Want to join me...

Ok, so I am not a runner. In days long past I was an athlete, but running was never a part of the sports I chose. Swimmers don't run. Volleyball players laugh at the Basketball players who are running, because Volleyball players don't run. I just never saw any point to running. Honestly, I have probably not run on purpose since elementary school field day. I am not joking. I have always thought of running as a cruel form of torture.

But, I am really wanting to get back into shape. The baby phase is past, the busy kids being taken here and there phase has arrived, and I am struggling to have the stamina to keep up. Not to mention, I really want to set an example and teach my kids some good physical fitness habits outside of their chosen sports. Oh, and I need to lose over 40 pounds, but who's counting?!?! I began with some core/isometric workouts, but quickly aggravated the abdominal scar tissue I have from 8 abdominal surgeries in the last 13 years. Not cool. Really discouraging.

Thankfully, a week of rest and doing nothing even close to athletic, and the pain from the scar tissue subsided. During that time of rest, I began to wonder if walking would be all I would be able to do. I don't particularly care for walking as an exercise regimen, it takes a long time and I can do it without getting tired. But a friend mentioned to me that she and her daughter were going to train for a 5k race. I asked if the kids and I could join her. She said yes. And I was surprised to find I was happy about it.

I have downloaded a  "Zero to 5k (and 10k)" training app, ordered my iPhone 6 Plus arm band, downloaded the GPS/pacing app, and asked a few friends if they want to join me. I am somewhat competitive by nature, and I don't like skipping out on commitments, so if I get enough friends to run with me, I won't have a choice but to do it! Or at least that is the plan. (Assuming success in November, we will train for the 10k in the spring... I am not even thinking of a half marathon she wants to do in fall 2015 yet... must survive this 5k first).

The kids and I did the first day of training this evening. We ended our run with stretching, some planks and wall push-ups. I feel great, though now I can't go to sleep because I am WIRED. We may have to run in the mornings if this is the effect running has on me. 

So, the question is... do you want to join me? We can cheer each other on. We can rejoice in our successes, and encourage each other in our set-backs. We can get together for a coffee in two months and celebrate reaching goals we never in our lives thought we would set!

Wasn't ever gonna...

... get married or have children... but God saved me, gave me a wonderful husband and opened the flood gates to give us six kids in 7 1/2 years...

... teach... and we homeschool, yes, all of them...

... put my kids in sports... but then we did, and they are flourishing both in skill and in character...

... run for any reason other than being chased by a bad guy... but the kids and I are starting the "Couch to 5k" training program today and are planning to compete in a 5k with friends in the November and a 10k in the spring...

... get back into social media, like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram... but my almost 13yo (in a month and a week) asked to get on Instagram and we decided a long time ago to "be where they are" in the virtual realm...

And then I am reminded how true God's Word is... 

The heart of man plans his way,

But the LORD establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Getting derailed and laughing...

Yesterday we had a delightful, relaxed day of learning. Everyone actually woke up around the same time and one of the twins made oatmeal for everyone. After it was devoured, kids ran off to make beds and do schoolwork.

I worked on some sewing projects for Hannah's theatre class, put a new patch on Noah's Tae Kwon Do uniform (the Grand Master is in town), brushed the pool, and other various chores. We did some group lessons, and then I made lunch. The fact that a friend's daughter has stayed with us all week while her parents are celebrating their 20th anniversary in Puerto Rico is not even mentionable because she blends in so well I forget she doesn't live here all the time. Except for her laughing at my sarcastic and terribly fake British accent from time to time. 

It is somewhat comical how often I have no idea what lunch is going to be until it is upon us. Thursday was no different. But I did want to try a new recipe and I wanted to bake something. I scrolled through my "Recipes: Paleo Inspiration" Pinterest board and stumbled upon a Paleo Lemon Blueberry Scone. I had all the ingredients. I decided that a Paleo Scone and Protein Smoothie sounded like a wonderful lunch. It was. All the kids agreed, evidenced by not a scrap of food or smoothie being left over. 

During our afternoon readings about famous men from the 16th and 17th centuries, we came across the name of a disease no one knew about, scurvy. And, since I tell the children continually to look up words they do not understand, we looked up scurvy. On Wikipedia. Of course. We were marveling at the history of the first reports, attempted treatments, modern day occurances, etc. After derailing from our biographical sketch, we returned to find out about what happened after the settlers recovered from their Vitamin C deficiency.

For the last two weeks, we have been studying about Shakespeare during our history readings. Noah loves all things Shakespeare. We were reading about the Globe Theatre on Tuesday when Noah said he wanted to see photos of the New Globe Theatre (yes, so he could rebuild it in Legos). Derailed again, we went a-googling, and Wikipedia saved the day. In our searching, we found out that the plays that the new (1997) Shakespeare Globe Theatre puts on during the summer have been recorded. So we ordered a few on DVD and they arrived on Thursday. So, the plan for school today was to finish up all work for the week and then sit down for a viewing of Much Ado About Nothing performed in the rebuilt Globe Theatre by world-class actors. Oh, the laughing, and shrieks of joy, followed by gasps of shock (this is Shakespeare, and he had to make the groundlings happy). Applause and laughing ended the 3 hour field trip to London in my living room. Seriously, anyone who thinks Shakespeare is boring needs to see it performed.

These are the days that remind me why we are on this crazy homeschooling journey. I don't remember many days of school growing up, but I can already hear my children telling of the day they curled up on the couch and were researching scurvy and being thankful a local grocery store (so as to avoid the same fate as those French colonists), or how they rushed to finish their school assignments so they could indulge in an afternoon with the Bard of Avon guessing which characters were good and which were villains, and beckoning "that was for the groundlings!"

Learning their rhythm...

I remember when my kids were babies and I couldn't fathom the idea of scheduling them. I didn't think I was the best person for telling them when they were hungry or tired. Instead, I looked for clues in their behavior, like rubbing their eyes and yawning or searching frantically about while smacking their lips. Eventually, I noticed they would fall into a rhythm, feeding at pretty well dependable times (excluding growth spurts) and napping at regular intervals. We learned we could push the "schedule" earlier or later without causing much distress, simply by keeping the routine around the eating or sleeping predictable.

And while that always worked with my babies, somehow as kids have grown, I have relied more on the arbitrary decisiveness of a written down schedule and the ticking of the clock to determine when we eat, sleep, play or school. The very thing I never would have imagined doing for my babies is the very root of our daily struggle... staying on and finishing the schedule. And it isn't for lack of trying to clearly think through the day, I have thought and pondered and scribbled and formatted our schedule a million different ways in the last 10 years. Yet, we still haven't been able to find the ever-illusive "well planned day".

The last few days I have watched my kids specifically looking for ways to streamline our schedule. I noticed a few things. Some wake up easy and early. Others wake up slowly and later. When the early ones have to wait on the later ones, we lose their most productive time. When the laters are needing to slowly wake up, the earlies are rushing them because of how long they have awaited their downstairs arrival. Compounded in this observation is that this year we started trying to wake everyone up at the same time, 7am. Those later sleeping kids tried really hard to comply but began  struggling to maintain a happy attitude in the afternoons and were found falling asleep during any car ride after 3pm. And 7am was never early enough for the early kids.

I also noticed that when everyone is fresh and cheerful at the beginning of the day, they play more sweetly together and they really seem to relish being with one another. Yet, by the time the afternoon rolls around (when I have scheduled them to enjoy happy playing with their siblings), they are full of "being with people" and need a break. I can't really complain, that is something I feel too. Then the evening comes, which we have designed to be family time, can be overwhelming to those kids who are full of "together" time and would rather look for a closet to hide in and get away for some time alone than play a game.

And then, I had an "ah-ha" moment. It was an alarming idea to my Type-A self, but I decided to try an experiment with our schedule. I shared my idea with the kids and we are experimenting with it a little this week and officially will adopt it for the month of October next week.

Bedtime isn't changing, everyone will be in bed with the lights out by 9pm. However, I am not waking anyone up anymore. If I felt we had a child who struggled with being motivated to get out of bed, I might not be able to do this, but none of my children have proven to be sluggards, some just need more sleep than others.

Breakfast will no longer be scheduled, and we won't wait on one another before anyone can eat. Instead, it will be self serve upon waking, and to my children's shock, they may come down and eat before room chores lest they wake a sleeping sibling. Following breakfast, they will have their personal devotion and time in God's Word. Then, each child will work on their independent studies (handwriting, copywork, vocabulary, math, etc).

After completing their independent work, they will have free time, the more efficient they are with their time, the more free time they will have. This has been the plan before, but somehow, the free time being all the way in the afternoon was not a motivation. My hope is that the children who need to learn how to be more inwardly motivated will flourish under this schedule. So far, the last couple of days have been promising.

They aren't free forever, though. I call them up to do their room chores at 10am, and we have family Bible study at 10:30am. Then we have a little workout and stretching (honestly, I am trying to tire them out so they can sit more easily during our family school time). Family school follows, which is where I read aloud from history or geography or literature selections and the kids narrate back, or draw, or write reports.

Daily chores start happening while I make lunch, and we all sit down to read the "Proverbs of the Date" as we call it. We bless the meal and while we eat, we listen to some Lamplighter Theatre, lunch is a delightful time now, and since I am not reading and children aren't all talking at the same time, it is relaxing and refreshing as well.

After school we finish up with Mommy-led lessons, pull out the computers for typing and math practice, and finish up everything that looks, smells or tastes of school. The afternoon is free for the children, I make a coffee and prepare for dinner.

Our new schedule may seem long and draw out, but the last few days have truly been delightful, and we are having less conflict with better rested children. We are doing a better job at finishing school at a reasonable hour, and because of my mornings being free from teaching, I have gotten a couple of days of much neglected weed pulling done.

One challenge for me, and my Type-A-ness, is trying to find a succinct way to make this new, more flowing schedule into a cute chart for the refrigerator. But I have not doubt I will figure it out. :)

How do you creatively address scheduling challenges?

Every day...

... the children wake up.
... the kids expect to be fed three times a day.
... snacks are asked for about twenty minutes after finishing one of those three meals.
... my energy runs out far before I think it should.
... coffee is made to fill in the gaps between my real energy level and my needed one.
... the pile of unfolded laundry mocks me as I rummage through it to find my favorite sweatpants.
... the dishwasher runs two or three times.
... I sneak off to be alone in the bathroom for 3 minutes.
... they find me.
... the kitchen counters beg to be cleaned.
... I ignore the clutter that has crept onto my recently cleaned off bar top.
... the dogs bark like they are going to eat whoever just rang the door bell.
... they jump on and try to lick them to death instead.
... the sun comes up in the morning.
... the sun goes down in the evening.
... I notice how many weeds I need to pull in my flower beds.
... I remind myself not to forget to look for the beauty of the flowers.
... we cheer and welcome Daddy home from work.
... I settle at least 17 disagreements/arguments/brawls by lunch time.
... I am realizing how each of my kids are unique, special, and different from one another.
... we are reading the Proverbs at breakfast and the Psalms at lunch.
... we are speaking to each other with God's wisdom more, and our foolish words less.
... we pray for the people in our Church, at the gym, our neighbors.
... I marvel at the good gifts that God has given us.
... I stay up late grading school work.
... the dogs pile up and sleep together on the couch.
... I seek to show my children the power of the Gospel as we walk through life together.
... the blessings are greater than the trials.
... I thank God for His lovingkindnesses to me. 

What do you do every day?

More yumminess...

Every week I am coming to love our CSA more and more. Each Monday I peek at the website to see what sorts of yummy goodies will be filling my box on Saturday morning. And each Saturday for lunch I find a way to cook up whatever was left over from the previous week. 

Besides eating our goodies raw in salads, or as snacks, my favorite way to prepare most of our veggies is with a simple drizzle of EVOO and a sprinkle of sea salt. This past Saturday was no different. 

Now, you all know this is by no means a blog about cooking, and I can't recall if a recipe has ever been shared on here before, but I couldn't resist telling you about this simple, easy meal. 

Below is the fruit of a little chopping, tossing and roasting in the oven. Pictured are zuchinni, tricolor carrots, sweet peppers, and onion. 

All the while, we had some chicken on the griddle, and once cooked, I slapped a piece of Applewood bacon and cheddar cheese on top and tossed it in the oven for some melting time. {I was inspired by Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken, minus the mushrooms and honey mustard dressing.}

The kids asked for thirds, and what I had hoped would provide for a night off from cooking during week, turned into a leftover lunch for two. I heard one child say, "I am changing what I want for my birthday dinner!" :)

What sorts of simple, yumminess are you cooking up these days? {Thanks in advance for any inspiration you throw my way!}

Never would have thought...

When I was a young girl, my mom and a neighbor taught me how to do counted cross-stitch. I loved it when I was a kid. I got into middle school and got "busy" with my many activities and lost interest in crafts in general.

When I got pregnant with Hannah, I remember walking through Hobby Lobby with my mom and seeing a counted cross stitch alphabet sampler designed with the Precious Moments figurines. I decided to give it a whirl again. Nine months later, I had a new baby and I dropped off my completed cross stitch back at Hobby Lobby for framing. I pretty much swore off cross stitch ever again. Ever.

After I turned 30 years old, a friend taught me how to do red-work embroidery. Something was kindled inside me, and I wanted to create beautiful things with my own hands, and teach my children to do the same. In the last six years, we have learned at least a little something about embroidery, hand sewing, sewing, watercolor painting, knitting, and crocheting, all in an effort to surround ourselves with beauty and dwell on thoughts of the wonders of creation that God has given us for inspiration.

One thing that I like to do is invite my kids' friends over for these crafting times, offering to teach the children (and the mommas) what little I know. I joke that I teach simply, as I have learned mostly from books designed for kids, nothing fancy, but hopefully fun and inspiring. 

Since the children are now each in their one activity and I am finding myself out of the house more than ever, I have been looking for ways to redeem the time. I have made friends at the gym and it is a highlight of my week to catch up with them and laugh and joke, but I can feel my hands twitching for something to do in the midst of the chatting and laughing. I was knitting at the gym before I met any of the moms, but I can't knit and talk very well. 

School having started back up, I have been encouraging the kids to pull out some handicrafts, especially during Read-Aloud times. The girls brought out their cross stitch projects that we started a year ago and never finished. So I grabbed mine, and started taking it to the gym with me. I made some mistakes, ripped out whole sections, but finally finished. 

Since I was able to cross stitch and visit, I grabbed a new project and kept going. Then one of my fellow moms asked if I ever taught, and I said, "YES!" I brought her a kid-sized project and started teaching her. Then a sister of one of Caleb's teammates grew interested. Then another sister seemed curious. We're making up a little crafting club right there on the bleachers in the balcony of the gym. 

I am praying that the LORD use this little group for His Glory and that opportunities to share about the Gospel come from this endeavor. 

How do you keep your hands busy when you have places to wait?