Checking in

So, it's been a week.  I've been trying to think about what to do differently and how to proceed from here. 

It's been a week since I've had any coke.  Sort of.  I had a Coke last night at an office party, but I didn't like it. It was entirely too sweet.

I made a decision.  I'm going to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and cycle Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.  I need to find stretches and core exercises to fit in there. 

I'm going to go to the community center when I can, after school or after Dale gets home, whenever I can.

I'm not sure I'm going to weigh myself, but rather use measurements.  Of course that means I need to measure.

And something else.... I think I'm going to try to have 12 races in 12 months.  I'll have to plan carefully.  Obviously the first one will have to be a 5k.  But if I can keep myself motivated, it will be worth it, right?

So, I'll check in when I can.  I'll post a schedule when I can.

Hugs,
Melinda

An Untitled Post

I have no idea what to call this post.  Today has been a stressful day, and I feel the need to write about it, get it all out, but I don't really like the idea of calling my post "A Stressful Day."

The dogs got in a fight.  A big nasty blood drawn type of fight.  Dale and I were out for Date Night.  Nothing fancy, just grocery shopping.  We were headed to the car when Boo starts texting me: "Bad fight bad fight. Fast and furious."  "It's starting again.  I've got Little Bit on my bed."  Then the phone rings and Little Bit is on the other end telling me there's blood, she's in tears, obviously scared, and possibly hyperventilating.  So, I was able to calm her down and determine that there's not THAT much blood, and let her know we were in the car on the way home.

Nana was covered.  But it was more because she's a white dog, so any little amount of a contrasting color shows up rather well.  She was limping, and her "wrist" was swollen.

Sky wouldn't let us touch her side.  We couldn't get her collar on.  She's black and we couldn't see any blood, but I still smeared her side with Neosporin.

We separated them, got everyone calmed down and snuggled into bed.

They got into it again Sunday afternoon. But this time, we were prepared.

Did you know that if 2 dogs are fighting, you don't grab the dog on top by the collar?  That's a good way to get bitten.  No, you can grab that top dog by the base of their tail or their hind legs, and pull upward and start walking backwards in a circle.  It breaks their grip and keeps them off balance so they aren't as likely to bite you.

Anyway...  I spent this morning at the vet's office, because Nana's wrist is still swollen and Skye still yelps a bit if we're not careful and pet her too hard on that side.

Then, Little Bit didn't want to do her schoolwork today.  Never you mind that it was "fun" schoolwork, that I want to study Christmas traditions around the world!  No, she was too tired and cranky to do the work, so I sent her up to take a nap.

But this evening....

This evening, I got an email alert from our bank stating that our account is overdrawn.  I know of at least 3 checks that haven't gone through, and one automatic withdrawal that is supposed to happen tomorrow.  I might can stop the 3 checks from being deposited, but there's no way that I can stop the withdrawal.

But along with that, came the realization that we probably won't be able to afford to go home for Christmas.  Which really sucks, because I was looking forward to hanging out with my sisters in law, and my nieces and nephews.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of stress, of emotional drama, of stupid mistakes.  I'm tired of asking for forgiveness and being rejected.  I'm tired of trying to hold it all together when I hurt so badly.  I'm tired of trying to cope on my own.

I am reminded of this passage from Matthew:

Matthew 11:28-30

New International Version (NIV)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

But have you ever read it in the Message?

Matthew 11:28-30

The Message (MSG)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Tonight, I'm going to give it all to God.  I'm going to try to walk with Jesus.  I'm going to rest in the Word, in Him.

And I hope you can do the same.

Hugs,
Melinda

 

It's Time for a Change, Pt. 2

I've been doing some thinking on how exactly this is going to work.  I know that I have always done better with some sort of accountability.  I guess the question I have is how can I be accountable to just myself.

A year (plus?) ago, a friend started a game of sorts called "Girls Getting Fit."  It was a point system, where we got points for eating fruits and veggies, exercising, drinking water, tracking our food intake, not going over our calorie limit.  Healthy habits.

That was fun, but there's no one to really compete with me.  Other than me.  Maybe I could have a race with myself.  If I get a certain number of points by a certain date, then I ....

I know one thing for certain.  It's going to be a struggle to get to the community center every day.  Once it gets cold, Dale stops riding his bike so much, and I lose my mobility.  Of course, that's one of the reasons I'm going.  In order to gain mobility to ride my bike to more locations.

I'm hoping to start using the cargo rack this spring.  I'm thinking that I can go do a modest amount of grocery shopping by bike.

So eat less move more.  I guess I need to come up with a training plan, and a moderate "diet" plan.

Have I told you how I detest the word "diet?"  It seems like diets are things you start and stop and start and stop, and it never ends.  I don't want to "diet."  I want to change my habits.  I want to eat healthier and exercise more and live longer.

Maybe setting a goal will help.  I have a few goals.  I understand that I will probably never ever be 150 pounds.  I'm not aiming for that.  I'm aiming for healthy.  I need to get to 200 first.  Then maybe I can look at 175.

But a different goal I have is to ride the Katy Trail from end to end.  And that's going to be something different.  I'm going to need endurance for that.  I'm going to have to be able to ride 40-50 miles a day for a week.

And I would like to run the Plaza 10K in 2014.  I really wanted to do it this year, but shin splints hurt.

I'm not sure where I need to start, but I know I have to change.  Any thoughts?  Suggestions?  Interest in joining me?

Hugs,
Melinda

It's time for a change

It's time for a change.  A weight loss change, that is.

Let's face the facts here.  In the past month, I've gained around 10-15 pounds.  I feel fat.  I know I know.... Use "overweight" so it's more politically correct or less emotionally damaging.  But at 225 pounds (GULP), I believe I have the right to call it like it is.  I'm FAT!




But I don't want to be.  I don't like feeling this way.  I don't like the way my clothes don't fit.  I don't like feeling out of breath because my lungs don't have any room.  I don't like my huge belly that looks like I'm still carrying Little Bit (the one who will be 9 next year).

So it's time for a change.

Let's break it down into the basic elements.  What do you need to lose weight?  Simple.  Move more, eat less. 

Step one.  I joined the local community center today.  They have cardio and strength equipment.  Membership for a year was only $30.  I figure with the temperature dropping, that will be good for me to get out and do what I need to do.

Part two of step one is to figure out exactly what time of the day I can go work out.  But the important part is taken care of.

Step two.  Eat less.  This one is going to be harder for me.  I love food.  I love cooking and baking and eating.  I've used several techniques before, like Weight Watchers and My Fitness Pal, and I may go back to one of those.  MFP is free.  WW is not.

I know one important thing.  I have to stop drinking soda.  Possibly coffee but definitely soda.  So starting tomorrow, I'm going cold turkey.

There's some other things I want to post, but I'm at church, and Dale wants to go home, so I need to finish up.  Until later,

Hugs,
Melinda

For my Clash friends

I play a game on my phone called Clash of Clans.  One of my friends was leaving work and said "Don't clash and drive!"  Everyone said "Bumper Sticker!"  I went to Cafe Press to try and make a bumper sticker sort of as a joke.  After 2 hours of fiddling with my computer and with Cafe Press, I realize it's not big enough.  This after not being small enough.  I'm tired. 

For all my friends who play Clash...  here's the design for the bumper sticker.  Once I figure out how to load it and have it properly sized, it's all yours.

Hugs,
Melinda

Candy Experiments (with pictures)

Have you heard of Candy Experiments?  It's a particularly useful website right after major holidays in which tons of candy are handed out (ie, Halloween).  You take all your candy and you do experiments on it.  We've done it before, but this year was a bit different.

First off, I made them write.  They wrote what the experiment was, what they anticipated would happen, what did happen, and why they thought that was.  In other words, Boo and I tried to emphasize the scientific process to Little Bit.  Now, they didn't necessarily like writing it all down, but they did it.

So, I'm going to try to post pictures and explain what is happening in each one.  This post may be picture heavy.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.

This is the M&M/Skittles test.  We put a small package of Skittles in water and watched.  Boo used water from the tap.

 Little Bit used water from the fridge.  And yes, it made a difference.  The "S"s floated up really quickly on Boo's test.  They took over an hour on Little Bit's test.

 This is the sink or float test.  We were using a mini 3 musketeers.

 I'm not sure what result we were supposed to see.  But we did it.

 This was test to see the oil in the candies.  We tested 4 different kinds.  This is Little Bit's plate.  She did a little bit shorter time than Boo.

 But Boo was intrigued and decided to do her own test.  She did each one on a separate plate and for a really long time.

 I don't remember what Boo was expecting to happen, but she was satisfied with the results of her test.  Interestingly, if you melt the candy long enough, it bubbles sort of like pancakes, but after it cools down, it's actually hard.

This was where we realized the "M"s were coming up on Little Bit's first test.

 This was an acid test.  We crushed up nerds and lemon heads and sweet tarts, and then mixed them into water.  Then they took a spoonful of baking soda and added it to the water.  We had some interesting results.  The nerds fizzed and died pretty quickly.  The sweet tarts fizzed a little, but then they foamed.  Very interesting to watch.

 This is a continuation of test #1.  We used hot water versus cold water.  The biggest observation was how the colors did not bleed off or mix as well in the cold water cup.

 Next we did a "hidden sugar" test.  We took our favorite foods and measure out how many grams of sugar each had, by using M&Ms and Skittles and other smallish type candy.  Little Bit measure Fast Mac.

 Boo measured a serving of Nutella.  Since she's a fairly healthy eater anyway, I didn't rub in how much sugar it had.  I like letting them make natural observations.

 Then we decided to do the chromatography experiment.  This one was a bit more complex.  But we figured it out and tested just about everything left in our candy buckets.  I can tell you that brown M&Ms and purple and red Skittles give the best results, while green ones aren't too bad either. However.... Smarties don't work for this test.

 We took this picture after about an hour.  I should have taken a picture the next day, because it was really rather spectacular.  But maybe that just gives you an incentive to do it yourself.  ;)

 Up until this point, I had been guiding the testing.  Then I let them loose.  I let them design their own experiments.  I was nearby to offer assistance as needed.


They did candy experiments for over 3 hours.

It's really fun watching my children grow and process and learn. Candy experiments is just one of the ways we accomplish that.

Plus, the more candy we use for experiments, the less I eat.  ;)

Until next time,
Hugs,
Melinda

Halloween Party

Boo is a teenager now.  With all kinds of teenage problems.  Part of the problem is that she's homeschooled and that the youth group at our church is mostly public school kids and sort of small. 

Of course, I say that because my youth group was 100+.  This group has around 15.  Maybe.

So Dale and I came up with a sort of plan to help.  We decided to have a Halloween party. 

Of course that meant that we had to clean the house.  I mean a really deep clean.  I joked that we were spring cleaning either 6 months early or 6 months late.  We spent a week and a half working on every room in the house (minus the basement and the garage). 

Then we decorated.

We made monster fingers.

And made witches hats and sugar cookie bones.

 I liked the decorations on my kitchen window sill.  Eyeballs, a blackbird, a pumpkin, and....

 .... our potion jars.  We had body parts, spiders, a snake, and "frozen bubbles."

 We made a crepe paper spider,

 and decorated the piano.  (The lamp has a black light bulb in it.)

 We set out Boo's potion bottles and her bloody candle.

 There were spider webs galore.

 This is just a few of the treats we made.

 And Jack O' Lantern pizza of course.

 We served Black Punch with shark fin ice,

 and mummy dogs!  These were different than "normal" because they had arms and legs.

And we played the mummy game.  They worked in teams of two to come up with the best mummy.  This is a variation of the "wedding dress" game that we played at one of my bridal showers, which I've also used for a snowman game.  It's very versatile.  :-D

While we didn't get a lot of friends from the youth group, we did have a good time.  The added bonus is that my house is now clean, and we've been following FlyLady's routines so that it is also staying clean.

We love having people over and we had a grand time.

Until next time,

Hugs,

Melinda

New family member!

This is a story I simply have to tell before I do anything else.  I'm gonna burst with excitement.

So last week, Wednesday to be exact, Dale is on his way home on his bike.  He called me and said, "I have a follower and I'm not sure what to do.  Can you pick me up?" Okay, I'm on my way.  But as I'm driving to pick him up, I'm thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts.  We had been watching Flashpoint, and I was terrified he had been kidnapped. 

I pulled up, and he showed me the little black dog that had been following him.  She was as sweet as all get out.  We were able to take her to the vet before they closed for the night.

She had a microchip.

Which is good for her, and good for her owners, but bad for Dale.

For that 30 minutes that the dog followed him, and my coming to get him, and taking her to the vet, Dale had a dog. 

My silly husband who protests that he doesn't like animals  got attached to a dog.

I asked him Thursday night if he wanted to go look at a shelter, and he insisted he didn't.

So, we're sitting on the couch just chilling out Saturday morning, when I looked over to see what he was doing on the computer.

He was looking at dog pictures.  ROFLOL

So, I got him and the girls up and out the door.  First we went to Brookside Barkery and Bath, where one of the local shelters was showing and adopting dogs.  We almost came home with Drummer or Charley Horse.

Next, we went to Wayside Waifs.  We went up and down their kennel areas.  We looked at all the dogs.  We picked 2 to meet.  Dolly and Holly.  Dolly was a cattle dog mix and loved her toys.  Holly looked like a whippet mix, and was fairly shy.  We played with both dogs.  We ran outside with both dogs.  We couldn't decide.

But the good thing about Wayside Waifs is that they want you to have a dog-to-dog meeting before you adopt.  So regardless, we had to go back to get Nana.

Keep in mind, we left our house at 10:40.  When we got back into Independence at 2:00, we decided to go have lunch at our favorite restaurant Square Pizza and talk about which we liked best.  We picked up Nana and got back to the shelter at 3:00.

As we were walking in the door, Holly and her new owners were walking out.  Oh well, and congratulations. 

So, we did the dog-to-dog meeting with Dolly.

Surprisingly, we didn't know Nana was a herding dog until we saw her herding us.  First she herded Dolly away from us, then she herded us away from Dolly.  We had lots of concerns with having two dogs, and asked lots of questions on how to handle the two of them.

But at 5:30, we left the shelter with Dolly, that Dale has re-named Skye. 

Meet the newest member of our pack!

The thing about cattle dogs is they have a LOT of energy.  They are what César Millan would call "high energy." One of the best ways to get rid of that energy so that you don't have destructive behaviors is to give them lots of exercise.  So Dale and I have been waking up early (5:00 am) to walk both dogs.  We've been increasing our distance every time.  We walked just over 2 miles this morning.

Skye looks like she would have a lot of fun on an agility course, but that probably won't happen until next spring after we've had some time to work on her with training.  We know that she loves chasing tennis balls and Frisbees.  And already, all of us have spent more time outside exercising with her than probably in the past month. 

She is a good addition to our family, but more importantly.....

Dale has a dog.

Hugs,
Melinda

Homeschool progress

It was pointed out to me the other day, that I am supposed to be keeping a journal of sorts to document the progress that the children are making in our homeschool efforts.  While I am going to still keep up a certain level of anonymity, I am going to try to start making regular blog entries along those lines.  Little Bit is still the youngest.  Boo is still the oldest.

My mother in law came for a visit about a week and a half ago.  She and her new honey weren't here for very long.  We went to the Truman Presidential Library because even though we've lived in the area for about 7 years, we have never been.

Later that night, I asked Little Bit to read Nonnie.  I thought she was going to choose an easy to read book.  She did.  Sort of.  The book she read was actually an easy to read chapter book.  She read out loud to Nonnie for about 15 minutes.

And she's been reading verses out loud during Bible time.  Words like "therefore" and "judgment" and "Israel.". (We're currently in the book of Judges.)

This child, the one I struggled and fought tooth and nail to get to read, the one who still really doesn't like "reading and phonics," is becoming a reader.  She loves going to the library, and she loves checking out chapter books.  I am amazed at how well she has improved in 6 months. 

Of course, part of it is that I stopped pushing certain books, and started letting her pick books she thought she would enjoy.  It really makes a difference.

So that's Little Bit's progress.

Boo's progress is a bit harder to gauge.  Is she improving?  Yes.  She constantly writes and reads.  Her history is a freshman level history book.  She is able to converse with her daddy and myself on a more intellectual basis.

But math is still sort of a sore subject. 

She uses Teaching Textbooks.  She's on grade 7.  And she's a "freshman."

In all honesty, math is probably one of the biggest reasons I wanted to pull her out of public school.  Her 3rd grade year, she had 3 different teachers within about a 3 month period.  That's when they learned multiplication.  It was never cemented in her mind, so I still see the struggle even 6 years later.  And it seemed like none of her teachers wanted to work with her.

So we pulled her out and started working with her ourselves.

Dale has started practicing basics with her.  Just trying to do math drills and improve her speed on the basics. 

This is where the benefits of homeschooling comes into play.  I can tell you that Little Bit is strong in math, and Boo is strong in reading.  If Boo never takes calculus or trigonometry, that's alright.  Little Bit does have to learn how to read, though.  But my efforts are going to focus on reading for information as opposed to reading simply for enjoyment. 

So that's our progress this year.  I hope to have more updates, ideally once a week, but practically, once a month.  Have a good day.

Hugs,
Melinda

Meltdown

Well that was odd. 

My Little Bit, my joy, my laughter, just had a meltdown.  An honest to goodness meltdown.

Over creative writing. 

If you go over here, I talk a little bit about how we've been approaching our creative writing this year.  Today's prompt was to tell the story of Halloween from the point of view of a piece of candy.  Little Bit got confused, and told me about her favorite type of candy.

I'm trying to be more... well, strict is not the word, but more regulated on school work.  While homeschool is great at adapting and identifying problems as they occur, I don't want to be so lax that I just give them a passing grade no matter what. 

So, I asked her to do it again, correctly and using the prompt.

She broke down.  Great big fat tears. 

So I'm back at the drawing board on my plans for today.  This seems to have been a pattern this week, where she freaks out if she thinks the work is too difficult for her.  I guess my job as her mother and her teacher is to determine if it is too hard, if it's just her learning style, if it's the almost 2 week break, just what is it that caused her to break down.

I'm going to go do some research on 2nd grade writing skills while she takes a nap.

Or maybe I'll go take a nap.

Hugs,
Melinda

Five Minute Friday: Laundry

I'm going to try something new.  There's a linkup called Five Minute Friday where you write about the given topic for five minutes. 

Oh, I think I've already broken one of the rules.  I think you aren't supposed to edit.  And I've backspaced and corrected spelling more than once.  lol  It's my nature.

Today's topic is Laundry.

Laundry list
Laundry soap
Have to do the laundry
Clean it all up
Teach Boo how to do it correctly
Fold it
Put it away
Don't like laundry

Those are all my thoughts.

Laundry was one of the chores I hated to do growing up, because it was never done.  Growing up in a house with hoarders, it just seemed to pile up and pile up and just it was always there.

I'm trying to teach my children how to not let the laundry pile up.  Maybe that makes me a bit OCD.  Maybe that's just me trying to prevent heartache for my girls.  I don't know.

Well my 5 minutes is almost up.  My good morning alarm has just gone off to start school, so I need to wrap this up, so we can get Bible class started.

Thank you Lord for giving me laundry.  It means I have enough clothes ....  for something.  I forget the rest of the saying.  My sleep deprived brain isn't functioning very well.  Pray for our school day!  lol

Hugs,
Melinda

Watch your mouth!

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 

This verse has really been speaking to me recently. I find that I am not building others up, but letting unwholesome talk out of my mouth. If I have hurt you with my words, I am sorry. If you hear me being hurtful, please say something. 

I want to be more like Jesus, and talking bad about others isn't the right way to do it. 

Humbly,

Melinda 

Homeschooling Benefits

Okay, so I thought I would spend a bit of time talking about some of the benefits of homeschooling.  Things that you might not realize or think of until you're in the midst of them.

1. Time - as a homeschool family, we are not as bound by time as others are. 

For example, Boo wanted to run a Halloween race this year.  I've been trying to incorporate some training into our mornings.  But with the change in season, and the fact that sunrise continues to get later and later, we're having to run later and later.  But that's okay.  Because she doesn't have to get up and catch the bus at 6:30 in the morning.  So we run when the sun is up.

2. Helping - otherwise known as serving.  We have more opportunities to serve in a way, because we aren't as bound by time (see number 1) as others. 

For example, my dad has been sick.  We recently got the opportunity to travel to Nashville to help him out for awhile.  But instead of staying only a week, when he needed us to stay longer, we were able to help.  If we weren't homeschooling, I don't think I would have been able to go, let alone for so long.

Of course, getting back into our normal schedule and routine has been a bear, but that's a whole different post!

3. Adaptability.  I think this is the one that I've understood a bit better this year.  Boo for the longest time wanted to be a fashion designer.  I explained that she needed to learn about art, and how to draw, and how to critique other's designs, and she needed to be studying fashion.  She didn't want to do that however.

This past year, she decided she wanted to be an author.  So, I've been encouraging her to write.  We do creative writing, we have writing prompts, and I got a curriculum that is solely focused on helping students with their writing.  It's coverstorywriting.com in case you want to look at it.

The difference in her attitude towards school work is AMAZING!  Learning to adapt her school work to her skills and desires has already paid off in leaps and bounds.

That's all I can think of at the moment. 

If you homeschool, what are some of your favorite benefits?

Hugs,
Melinda

Security Concerns

Due to some security concerns I've had in blog traffic and download activity, I have decided to take off all pictures of Little Bit and Boo.

Call me paranoid if you want, but thank you for understanding.

Hugs,
Melinda

How can an introvert be brave for God?

I'm an introvert. 

That may come as a shock to some of my friends, but really, I am.  I can force myself to be "extroverted" at times, but then I go through long periods of really not wanting to be around anyone at all.

On a really bad day, I don't even want to leave the house so I don't have to talk to anyone.

And yet, I've always wanted to be a missionary. 

So the question that's been rolling around in my head is, how can an introvert be useful to God?  How can someone who has trouble talking to people be brave enough to share their faith with others? 

How does 2 Timothy 1:7 apply to me?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

 

 Maybe I should look further into that chapter.  Verse 8 starts off like this:

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.

Is that it?  Am I ashamed?  I don't think I am.  Continuing on into the verse, it says this:

 And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

I'm not certain, but maybe verse 8 applies directly to Timothy.

But continuing on to verse 14, the Bible says this:

 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

 Is that it?  Do I need to guard the truth? 

I'm still struggling with this question.  I don't know the answer.  Hopefully, prayerfully, God will grant me the courage to be brave for Him.

Until then,
Hugs,
Melinda

Camping

Every year, our church takes a camping trip together.  We go to one of the local state parks, and there's about 15-20 families from our church on this one stretch of road, a cul-de-sac in the campground.  There are pop-up trailers, and big RVs, and tents galore. 

This has become my vacation. 

As hard as it is to cook over a fire, and to sleep on an air mattress, and have my routines thrown out entirely out of whack, it is my vacation, and I look forward to it every year.

We play games (mainly spades), and eat smore's and other things we don't normally have.  We get to talk more one on one with people we may just see in passing at church.  We sing together and we become more unified as a church, as a family.

This year, I taught Little Bit how to ride her bike.  We had gone up on Tuesday.  (Most everyone else shows up between Thursday and Friday.)  Actually, we've been working on it off and on for a while, but I got her ON her bike WITHOUT training wheels, and told her to go, and we did our very best and worked really hard, and guess what?  Little Bit can now ride her bike. 

We tried some new meals this year, as well.  We tried Campfire Cones, which were actually a BIG hit.  Everyone liked them, including the elder that we were sharing a site with.  We also tried 3 Minute Pizza.  The girls and I enjoyed it pretty well.  Dale wasn't there to try it.  ;)

Oh my, I'm rambling in this post.  I'm so sorry.  I'm kind of out of the habit of posting on a daily basis. 

I also discovered that my dog doesn't like camping.  For lack of better words, Nana was GRUMPY!  She would growl and bark at just about anyone.  The worst was Little Bit's best friend.  GA is the granddaughter of the elder that we were sharing a site with.  Nana wanted NOTHING to do with her.  I ended up taking her on a walk around the lake (3+ miles) in order to wear her out.  That and had GA give her a peanut butter treat.  It helped, but she still makes me nervous around the little girl.

Tonight...  we're going camping again.  It's just an overnight trip here in town.  It's W.O.W.  Wonders of Wildlife.  It all will count as school, because tonight there is a talk about owls.  Tomorrow, we get classes in archery, canoeing, fishing, map and compass, and outdoor cooking.  Our friends have been going for years, and this year, we get to go too. 

Well, I'm posting while Little Bit works on her science notebook.  I guess I'd better get back to paying attention. 

I'll try to post pictures once we return.
Hugs,
Melinda

I'm back

So, you might have noticed that I haven't posted in a while.  Turns out I needed a longer break than I anticipated.  After some shin splint pain that didn't feel quite "right," I went to the doctor instead of just the chiropractor.  Turns out I had an "overuse" injury.  I trained too fast, too soon, and I had to stop. 

No running for 4 weeks. 

I could bike and walk the dog, but no running. 

And I've hated every minute of it.  Almost.

The part that I hated was the fact that I couldn't run the Plaza 10K.  It's disappointing, you know?  To train and psych yourself up and then not be able to do what you know you could do if your body wasn't resisting the work.... 

Oh well.

Like I've told several people, I'm going to be ready for the race next year.  Like I told the doctor, I'm disappointed, but not discouraged.  I'm not going to give up, but I am upset that I have to stop for a bit.

One and a half weeks to go!

Ugh.
Hugs,
Melinda

It's time for a break.

Well, not really.

I'm taking a break from running.  Just for part of the week. 

According to my chiropractor, I have one leg that is shorter than the other one.  My theory is that when I run, I basically hammer my ankle on my leg, which puts my leg and ankle out of alignment, which ends up hurting like crazy.  So I'm at the point that I either rest or go get adjusted.

And then there's the whole splinter in my heel that no one can see but I can feel.

And why am I feeling nauseated at night?

And I'm trying not to freak out that I have a 10K in 31 days.

I'm saying all this, because running is totally a mind game.

No, I'm not the strongest out there.  No, I'm not the fastest out there.  Heck, I may even be the slowest!  And I'm not giving up.  I'm just....

Resting.

The dictionary defines rest as

1.  Cessation of work, exertion, or activity.
2.  Peace, ease, or refreshment resulting from sleep or the cessation of an activity.
3.  Sleep or quiet relaxation.
4.  The repose of death: eternal rest.
5.  Relief or freedom from disquiet or disturbance.
6.  Mental or emotional tranquility.
7.  Termination or absence of motion.
8.  Music
   a.  An interval of silence corresponding to one of the possible time values within a measure.
   b.  The mark or symbol indicating such a pause and its length.
9.  A short pause in a line of poetry; a caesura.
10.  A device used as a support: a back rest.

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not looking for #4.  But more #1 and #6.

Rest is good for the soul, good for the mind.  It gives you a chance to recharge and refocus.  I mean, that's the whole purpose behind our "off" weeks of school. 

My hope, my prayer is that this week of rest will help me to become a better teacher and a stronger runner.

Or at least more focused.

Hugs,
Melinda

32 Days Until Race Day!

Movie day

One of the things we are trying to do differently this year is to have 3 weeks of school and one week of rest.  Today is the start of our first week "off."

We're having a movie day. 

We've watched Rapunzel, and Despicable Me, and Veggie Tales.  Now we're on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

By the way, have I told you how much I love audiobooks?

We discovered a while back that Little Bit will actually stop talking in the car if we are listening to an audiobook.  We've listened to so many of them, including the Harry Potter series.

In fact, we had just finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last week. 

Dale and I had agreed that Little Bit could watch the movie as long as 1) she had listened to the book and 2) one of us was watching with her.

She's already brought up several things that were different from the book.

Which begs a question:  Can I count movie day as school? 

Hugs,
Melinda

Weight Loss Update

I thought I might give you an update on how my weight loss is going.

It's not.

Simply put, I like to eat food too much.  I like to eat the wrong kinds of food, too.

I guess I started running because I like to eat.

So, while I'm not starting over at the beginning, I do feel like I need to get back on top of it again.  So I'm trying a couple of "tricks" in order to jump start my weight loss again.

1. I'm going to try to drink a glass of water before I have any soda or coffee.
2. If I'm upset, I'm going to try to go for at least a walk.
3. I'm going to try to have a salad for lunch before I have anything else.

That's it!  I don't know if it will help, but I'm going to try.  Check back with me in a few months and see how I'm doing. :-D

Hugs,
Melinda

I can fly!

I can't believe I forgot to write about this.  I guess I was so excited that blogging simply slipped my mind.

I can fly!

Well, not really.  But when I ran on Tuesday, it felt like I was flying.  I did great and felt fantastic! 

The first thing that happened was that I ran a mile in 10:30.  Ten minutes!  I can't believe it.  After struggling for so long to maintain a 14 minute pace, 10:30 felt fantastic.

The second thing that happened was that I broke a personal record.  When I ran my first 5K in April, I ran it at 43 minutes.  When I ran my second one in May, I ran it at 41 minutes.  Most of my training has been between 45 and 55 minutes.  Tuesday... I ran a 5K in 36:22. 

WHAT?  Oh my goodness.  I can't believe it.  I simply can't believe it.  I have no idea how I did it.  I maintained an 11:45 pace for the whole run.  I think that was the best run I have ever had.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to repeat it anytime soon, but I know I will hold that memory for a very long time.

Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 0
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 28 (I think)

36 days left till race day!

I forgot!

HiI'm sorry. I keep forgetting to post my successes and my lessons. I'm going to write about what it felt like to fly on Tuesday. 

But not tonight. I'm going to have to do it tomorrow. 

Boo is having a sleepover, and I must have had too much caffeine. Little Bit is in our bedroom still awake at 10:15. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to feel like running in the morning, and if I'm going to get enough sleep. 

But for now, a picture and a teaser for tomorrow. 

I think I was flying. 

Hugs,

Melinda

Yes!!

I have to post this because I am so stinking proud of myself.

I've been recovering from shin splints the past week, and I have HATED not being outside running when I could.  I got up this morning determined to run.

And it was raining.

So I went downstairs and got on the "dreadmill."  Did some HITT work.  Stopped and stretched when it felt tight.  I ended up running a mile in 19+ minutes.  It was awful.

I didn't want to risk hurting myself again, so I quit and came back upstairs.  After about an hour, I realized it wasn't raining anymore.  Not only that, it was really nice and cool outside.

So I decided to try again.

I mainly just run around my block.  2 1/2 laps is a mile.  The backside of the block has a nice little hill.  I have been running 3 of the 4 sides of the block and walking up the hill.  I leave my water bottle on a low wall, and slow down and stop when I pass the water bottle.

I didn't stop.

I was able to run part way up the hill.

I walked when I needed to.  I wasn't in a lot of pain (although there is a little).

And I kept going.

And I beat myself!  I got a personal best!

After months of having 15 minute miles and have a 19 minute mile earlier this morning, this was FABULOUS!  I am so proud of myself.

I have to laugh because when I was telling Dale about it, I told him I "only" went a mile this morning.  (Not counting the mile on the dreadmill.)  But the reason I laugh is because in February and March, I would have been THRILLED to run a full mile.  How far I've come!  : D

Happy running!
Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 0
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 17.3

44 days left til race day!

Cute, cute, cute

My youngest is normally a delight to be around. She makes everyone smile. But occasionally she is extra cute.

Today, she came up to me and said, "Mommy, Sissy and I have  decided not to fight anymore. We're going to talk about our problems." My thought was somewhere along the lines of "yeah, right."

Then this evening I was telling Dale about our Bible class while she was playing with her blocks. She said, "Mount Si-my won't stay together!" She was building Mount Sinai. Lol. Cute baby girl. 

Have a good night. 

Hugs,

Melinda

I have a headache

Let's get this straight. I love Coca-Cola.

But I've known for a while it's not good for me.

I've tried to change my ways. It started when I joined Weight Watchers. I tried drinking Coke Zero. Unfortunately, aftera year  the aspartame got to me. I knew I was in trouble when I started waking up with headaches. And when no ibuprofen  with take care of them. So I tried to limit my soda intake. 

One way I thought about dealing with the headaches, the horrible caffeine withdrawal headaches, maybe I should start drinking coffee! I never have more than one cup of coffee in a day, right? Surely that wouldn't be a problem, right? 

So why am I getting a caffeine withdrawal headache tonight after having a cup of coffee this morning? 

I decided to turn to my friend, Google. I asked the question "what has the most caffeine?" I discovered this table.  

An 8 ounce cup of coffee has 145 mg of caffeine. A 12 ounce cup? 34. 

So the question becomes am I trying to avoid caffeine or sugar? If caffeine, then I need to go back to drinking Coke. If sugar, then I'm going to continue drinking coffee. 

What would you do? 

Hugs,

Melinda

Days without soda: 0
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 15

48 days left til race day!

P.S.  I'm taking at least 2 days off of running in order to ease my shin splints.  I have a wonderful husband who allowed me to purchase some new shoes.  Hopefully that will help, but otherwise, I'm resting.

I AM a runner!

Merriam-Webster defines a runner in the following way.

Definition of RUNNERa : one that runs 

And it defines a jogger like this.

Definition of JOGGERa : to run or ride at a slow trotb : to go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace : trudge

Jogging... a slow trot.  A slow leisurely pace.  Well, I may be slow, but I am not running leisurely, by any means of that word!

I've noticed that I have to work hard not to be jealous when people get on Facebook and say, "I ran 6 miles, I ran 8 miles, I ran 13 miles."  It's hard for me to say, "I ran 3.5 miles," because I want to say, "I ONLY ran 3.5 miles."

But let's get this straight.....  I RAN 3.5 MILES!  Back when I started in Jan/Feb, I could barely run 1/4 of the time that I was doing 1.5 miles.  I am now doing more than I ever believed or ever thought I could do!

Am I still learning?  Yes.  Am I still struggling?  Yes.

But you know what?  I am a runner!

Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 1
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 15

49 days left til race day!

P.S. Hopefully I'll be able to add bike miles again this week.

Ouch!

Okay, first off, I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I didn't run.  My bed was so comfortable, I just didn't want to get up.

Today, however was a different story.  I needed to get up and run.  My legs needed it.

I had downloaded the Nike+ app for my phone, because the group I'm part of on Facebook, everyone was adding each other as friends.  I wanted to use that app more than anything.  So, when I woke up around 5:15 and realized I wasn't going back to sleep, I got up, and got ready.

Oddly, I beat Dale out of the house this morning.

I tried a new route today, as well.  Running around the block is okay, but it's kind of boring after a while, and it doesn't develop the right muscles all the time.  I'm sure I'll still do it, but I'm going to try to start adding distance.

My original idea for this route was right at a mile to and from the house.  Then I added this little section, and made it just a bit over 2 miles.  While I was out running today, I thought, "what if instead of turning here, I kept going this way?"  And I ended up at just almost 3 miles.

I'm sorry, I just realized I'm rambling.  On to the ouch.

I thought I had stretched well.  I wasn't hurting very badly this morning before I started.  I really thought I had stretched.  I ran almost a whole half mile.

Then the pain started.  Shin splints.  Painful shin splints.

If anyone can give me a great stretch for shin splints, I would love to hear it.  About the only thing I have found is lifting my knee at a 90 degree angle and rotating my foot.  It HURTS.

But I needed to keep running.  After all, I've got a race in 51 days.

So, I decided to walk for 10 seconds.  And then run for 10 seconds.  And then walk again.  On and on until I got through the run.

Granted, my legs don't hurt as bad now, but they are still painful.

But a new route, a new app, a new pain technique were all on the menu today.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.  Happy running!
Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 4
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 11.51

51 days left til race day!

Odd Week

So, this week, my oldest, Boo, has been attending a computer app development camp.  It's a girls only camp this week.  Dale wanted her to attend so that at the very least, she has an basic understanding and knowledge of how computers work.  She has to be there at 8:30 am.  Since we normally start school around 9:00, and since we aren't normally traveling 30 minutes away, that pushes my exercise into a smaller narrow time frame.

Which means I haven't ridden my bike this week.  :(

It also means that I haven't been keeping up with Little Bit's school work very well either.  Hopefully, we can get on a good solid schedule next week, when camp is over.

At least I'm still running every other day.  Speaking of, I joined a group on Facebook called the Women's Running Club.  It has been wonderful.  There are all kinds of runners, and they give so much advice.  Like today, everyone started talking about the Nike+ app.  I haven't even used it yet, and I have 25 friends!  I really appreciate everyone there.

Well, I need to go.  I've got a few chores to do before we go pick up Boo.  Have a good day everyone, and remember, no matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch!  : D

Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 2
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 8.56

53 days left til race day!

It's the little things

Dale forgot his phone, so we're back at his office. Before he got out, he turned the car around, so I wouldn't sunburn. 

Sometimes it's the little things that count.

Hugs,

Melinda 

Personal Best

I had a good run this morning.  I was up and ready to go (after hitting the snooze button only once), I had a good warm-up lap, and stretched really well.  Then I took off.

I actually felt like a runner today.  I didn't have little bitty strides, but nice long ones.  I was going faster than normal.  I actually ran up the hill instead of walking up it.

And I got my fastest mile yet.  13:12!

And I started thinking about something.  I'm a really competitive person, but I'm learning to only compete against myself.  I got my fastest mile today.  Thursday, I can try for 13 minutes flat.  There's really no stopping how much I can compete against myself, because I can only continually improve.  The only time I could stop is maybe if I went to the Olympics, and since that probably won't happen, I'll be able to keep working and improving.

So, all that to state, my competition is myself.

And myself did good today.  : D

Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 1
Bike miles: 16.04
Running miles: 8.56

54 days left til race day!

Do nothing day

Today, I did nothing for exercise.  I slept so long yesterday afternoon, that I stayed up too late last night, which meant that I "slept in" this morning.  And I'm so exhausted.  I'll do better tomorrow.

Days without soda: 0  :(
Bike Miles:  16.08
Running Miles: 6.44

55 days left!

First Group Run

Today was my first group run ever.  I was so nervous about what to expect that I didn't get to sleep until around 11:00 last night.  And then up at 6 this morning.  And of course, I tossed and turned, and my leg tried to cramp up on me.

We met at my favorite trail, and I met a whole bunch of people, and I only remember three names.  lol  We had water at 1 mile and 2 miles, which was the turnaround point.  My ankles always bother me for about the first mile or so.  I had compression sleeves on, and that seemed to help a bit.

Silly me, I thought a group run meant we would run together.  Nope.  I didn't even bring my earbuds.  Most everyone else took off.  There was a girl who looked like she was struggling at the same pace I go, so I tried to run with her.  She's 6'2" and a (non-practicing) lawyer.  She was going to turn around at a mile, but I kept pushing her to go just a bit further.  We ended up running the whole thing, even if it was a bit slower than I wanted to go.

When I got home, I realized I had a heat rash, got a really quick shower, ate a really quick breakfast, and went to church.  After church and lunch and an episode of Merlin, I fell asleep.  I'm not really sure how long my nap was, but I woke up around 7 pm.

And now, I'm trying to decide if I want to rest tomorrow, or bike around the neighborhood.  I don't know.

All in all, it was a good day.
Hugs,
Melinda

Days without soda: 9
Bike Miles:  16.08
Running Miles: 6.44

56 days left!

Habit

So this new habit of posting every day that I exercise is going to be somewhat difficult to remember for a while.

For example, I didn't exercise yesterday because I felt sick to my stomach.  So I didn't exercise and I forgot to post.

Today, Dale and I went on a bike ride as part of our "date night" that we were too tired to do last night.  We went to my favorite trail and rode a part Dale has never been down before.  A total of 8.04 miles.  Then we went to look at the Trek store, and then brunch at Chick-Fil-A, and then a swing by the running store so I could get some compression sleeves.  All in all, a great date.  :)

Tomorrow is my first group run ever.  I am extremely nervous about it.  Guess where it's at?

The bike trail we went down this morning.  Which also happens to be the bike trail I went down Wednesday.  Monday, I'm going to the top of the trail and riding down.  lol

Okay, I can't stay long.  It's late, and I've got a run in the morning.  Night!

Days without soda: 8
Bike Miles:  16.08
Running Miles: 2.24

57 days until race day!

What I've learned this morning.

First things first....

59 days til the race!

Okay, now that's out of the way.  *whew*

So, I meant to write this post about an hour ago, but as luck would have it, I got distracted.  (Squirrel!)

I am not a morning person at all.  Let me sleep as long as possible, please.  But you need to stay up til midnight?  I'm your gal.

I have to run in the mornings.  I don't like the mornings, but I like running in the heat and humidity even less, so I run in the mornings.

Dale decided that he wanted to try "Barefoot Running" today.  And of course, he wanted me to go with him and he didn't want to run on the road but on a track.  I don't blame him.  I wouldn't want to run barefoot on our road either.

Lesson #1:  I think I like running on our road because it takes so much time to drive anywhere that it's not hardly worth it.

Lesson #2: I think I have to run for myself and not for anyone else.  If Dale wants to run, fine.  Barefoot, fine.  At the track, fine.  I have to run for me, the way I want/need to.

So, Dale ran a couple of laps, and then developed a blister on his toe, which of course meant he wanted to leave.  We got home, and I woke Boo up.

We've all had colds this past week and a half.  This was our first day of running since last week.  Today's run for both Boo and myself were supposed to be easy no pressure runs.  I told her she could walk when needed, to take it easy.

Lesson #3: It takes a long time to recover your fitness level after being sick.

We have a neighbor around the corner who likes to walk his dogs around the same time we run.

Lesson #4: I can be friendly without stopping to chat, because I need to maintain my pace.

We've also been playing in our garden.  I planted basil.  A LOT of basil.  I don't know why I planted so much, but I've been able to get almost 4 cups every time I go out to my garden (about twice a week).  So, I give it away, I use it, and I dry it.

Did you know you can microwave your basil to dry it?  You put it between two sheets of paper towels and zap it a minute at a time.  Usually 2-3 minutes does the trick.  You can also dry it in the oven.

Lesson #5: Microwave dried basil looks a whole lot prettier than oven dried basil.

Well, it's time for recess now.  The girls have gone upstairs to play.  I think I'm going to try to catch a 10 minute nap.  Getting up early has made me sleepy.

I've always maintained that you can learn anything at anytime.  It's when you stop learning that you need to watch out for.  And I hope that in homeschooling my daughters, that they learn to love learning as well.  Remember, the only stupid question is the unasked one.

Hugs,
Melinda

Last soda drunk: 7/12/13
Bike Ride: 8.04
Running: 2.24

59 days til race day!