle...... fall is coming!!! I LOVE fall, so I'm really okay with this :)

This year I am changing things up a bit on how I do my fall cleaning. I usually just make one huge list and check things off as I get them done. This time I am going to make weekly lists. This should keep me more focused and hopefully help me be more productive.

*****************************************************

WEEK 1

MASTER BEDROOM
* Clean windows
* Wash curtains
* Clean fan
* Wash trim & doors
* Touch up paint
* Organize clothes drawers
* Organize closet
* Clean floor (we have hardwood floors so all furniture will be moved and floor will be cleaned really good)

MUDROOM & LAUNDRY ROOM
* Clean window
* Touch up paint
* Wash & Paint door (at least get the paint and put this on Josh's list for him to do within the next couple weeks)
* Clean lights
* Wash Trim

OUTSIDE
* Clean front porch (DONE - Josh did this this last week REALLY good! YAY)!
* Clean side deck
* Get rid of dead flowers (LOL.... I love them, but I'm horrible at keeping them alive)
* Mow & weed eat

EXTRA
* Work on organizing Pictures
* Work on organizing basement

This will be enough for this week! If I get it done and need more to do I'll add a new post, but my guess is that some of this will get dragged to next weeks list... lol (not a lot, but some will. The "extra" projects will definitely be on next weeks list too... those will take a while to complete).

7 mile run!!!!!

2009-08-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe I ran 7 miles this morning! Thursdays will be the days I run my 'long run'. I set out with an idea of what I needed to do to get to 7 miles... and I DID IT!!! I am so amazed at how much I am loving my time I get to run!

At about mile 5 I really could have used a drink. I don't take anything with me on my runs though. I kept going and made it but on my way home I called my husband and asked me if he could meet me at the bottom of the drive with some water. He was happy to and it was nice to see him down there at the end with a smile and a 'congratulations'! LOL! I need to figure out how to take some water or something with me though.

Such an amazing feeling to finish 7 miles. My next goal is to run 10 miles, but I'm still a ways from that. Slowly, I will get there.

Ran 6.2 miles and I'm over 100 miles!!!

2009-08-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

My distance totals
Week:	13.1 Mi
Month:	47.3 Mi
Year:	100.1 Mi
Total:	100.1 Miles

All I can say about that is... WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! I am so excited! This is just the miles I have logged in since starting c25k. It does not include our family walks or anything like that. It does include some walking since at the beginning of c25k there is some time spent walking. But still... YAY!!!!

Yesterday I also ran my first 6.2 miles (10K). I did it in 1 hour, 5 minutes, 52 seconds. There is a 10K in November I am hoping to get to run in. I'm excited to know I will be able to do it :) Just gotta work on that time some. LOL!

I'm totally excited about running my next 100 miles!!!

I DID IT!!! My first 5K!!!

2009-08-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

I NEVER would have believed 7.5 weeks ago when I started the C25K program that I would be out running in a 5K today (see this post... my FIRST post about c25k from the day I started the program)! But I DID IT!!!

The gun went off and we started. I got as far back as I could because I did not know what to expect. I was like right in front of the walkers. LOL!

It took us a while to actually cross the start line when the gun went off and of course I forgot to start the timer thing on my watch... lol! My goal was to make it under 30 minutes but I figured since it took a while to get going I would be over 30.... I finished in 29:26!!! WOOHOO!!!! I am SO excited and happy with that time for my first 5K!!!

Week 4: One Hundred Push Up Challenge

2009-08-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

I did each day of this week two times and it was HARD. Todays sets were: set 1 - 29, set 2 - 33, set 3 - 29, set 4 - 29, set 5 - 40! A total of 160 push ups. The last one I was shaking so bad I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it... but I did.

So now it's on to week 5. But first I have to take 1 day and do an evaluation test. I will do that on Friday and start week 5 on Sunday.

Being able to do 100 push ups all at once seems impossible when I think about it. I'll be happy if I can just do 50 at once... lol!

I signed up for college classes!!

2009-08-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Josh and I went this afternoon and signed me up for some college classes for this fall. I'm a little nervous about how I will handle everything I have to do ... but I'm also pretty excited!

All 4 classes I am taking I will be taking online. With my schedule/life that is AWESOME!

I am going to get my associates in accounting. Eventually I am hoping to get my bachelors.... one goal at a time though ;)

My fall schedule:
* Rhetoric & Composition 1 - 3 credits
* Principles of Accounting 1 - 3 credits
* Principles of Economics 1 - 3 credits
* Principles of Economics 2 - 3 credits

We were trying to avoid having me take both economics 1 and 2 the same semester, but it's just how it worked out. Economics 1 is an accelerated class so it will be done within the first 8 weeks, instead of 16. THAT makes me nervous. But I know if I can just get through the first 8 weeks the last 8 weeks I will 'only' have 3 classes to finish.

After I registered for classes we went and bought books! About the time the lady brought my stack of books out I kind of had a thought there for a moment of, "ummmmm... do I really want to do this?"! LOL!

I start classes on August 17th. I did find out that some of the online teachers open their classes up early so I may be starting as early as the 10th!!

WOW!!! One Hour Run... STARTED & DONE in ONE DAY!

2009-08-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight after we got back from gymnastics I went for a run. I started off with no goal in mind. I have finished c25k and am pretty consistent doing 3 miles in 30 minutes. And since the first few weeks of OHR (one hour run) are to run for 30 minutes each run I decided I would just run and see how far I could go and start at that point in the program. I knew I would be able to run longer than 30 minutes (I have done it a few times already) but wasn't sure at what point I would just need to quit. I decided I would run at a slower pace and off I went...

15 minutes into my run I was feeling good...

30 minutes into it still feeling good...

45 minutes into it and I was feeling EXCELLENT!! Everything pretty much came together...

I finished at 60 minutes 13 seconds! The sun was going down so I had to quit. I ran 5.52 miles. Not as fast of a pace as normal, but still... AN HOUR! WOOHOO!!!

So I guess at this point I will not be starting OHR (one hour run). I need to find another plan. What? I don't know yet. LOL! But I do need a plan...

I am SO excited about my run this evening. It just went SO well!!! I'm still kind of shocked I ran for an hour AND I did 5.52 miles! WOW!!!

Week 9: C25K... FINISHED!!!

2009-08-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

I did it! I have finished the couch 2 5K program!! I am pretty consistent now at doing a little over 3 miles in right around 30 minutes. I feel really good about that.

Just 6 weeks ago... on June 24th... I started the C25K program. I went from not running to running 3 miles in 30 minutes in 4 weeks to finishing the 9 week program in 6 weeks! YAY!!!

I will be starting OHR (one hour run) tomorrow. I am not sure what week I will start on. I have ran 40 minutes a couple times and each time felt like I could keep going. I think my plan is to just run and stop when I feel like I need to stop. I will slow down my pace some.

I am SO excited right now!!! I can't believe I really did it!!! WOOHOO!!!!

We rode an "alligator" today!

2009-08-03T23:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever rode on an alligator???

After gymnastics this evening we went and did some shopping. I was walking through the clothes and Rylee said to me, "Mom, I want to ride the alligator"! I was like, "Uh huh, yeah, okay..."! I mean, that made no sense so I did not think much about it and I was focused on finding adorable clothes for the kids... lol. As we were checking out she kept saying, "I really want to ride the alligator"! Finally I asked her where she saw an alligator to ride....

.... She walked over towards the *escalator*, pointed at it and said, "this alligator"!

HA!!! Escalator = alligator! How ADORABLE!!! Teehee! I did not have the heart to correct her. This was just way to cute!!

I told her I would ride it with her while the other kids and dad rode down the elevator. This was her first time on an escalator (sorry, I mean alligator) and she did great. She was not scared one bit. She got on when I told her to go and got off when I told her to jump ;)

As we were getting off she turned around and saw the other escalator that goes back up and she yelled really loud, "WOW! There are LOTS of alligators here"!

Teehee! It was just one of those moments that melts your heart and you hope you remember forever! So incredibly CUTE!!!

August Goals

2009-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it is already August? This year is flying by. I'm not even sure what happened to July.

I do have a lot to do in August but mostly I will be focusing on school. We will start our new year of homeschooling on August 3rd. AND... I have decided to take a few college classes this fall and so I have to work that into the schedule as well!

HOMESCHOOLING GOALS
* Start school on August 3rd
* Finish making the rest of the year plans
* Finish putting together file folder games that are printed

COLLEGE GOALS
* Register for classes
* Start on August 17th

HOUSE PROJECT GOALS
* Work more on outside projects
* Paint main bathroom

EXERCISE GOALS
* Finish c25k
* Start OHR
* Make progress on 100 push-up challenge
* Ab workout & weight training = 3 days/week
* Run 5K on August 15th

OTHER GOALS
* List items on eBay
* Take trip to the zoo
* Take new pictures of kids

Week 8: C25K

2009-07-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

I finished week 8 of the c25k program this morning so I have 1 week left to go. Today I actually ran 3.75 miles in 37:58!! YAY!!!

I am planning on adding 1 mile/month to my 'long run'... with the main goal of running a half marathon in May (hm = 13.1 miles).

My plan:
August 2009 = 4 miles
September 2009 = 5 miles
October 2009 = 6 miles
November 2009 = 7 miles
December 2009 = 8 miles
January 2010 = 9 miles
February 2010 = 10 miles
March 2010 = 11 miles
April 2010 = 12 miles
May 2010 = 13 miles

This plan allows me to gradually increase my distance. I lot of plans have you increasing 1 mile/week for like 10 weeks. This seems more reasonable *for me*.

I also sent in my form to run in a 5K on August 15th. I am VERY excited about it... but also pretty nervous. I'm trying to not think about it *to* much... lol!

Week 3: One Hundred Push-Ups

2009-07-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

This was a tough week.... all the way through. I did each day for 2 days. And still today when I did my last set I was shaking and feeling like I was going to be sick. BUT I made it through all 5 sets today and did 120 push-ups. Although I would have preferred to have run like 5 or 6 miles instead.... lol! This is not as easy as I was hoping. I knew I would need to repeat some but since I'm blowing through the c25k program I was kind of hoping that this would go just as well. It's not. I'm dreading starting week 4. I will do it... but I'm really not enjoying this. LOL! Guess that's all part of it. I have to believe that one day all of this will be worth it.

My little helper

2009-07-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

My little McKenzee Grace ALWAYS wants to help me do laundry. As soon as she hears the washer or dryer door open she crawls as fast as she can into the laundry room to help me. She loves to take the clothes out of the dryer and hand them to me. But you have to watch her, she gets so far in it sometimes I'm afraid she will fall right in. LOL! Still, it's very cute to have her helping me :)

Week 7: C25K

2009-07-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

This turned out to be a GREAT week of running and week 7 is officially DONE. Started with Josh and I's run on Thursday... 3 miles in 30:14. Yesterday I had to run on the treadmill and ran for 40 minutes straight and then tonight I ran 3 miles in 29:44... WOOHOO!!!! I am so excited about the progress I am making!

Week 8 is suppose to be 28 minute runs but since I'm already doing that I will just continue running what I have been (I'm going to try and work up to running 3.5 miles each time). 3 runs and I will have week 8 done, 3 more runs and I will finish week 9 and at that point I will graduate from c25k! YEAH!! I am SO excited... I can't believe how close I am to finishing this! :)

Running SUCCESS!!

2009-07-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited right now! I cannot believe how great of a run I had this evening. My parents were able to watch the kids so Josh and I went out for a run. We ran 3 miles (ran... the entire time) in 30 minutes 14 seconds!!! WOOHOO! My goal all along has been to be able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes and I am SO close now!! YAY! I really feel good about how far I have come in just 1 month! This is so exciting!!

This couch 2 5k program is AWESOME!!!! It really does work!

Week 6: C25K

2009-07-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I skipped day 1 and started this week on day 2. Today I finished week 6 with a 25 minute run. YAY! I'm a little disappointed in my time though. I REALLY want to do 3 miles in 30 minutes and was pretty close today. I did 3 miles in 32:29. Hopefully by the end of c25k I will be doing 3 miles in 30 minutes.

Week 7, 8 and 9 I will spend working up to running 30 minute straight. Once I finish week 9 I will start the One Hour Run (OHR) program!

I am amazed at how much I have improved over the last 4 weeks (I started C25K 4 weeks ago exactly). I am anxious to see where I am in just 4 more weeks!

Week 5: C25K

2009-07-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

I finished week 5 tonight with a 20 minute, no walking run!! WOOHOO!!! I am SO happy to have done it!! I started with a 5 minute warm up walk, then ran 20 minutes and finished with a 5 minute cool down walk and covered 2.8 miles. I am REALLY hoping to be doing 3 miles in 30 minutes within a few weeks.

I will be starting week 6 in just a couple days!!!

Happy 1st Birthday McKenzee Grace!!

2009-07-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

One year ago we welcomed our sweet little McKenzee Grace into our family. She has been such a blessing to us. I cannot believe how fast this last year has gone though. We have had a great year filled with so many wonderful, happy memories...

McKenzee had a great birthday! Josh took the day off so we could all spend the day with her. After breakfast we gave her her birthday gifts. We got her a couple toys, a cabbage patch doll, some books and some clothes... and we got her this water table...

As much as little McKenzee loves the pool we figured she would love a water table and boy were we right. She LOVES splashing in the water, playing with the boats and the little dish. She has had so much fun with it!

This evening we had a birthday party with some family. We had dinner followed by cupcakes and ice cream. It was a great evening. McKenzee got a lot of great presents and she really enjoyed her cupcake :)

My sweet McKenzee Grace... you are an amazing, sweet, kind, precious, beautiful, loving little girl. I am so happy that I am your Mommy. I am looking forward to the years ahead that we will get to spend together and all the memories that will be made. Happy 1st Birthday sweetie! I love you!

Week 2: One Hundred Push-Ups Challenge

2009-07-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of my One Hundred Push-Up Challenge is DONE!! This week actually did not go to bad. Today I did 5 different sets for a total of 60 push-ups :)

After week 2 it is time to re-evaluate! I was a little nervous about this considering the first evaluation went *BAD*! LOL! But this evening I was feeling good so I decided to go ahead and see what I could do. I did 30 consecutive push-ups. Okay, not great... BUT... *much* better than the first time (and I had also done 60 push-ups earlier, so I did a total of 90 today). Infact, I'm not sure I've ever been able to do 30 consecutive push-ups in my LIFE! This program is really working!! I am so excited! I cannot wait to see where I will be in just 2 more weeks (and then 4 more weeks).

Since I did 30 push-ups I am in the highest bracket for week 3 and 4! LOL! Not sure how excited I am about that though ;)

Week 4: C25K

2009-07-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

I finished week 4 of the c25k program today!! This one went pretty fast since I did day 2 and day 3 back to back. I really loved week 4! The time seemed to fly by and having more running was great!!

Each day I walked for 5 minutes, ran for 3 minutes, walked for 90 seconds, ran for 5 minutes, walked for 2.5 minutes, ran for 3 minutes, walked for 90 seconds, ran for 5 minutes and finished up with a 5 minute walk. Today I put the last two runs together and ran for 8 minutes straight (LOL - YAY).

I am really looking forward to week 5!! On day 3 it's a 5 minute walk, 20 minutes running, 5 minute walk! YAY!!!

Week 3: C25K

2009-07-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Another week DONE!!! YAY!!! Week 3 was pretty easy. There was not "more" running than week 2, just longer running segments. On day 2 after the last 3 minutes of walking I ran for another 2 minutes before my "cool down" walk. On day 3 instead of doing the last 3 minutes of running I did 5 minutes. WOOHOO!!!

On to week 4 this Sunday :) :) :)

Week 1 Complete: One Hundred Push-Ups Challenge

2009-07-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Week one is DONE! Completed today :) YAY! I am actually surprised at how much I have improved in just 1 week. My form is getting better and today I did 42 push-ups (although, not consecutively. I did them in 5 different 'sets'... but still... the point is I **DID** 42 push-ups and only took 30 second breaks between each set... lol). I am very excited about doing week 2. Okay, I'm nervous about it... and wondering if I'll be able to do it... but I'm excited to have actually made it through week 1 and be heading to week 2.

July Goals

2009-07-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

So, it's July... already the 5th... and I have SO MUCH to do this month. It's really crazy. I did not do well with June's goals AT ALL. Maybe because it's summer and we are spending most of our time enjoying being outside? LOL! We are starting school in less than ONE month! Wow... I have tons to do (mostly the PLANNING!!)... so I have to get all of this done this month.

HOMESCHOOLING GOALS
* Work on more animal units with the kids
* Make all 2009-2010 school plans (huge project!!)
* Print everything that needs printed for first 9 weeks of school
* Finish making learning centers, file folders, games, etc...!
* Finish decorating school room
* Make and post a list of everything still needed to buy for the 2009-2010 school year
* Buy back-2-school supplies at walmart and staples
* Organize!!

HOUSE PROJECT GOALS
* Finish all outside projects; keep up with mowing and weed-eating
.... Not a lot of house projects planned for this month... I really have to concentrate on the 'school goals'!! Just sticking with my cleaning schedule for inside will be enough for this month.

EXERCISE GOALS
* C25k (finish through week 6)
* 100 Push-up Challenge (no real set goal of what week I want to get to... just continue with it, I think I'll have to re-do some of the weeks)
* Ab workout
* Weight training (3 days/week)

OTHER GOALS
* McKenzee's birthday party - July 18th!
* List eBay items

Week 2: C25K

2009-07-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast this last week went.... but I finished the second week of c25k today :)

For week 2 each day I was to start with a 5 minute brisk walk and then alternate 90 seconds running and 2 minutes walking for 20 minutes, followed by a final 5 minute walk... for about 30 minutes total. On day 2 for the last 90 seconds of running I ended up doing 3 minutes of running. On day 3 instead of the final 90 seconds of running I did 5 minutes! YAY! That felt really good.

So now I'm on to week 3. Some longer running periods but no more than 3 minutes at a time. I'm kind of nervous about it... but excited too.

I am hoping to change my schedule some and get it to where I start day 1 on Sundays and then day 2 on Tuesdays and day 3 on Thursdays. That way I could start the first day on a day Josh works and I could use my treadmill. Then the next two days I could run outside.

Daily Cleaning List...

2009-07-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

In order to make my life somewhat simple I have a daily cleaning list... a master list of things that need done each day. Obviously there are days when something *else* needs done so I have to do it... but basically I just follow my list everyday and do what is listed. LOL!

DAILY CLEANING LIST

EVERYDAY
* Keep kitchen clean
* Sweep kitchen, mudroom, etc… as needed
* Vacuum living rooms, as needed
* Keep all clutter picked up
* Pick up toys before naptime/bedtime

SUNDAY
* Exercise
* Homeschool
* Laundry - ALL and put away
* Dust/Vacuum Living Room
* Dust/Vacuum Den
* Mop/Clean Kitchen
* Mop/Clean Dining Room

MONDAY
* Exercise
* Laundry, as needed
* Keep house straightened

TUESDAY
* Exercise
* Homeschol
* Mow

WEDNESDAY
* Exercise
* Homeschool
* Wipe Over Bathrooms
* Laundry - ALL and put away

THURSDAY
* Exercise
* Clean out fridge
* Clean Microwave
* Pay Bills; Balance Checkbook

FRIDAY
* Exercise
* Laundry - ALL and put away
* Homeschool
* Dust/Vacuum Kids Rooms
* Dust/Vacuum Playroom
* Clean Upstairs Bathroom
* Vacuum/Dust Foyer and Stairs

SATURDAY
* Exercise
* Wash all bedding
* Homeschool
* Clean Mudroom
* Clean Laundry Room
* Clean Downstairs Bathroom
* Dust/Vacuum Bedroom & Closet

It's pretty simple. I know a lot of people don't like to have a list to follow for each day... but it works for me.... and has for years!

One Hundred Push-Ups Challenge...

2009-06-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Uh, no... I cannot do 100 consecutive push-ups... lol. However, I'm hoping that by following this one-hundred push-ups plan I will be able to soon. Maybe not within 6 weeks, but hopefully within a few months.

First thing... the initial test. Mine was bad (although better than I thought it would be). LOL! For weeks 1 & 2 I will be following column 2. I will be starting with day 1 this evening so I'll see how that goes.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays I will be working on my push-up 'challenge' along with doing some weight training.

Week 1: C25K

2009-06-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

I finished week 1 of the Couch 2 5K program today! YAY! Of course, week 1 is pretty easy... but still it's nice to have the first week behind me :)

I am looking forward to starting week 2 this Wednesday! Each day (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) in week two I will be starting off with a 5 minute walk followed by alternating 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking for 20 minutes and then a 5 minute 'cool down' walk.

I also wanted to share this site. It is very neat and SO easy to use. You can make a 'map' of where you want to run and it tells you the distance you will run. LOVE it!!

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma!

2009-06-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

Alexis, Austin and Rylee are all at grandpa and grandma's for the night. This is the first time Austin and Rylee have spent the night away from home. The second time for Alexis. We are having a big yard sale tomorrow and I have had SO much to do today, I am very thankful that mom and dad were able to keep the kids.

Of course though... I really miss them :( Little Rylee cried a little before we left... she kept telling me she was really going to miss me. I talked to her and explained to her that if she wanted to come home she could call me at any time and I would go and get her (we live like 1/2 of a mile away, if that... lol). She was okay with that and quickly became excited once we started packing the bags.

After dropping them off McKenzee and I spent some time working on pricing more stuff for the yard sale. After a little bit we decided to go for a walk around the house. While we were outside we could hear the kids laughing (and screaming) in the pool. That was nice to hear :) I also talked to them on the phone for a little bit and everyone seemed to be doing just fine.

McKenzee is now in bed and I just went to check on her and it was very strange to only be checking on one child... and seeing 3 empty beds. Boy do I miss them.

I am excited to see them tomorrow and hear all about how great of a time they had and what all they did.

Humingbirds...

2009-06-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were outside playing and a hummingbird kind of "buzzed" Alexis' head. Immediately she started panicking. She was NOT happy about this thing buzzing right next to her head (which I understand... lol). We explained to her that it was a hummingbird and would not hurt her.... and then she started looking for more hummingbirds, saying she wanted to see one.

A few days later we were in at walmart and saw a hummingbird feeder and decided that this would be a good way for Alexis to see hummingbirds from a 'distance' (LOL). Of course, the kids were all very excited to get home and get it put up!

We have seen hummingbirds just about every morning and evening since putting it up. The kids LOVE watching them. And they are very good about keeping quiet so they do not scare them away. LOL!

Workout plan: Couch 2 5K

2009-06-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not exactly starting off from the "couch"... lol! But this program seems like a good way to really get into running. I love to walk and have no problems with it (like last week Josh and I went for a 5 mile walk and I could have kept going... and as it turns out I was sick... lol). But when I run (and I love to run and push myself to much at times and get totally discouraged and quit) I get a mile or so into it and my sides start hurting, etc.... I'm thinking if I slow down a bit and kind of start over and work into it that might help some.

Anyways, so this 9 week plan is 'suppose' to help you go from not running (at all) to running a 5K within 2 months. Obviously, it might take a little longer. But I have heard from many people that it really does work so I thought I would give it a try.

Here's my schedule (and this may change depending on how I do... I might end up doing 1 week of the plan for 2 weeks, so it might take longer)...

Week 1 - Start June 24th
Week 2 - Start July 1st
Week 3 - Start July 8th
Week 4 - Start July 15th
Week 5 - Start July 22nd
Week 6 - Start July 29th
Week 7 - Start August 5th
Week 8 - Start August 12th
Week 9 - Start August 19th

For now I am not worrying about how far I run. I am just going to work up to running 30 minutes (or longer) at a time. After I get to that point I will start working on running farther faster.

I will also be using weights 3 times/week (following the Body for Life Weight Training Plan) and doing crunches (regular, oblique, reverse, twist, etc...) 6 days/week (400/day).

My weekly workout plan:
Sunday: c25k, crunches
Monday: Day off
Tuesday: weights, crunches
Wednesday: Start new week of c25k, crunches
Thursday: Weights, crunches
Friday: c25k, crunches
Saturday: Weights, crunches

Of course, this does not include push mowing for 2 hours once a week, taking walks with Josh and the kids (2 miles each time) or going swimming a few times a week (and trying to get in a few laps between catching kids off the diving board, swimming back and forth with the kids, etc...).

This fall when it starts to cool down and I can no longer do as much of the above I will need to start adding in something new. For now, I think this will be enough along with drinking lots of water and eating healthy :)

Our Household Rules...

2009-06-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

We should have done this a long time ago but just never have. We have been having some problems recently with the kids yelling, throwing temper tantrums and just generally not being kind towards one another. Last night Josh and I sat down and thought about how to word our household rules and what all to include. After some prayer and thought we decided to see if we could find the Duggar household rules. We had heard them before but, of course, did not remember them all exactly. We found them online and decided to use many of them since they were exactly what we were wanting.

Josh had the day off today and we started the morning off with a family meeting. We went through all the rules with the kids, explained to them what each one meant and what was expected of them. So far they have been doing good with them. When they "break" a rule we talk about which rule they broke and the correct way to behave.

Hopefully we will be seeing some new attitudes around here soon :)

HOUSEHOLD RULES

* Always use soft words, even when you don't feel well

* Always display kind actions, even if you have been mistreated

* Show joyful attitudes, even when no one is looking

* Have sincere motives with no thought of self-gain

* Always give a good report of others
Never tattle-tale unless physical harm will come to someone

* Never raise a hand to hit

* Never raise a foot to kick

* Never raise an object to throw

* Never raise a voice to yell

* Never raise an eye to scowl

* Always tell the truth

* Always do your best; Never say “I can’t”

* Be quick to listen and slow to speak

* Use one toy/activity at a time.

* Don't go to bed angry or guilty

* Amendment J.O.Y. Make serving your family a priority
Put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

- Ephesians 4:32 -

Our Anniversary :)

2009-06-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late posting this but yesterday did not go completely as planned and I did not have a chance to get online.

On June 16th Joshua and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary :) I cannot believe it has been 8 years since we were married.

He took the day off of work to stay home with me. We had a great day (for the most part). It rained some that morning so he stayed in and helped me with some of the things I wanted done inside. After lunch I helped him outside by push mowing for a few hours.

We fixed a nice dinner and ate at home with the kids and then took them to my parents. We then went for a long walk (5 miles!) which was wonderful. After the walk we drove to town for milkshakes.

So what went wrong? After mowing I had a sore throat and I thought maybe I had just inhaled some dust/grass while mowing. It hurt during the walk but I was okay. Once we picked up the kids and came home I was exhausted, achy, my throat hurt so bad I could barely swallow and I was just ready to go to bed. Josh told me to go ahead and get to bed and a few minutes later he came in and took my temperature. I had a fever of 101.4 :( UGH! This morning he took me to the doctor and I have some nasty throat infection. Not fun!!!

But for the most part we had a wonderful anniversary. I am so blessed (and lucky) to have met and married such a wonderful man. He works so hard to give us the things we need and want. He is also a terrific dad to our children. I am looking forward to spending many more great years with him.

It's my birthday...

2009-06-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

And what a great day it was!!! Josh took the day off. We originally planned to go to the butterfly house today but plans were canceled because of the rain. SO... we decided to just take it easy and relax today. It was really a lot of fun. Josh cooked pancakes this morning and he put a candle in mine and the kids all sang to me first thing. Of course, the kids told me happy birthday 200 times (seriously!) throughout the day. They also called me "birthday girl" all day ("do you like the cake birthday girl"... lol). They all agreed that I am getting *REALLY* old because I am now 26 ;)

Alexis made me a birthday cake with her easy bake oven that we had after lunch. It was really cute and she was SO proud of it. She has been so excited about my birthday. She has made me like 5 cards, spent the day helping with EVERYTHING and this evening after dinner she said to me, "Mom, tell me... did you have a great birthday"! SO sweet!! She literally spent her day making my birthday the best birthday ever... she is such an amazing little girl!!

We spent the afternoon in town shopping. Of course, I loved that. LOL! Then we came home and Josh cooked us all a nice meal and the kids gave me some presents. They got me a laminating machine! I am SO excited about it!! I REALLY wanted it to use with some of my homeschool things and it works PERFECT! I had told Alexis that I wanted cardstock for my birthday (strange request, I know... but I go through SO much I really do need and WANT it) so she and Rylee each got me a big package of white cardstock :) Austin & Rylee each got me some extra laminating pages. The kids wrapped all of the presents and they did a really good job!! I couldn't have been happier with everything!

After dinner my parents came up and brought a DQ ice cream cake (yummy) and we visited with them for a little bit. They gave me a gift certificate to hobby lobby... I'm hoping to go shopping tomorrow ;) WOOHOO! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hobby Lobby!!!

I had a great 26th birthday!!

Patty Cake ~ Patty Cake

2009-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

McKenzee LOVES playing patty cake :)

June Goals

2009-05-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

I love the month of June, hopefully I can get tons accomplished this month!!!

HOMESCHOOLING GOALS
* Continue plant unit
* Continue animal unit (make and post a list of which animals to study and when)
* Start character qualities units
* Plan literature (BFIAR) units (maybe do one or two too, I will be doing "The carrot seed" along with our plant unit)
* Finish making learning centers, file folders, games, etc...!
* Buy 2 more bookshelves and totes, finish organizing school room
* Decorate school room
* Make and post a list of everything still needed to buy for the 2009-2010 school year

HOUSE PROJECT GOALS
* FINISH all spring cleaning (basically I have to wash all windows, organize closets and kitchen & bathroom cabinets and clean all trim, baseboard and doors)
* Finish all outside projects (backyard, kids play area, pool area, pull weeds, catch up on all mowing and weed eating)

OTHER GOALS
* Make Fathers Day gift
* Plan McKenzee's birthday party (birthday and party on July 18th, but I want all the planning done. I also need to work on making the invitations)
* Move McKenzee's crib upstairs to the "girl room"
* List all eBay items

End of May: Goals

2009-05-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Having the kids graduation party kind of threw off my month. I lost a week planning for that. So I did not do very well on my goals :(

HOMESCHOOLING GOALS
* Start Plant Unit (ASAP) - STARTED!
* Start Animal Unit - May 12th - STARTED (finished pandas, working on pigs)
- Plan which animals we will study which week; print off worksheets for each animal unit; prepare pages for lapbooks I have been printing things off right before we start the unit. I do need to decide the exact order I want to go in to study the animals
* Finish 1/3 of the learning centers I have printed off 1/3 but not assembled all of them
* Make list of everything needed still for 2009-2010 school year Working on this

HOUSE PROJECT GOALS
* Finish all Spring Cleaning Did NOT get done :( MUST DO over the next couple weeks
* Plant Flowers DONE
* Work on Outside Projects (backyard, "pool" area) Work in progress ;)
* Work on Homeschool Room in basement (hopefully hanging drywall!) :) :) :) Did NOTHING in the basement, but we did turn the den in into our homeschool room 'for now' and it will work perfect. We have a new goal of hoping to have the homeschool room done by December. We'll probably not even work on it much more until fall, just too much going on this summer.

I did not get much done. At least I do not feel like it. I will post goals for June later and hopefully those will go better ;) LOL!

My little piano players

2009-05-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Alexis is taking piano lessons and she absolutely LOVES it!! THANKS GRANDMA!!!!! :)

We do not have a real piano (maybe one day) but I do have my old keyboard for Alexis to practice on that will work for now...

McKenzee also loves to sit and play (well, bang on the keys... lol)...

Alexis tried to teach her the proper way to play...

But that didn't work. McKenzee prefers her own style ;)

Alexis told her, "maybe when you are a lot older like me you can learn how to play". Teehee... you know, 6 these days is very old ;)

We had an interesting afternoon!

2009-05-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Do you see that little guy hiding behind the bag with flowers in it?

Alexis saw it on the deck as she was coming inside so I told Austin to come with me to see it. We stood looking out the mudroom door at it and I asked Austin if he wanted to go outside and see it and he said "NO"! LOL! So I decided that I would go outside and take a picture of it to show Austin a closer picture. I walked outside very quietly and I took the picture. I came inside and turned around and he was gone. Well, about that time Austin had decided he wanted to go outside and see him and was so disappointed he was gone. I told Austin if he went out and kind of moved the yellow bag with flowers the lizard was probably behind it and he could see it. He asked me to go with him so out we went. We had barely gotten out the door and Alexis started SCREAMING... "IT'S IN THE HOUSE!!!! IT'S IN THE HOUSE!!!!"

The thing had ran in the door as we were going out. Austin and I run back in the house and Alexis had already ran into the kitchen and was standing on a chair (and I was right behind her getting on a chair... lol)! She was sure it went towards our shoes, so I figured it was in the mudroom (or maybe the laundry room). We found a bug net and had Austin stand guard of the doorway from the mudroom to the living room so the lizard could not escape into the rest of our house (yes, the plan was for Austin - the 5 year old - to catch the lizard with the bug net if he saw the lizard).

After waiting for about half an hour I called Josh at work to see how long until he was coming home. Josh told me (**ME**) to go and get the lizard. Uh, no... not happening. LOL! So he said he would be home in half an hour.

Austin continued keeping guard and the girls watched behind him from the couch... lol.

When Josh finally arrived home I grabbed a kitchen chair and put it next to the window... so I had a place to stand while he searched for the lizard. LOL! Austin was standing in front of me (on the floor) and Josh started looking. He looked where the shoes go... no lizard. He moved the rug .... there was that lizard. As Josh went to catch him the lizard starting moving towards Austin and, of course, that kind of scared Austin so I picked him up and put him on the chair with me. Josh then took the bug net and directed the little guy back outside. LOL!

Alexis lost her FIRST tooth!!!

2009-05-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

* This actually happened on May 4th, I'm really late on getting it posted... lol *

I cannot believe it... Alexis is old enough to be losing teeth!! WOW!!!

It was actually really loose for a couple days before it finally fell out. I kept telling her to not play with it, it would fall out when it was ready and she did such a good job of just leaving it alone. She lost it while jumping on the trampoline... lol!

This was the first trip for the tooth fairy to make to our house. Alexis put her tooth under her pillow that night and the next morning she found a dollar that the tooth fairy had left. She was SO excited!! It was so cute seeing how excited she got!

Austin put together his first 300 piece puzzle!!

2009-05-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Austin absolutely LOVES puzzles and can spend hours putting them together! A few weeks ago he put together his first 300 piece puzzle (dinosaurs, of course). Now I just need to buy some new puzzles... lol! He has put this same puzzle together a dozen times since then ;)

Meet Henry....

2009-05-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Austin went and spent a few hours with Grandpa a few days ago to help do some cleaning. About an hour after he had left I got a phone call telling me that Austin likes snakes. I did not really have anything to say about that except, "gross"... lol. I really wasn't expecting that to go any farther. I mean... my dad would not catch that snake for Austin, right?

Have I ever mentioned that Austin has his Grandpa wrapped around his little finger... lol ;)

A few hours later Austin comes home and he has this box in his hand.

As soon as I saw the box I KNEW what was in it. Yes, it was the snake that Austin had befriended and he was SO excited!! I really tried to be excited. I mean, Austin loved the little thing. But still... it was a snake. LOL!

We decided that the snake needed a name. So we decided on Henry.... teehee!

He spent the rest of the afternoon & early evening 'playing' with little Henry (IN the box, of course)! At one point while I was making dinner he did come in to tell me that Henry was "licking" his finger so I had to put a stop to that. But Austin was well entertained and loved that little snake so much.

However, after dinner Austin and I went back to grandpa's and we released Henry. We talked about how it was unfair to keep him in a little box and Austin was okay with letting him go.

Austin talks about Henry often and misses him a lot. He really did love that little snake :)

May Goals

2009-05-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have lots I want to get done this month....

HOMESCHOOLING GOALS
* Start Plant Unit (ASAP)
* Start Animal Unit - May 12th
- Plan which animals we will study which week; print off worksheets for each animal unit; prepare pages for lapbooks
* Finish 1/3 of the learning centers (these are taking FOREVER to print and I'm getting totally aggravated with the website.... they suggested I turn off my anti-virus program, which didn't work... so it's a slow process. Hopefully I can get 1/3 done this month, 1/3 done in June and 1/3 done in July... HOPEFULLY)
* Make list of everything needed still for 2009-2010 school year

HOUSE PROJECT GOALS
* Finish all Spring Cleaning
* Plant Flowers
* Work on Outside Projects (backyard, "pool" area)
* Work on Homeschool Room in basement (hopefully hanging drywall!) :) :) :)

Gymnastics... Gymnastics... and more Gymnastics!

2009-04-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

My girls have become OBSESSED with doing gymnastics! They absolutely love tumbling and practicing on the bar and walking (occasionally jumping) on the beam. They love all of it... and it's a daily thing around here... lol! Alexis got a tumbling mat and balance beam for her birthday. This last week at gymnastics we learned that Alexis needs to practice on the bars... so dad made a 'bar' for the girls (it will work for now for what she is needing to learn... we have been planning on getting the girls a bar for Christmas though and are still going to).

A few pictures of my little gymnasts....

OH... and we cannot forget about Austin... our future Michael Phelps ;) LOL... he is loving swimming lessons! We bought him some goggles and he literally wears them around the house all day long now....

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!!!

I woke up to some very excited kids today :) :) :) The Easter Bunny made it to our house. He left candy filled eggs all over the house and their baskets were gone!!! After searching for a little bit they found them filled with candy and a small toy and a book next to them. They were so excited!!

I figured McKenzee wouldn't really care (LOL) but she really got into it. She took her keys and her gerber 'puff' things out of her basket and was checking them out. She loved playing with her leap frog maracas... it was so cute watching her!!

After they found their baskets and looked through them they went and found all the eggs that the Easter bunny left around the house.

We went to grandpa and grandmas for Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt. We had lots of fun and spent the rest of our evening at home as a family :) We had an excellent Easter.

Spending some time with Rylee :)

2009-04-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Alexis and Austin had swimming lessons tonight. I was running behind (Josh worked later than I thought he was going to) and there was just no time for me to get myself ready plus everyone else. SO we decided that Josh would take the kids to swimming lessons and I would stay home with Rylee and McKenzee.

McKenzee ended up taking a nap which gave me some time with Rylee. I painted her toenails and fingernails, we watched barbie thumbelina and we played the "ladybug" game. We really had a great time. Oh... and Rylee had some candy... lol! I love spending time with her. She is such a sweet girl and is so much fun!! Of course, we played the game like 3 times and she beat me every single time... lol! BUT to make me feel better... AFTER she won she would move my ladybug to the 'home' too and tell me I won too! Teehee... she's so adorable!!!