5 Ways to Get Fit for Free!

I recently read an article from sparkpeople.com called  “25 Ways to Get Fit for Less than $25.”  Since I recently cancelled my gym membership to try and save some money, this article inspired me. So being cheap like I am,  I wanted to share the top five ways to get fit for free!

 

1. Library. Your local library has many varieties of DVD’s, VHS tapes and fitness books to help you get fit.

 

2. Online workouts. Many websites offer free workout videos including sparkpeople, youtube, and shape.

 

3. Walking or Running. Get outside and just do it. Load the kids in the stroller and get moving. Go around your neighborhood or go to the park.

 

4. Jump rope. Who doesn’t have a jump rope lying around?  Did you know that based on an average 150lb person, jumping rope for 15 minutes burns 125 calories?

 

5. Play with your kids. Play tag, hide and seek, duck-duck-goose, football, soccer, or turn on some music and dance. Your kids will have so much fun and you will reap the benefits of getting in your exercise.

 

I hope these things will inspire you and help you stop using excuses for why you can’t workout. It inspired me!

 

Now what about you? What are your favorite ways to workout that don't cost anything?

 

 

 

Ali

LM%*#O

Ok, have you ever read a funny little blog, a text a friend sent you that just got you giggling, or come across something pretty dern hilarious that deserves a little more than just an old LOL?  I mean, come on, LOL is getting over-used just a little much, plus yeah, sometimes I read something that makes me say, “HA!” and then I’m done and don’t think about it anymore.  Very rarely does something make me ROFL (roll on the floor laughing for those of you not quite up with internet slang).

 

 But sometimes something makes me “Ha” and then keep on “Ha-ing” until I’ve got a pretty good out loud laugh going on, but yet still not quite rolling on the floor.  Are ya with me?

 

Oh I know, there’s one out there I could use.  LM%*#O.  But I’m a good Christian girl and I just don’t have any sense using that word, even in internet slang.  It’s just a potty word and that’s all there is to it. 

 

But, back to my first dilemma.  There’s some dern good funnies out there that deserve more than a LOL and I want to have something to give them.

 

So I’m going with LMPO (laughing my patootie off). 

 

Now “patootie” is an acceptable term in the Many Meadows’ and extended households for the backside area that we sit on and do other “business” with.  Therefore, I deem this word appropriately worthy of stepping up LOL a notch for the really funny blogs, texts, etc., without having to use potty language to get my point across.

 

And don’t worry I googled it and it is not used in any current internet slang for anything else, inappropriate or not.

 

And I leave you with the end result of one of my quandaries for the week and wish you many LMPO in the future.

 

How do you express your on-line feelings of humor?

 

Erin

And-a-One, And-a-Two…

(sing it with me)…Happy Birthday to You…..Happy Birthday to You…

September is a big month for birthdays in the ManyMeadows+ family. 

 

Jacob starts it off on the 20^th.

Then, Sarah (one of our “plusses”) on the 23^rd.

My mom, Laura Lee has her birthday on the 24^th.

Then, we skip to the 28^th for our oldest daughter, Erin (who celebrates a special one this year!)

Then, the 29^th is our oldest son, Andrew’s day, and my brother-in-law, Paul’s.

And we go ahead and celebrate Anna’s birthday with this group, even though hers isn’t until October 9.

 

Thursday was a great family night celebration at Katie and Alexander’s….well, actually at the park across the street from them. 

 The little kids played. 

       The big kids played.                                            

                                                    

Abbi made these for dessert.

 

 

 

We ate. (as always)

 

 

 

There were 27 of us.  A great family night!  And one of Anna’s Lifegroup friends came and took pictures of all of us.  (You’ll get to see some of those soon!)

                                                                                                                                                                

 

Does your family get together to celebrate birthdays?

Do you have a group of birthdays close together?

 

Do share!

 

Oh, and it’s this girl’s birthday today! 

From Generation to Generation

Today was my mom’s birthday. 

Three of our girls, my sister, our almost-daughter-in-love, and one of our granddaughters were together for lunch to celebrate her special day.

 

And look.

 

 

FOUR generations. Me, my mom, Ali and Lily.

I know, it’s not uncommon to find.  I have pictures of my daughters with my grandmother.  But, once again I was reminded of God’s love.  His love, poured down through four generations. 

And why is that?

The three moms in this picture have been intentional in their teaching of God, His Love, His ways.  But every daughter had to make that heart-choice for herself. 

As parents, we’re never guaranteed that our children will choose to wholeheartedly give themselves to Christ.  But, a life lived in loving and telling and showing our children the great love of our Father speaks volumes.  It did to me. 

…we will praise you forever;
       from generation to generation
       we will recount your praise.  Psalm 79:13

Maybe it begins with you.

Are you a first generation believer?  Or more?  

Robin 

Fun and Cheap Family Day

We are always looking for fun cheap things to do as a family. Over Brad’s vacation we took the girls to see Kung Foo Panda at North Park Mall. Every Tuesday they have 50-cent movies. So for two bucks we all got to see a movie.

 

Some other fun stuff we do for free or cheap are…….

 

The Mall. Take them to Quail Springs Mall and the kid’s play area (don’t ask me how they can stay entertained on little plastic frogs, but they love it!)

 

 

 

 

The Park. We have numerous parks here in Edmond and Oklahoma City, so the kids will never get bored. We like to take a frisbee or football and throw it around with them. To make it even more special, pack a picnic and a blanket. You could make a whole evening out of this and spend nothing!

 

The Zoo.  Get a zoo pass. We got one the first part of the year when they were running the special for five dollars off. It pretty much pays for itself after the first couple of times.

 

Redbox.  Go to the Redbox, near most Wal-Marts or McDonalds.   For one dollar you can rent a movie, or if you have a free code you can get it free(just don’t forget to take it back the next day). We like to lay out a big blanket in front of the tv and pretend were having a sleepover.

 

So what are some cheap, fun things your families like to do together?

 

Ali

Electing a President (Part 2)

            Elections come and go and I thought the world was coming to the end after seeing my Dad’s reaction to Kennedy being elected over Nixon. Well, the world didn’t end, but that experience taught me that the election of a certain person does not match all the hype or 3 or 4 years and the gazillion dollars to get him into office. Even the President doesn’t have the impact that we think.

 

 Don’t get me wrong. Electing a good man or woman is important. But the beautiful system that our forefathers created is so ingenious that the checks and balances are there for a purpose.

 

 Why do I say all this? Because I know Who is really in charge, not only of our country, but also of the world.

 

 It’s because of having God as my source that when I make a choice for electing a president it’s with God’s wisdom and direction that helps me to choose.

 

Practically speaking, I always try to find out where the candidates stand on the issues. This is not always easy. The Internet has become a wonderful tool in helping to find what a person stands for. It takes work to see how they have voted or if they believe what is in their speeches. In fact, you can’t really trust what a politician says, not just because of dishonesty and the desire to get elected but also because of perspective and context.

 

Another important aspect is the platform they stand for. The two major political party platforms are very differing. Have you ever read them?

 

As I’ve said, listening to what someone else says about a candidate can lead you to mis-truths. Pop culture proponents are notorious in pushing their agendas just like other groups push their own agendas. That’s why we all need to become first-generation researchers, finders of truth on our own so we can make the choice God wants us to.

 

What do you think? How do you choose?

 

 

Dirk

What’s On?

We’ve never been big TV watchers around here at the ManyMeadows.  We even went through a time when we put the TV in the attic when we were little.  Just imagine trying to watch something with 7 kids running around – DISASTER!!!   There’s just enough (ok, more than enough) entertainment around with that many people. 

 

Now, when Survivor first started we became die-hard fans.  We had family night at Ma and Pa Meadows and everyone gathered around to see the latest tribal councils, competitions, etc.  Then more and more ManyMeadows came along and that fizzled out with all the activity. 

 

So now that Survivor is kind of a dud, what’s on?

 

 If you have not checked out The Office you are missing out on some serious laughs – “That’s what she said.”  (Sorry you gotta watch it to get my drift).  That show is a must see in your weekly watching! 

 

What else is on?  Am I missing something good? 

 

What is in your line-up for the week now that all the new seasons are starting?

 

 

 

 

Erin

NFL: Chaos in the Mountains

OK, OK. I will start off by saying it WAS a fumble. Now, for those of you who don’t know, the Denver Broncos had a fate driven win over the San Diego Chargers this last weekend. I will give you the Broncos fan bias recap.

The Broncos had the ball on the 3 yard line and Cutler (QB) clearly fumbled the ball. The only catch was that referee, Ed Hockuly had already blown his whistle deeming the play an incomplete pass. The NFL has a replay rule that says plays can be overturned to be made right. Unfortunately, for the Chargers if a whistle deems the play dead then the ball cannot change hands. So, even though the play was a fumble the Broncos got the ball back and ended up winning the game. Woo-Hoo.

 

Alright now that I have undoubtedly convinced you that the Broncos are God’s team this year, I will give my quick preview for week 3.

Game of the week: Dallas Cowboys go to Green Bay. Wow, this is going to be the scoring fest of the year. Rodgers is going to sling the ball all over the field on one of the worst secondaries in the league. This will be a very fun one to watch but Green Bay’s defense will be the deciding factor in this game, and I for one think they will be great. So, in my 1-1 opinion I say there will be a lot of happy Wisconsinites on Monday morning. The Packers eek out one, 35-34 against the Cowboys.

 

Brad

For Your Stylist’s Sake

Now that you know some ways to communicate with your hairstylist here are a few things to think about before showing up for your appointment:

 

1. Don’t ask for a mullet, flat top, or a Farrah Fawcett haircut I’m seriously begging you.

 

2. Please take a shower. There is nothing more gross or smelly than a sweaty head or smelly body.

 

3. Don’t put products in your hair before you get a haircut. It’s difficult to comb through all that hairspray.

 

4. Please don’t make business phone calls while you’re getting your haircut. It’s just not polite.

 

5. For you guys, let’s just embrace the fact that you’re balding or going gray. It actually looks worse when you try to hide it.

 

6. When looking at a picture of the person’s hair you like, please know that you won’t actually look like that. Make sure you really like the haircut not just the way the person looks.

Remember, I’m not a miracle worker,…but I’ll try the best I can if you’ll try the best you can. 🙂

 

   

Ali

 

The Heartbeat of the ER

Patients in the ER frequently ask us what we do when the department isn’t busy, and we always reply with

something like: “It never slows down. It’s always busy.” Or,  “Shhh! “(knock on wood).

 

It’s rare but it happens.  And it happened this weekend.

 

No patients in the emergency room for several hours. So what to do?

 

After stocking, cleaning and finishing paperwork, sometimes there is still free time left. But you cannot do anything too crazy because you never know when a patient will come in the door.

 

The ideas that were ruled out this weekend included playing twister, and spin the bottle (the Doc’s idea since he was the only male 😉 ) We also used to bounce an extra large bouncy ball around the department. But that was before I got hit in the face with it.

 

There is a game that we do like to play and play frequently. It is called Lower Your Heartrate. I know, we need to work on the title,  but trust me.  It is a very entertaining game. The objective? Strap on a heart rate monitor and try to get your heart rate as low as you can. There are no rules to what others can do or say to you, so you have to control your heart rate while they taunt. I know.  We’re all strange.

 

 But guess who’s the reigning champ?  39bpm baby!

 

 They were getting ready to get the crash cart.

 

What are some crazy things you’ve done to pass the time? 

 

 

 

Katie