Exercise Plan For Those Over 45

I got this exercise plan from Lynn over at A Mother's Journal...I thought all of you might like to have yet another plan to choose from to achieve a better level of health and wellness...


I thought I’d share this wonderful exercise plan a dear friend of mine has been on.

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.

Then try 50-lb potato sacks, and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand, and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each sack.




Now, what I would like to know if if the laughter counts as doing a couple of sit-ups???


Love,
C~

Peanut Butter Dream Bars

These bars are a LONG time favorite of my family's..one of those recipes that I forgot all about until a friend mentioned it...so I made these for some friends, for our family and for a shower...I thought I would share...I kept thinking I would take a picture, but I don't think I ever got a picture of the bars...but trust me, they are GOOD...
So here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Dream Bars



8 medium sized chocolate chip cookies
1/4 cup butter, melted
15 oz. milk chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor or blender, process cookies until finely ground. Add butter and mix together completely. Press into an 8x8 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Pour 1/2 of the chocolate over the crust. Place pan in fridge, keep remaining chocolate warm.
Blend peanut butter and butter together until smooth. Slowly beat in powdered sugar and add vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread over chilled chocolate layer. Pour remaining melted chocolate over filling and spread to smooth. Chill for 1 hour, or til firm. Cut into bars and serve.
Makes 24-36 bars.


For the chocolate chip cookies, I use chips ahoy...and maybe toss in a couple extra...I think everything else is pretty straightforward...if I were organized enough to have homemade chocolate chips cookies on hand when I make these, I would use those, but I have never been that with it.

Enjoy!
C~

Workboxes, part 2

So, what I love about these is that each student can "SEE" what is expected AND "SEE" the work being completed, so I think that it is very self motivating. I am trying this system four different ways, because, having many children, I do not have room to set up many of these shoe racks...but I have one set up that way. I will compare the results of each system as we walk along the way.
So, Techy guy"s system is the way the book suggests. Now, he tends to be my dreamer and school just does not EVER seem to get FINISHED, so I was excited to see it in action for him. Now, I did alter how the numbers are done slightly...and I only have 10 boxes right now, because that is all my Target had...I have not had the time to get to another Target yet. I also chose a rack that was a LITTLE bit nicer than the one pictured in the book...I DO have to LIVE with this...so the rack was $25 and the boxes were $2 each...I did not want to drive around finding a better price and he loves this color, so I took the splurge...there are better prices and the rack shown in the book was $15.
Now, once you buy the book, you get a code that gives you access to some things to print off to set up your system...I printed mine and was getting them ready...and WATER was spilt on our table and they were RUINED...so I just could not deal with reprinting, etc, so that was how I got the numbers we have...and actually, I really like them. I also made a couple of "WORK WITH" things to go in the boxes...you should be able to see them in the previous post...BIBLE and HISTORY are group activities and then Our Techy Guy and the Mediator work together on Writing, so those go into the applicable boxes.
EVERYTHING you need for that box goes into that box...the big textbooks do not work well in the box, so you do the best you can. We also have a couple of binders that I just set off to the side. The benefit of having it all in the box is that I do not need to stop school to eventually go and copy that map (you all know how that goes! Three days later, you get back to it)...it is already done. Also, if I am working with another child, I can have the next one who needs help set that aside and either work ahead or take a break.
So, when I came across this system, I had not heard ONE SINGLE negative comment...everyone I had come across found this to be a great thing...we were having some troubles, so I wanted to try it out for us...most of what I had seen was for preschool through elementary school. I have a junior high and a high schooler...how is it working for us?
Well, we have had two students working with it for a week...Techy guy is ALL CAUGHT UP...AMAZING...he is NEVER CAUGHT UP!


The Mediator is a little behind, but that is my fault...he has been working diligently with what he could do without me. We are still working out some issues with his box too...we are not sure if using a file box will be what works for him.


My Techy Guy says that the workbox system makes school easier...he wouldn't really elaborate, so I am not sure what he means...
So, how do I fill twelve boxes...well, right now it is 10, for the oldest, but I add Piano, PE and personal reading time. I will also break a larger assignment into two or three smaller pieces if I feel like it will be better for him. Again, we are still working out the kinks, but so far, I am very pleased!
Love,
C~

Workboxes

I have been wanting to post about this for a bit now and either hadn't had it set up OR didn't have time OR couldn't find the cord to connect the camera with the computer...so...here it is...Workboxes

What are workboxes? Look here for the details: http://www.workboxsystem.com/
Or here: http://ideas4theworkbox.blogspot.com/

Here are what ours look like: These are techy guys







And these are the Mediator's:




I will post more about this a little later today...I need to snap to and get children on task! That happens MUCH BETTER when Momma is on TASK!

Caught...

WITH LAUNDRY ON THE LINE IN THE RAIN...

The SIGN of a CLEAN floor

Disgusting, HUH??? Yes we know...there is only SO far spot cleaning can go and then you need to MOP...so I dragged out the mopping supplies yesterday...we mopped THREE times...to get the floor REALLY clean!

What's on Your List Today?

I feel like an industrious busy beaver...I made one batch of Strawberry freezer jam last night and I made my very first batch of soap...that was an experience, but thanks to my good friend Lanita, I am less freaked out than I was. I am making Goat's Milk soap and I expected a nice milky colored soap, so it was a shock when it turned BRIGHT YELLOW. After adding all of the fats, it toned down to the color of baby poo...I am hoping as it SAPONIFIES that it will tone down some more.
So in a bit, I need to run to the store to get some more pectin for another batch of freezer jam...we are ALL OUT (well except for the kiwi jam that no one likes...), then I need to get dinner made so it can be popped into the oven before I get home later...AND we have about a bajillion loads of laundry to get done...
I think I will make a coffee mix first and then get busy...
What's on YOUR list today?