Home Schooling Co-op Confusion - Guest Post

Today, I'm especially lucky to have Tracey Birch from Inside the Mommyvan explaining what co-ops mean to home schoolers...and what they don't. Thank you, Tracey!

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If you spend much time around homeschoolers, you'll probably hear them talk about their "co-op" days. I was recently asked for an explanation of these mysterious organizations by someone who'd heard they they were "like school, but without qualified teachers."

I suppose that description may fit some co-ops, but I'm fortunate to live in an area where that couldn't be farther from the truth, at any of the half-dozen co-ops in my general vicinity (and those are just the ones I've heard of).

First off, what is a homeschool co-op? Details vary, but in general it's when a group of homeschoolers get together--usually once a week--for a day of more-or-less classes. These are often, but not always, taught by the co-op parents, and the subject matter can range from belly dancing to advanced biology. There is usually a fee for classes, which generally goes to the individual teachers to pay for their time and supplies. Some large co-ops have a paid administrative staff, but most are truly co-operative, relying on parent volunteers for everything from scheduling classes to cleaning up the lunch room. The best organizations double as a support and social group for both parents and students. Some have the interpersonal drama you might expect from any organized group of individuals, but no more than you'd find in a PTA or neighborhood organization.

As for the teachers' qualifications, there are a few things to keep in mind. One, many former professional teachers homeschool their own kids; two, co-ops often attract outside (non-homeschooling) teachers and experts; and three, truly unqualified teachers are easy to avoid. As word gets around, and it does, about their lack of teaching skills or subject-matter knowledge, they're not invited back to the co-op or people just don't enroll in their classes. How many traditional-school parents have (or wish they had) that option? The reality is that public school teachers are often placed in classrooms far outside their areas of expertise (take a look at your state's minimum requirements for a teaching certificate sometime), and much of their class time is spent on high-stakes standardized test preparation. Worst-case at co-op: we've spent an hour a week for one semester in a worthless class. At a traditional school, that class with the "bad" teacher may be the student's entire day, every day (for lower grades) or their only opportunity to take an advanced class in the upper grades.

Some co-ops add on many of the extra-curriculars found at traditional schools: field trips, yearbooks, science fairs, student council, art shows, even prom and graduation ceremonies. Others focus on rigorous academic subjects, with highly qualified teachers and loads of homework. Still others are relaxed, with an eclectic mix of classes where age or grade levels are mere suggestions and parents, often with babes-in-arms, can be found sitting in on class sessions.

Whichever type you choose, co-ops can be a valuable addition to a homeschooler's toolbox for academics, extra-curriculars, and social time. My kids are currently taking a science & nature class from a long-time professional educator (who brings in all sorts of critters for the kids to see and touch) and a class on playing games (fall semester focused on old-school games and good sportsmanship, this spring is games from around the world complete with geography and culture lessons). In the past they have taken arts & crafts classes (with themes from a storybook reading), Lego construction (including simple machines), ballet, tap, and hip-hop dance, exploring water (from physical/chemical properties, art, and nature perspectives), local plants & wildlife (great day-long field trip that semester), and Waldorf-inspired art.

We also spend hours on the playground and at the park each week, just hanging out and playing with friends. This may be the best part of our co-op experience, as kids of all ages play together and look out for each other; cliques and bullying are practically non-existent.

So yes, it is sort of like school... but the difference isn't in the teachers, it's in the parents and students.


 

Learning Disabled or Teaching Disabled - Guest Post

Tracey over at Inside the Mommyvan has some really great tips on teaching when your child seems stuck on a concept. And I have to be honest, when my kids have to do this, we're screwed. I have no idea what she is talking about. Give me sine and cosine any day over this!

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Last fall, one of my young students began to struggle with a particular math concept. In his case it was adding numbers with sums just beyond the next ten, like 8+7 or 43+9, and doing similar subtractions "across a ten.". i put that away for a bit and moved on to some different math topics, thinking maybe we just weren't quite ready to tackle that. The "Asian math" curriculum we've been using as our primary is known for being fairly rigorous and fast-paced.

When i revisited it in December, the results were no better; if anything it was worse. i tried every teaching method i could think up or read about, but nothing seemed to stick with this child. ALL of the manipulatives came out: the unit blocks, the base-ten set, the abacus, the ten frames. i drew pictures and diagrams. I explained with words and we counted on our fingers. We used online programs and iPad apps to make it more interesting. I offered bribes and made dire threats. He could get to the correct answer by brute force (and, interestingly, he had many of the sums between 10 and 20 already memorized) but i could tell that he just wasn't getting the key concept.

(That concept, for those interested, is that the "ones" being added are split into two parts. First enough are "given" to the other addend's ones digit to complete "the next ten" and then the remainder become the ones digit of the sum. 28+5 becomes, first physically with blocks or abacus and then on paper with little tens-and-ones pictures and finally with numerals, (28 + 2) + 3, and on to 30 + 3, and finally 33. That they learn this before the old "carry the one" vertical addition algorithm is critical to developing strong mental math skills.)

We'd hit a brick wall. This child was going nowhere, and I had exhausted all of the topics with which I could work around this one. If we were going to progress, I had to find a way to get this idea into his brain. My patience was wearing thin at this point, and i was about ready to throw in the towel and... i don't even know. We even tried an outside enrichment program, to no avail (it wasn't a very good one).

Finally, I took a leap and purchased another popular math curriculum. I'd previously shied away from it because it seemed to have a lot of busywork, drill questions which looked like duplicates of work we were doing online. it wasn't cheap for something i wasn't even sure we'd use, but i was desperate. It devotes a couple dozen pages to slowly building this particular topic up, step by tiny step. Surely the kids would be bored before we were halfway through, going over and over the same material.

I pulled every page relevant to our trouble topic out of both the main text/workbook and the supplement. i reviewed the first baby step with our manipulatives. I took a deep breath, and set the first page in front of him. He breezed through it! We tried two more pages the next day... same result. I could see the light bulb flickering to life! Before long, he'd made it through the entire section. Best of all, he's gotten a taste of success where previously there had been only frustration, and he's enjoying it! He is now doing sums in his head that he could previously do only with base ten blocks and lots of coaching.

Often, a failure in the classroom - even a homeschool classroom - is unilaterally placed on the student's shoulders. It's inattention, carelessness, laziness or willful obstinance, even a learning disability. For some students this is accurate, but before slapping one of those labels on we need to be sure it's not instead a failure of the teaching. As homeschoolers, we have the luxury of slowing down, even backing up to try a different teaching method or curriculum, but we must remember to take advantage to that and not be slaves to the checkboxes in our lesson planners. In our case, a simple change from one math book to another was the ladder we needed to hop right over that brick wall we'd slammed into a few months back.





 

He's Got the Whole World in his Hands -- Guest Post

Tracey from Inside the Mommyvan with a post I pretty much need to hear every day of my life.

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I posted on Facebook the other day, "Learned something this afternoon. No matter how rotten your mood is going in, a room full of 3 & 4 year-olds singing "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands" will cure it." A friend commented that this should be the first paragraph when I write my book. I don't know that I have a book inside of me waiting to get out, but it's a good lead-in to what I'm writing today so thanks, Jane, for the suggestion!

I volunteer at our church's weekly children's program. I'm the music assistant, and part of my job is to give the littlest participants, the 3 and 4 year-old preschoolers, a taste of choral singing and some fun rhythm and movement activities. I'm planting seeds of musicianship in their hearts and in their souls. I give them a safe, happy place where we sing and make friends and there is no judgement. They are special -- we sing hello to each child by name, and remind them that "God loves you!" -- and they even get to call the shots sometimes: what hand motions will we do with this verse; shall we shake the jingles, or roll them on the floor? They don't care about tempo or dynamics, or even pitch in most cases. They care about joy and exuberance, and it is contagious.

My Facebook-worthy revelation came as we rehearsed that old standard for the last time before they sing it in worship on Sunday. They sang that song, and every word of it came straight from their hearts. If you don't believe that "He's got you & me, brother, in His hands," you would after hearing this bunch sing it to you. I love these kids, I really do. I handle behavior problems, the wiggles, the giggles, even the defiant non-participation, with kindness and grace. They, in turn, show me love and gratitude like whoa. When my little cherubs are up there on the chancel steps on Sunday morning and get a little nervous, and their eyes find mine and they smile and sing on, I know what a superhero feels like right after he flings the doomsday machine into the sun and saves all humanity.

The rotten mood I had going in, now that was another story. My own children had been misbehaving in every way imaginable for the 45 minutes directly before we needed to leave the house, and not all that great in the hours preceding those 45 minutes, either. That key time, though, when I need to get everyone including myself into decent clothes, get snacks into everyone's bellies, and prepare everything we need for the marathon of activity that is our Wednesday afternoon and evening, is one of those times when just one thing going wrong means we're late; more than that means something or someone is going to be unfinished, forgotten, dirty, hungry... and we're going to be late.

A little while after I tossed that quip up on Facebook, I went back and thought about it more. How do those children melt my heart so easily? Why do my own offspring -- not even much older -- seem, at times, to exist only to torment me? Part of it, I know, is the time factor. Half an hour of adorable preschooler antics is a piece of cake compared to the non-stop proximity that homeschooling brings. We do get breaks from each other here and there, but I'm still the primary taskmaster, disciplinarian, and all-around mean Mommy & teacher all in one. I can't commiserate with my kids over homework overload or even the lousy lunch offerings because I am the source of all evil in their academic world.

Don't get me wrong, I homeschool in large part because I love my children and I don't want to miss a moment of their growing up, exploring, and learning. When they read with increasing ease, make a science discovery, or catch on to a new math concept... do you remember the thrill of those first toddler steps? Their excitement, my pride... it's that superhero feeling all over again.

But I forget. I forget to stop and notice their beautiful children's hearts. I forget to appreciate. I lose my kindness and my grace. I focus so hard on what they need to learn, how they must behave, where we're going next and what time we have to be there that I forget to revel in those moments of glee, of love, of gratitude the way I do during those half-hours on Wednesday afternoons. I try to schedule and control all of our minutes and hours so that we waste no time that could be put to productive use. We have our play time, of course, but even that becomes a source of annoyance rather than freedom and delight. They might be having a grand old time, but as soon as Mom appears and reminds them they weren't supposed to be in the dirt because now we'll have to clean up and change clothes and that wasn't on the agenda, it's all out the window.

As of the other night, that has changed. I'm taking to heart the lessons my cherubs have taught me. Ultimately, I'm not in charge, and when I try to be I foul it all up. The happiness comes first, and I work my schedule around it. I am still committed to academic rigor, but the tempo isn't as important as I've made it. The dynamic doesn't have to be non-stop tedium or dire threats as motivation. It can focus on the discovery and the excitement, and slip the necessary-but-monotonous in while they're still on a high from the last "get up and dance" bit. Just as we add some life to our singing by using sticks or shakers or scarves, I can spice up our work as simply as substituting paints for pencils.

He's got the whole world in His hands... the kids get it, and my timetables and priorities got nothin' on that!

 

Homeschooling Is Not Anti-Social - Guest Post

Today, Tracey from Inside the Mommyvan has a post about something that scares the crap out of me. Homeschooling.

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Anyone who has homeschooled, or has even discussed homeschooling with others, has undoubtedly heard the socialization question. It is #2 on the hilarious—and accurate!—Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List:

Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

I've heard several variations on this theme: an acquaintance who allowed that homeschooling was OK, except that it's too easy for the kids to be abused and no one to notice (if you require an explanation of the absurdity of this thought, please let me know); the generally well-meaning-but-ignorant queries that seem to all start from the (erroneous) belief that I'm trying to shelter my children from the evils of the world through homeschooling; the ones who believe that the only path for a child to learn social skills is in a grade-school classroom setting.

Recently a new type popped up out of nowhere. It's not the Socialization Question, it's the Socialization Compliment. Just in the past few months I've been praised, once embarrassingly effusively, for nothing more than taking my children out of the house for the purpose of participating in extra-curricular activities. I suppose I could be thankful that I'm not being grilled about the particulars of our every social interaction, but at least those people stop after I give them a reasonable and straightforward answer. I've got those stashed away in a special corner of my brain, you see, right next to the Answers to Twin Questions I've been practicing since the birth of my elder two. I feel as though perhaps I'm contributing to the homeschool community, in some small way, by taking the time to politely but firmly educate the masses on one of the most misunderstood areas of non-traditional education.

The Socialization Compliments, though, just keep coming, and any response at all is awkward. "It's so nice that they have friends who go to regular school!" Really? Are your kids' only friends the kids at the adjacent desks in school? "That's so great," another says, "That you let them go to scouts/dance lessons/summer camp!" Really? Isn't this part of that whole parenting thing? I haven't heard of one other parent at the Wednesday children's program at our church earning any words of praise whatsoever for dropping their kids off for a couple of hours of free activities once a week. More important is the erroneous, and frankly, quite insulting assumption that any of this is an effort worthy of a Mother of the Year nomination. You know, for a homeschooler, as if a run-of-the-mill homeschooler would, by default, keep their kids locked in the cellar 16 hours a day. To attempt to correct that notion makes me come across as an ungrateful jerk, but to quietly accept their praise seems to verify it in a way that makes me very uncomfortable.

Let me tell you a little about the reality of socialization for homeschoolers. There are a few families who do, in fact, wish to shield their young children from the world's ills for a while longer. I really can't fault them for that desire. How it will affect their children remains to be seen, but I knew just as many kids growing up in a traditional school setting who were expected straight home after school, who weren't allowed to visit friends' houses, and so on. In addition, homeschooling used to exist on much shakier legal ground than it does today, so many of the past stereotypes may well have been driven more by a desire to stay under the radar than from willfully keeping their children away from social activities.

Anyway, back to how it really happens for my children, which is remarkably similar to most other homeschooled kids we know. First off, understand that the term homeschooling does not even imply that all of our educational activities take place at home, much less our social interactions. My kids attend co-op classes, including plenty of time in the lunchroom and on the playground, one day a week. We generally have a fun activity or field trip of some kind planned with friends—homeschooled or not—on another day each week. We currently attend dance lessons, children's program at church, scout meetings, church, and Sunday school, all weekly. Only a fraction of this time is spent primarily with kids their own age; the rest of the time they play, converse, and interact with everyone from infants to senior citizens. They also accompany me shopping and going about our regular household business, plus occasionally to doctors' appointments, choir rehearsals, community organization meetings, and other places where we meet people and make friends the same way most adults do, by introducing ourselves and making conversation with people we find interesting or who share common interests. My children do this comfortably and naturally, much less hesitant than many of their traditionally-schooled peers to speak to an adult to whom they've just been introduced.

They also show kindness and compassion to children younger than they are, but don't let themselves get pushed around by bigger kids. Bullying is extremely rare in the homeschool groups we attend, and is generally rapidly dealt with by the kids themselves or a nearby parent, but we've run into a few at other activities. Oddly, it's been the worst at the activities populated mostly by those paragons of socialization, kids who spend their days in traditional classrooms. My son learned a couple of weeks ago, thanks to a group of these kids, how to gang up and harass the girls on the playground. Fortunately I observe enough of their interactions up-close that I could nip it in the bud. Maybe not permanently, but it's stopped for now, and my son has a very clear idea of why it is undesirable behavior. How well are those anti-bullying programs working at traditional schools? How many of those boys' parents, I wonder, had any idea that their kids were instigating this sort of behavior?

I'm not here to bash traditional schools, nor to promote homeschooling as the one true way (all I know is that it's working for our family so far, but that could change next week). I will point out that sitting at a desk next to some randomly-chosen other kids within 12 months' age of each other for 6-8 hours a day (with maybe 30-60 minutes of lunch + recess, for those schools that still have it, where kids are mostly unsupervised as long as they don't actually throw the food) is most certainly not an ideal environment for teaching, or learning, social skills. And I will ask that you consider, before you open your mouth to (or about) a homeschooler, that we're probably doing everything within our power to set our kids up for happiness and success as adult human beings in the real world where we live every day.




 

Before You Laugh, T.H.I.N.K. - Guest Post

Tracey, who blogs over at Inside the Mommyvan, really brings up some good points about pictures and pages we usually don't think twice about laughing at.

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I've noticed lately certain things that once seemed like a great idea now make me squirm inside my own skin... and no, I don't mean unearthing photos of that ill-advised spiral perm I got in 1983. I'm talking about some of the humor out there that, for me, crosses a line. Not racist, or sexist, or any of the many other -ist lines whose specific boundazries are argued daily both on- and off-line. No, this is subtler still, and yet something that affects us all. So, here goes...

People of Walmart.

"A photo collection of people that grace us with their presence at Walmart." Hope you never have a bad hair day, or a child care or health or wardrobe emergency, or, God forbid, a mental illness or disability, and then need to run an errand. You might just find yourself on the wrong end of a camera lens at Wal-Mart.

 Rich Kids of Instagram.

"They have more money than you and this is what they do." You probably have more money than lots of other people. Do you have a nicer car? A bigger TV? Better clothes? Take a vacation now and then? Or do you, unlike these foolish children, spend money _only_ on the necessities of life?

 Awkward Family Photos. "Awkward Family Photos reminds anyone with a dusty shoebox full of snapshots of unfortunate fashion choices, band trips, braces, bad bridesmaids’ dresses and that one time you got talked into dressing up and going to the Renaissance Faire, that you are not alone. This isn’t just a book, it’s a public service on the page, a living, breathing, laugh-out-loud reminder that no matter how badly you dressed, how oddly you posed, and how weird Uncle Dave who lived in the basement was, somebody out there had it worse." (from the book description)

Public service? I don't buy it. Admit it, it's an excuse to laugh at people funnier-looking than you are, people who made the mistake of capturing what was to them a treasured memory, on film. I've focused on these websites because they're ones I see often, floating around Facebook and the like, but there are plenty of off-line examplesas well:

• That lady (really shouldn't be) wearing a bikini top / thise shorts / that dress in public.
• Can you believe those people dragging their grubby kids around the store at 11pm?
• Look at that jerk with the fancy car, he must be compensating for something (wink, wink).
• Who would ever think that pose / belly cast / framed placenta would make a nice pregnancy keepsake?

It is a fine line, though, isn't it? Let's try a few more.

• Look at that girl, her clothes don't even match. Doesn't she own a mirror?
• Hey, lady, get that whiny rugrat out of the coffeeshop (all he did was ask for a chocolate milk).
• Ooooh, pink hair, bet you think you're sooo unique.
• What a dork, he can't even catch a football.
• Did she really think she had a shot at cheerleading (with those thunder thighs or she's flat as a board)?

Can you see where this is going? I hope so, because I'm not going to spell out the next step. Don't get me wrong, I love to laugh as much as the next person, and some of these are funny. Some of them are also offensive hurtful, and unkind. This is where the line comes in. Once we get past the blatantly insulting, what we say isn't what crosses the line. It's not even who we say it to or where. It's how, and more importantly, why that pushes it over from good fun into... something else.

The line is in my heart.

Am I laughing at someone who has offered up their own awkwardness or misfortune as humor (as with at least some of the Awkward Family Photos, the best comedians, and good ol' America's Funniest Videos), or at someone held up by a third party as laughable? Am I laughing out of sympathy and camaraderie, or out of malice, jealousy, arrogance, or spite?

The line is in my heart.

We all think things from time to time that are better left unspoken. Bullying is a terrible problem among teens and even young children. Even adults can be terribly cruel to each other, perhaps without even being aware of it.

At the same time, I don't want us to turn into a society of humorless drones, never poking friendly fun lest we bruise someone's ego. I think most people can figure out, in their own heart, which side of the line their words are coming from. The line is in your heart, too. If you find yourself about to say something like, "Lighten up!" or "Can't you take a joke?" you probably crossed the line. The right move here is to apologize. Immediately. No ifs, ands, or buts (especially not buts). Think back to what you said, and why, and make a mental note: That was Not OK. If it's a one-off thing, maybe it was a misunderstanding or someone especially sensitive. If you start to see a pattern, take another look at the line, the one in your heart, and give it a nudge toward the kinder, gentler side. Isn't this what we want to teach our kids? Regardless of how you tell them to treat others, they will follow the behavior your model for them. If you tease, pick on, or bully, they will too.

So, before you speak, THINK: T - Is it true? H - Is it helpful? I - Is it inspiring? N - Is it necessary? K - Is it kind?



 

Couch to 5K - Fitness Corner Post

Three of our esteemed bloggers are doing Couch to 5K and we're looking for you to join in! It's simple and fun! Who's in? Cassie has a story about how the simple and fun things can change not only our fitness...but our lives.
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In my first Fitness Corner post I discussed making realistic goals. I also mentioned that I was am a runner. I haven't always been a runner. In fact, I was terrified of running even when I started. I set out originally in 2007 with the Couch to 5k fitness plan with the hopes of running one mile but just days into the program I realized that not only was running 1 mile possible, but that I wanted to strive for more. And I did.

Running kept me sane during so many obstacles in my life. It made me realize i had strength when I didn't realize I had it. I started to believe in myself...and so much more. My running story and relationship with running goes deeper than merely steps on the road. You see, I am a musician. I studied music from the age of 6 and wanted nothing more than to be a musician for a career. I studied hard and lived the lifestyle of a true music geek. I went to college for music and when I was 23 discovered that I'm losing my hearing. I'm not going to go into exactly how devastating that was, but I'm sure you can understand. My world got turned upside down on me. I was still a driven individual, but I had no direction. Most of the time, I spiraled. For a time I decided to turn my back on music. There were too many emotions. Too many lost notes that my ears would never hear. Too much effort put into something that I couldn't bring myself to do anymore. I felt so lost. But, completely letting go of music felt like the right thing to do. I took a desk job and did things that made me happier...and that worked for awhile but the wind had been taken out of my sails. I didn't know what I wanted from life any more.

Then I started running. Each new mile I was able to log was a victory. All of those people who thought a 280lb woman couldn't run saw me and I felt so much pride. The day I finished my first half marathon was the day I decided that I was capable of anything. If I can run 13.1 miles, I can do anything.

And the strange thing is that all of that gave me the courage to get back into music. I'm no longer a musician but I run a small music organization. People often wonder about the passion I pour into my job. Most of them don't know about my hearing but they can see my passion.

Running gave me the courage to be passionate. It gave me the strength to look beyond the missing notes. Not only is it a powerful sport, it is an easy one. You don't need a gym membership. Heck, you don't even need shoes! You don't need any special skills. No supplies. You just set out and go.

Now, like I mentioned before, I'm quite out of shape now. My aforementioned job that I love also keeps me quite busy and I haven't spent time running lately so my stamina is down, which is why I re-started the Couch to 5k program on Monday...and I want you to join me!

Not a runner? Give it a shot. I'm right here with you! Already a runner? Set a goal for running. Perhaps you'd like to get a better time. Really can't run? How about giving walking a shot. Whatever the case, let's do this together! On July 20th, I want everybody to run (or walk) a virtual 5k. Couch to 5k is simple, interval training (and do check out all of the available apps and podcasts for the program, many are free and very helpful!).

The first week starts off with a five minute warmup walk, then alternating between 60 second running intervals and 90 second walking intervals followed by a 5 minute cool down. The whole workout should total 30 minutes. Each workout is designed to be done three times per week.

1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

(plan copied from Cool Running Training)

 I don't have all of the details yet, but I want to continue to check in with you. Let me know who is up for this! Bloggers from Teaching Ain't For Heroes and Mommyvan wanted to share their thoughts with you as well. Check out their posts!



 

Easter Crafts, Foods and Fun - Blog Share

Doing Easter last minute? We've got some ideas for you!


First of all, invite over friends! Yes, this is Jackie and her family from Accidentally Mommy!

Now, we're just dyeing eggs because that's all some of us can handle, for real. But there are other crafts you can tackle, perhaps, one could say, of a higher calibre...

Samantha Williams shows us plebs how to make string eggs over on Heart Shaped Leaves.

A complete, step-by-step how-to, made easy for people even just slightly craftier than I am!









Of course, we're busy concentrating on just getting some color on the real eggs.














But that's not the only fun to be had! After the eggs get colored, you get to go on Easter Egg hunts. And sometimes, if you're really freaking cool, you get to do it in the dark...with flashlights, like Tracey from Inside the Mommyvan. Check it out.

Some of us, though...we're still just chugging away. Work, work work.














And the whole time, we're striving not to break those darn eggs. But what would happen if you let your kids stand on the eggs? Literally walking on eggshells. Alex Nguyen over at Alex Nguyen Portraits found out. And you won't believe your eyes!

Not even a joke, guys, not even a joke.

Of course...we aren't so lucky.

Good thing I'm hungry! (And super duper attractive!)

Now, you might not be into hard-boiled-egg-that-just-fell-on-on-the-floor (though I'd question your taste, because obviously delicious).






If you're looking for something a little more impressive, JJ on Low So Paleo has got a brunch idea that's not only appetizing, but also Paleo friendly!

Okay, now that we've eaten...back to work!

Looking good (if blurry. Way to go, photographer.)





So, we're just about ready for Easter Day!

But when the Easter Bunny comes, maybe he feels like filling those plastic jobbies with something other than candy or money this year...if so Joella at Fine and Fair has some great alternatives to put in the Easter basket.









So, there you have it. Easter in an eggshell.