Couch to 5K

I was just sitting on the couch and now I'm running a 5k, uhm NO! But seriously I started a couch to 5K app (the one by active.com, not that it matters which one). I just finished my 3rd 'run' or the end of my first week . It starts out something like this... warm up walk 5 min, brisk walk 90 sec, jog 90 sec, repeat walk, jog however many times equals 20 minutes, then 5 min cool down.

So I'm really out of shape! Seriously my body looks out of shape, but my lungs, heart, and other muscles are not used to much activity. I walk some, but never jog or run. So when it's time for my 60 seconds of jogging I look like I'm trying to jog very slowly with a limp. Then I usually wear out before the 60 seconds. Though I think I'm progressively lasting longer, a few times tonight I was able to jog the whole 60 seconds.

So I peaked ahead and next week has jogging 90 seconds, walking 2 minutes. I think if I struggle too much, I might repeat wk 1 or wk 2. But if I feel I'm getting something out of it I might just keep going. THere is something to be said for finishing something, even if you didn't get an A. I'm afraid if I slow down to repeat a week I'll lose my motivation.

I'll try and come back and let you know how it goes!

Storm Chasing the Sunset

This was by my place tonight thundering at sunset! Click to see bigger!

I HAVE been writing

So despite the lack of posts here, I have been writing. I'm working on a YA fantasy novel. This is my first real attempt at writing.I've had college English and creative writing courses but those were almost 20 years ago and it's amazing how many things I've forgotten about basic structure and point of view. I find myself wibbling and wobbling between past and present tense and really need to correct this before I go any farther. I've got almost 7000 words down so far and I'm aiming for 70,000ish. This writing business has made me feel the need to write other things therefore here I am writing. And though I adore the look of my blog now, it's time for a change, so forgive me if it looks wonky while I'm making up my mind on how to change it =).

WWW Wednesdays (Mar 5)

What I'm Reading Now:  And you can tell I've got children. I'm reading the second book in the series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel:   My 12 yr old son recommended I read these! They are in the young adult section. I've just started this one, but the author has incorporated all sorts of supernatural myths, if you are into those you might like these. 

What I just finished Reading:      My daughter was reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in school for 9th grade! I'd never read it so I decided to give it a shot. There were parts that went faster and then some parts that went slower. But overall I'd say for a classic it's worth reading. I like being able to know the references to classic novels in other books. 

What I might read next: Who Knows? Probably the next in the Nicolas Flamel series. BUt I'm always up for something different, old or new. There are some other classics I'd like to take a stab at! Maybe The Great Gatsby? Suggestions?

Go see MizB for more WWW Wednesdays! 

Getting Ready for Vacation!

Going to St Augustine this week! We are excited to have our first family vacay in a few years! Meanwhile I've been working a lot and need to take some time to get organized and cleaned up before we go! Any traveling tips anyone? It's about a 4 hr car drive w/ a 14, 12, 8 & 5 yr old, plus a dog and hubby! LOL!
We've got several tenative plans and only one thing that is scheduled for our 4 day vacay. Hope the kids have fun! I will put pics when we get back!

Wordless Wednesday

The River By Michael Neale

The River by Michael Neale
Summary

“You were made for The River . . .”

Gabriel Clarke is mysteriously drawn to The River, a ribbon of frothy white water carving its way through steep canyons high in the Colorado Rockies. The rushing waters beckon him to experience freedom and adventure.

But something holds him back—the memory of the terrible event he witnessed on The River when he was just five years old—something no child should ever see.

Chains of fear and resentment imprison Gabriel, keeping him from discovering the treasures of The River. He remains trapped, afraid to take hold of the life awaiting him.

When he returns to The River after years away, his heart knows he is finally home. His destiny is within reach. Claiming that destiny will be the hardest—and bravest—thing he has ever done.

My Opinion

I enjoyed this book well enough to read through it. It had a sweet message and was a little sad. It did feel a little juvenile to me. Like I was reading a book from a 5th graders perspective. I had a hard time believing Gabriel was the age stated. The characters didn't feel well developed at all. One of the reasons I kept reading is that the intro or prologue made me feel like it was a real story, and I was wondering if it was the whole time. Though I finally figured out it wasn't. Overall I'd give this book 3 stars for being sweet and readable, but no wow factor for me. 

Updating

Updated two of the kids pics, and my profile pic, though I don't see it. Hopefully I'll get to the other two in a few days, slowly but surely!
3 out of 4 are in school, two more weeks before little guy starts, won't give me much time though, since then I'll be driving back & forth =)!

Well, Well, Well.......

I've not been on here in 8 months! Can't believe it, didn't realize it had been that long! I've been busy pinning things on Pinterest and left a comment somewhere on a blog that was pinned, dawned on me - oh I've got a blog, let me look at it. It came up w/this traffic thing and somehow there are still several people a day visiting my blog from somewhere! So I thought I'd say hi!! Kids are all back to school VERY soon! Maybe I'll blog again then =) Till then Sweet Dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite!!

The Bone House by Stephen R. Lawhead

 The Bone House is the second book in Stephen Lawhead's The Bright Empires Series following The Skin Map. 

One piece of the Skin Map has been found. Now the race to unravel the future of the future turns deadly.An avenue of Egyptian sphinxes, an Etruscan tufa tomb, a Bohemian coffee shop, and a Stone Age landscape where universes collide …Kit Livingstone met his great grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the reality of alternate realities.Now he’s on the run – and on a quest, trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse while staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men.The key is the Skin Map – but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond.Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeed in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent, who from the shadows are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes.Across time and space, through manifest and hidden worlds, those who know how to use ley lines to travel through astral planes have left their own world behind in this, the second quest: to unlock the mystery of The Bone House. - the summary from Book Sneeze

I found this book interesting and complex. Sometimes too complex. I like to relax when I read and  this book felt a little like work, because I was struggling to not be confused by the different characters, locations and times. There were some awesome descriptions of England and Prague that I enjoyed. There were also parts of this book that were a little "out there" for me. I imagine if you like complex stories and sci-fy or are a die hard Lawhead fan then you'll enjoy this book. For me it was just so-so. 

This book was provided for me to review by Book Sneeze! 

The Skin Map by Stephen R Lawhead

  This is first book I've read by Lawhead, so I really didn't know what to expect. The Skin Map is the first in a series about Kit Livingstone, an ordinary guy who gets thrown into an extraordinary and somewhat scary adventure to find the skin map. The means of travel is interesting using Ley Lines. After learning about the time travel from his great grandfather, Cosimo, Kit wants to show his girlfriend Wilhelmina, however she ends up in a different time and place! The story is told from several points of view and takes us to different places and times! I have to say Wilhelmina's travels were my favorite, I kept wanting to get back to her story! The story sometimes felt disjointed and confusing, but was interesting enough to continue reading and read the next one. It wasn't a read in a day book, but still a good read! Also this is published by a Christian publisher and a slight element of that in it and was pretty 'clean'. 

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson and Book Sneeze to preview.

Tired

I'm so tired! I feel like all I do is Go, Go, Go! I want to cut back and I don't know what to cut out! I'm praying about it and hopefully I'll get it all figured out soon. My kids aren't in a ton of stuff, but it just seems like there are commitments everywhere I turn. I'm going to see if I can find some new head shots of my kids, since the ones up must be two years old and that sounds like a nice relaxing thing to do =)!

Hope you all have a terrific Wednesday!

Teaser Tuesdays (Sept. 13)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.





Mine is from The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead

Pg. 48

"Kit was mightily relieved to discover that his first attempts at communication were met with success. Whatever time he had landed in, Westerners were apparently a common enough sight among the locals that it did not provoke instant alarm; at least, his appearance did not send them reaching for weapons or running for cover."



Life with Little Ones

Life with little ones is busy, crazy, fun, exhausting and always an adventure! Of course some of the little ones here aren't so little! I'll update the side pics later today. I've now got a 7th, 5th and 1st grader, as well as a 3 1/2 yr old going on 10 so he thinks! I'm watching a 2 yr old boy during the week as well!
Madline loves to draw and have a messy room (it drives me crazy, constant battle) guess she's creative. She inherited by old pin that says "I'm not messy just creative", she is still in Girl Scouts and does well at school. I wish she was a bit more social, we are working on that. PJ is involved in Robotics and Scouting as well as Church and friends, he seems to have something to do every day, he does pretty well at school too and still loves his video games. Nate is doing good in first grade, he just started as a Tiger Cub Scout, he loves to tell silly jokes and make lego creations. Joshy loves going to church and playing outside, he is a big talker and is enjoying and struggling with having another little guy around most days. He's used to being the baby, but you better not call him the baby =)

Couples Who Pray by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuHart

Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman 
by Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt

This book started out with lots of background stories and such to boost up the book and the value of praying together as a couple. The authors challenge you to pray with your spouse for 5 minutes a day for 40 days to build and establish the habit and therefore the many blessings that come with it. I whole heartedly agreed and was encouraged by reading this. Unfortunately it did not convince my husband to do it with me. I felt my husband gave up reading to quickly as it started out with so much build up, I wish it would have gotten to the important parts a bit quicker. That being said there is still definitely value in this book for couples looking to develop the habit of praying together! Not one of my top books, but I'd give it 3 stars just for the whole concept.


The publisher provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®.

Tomorrow's Another Day

  Today is fine, it's just not feeling real great. Some things have happened in my life lately that I don't necessarily want to make public (as if anyone reads this) but I know that I'll get through them just fine.
Making some banana-chocolate chip muffins, my kids love these even though I don't! I was out of white flour and did 100% WW hope they still like them!

I'm struggling to read through the book A Severe Mercy, it's a love story of a pagan love and coming to know a God's love, or something like that as I'm not to anything about God yet, I'm stuck in the lovey dovey 'perfect' pagan love part.

I've read a few good books by Connie Willis somewhat recently including Blackout and the sequel All Clear. These are mostly set in WWII England and are really great books once you get in a few chapters to the first one. The chapters go back and forth to different characters and years. There  is time travel and modern day is considered 2060. Defintely worth the read in my opinion!

Time is Just a Flyin'

 Wow, who knows the last time I posted but I'm here now and that's what counts =)! The summer is flying by! Just played outside with the boys! Bubbles and bikes and scooters. Nate fell off his bike for the second day in a row. I'm going to have wrap in bubble wrap or something!  Joshy is playing Batman on the Wii for a few before he lays down for a nap. Then I've got to help Madeline with her mermaid tail she wants me to make. She's taken the initiative and started making a pattern! So now I've got to do my part! Madeline will be 12 years old this week and as of lately she is obsessed with mermaids!  I blame this partly on this show!
PJ has started going to a Lego Robotics Club, which he really likes and seems to be pretty educational.
We plan on going swimming this afternoon if it doesn't storm! Last week there were storms everyday! Anyways that's all  for now, got to get back to the kiddos!

Bike Riding

So let me give you some background! NONE of my kids knew how to ride a bike without training wheels. That would include my 11, 9, 6 and of course 3 yr old. Nate, my 6 yr old was the most willing, he asked me to take of his training wheels one day and I did. I decided to go ahead and take PJ's off too because it didn't make sense that he still had his on. So Nate practiced a little but didn't get anywhere and quickly gave up and didn't want to try again. But one day I got determined and made him try again. This time it went great! He learned within a few minutes he was all over the place! Pedro had to help him a little later with the taking off, so in one day he was riding like an old pro! PJ was at his friend's house when this went down. So we told him he was learning the next day! And with a little pushing Pedro taught him how the next day and he was off! That same day Madeline finally gave in and realized she should learn (she really didn't want to), she no longer has her own bike, so she had to learn on PJ's with her knees bent out to the side, I didn't get a picture of her, but she can ride know too, she really taught herself more, she didn't want much help. I think she is going to get a bike for her birthday! Now to teach Joshy!

laptop

 Well my husband has been out of a job now since November =( And he's driving me CRAZY! I need him to go back to work. He has been hogging the computer big time, but he just officially gave me use of this laptop that was doing no good sitting in it's bag. Only problem is it's kind of a pain to hook up my drive with pics and stuff. But I will. He had a second interview and is waiting to hear on that job, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying off course too! Asking God that it please be HIS will for my hubby to get this job!
Sissy just fell off her scotter and scrapped  up hands, elbow and her stomach, and she's such a big girl she didn't cry! Meanwhile my boys have all come in and our watching their Daddy play one of their video games (PokePark)!  Well got run, just thought about easy it is to blog when you have a computer in your living area!

You Were Made to Make a Difference

I signed up to review this book, because I have a young daughter who is 11. But I really enjoyed reading this book and being inspired. There were a ton of great stories and great ideas for practical ways to make a difference for God and all of his creation! It made me step back and say 'hey' if he his saying this for teens, then how much more could I, as an adult be doing? The book made me want to read it and it made me want to be a better person. It also reminded me that we don't have to be doing giant things, that little things can change the world too! There were lots of spaces to write out your thoughts and ideas which I didn't do because I was giving it to my daughter, but it seemed like it would make it feel more personal.
I did pass this on to my daughter, but perhaps I should have waited as she's not quite ready to change the world yet! I did notice one day when she was reading it, she came and offered to do the dishes without me asking. =) I imagine she will continue to look through it to. It's definitely one to buy and not borrow! I give this book 5 Stars!



The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through Booksneeze!