Pictures of 15k- Gate River Run

Thought I would share a few pictures of my last race.

This is my friend and me before the race. I am on the left.
I have been running a few years now,
completing two marathons, my friend
started running with me last April after 10 years of no running.
We haven't stop since. It is great to have a running partner.
We have the same pace and are supportive of each other.
This was my first 15k and frankly I was a little nervous.
I have only really run flat surfaces.
Well, not anymore.

Here is a picture of bridge one on our run.

This picture is the halfway up the green monster,
the last bridge of the race.
This monster is the last mile and a half of the race.
We ran up and up and up.

Here we are with our medals to prove we finished.
See our motivational hats?
26.2 miles.
My friend has never ran a marathon.
She now wants to.
Disney 2010 here we come.
But first, let's see:
5k- check
10k-check
15k- check
1/2 marathon- October 2009
marathon- January 2010
lots of training in between and maybe a 5k or two.

Many blessings

Training

Starting today I am going to be more consistent in blogging about my running. I think this will help make me more accountable to myself and my training. Hmmmm.....What was my last running post? Oh, the Disney marathon back in January that I had to drop out of and probably had no business running...stomach virus. Anyway since then I have run a 10K trail run, not a favorite and a 15K. The 10k run was in February and it was cold and 4 miles of it was through a marsh and it was muddy and uneven. Scenery was nice, loved the sign that said "Beware wild alligators." Tail running can be tough if you are not use to it and I wasn't, so it was rough. Great pancake breakfast afterwards though and now I can say "done it." The 15k was the River Gate Run in Jacksonville in March. My friend and I loved this race, we ran it at an conversational pace because we do not know how we would do at the bridges. The last mile of the race consists of a bridge they call the green monster and it was. I have no trouble going up hills, it is the down hills that give me trouble. I have had two knee surgeries. Going down that bridge my left knee was doing a hula dance, it was that unstable, but I made it. I will have to think twice about another race that has a bridge that steep, but who knows. After both races felt great, no soreness the next day.
Have a couple of 5ks on the horizon, but my next big race is not til October, a half marathon. Probably two more half marathons after that then the big one---The 2010 Disney Marathon.
Many blessings.

First Year of Homeschooling- Summing It Up

Things have been busy around here of late. Computer crashing, season of Lent and Easter, Spring weather, mild sickness, running, and homeschooling.

On the homeschooling front, we are on what one would call a steady course. Our "kindergarten" year will be completed in May. My son has improved greatly over this past year. We are so proud of him. Reading was a huge obstacle for him, but not anymore. He is my little reading machine. Handwriting, WOW! is all I got to say. Stepping back and concentrating on perfect letter formation was the key for him. Math, our focus has been from a "hands on" approach with some worksheets too. We have really enjoyed our read aloud books this year. We have read many. We are currently reading Saint George and the Dragon, The Tales of King Arthur and His Knights, and The Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit. My son is very interested in knights if you could not already tell. We have also spent as much time outside as possible. My husband and I really want our kids to enjoy the outdoors. We want them to be kids. Much learning is done through play. Our oldest has had very little exposure to the computer. What exposure he has is educational. This is an decision we have made and are happy with it. There will be plenty of time for computers later. There has been lots of art, lots of creativity with Lego's, army men and such.
Anyway, this is a quick sum up of our first year of homeschooling. It was not as easy as I first thought, but not as hard as others said. I learned quickly that if something is not working for your child, it is okay to stop and try something else. We tweaked a lot this year, we delayed things for next year when we found our child was not quite ready, we skipped things when it was obvious he already knew, we homeschool. It is rewarding to watch your child grow and learn right before your own eyes and not through reports of others. With such individualized one on one teaching, what parent could ask for more?

Did my oldest learn all that "they" say he should in kindergarten? I looked at what a child should know at the completion of kindergarten in our state. The answer is a big YES! But, let me make myself clear, we are not using what "they" say should be taught as our guide. We do not want to sell our children short. We feel as parents, it is our right to choose what is best for our children. We will choose the style and the pace. Believe me, our children will have learned beyond what any school could teach by the time they graduate. Enough of that, I think you get my point.

We plan to school year round, so our year one will start in June. I am in the planning stages of our year one, but the end is in site. So, far we are pleased with what we have selected for year one. We are a Charlotte Mason style homeschool family. We are using a combination of Ambleside online, Simple Charlotte Mason, and readings from Charlotte Mason herself as our guide. Looking forward to year one, but don't want time to go by too fast either. Trying to hold on to these precious years as much as possible. Many blessings.

CRASH!!!

Computer crash that is. I hit a virus and from what my husband and the techies say, I hit a big one. No recovery possible. So, we had to get a new something, I don't know the right technical word. Anyway, I lost everything, all my bookmarks, my folders. I had backed up some but not all. Sad, sad, sad. I am trying to rebuild all my favorites up again. I lost all my favorite homeschooling sites and blogs I love to follow. This time as I go I am backing up everything. Also, keeping a notebook, paper trails are the best I say. Pray for me. My husband is giving me computer 101 classes now and I need them.
Many Blessings

Is It March Already?

Time has really been flying by.
March has come and brought beautiful weather.
We have been spending most of our mornings outside.
With screen doors open,
the house if full with nature's music.
Signs of Spring abound.
We are planning our small garden.
This will be our first year with a raised bed.
We will start small this year.
Maybe next year, if all goes well, we will expand.
Hubby is drawing the plans.
Pictures to follow.
Many Blessings.

Spontaneous Field Trip

Yesterday, the children and I were out at our local park for some outdoor time.
Well, we were attacked by knats.

As I was driving back home, I thought....
Field Trip!

Thirty minutes later, we were having fun in the sand at the beach.

Watching big brother closely.

Big brother was the teacher today.

Spending time with each.

As my oldest says, "homeschooling rocks!"
Many blessings.

Training Wheels No More

We have had the training wheels off my oldest bike for a long time in the hopes that our son would finally get the courage to give it a go. The bike set in the garage close to six months. Finally one afternoon, soon after his younger girl friend showed how she could do it, my son tried. He tried and tried. He is great once he gets going. But that is it, he needs help starting and stopping. Well, over the weekend, his confidence got stronger and stronger.
He did it with no help.
His confidence soars now.

Find a good flat surface.

One foot up and one foot down.
Then push off.

See my dust flying?
Many blessings.

Outside Time

The weather was crisp and beautiful this past weekend. We as a family spent most of the weekend in the back yard. My husband working on the outdoor fort for the children. Might I add watching him pour all his love into this project makes me fall even more deeply on love with him, if that is possible. The children played in the dirt. The oldest with his two friends, the three musketeers, the twins with everybody. I was able to sit on the steps and dive deeply in a book with a diet coke at hand. What fun. Times like this are my favorite.
My oldest finally got the confidence to ride his bike without training wheels. I think his smile could not be any bigger or brighter. The neighborhood boys cheered and encouraged, joining in on his ride. My husband and I just looked at each other, no words exchanged, we both thought the same, we are blessed.
Other fun happenings. One of my girlfriends and I ran a 10K on Saturday. Starting temperature was 36 degrees. Dressing for a run that cold is hard for us who live in the South. We just don't experience it that often. Layers are the key. As you run, you strip, laying items on the side and hoping they are there when you come back. I placed mine by pirates who where stationed on the route, it was a Pirates Run. They looked after them for me. This race consisted of 4 miles of trail running, a first for me and my girlfriend. The trail was beautiful. It was through marsh areas with big signs warning of wild alligators. I think if we saw one, we would have blown by even the fastest of runners. We really could not take in the beauty because we had to be sure of our footing.
All in all, we can say we did a trail run, check it off the list. Many blessings.

Planning for Our Year One- Math

This post is about our selections for math for year one. I have to start by saying I thought this was going to be one of the easiest subjects to plan, wrong! I have read what Charlotte Mason has written about math and I am still unclear of exactly what she is saying. So, til I become more clear, I have been researching and browsing here and there around the web. I found one math program that sparked my interest- MEP- Mathematics Enhancement Programme. I could even download the lessons and practice books for free. The practice books looked interesting and I thought I could incorporate them into our math goals. Well, I started reading more about MEP. I found out that it is based on a Hungarian Series that are based on a continental model. What is that do you ask? From My understanding, it is a model where whole class interactive teaching is prevalent. Here are some quotes from the MEP site- "puts the teacher as the focus of the learning, places greater emphasis on whole class, interactive teaching with less differentiation and less individual works." Red flags everywhere for me. Whole class? I am all about individual learning, focusing on the child not the teacher. This might be a highly successful with high scoring students, but at what cost? How do you know in a "whole class" environment if everyone understood? I home school so I can foster to my children's individual needs and style of learning. So, needless to say MEP is out.
I did come across Ray's New Primary Arithmetic for Young Learners by Joseph Ray written in 1877. So far what I have read, I am pleased. Also was able to download this book for free too. It is more word problem based. I do like this and will find a way to incorporate this into our math. We purchased Shiller Math last year and are currently using this and have enjoyed it. It is a hands-on, using math manipulative type of math. We are also reading several Living math books. Living math is our favorite.
So, what to do for year one.....For now I think I will use Shiller Math two days a week and use Ray's Math two days a week. One day will be for our math journal and living math books. Each lesson only lasting 20 minutes or less.
I don't know why this was sooo difficult. I am glad I have finally come to what I think is a good conclusion, but it sure did take a lot out of me. I going to take two more Motrin and call it a day.
Many blessings.

My Random Thoughts

As I am researching and planning my oldest child's year one curriculum, I am finding a few things that I am gravitating towards. I have a definite love of anything old, classic, vintage. Everyday I am locating books written in the 1800's used for teaching children. I am hooked so to speak. I am working on incorporating some of these finds into our year one. Some will be part of our math, some our science, but most will be part of our free readings. I am having so much fun. I will post more on my hooks as I try to figure out how to schedule them.

The weather has been beautiful here lately, shorts have been in order on most days. Our outdoor time is increasing. I can definitely tell a difference in not only the children but myself. Fresh air, sunshine, and cool breezes does a lot to uplift spirits. We are just loving it. Hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

A Cave in a Home

Do your children have a special spot in your home?

One they go to to be alone.

My children have this special spot that they love.
I can always find at least one of them there.

They act surprised and giggle when found.

What special place is this?
Under the desk in the kitchen, of course.
Many blessings.

A Boy and His Beloved Snakes

On of the twins loves snakes.
How could this be?
Well,
I had a stuffed snake from a puppet skit at our church.
You know, Adam, Eve, and the snake.
Had this stuffed snake for years.
The oldest never cared for it that much.
But twin one fell in love.

We now have a collection.
Four in all.

He loves them, each and every one.

The snakes have a calming effect.

He walks around wanting to give you a kiss from his snakes.

Who can resist?
Not I.
Many blessings.

Under Construction

Construction is under way for the
Barefoot Cowboys Fort.

The land has been cleared and properly prepped.

The first addition has begun.
This has a sand box under foot.
There will be an additional tower, swings, rock wall, and slides.

Hubby with the help of the oldest are hard at work.

Completion date.....
Well, according to the oldest,
the project is way behind schedule.

Patience son.
Rome was not built in a day.
Many blessings.

Planning for Our Year One- Geography

Geography. We are going to use The Ambleside Series Geography Books by Charlotte M. Mason. This was an easy choice. Could not ask for something more in lines with what Charlotte Mason recommends than her own works. So happy about this. We are also going to continue to read from the book titled Window on the World by Daphne Spraggett with Jill Johnstone. We found this book on The Voice of the Martyrs web site and we love it. It has helped my son learn about children in other parts of the world and how to pray for them. As for AO, they have Paddle to the Sea as their geography reading for year one. We have already begun reading this book and my son loves it. We look at the map in the back of the book as a reference. We will place this book on our free reading list. By June we will be pretty close to finishing this book. I think we will do geography once or twice a week. I am not sure on this yet. Anyway, this is our geography plans. So far so good. Next is... I am not sure what I will work on next. Will it be copywork, art study, math, who knows. At least I know I have til June. Many Blessings.

Planning for Our Year One- Bible Study

From Charlotte Mason's writings- pg 248, volume 1:
"We are probably quite incapable of measuring the religious receptivity of children."

This post is concerning our Bible study for year one. I came across this wonderful blog site- http://peregrina1.wordpress.com- she has lovely Bible studies and book recommendations. I highly recommend taking a look.

One particular book she recommends caught my eye- Aunt Charlotte's' Stories of Bible history by Mary Charlotte Yonge. This book has 52 chapters and each chapter has 3 lessons. We will use this book as a guide. We will compare these lessons to the scripture in the KJV Bible. With 52 chapters and doing one chapter a week, we have one year covered. And the best part is that you can download this book for free. We will use an Bible atlas as we study our way through the Bible. For memory verses, I really like Simply Charlotte Mason. Our nightly devotionals will come come from Little Visits with God by Allan Hart Jahsman and Martin P. Simon. We have loved this book so far.

I think Bible study planning is done. Next is Geography. Til then, Many blessings.

New Old Snack Discovery

I have recently rediscovered jello.
So easy, so quick, so good.
Inexpensive too.

My husband and I seem to be the ones
who enjoy these the most.

Don't you just love these little bowls?
Perfect size.
Thank you Pampered Chef.
Many blessings.

Mom's Bathroom Break

When mom's away...

the children will play.

Yes, we know it is a no no.

Mom, I love you. The twins have worn me out.

I love you too son.
Now, put the cushions back.

The things children can get into
when nature calls.
Many blessings.

Planning Of Our Year One -History

This post will address our history reading goals for year one term one. I am still reading and trying to understand what Charlotte Mason is saying about history. From my first read through, it seems Miss Mason preferred stories of individual people living in a particular time instead of an overall history read of books. Volume 1 pg 280. of Miss Mason writings reads "Let him on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period. Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation for a whole age."
Also, it seems Miss Mason preferred earlier written history books to the more "modern" written ones. I agree-- modern politics-- sometimes blurs the truth in my opinion.

Back to the task at hand. Okay, let's look at Programme 42 Form IB and see what is offered for history. There are two books listed: Old Stories from British History and Tales from S. Paul's. The first book I am able to order online, no problem, but the second is currently unavailable. What to do. Well, let's look at what Ambleside has on their term one year one schedule. They have Our Island Story. Also under history, AO has Trial and Triumph, and Fifty Famous Stories Retold. Our Island Story is really an overview of English history. This book doesn't contain individual stories of everyday people, but is an excellent book. In Charlotte Mason's writings, she does mention another book, Ecclesiastical History of England by Bede. What to do. What to do. If I look forward a bit, I can see that Miss Mason has in her recommended readings Our Island Story. Chapters in this book will be on our reading list goals for term three of year one. We will wait til then to read from this book. I am going to order Old Stories from British History and Ecclesiastical History of England and schedule 40 pages from one or each and spread them out over the 12 week term.

Trial and Triumph will be placed on our Sunday reading list. Rotating this book with Parables of Nature will give two weeks to focus on each story. I have read that these are some of the more difficult books.

Now, for Fifty Famous Stories Retold. This is a book that will go on our year two reading list. I think my son will enjoy these stories more in year two.

As for American history, I had to think long and hard about this one. I have decided to place on our free reading book list a book on American history, A First Book In American History by Edward Eggleston. My son loves anything to do with American history and I know he will enjoy this book.

As you can see, I am not following AO's schedule for history for year one term one at all. I am okay with this decision. I am excited about our history selections and looking forward to beginning.

So, when I get my books in, I will be able to spread out the readings over 12 weeks. I will post my finalized reading goals for history when I receive the two books.

Isn't this fun? I think so. Next, Bible studies and geography.
Many blessings.

A New Recipe for Me

I came across a recipe for zucchini pancakes
in one of my favorite recipe books by Barefoot Contessa.
I knew I had to try them.

The recipe was easy to follow.

They were delicious. All the boys loved them.
It was a keeper as my husband says.
Who would have thought.
Many blessings.

Planning for Our Year One- Literature

Over the next few weeks I am going to post about my planning process for my oldest upcoming school year. My ds is going to start year one in June. Why June? Well, we are going to school year round and my ds turns 7 yrs in May. My husband and I thought this would be a good time to start. We also don't want to get caught up with starting the same time as the local PS. So, June it is.

I am currently reading all 6 volumes of Charlotte Mason's writings. Slowly might I add. I want to base our school year on her writings, but I am also going to use Ambleside online as a guideline. I have made some primarily decisions. First being that I do not want a strict schedule with times to follow, but instead I want term goals that are then broken down into weekly goals for us to accomplish. Does this make sense? On Sundays I will print out our weekly goals. I might try at that point to spread out our weekly goals over the week, but that won't be done til the Sunday before that week. Week 6 and 11 will be review weeks and week 12 will be oral exam week. This will help to break up the term a bit.

Now the fun part, subject planning. Let's start with literature. If I am reading Charlotte Mason correctly, I am looking at 3 fables and 3 fairy tales for term one. Now, I look at Ambleside and see what they have schedule for literature. Wow! They have a lot scheduled. They have 12 fables from the Aesop book alone. Not to mention stories form The Blue Fairy Book, Parables From Nature, Just So Stories, and Shakespeare. Decision time. This is where we as parents can individualize our children's schooling. Isn't homeschooling fun? Back to the decision at hand. I think I will stick closer to what Charlotte Mason suggests. I will put 3 fables and 3 fairy tales on our term one goals. So, spreading these out over 12 weeks, the schedule will look something like this.
week one- Aesop fable
week two- no readings
week three- A fairy tale from the Blue Fairy Book
week four- Aesop fable
week five- no readings
week six- review week
week seven- Blue Fairy Book
week eight- Aesop
week nine- no readings
week ten- Blue Fairy Book
week eleven- review week
week twelve- oral exam week

Literature is all done. Like I mentioned before, Ambleside has many more literature and tales scheduled. These are wonderful books and I don't want my son to miss out on these beautiful stories. I think I will put the stories from Parables From Nature on our Sunday reading list. This follows in line with what Charlotte Mason recommends. We will not narrate from this book. Also, the stories in Just So Stories will be added in our free reading list. Again no narration required from the free reading books.

Next, I will tackle history, but that will be another post. Hope I did not bore you with my planning. But, this is a place I can put my thoughts down and try to get a handle on those thoughts.

Again, I am new at this. I will not try to pretend I know all that is Charlotte Mason. I am doing the best with what I understand of her readings. I have not doubt there will be revisions before June comes around. Ambleside online is wonderful and the site is chalk full of info and advice from people who have been teaching based on Charlotte Mason's philosophy for a long time. I can not tell you how much Ambleside online has help me. Many blessings.

My Current Reading List and Two Words

I had to smile as I looked at my current reading list,
especially after the day I had a few days ago.
I think God is definitely speaking to me,
don't you think?

At our church on Wednesday nights,
we have started a study on the book of John.
We were asked what we want to get out of this study.
I answered, a renewal of my faith.

I read on another blog about picking a word for the year.
I have chosen two.
Renewal and blossom.
Yes, I think these two words will be my inspiration for 2009.
Who needs a whole list of new year resolutions.
Renewal and blossom.
That's it.
Many blessings.

Some Days You Say...

Early morning.

All three brothers gather to color.

Big brother works on his "Soldiers Around the World" book.

Twin one works on his masterpiece.

Twin two on his.

All is right with the world.
Then 30 minutes goes by
and....

Yes, They are Definitely TWO!

...this happens.

Total meltdown from twin one.

I mean total meltdown.

But, not to be outdone, twin two melts down too.

Let's join forces and meltdown together.

This all occurred before 10 am.
Can we say early naps?
But, no use, this was the day all day.
Did someone slow down time?
I really believe this day had 36 hours in it not just 24.
Tonight, there will be a long soak
and a glass of wine or two.
Many Blessings.

Defining Cozy

I had a love one tell me recently that our home would be more cozy if we did this and we did that. I respect their opinions, but also understand that it is only their opinions. Yes, some great points were made. We do need to replace our paper blinds, they have been in place for about four years now. But, really? What makes a home cozy? Is it having new furniture and drapes with pretties here and there. Maybe. To many yes. Not for our family. I, we like things simple, uncluttered. I am not a duster, so the thought of all those pretties that need to be dusted weekly, stresses me. I love the openness of our home. With three children 6 yrs and under this is a plus. They can stretch their wings without the worry of breaking something. Simple leans, for me anyway, a state of easy cleanliness. I take a few moments in the day to straighten up. My house is always tidy before bed time. My 6 yr old ds is a great helper. And the 2yr old twins love to help me unload the dishwasher. Many of my walls are without pictures, bare some say, but I do not see them this way. I love those walls. I have a big blank wall, canvas, in the family room. This past Christmas my 6 yr old ds colored a big manager scene. We placed each beautiful picture on that wall. I do not have things on top of my kitchen cabinets, you know up by the ceiling, like greenery or pretty plates. Again that dusting word comes to mind. I have a huge hall closet downstairs for toys. This way when the children are through playing, the toys can be put up. There are not toys, or as I call them land mines, everywhere for someone to step on or trip over. Yes, there are many times toys are scattered everywhere, how could it no be with three little ones? I love seeing toys on the floor, I love that the children have lots of room to play with their toys on the floor. I just like when they are done playing with, say army men and before they pull out the million legos, the army men are put up. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love homes that have lots of pretties and the this and the that here and there. It is just not our style. Cozy is defined differently for each family. We think our home is very cozy, especially when we are all in the family room playing on the floor. Besides, paper blinds rock. Just my opinion and ramble.

Marathon- Not My Day

I had to drop out of this year's Disney Marathon at the 19.5 mile.
Let me go back a little.
A few days before the marathon I was feeling a little under the weather.
My husband questioned whether I should run or not.
But, by Saturday I was feeling much better.
And on race day I was feeling great.
The weather was perfect.
I was having a great day.
My pace was on track to beat my other marathon times.
I was feeling good, confident.
Then mile 12.5 happened.....
With little warning the stomach made a calling.
I think you know want a mean.
For the next 7 miles I managed to keep a 13 minute mile pace
even with at least two stops each mile.
I kept myself hydrated.
I thought I might just hold out.
But, at the mile 19 water pit I felt nauseated.
I knew I needed to call it or I could get into trouble.
So, I walked to the next medical tent at the 19.5 mile
and spoke to the doctor.
He said I made the right decision.
So, there you have it.
I did not complete it this year.
But, I did go 19.5 miles and 7 of them with
you know what.
The doctor said there will be other marathons.
He is right.

Breakfast Time- Sharing

A little oatmeal and blueberries,
father- son style.



First you must cool off your bite.

Chew real good.
Yummm

Start over again.

Watching Daddy,
so to get it just right.

Many blessings

Morning Routine

Alarm goes off at 4am.

Go to gym.
Run on track or treadmill.
Do weights.

Make coffee.

Spend time with Him.
Pray.
Children wake.


This was my routine before the holidays began.
Looking forward to it's return.
Really missed this,
especially my personal time with Him.
Prayer, I do often.

Will start back Tuesday,
after we return.
Who says routines are boring?

My 2009 Marathon

Sunday is the day. It is the day of the Disney marathon.
This will be my third year running it.
My first was the year before the twins were born.
Last year I ran with my brother.
This year is just me again.
I am a little nervous this year.
Training went fairly well,
but not as much pavement as I would have liked.
I will try to take a few pictures along the way.
I do believe next week will be a slow, slow moving week.
Many blessings.

Looking To 2009

Looking toward 2009.
Much has been said about what to except in 2009.
What do you expect?
What are your goals?
Many of my personal goals are simple.
Some are complex and may not be achieved.
But, I think it is the process of trying that counts.
Some of my goals for 2009 are:
pray often
more personal Bible study
think of others more
more patience
more laughter
read more
learn to knit
run more
learn to embroidery
do a sprint triathlon
organize the attic
spend more time in nature
run more
play more
tickle more
journal more
enjoy life more
be more humble
run more
be more thankful and grateful
praise Him more
Yes, this should do.
Oh, one more- don't take things so serious.
Many Blessings