Articles from January 2010

Running: The Type-A Workout

“Running is ideal for type-A personalities who prefer routine, structure and a little self-competition,” says Jessica Smith. With a no-nonsense attitude and motivation to burn, you enjoy a no-strings workout that lets you enjoy the scenery (and solitude), anywhere at anytime. Plus, you can harness your own momentum to clinch that runner’s high. Make sure to invest in a supportive pair of sneakers.

From: What Does Your Workout Say About You? By Melissa F. Pheterson

1. Stayed caught up on laundry while in the midst of a family wide stomach virus
2. Stayed caught up on school work by having kids read to me while folding laundry
3. Produced one bland meal after another even though nauseated myself and out of groceries

I have to be honest, and I’m not sure that I can count this as a success, a week of queasiness has made me NEVER, EVER want to be pregnant again. Is that wrong? My baby is over a year old, and I was just beginning to forget about labor and sleepless nights, but now my mind is fixated on the misery of the first trimester. I’m sure I’ll get over it, but I really, really, hate that feeling!

In general, though, I like that this list happens to fall on Thursday — our week ends with a very busy and fun Thursday and Friday, so my successes on the home front mostly happen on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. All that is left now is for me to keep my patience and joy as we drive from one activity to another, and just keep my head on until Friday night pizza and movie!

Share your small successes at Faith and Family Live.

We recently discovered, with the help of our son’s teacher, that he needs glasses. We survived the ophthalmologist appointment and will pick up the new specs in a few days. When the nurse walked me over to the wall of glasses and asked me what kind we would like, I asked for, “Whatever is the most indestructible.” She showed me ones that you can literally bend in half and they won’t break, thank goodness.

As my due date draws nearer, I have been gathering all of the items that I know I will need immediately upon the birth of our next child. All of the neutral-colored baby clothes have been washed (but have yet to be folded!), the baby seat is in the minivan, and I’m gathering together my nursing-friendly clothes and other such things.

The Winter Olympics begin in just a few short weeks (February 12-28). I am planning to do an Olympic unit study with my oldest daughter Gianna (almost 6), and my pre-school age son Charlie (4). Our family loves sports, so the Olympics provide a great opportunity to learn about history, geography, sportsmanship, healthy eating, exercise, and even virtues like perseverance and discipline. My children are very young, so I’m not going to go crazy with the idea, but I do want to use our T.V. time in the evening as a springboard for some great learning during our school mornings. I spent some time searching for inexpensive ways to incorporate the Olympics into our February curriculum. First, the free resources I found:

1. Download and print out free flags of the various countries here. They even have color by number options for the flags! I plan to have the kids color in the flag of the host nation–Canada, and about 10 other nations competing in the games.

2. For more in-depth information about the nations and their flags (for older kids), check out the enchanted learning site. Again, this is completely free!

3. For great Olympic print-outs, including coloring pages of Olympic torches, the medals, and different sports, try the awesome clipart for educators site.

4. For great links and more free resources, check out the ABC Teach Directory and also The Teachers Corner (there are helpful age recommendations for each resource on this site).

If you are interested in spending a small sum of money, and want something simple and easy to use–

1. Consider paying $4 to download The Winter Olympics 2010 Lap Book and Study Guide, from CurrClick. The Lap Book is recommended for children ages 2nd-7th grade, and it has gotten good reviews. Since it is only $4, I plan to purchase the book and use it with my K-1st grade daughter.

2. Consider paying $10.95 for The 2010 Winter Olympics Unit Study by Amy Bennett (this has gotten some good reviews on a couple of homeschool parenting boards).

3. Finally, consider purchasing a good world map for your house or schoolroom (or if you have one already, get it out to display it for the duration of the games). We have a U.S. map, but I plan to purchase and laminate a world map so that we can locate the various countries that win medals.

I’d love to hear about other resources that exist (especially free ones) and other ways to incorporate the Olympics into our home curriculum.

Gone are the days when I enjoy a shoe shopping trip. I’ve never been much of a shopper, but shoe shopping–that was fun. These days, I dread both clothes and shoe shopping obligations. I know MaryAlice feels similarly, so she has started to purchase clothes for her children online at Lands End. We have made a move in this directions for Christmas gifts, for some limited clothes purchases, and now think I’m going to take the plunge on shoes.

Previously I had thought that shoes were something I just had to go to the store and try on. I am incredibly particular about my footwear–I usually wear sneakers because my feet feel terrible in most shoes–and so the thought of purchasing shoes online seemed crazy. And then last year, I hunted and hunted for a pair of casual (but also somewhat dressy) brown shoes. I wanted them to be comfortable, and appropriate for both jeans and a cute skirt. After consulting with some friends, I decided to purchase a pair of Dansko’s. I bought these adorable shoes at the Walking Company and have never looked back. They have held up great, and I wear them almost every day. I tossed ALL my other cold weather brown shoes, and I love how this one purchase has simplified my life. I only have one pair of brown shoes. Aren’t they cute?

But there was one problem–I never wanted to wear any of my black shoes because they all seemed so uncomfortable compared to my brown shoes. I thought about it for a while, and decided to purchase the exact same pair of shoes in black! I knew my size, and I knew what I wanted, so I ordered them on Zappos. Zappos even has free shipping (and free-return shipping if the shoes don’t fit!). The shoes arrived the very next day and they were $20 less than what I paid at the Walking Company!

So now my closet has only 4 pairs of shoes (brown Dansko’s, black Dansko’s, sneakers, and slippers). I’ll refrain from sharing a picture because I don’t want to make everyone jealous.

This weekend, I mentioned to Mr. Red that I needed new running shoes. He suggested a date with Zappos (Mr. Red is now ordering all his shoes on Zappos), and while hesitant, I obliged. I know Nike running shoes fit my feet well. I know my size. I went to the Nike site and figured out what type of running shoe would suit my needs best. I then went over to Zappos, and 15 minutes later I made my purchase. That’s 15 minutes TOTAL.

With four children, a simple shoe errand would be almost impossible and so purchasing a new pair of running shoes requires that I either 1) pay a babysitter or 2) eat into precious family time. The Zappos experience was so amazing that I want to do all my future shoe shopping this way. The children regularly need new shoes, and I have to bring them along to measure their feet and try on the shoes. But now I am thinking of switching to Zappos for my children’s shoes. Is that crazy? There are plenty of shoe sizing charts online, see here, and here. I can print-out the chart, measure their feet, and then pick something appropriate. Has anyone else gone this route?

Another inspiring story, and shockingly, this time it comes from ESPN. So often our athletes disappoint us with their blatantly immoral and selfish behavior. Most recently, Mark McGuire let us all know that he would have told the truth sooner if only he was granted immunity. According to McGuire, speaking truthfully is not in itself a duty he owes to other people, it is only something he would do if we guaranteed to him that he would not be held accountable for his actions. His failure to tell the truth was really our fault. If only Congress had guaranteed him immunity for all the repercussions of his steroid use and cheating, the public could have gotten to the bottom of things much sooner. Unfortunately, McGuire’s attitude is not only typical among athletes, but persists among many famous and successful people in our society.

And so the story about top Oakland A’s prospect, Grant Desme, leaving his baseball career behind at the age of 23, and heading to the seminary, stands in stark contrast to McGuire and most other athletes. Desme announced Friday that he was leaving baseball to enter the priesthood, walking away after a breakout season in which he was named MVP of the Arizona Fall League. He was doing really well, and full of so much baseball potential, but he felt a higher call to serve God and his church. It took a tremendous amount of courage for Desme to follow God and his call, and it is my prayer that more of our young people will do the same.

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the dreadful Roe v. Wade decision. Please take a moment today to pray for an end to abortion in this nation. Pray for all the women hurt by the terrible procedure and all those contemplating an abortion as the solution to their unplanned pregnancy. And please pray for all those attending the March for Life today in Washington DC. May it be a peaceful protest against the legalized killing of innocent children in our nation.

26,166 = # of applications received this year for Princeton’s class of 2014

So I’m a little late on this, but I came across this link today and was really inspired. Maddy Curtis, the 9th of 12 children (including 4 down syndrome brothers) was featured on American Idol and made it to “Hollywood.” She is an evangelical convert to Catholicism, a cantor at her church, and the daughter of a wonderful woman who blogs here. Her mom is a big pro-life advocate, and overall I am just thrilled that Maddy is following her dream and representing her Catholic Faith so well–especially at the age of 16! It is my hope that we will see a lot more of Maddy on this season of American Idol.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12