Our Simple Life

Random thoughts

Today it is cold. With the windchill, it is around 13 degrees. I will be happy when it warms up enough for the kids to go outside and play. I have to really monitor their electronic use when the weather is non-compliant. J especially would play games in front of a screen all day if I didn't interfere. We have a gameboy color (not an Advance); lots of computer games for learning; and an Atari system (I know, ancient, but our kids are young enough to still think the games are fun!)

I love observing M & J when they're outside. They find sticks and rocks and will come up with all sorts of things to pretend. For the last few weeks, M has had all our sand buckets full of dirt she sifts and mixes and stirs them and pretends each bucket is a different type of food. I'm glad M hasn't gotten too old for that stuff. I mean, she's only seven (almost eight) but nowadays it doesn't seem unusual for kids to grow up too fast. She also plays with her Barbies and Littlest Petshop as well as her stuffed animals sometimes. J drives his cars and trucks, plays with his Buzz Lightyear and likes books and puzzles.

Onto another topic.....I did 30 more minutes of exercise yesterday after posting the 23 I did in the morning. I need to keep this momentum going! I feel so much more energetic when I workout each day. Good news: I drank 2 1/2 bottles of water yesterday. That is an accomplishment for me but not too hard to do when I exercise as much as I did. I'm thinking that today I would like to walk a few miles and then ride the stationary bike for as long as I can (probably 15-20 minutes).  I may even do Fit Kids with J (and M if she's interested) this afternoon.

I am currently reading On Her Own by Wanda Brunstetter. It is about an Amish woman who is a widow and has four boys (one of which is a newborn). She owns a harness shop but is unable to work in it until she recovers from having her baby so she hires an Amish man to help her and it appears that they will end up together by the end of the book. I love reading about Amish life. I don't agree with some of their religious beliefs but their lifestyle is very simple and VERY appealing to me! I've read several of her other books and have thoroughly enjoyeed them except for the predictablity of them. I've also read Beverly Lewis but I'm not too crazy for her books. There is a somewhat negative tone in her books which is too bad because she has written a ton of them.

Today we're going to the library. I think we'll go this morning before lunch and then *hopefully* J will take a nap around 1:00. He got up 10 minutes after me (5:40) so he's going to be awfully tired come this evening if he doesn't nap.

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3:02 PM, Jan. 25, 2008 .. Posted by simplemama07

After doing 2 miles of walking this morning and doing other things, I rode the bike like I had planned but instead of 15-20 minutes I made it to 30 minutes, averaging 16 miles per hour! Whoo-hoo! On sparkpeople.com that came up as 210 calories burned (it FELT that way too! LOL) The walking showed as burning 135 calories.
So Stephen has to work tomorrow so I can't go workout at the gym, but he is getting off early today so I'm actually going in a little while. Getting enough physical activity today?! LOL
Tomorrow I will rest. ;)

Edited by simplemama07 on Jan. 25, 2008 at 2:03 PM

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3:48 PM, Jan. 25, 2008 .. Posted by ogbeach

I was doing the random blogger thing and came across yours. I have to tell you, I also just started working out. I have a Leslie Sansone video, which I try to work out with for 30 minutes a day. I am also trying to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I figured if I drank a glass every hour from 9-4 I would have the 8 glasses. That worked for the first couple days because I didn't go anywhere, but if I have to foodshop or run the kids to an activity I forget to drink the water. I am feeling better since I am working out. I am still tired, but I know that I am doing something good for my body and if I keep it up, it will pay out in the end. I also love reading books about the Amish. I don't believe in all their religious views either, but I like the idea of how they take care of each other and have a simpler life style.