Seven Summer Quick Takes

---1---

I have begun doing a little blogging with the Blogger app on my phone. Sometimes it's easier because all the photos are already on my phone, and I can use the microphone on the keyboard to eliminate the need for typing. It doesn't have a lot of formatting abilities, but I can save my post as a draft and add the changes on the computer when I'm ready. On this post, for example, I'll have to add in the quick takes template that I normally use.

Have you ever tried blogging on your phone?

---2---

My mosaic cross needs to be hung a bit higher now!

I turned my computer desk into a standing desk, yesterday, simply by adding a shoe shelf underneath the computer. It's almost high enough. It could probably stand be about 4 to 6 inches higher, but it isn't any worse than it was when we were sitting down. I'll be on the lookout for a small box that I can put the monitor on to elevate it a little more.

I will also need to purchase a pull-out keyboard drawer so that we can stand and type, but I think it's going to work out really well. So far, I really like standing up at the computer it's a lot more comfortable for my back. And all that sitting is killing us, anyway.

I don't think the kids are going to like it very much, but if it keeps them away from the computer, I'm happy about that!

---3---

Yesterday was the third official swim meet of the season, and it was the first one that we actually managed to complete. The others were all rained out or canceled because of too much thunder.

They did the "senior swim" for all the kids who were aging out of swim team, like Tom. they read a short bio about each one of them, and then they swam a lap together.

---4---

Do you have a fit bit? They seem to be all the rage these days! I have a Fit Bip Zip which is the most basic of the Fit Bits. It's simply a pedometer. I have been trying really hard to get my steps over 7000 per day with an ultimate goal of 10,000 steps per day. Lately, I have figured out that the best way to get all of my steps in is to go for at least a 2 mile walk during the day in addition to walking the dog. Shopping days, either at the grocery store or at the mall, really help get my steps up! So do swim meets. Yesterday, I walked over 11,000 steps which is over 5 miles. That's great, but it really just makes me tired the next day and I don't get nearly as many steps in!

I'm anxious to get a Flex because that one tracks more and helps you with your goals. It also tracks your sleep and vibrates to awaken you, much like my Sleep Cycle app, which I love. 

---5---

What are you doing with your summer? Have you even started Summer yet? Somehow, I manage to stay "busy," but I find it very difficult to motivate myself to do some of the projects that I'd like to do. I can't decide if that's from true lack of energy or simply a need to recharge by doing...not nothing....but less....if you know what I mean.

---6---

Having not been to a meeting since just before Thanksgiving, Pip decided to return to Boy Scouts this week! I was kind of shocked, and it wasn't a convenient day to go back, but pleased, anyway. I love the skills that my boys have gotten from being in scouting, and I don't mind at all if he doesn't become an Eagle Scout (because he would have to work his behind off to catch up and complete that in 2.5 years!), but he will still get a lot out of it.

---7---

I would just like to point out that I've been standing at the computer, reading and blogging, for over an hour.  :-) I'm a little tired and hot, but when I've had to take a break to change the laundry or do something else, there's none of that pesky lower back pain and need to work out the kinks from sitting.

Have you tried standing more, or do you have a standing desk? If I could get a tred-desk, too, that would be amazing!

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Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

Hellooooo! Is anybody home?

Yes, I'm still here, in case you were wondering.  One sweet person did email to ask if we'd been deathly ill or anything, but no.  I'm just trying to find my groove again now that the New Year is off and running.  I had had so many plans for the week after Christmas until school started on the 7th to get myself resolutioned up and organized.  But, alas, with my FIL's funeral, that week was completely shot from an organizational perspective.  

Photo for the Yarn Along post which didn't happen last week.  I'm approaching the end of that second sock (squee!) and I've started my Chesterton Reading Plan!  Go me.

It was, however, a good week for some perspective on family and service to others.  The whole experience played heavily into my New Year's Resolutions which I did make on January 16 during Adoration.  Better late than never, right?  In case you're interested, here are my resolutions for 2014:

Spiritual:

1. Daily prayer + spiritual reading first thing in the morning.
2. Reading the Gospels (with Flocknote) was the original goal, but that has morphed into listening to the entire New Testament with the Truth & Life app I got for Christmas.
3. Daily Mass at least once per week.
4. Facilitating a Consoling the Heart of Jesus 10-week retreat.

Intellectual:

1. Following the Chesterton reading plan with a new Chesterton book each month.
2. Organize my To Be Read shelf and gather some of the books that I've been planning to read for ages, so they're handy.  And read them this year.

Physical:

1. Exercise 4 days per week in addition to a long walk with the dog daily.  I'm going to get back to my video & DVD collection that's gathering dust.
2. Do these back exercises daily.  My back is a pain in the neck!  I did these this morning and it was amazing how much better it felt!
3. Lose 50 lbs. for my 50th birthday in August.  I hate putting that out there, but there it is for the whole internet to see.  I've given up coffee, caffeine, allllll sugars, all gluten grains, and I'll be keeping my carb count between 50-75g per day to keep feeding my thyroid and not end up with the situation I was in a few years ago.

Personal:

1. Get together with friends 2x per month.  
2. Use the phone and call someone, especially family, weekly.  That doesn't sound like much, but I almost never talk on the phone anymore!
3. Make sure to practice the Corporal Works of Mercy instead of thinking I'm too busy.  I'm really not anymore.

 I should probably bookmark this blog post so I can refer to my Resolutions on a regular basis for a little check up!  Share your resolutions or post in the comments.  I'd love to hear from you!

7 Quick Takes - Messy Edition

~1~

This is what you see when you walk in my house these days:  very organized clutter.  Stuff on the stairs to be returned to friends.  Piles of paper on the floor to be filed for each child.  A box of books and manipulatives to be given away.  And an empty trashcan because it was  taken out along with the large pile of trash beside it.

 ~2~

If you look to the left, there's the lovely library:  It's still totally disorganized.  I don't know what it all is or where it goes, except....the 2 cardboard boxes contain the Amazon Seller inventories of myself and Katie.  They're going to find homes in the basement.  The gray filebox is AHG stuff which needs to be re-organized before the year starts.

 ~3~

And here's the mess in-between:  Mom's paintings that need to be hung downstairs.  There's a bunch more down there waiting to go on the walls.  It would be nice to have that done in time for the 4th anniversary of her death next week.  I wish she were here to help---we always managed to get junk like this sorted out much faster when we were together!  Love you, Mom!

Hiding behind the painting are a zillion newly emptied hanging files which need to be re-used or put away.  And then there are Teacher's Manuals to replace the ones already on the desk next to the computer.

~4~

Speaking of Mom...Her 50th college reunion would have been this year, and the class got together to buy this little statue for the university.  They call it "Hope".  It was dedicated to members of the faculty and the class, one of whom is my mother.  She was very much loved by her friends.  And her family.  I'm so proud of her.

~5~

There's still a lot of mess here, but I did get a lot done yesterday!  I swear, I did!  Most of it was intellectual in that I had a long conversation with a friend and made decisions about which books to use this year.  We're going to follow Mother of Divine Grace for the most part, this year, with the exception of science and math.  So, that allowed me to rearrange the mess somewhat, now that that I know what has to go where.

~6~

I'm still enjoying my Supreme 90 workout.  I haven't finished all 10 workouts yet since I had the week off for summer camp.  I have 2 more, but I've really "enjoyed" every one.  I also won't do them 6 days a week as they recommend.  My rules are:  at least 2 workouts in a row, and no more than one day off between workouts.  That works out to 5 days per week and is very liveable for me. 

~7~

Gotta run get some of this mess cleared out!  We're going to have fun with friends this afternoon and the painters will be here next week to paint inside.  This has to be all cleaned up and put away by Monday!

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Are you cleaning up messes before summer ends?

Have a blessed weekend!

Great Workout w/ Kettlebells!

A couple of weeks ago I snagged a great deal at Target!  They had all their New Year's fitness stuff on clearance, and I found a much-coveted 10-lb. kettlebell at 50% off.   Pete and I had just been talking about kettlebells and what great workouts they are.  He had been using one at school and I have been wanting one for years, but hadn't wanted to spend the money.

The 50% got my attention, even though it was still $30.  There were other brands there that were slightly more expensive and not on sale, so I got this one.  What I didn't realize is that it was this set and came with 6 DVD's.  I thought I was just getting the bell!  Duh!

This fits in perfectly with my idea of functional fitness and short workouts.  The 3 main workouts are 20 mins. and the bonus workouts are only 10, so I can totally customize it to my needs and schedule.  The workouts are very cheaply produced, as in they just cut and paste different exercises together.  He never goes all the way through a workout at one time, but I don't mind that.  I'm just glad it came with workout dvd's.  

Pip wanted to know if I could tell a difference since I started---because I guess he can't---and I definitely can.  I feel tighter and more toned all over.  I feel great, and that's doing it only every other day as recommended.  I like a workout that says to give yourself a day between workouts to recover!

Now, there is a very stern warning about not using it if you have back, neck, and spine problems, which I totally ignored.  You do have to be extremely careful of your form and not use a bell that's too heavy, but I think my spine feels much better with this workout.  It's sitting in the car for hours a day that does a number on my back!

Have you ever tried kettlebells, or wanted to???

Great Workout!

Take a look at this post over at MamaSweat.  I'm a fan of Functional Fitness.  I'm also a fan of short workouts, because what busy mom has time for a 60+ minute workout every day?  Especially when your kids are little, it's hard to find the time for such a workout and the necessary shower afterward.

I like the Primal Fitness promoted at Mark's Daily Apple, too.  Call me lazy, but I love a 15-20 minute workout.  These days my workouts usually consist of what you see in that MamaSweat Video.  Seriously, go watch it.  Or stay here and watch it:



Three to four days a week I do something like this plus a few extra exercises with heavy weights.  I do more squats with different leg positions and lunges.   I spend no more than about 20 minutes and I can feel those muscles all day.  In a good way.  I'm stronger than I was when I was running 3 miles/3 days a week, and doing FIRM videos the other 2-3 days and wearing myself out.

Bodyweight exercises are simple to do anywhere; obviously you don't need a lot of equipment for this workout.  A full laundry basket will suffice for the Dead Lifts!

My great muscles are still covered up by...ahem...curves (shall we say?), but that's a whole different hormonal and emotional issue that we don't need to go into here.  But I'll just say that having a strong foundation makes a difference!  Its good for building that bone density that starts to decrease in our 30's.

So hop to it!

7 Quick Takes

1.

I can't believe it's Friday.  Already.  And Palm Sunday is just 2 days away.  Lent goes so quickly sometimes, especially when you're having a hard time wrapping your head around it.

Some people are able to give up coffee or whatever and just breeze through Lent.  Yes, maybe a little sleepier than usual, but they make it.  And then go back to drinking coffee when it's over.  It seems like every year is a huge struggle for me to stay faithful to my commitment(s).  Every day is a new battle.

I find that 2 things generally happen.  One is that God had other plans for me and He twists my sacrifice around to suit Him.  Not me.  The other thing that happens is usually an unexpected change that I didn't know I needed.  

Okay, to be fair, I knew I needed it, but it wasn't really on my radar for Lent!  lol.

I'm reminded daily that I'm weak and I can't do anything on my own, only through Him and with Him.  And in case I couldn't figure it out on my own, He has one of my really wise friends tell me so!

2.

We enjoyed the Solemnity of the Annunciation yesterday while eating waffles for dinner.  They were delicious, though we're still not clear on why they're traditional.

Now, it's back to Lent.

(Did you 'take the day off' yesterday?)

3.

After looking at tons of posts on $5 spring decorations from Lindsay's blog party, I'm dying to make a trip to the Dollar Store for some supplies.  I might even spend $10 and do 2 (or more) projects!  There is a serious lack of Easter decoration in this home, and that's just not right.

4.

Looking at my calendar, I can see that today is the day I begin deep cleaning my house for Easter.  One floor at a time.  Fortunately, we've done a fair bit of that as we went through the bedrooms decluttering, but it will still be a big job.

I don't know how I'm supposed to do this and school, too.  

5.

I was so excited this week to win the MikaRose giveaway at Betty Beguiles' blog.  I've got to go pick out my new dress today!  I think that was a little present from St. Joseph since I won on his feast day.  Now, it's not exactly what we've been praying for, but I think it means he's got us covered.

6.

I'm happy to say that I'm getting back into the habit of exercising every day.  Or nearly so.  I'm aiming for 5 days a week.  I'm back in the basement doing The Firm workouts, which I love.  Have you checked out the Exercise TV on On Demand?  I like to use that on alternate days for an easier workout like 10 minute abs, or yoga.  There is all kinds of stuff, even parts of Jillian's evil 30 Day Shred.  I have that one, and I frankly don't think that anyone should do it for 30 days.  Everyone I've know who has done it, has looked great and dropped it after 30 days.  It's just too intense.  Every other day is fine, people.  Alternate your workouts!  :-)

FYI, today is not an exercise day by virtue of the fact that I'll be getting up from the computer and doing seriously strenuous housework at an aerobic pace in order to get it all done!

7.

Have you been watching Molly?   We have.  We keep the popup window open all day so we can see what's going on.  She's had 3 of her 6 eggs hatch.  It's really neat to watch her feeding the owlets and see them growing.  We've even seen her hack up an owl pellet!  It's not so fun when she rips the head off a rat and eats it whole.  Or pulls the intestines out of a baby bunny bit by bit and then horks down the liver!  But it is fun telling you about it.  ;-)

Her spouse, McGee, is keeping quite busy hunting for them.  Since they're in CA, he usually arrives in the middle of the night when we're not watching, to bring a supply of food for the family.  He sleeps elsewhere during the day.  I keep thinking how tired Molly must be because she's up quite a bit during the day to feed those babies!  I hope she's resting at night, but she's always wide awake when we tune in early in the morning.

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Have a Blessed Friday!

Stop by Jen's for more Quick Takes.