Jillian Michaels Workout Videos

Alright, ladies. We all know that it is important to exercise regularly. Easier said than done, huh? Well, I have found that it really helps to have several options to switch around to vary your workouts. One of these is workout videos.

Videos are great during those cold months, or when you just don't quite have the energy to get outside or drive all the way to the gym. I have also found that they are kid friendly. Russ actually does them with me sometimes.

BUT there are A LOT of LAME workout videos out there. This one is not! After using this video regularly, I could really tell that I was stronger and more fit. It also has three 20 minute workouts that address both cardio and strength training, so you can do just 20 minutes if you are in a hurry or do more than one if you REALLY want a workout.



But just so you know, these workouts are not easy. Think pushups and squats until your muscles are screaming. Jillian has some others that I haven't tried yet, but I plan on it because I trust that she is going to push me hard!

Ann Rinaldi Books

Ann Rinaldi writes fantastic historical fiction novels. If you are interested at all in history, give them a try. And if not, you should still give them a try because they might just awaken a new passion. So far I've read two of them, but I plan to read more.




Nine Day Queen is about Lady Jane Grey, a british noble who was pretty much forced and manipulated into becoming the next queen of England after King Henry VII's only son died. Taking the throne only made her life VERY dangerous as she faced the wrath of her cousin, Bloody Mary, who believed that the throne was rightly hers.






Anyone who knows me really well also knows that I am obsessed with the Salem witch trials. This book is written in the perspective of a girl named Susanna who witnesses the Salem witch histeria first hand and knows that it is all a hoax, but doesn't have the courage to face it and tell the truth.

Pride and Prejudice

A Classic. And one of my all-time favorites!



Well, you should know what this book is about if you have seen any of the movies, but reading the book is something EVERYONE should do. I read it when I was about 16 and fell in love with the characters. Elizabeth is just so head-strong and smart and snappy. I love it!

The language is a little different if you are not used to it, so when I first started reading it, I found that I had to reread some of the dialogue a couple of times to figure out what the heck they were talking about, but by the end of the book, I had gotten used to it, and it wasn't a problem anymore.

The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me by Richard Paul Evans

Non-Fiction:



This book really inspired me to be better with my money. It's all about how to improve your financial situation with little decisions so that you will be monetarily secure and stable, now and in the future- and also able to help others in need.

After reading this book, I honestly felt so positive about the future. I thought, "We can do this! We could even be millionaires!"

It is really a goodie. The suggestions are very doable and smart.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!!



Now I know that a lot of you have reservations about science fiction, and I completely understand. I can definitely see how science fiction is not for everyone. But I was NEVER a sci-fi gal, but I absolutely loved this book! And everyone that I've suggested it to has loved it as well.

So, overall it is about the planet earth's fight with an alien race that once tried to destroy it. Well, now Earth is plotting a counter strike to eliminate the aliens before they have a chance to attack once again.

But more so, this book is about the little boys that are being trained to be commanders and fighters in this huge world-wide army. Specifically it is about a boy named Ender, perhaps the most brilliant natural-born leader that Earth has to offer, and his training.

It is really hard to describe other than that...it just takes you through Ender's life and what happens to him and his friends in this training camp. But trust me, it is EXCELLENT.

Warning: There are a couple of minor swear words and some of the things these kids go through is disturbing.

Hunger Games by Susan Collins

These books are fabulous!!





Hunger Games is about a brutal and suppressive government that forces a group of teenaged kids to fight to the death in an arena each year as a message to their parents. They pick the group of teens through a lottery-type drawing in which the poorest and most needy kids usually have their names put in more times.

More specifically, this book is about a 16 year old girl named Katniss that enters the hunger games to save her little sister, whose name was drawn out in the lottery.

The story is interesting because even though it is set in the future, the people are so suppressed by their government that it almost seems like the past. The people don't have modern luxeries such as cars or running water because the government keeps them in poverty to retain its power.






Catching Fire is the sequel, and it is about Katniss's continuing fight with the government.

These books have a very different and original plot that I loved. Plus there is romance mingled in with all of the intensity.

Warning: These books do have some violence and are slightly disturbing considering the brutality of the government towards their people, but I didn't think it was too much.

These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner

I recently read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it:





It is a historical fiction, although it is apparently loosely based on a real-life person. It is in diary format, and it an accounting of the life of Sarah Agnes Prine. She is just a young girl at the beginning of the book, and you read as she grows up to be a wife and mother. This book is packed with adventure, romance, sorrow, fear, EVERYTHING. This lady's life was really wild. (Probably because she grew up in the wild, wild west.) The diary format makes it different and interesting too because the character speaks writes with her bad grammar and everything. (As you can see by the title.) I love the main character because on one hand she is very rough and tough out of necessity to survive. But you also see a much softer and more vulnerable side.

Warning: It can be quite sad at times, and there is quite a bit of violence. Nothing out of the ordinary if you were traveling with a wagon company back in the 1800's. It really wasn't enough to bother me, though, so you decide.

P.S. There are a couple of sequels that I haven't checked out yet, but probably will soon.

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I read these books about a year ago, and they came highly recommended by several of my friends. Shannon Hale takes little known Grimm's fairy tales and makes them her own. If you like fairy tales and all the magic, romance, and adventure that come with them, then you will probably like these books.

Goose Girl is about a princess named Ani who is betrothed to a man she never met and sent away from home to become a queen of another kingdom. While traveling to her new home, she unveils a plot by those she trusted to get rid of her and take over her new throne. Anyway, this is her story. I thought it was charming and a really easy read. Plus it has a little bit of everything, which I really like in a book. (romance, adventure, drama)

Enna Burning is the sequel to Goose Girl. It is actually about Ani's Friend, Enna, and her battle with her own magical powers that she cannot quite control. It is a little more...intense maybe...than Goose Girl, but I loved it as well.