Tom ended up going back to Rome today for the funeral of a man we just adored in our church there. He was asked to participate in the service as we were very close to his family.  I'll never think of the University of Georgia football without seeing Mr. George in his Red sports coat on a Sunday after a win.

The kids and I did some regular school, talked a lot about Chemistry and the periodic table and did some research with that, and spent time outdoors!  It was glorious to have a warm, sunny day again.

After Tom got home tonight, we all went out and played a game of basketball.  Don't ask me the name but it was a lot of fun~and good exercise too.  Now we're winding down for the night~reading, watching some football, etc.  

Today's workout:  1.5 mile dog walk; yoga on my own; TA Meta Ab L7D5; Tracie Long TLT Better Burn, Better Buns:  warmup and active stretch; cardio (uses a medicine ball a lot, tons of fun); planks; stretch.

Happy Wednesday from the McElroy clan.  Isn't it fun having two short weeks in a row?

The rain stopped enough this morning for Tom and I to get out and walk Tucker. That dog was MOVING!  I can tell he missed getting out and taking his cruise around the neighborhood.  One of the best parts of the whole thing is just having time to chat with Tom or one of the kids who comes with me. Although, walking Tucker alone is a great way to catch up on prayer time as well.

One of the funniest parts of our day has been dealing with Peanut, our 11 yo Siamese cat mix. He's the one who had the awful abscess at the end of July. Well, it's almost completely gone and is scabbed over so he can go back outdoors. The thing is, he likes being in now. Every time we put him out he waits by the door to run in the second it's open. I could care less if he's in or not but for some reason it drives Maddie and Tom crazy. It's their new personal crusade to defeat that cat but so far he's winning. :p

Today's workout:  1.5 mile walk; 10 minutes of yoga on my own; Tracie Long Staying Power for my medium weight day (cardio and weight intervals).

We had a great weekend.  Football, time with friends, church, and some good food.  Even rain can't keep us down!

Today we started back into school with some fun chores for the kids.  Wes had to clean the laundry room (mop, etc. ) where the litter box resides and Maddie cleaned the kids' bathroom. Tyler managed to avoid his chore which he WILL do tomorrow~I need my kitchen floor mopped.  And lest you think I do nothing, I need to clean my bathroom tomorrow too.

Last night we ended our long weekend by watching the second Sherlock Holmes movie, which was entertaining.  I took that back today and picked up a few things at the store to make something totally different for dinner.  I had extra hot dogs on hand so I thought that if the kids hated it they could have hot dogs!  Know what?  They actually liked the crock pot Spinach Souffle~and so did I. Quick, inexpensive, and tasty~my kind of recipe.

Thanks God, for days of Algebra, writing, laundry, watching a movie, petting a dog, writing thank you notes, curling up with good books, and the privilege of prayer.  You are certainly good to me.

Yesterday's workout:  Tracie Long Figure 30 Hips; Tracie Long Kick Back (both light weight/body weight workouts); 10 MS Yoga for Beginners, Flexibility.

Today:  Tracie Long Meta Ab L7D4; Kendell Hogan Eviga Bootcamp Calorie Burn (lots of impact but do-able and fun); 10 minutes of yoga poses on my own. I did hip openers and back bends.

Yesterday Tom and Wes took off for Atlanta in the evening.  Tom had a seminar all day and Wes wanted to work for Grandmom and Big Daddy and make some money!  They put him to work all day today and tomorrow, so the men will be home in time for dinner.  The only thing Wes asked is that I postpone pizza night until Saturday.

I gave Maddie and Tyler an "unschooling" day today since Wes was working. They worked on some writing, played outdoors, and Maddie watched a couple of documentaries~one on Germany and one on the Civil War.  I took the two of them out to dinner with some coupons we had~big treat around here. Now they're settling down to enjoy a show on TV.

I got Tyler up to walk the dog with me. He and Maddie did much better than Wes, who is SO not a morning person!

Workouts:  Thursday, August 30: 1.5 mile walk with Maddie and Tucker; 10 MS Yoga, Stretch workout; TA Meta AB L7D2; Kendall Hogan's Exercise TV Enviga Calorie Burn Carido; 

Today:  1.5 mile walk with Tyler and Tucker; Tracie Long Defining Shape (heaviest weight work of the week).  Tonight I'll sneak in 10 minutes of yoga that I didn't get to do this a.m.

Algebra, writing, and a little bit of consumer economics here today. Okay, it sounds grand but the kids went to Walmart with me. Tom has been insisting that I take them shopping with me at least once weekly so they "get" how expensive things are and can figure out how to get the best bang for their buck.  One of my kids has the most expensive tastes in America and it's been good for her, er, that child, to do that! :D  Oh well, her momma can always pick out the nicest things to purchase too. ;)

It rained in the morning so we didn't walk Tucker. It's sunny now but there is a huge black rain cloud in the sky and it's extremely humid so I think we'll just skip it today. The kids will go throw sticks with him in the back yard instead.

Looking forward to church dinner tonight. It's great to be with the body of Christ, study his word, and not have to cook dinner!!

Today's workout:  Rodney Yee's AM Yoga for Your Week, Backbends; Tracie Long Back Up (cardio and weight training intervals).

I've had the best time lately posting pictures of the LSU Tiger Stadium on Wes' Facebook page for the countdown to the beginning of College Football Season.  I swear, I can almost hear Wes whistling, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."  

Okay, all kidding aside, we're very excited about the beginning of football season.  And Fall.  And, the having an extra long weekend!!

Today Maddie and I went over some of her Algebra together and the kids did a writing assignment on a typical August afternoon. They could not use the words, hot, humid, sun, or heat.  I can't wait to read what they came up with. Unlike most of the nation, here the words "muggy, rainy, and soggy" would be appropriate!

Tried a new crock pot recipe for meatloaf and it was a huge success so that was fun. We've also tried to be more intentional about spending time at the table talking, reading fun devotionals, discussing a subject picked out before hand, etc.  I think the kids even like that!

I've also stared getting the kids up early one day a week to walk the dog with me. Wes got up today and walked Tucker with me and I had to bribe him with one of the homemade cookies Maddie made last night AND take him out to breakfast. Wonder what the others will say when it's their turn?

Since it rained most of the day starting around noon, we curled up on the sofa after school to watch the new episode of Grimm. I've decided we have odd tastes in shows, because Grimm and Once Upon A Time are our favorites.

Today's workout:  1.5 mile dog walk with Tucker and a reluctant Wes; 10 MS Yoga for Beginners, 10 Minute stretching segment; Tracy Anderson Meta Ab Level 7 Day 1; Firm Express Cardio Cycle 4 for interval cardio work for the week.

We had a great school day today.  The kids had some questions about grammar (we have one who has there/their/they're as a Waterloo and another that struggles with your/you're).  Maddie wanted me to use a white board and do like a "real teacher" so we went to Tom's office and got one and started out.  The big difference is that sometimes all the kids and mom talk at once~wouldn't happen at school.  From this simple refresher we got into pronouns, prepositional phrases (are the adjectival or adverbial?), direct and indirect objects, and how to format paragraphs.  It's cool to see them growing as writers and actually "getting" grammar more and more. Grammar is so boring and hard to deal with that often I've found the kids not "getting it" truly until late middle/early high school.  Or, maybe that's just my kids. ;)  Anyway, they are showing growth in that area and the area of writing as a whole.

I had to run to Walmart, Ingles, etc. The boys have Scouts tonight and Maddie and I are planning to hang out and read or just be girls together.

Today's workout:  1.5 mile doggie walk; AM Yoga for Your Week, Hip Openers; Tracie Long Defined Lines.  My new workout pattern:  M~light weight workout; W~Medium weight workout (probably circuit training); F~heavier weight workout; T/R/Sa~cardio and Tracy Anderson Meta.

What I'm reading:  Max Lucado Traveling Light (based on the 23rd Psalm).