The weekend was really nice. Good weather and the boys and I got out on Saturday and walked Tucker together for about a mile. Ty had a camp out at a friend's house for a birthday part on Friday. Sunday was regular church kinds of things and Tom and the kids went hiking a bit before the cold settled in.

Monday and Today were brutally cold. Okay, low 40s, felt like upper 30s because of the high winds from Sandy.  But nothing here like the destruction in the NE from this monster storm. I've been praying for the people in the path.

Yesterday we "unschooled."  Maddie practiced piano, read a book she's into, and wrote. She also got interested in finding out information on Grandma Moses. She and Tyler were fascinated that someone with such beautiful paintings didn't start that phase of her life until her late 70s.  The decided that it's never too late to learn something new. Good lesson for me!

Wes, of course, studied Astronomy. We all watched a documentary on Medieval life(fascinating to see how the could gut and skin a sheep~and yes, we saw it being done); later we watched a documentary on Halloween.  Then it was time to take Maddie to basketball while toe boys went to scouts.  I stayed for the hour and a half practice and did some Beth Moore study and reading.  

Today we got back to regular school work and errands. The good news is that the wind is supposed to die down by 8pm or so and slowly warm up. Good think since Trunk or Treat is at the church from 4-6 tomorrow night. Maddie is making a costume to wear and planning how to decorate the car. Pictures to follow.

Workouts:  Friday:  Firm Body Sculpt Blaster; walk

Saturday:  Firm Fat Blaster; Walk

Monday~Firm Upper Body Sculpt; stretching

Today~Jessica Smith Cardio Abs; WHFN Floor Burn

I haven't been talking about reading much but I've been doing it. This time of year I always re-read Agatha Christie's Halloween Party. That Poirot is one smart dude!  Off to finish it now!

Sometimes I don't post because I'm tired.  Or the days seem mundane and I don't have much to share.  But I realize that every day has significance in the eyes of the Father.  Every day matters. And so it is with homeschooling. In the midst of things going along, lessons being studied, meals being cooked, pets being fed, learning  occurs. Grace pours in. And we are changed.  And I pray that change is making us more like Jesus.

So this week has been filled with the mundane.  Chores, school work, basketball practice, Scouts, Youth, Bible Studies.  Life.  And yet, looking back, these are the things I'll miss when the kids are grown. Not the grand and glorious vacations. Not the Christmas mornings. But the days lived together, with one another, laughing, crying, being.  For all of this, Father, I am truly thankful.

Workouts:  Tuesday:  Firm Pump it Up; Jessica Smith Cardio Quick (20 minutes of tougher cardio intervals); WHFN Floor Burn; Dog Walk

Wednesday~Firm Lower Body Sculpt I; Jessica Smith 10 Minute Stress and Destress

Today:  Firm Cardio Sculpt Blaster; Firm Lower Body Sculpt II; dog walk

We had such a nice weekend. Relaxed a bit, did some cleaning and Tom worked in the carport, watched some football, etc. Yesterday afternoon Tom and the kids went hiking on part of the Appalachian Trail on Blood Mountain. I intended to go but ended up here doing laundry and enjoying the sounds of silence before another busy week.

Today Wes cut the grass while Maddie and I went grocery shopping. It always amazes her that three paper bags of groceries can cost $67. Mission Accomplished!!

Maddie has basketball from 5-6:30 and Tom and the boys have scouts at 7. Thank goodness for my crock pot on nights like this.

Saturday's workout:  Firm Cardio Inferno; Firm Hips, Thighs and Ab; walk with Tucker

Today:  Firm Jiggle Free Abs; Firm Power Sculpt(uses a 9 pound body bar).  Our step challenge is over tomorrow, yippee!

What started out as a gray, drizzly, chilly-feeling day has ended with some beautiful sunshine. Isn't God just like that?  It was good to get out around 5pm and walk Tucker and enjoy the weather a bit.  I took a couple of pictures on our walk. Fall is FINALLY here.  We went from all green about a week ago to lots of color. Here are a couple of examples.

Maddie and Wes worked at the Thrift Store this morning.  Maddie came home with these GREAT boots that look new. They have 4 inch heels so she towers over me when she wears them~which she loves, being only about 5'3".  (Hey, I'm "almost" 5'2" so she still beats me)!  She's still a couple of inches shorter than Wes in them, which she hates.

Maddie's piano was cancelled so she was able to attend all of her basketball practice.  At the last minute Tom had to cancel on taking her so I ran her there and then came home to run an errand with Wes and then walk Tucker.  I realize that if Wes got his license he could help some, but Tom is sure happy from a financial standpoint~it's UNREAL what our insurance will jump to when the kids start driving!

As far as school, we got things that we had to have done in between volunteer work and other things.  The boys have been very diligent lately because some great update came for one of the games they like to play on Wes' Xbox. That has given them the mojo to finish school work, help with house work, etc., in order to be allowed some time on that.  It's okay, though, they'd not played on the thing in about a month~some kind of record!

Workout:  Firm Calorie Killer(cardio with light weights); Firm Lower Body Sculpt II (lower body and ab work, mostly done on the floor); 1.5 mile walk with Tucker

With Tom being a United Methodist pastor(and since I have a graduate degree from Asbury Seminary in Christian Education), I've spent a LOT of time studying John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. I saw this posted on Facebook today and find it too good not to share. Once again, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes,
"there is nothing new under the sun."  Political turmoil has obviously been around a long time.  

Can I just say how much Tyler LOVED this physics class? This gal taught for 16 years and has a GREAT house. Large, huge back yard with garden and green house, rabbits they raise, etc. They did tons of hands on stuff while studying Newton's Laws. My older two went with me and we ran an errand and then took books to McDonald's. Next week we'll explore the town as it has some quaint shops, including a little coffee shop that looks good.

Off to church in a bit. This is my last week before I begin taking care of teaching Bible Study (Beth Moore's Esther study, for inquiring minds).  When  you think of it, please pray for me as the facilitator of this group of women!

Workout:   Firm Complete Aerobics and Weight Training; 1.5 mile walk with Tucker.  I don't get to walk with Tucker as much with all the running around I do so the kids are taking up the slack. I guess it's win/win because it's good for them to walk with him too.

I often wonder when things will slow down. I thought that moving to a smaller town meant that would happen. Actually, things have picked up.  I guess that's good because the kids are learning so many things by being in relationships, volunteering, participating in classes and sports, etc.  

After running to the post office, I had to take Maddie to basketball. The good news is that Tom agreed to pick her up so I could come home and start dinner.  I had a deep "hankerin'", as they say here in the south, for something made with pumpkin. I found a wonderful gluten-free recipe for the crock pot and stopped by the store to pick up the three items I didn't have for that. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Another great event taking place in the McElroy home these days is the Annual Baseball Play-Offs Snack Fest.  We really only watch some baseball during October and when that starts we have a traditional treat. We don't buy it at any other time of year and no, it's not autumnal at all. It's Wheat Thins and Pimento Cheese. Why? I have no idea. But when October hits, the kids bring it up and put both things on the shopping list. 

So, what traditions do you have in your home, be they large or small?  Celebrate them and give thanks to the Father for his goodness.  I'm grateful for the big things and the small ones~like some pimento cheese on a Wheat Thin cracker.

Workout:  Jessica Smith Cardio Blast; WHFN Floor Burn. My Meta is wonky so for the last Level 9 I'm substituting in other floor type workouts.

Tyler is home. He missed me so much that the first thing he did was check his email. He said that he missed not having electronic devices since Thursday.  He can't imagine how I survived my childhood without them. LOL!

Today was filled with errands such as grocery shopping, getting dog food at Walmart, picking up Ty from scouts.  Tom ended up taking Maddie to basketball, which is great. It's mine turn tomorrow!

Our leaves are finally starting to change and the kids and I seriously need to get out of the house/classroom and go do something out doors while we can.  It's one of the reasons I love homeschool and I've been really bad about taking advantage of our surroundings.

Speaking of beauties in nature, check out this tree in our back yard. I think it's between 40 and 50 feet tall. I sat on the porch with Tucker, watching the leaves sway in the breeze and felt so grateful that God gives us beauty to behold. Just a glimpse of what it will be like to stand and see him face to face.

P.S.  I just hope the tree doesn't fall on the house one day~our carport would be toast!!  Also, it's a weird angle because I was sitting on the porch and taking the picture from below.  I'll post another one when the leaves turn~they're just starting to now.

Oh, and click on the picture to get the large view~much more impressive that way.

Workouts:  Firm Upper Body Sculpt and Firm Express Total Body Shaping.

I didn't get to see Midnight Madness at all so I hope it was great!  I did, however, get to see LSU pull out a victory over South Carolina in football.  I thin Wes would have gone into mourning if they'd lost two in a row!

Maddie has decided to play basketball and that means practice from 4-5:30 three days a week. Tyler is taking a 4 week physics class from 1-2:30 now too. Both of those mean driving about 15-20 minutes, one way.  I was just saying how much money I'd saved on gas so now I get to eat my words.

Tomorrow we're going to do something fun in the middle of our school day since Ty won't be back until about 7.  Other than that, we're just praising God for the gift of another week to live and learn together.  I pray you had a blessed Sunday of worship.

Workout:  Saturday was TA Meta Ab L8D7 (done with that level. I'm so ready to be done with Meta and on to Continiuty or something else so it's on to the last level, number 9)!  I also did Firm 500 Calorie Workout (cardio only) and Jessica Smith's Thin in 10 Cardio Intervals.

P.S.  I SWEAR this is why Wes is an LSU Tiger fan. When he was 5 he saw a game on TV with the eye of the Tiger, aka Mike, on the center of the field and thought it was cool. So, this picture is just for you, Wes!

I'm excited to see that it's finally here~2012 Big Blue Midnight Madness. I love the start of a new basketball season in the Bluegrass, even though I'm far from My Old Kentucky Home!

Tom is in Atlanta for the day. Tyler got away for his scout trip. Maddie has basketball practice from 3:30-5:30 and Wes is attending the local high school football game with friends.  Other than that, just your average school day here!  While Wes and Tom work at the church tomorrow, Maddie and I are looking forward to doing some girl things~like hitting a few consignment stores.  I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

Today's workout:  An all-time favorite:  Firm Total Sculpt.  Combines weight training, cardio, and great ab work,  Gotta love the Firm!

Just found they have this Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Spice Coffee at Walkmart.  Must. Have. :D

Crazy day here.  Maddie and Wes worked longer than usual at the Thrift Store. They had a huge sale of summer merchandise on Tuesday and the place was a mess!  I had to go to Walmart to get some things for Tyler's upcoming trip while they were gone and Ty was at home doing his work online.

When the older two got home they wanted to eat lunch out. I had some coupons for free Chicken Strips and Chicken Wraps at Burger King so off we went.  One of the Assistant Managers was asking me why I wasn't ordering my usual iced coffee (note:  I LOVE their iced coffee) and I told him that I was buying some fries and drinks for the kids instead and that he should just give me one.  We both laughed about it and he brought me one about 5 minutes later.  What a nice treat.  (Burger King is a regular Bible Study morning haunt for me so I know most of the staff.  Really nice people work there).

This afternoon we spent time getting all of Ty's things together for his trip while the older two caught up on some school work.  I also went out and walked Tucker right before dinner.  It was so nice to take a break and just be outdoors in the perfect, 70 degree weather. Frankly, no other month's skies can compare to the beautiful blue you see in October.

Workout:  Firm Fat Blasting Cardio; TA Meta Ab L8D6

P.S. To all my fellow Cincinnati Reds fans:  Mr. Red is not dead.  We hope he is just hibernating for the winter.  I hope next season is even better.

We've had a busy week here but I love it when we get out and learning occurs outside the "house,"  aka classroom.  Today we went on a field trip to a local corn maze.  I posted a picture of it because I love the view of Mt. Yonah in the background. It was just for teens and the kids had a great time meeting new people.

Tonight we have church and Maddie is helping the women cook dinner. Then we have Bible Study, Youth, etc.  Maddie volunteers a lot at church because she helps with Children's Choir before her youth activities.  

Tomorrow is the day Wes and Maddie volunteer to work several hours at Mildred's Thrift Store (run by the church and proceeds go to mission projects).  Miss Maddie, the busy bee, also has piano in the afternoon. And, she may play basketball with a local Christian School and that practice will be on Fridays, yikes!

Tyler's Scout Troop is going on a trip for Fall Break to the Okefenokee Swamp Friday through Monday. It's down on the GA/FL border. Check out a picture of their campsite for Saturday night, right in the swamp.   Yikes!!

We have a Church Work Day on Saturday and Wes will be helping there from 9-2.  After that, he's hanging out with a friend. He also needs to cut the grass again.  7" of rain that we had last Monday means it grew quickly.

Workouts:  Yes, I've done one each day this week. Here's my recap:

Monday~Jiggle Free Buns; Dog Walk

Tuesday~Firm Express Cardio; WHFN Floor Burn; Dog Walk

Today~Jessica Smith 20 minute Cardio Blast; Firm Jiggle Free Arms; walking around the corn maze.

Funny story of the day.  Tyler was cleaning out some old toys to give away and ran across some Rescue Heroes.  Does anyone remember these guys?  Well, Wes said he'd forgotten how cool they were and how much fun he had had with them. So, for the next 30 minutes, those two "boys", aged 16 and 12, played with these guys and laughed and carried on.  

It reminded me that God has made men to long to be heroes.  To fight epic battles, to win victories, and to use their imagination for him.  If you've never read  John Eldredge's Wild At Heart, it's a great read for moms with sons~and for men themselves!

As far as the rest of the day Maddie and I FEEL better but we're still coughing a lot~the primary part of the cold it seems. So, no exercise for me other than walking the dog a mile and a half.

Went on vacation to Hilton Head Island, SC for a week. Came home and Maddie had a head cold.  Now I have the head cold.  So, that's what has been going on here and why I've not been blogging.  But, God is good in the midst of things and we've still gotten work done and felt his presence.  I sure hope to be able to write more soon~especially that we're all healthy!!