Reading aloud

I thought this article was timely for us, since I just finished reading aloud The Sign of the Beaver. My boys have always sat well for books, but this was our first longer chapter book. H constantly begged for “just one more chapter,” while M, although he loved listening, was always happy to switch to a picture book. I found that M–and even H–enjoyed playing with Lego bricks while listening. Keeping the hands busy frees up the mind. And it helps pass the time! I read to them today from Matt Christopher’s Body Check while they folded their laundry. Winning!

A new direction

To mix metaphors, The Roof Beam is veering off course. Our family has grown and changed since we first imagined this space, and we’re finding ourselves undertaking new adventures. What began a couple of years ago as a (short-lived) family fitness log is now going to become our family’s homeschooling blog. With three boys and one more on the way, let’s see how well we can keep things updated this time!

Meet The Roof Beam boys:

H is 6, and we started homeschooling this fall using Five in a Row. We’ve shifted gears on that in the past few weeks, though, which I will go into more detail on later.

M is freshly 4, and we’re working s-l-o-w-l-y on letters and numbers and patterns and things. It’s fascinating to me to see how differently he learns from his older brother.

S is 1, and he spends most of his time trying to smash our crafts, steal scissors, and throw crayons across the room. He’s really just a joy to be around. It’s not a coincidence we do most of our schoolwork while he’s napping.

Okay, that’s all for now. Just wanted to update you on the exciting changes–“you” being, well, no one right now, but we hope to get better connected within the online homeschool community very soon.

So long!

J

The starting line

“The runner need not break four minutes in the mile or four hours in the marathon. It is only neccessary that he runs and runs and sometimes suffers. Then one day he will wake up and discover that somewhere along the the way he has begun to see the order and law and love and truth that makes men free.”
– George Sheehan

We are a family of four living in the heartland on a journey for lifelong functional fitness. To this end we have spent a lot of hours and lost a lot of sweat, but we’re nowhere near the finish line. In fact, there is no finish line. We strongly believe fitness is a lifelong journey, and we’re always learning more, trying new things, and pushing ourselves further than we believed possible. Our goal is not a certain number of pounds lost or reps completed, but always to give 100 percent, and in every workout, to push for one more pound lifted, one more personal struggle overcome. We believe that true fitness is the capacity to handle whatever life throws at us: pushing, pulling, lifting, climbing, running. We want to jump higher, run faster, lift more, do more. And we want to have fun doing it all.

Chris is the family coach. He’s in a line of work that requires a certain (high) level of fitness, so he’s sort of ahead of the rest of us in the game, but he pushes and encourages us all just the same as he pushes himself. He has recently become converted to the CrossFit empirical training program and outfitted the garage with all the equipment the family needs to get started.

After the birth of their second child, Jess knew it was time to make some changes. She hit the gym and lost 40 pounds in 2012. Now she’s working on building muscle and learning heavy lifting.

Holden is four and a more natural athlete than his parents. He loves to work out. Seriously, it would make you sick.

Max is nearly 2 and doesn’t quite understand what everyone is freaking out about all the time. He thinks situps are called pullups.

This blog is an attempt to record our workouts and progress, and to encourage and motivate others as we join together in pursuit of lifelong fitness. Let’s go work out!