Each Wednesday I’m recording a Curiosity Journal to recap the past week. Tag words are: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. ::: Some of you have mentioned that you’re keeping a Curiosity Journal, as well. Leave your link in the comments so that we can visit and enjoy your weekly review. Reading I started up Sophie's World again, which I had abandoned … [Read more...]
Curiosity Journal: August 31, 2011
Each Wednesday I’m recording a Curiosity Journal, a recap of the past week. Tag words are: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. :::Some of you have mentioned that you’re keeping a Curiosity Journal, as well. Leave your link in the comments so that we can visit and enjoy your weekly review. … [Read more...]
Why Cross Country?
All summer, two of our kids have been training with a home-school cross country team.I run with them and drag along the other two kids to practices, as well, insisting they join us for at least part of the workouts. Sometimes the unofficial runners "forget" their shoes or socks as a not-too-subtle means to avoid running. I have sent them onto the course barefoot. I … [Read more...]
Post-Wog Flop
My daughters and their friends flop onto the grass after a five-mile training "wog." Submitted to Wordless Wednesday."Tired Woggers" photo by Ann Kroeker © 2010It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email or RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s new book. … [Read more...]
Wogging the Mini
We're training for a half-marathon with our girls. Boy, has it been hard to drag ourselves out and log the miles. Thursday it was all we could do to make it out and back again for a total of 3.8 miles. And I can't call that outing a run; for that matter, it wasn't even a jog. Part walk/part jog ... I believe we went on a "wog." At any rate, this is our second year training … [Read more...]
Improve Your Memory: MMM January 2010
Mega Memory Month Returns January 2010!Our extended family's white elephant exchange included some bags stuffed full of odd items picked up at a dollar store, included this minibook:Can you believe it?Just in time for Mega Memory Month January 2010 I secured a copy of Improving Your Memory for Dummies, by John B. Arden, PhD, Director of Training for Psychology, Kaiser … [Read more...]
July 2009 MMM Progress Report #3
July 2009 is Mega Memory Month. Here we are at Progress Report #3.(Progress Report #1)(Progress Report #2)How’s it going? Use Mr. Linky to connect your progress report to this master list. If I have time, I’ll swing back by and edit the post to make the links more prominent. Non-bloggers and those who don’t want to dedicate an entire post to memory work, feel free to offer … [Read more...]
Kids, Creeks, and a Slow Afternoon
I wrote a post for NotSoFastBook.com about a recent afternoon spent wading in a creek with friends. Well, the kids did the wading.Anyway, can we live slow enough to encourage outdoor free play?Please join me there... Don’t miss a word:Subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email or RSS feed.Join Mega Memory Month for the month of July!Check out today's Progress Reports … [Read more...]
Now That's Green!
As I've already mentioned, I'm trying to simplify life by decluttering. I've already accumulated several bags of junk to donate.We live fairly close to a Goodwill, so the girls and I loaded the bags into our bike trailer and headed out.Before I left, the Belgian Wonder saw me and said, "Now that's green!"I was wearing a green shirt at the time. I looked down. "Yes," I … [Read more...]
Make-Do Mondays: Running Spikes Take on New Meaning
see below for alternative buttonThis Week's Make-Do Mondays QuoteThere are two ways to get enough:one is to accumulate more and more.The other is to desire less.--G.K. ChestertonAt Make-Do Mondays, we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and … [Read more...]
Simplicity & Slowing: Decluttering
[Update: Books offered at bottom of post are no longer available]A friend said the other day, "I don't know how you do all that you do, Ann.""The only way I do all that I do," I replied, "is by not doing it all."What I meant was—and I expanded on this with her—is that I cannot do it all. I don't do it all. I have limits and make choices accordingly.But writing and speaking … [Read more...]
Monday Afternoon: Light on Water and a Heavy Tool
The fountain, where we found a quarter on the road and tossed a penny in the water.My daughter noticed the delicate dance of light on water, while I stood staring, distracted, at the blue sky.Feathery patterns, shimmering in the spring sun.Lingering near this spot where the water cascades down, we could hardly hear each other for the noise. On the path home, so peaceful, … [Read more...]
Bike Lock Debacle
As you now know from the title of my forthcoming book, we seek to live a slower life—a "not so fast" life. Plenty of people are living far simpler and slower lives than we are, but we're making choices that do set us apart in our suburban area. One simple choice is to use our bikes as often as possible.When my four kids and I head out through the neighborhood on bikes, we … [Read more...]
Recycling Running Shoes
I have been a recreational runner (I think I'm also known as a jogger) for several years.Following the advice of every running magazine and runner with injuries, I buy new shoes every 500 miles or six months (if I haven't kept very good track of mileage but have been running consistently).The old shoes don't offer adequate support to absorb the impact of … [Read more...]
Eco-Friendly Experiments: Bicycling to Church (and thoughts on patience)
This past week we've only had one van. The other one is in the shop for repairs. As a result, we've been creative with transportation solutions, running errands by bicycle or simply staying home some afternoons.Inspired by this forced experiment (and with this post from Anne Jackson still affecting me a little every time we fire up the van on a Sunday), we decided to ride … [Read more...]
