In Training

This Saturday is my first race. I'll be running in the Chick-fil-a Fall Stampede. I'm imagining chickens stampeding! LOL But seriously, I will be doing the one mile walk. However, I will be alternating between walking and running. This is what I've been doing in my morning runs as well.

As a beginning runner my goals are to build up my cardio endurance and to build and train my muscles for running. The way I do this is by gradually trying to increase the amount of time that I spend running while decreasing the time I spend walking. My goal is to eventually be able to run for the entire mile. This seems to be a far fetched dream to me right now. But if I just keep at it and increase my running time a little at a time, then I will ultimately get there.

I'm finding that it is a similar situation with our first week of school. I'm working to train my kids in getting their schoolwork done. Yes, they've been learning this all along, but as every homeschool mom knows, this is a work in progress. For instance, ManBoy is having to learn how to read his textbook while scanning for the answers to the questions he will have to answer.

This applies also in the area of chores. It's been a continuing process teaching my kids how to do each of their chores correctly. Fashionista has developed a nasty habit of stuffing dirty clothes and even the clean ones, into remote corners of her room and closet. In teaching her to clean her room, I am forcing her to clean up these piles of contraband. I've found them in her closet with a blanket covering them so mom won't see, stuffed into bins, and shoved up under her bed. We've mostly conquered the area under her bed. Now it is just a matter of maintaining it. What we are doing now is tackling a pile or two of mess each day while maintaining the areas that have been vanquished. In the process, I'm trying to teach her that if you keep up with these things every day then it will not be such a huge ordeal.

I feel as if I'm spending most of my time dealing with kids while redirecting, training, and correcting them. But then that's my JOB as a homeschool mom! And progress is being made. As I continue to be consistent then things will get easier. I'm finding that it is helping me immensely to have a daily agenda for each of my kids.  In these agendas are included lesson plans for each subject for each child. I have to be committed to following up on each of these agenda's daily.

One of the fringe benefits of all this is that MyHero has been very pleased to see the progress we are making. Our home is becoming more organized and things are getting done when they need to be done. Items are beginning to find homes and living there. As a result, MyHero feels that he is being honored and respected by the way I am caring for our home and training our children.

I want to leave you today with a post that a friend of mine shared on Facebook yesterday:

After an interesting conversation with my hubby of days events, we were reminded of something his father has said from the pulpit: "Sin takes you further than you want to go, makes you stay longer than you want to stay, and makes you pay more than you want to pay." It is foolishness to think you will NEVER _____(fill in the blank)_____. That is pride and pride cometh before a fall. We must always be on guard, especially with our marriages. Satan loves to destroy. Don't give him the opportunity. That is all.

I must be on my guard when it comes to my marriage and the way I'm training my children and managing my home.