Next Trip...DC (Wanna Come?)

I have official signed up for our next trip. A trip to DC in late October! We are traveling with a homeschool group called Carolina Homeschooler. The trip is reasonable priced - we paid $800 for the 2 of us. A family of 4 costs about $1,000 plus airfare. Most of your expenses are included. From the site: The cost of the trip includes your registration fee; hotel for four nights; a buffet breakfast on Friday through Monday; lunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and all site admissions. It also includes Metro transportation while we're there. All other meals, a $12 per night hotel parking fee if you drive to DC, and anything you do on your own will be extra. Our flights will only be $208 each! So, this is a really reasonable trip! (Oh, and if you are a small family like Alex & I, you can share a room and save even more.)

photo from wikipedia

So, the trip is from October 21st-25th... and there are still places available! I hesitated 'advertising' this as I haven't been on a trip with this group, but I've emailed several moms who have and it sounds like a great way to travel. So, if you are interested, hop over to the site and check it out. There are 16 seats left and the deadline to register is September 4th. If you do sign up, please let me know!!!

Bubble-ology

This year I am teaching 4 classes at our local co-op. Yes, four! Well, two of them are the same class - it was just too big so we had to open a second session. I'll be telling you more about my classes, but for now I wanted to introduce you to my GEMS class.

GEMS stands for Great Explorations in Math and Science. In this class, we will be doing various units created by GEMS. Our first unit is Bubble-ology.

My class is for 5th-7th graders. We have a limit of 8 students per class and this one currently has 7 students. Bubble-ology is a great study about... bubbles! For the first class, we were trying to make bubbles out of various items that you can find around the house. I was amazed that one girl made bubbles out of paper towels! She just rolled it into a tube and was able to blow bubbles! Creative!

Our co-op is at a house in the country. We have 7 rooms (I think) and this is my room. Since I only teach 2 hours on Tuesday and 2 on Thursday, I share it with a few other teachers. I think this was the dining area - it is right behind the kitchen. It has a tile floor and a sink since I teach messy classes.

Our favorite new bubble-maker is a fly swatter! Alex & I played with the bubbles at home and here she is demonstrating the fly swatter bubbler. (It was brand new.) I'm excited about this class and the kids had a great first day!

Weeekend Workouts

I had a great weekend. All of my husband's family flew in and went to our new lake house. (There are a grand total of 9 of us.) My sister-in-law is training for a half-marathon in November (and marathon next spring) and we were going to workout together.

On Friday, I swam laps in the lake for the first time. I'd tried once before, but the waves were high and I gave up quickly. The lake was really smooth this day and I did 14 'laps' between my neighbor's boat docks. I am guessing they are about 22 yards each. I need to bring my goggles and swim cap, but I'll definitely be trying to swim laps each time we go out.

On Saturday morning, we were supposed to get up at 6:30 to run our '5k' around the peninsula. Well, she didn't sleep well, so I went by myself! It was cooler than it has been and I set a new personal record!!! My fastest had been 52 minutes... this time it was 49 mins 20 secs! My 'real' 5K is in 2 weeks and I'm hoping to run it in 45 minutes or less. It is a lot flatter than my hilly peninsula.

That afternoon we worked out on our boat dock. We did some upper/lower/core exercises. We probably only did about 15 minutes, but got a lot in. And, it'd been awhile since I'd done any weight trianing. Something I learned from the experience... I don't need 30 mins or an hour to workout... just squeeze it in where you can!

On Sunday, we went to run sprints... my first time. I know some of you don't recommend it for new runners. Anyway, it was hard!!! But, I was surprised that it got easier. On my last sprint, I felt like I was flying. We ended up running/walking for an hour and went 3.66 miles. (Our walking portion was really slow - and the sprints were really fast!)

Tonight's workout got cancelled because the a/c went out & I had to wait for a tech. It won't be fixed (probably) until Wednesday. Oh, well! I hope to workout at the Y tomorrow while dd is at co-op. On Thursday I'm getting back with my trainer after 3 weeks. And I'll run on the peninsula again on Friday.

I'm not being as faithful to either exercise or my eating, but I'm still getting better, faster, and thinner!

1st Day of School Photos

On Monday, we started our sixth year of homeschooling. It is hard to believe, but Alex is now in 5th grade!

This photo was taken on Monday at our annual back-to-school donut breakfast outing.

And, this photo was taken on Tuesday at her first day of co-op.

C25K... DONE!!!

I  completed C25K today. Yeah!!!

I started C25K (couch to 5K) on June 3rd, so the 9 week plan has taken me about 11 1/2 weeks. But, I did it! I can't believe I did, but I did! It was the best of times... it was the worst of times...

Now on to Phase 2

CNN Student News Online

Last spring we started watching CNN Student News every morning to keep up with current events. We are excited that they are back after summer vacation! They started their new season on Monday. The videos are only 10 minutes long and the site also includes polls, maps, discussion questions, and more!

Perseid Meteor Shower

Alex and I went to our new lake house on Thursday so we could see the 3 planets which would be near the moon and watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. Well, it was cloudy all day and we were worried we wouldn't see anything. I did catch the sunset from the deck on the roof of our boathouse. But, the clouds persisted and we never saw the moon, the planets, or the meteor shower.

The next night, however, was clear! And we saw a beautiful moon set across the lake. I can't believe I didn't get my camera! And, as we watched, we saw 4 'shooting stars' over a period of about an hour. Alex was thrilled. So was I! And, we weren't even seeing these in the correct location for the Perseid shower.

We also read a book about meteors which taught the difference between meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids. (Do you know the difference?) Unfortunately, it did continually mention "millions of years ago" so I wish I would have grabbed our "Exploring Creation with Astronomy" book instead!

P.S. We had our 'back to school' swimming pool party for our homeschool co-op and two moms mentioned that they check my blog all the time. Thank you for that! And for inspiring me to get back to it. I know I haven't been around much this summer!

Running is SO Mental!

So, it is now dark when I need to get up and run and I'm struggling with what to do. I enjoy running in the neighborhood and get to sleep in a little later since I don't have to drive anywhere, but I feel safer running at our park where there are a few dozen people. So, this morning I headed to the park a little after 6.

One thing I like about the park is that the trail is marked off in quarter miles. However, the past few times I've ran there, I keep checking my watch and trying to set 'personal records.' This causes me to run too fast and be worn out before I'm done. Drats!

So, today I was supposed to run for 30 minutes. A few weeks ago, I ran a mile here in 17 mins 40 secs. Last week, I ran a mile in 16 mins 30 secs. Well, today I ran a mile in 15 mins 30 secs!!! I was so proud of myself! But, I was also really tired and had to start walking.

I tried to start running two more times, but could only run a few minutes each time. I ended up only running/walking for 30 mins total, including my warmup & cooldown. I went a little over 1.75 miles.

So, somehow I have to stop trying to go so fast! I really can't leave my watch at home as I have to be back for hubby to go to work.

The other "mental" part of this is that I can see the entire 1 1/4 run and it looks SO LONG!!! When I'm running in neighborhoods, I only see a portion at a time and it seems easier. Plus, I get out there and HAVE to finish running (or walking) to get home. Here, I can just cut across the parking lot - which I did today! So, along with being thrilled with my 15 min 30 sec mile (which I am thrilled!) I'm disappointed that I didn't run for 30 mins today.

Running 5Ks

Hi, everyone. Sorry I've been MIA the past few days. We were at the lake house this weekend and we don't have internet service! I'll be trying to catch up with everyone, but I might just jump in tomorrow as this is the last week before school starts and I have so much to do!

Some of you might remember my run last weekend. I was at the lake house and was thrilled to run 40 minutes straight! But, was disappointed when I used "map my run" and it showed I only ran 2 miles. Ew!

Well, I just couldn't believe that was only 2 miles... so I drove it this weekend. I was right! (And, "map my run" wasn't wrong, I'd just drawn it wrong!) My run was 3.1 miles... a 5K!!! So, last weekend I ran a 5K in 54 minutes - on my HILLS!

So, yesterday (Saturday), I ran it again!!! This time, in 52 minutes. But, I had a HARD time. I didn't have any water and the temps are hitting over 100 here. It was early (6:30), but still HOT. I was concerned for awhile, but I made it.

Today, I did it AGAIN!!! I know I'm not "supposed" to run back to back - especially long runs - but the weekends are my best days to run as I don't have to worry about my hubby's work schedule. So, I ran with a water bottle - much better! But, I was also more tired. On Saturday I ran for 40 minutes... today I ran for 25 minutes (and a few more short runs). And, even with all the walking, I did it in 54 minutes.

My first 'real' 5K is September 11th and I can't wait!!!

Today's Run was HARD!!! (C25K W8D1)

Completed W8D1 today. It was hard and I didn't enjoy it much. It was hot (already 84 degrees by the time I was done at 7 am), humid, I'm sore from an hour with personal trainer yesterday doing legs, and I was trying to run faster. Someone also mentioned that I might not have eaten well after workout yesterday. I didn't! I finished at noon and only ate a 200 calorie lunch - then took a nap. After dinner, I'd only eaten 1,000 calories and had to 'squeeze in' another 400. I hope I feel better on my next run, because this just wasn't enjoyable! I have usually been enjoying my runs.

Oh! And, with trying to run faster, my HR was usually 158 instead of 146 like usual. Maybe that was it, too???

Anyway, I was faster - finished a mile in 16 mins 20 secs. Last time I ran a mile and calculated it was 17 min 40 secs. But, I think I need to stop trying to go so fast - at least until I'm done with C25K. I need to concentrate on time and not distance and speed.

On a very positive note, I ran over a mile and a half for the first time!

2 Biggies!!!

I have been steady between 151 and 150.5 for the past 3 and a half weeks! Well, today I finally dropped... and hit 149!!! Yeah!!

I started at 159, so that makes 2 big accomplishments...
...I have now lost 10 pounds!
...and I am now out of the 150's!

What a great feeling!

Only He (God) Completely Understands... (portion of an old letter)

I find it easy to get on the computer every day. I usually find it easy to do my workouts. But, I find it hard to spend time with God every morning.

This morning, I was having a Quiet Time. I started by reading a chapter in a book by Anne Ortlund, "The Gentle Ways of the Beautiful Woman." The chapter was discussing how our "invisible life" is the basis of our life. In other words, the time we spend alone with God determines who we are - how we react to life's challenges, how we talk, how we spend the rest of our time, etc.

So, I've determined to get back into my Bible... daily. I am starting by reading a chapter of Proverbs every day for the next month. (I learned this from SparkPeople and my new diet/lifestyle and exercise habits - start small and it'lll become a habit much more easily!) I'll be reading the chapter that corresponds to the date. But, oops! I thought today was the 8th, so I read chapter 8. Or, maybe God lead me there...

It was talking about seeking wisdom - it is "more precious than rubies." And to "choose my instruction instead of silver." Well, this got me thinking and praying about Alex's school schedule for this year. I am really struggling with what outside classes to put her in (both at our co-op and online). As I finished praying, God lead me to the zippered part of my Bible where I've kept a piece of paper since March 3rd, 2005. It is something I wrote the year before I started homeschooling Alex, and it was an incredible reminder of how I need to schedule our year. Here's a portion of that letter

God made Alex. Only He completely understands what she is capable of, what she needs, the things that will heppen to her (and us) in her life, what she will become, etc. Only God knows what she needs to learn and when. I need to go to Him, the Author of Alex, to learn how to instruct her.

I hope you can insert your own child(ren)'s name in that short piece and see how we need to seek God as we plan on how (and what!) we will teach our children. God will show us the path He wants us to follow, but we must seek Him first!

40 Minute Run! (C25K W7D3)

Today I finished C25K W7D3. I'm on to week 8!

W7D3 is a 25 minute run. I started off thinking I couldn't possibly go for 25 minutes. We were at the lake house and it was HOT. I started about an hour after I usually run. I'd eaten really poorly the day before - and I just didn't think I had it in me. Plus, as the times are getting longer, the distances seem impossible!

Anyway, there are a lot of hills on this run. One goes on for about 3 blocks! Another one is short, about a block, but it is steep! Well, I ran them all!

I kept pushing myself and saying "just 2 more minutes" or "just to the next street" and I kept going. I finally got to the point that I was looking for a cut-through street to get back to our street - and couldn't find one. I ran, and ran, and no street! I started thinking about turning around, but I knew there must be another street. (Our new lake house is on a penisula and we live on one edge - I was running along the other edge.)

I FINALLY found a cut-through street and took it. Then, when I figured out where I was, I decided I'd better keep running or it'd be a LONG walk! So, I ended up running for 40 minutes! I couldn't believe it! And, then I had to walk 9 more minutes to get home. So, I was out for 54 minutes (including warmup). My poor husband was actually getting worried and said he was hopping in the car in 15 minutes.

Anyway, I was so excited to plot my run on MapMyRun. I've never run 1 1/2 miles and I just KNEW I'd probably ran 2 miles. (But, remember the hills???) Well, I was SHOCKED to see that, even with my walk, I'd not even gone 2 miles! It turned out to be 1.92 miles!!! In 54 minutes! UGH!!!

Next, I plotted just my run. SURELY I'd run at least 1 1/2 miles! In 40 minutes??? NOPE! I ran 1 1/3 mile! UGH!!! I can't believe it! Again, I'd love some reassurance that it was the hills. I really didn't feel like I was going that slow!

So, now I'm going to make that my weekend run and keep trying to improve my pace. I did it in 54 minutes today. My goal next week... 51 minutes??? Can I do it???

And, I have a goal this week - I WILL run 1.5 miles on one of my runs. I WILL!!

Getting Ready for 5th Grade!

I know I've been neglecting my blog. But, I'm getting ready for school now. I cleaned off my shelves today. I meant to do this at the beginning of summer, but I didn't.

                                    

So, now they are pretty much cleaned off! I'm finalizing plans for school and trying to get ready. We start on the 23rd, so about 2 1/2 weeks of summer left! Hop everyone is enjoying their break - if you break for the summer.

Sprints on a Treadmill

My daughter and I went to the gym today where we did a machine that can act like an elliptical or a stair climber (do you know what it's called? I don't!), treadmills, and recumbant bikes.

The biggest part of our workout was on the treadmill. (And, I'd already run 20 minutes this morning!) I usually don't like treadmills, but I tried doing sprints today. (I think that is what I was doing.)

So, I started out walking and then switched to where I would run for 1 minute and then walk for 1.5 minutes. I ran faster for each run. The last 3 (of 6) runs were at a speed of 13.02 minute miles. My usual speed is closer to a 17 minute mile, so this was fast for me!

I really enjoyed it! And, it was challenging. I don't really enjoy doing 'long' runs on a treadmill, so this is a way I can use my treadmill time!

By the way, my triceps are sore today! My trainer had me do 100 tricep pulls yesterday. Every time I had to stop, he let me take a break, but he'd add 5 pounds to the weight! Yikes! I had to stop 3 times... and it was SO hard! But, it was evidentally a great workout!

C25K W7D1... redo!

Well, I redid W7D1 today as yesterday's run was such a flop. First of all, my hubby had to go to work early so I knew I needed to get up early. I set the alarm, but forgot to check it and it didn't go off. So, I didn't have quite as much time as I hoped for/needed.

I forgot to check my HRM before I headed out the door and spent 4 minutes trying to descretely wet my HRM strap to get it working. I finally took it off and got it wet and put it back on - all while doing my warmup walk.

I started running and it felt a lot better than yesterday. But, after awhile, my legs started getting really heavy and I was really thirsty. I used to run with a water bottle, but haven't been needing it (plus I read that it keeps you lopsided), so I stopped. I could have used the water today!

When I got to a certain point, I looked at my watch/HRM and couldn't belive at how quickly I'd run that stretch. Man, I must be flying! Oh, yea.... my HRM wasn't working the first 4 minutes so I'm actually 4 minutes slower than I thought.

I ended up running 19.5 minutes (because that's the time it was when I got home). Actually, I passed the house at 18.5 minutes and was headed for 20 mins, but a neighbor came out and I said "hi" and stopped. Anyway, in 18.5 minutes I only ran 1.08 miles. Yes, I'm a turtle! But, hey! I'm running over a mile without a break! That's something to be really proud of!!!

In the 24 minutes I was out, I went 1 1/3 miles. Not bad! And, I hope to get a full run in on Friday and Sunday.

I hope you all have happy, healthy days!!! I'm headed to the gym in awhile, with my daughter, to cycle and probably do an elliptical - her favorite.

C25K W7D1... I guess!

Today I attempted to do C25K (couch to 5K) W7D1 (week 7 day 1) which is a 25 minute run. Well, I did pitifully! And, that was strange because I've been 'killing' the times the past 4 or 5 runs... I've been going more than is required each day. For example, W6D3 I ran for 30 mins, instead of 25.

Anyway, it was hot, my iPod was dead, and my leg started hurting. I only ran 8 minutes... Yep! Just 8 minutes. I walked the rest of the way for a total of only 1.25 miles. It was pitiful!

I really don't know if I was listening to my body or whimping out. I was afraid to really hurt my leg. And, I knew I had my personal trainer in a few hours. I usually don't run on trainer days. Anyway, I just gave up and thought "I'll try again tomorrow... or Thursday."

I did have an incredible workout with my trainer today, though. And, I ate well today! So, overall I'm happy with today. But, I can't wait to try Week 7 again! I WILL do it next time!

July Review & August Goals

Here were my July goals and how I did:
1. Track my food EVERY day. - I don't have internet at the lake house and so I didn't track the 5 days we were there. I also didn't track one other day. I don't think I'll set this goal again until we have internet at the lake house.
2. Run 3x per week. - I only missed the one Saturday when everything fell apart. I really tried, so I feel good about this goal.
3. Swim 3x per week. - I didn't swim very much this month. I skipped an entire week and only swam once last week.
4. Be able to run 5 minutes straight. (currently can run 2 minutes) - I SLAUGHTERED this goal! 5 minutes??? I'm running 30 minutes now! WOW!!!
5. Lose 4.5 pounds. (goal weight for end of July 150!) - Well, I got CLOSE - I hit 150.5 today (no scale the past few days.) It is funny, though, as I was down to 151 by about the 16th. Well, I don't think you can totally control how fast you lose weight, so I'm pretty happy with this goal.
6. Weight train 2x per week. - DONE!
7. Be able to swim 100 yards without stopping for breath. (currently can swim 25 yards) - DONE! But, that was where my progress stopped.

August goals:
1. Run 3x per week.
2. Be able to run for 2.5 miles.
3. Weight train 2x per week (one upper/one lower).
4. Workout 6x per week.
5. Lose 4.5 pounds (would be at 146).
6. Burn 2000 calories per week.

C25K W6D3 & Weekend

Hi, everyone. Well, first of all, I picked my daughter up from camp on Saturday morning. Yes, I cried when I saw her! She looked great and happy and I hadn't talked to her since the Sunday before! And, she's an only child and I homeschool her, so we are together a LOT. I missed her so much, but was thrilled she had such a wonderful time. I got to meet some of her new friends and she's spent at least an hour telling me about all that she did. She/I can't wait for next year's camp!

This weekend, we went back to our new lake house. I actually didn't realize that having a lake house would be this much fun. One thing that is really nice is that we are sharing it with some friends. They have two children - a boy that is almost 7 (my dd is 9) and a baby who is 3.5 months. Well, my dd and the older boy played for hours in their room. It is so nice! As an 'only', I am often my dd's playmate... or she is 'bored.' So, just to have her enjoy that time and to not have to entertain her was wonderful! I had plenty of time to read.

We also take turns with the kids. The other dad took the two older kids fishing on our dock while I took a nap. Then, I watched all 3 while the other couple went out on the jet skis. (My dh was in town running errands.) I'm enjoying getting to hold the baby, too!

Yesterday, I ran C25K W6D3 by the lake. First of all, it was so quiet there! I only saw 3 other people between 6:30 and 7:10. Also, I need mace! There were 5 big dogs on my path... 4 of which were not chained or penned in! I was a little scared when they barked at me, but none of them chased me.

Anyway, for week 6 day 3, you are supposed to run 25 minutes. Well, I was running on our hilly land (at home it is totally flat) and I STILL had extra energy. I ended up going 30 minutes straight! I was thrilled! That is the end goal (for time - distance is another story) for C25K.

So, I've decided to work on distance now (and some speed). I'll start week 7 by checking out the distances and trying to meet those.

Lastly, we do not eat healthy foods out at the lake! The first night we had leftover pizza. I did good - only had one piece and some yogurt. (We had only bananas - I'll start brining veggies and fruit!) For two other meals, we grilled out steak and high-fat hamburgers and sausage. I told my dh that we'll have to start bringing chicken they can gril me. Or I'll be eating PB&J or something! I can't keep eating like this. I did have oatmeal & water when we went out to breakfast Sunday. But, I reverted to my old habits and had a chocolate bar on the way home. I get so sleepy and I want chocolate!

But, I'm back on track this morning and plan on doing zumba with my dd this afternoon. Have a happy, healthy day!