More Photo-a-Day

This month, I am taking my sister Kati's Photo-a-Day Challenge and posting my results about once a week.  This is my second installment of photos, captured during a hot and sunny, humid and rainy, indoor and outdoor type of week.

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How Do You...Stretch Pre- and Post-Run?

Anonymous asked:

How do you stretch pre- and post-run? Are there specific exercises you do, for a certain length of time, etc.?

This is an appropriate question for this week because I'm preparing to run another 5K race on Saturday.  After running a half-marathon in April, there was serious let down in the days and weeks following.  I was floundering and in need of a new goal so I decided to squeeze in a 5K before the intense heat of summer sets in. I'm hoping I've maintained enough of the fitness I built up to run the half and that it will propel me into a new personal record for the 5K distance.  

As far as stretching goes, I probably earn a big fat F for fail.  I've read that it is damaging to stretch cold muscles.  If muscles have not started to move and warm up, stretching them can do more harm that good so instead of stretching before I hit the pavement, I warm up by starting most runs at a gentle, slow pace.  I pay attention to how my legs feel and gradually increase the pace as I loosen up.  

Okay.  So maybe my warm-up routine is acceptable, but I really fail the post-run stretching test.  By the time I'm done a run, my muscles are warm and would benefit from stretching, but I rarely (read: once or twice ever) take time to do any type of stretching routine.  This is what I do instead.  When I stop running and slow to a walk, I do not stop moving for at least 10 minutes.  I walk up my driveway.  I walk a few laps around the deck.  I walk around inside the house while I find a snack, talk to the kids, start a load of laundry.  Even more importantly, I am careful not to sit down.  Sitting or ceasing movement too quickly after exercise can cause blood to pool in the legs and cause cramping and general discomfort.  

How do you stay active? Do you walk, run, work out at the gym, play a sport, or run and play with your kids? 

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My How Do You...? series is back for a few more weeks.  Is there anything you want to know? If you have any other running related questions, I'd love to talk more about it!  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page or send me an e-mail.  I'd love to hear from you.

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.

The Book Index

It's been a week since I shared the 2014 edition of Summer Reading Guide for Families. I hope you've enjoyed this year's offerings and perhaps started a list of must-reads! 

If you haven't had a chance to downloaded your FREE copy,  

click here to get it now!

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I have a passion for books.  Not just fictional stories to read aloud on hazy summer days, but all books. 

I've compiled a handy reference guide of books by topic that I've discussed during the 6 years I've been blogging.  Subjects range from Grandma Moses to pioneers to health to astronomy to Thanksgiving.

Click here or on the button below to view the index...and more happy hours of reading to you!

Photo-a-Day Challenge

My camera has a permanent place on my kitchen counter.  Unfortunately, though it's handy, it often remains there all day long while life goes on around it. During the month of May, I challenged myself to take at least one photo of something every day.  I didn't have a perfect record, but my self-imposed challenge inspired me to pick up the camera more than I would have otherwise.  Do you find that sometimes you are so busy living the memories that you forget to take time to capture them?

This month, I am taking my sister Kati's Photo-a-Day Challenge and posting my results about once a week.

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How Do You...Manage Free Time in the Summer?

Allyson  shared her thoughts on preparing for a more relaxed schedule and asked...

How do you help your kids manage all their extra free time during the summer? Do you establish a general routine or schedule? Also, how has this changed as they've become older?

Michelle added...

Do you keep the same schedule during summer and/or school breaks? 

My kids have never, ever had a desire to sleep in.  We ask them to stay in their rooms until 7, but they are usually talking to each other and giggling by 6:30-6:45, sometimes earlier. It's a rare day when one of them sleeps past 7:30.  My mom says that will last until they are old enough to be a big help around the house and then they will start wanting to sleep instead.  ~wink~

Since they are up at the same time every day regardless of school schedule, Brian and I decided to have them follow the same morning routine in the summer.  They must eat breakfast, get dressed, brush their teeth, take care of the animals, and do their chores (anything from spot clean the bathroom to sweep the entryway to unload the dishwasher) by 9 am.  On weekends, when Brian is home and we linger over breakfast and generally enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere, we make the deadline closer to 10 am.

After 9 o'clock, we are left with hours upon hours of "free" time.  I like to maintain a general flow to the day without insisting on too much structure which hinders spontaneity.  Mornings are for play.  If the weather is pleasant, we include outside play-- riding bikes, blowing bubbles, playing tag, etc. If it is rainy or stifling hot, the kids play a game together inside or spread out on the living room floor. /






Lunchtime is around 12.  I usually bring a book to the table and read to them when I'm done eating.  We move to the living room to continue reading if we have time.  Then we do a big after-lunch clean up.  Dishes go in the dishwasher.  Someone starts a load of laundry.  The sofa cushions are straightened and loose toys are put away.  

By afternoon the kids are running out of ideas on their own so I try to have an activity in mind most days if we need it.  I like to vary it so we don't get in a rut.  Last year we made Wednesdays movie day, since we were fresh from a mid-week trip to the library. Another day was kiddie pool/water day. Sometimes I plan a craft or easy project.  Sometimes I  ask everyone to read or look at books for 30 minutes. Another thrill is to get a toy down from the closet shelf that they haven't seen for awhile-- Lincoln Logs, Light Brite, wooden dolls, etc.

In the late afternoon, we do another house pick-up and I start dinner prep.  The three youngest kids like to help-- assembling the salad, getting ingredients from the pantry or refrigerator, stirring, setting the timer-- while the older kids take care of the animals. 

After dinner, the kids run off their energy outside again. We do baths as needed and end the day with a few story books, chosen by the kids. Then it is time for bed! 

Does your family have a schedule for summer or do you throw routine out the window during these months?  How do you fill your days?  How do your kids stay occupied and active?

For some fun {and free!} family summer schedule printables, visit this post @ Biblical Homemaking.

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My How Do You...? series is back for a few more weeks.  Is there anything you want to know? Go ahead! Be nosy.  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page or send me an e-mail.  I'd love to hear from you.

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.

Summer Reading Guide for Families 2014

It's here!  The Summer Reading Guide For Families eBook is back for 2014.  Divided by category for easy navigation, it includes an eclectic assortment of choices for your reading enjoyment.  All the old content is there but expanded with new recommendations and even a new category!

The eBook is available to download for FREE!  and includes a printable checklist that you can keep by the computer or bring with you to the library.  

Click on the book cover to download your copy!

Your feedback is appreciated!  

After reading a book listed in the guide, would you consider coming back here to let me know how you liked it?  If you've read a book that you think is worth a mention, let me know that, too! 

I'd love it if you would share this resource with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.  I've made it easy for you.  All you have to do is copy and paste:  

I just downloaded this year's Summer Reading Guide For Families from Bits and Pieces From My Life. Get your free copy here: http://from-my-life.blogspot.com/2014/06/familyreading.html  #familyreading

 

Gathering Moments

The month of May was gloriously simple.  Simple meals, simple plans. Normal days at home with nowhere to go.  Trips to the library. Catching up on reading and thinking about plans for summer.

Coming on the heels of the coldest, windiest, dampest, most lingering winter I can remember, May was a throw-the-windows-open kind of month.

It brought a few simple seasonal pleasures. 

We celebrated a quiet Mother's Day with our traditional fried chicken and picnic-y spread.  We took a few pictures before dinner and lingered at the table for conversation after dinner.  I made a new dessert-- peaches and cream bundt cake-- but missed snapping a photo of that.

We completed our school year on a random Tuesday in mid-May and celebrated with pancakes for dinner. Many of our memories center around food.  Is that a good or a bad thing?!

And now that school is out, let the games begin!

We enjoyed the chance to get outside without being overly cold or overly hot!  May offered days where both a jacket and a pair of flip-flops was acceptable. By the end of next month, I fear the mild days will be replaced by heat and humidity.

During one of our jaunts in the outdoors, Owen learned to ride his bike without training wheels.





I'm waving May a reluctant good-bye.

I'm linking to my mom's monthly series, Gathering the Moments, where we reflect on the month that has passed.

How Do You...Help Your Children Choose Books to Read?

How do you help your children choose books to read?

When I choose books to read aloud to my kids whether it is for school or for leisure, I have an advantage.  If the vocabulary is a little difficult, I can stop and explain.  If there is inappropriate content, I can skip over it.  If we all agree it is boring or odd or too long or whatever, we can decide to stop the book altogether.

When I'm helping my children choose books to read in their own free time, though, the job is tougher.  I don't have the time or desire to pre-screen every book they find at the library that interests them.  If they ask for suggestions, I will often recommend familiar authors or books from a series that we trust. The kids will also tell each other about books they have read and enjoyed.

But what a books that I know nothing about? I generally start by reading the book description on the back of the book.  If that seems okay, I'll skim a few pages and look at any artwork in the book. Sometimes I say no.  Either I don't feel comfortable with the content or I can't pick up enough clues to form an impression.  Often, though, I have to trust my kids.  I allow them to make books choices on their own, knowing that they understand our family standards and asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them.

How do you help your children find reading material?  On Monday, June 2,  I'm releasing the 2014 edition of my Summer Reading Guide for Families here on the blog.  Let me save you the work of  choosing books for everyone! 

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My How Do You...? series is back for a few more weeks.  I'm in need of some fun ideas for topics.  What do you want to know?  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. 

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.

Dana's Valley

I read Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series about 20 years ago and I didn't like it.  That statement makes me feel incredibly old, by the way. The books were (and still are) wildly popular, but they just were not my thing.  I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction,  plus I remember thinking the stories were a tad fluffy.  Perhaps I simply got burned out with the number of books in the series. Whatever the reason, I never read anything else by Janette Oke. 

Fast forward a few years.  One of my sister's favorite authors is Janette Oke.  She included an Oke book on the first Sisters Book Challenge that I never got around to reading, and when she included another on this year's list, I knew I needed to give the author another try.

Dana's Valley by Janette Oke and her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan is the story of an average Christian family-- average income, average jobs, average kids-- who faces a tremendous trial that tests their dedication to each other and makes them question their faith in God. Saying any more about the plot will give away elements of the story.  The book is told in first person, from the perspective of one of the children, an adolescent girl.  As the story unfolds, we hear details and thoughts from several years of her life.

This is not one of those books that introduces a dilemma and has you on the edge of your seat waiting for the outcome.  It does, however, bring you back wanting to go alongside the narrator and her family as they walk their journey.

I did not find the writing light or shallow so perhaps my impression from 20 years ago was inaccurate.  The time period was modern, too, so I didn't have to get around my fear of historical fiction.  Did this book mold me into a new Janette Oke fan?  Probably not.  But the story was well-written and enjoyable. 

How Do You...Get Everything Done and Start School on Time?

How do you get everyone up, chores done, breakfast made, eaten, and cleaned up and still start school on time?


I love to live by a schedule.  It keeps me disciplined and it lets my kids know what's coming next on a day-to-day basis.  Our mornings follow a flow.  Brian and I get up at 6 and the kids get up at 7.  Brian eats breakfast on his drive to work, but the kids and I eat an easy breakfast before we dress or do chores.  After clean-up, we scatter to tackle our individual responsibilities.  Because each child has a set list of things to accomplish and because they have a time limit, I am free to wash the dishes, do a load of laundry, make my bed, or finalize school plans without worrying if work is being completed in the rest of the house.

As much as I love my schedule, being too rigid is a detriment to us all.  Our goal is to finish our work and begin the school day at 9, but does it happen every day? Absolutely not!

A schedule is for our benefit.  We are not slaves to the schedule.  Some days Alaine needs more of my attention in the morning or Brian goes into work late or we get a phone call or any number of things may happen.  Maybe a child didn't sleep well the night before or someone has a cold.  Whatever the reason for the delay, we simply begin school when we're able and continue to follow the flow of the day.

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My How Do You...? series is back for a few more weeks.  I'm in need of some fun ideas for topics.  What do you want to know?  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. 

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.