Well-played, little spider

For the first time in the history of EVER I came across a spider in my house AND LET IT LIVE AND REMAIN in my house. Now I realize, I just freed myself from ever hosting anything or anyone in my home ever again, right? :)

This spider came into my house on a towel from our clothes line. I saw it as I picked up said towel and it jumped back into the basket of other towels waiting to be folded. I knew it was there and planned to deal with it later, but life drew me away. Later, upon returning to the basket, the spider had moved on -- probably was somewhere in the laundry room as that is where the basket had been sitting.

Then a few days later I was giving our laundry room a serious overhaul in order to fit a second washer.  (Which has since come to join our happy family and is amazing and God is so good to provide us with that, but anyhow, back to the spider.) As I was picking up a statue of St. Francis and a wolf, I felt something soft on the back and jerked, as I turned the statue -- there was a little web and that same spider when jumping off onto the dresser. I stood there breathing heavily for a moment, feeling the adrenaline rush into my system and then channeled my inner Franciscan Spirit.

St. Francis, for those who don't know, LOVED animals. He got along with them -- all of them -- EVEN SPIDERS. He is especially know for convincing the Wolf of Gubio to stop being a pain to the villagers (hence the wolf on my statue along with Francis).

Slight Tangent:  While I was in Assisi, visiting important places associated with St. Francis (since I went to Franciscan University and all -- and we took a class trip there when I studied at the university's campus in Gaming, Austria) I saw this statue of St. Francis that was located outside of his basilica. This statue ALWAYS has birds on it (according to the sign and in my experience of it while there). As in one or two leave and some come back. Seriously it has birds on it ALL THE TIME because Francis is just that cool.

So back to the spider -- Supposedly there are four kinds of spiders that are dangerous to humans: brown recluse, black widow, hobo spider, and something else. I looked this information up a few days ago and I would have sworn there were four kinds that are extremely dangerous, but now I can only find three and I've looked hit my quota of spider pictures I can stomach for the day, so my research has come to a grinding halt. Feel free to enlighten me in the comments with the fourth kind of severely dangerous spider that exists.

I have concluded the spider I allowed to live in my basement is a dancing or jumping spider (judging by looks). They are extremely smart and although they have a painful bite, are not dangerous.  However, since concluding this, it has come to my attention that these spiders do not make webs. Supposedly they hunt their prey and attach a drag line to it. Brilliant. But unfortunately, that does not explain the mini-web I found on the back of the wolf, where I also found the spider.

But whatever. To sum up:  I let the spider live. I left the web alone. Don't bother visiting me if you have arachnophobia. and especially avoid my basement, really just no matter what, because it is not really ever fit for company anyhow, in any sense.

9 Quick Takes - Things I never thought I'd do

Warning!!  This post is about ME. This is a very reflective, very selfish post. Anyone else appearing in this post (such as children or husband) only do so in reference to me. So if that's cool with you, feel free to read on.

Since high school, my life has been a whirlwind of a ride, consisting of me doing MANY MANY things I swore to myself I would NEVER do (for no good reason, mind you, my initial instinct was simply, "hah, I will never do that"). Some examples might be getting married, having kids, even doing step aerobics! Obviously, over the years, I have realized that this initial "I would NEVER do that" reaction is not to be trusted and I leave the door open now, to eat those words (even if only spoken in my head). This post is going to consist of nine ways I have recently broken down some "I"m never going to do that" areas.

1) Not do a "serious" work-out every day.

This is HUGE people. And honestly, this is almost a post in itself. If you were to ask me what is the most important part of my day, I would tell you my work-out and my prayer time. Those are two MUST-haves. 

Why am I not doing a "serious" work-out, you ask? Well many reasons. First off, I'm getting into this Nutritious Movement stuff as I've said in the past and "they" would probably label my serious work-out as "junk food movement." I'm not even going to try to unpack that right now. Feel free to follow the link and search that phrase on their site if you are so interested. In any case, it is basically "okay" but not the main deal when it comes to movement and body function. If you asked "them" what was most important, they would say walking, following by every other movement you can think of, but done sporadically, in no set pattern or order. 

Second reason I'm not doing a "serious" work-out every day (or really any days yet) is because I'm still recovering from baby #7. Oh sure I've done a few things here and there -- some Aikido, a short jog with my daughter, etc. But the pain (especially in my back -- as in I had to crawl just to get to the bathroom one day) has shown me that my body is just not ready for that yet. And this time, for the first time in seven children, I'm listening!!

2) Not care that I don't have a perfect body.

This is probably even bigger than my number one point. All my life I have disliked my body. I have ALWAYS felt I was too fat. This was my drive in college to take up running and then to hit my exercise groove which has carried me up until about a year ago when I got pregnant with baby #7 (although having children definitely slowed the groove some and gave me some distinct hiccups in this routine).

It was just recently that I was feeling much lighter and more flexible -- not physically this way, but just in a --oh, what's the word I'm looking for? -- personal??  in a personal sense? - -- as in, I feel more free in my personhood because for so long I have been driven so hard to get my daily exercise in! It was SO SO SO important because I had this idea in my head of how I was supposed to look. Or more specifically, what I was supposed to weigh and the size of clothes I was supposed to wear. And at one point I got really close to the weight goal, but then I got pregnant again - haha.

While I am not opposed to losing weight and getting stronger, and being generally "healthy," it is no longer driven by a secret dislike of my body and fear of being "fat." I like me just as I am right now. I like my soft round belly and I even like my giant thighs and generous arse. It is tough to explain, but I just feel comfortable now in my own skin. Whether it is due to age, or my husband loving me as I am, or something else, I don't know, but I'm sure grateful for this new sense of peace in my life.

3) Homeschooling.

I went to public school, followed by Catholic college. I liked college a lot, mostly because the college I went to was/is an awesome bubble of heaven on earth.

It was not until I went to eat lunch with my first grade daughter and got yelled at for putting my trash in the wrong trash can. Then "we" did not line up fast enough at recess so we had to stand still and quiet in line for five minutes (myself included) before parading back to the classroom (so I could gather my keys and get the heck out of there). This visit that was supposed to be a special meal and playtime with my child, brought back a flood of memories and understanding. I realized at that moment I had HATED school. I had always been pretty smart and a little OCD, so I worked hard and did what I was told. But the sense of powerlessness, the waiting, the boredom, social difficulties. I was always anxious and jumpy -- afraid I had done something wrong, feeling like I was suffocating.  After this great moment of catharsis, I started to look into homeschooling.

And I had met and worked with some homsechooled kids in college. (I was a tutor for one). They were THE SWEETEST kids EVER but I just felt like they were going to get taken advantage of in the real world. Now, however, I look at my rowdy, confident, social children and cannot imagine them being as sweet or innocent as those homsechoolers I came across. They must have been a fluke in homsechooling representation.  :)

4) Buy "Shakeology" from Beachbody

This one makes me chuckle hard. From the moment I had friends raving over it and pushy coaches going on and on about how amazing it was. I sat on my high horse and thought, but it has sugar!!  And you need to chew your food, it's good for your mouth muscles!!

And here I am about to sign up mostly because the thought of having one "decent" meal that I don't have to wash, cut, and cook a ton of veggies for sounds like a dream come true!  I have been trying to eat mostly meat and vegetables (avoiding grains and sugar) and partaking in "shakeology" looks like it might turn out to be an invaluable aid on my journey to better health.

Update: So I talked with hubby tonight (after typing this up, but before posting) and we are currently still praying about/considering this expense - haha. Don't worry. I will be sure to let you know how it goes, if it goes.

5) Not have a set prayer time.

My prayer life has always been VERY IMPORTANT to me. But let's be honest. Although I desire a relationship with Jesus and to participate in the inner life of the Trinity, that has not often been the fuel for my reading of Sacred Scripture and scouring theological books. As I reflect now, I would say my main drive to get my daily prayer time in was fear. I was afraid of what might happen if I missed it. It was not even a possibility to skip it. I could add to it, but never lessen. I am a bit OCD you know, and this was how I controlled my prayer time. 

I would read a chapter each from my five currently chosen books of the bible. (I picked five places and read a chapter in each book each day until I finished the book and moved on, so for example I would read a chapter of Genesis, Psalms, Jeremiah, Matthew, and 1 Corinthians.) I would write in my journal -- first noting any bible verses that jumped out at me and then just random thoughts or reflections and I would read my catechism. I would often do the Liturgy of the Hours, as well, saying Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline. Plus I would go to an hour of adoration (that was like icing on the cake when I let myself just go and sit) and try for daily Mass as often as possible (which was pretty-much every day in college). This was my favorite way to pray.

Now I am a wife and mother. My desire is still for my previous prayer habits, but my reality is something far far from that. Now I wake and try to squeeze in a quick read of the Daily Mass readings first thing (which I'm not above locking the bathroom door to get some quiet for). Later I might have five minutes to read the Scriptures more in-depth, or a verse might jump out at me that I can bring to mind later. There is a lot less reading and a lot less quiet, but my mind is often on God -- more often than when I was able to spend more time indulging in reading Scripture or being quiet in adoration. Now I find myself almost constantly crying out for help in my heart because let's face it, life can be overwhelming in almost every way!! And being home with the children, setting my own schedule -- that just opens me up to being clueless from moment to moment. What do you want of me now, God? Am I being selfish or realistic? Do I need to push the children harder or show some mercy? Oh goodness they need to eat AGAIN!?!? Where is that daily bread??  :)

I do pray a lot with the children, but their attention spans are shorter so that makes "group prayer" have a much different feel to it. And again, this is another blog post in itself.

6) Not wash my hair with shampoo.

This is a silly one. Recently I looked at all the different kinds of shampoo in my bathroom. I have always felt like a shampoo will work okay for a few days and then I need to switch to another. And honestly no shampoo has ever gotten my hair conditioned just as I want it. So finally, a few days ago, I said, "Enough!!" And it has been about 15 days now since I used shampoo to wash my hair. What is my plan? I have no idea. But I figure I will see how long I can go before washing it again and then reassess if this time has been helpful or just silly. In any case, it has cut down on my shower time!!

7) Leave my house in such disarray.

Houses get dirty. You know it and I know it. I used to clean up every night before bed. As a single person that means a few dishes, maybe some mail. As a married person, a bit more. As a mother of seven it opens a whole new world. Now, if we are not having company or I'm planning something special to prepare int he kitchen I will often let the dishes and the toys sit. 

In fact, just this evening I noted a few plates still at the table. Oh sure, we have a "bring your own plate to the kitchen" rule, but that does not actually prevent there from being plates left at the table -- not in our reality, at least. Tonight it was because Daddy was off with the big kids at play practice and I had to abandon the middle three at the table while eating so I could put the fussy baby to bed. There simply was no one there to remind them of the rule.

In the past, I would have seen that table, that messy kitchen, and immediately went to work putting it right. Now, in my semi-permanent exhausted state I honestly don't care so much. I have definitely let it go. It is very freeing.

As a side note, I believe we are on the verge of the children doing better at helping with the clean up. Not as though they are just getting older and better at that sort of thing, but it is going to have to start happening out of necessity. I simply cannot do it all and I need to train them better to help. They do some now, but I think they are capable of more. It is time for them to learn the details and to learn to obey. It should only take another 18 years or so for them to get it right, the day before the baby moves out.

8) Be able to ignore a crying child.

I don't think I ever let Rebekah cry as a baby. The minute she turned on the waterworks or started wailing I was attending. Now, she was a fairly mellow baby and did not cry much. The other children, I honestly cannot really remember. It all sort-of blends. 

But tonight, the baby was in bed asleep, the other children all put to bed. Hubby and I were in our bedroom, just talking -- and a child began to cry, with a good amount of force, a grumpy, upset cry, but not a hurt cry. We looked at each other a bit wearily and kept talking a bit more. A few minutes later, we checked out the crier. She was fine. It was a matter of a stolen and then returned blanket (stolen by the crier, who was crying that it had been taken back).

I still have compassion and I genuinely care about my children, but flat out wailing and crying just don't have the same effect on me that they used to.

9) Drink so much coffee.

When I was a kid, someone told me not to drink coffee because it would stunt my growth. And I really believed that!! Plus, I wanted to be tall, so why risk it? Of course I did NOT like the taste of coffee anyhow, so it really was not a huge sacrifice to not drink it.

When I was dating my now husband, he would get a cappuccino from his favorite hometown "restaurant" (Little Market) and make me taste it. He claimed it tasted like hot chocolate. Honestly I did not care. Hot chocolate is nice, but not like my favorite thing ever or anything. But he was persistent and INSISTED that I try it. So I would take a sip or two every time he got one. Eventually it got to the point that I would get one when he got one. Then we graduated to real coffee with a generous amount of coffee creamer in it and have never looked back.

Lately I have moved into the realm of more than one cup of coffee a day (and timing them just right) and that is a real game changer. My fear of running only on caffeine has been replaced with unmistakable productivity and joy, all from a little hot beverage with a whole lot of spunk.

What's coming next?

If I were to guess what might be my next "achievement" as far as things I never thought I'd do, I would say maybe a cell phone with an actual contract, or texting (which has always looked appealing but not possible on a landline), or possibly moving out into the country.

7 Random Takes for the end of August

1) Miriam likes to take a running start to get her clothes on or lay down to get her diaper changed.  Seriously, she goes back a good eight or ten paces and runs at me, then stops (not such a big deal as she does not run all that fast yet) and lets me put her shirt over her head or lay her down to change her diaper.  For some reason, I find this entertaining rather than annoying.

2) I am having some guilt over not blogging on some key events (namely Rebekah's birthday - that was at the beginning of July!! - and Jacob's birthday, that was this month, but a while ago).  I am still trying to decide if I should do a post for them (of some sort) or not.  I guess if I hesitate long enough it will be time for their next birthdays, right?  :)

3) We are starting school next week.  I finally got the study all cleaned up and the desks are ready.  I would post a picture, but I am pinned down by the baby at the moment so you will have to take my word for it.  Although I have enjoyed this "lazy time" the past few weeks, as the rest of the world has started schooling ahead of us, I think we are ready to buckle down and get to some "serious" learning here. . . or at least get back in a more structured routine.

4) Adapting to life with six children has been considerably easier than expected.  I am not sure if it is because the last few weeks of pregnancy went so well for some reason, or because her birth was so great, or because I just seem to be getting better at having babies!  (Which is odd because I assumed it would get worse the more kids I had - as it would wear my body out more, and then of course, it would be more difficult as I got older - but I seem to still be going stronger than ever.  I guess I'm not old yet.)

5) Even though it has been "easier than expected" to adapt to having six children, I am still having a bit of a transition.  I have finally gotten the freezer stocked again with some ready-made or quick meals.  We do not rely on these all the time, but they are exceedingly handy in a pinch.  I cannot seem to get the house organized at the moment.  I finally mastered the study, but now the laundry/storage room is exploding.  Plus, the baby has already outgrown quite a few outfits and the clothes bins need to be sorted again.  The fun just never ends!!

6) Two of my children have cavities now.  (Well, Samuel had one last year and had it filled.  Today I discovered Jacob has a cavity that needs to be filled.)  I suppose we need to work on our brushing (I had been having Rebekah and Samuel help the younger ones).  I have started letting the kids use an electric toothbrush (different heads for each) so I am hoping this will help some.  Since it has been going well, I ordered a second one (so we can double up and not take so long to get all that brushing done).  I am trying not to let this make me feel like a bad parent.


7) Zipporah is an amazing baby, much like her sister Rebekah.  At about a month and a half old she started sleeping 8-10 hours a night.  She has continued to do so (settling more like 10 or 11 now).  I was hesitant to say anything for a while, as I know there can be some random occurrences, but she has stayed pretty consistent so far.

And if you have read this far, you deserve some pictures, so here are some that I find absolutely hilarious.  My husband is. . . such a kid.

And here are a couple random shots of my husband crashing my Catholic Motherhood group so he can hold one of the babies.  He is blessed among women - hehe :)

7 Quick Takes. . . almost summer

1) We finally got our garden planted.  I would not say I am a great gardener, but some of my little plants are starting to come up, so I am a little hopeful.  Gordie planted the bulk of the "big garden" and it looks really good.  He got it finished right before our rain yesterday - awesome timing :)

2) I made up the kids' summer school schedule.  Now, before you go all "wow, what a mean mom" on me, I should add that they ASKED for it.  They are super pumped to do Chemistry so I told them they could start as soon as they got all their current school work done and their end-of-the-year-tests. (I have them take a standardized test that is sent in - just so I have some tangible proof that they are not falling way behind.)

We are doing Science, Latin (because we never seem to have time for foreign language during our "regular year"), Spelling (because I skipped it for most of the year), and a few other things to "keep sharp" or "finish up" (such as the "Catholicism" on Samuel's list - that was totally my fault to fall behind as I lost the book for about a month - LOL).

On the same note, I planned out our next few weeks of what we need to get done.  This week we are preparing for our end-of-the-year homeschool presentation.  Next week we have Rebekah's dance recital and all that goes with that.  Then test-week and hello summer school :)

3) Miriam is going on day three of sleeping in a toddler bed in the room with the boys.  It takes her a bit to settle at bedtime, but she does well once she finally falls asleep.  Unfortunately it often takes a trip to her old crib (still set up in Rebekah's room for naps and then eventually for new baby) as "punishment" for a few minutes to get her to realize that sleeping in this new bed is a PRIVILEGE and she needs to follow the "rules" (aka stay in bed and no talking).

4) I am reading Hypnobirthing right now and am finding it EXCEEDINGLY helpful.  Why it has taken me five births to find this book is beyond me, but I am overjoyed to have it now.  There are no classes or anything offered specifically on this method here and the products are pretty pricey, so just reading the book may be as far as I get "officially."  However, I am feeling quite affirmed just reading it as it makes a lot of sense.  And as I reflected back over my past labors, it was interesting to see how I responded to everything - what my "natural instincts" appear to be.  But overall, I would say in the past I have carried A LOT of fear into labor and that is really counterproductive (as is one of the main points of this book) and really not fun, either.  In any case, I'm getting a great sense of peace about this upcoming labor and have some great new "tools and ideas" to try and employ this time.  It also helps to know basically how things happen and what I want to happen and what will probably happen.  In short I'm really feeling like "I got this."

5) Nesting has finally urged me to get our carseats figured out for the new baby.  And it helps that our neighbor kindly donated an extra seat to our cause.  A couple of our seats are expiring soon, so I took those out of the mix and threw in a another booster.  Then I washed all our covers and stuck them all back together.  I am waiting to install the new baby's seat until we get the replacement buckle from Graco (as it was recalled), but I JUST ordered it, so we shall see if it arrives soon enough.

6) I started ANOTHER knitting project.  I really enjoy knitting (even though it frustrates me when I mess up and am unable to fix it) and feel compelled to do so, especially in the last few weeks of pregnancy.  It is very soothing for me.  Anyhow, I found some nice chunky yarn (good for me as I am a real tight-knitter) tucked away in the basement (while looking for something else, of course) and I'm going to try and make a "baby swaddle sock" (basically like a stocking cap - but you stick the baby in it -very handy).

I should add, that I'm only about three rows in and already dropped a stitch, BUT I looked up how to fix it on youtube and managed to pick it back up!  Go me! :)

7) The kids threw a "surprise party" for me today.  It was real sweet.

Here is the table, all set with food.

Samuel and Jacob both hid under the bed and popped out.  Miriam laid down here by them after for a picture.

Rebekah and Paul were hiding in the corner.

Rebekah even came up with a craft - snowflakes!

9 Quick Takes - Homeschool Focus

I really want to post about homeschooling, but I want to journal, but I have other stuff to share, so the "7 Quick Takes" form won this afternoon.  Unfortunately, as I finally got all my "thoughts" out there it turned into 9 takes.  Deal with it - oh and consider yourself warned! :)

1) Homeschooling this year is AMAZING so far!!  For real!  Partially because my children are geniuses!!

*Rebekah is so motivated and can do A LOT on her own.  Seriously, this girl can practically homeschool herself.  And she LIKES me and WANTS to do what I think is important.  Can life get any better?!?!  :)

*Samuel is SO SMART!!  I have to sit and "help him" or he will run off and play with his brother, but he catches on really fast and is doing amazing.  He is reading chapter books to me (very slowly, mind you) and flying through his site words cards.  He is a wiz at Math and now picking up geography like nothing.  He cuts well and his writing is legible!  (What more can you ask from a first grader?!?!)

*But perhaps the most surprising is Jacob.  He has not been interested in anything very academic AT ALL up to this point.  He has his blocks and he is happy.  But suddenly, it is as if a switch has been flicked in his brain.  He is getting "serious" over his "schoolwork."  He is a cutting fool and has got quite a bit figured out in the letters and sounds department.  He REALLY likes rhyming and is getting better at writing.  His Math is not too shabby either.  Who knew?

*Paul is. . . well, he is enthusiastic, but let's be real, he is ONLY THREE.  So he keeps trying to do what his big brother Jacob is doing, but although he has the desire, he does not really get it all that much yet.  He is a wiz on puzzles, though (real, connecting puzzles - not those wimpy one piece in one slot jobbies), and loves to cut and color.  So I think he is on track for pre-school.

2) Homeschooling this year is AMAZING so far!!  And I think a lot of it has to do with better scheduling on my part.  Last year I never really came up with a real workable schedule.  I think it was because I was still of the mindset that I needed to run our "homeschool" like "real school" and that really was not working for us.  So I fought with that all year and we ended ok, but it was really frustrating for a long time.  This year I am more realistic about things.  We are not going to cover EVERY subject EVERY day.  Some subjects are really important to me and we will cover those (such as Catholicism, Scripture, Reading, Writing).  Most other subjects are at least twice a week with some special exceptions.  So far it is working well for us, but I foresee more tweaking in the future as I feel out if we need to add curriculum or take some things out.  Anyhow, if you are curious to step into the "heart of our homeschool" feel free to click here for our "schedule."  (Side note: We have a different schedule for each week day.  That is just how we roll around here.)

3) Homeschooling this year is AMAZING so far!!  And it is partially due to one of my oldie but goodie ideas that I call the "visual track."  I make it up in a spreadsheet document.  I actually do this in lieu of lesson plans.  Each "lesson" (however I want to break it down - a page, a few pages, a chapter, etc) is put in its own box.  The columns are the subjects (or book titles).  As they complete each "lesson" they color in the correct box.  This way we know EXACTLY where we are and where we are going. We all love it very much.

4) Homeschooling this year is AMAZING so far!!  And part of it it is because of these cool desks we picked up off the local want-ads.  They were from an old high school that shut down.  They work great because. . . there is no need to shift the chair, they can be easily hauled all over the living room (as I put pads under the feet and we have hardwood), they really do not take up much room, and THE KIDS ALL LOVE THEM!!

5) Homeschooling this year is AMAZING so far!!  And perhaps a  little of it is due to the fact that I was able to get quite a bit of cleaning/organizing done in "the study" before the year started.  Thanks so much to Nana and Papa (my parents) and Grandpa and Grandma (Gordie's folks) for each taking the kids for a couple days so I could paint more on my house and do organizing/cleaning/school prep.

"The Study" (aka where we store a bunch of stuff and sometimes do schoolwork - we really like to do our school work all over the house and outside some too - we are just cool like that :)

"The Study" from the inside looking out.

6) I am still working on getting the house painted.  It is taking forever and I knew it would.  It does not help that I am NOT a neat painter AT ALL.  So I often have to go back and touch up several times for it to look "presentable" but I am definitely getting closer.  I'm hoping to have it all done before it snows.  We shall see how that goes. . .

I KNOW I have a picture of our house in all it's original green and off-white glory, but I CANNOT find it.  (It does not help that I have changed computers at least six times since taking it.  I know it exists. . . somewhere. . . I'm just not sure where right now.)  Anyhow, this is an OLD picture (that is Rebekah and Samuel on the stairs) but it shows some of the original color and paint scheme.

Again, this is to show you the original colors of the house (not a great picture for it, but you can kinda make it out).  And I should note, the door is the same color green (even though it is open in this picture and you cannot really tell).

Hello Cherry Cobbler Red!!  Yum yum! :)

And new color scheme, complete with new door color.  It practically looks brand new!!

7) Rebekah is REALLY into reading and I LOVE THAT!!  Gordie really likes reading.  Seriously, that man reads books like most people watch TV.  He reads a book every night!  (ok, not a whole book, but he is reading a book - and I mean, for several hours)  Anyhow, I like reading, too and I think it is very important.  I am so glad that Rebekah has lots of time to enjoy reading at her leisure.

8) I mentioned in my last journal post that Miriam likes to wear pants (or shorts).  Well, here are some shots of her in her "pjs of choice" (the onsesie is what I WOULD put her to bed in, the shorts are her addition that she INSISTS upon).

Rebekah is "helping" her smile here.  She often gives me a good smile initially when I pull out the camera, but my camera is ALWAYS too slow to catch it .  (Usually it has to charge the flash - dumb regular battery-powered camera - such a pain!!)

Miriam likes Paul's bed a lot.

9) I tried to take a picture of the kids after Mass this morning. . . Miriam was not really in favor of this endeavor.

Oh brothers :)

Exercise Part 1 - General Overview

Exercise has been on my mind for a while now.  We recently rearranged my exercise room and I really wanted to share the pictures with the world.  I really want to encourage everyone to take time to exercise!!

The problem is that I cannot seem to get my thoughts in a good coherent order.  I have random-encouragement type of thoughts and then they drift into I-LOVE-CATHE-WORK-OUT-VIDEOS type of thoughts, and then back into reflective thoughts about my past work-out experiences and how I have changed and grown and what I have learned.  I guess I really have a lot to say about it, which is odd since I am really not all that old.

But before I get too much further, here is the lovely picture of my rearranged work-out space!!  It probably looks silly to you, but it makes me very happy.



Unfortunately I am TERRIBLE at before pictures.  I only think to take pictures after.  In any case, I post this to encourage others.  A lot of space is NICE, but not required.  This little corner of our utility room works quite well for me.  Note the computer and tv - I often put a DVD work-out video on the little tv and then stream a show or watch something else on the computer.  This way it is not so boring if I am doing a work-out I am fairly familiar with.  I think I get a better work-out when I do not do this, but if this is what I need to do to get it done, than I figure anything is better than nothing!

Moving on. . . here are some RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT EXERCISE in the order I thought of them. . .

1) Did you know exercise releases happy hormones in your brain? (as does cleaning - another of my favorite activities)

2) Without regular exercise I seriously go a little crazy!  (I notice I lack patience, have more aches and pains, and often have trouble focusing on what I need to do.)

3) Exercise does not have to be intimidating.  Start at your level and just keep building.  If you miss a day, try again the next.  If you need a break, take it.  But keep coming back.  It is worth it!

4) Exercise does not have to be done in a gym.  You can do A LOT of exercise in your own home with little or no equipment!!

5) Exercise can be FUN!!  It might not be at first.  It might not ALWAYS be.  But it CAN BE, so keep that in mind.  Attitude is everything.  (As my dear Cathe says.)

6) My personal preference for exercise is videos done by Cathe Friedrich.  Ninety-nine percent of the exercise videos I own are by her (in other words, I have one video by Leslie Sansone and one that I purchased by Jari Love, but was so disappointed in it that I promptly got rid of it and have been a faithful "Cathlete" ever since). 

Side note: I have purchased a few of Cathe's DVDs and been disappointed.  Not every video is for everyone.  And perhaps.  . . maybe. . . not every Cathe video is absolutely amazing (as you would expect from a  work-out goddess like Cathe :) so be sure to read reviews and such to get what you expect and think will work for you.

7) I do plan to review some of my favorite Cathe videos at some point soon and post about it here.  (I'm sure you are anxiously awaiting that :)  I also got her new set of videos (XTRAIN) for my birthday (that I ordered for myself, of course) and so far I am LOVING those.

Another kind-of side note: I have a lot of "runner" friends.  My favorite form of exercise will probably always be long-distance running.  There is NOTHING like the "runners' high."  Running is great for prayer, reflection, contemplation, and relaxation (well, mental relaxation anyhow).  Unfortunately I do not find myself able to run much for many reasons: my body cannot take the pounding much anymore (hard on feet, knees, back), we do not have great trails or any such to run on nearby, and it is difficult to schedule time for this with a large family and young baby.  But perhaps one day I will be one of those "silver-sneakers" ladies that you see out and about. Hey, my 90-year-old Grandma still walks four rounds at the Mall every morning!!

So the moral of the story?  Get your daily exercise!  You will be so glad you did.

An explanation

So I have not been blogging much and here are my reasons:

1. My computer broke and the one I use now does not have any working USB ports.  This may seem like nothing, but blogging to me is all about pictures.  How can I possibly blog with no way to plug in my camera and add pictures?!?!  It is quite a dilemma that I have not been able to fix yet.

2. I am pretty miserable right now with a lot of things going on in my life (that I would love to share, but don't have time right now - lol) and blogging is just not high on my priority list.

So, I'm sorry if you miss me.  I actually kind of miss sharing stuff with you all  (all 3 of you that actually check my blog once in a while) but that is how it is right now.

On a side note, a few blog ideas are popping around in my head and I MIGHT just break the cycle and post one or two of them WITHOUT A PICTURE!!  But only if I can find some time so. . . wait in anxious anticipation if you want. . . or just consider yourself warned.

In the mean time, Happy Tuesday.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

So my daughter does a lot of coloring and craft projects at school. And here is what I do with them. I actually really enjoy them. Just thought I'd share.