Christo-centric rap electic September 15, 2009

Get ready to groove, ladies. This is awesome, encouraging, energizing hip hop. Awhile ago, Gretchen posted about how the same music that gets her through working out helps her do the dishes at the end of a long day. I have to agree. I have had Rebel by  Lacrae for several months now and I can’t get enough. I love the lyrics, I love what these godly Black men are doing producing quality hip hop with redeemed lyrics.

Sample some music from Rebel here.  You can purchase it here.

Lastly, click the link and you can listen to and read the lyrics from one of my favorite tracks, Identity:

In Christ she is loved she secure and accepted/ She’ll never be rejected by God who’s elected her/ Her beauty is her Godliness/ and she ain’t gotta try to flaunt it cause it’s obvious/ Identity is found in the God we trust/ Any other identity will self destruct

I’m not the shoes I wear. I’m not the clothes I buy/ I’m am not the house I live in/ I’m not the car I drive/ I’m not the job I work /You can’t define my worth/ By nothing on God’s green earth, my identity is found in Christ

A Matter of Survival September 9, 2009

Ok this post is for those out there that LOVE working out.  I really like being active and it is not a chore for me at all.  I have found with 4 kids and homeschooling that it can be hard to fit it into the daily schedule.  We joined our local YWCA.  They have child care for little ones and a large room with lots of space for my older kids to run around.  For our family it is worth the money we pay each month because it is something we all do and enjoy.  The kids love going.  We have just built it into our schedule for the day so after school in the afternoon we head to the Y to run around for awhile.  Here are some other reasons it works for us…

• There is child care – with Lukas gone so much for work and having such an irregular schedule I do not have to depend on him for childcare.
• It is a break for me – I am with my kids all day, everyday and while this is a choice a little break helps me to refresh.
• Energy – consistently working out provides me with strength for each crazy day.
• I can do it while Lukas is at work therefore giving us more time together when he gets home.
• Modeling exercise to my girls.
• Variety – I can run, take a class, do an elliptical machine, or lift weights.
• Classes for my kids.
• Pool for the winter time.

Motivation by Deprivation September 8, 2009

My latest motivator to get up and get on the treadmill in the morning is the DVD series I am borrowing from my sister-in-law.  I made my own rule for myself that I may not watch the DVDs EXCEPT when I am on the treadmill.  :-) So far, it’s been a decent motivator for me!  I’m currently watching the first season of Little House on the Prairie, and will move to subsequent seasons when it is done.  I also have the Gilmore Girls coming from the library soon, which I have never seen, so that will be a great motivator too.

Whatever works, right?

Excuses Excuses September 7, 2009

Light Ballet Workout

Originally uploaded by little_bowtie

So, I feel like I’ve been making a lot of excuses for not having my posts up on Mondays….. but this week I really have a good one! We found out last week that our adoption profile got chosen and that God-willing, we will have a baby boy around Thanksgiving! We are very excited and looking forward to meeting our son. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

This week’s topic is perfect with this post title, by the way. Our topic is how we fit in exercise as whams. And boy, there are lots of excuses for this one, aren’t there! This part of my life is always morphing, but for now, I do have a plan that is working well for me. This is how I make exercise happen right now (and I fully realize that this plan will not work anymore when a newborn arrives!)

- I have a goal date- Oct 10, I will be running (and maybe walking some!) a 5K here in Minneapolis. Several friends are doing this and Andrew is going to do it with me, too. It’s motivating to have a certain date where I need to be able to run 3 miles. This helps me keep going on days when I don’t feel like running. I decided to take up running for awhile because I’m trying to break through the plateau I’ve been at for about 1 1/2 years with my weight. I held onto much more than I’d like after Byron’s birth.

- I do it with friends- I can’t do my running with friends because of schedule and children, but I am motivated by the fact that others are also running the 5K. It helps that my closest friend, my husband, is doing the race too. While we don’t run together (only one jogging stroller), we can have this as a common goal. Also, a few mornings a week, I drag myself out of bed early and walk across the street to do a stretching program with a friend. I doubt if I could make myself do this without knowing that someone was waiting for me.

-I have found something I love with variety- I don’t really love running. But I do love Pilates type stuff. Classical Stretch has been a good and thorough stretching and strengthening program. I bought a whole season from a few years ago. It has 26 episodes to keep things fresh.

Recharging- day by day August 26, 2009

I am SO NOT a morning gal…so waking up to bickering children starts off the day all wrong for me and often there can be no coming back.  There are a few ways I’ve found to switch the mood of the day and kind of have a “do-over” (as my friend Christine likes to call it).  One way is simply stating the do-over.  It works suprisingly well for me and my almost-4-year-olds.  :-)

Another thing we started doing this last spring is a little something I like to call after-baby-goes-down-for-a-nap-and-before-it’s-time-for the-twins-to-rest-GAME-TIME  (got that?).  After we’ve picked up the house and had lunch, we read a few books and then play a round or two of a favorite game before rest time.  Our currents favs are Castle Candyland (for those days when we’re short on time) and Zoo Match.  Zoo Match is like three sided domino cards with animals instead of dots that you match up.  Our kids are totally addicted.  Playing games with my kids is something that gives us all a chance to sit down, spend uninterrupted semi-structured time together, and reset our day.  If the morning was difficult for one (or more…) people it allows rest time to start on a upswing- rather than entering rest time in conflict or frustration.

One way our family finds to recharge the batteries is by taking a walk to a nearby school or park (this evening it’s the Glendoveer Fitness Trail) and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and the fresh air together.  I’ve found this is especially helpful for my husband and I as we get a chance to talk at the end of the day and there are no dirty dishes or overgrown lawns vying for our time.   Plus, it helps get the wiggles out of the children before they head to bed for the night.

My 80’s Exercise Playlist April 7, 2009

Okay ladies, this is a weird week of assorted posts before our cleaning blitz next week Today, I thought I’d share my newly created 80’s workout music. I used itunes and diligently searched for upbeat and recognizable tunes for using with my exercise bike. There wasn’t just one CD that would meet the criteria. So, here’s what I came up with:

Take On Me  A-Ha

Come On Eileen  Dexy’s Midnight Runners

Mickey  Toni Basil

Walking On Sunshine  Katrina & The Waves

 Tainted Love Soft Cell  

Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles  

Tell Her About It  Billy Joel

 It’s Raining Men  The Weather Girls

99 Red Balloons  Nena

 I’m So Excited  The Pointer Sisters

 Just Like Heaven The Cure

Heaven is a Place on Earth  Belinda Carlisle

Groove Is In the Heart  Deee-Lite  

Love Shack The B-52’s

 You Spin Me Round Dead or Alive

Like a Prayer  Madonna Like a Prayer

Vogue Madonna

Manic Monday  The Bangles 

Let’s Hear It For The Boy  Deniece Williams

I’m gonna get movin’!! January 6, 2009

Okay, so let’s just lay it out there:  I’ve had three kids….and my body has seen better days.  :-) I am VERY unlikely to get into an excercise routine on my own…but with the help of a handy dandy deadline (like a race) I find that I am much more motivated to acheive my goals. 

SO, knowing that God is pleased when I am a good steward of the things He has given me (my body included) I am aiming to complete a half marathon this spring.  Don’t worry- there will be NO running involved.  :-) I’m planning to WALK the Portland half marathon: Race for the Roses. 

My goal?  Lose 5o lbs.

My means of grace to get started?  Portland’s 2009 Race for the Roses

Fell off the boat? October 6, 2008

Did anyone else fall off the boat for the pushup challenge? I did! But, now I’m back on the boat and so is my husband. We’re starting the hundred pushups tomorrow. I’m hoping to be buff for my 5th anniversary in December :)  Also, I’d like to mention that my “Walk for Good” widget failed me (like you, Becca!) and stopped tracking my walking after two or three weeks. So sad! I’m still trying to get some walking in almost every weekday though.

Walk for Good or Exercise on the Cheap September 21, 2008

My lovely friend Becca told me about a gadget on iGoogle that will give you a program for making a habit of walking for 45 minutes five days a week. It begins with a very non-threatening 20 minute walk three times a week and builds up from there.   I don’t really know if I’m going to make it to 5 days a week, but 4 walks a week for 45 minutes seems great to me. Crystal and I are starting our third week. So, grab a friend and join us for our free exercise programs… Walk for Good and hundredpushups.com. We’re also looking for a sit up program to alternate with the pushups. If you need help with iGoogle, see my post here.

Work it, Girl! September 19, 2008

Okay, ladies, Gretchen and I, along with our friend, Crystal are going to start the hundred push up challenge. Don’t worry, they can be the on-your-knees kind! I know that’s the kind I’ll be doing. Check out the website and join us on Monday, if you dare :) 

http://hundredpushups.com/