Friday afternoon Mary Madison and Tyler both started having sore throats.  So, the three of us are home from church today as they both have head colds.  I really miss the body of Christ for sure! 


The good news in all of this is that the kids actually just get colds, not sinus infections.  I wonder if it has something to do with the size of the sinus passages????


Anyway, we took it easy yesterday.  Watched some football, read some books, played some games.  I fixed meatloaf for Tom and the kids since they love, love it.  Other than that, it's been pretty quiet in the McElroy household.  Here's hoping that next week will be better!!

Thank goodness I felt a bit better today as we have co-op tomorrow.  The kids got their work done for the week, including Astronomy, math, etc.  We also watched a show this afternoon on mummies~interesting, huh?  Hey, I needed to rest a bit and this seemed like a good way to do it!


We also went to the library.  Now I'm getting ready to go to bed so I'll be ready to face a busy day at co-op tomorrow.

I've not been posting because I got a sore throat on Saturday night that turned into a nasty head cold/sinus type stuff.  I'm not exercising and trying to take care of myself.  The kids have been a big help with the cooking, cleaning, etc.  All three went to the dentist today and didn't have any cavities so that was good news.

I realized I left everyone hanging.  After an afternoon that was frustrating and more funny than you can imagine, we found out that it was only our car battery that needed replacing. Since it was a 5 year battery that died after 3 years, the pro-rated cost of a new one was only $35.  We are so grateful for that!

We had co-op yesterday and Tyler got the opportunity to go back to Tennessee for the weekend with his best buddy Garrison. I know he  is having the time of his life there!

Maddie is babysitting and I've got to run to the library and the post office.  Tonight I am going out to dinner with Maddie while Tom and Wes do some guy things together.

Praying that you all have day filled with blessings from the Father!

Yesterday's workout:  10 Minute Solution Ultimate Bootcamp with Jessica Smith:  Total Body, Upper Body, Lower Body; 10 Minute Solution Yoga, Relaxation and Flexibility.  In the evening I walked Tucker for about a mile.

Today's workout:  10 Pounds Down Weightloss Cardio Mix:  Cardio, Abs, Stretch.  This afternoon I'll walk Tucker and do 10 minutes of yoga.

Is there honestly ever a "good time" for your car to die?  Well, this morning I went out early to run an errand and my car was fine.  When I went to start it, it was acting like the battery was dying.  I called Tom to help me jump it and it STILL wouldn't start.  So, we left the car after talking to the people in the store (Burger King, lol~I'd gone there to get a cup of coffee and pray before my day started, thank goodness).  We spent the day describing the problem to our mechanic and various other people and got some ideas to try.


Tom, Wes and I went back this afternoon. Still no luck. But, we're blessed by some wonderful people there. The manager was knowledgeable about cars and helped us go through a myriad of checking fuses, cables, etc. The workers there felt sorry for us all and gave us free drinks. And, they even offered to have our car towed for free by AAA that one of the managers had. Or make that USED to have!


So, we got the battery out and Tom and Wes are taking it to Walmart to be tested. Is it the starter? battery? alternator? or does the thing need to be re-programmed(a security light eventually came on)?  Stay tuned to hear further updates.


Meantime,  Ty has a friend here until 6pm and then has soccer and we have co-op in the morning and Tom has tennis in the morning with his league. I sure am grateful for my two cars that God has provided because it makes things crazy when you only have one.


Oh and yes~my children were great and did schoolwork and chores while Mom was gone MUCH longer than intended.


Today's workout:  I walked the dog with Wes and then did Firm Cardio Gloves Workout(20 minutes of cardio) and 20 minutes of yoga (AM Yoga for your Week, Forward Bends).

Wednesday is a busy "let's run around" kind of day for us.  Maddie and Tyler have piano and it used to be that Tom and I alternated the trips out to the lessons (they're about 20 minutes away).  He is now leading a small group on Wednesday afternoons so I'm the new weekly taxi driver!  On the way home from piano, we make a weekly run to the Flower's Thrift Bread store.  And, we also have church dinner at 6pm.  That is actually a good thing because I don't have to worry about fixing dinner on these days!


Today we did our regular math, etc. in the morning and then studied a bit about asteroids.  We also talked about pumpkins again, lol. The kids are fascinated about how they're grown and how some of them are so gigantic when the usual size is only a few pounds.


We've also had the major change in the weather as predicted.  After being 85 degrees yesterday, it hit 55 today and has steadily dropped to 45 with a lot of wind.   Yikes, even the cats want to come in and sleep in the basement!


Today's workout:  Tracie Long Defined Lines (low weight/high rep cardio and weight intervals, using a medicine ball for the cardio).  Lots of fun.

Monday is such a crazy day for us a lot of the time. We're trying to catch up on housework we let slide over the weekend.  We are getting back into the school groove.  Lots of times I do some grocery shopping in the afternoon. And, both boys have Scouts.


All that happened yesterday.  And, Maddie had to babysit in the evening. That's actually not a had to but a "gets to" for her.  She loves Allie and Caroline and Jack so much.  And when they are in bed she is getting paid to read, have a soda Ms. Karin always leaves for her, and watch TV!!


Today we spent time on Astronomy and some experiments Ty was doing.  We also have a friend who has started giving us her Smithsonian Magazine after they read it and the kids were reading the current issue and writing summaries from it.  I only know that Wes wrote about the pumpkin that broke the world's record for size, I need to read all the papers now.


I've got a Women's Meeting at the church and Tom is in charge of dinner for the kids.  Lucky him, I planned enough leftovers so they don't have to work too hard.


Oh, and the best serendipity of my day? Tom and I went to Subway and split a $5 foot long for a date.  The last of the big spenders, huh?  But it was nice just to be alone and chat!


Monday's Workout:  Jessica Smith 10 Pounds Down Total Body Tune Up (cardio and high rep/low weight sculpting intervals).


Today's workout:  Amy Dixon Cardio Kickboxing Exercise TV workout (20 minutes); Amy Dixon Women's Health Perfect Body Cardio workout (20 minutes); WH Yoga Stretch (10 minutes).  After having ATT Uverse TV for nearly a year, I've discovered we get free Exercise TV workouts on Demand so took advantage of that to try the Cardio Kickboxing.   Very fun.

What a nice day!  Tyler had a great time at his Weeblo activity. He got to shoot a BB gun, do some archery, spear throwing, etc.  I think Tom had a great time too but was ready for a nap when they got home at 4:30.

Wes got off to his camping/hiking trip.  I'm assuming he's fine since he texted me tonight to see if the LSU Tigers, his favorite football team, won their game.

Maddie and I went shopping at the mall. Not my favorite activity, but she loves it. We got some cute 3/4 and long sleeve shirts for her for the fall and winter.  

Tonight I've been watching baseball, doing some laundry, and playing around with the layout of my blog, as you can tell.  I love Saturdays when the pace slows down.  I also love Saturday evenings as I get to anticipate worshiping the Father with other Christians on Sunday.  I pray your Sunday will be full of God's richest blessings.

Oh, and on another note:  Please pray for my cousin's son, Lance.  He will be 17 in December and is a quarterback for his football team.  Last night his leg was broken in the game and he is having surgery tomorrow morning.  He is facing a 6 week rehab but the surgeons have said they don't anticipate permanent damage, for which we are praising the Lord!

Today's workout:  Karen Voight Ultimate Step Circuit, cardio only premix; Shape Pink Power Flat Abs 5 Ways, Fat Blasting Cardio (you do intervals of cardio and abdominal work); 10 Minute Solution Yoga For Beginners, Flexibility Segment.

What I'm reading:  Adam Hamilton Why?  Making Sense of God's Will.  Tom is leading a group through a small group study based on this so I'm reading along with him. (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Making-Sense-Gods-Will/dp/1426714785/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318726235&sr=8-1)

Gorgeous fall day here. It was cool in the morning and then was about 78 in the afternoon and sunny~beautiful. The kids got to go to co-op and hang out with other kids, play volleyball outside, etc. I got to hang out with other homeschool moms, always so good for me.


When we got home we did some work here and then the kids spent a lot of time outside.  I ran errands to get things Wes and Ty needed for their scout events and then came home for pizza night! (Actually I ate something else because the kids scarf that stuff down, lol. They did save me one tiny piece though).  And, to top off the night I did a yoga/pilates fusion workout to go with my 30 minute strength workout that I got in before co-op.


Oh, and one of the best serndipities:  Wes got up early, with no prompting, did his chores, took a shower, etc. and then ran out with me to McDonald's before we left for co-op.  He ate some hash browns, I drank a cup of coffee, and we just talked. It was really nice.


Today's workout:  LBN Strength Workout (30 minutes, nice cardio effect too); afternoon dog walk; Ellen Barrett Power Fusion pilates/yoga blend (45 minutes).

Today was another rainy day.  It was strange though. We had these periods of beautiful sunshine alternated with heavy downpours.  It kind of drove the dogs crazy, lol.


We spent time finishing up Tyler's Astronomy assignment for tomorrow's co-op. We also did made sure that all the work for the week was completed.


In the afternoon we made a trip to the library to get some new books to read.  Wes has been playing a new game he purchased for his Xbox, Ty played with some neighborhood friends who had a half day of school, and Maddie has been working on reading some books she picked up at the library. Tyler's also been working on his book and Maddie decided to write a report on a particular event from the Revolutionary War. It's fun to see what types of things they choose to do with free time.


Tomorrow is co-op and then we'll spend time getting ready for Wes' hiking/camping trip and Ty's day trip with his scout troop, both on Saturday.


Today's Workout:  Jessica Smith 10 Pounds Down Weightloss Cardio Mix.

My energy is better today and I didn't have to take a single Tylenol or ibuprofen.  I'm so, so grateful for that.  It's been overcast and cool (about 68) but no rain at all.


Today Maddie and Ty had piano so Tom said he'd give me a break and take them, yippee.  We did our work, practiced piano, read books (Maddie and Ty got a new book they're devouring in their spare time), and worked on some projects hanging over our heads (Wes' writing work, etc).  


When Tom took Maddie and Ty to piano, I ran Wes to the bank to get some money and he did some planning for a scout trip he's going on this Saturday.  I also ran an errand at Kmart, wishing for the millionth time I had longer lashes and didn't need to purchase mascara!


When I got home I took Penny on a slow walk and Tucker on a longer, quicker one.  Right now I'm getting ready to read for a bit before church dinner tonight.  It's been one of those gray days but for some reason God's love has just been slipping over me today like a warm blanket.  I'm grateful for that little gift today and pray you're finding him at work in your life.  He's so good, isn't he?


Today's workout:  10 Minute Solution Belly, Butt and Thigh Blasters; 10 MS Yoga, Flexibility and Relaxation segment to stretch out my legs!

Do you have a love/hate relationship with anything?  For me it's rain.  I love rainy days.  I love lying in bed listening to the soft rain on the roof.  But it does something crazy to my allergies.  My head feels super "full," if that makes sense.  I sometimes get a sinus headache over my eyes.  And, my eyes often feel like I've got weights on the lids, lol.  That's where I am today for sure.


The kids did help me out some. They were good about getting their work done and did their chores without complaining.  They also gave me permission to go take a nap this afternoon, lol.  Ty helped me brown the meat for dinner and Wes walked the dog in between rain spurts.  Maddie also helped, taking care of Penny.


Thank you, Father, for children who often, and especially today, reflected you by serving me.  You are so good to me.


Today's workout:
Cardio!  Warmup for 5 minutes; Metabolic Cardio for 20 minutes (interval style); 2 segments of Kickboxing with Jessica Smith using weighted gloves; 5 minute yoga stretch.

Last weekend went by in a blur so I'm not sure why I didn't post.  I do know that Friday was a busy day with just stuff.  We ended up spending a lot of time outdoors with buddies that day and doing some fun things around here.  Saturday Tyler had a soccer game and then Tom and Ty went to the local fair.  Sunday we had a youth lunch and Maddie had to babysit.  In fact, she also babysat on Friday afternoon and then again Friday night~guess that's what SHE was doing all weekend!


Today we got back into the normal school routine.  We hit the seat work (math, language, etc) hard.  Tyler finished up his Astronomy chapter for co-op and will do the workbook "stuff" tomorrow. Wes watched a documentary on a violent explosion over a Siberian forest in 1908. It is an odd event that destroyed almost everything for about 50 miles and scientists are still unsure of the cause.  He is also starting to research it a bit more and then begin writing a persuasive paper on his theory of the cause and why he supports that particular idea.


I got a haircut this morning (long overdue, it's been 2 months) and then Maddie and Wes got haircuts in the afternoon(longer overdue, about 4 months for each of them).  I then went grocery shopping, came home and fixed dinner, and need to take the boys to scouts and stop by Sam's Club on the way home. Whew, I'm looking forward to getting into my jammies and relaxing after that.


Friday's workout:  Tracie Long Weightless (total body workout using only your body weight).


Saturday's workout:  ADD workout, lol.  I did 40 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of yoga consisting of segments of three different DVDS.  They were by Amy Dixon and Jessica Smith


Today's workout:  Jessica Smith 10 Minute Solution Ultimate Bootcamp.  54 minute cardio and circuit workout using moderate weights.

I can't wait until our leaves really start to turn.  I think that's why my posts lately are all in crimson, orange and gold.  Today it was 85 though and felt like summer was back for sure.


Wes ended up going to Ellijay to an apple house, lunch, and park with his buddy Josh.  So, I got to have lunch with Tom.  We had a nice time and finished just in time for me to fill up the car and go get Maddie and Ty in Cartersville and then Wes on the other side of Rome. When I got home about 4:40pm, I was praising the Father Above that I don't have a long commute each day as I was sick of my car.


Tonight before soccer Maddie decided to bathe Tucker. He needed it.  It was hilarious because he always runs around the house faster than a speeding bullet when he gets bathed and we fear that something or someone will get hurt.  Tom got him dried and took him to the soccer field with him while Tyler had practice. I think the combo of those two events has him "Tuckered" out because he came home, played a bit, and just jumped in his chair to sleep. That's the chair he gets in when he's "serious" about taking a long snooze, lol.


We found out that tomorrow Co-op is cancelled so we have an extra day of Fall Break. Wonder what fun things we'll find to get into?


Today's workout: Tracie Long Step Forward. Step based cardio, tricep, chest and ab work at the end.  Tracie is a genius at getting your heart rate up all the while working your legs and glutes like crazy.

I can tell I usually post earlier in the day.  I just published this post BEFORE I wrote a single word!!


I just got home from church dinner.  We had a great time and it was laid back after a few intense weeks studying spiritual gifts and a couple of Bible Study weeks coming up. A church member went to Iceland last year and did a presentation on it for us~so cool.


Wes had his orthodontist appointment. The dental assistant told me to give him two ibuprofen and feed him IMMEDIATELY at 2:40 because he would be so sore he wouldn't eat tonight.  Yikes!  They put a much stronger wire on his bottom teeth, which are tight to begin with. He said it felt like they were breaking his teeth apart, yuck.  So, he went to McDonald's and ate a Big Mac, Fries, and a Frappe, lol~sort of like the last supper.  After church dinner (where he ate a soft roll only) he went off with a buddy to spend the night and go to a local fair.


Now I'm hanging out with Penny snoring at my feet and Tucker chewing on a bone near by. Kind of noisy but I'm still enjoying the time alone before Tom rolls in from church.


Today's workout:  Tracie Long Back Up (50/50 cardio and weights).

I love fall.  I love the colors.  I love the crisp air.  I love a blue October sky~no other month seems to have a sky quite that blue.  What I don't love is having to change clothing so much. It's 45 in the afternoon and then 80 now!


McDonald's is having their Monopoly game this month.  I stopped in and got a diet coke one day (we almost NEVER eat out) and won a free Quarter Pounder and a free breakfast sandwich!  So, today Tyler and I had a date.  We went to breakfast (with the blessing of Maddie and Wes) and he had a Sausage McGriddle and a hash brown while Mom sipped a diet coke and TRIED to do her Bible Study.  Mostly I listened to Tyler give me some physics lectures on electricity.  They were over my head.  It gets exciting~and a little embarrassing~when your kids are smarter than you are!!!


All the kids and I met my MIL in Cartersville and she took Maddie and Ty to Atlanta for two days. Wes and I went shopping at Target.  I was so excited and couldn't find a thing I liked, lol.  We also went to the really large Goodwill there.  I got some books for Ty for school next year (for $2) and Wes got an Aeropostale shirt that looked new for $2.  What a deal!


Tonight Tom and Wes are having a guys dinner out at Chic-Fil-A with a buy one get one free coupon.  I'm going to walk Tucker, do some yoga, and get ready for a night of baseball!!


Today's workout:  Jessica Smith 10 Pounds Down Weightloss Cardio Mix~I am just loving doing this one once a week.


What I'm reading:  I'm actually re-reading Agatha Christie's Pocketful of Rye . (http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Full-Miss-Marple-Mysteries/dp/0451199863/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317762946&sr=8-1) I don't have that one and found it at the Thrift store for 75 cents.  I'm also waiting on Agatha Christie's Poirot, Hickory, Dickory, Death to arrive from Netflix and I'll watch it in the next couple of days.

We came.  We saw.  We kicked some cleaning booty!!  Okay, Caesar may be rolling in his grave but we did get a lot done today.  Deep cleaning of the kitchen, bathrooms, and kid rooms.  Now MOM needs to get her chores done this week~microwaves and fridge, my bathroom, etc.  


Ty had a game on Saturday at 3 and the weather was perfect.  This is the first time I actually see him enjoying soccer.  I'm so glad he decided to give it one more chance.


Tomorrow Maddie and Ty are going to my MIL's for a couple of days and Wes is staying here~orthodontist appointment on Wednesday.  Thursday night Ty has soccer and we have co-op on Friday, soccer game on Saturday.  Our week off is certainly flying by!


Today's workout:  KV Strength Effect; yoga practice for 10 minutes, my own practice.