Feeling Thankful for These 10 Things!

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Thanksgiving is of course a time to reflect upon the things for which we are thankful. But like I told Faith the other day, I think we both thank God every day for the blessings he has bestowed upon us.  Each night, we read a scripture together (it's usually one Faith has memorized such as Psalm 23 or John 3:16-21). After our scripture, we recite "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). At the end of that verse, we add our little cheer, "Do good deeds! Say nice things! Be kind!"  This little cheer is just a way to remind both of us, that's how God wants us to act every day. Then we pray, which often begins by thanking God for all that He has done for us and then we pray for others. But the other night after prayer time, I asked Faith to tell me some things she was really thankful for. I told her what I was thankful for as well.  This year, we are feeling especially thankful for ...
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Exercising with Faith

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Move over Denise Austin!

About three years ago, on New Year's Day I decided 2007 was the year I was going to start exercising on a regular basis. So, like many others who had made the same resolution, I ran to Wal-Mart and bought the latest exercise DVD. It was a dance/exercise video with Denise Austin. I later purchased her Boot Camp one as well. 

I had no idea at the time I began the exercises that Faith would want to watch the DVDs for entertainment. And really, if you think about, it makes sense. Lot of repetition with lots of counting - just right for kids!

Because Faith has watched them so many times, she pretty much has them memorized. This can be sort of comical like the time she went to preschool and told her speech therapist to squeeze her buttocks. Or like when I took Faith to physical therapy, and she told Jackie she was ready to do her active isolated stretches. Her therapist was pretty impressed!

When Faith isn't in the mood to do her stretches at home, she gets motivated when I pretend to be Denise Austin. I tell her, "You're strong, you're fit, show your power!" She rolls right along with it and while doing a tough hamstring stretch, she yells, "Four seconds left - I'll look great in a bathing suit!"

There are some things she gets a little mixed up, like instead of a "downward facing dog" it's a downward facing doll" which probably makes more sense to her. For the most part though, she's yelling all of the words right along with Denise. She especially likes the "shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, squat and lift" part.

When I am actually exercising along with exercise videos, Faith, not Denise is my biggest cheerleader. "Abs are tight mommy - you're a fat burning furnace!"

Lately, Faith has been asking to watch them again - I think she's trying to tell me something!

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