Workout music

Well, I joined a local gym. My physical therapist has been bugging me to get moving and I just wasn't doing anything at home, even though I have a bunch of exercise DVDs and a simple treadmill (which I can't set up myself) which is gathering dust. Anyone want it? $25 bucks and its yours!

I've been obsessively researching music and BPMs. What are BPMs you ask? Beats per minute - very important for working out. The right BPM will match your pace. I do a fairly brisk walk so I look for a BPM between 119 and 125. This website helps you determine the BPM and I've found some by just doing a Google search of the song title and BPM.

The right music makes *such* a difference. I get to a good pace and I can easily do 40 minutes on the treadmill.

Here's my current favourites:

1. Waterfront - Simple Minds - 119.4 BPM
2. Beautiful Stranger - Madonna - 124 BPM
3. Because the Night (MTV Unplugged version) - 10,000 Maniacs - 123.75
4. Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac - 123.27
5. Fields of Fire (400 Miles) - Big Country - 123.1
6. Praises - Newsboys - 121
7. Spirit Thing - Newsboys - 124
8. Even Better Than the Real Thing - U2 - 124
9. New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84) - Simple Minds - 123.16

My playlist is much bigger but it is in flux - I'm adding and dropping songs all the time.

I'll post some more songs after I give them a trial walk. Get it? ;)

School boys

Both of my boys are settling into their schools and both of them love their schools and their teachers. My youngest, C, goes to preschool 3 mornings a week and his teacher was the "helper teacher" for A's teacher two years ago. A attends a Christian school (which is a 20 minute's drive away) and is in Grade 1. I'm doing a lot of driving!

A received the Student of the Week award today at the weekly chapel. I was so proud! It is given to one student in each class who exhibits a particular character quality. This week's character quality was gentleness. He was the only boy among about 13!

And to continue the bragging, A received his progress report last week and it was extremely positive! His reading was tested and he reads at a Grade 3 level - he is in his second month of grade 1.

I love my boys and I love being their Mommy.

Craft I made + links time again!

So, on Labour Day we were supposed to go the Fair but we found ourselves in a downpour that included thunder so we took cover in a craft store. How did that happen? :) One of the fun things we found was this, only bigger:I painted it and put a treasure map inside with pirate stickers - voila! a treasure box for my youngest.

C loves it! He put his favourite treasure inside - his stuffed guinea pig, hamster and mouse that he calls "The Guys!"

So, as usual, I have too many tabs open. Yada yada. Time for some link sharing.

Want to better organize your child's closet and help them pick out outfits, quicker? Here are some cool day of the week printables to help!

How to save money at Starbucks. I follow some of these tips already. Make sure to register your SB card - you save on syrup and refills of drip coffee.

Simple Mom has written this amazing article about finding motivation at home, something I struggle with. She also wrote this great series called "How to Be Disorganized and Unproductive at Home" - part 1 is called Don't Enjoy Your Job.

A fun mosaic craft to make, especially if your family eats a lot of cereal.

Now that the weather has turned (at least in my part of the world), I'm looking for indoor activities. Here are 20 good ones (none of which involve a TV).

Feeling overwhelmed? This post from Like a Warm Cup of Coffee was an encouragement to me.

Menu plan Monday (with links to recipes)

I haven't participated in this carnival in ages but since I'm starting some new routines now that school has started (and today is a holiday!), I actually have my menu list done on a Monday as opposed to some other day of the week.

Here are the main dishes we'll be having this week, in no particular order.

- Quinoa Chili

- Fusilli, Squash and Bacon

- Beef Stroganoff

- Chicken and Brocolli Pie

- Beef, Spinach and Rice

I saw Julie and Julia this weekend and in honour of Julia Child, I think I'm going to attempt her Beef Bourguignon NEXT week!

First day of school!

Well, we survived. I think it went very well. Daddy and I dropped him off this morning while little brother stayed home with Grand Dad (who has been visiting for the last week).Daddy walking him in.A in his classroom. He's probably thinking, "Mom, when are you going to leave?"

I think he's going to LOVE school - he thrives in a structured environment. My only concern is whether or not he will be challenged adequately. Time will tell.

And little brother? He had the best day ever - he got to play with his GrandDad all day - games galore and they built this incredible Lego tower together. I was amazed at all that I was able to accomplish today, uninterrupted!

Six years ago today.....

Alexander was born! It was a difficult birth - water broke 3 1/2 weeks early, it was Labour Day weekend but labour didn't progress, had pitocin, had to start and stop pushing since the OB had to leave (twice)for emergencies, epidural wore off, suction birth, he had jaundice, etc. Wow, I'd actually forgotten some of those details.
Birthday#1 - cowboy theme
Birthday #2 - ElmoBirthday #3 - Thomas the Tank Engine themeBirthday #4 - farm themeBirthday #5 - zoo/safari themeI can't believe my little guy is going to school on Tuesday! For the whole day, every day! I don't think it has really hit me yet.
Yes, he loves his water. :) No big party this week. We're postponing it until September and people are back from vacation. He will however, be receiving a present that he's been asking for since oh, 2006. We're such sucker parents that way. :)

Desert Island blogs

I read too many blogs. Well, I used to, that is. I won't tell you how many are in my feed reader. Its a big number. I need to spend less time on the computer. Who doesn't?!

There is a radio station I enjoy called The Mountain and they often feature "desert island discs" where people pick just a few albums they would listen to if stranded on a desert island. So, I decided it would be fun to pick my desert island blogs. The ones that I would read if I could only read a few. Yeah, yeah, there wouldn't be internet access on the desert island, I know! Just roll with it, OK? :) Now, I didn't include friends' blogs because that would just be cruel to pick amongst those!

Here are my favourite blogs, the ones I could *never* give up reading:

1. Mommy Life - Barbara Curtis has an amazing story. I can't do it justice. Go read it! She is the mom of 12 and she writes about politics, her family, the arts, children with Down Syndrome, and many more topics.

2. Amy's Humble Musings - Amy has the best links. She loves Glenn Beck, her husband is a rocket scientist, she has 6 kids and a terrific sense of humour. She really is humble, too.

3. The Crafty Crow - this blog posts links every day to amazing kid crafts and activities from all different blogs. Eye candy and sometimes we actually make a craft inspired by CC.

4. Mommy Brain/Books and Movies - Carrie loves books and movies and she is a terrific reviewer. I will pick a movie based on her recommendation and I don't think she has ever steered me wrong. ;)

5. Kids Lit - a children's librarian posts reviews of books for young children as well as books for teens. I love to learn about newly released childrens books.

6. The Flourishing Mother - Andrea is very cool and inspiring. I don't know what else to say. She loves Fernando Ortega and Led Zeppelin. Need I say more? She just had baby #4 so she's taking a little break from blogging right now.

Honourable mention: (see how hard this is?)
- Muses of Megret
- The Mother Load
- Make and Takes
- Jennifer's Favorite Links