School Time!

School is finally back in session.  It has been a crazy, busy summer but now we're back on a normal schedule.  Kaden's in the 5th grade this year, who said he could grow up on me?  And Annabelle is in the 2nd.  When we got their teacher assignments 2 weeks ago I don't know who shouted for joy more, me or Annabelle.  See, Annabelle got the same teacher for 2nd grade that Kaden had and we LOVE her.  Back then Kaden had an IEP (individual education plan) and this teacher helped him to not only learn and flourish but by the end of the school year he no longer needed it.  She saw his potential and helped him to learn and overcome those challenges to the point there was no more need for the IEP.  Annabelle has had an IEP since pre-school.  She has a challenge with her speech, writing and reading.  Back in Kindergarten her teacher switched mid year and everything literally fell apart with her growth so we spent a lot of last school year fighting to fix and correct the mistakes made that last half of kindergarten.  At the same time her IEP last year changed 4 times because suddenly dear old mom wasn't so crazy about the insistence of helping her with reading.

I'm coming to find they don't teach the reading skills like when I was in school.  Annabelle can't sound out the words at all, or couldn't until we worked really hard on it over the summer.  Last year was an emotional roller coaster for her and I.  Between the constant IEP changes, getting progress reports that said she was improving to the last week of school getting a letter out of the blue that she should be held back it was not exactly a great year.  I actually fought to have her move to the 2nd grade because I knew what the problems were and this time I wasn't going to let the school get their way.  We worked hard all summer long on reviewing everything she learned and then even moved onto some 2nd grade work.

So getting word that she was going to have the same teacher who helped Kaden get off his own IEP was a huge relief and blessing to us all.  I know what to expect with this teacher, and the best part is she knows my kids already.  She called before school started to let me know how excited she was to be having Annabelle in her class and how much she still remembers Kaden talking about his sisters.  She loved having Kaden in her class so to be working with her again is truly a joy all around.  I know we've still got a hard road ahead with Annabelle, but having a teacher who I know truly will help her grow and succeed is a weight off my shoulders.  It may only be the first of the year, but we're already starting off on the right foot with 2 very happy kids.

Fall is in the air

This is my favorite time of the year, fall.  I love how the air turns crisp and the leaves change colors.  This is my time of year for baking all things yummy.  It begins my baking season and my family has a love/hate relationship with it.  They love the goodies I bake, but also hate the fact that there is constant baking that happens.  Along with this comes that I love my house to smell like fall.  Except I don't do candles or anything of that sort.  I used to get horrible headaches from candles and could never figure out why.  Until I started my journey in learning about essential oils.  As I've learned and researched my oils and oils in general out I've come to find that my body naturally hates synthetics.  Not a little, but a lot.  I don't wear perfume and can't be in the same room as someone who does or I get really sick.  The same goes for candles and the wickless cubes you can melt.  They are so full of synthetics that I can't be around them.

So how exactly do I enjoy the scents and smells of fall then?  My oils and my diffuser.  Because I know for myself that my oils do not have any synthetics or chemicals in them I feel very safe with using them daily.  But more than just that I can diffuse them daily with no reactions at all.  If anything the oils have helped my overall wellness increase just from diffusing them each day.  With fall starting to come this way it was time to start diffusing some fun fall combinations yesterday.  I just got a new oil last month called Light the Fire.  It's a blend and when I combined it with Orange oh my word, my house smelled like fall instantly.  Bam, new favorite combination to diffuse at this time of year.  I felt my body more relaxed than it normally is, especially when my kids were fighting and just very much at ease as I diffused this amazing combination.

Fall means so many things happen in our home, birthdays, holidays and just so many amazing things that life brings us.  Bring on fall, I'm ready.

Another Goal Accomplished

Yesterday was brutal.  Just started out bad and never really recovered.  We did have some good news come in for my husband which took so much stress and worry off our shoulders.  You see, my husband is in the navy and they have this program where you can go to school and they pay for it.  It's called Tuition Assistance (TA).  He's been using it to finish up his degree, which he will have in December of this year!!!!!  Well he put in the request with his command a little over a month ago for his classes which start on Monday of next week.  No word of them approving it or it finishing the process.  It was frustrating to say the least because then we'd be in a bit of a bind with hoping his pale grant covered everything.  TA covers the cost of the classes, just not the books.  Pale grants are covering that.  Well in the midst of the way yesterday was going for me I get this text from Jay telling me he has good news.

That required a phone call at which point he told me that his TA had been approved!!!!!!!  Now we just had to wait on the actual paperwork to come in so he can submit it to his college to get that taken care of.  Well this morning he got the paperwork and will be taking care of it once he gets off work later today.  Oh it is so wonderful to know that worry is off our shoulders.  He is so close to the end of what has been a long, hard road to getting his degree.  It is something we know is needed as he is getting out next year.

As this has been going on I've been slowly checking some business goals off my list.  One was getting my own website.  This is kind of a big deal to me since I have been slowly pushing myself out of my comfort zone and doing something like getting my own site is shall we say a scary thought.  Earlier this year I got my business cards made up and that was a big accomplishment for me.  Today, I got my own website set up.  Can we say scary?  It is something I'm so proud of for accomplishing.  I know it will help my business to grow and I need that to happen.

With Jay getting out of the navy next year, we need my business to be at a specific point as part of our plan B.  It is a scary thought to think of getting out of the navy, but we know it is what is right for our family.  The navy isn't like it was when we first joined.  We don't feel like it is a place we can be and maintain our standards that come with our faith.  And those are standards we are not willing to compromise on.  Lets face it, we can see the writing on the wall and we know for the sake of our family this is the right move.  There is a lot of things we need to check off a long to do list, but slowly that is exactly what we are doing.

I have my own personal set of goals with my business and in my personal life.  I love checking them off.  And today I can say I've done just that.  Now to pick a new goal to check off the list and start working on getting that one accomplished next.

Life is full of changes

Last week I got a phone call from a member of the bishopric to come in for a meeting the next evening.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this isn't the first time or the last time I'll get one of those calls.  It usually means 1 of 2 things: releasing from the current calling or being given a new one, sometimes it's both.  In the LDS faith our callings, church jobs, are all volunteer based and we don't get paid to do them.  I've held different callings since I was 12 and in the Young Women's program.  I've held some that I truly enjoyed and others that have been a struggle, but full of learning a growth for me spiritually as well as personally.  So when I went to meet with the counselor from the bishopric I wasn't quite sure what to expect only that I just knew I was going to be released from my most current of callings.  I'd actually known it was coming for a few months now as we'd just had a new Bishop put in and had told Jay, my husband, all those months earlier that I just had a feeling I wouldn't be in that calling for long.

My calling was one that I struggled with, but knew it was where the Lord needed me even for a short period of time.  I was the Activity Days leader, basically our 8-11 year old girls would meet with me twice a month to work on their Faith in God books.  I did this program when I was that age and it really helped me to gain a testimony and prepare me for when I did enter the Young Women's at the age of 12.  As I met with the counselor and we chatted for a bit I wasn't sure what all was going to happen, but trusted in the Lord that He did.  Sure enough I was released from this calling, but not given a new one.  This was a bit of a surprise, but not enough to cause me to wonder what was going to happen.  I know the Lord has something in store for me, something big.  I'm not sure what, but as I've spent the last week pondering that meeting and praying for guidance I know whatever is coming will be a life changer.  I can just feel like.  At this same meeting I was also asked to speak in church in 2 weeks.

So Sunday during Sacrament meeting I was released.  I feel a bit of relief at no longer holding this calling.  I always felt awkward and unsure of myself with this calling.  In some ways I find it funny that you can ask me to speak in front of the ward for 15 minutes and I'll gladly do it, but ask me to be crafty and help girls 8-11 years old develop their faith and spirituality and I freeze up.  I've always felt unsure of myself around kids, some days even my own.  It is an area I know I struggle with and so that calling was out of my comfort zone.  It was also the shortest calling I've held at just 5 months where most of my callings have gone a year or more.

With this change in callings there are other changes coming to.  I'm not sure how I feel about the other changes coming except that they are part of life.  Jay's almost done with school, his current job is about to change, and we've got kids about to go back to school.  Then there's my job.  Oh how I love what I get to do.  I wake up excited to get into my work, but make sure to take the time to study the scriptures first.  I need that in my day or it doesn't seem to go as well.  Life is exciting, challenging, and known to throw curve balls at you when you least expect it.  I think that is where I'm at right now with life.  I know big things, no huge things are around the corner.  I don't know what they are or what will come from them, but I can just feel there are some incredible changes happening and coming my way.  All I can do is embrace them as they come and smile through the journey.  Yes, smiling is a must or how else can I show that no matter what happens I'm ready and willing to accept them?

Even speaking in church on Sunday is a bit of a curve ball.  For the first time ever, and I've been giving talks since I was 12, I don't have an assigned topic.  I was instructed to pray about what I should speak about and go from there.  Is this a challenge for me?  Sure, I like knowing exactly what I am supposed to speak on, but being given the opportunity to pray and receive that answer for myself is something I welcome.  Today that was part of my focus was on seeking that direction for my talk.  I feel like I've got it narrowed down, which is improvement, but knowing me I wont even have that clear answer until Saturday night.  For some reason I work really well under pressure and some of my best talks have been written out the night before or the morning of.  I'm kind of excited to see what comes from this one, it will be exciting to see what my topic ends up being that is for sure.

Time flies when you're having fun

Where has this month gone?  It feels like it has just flown by and I guess for me it really has done that.  At the beginning of the month I flew out to Dallas, Texas for my very first convention with my job.  I'm a distributor with Young Living Essential oils and part of an incredible team called the Lemon Droppers.  I've only been doing this for the last year and a half, but it has changed our lives in amazing and incredible ways.  The week I spent at convention was so amazing and life changing.  I got to meet people who I've known through Facebook for the first time face to face and learn so much more than I would have thought possible when I first flew out.  I came home from convention a different person.  I could feel I'd changed a lot while I was gone for those 6 days.

Coming home from convention meant tackling some challenges that were not what I expected.  I came home to face the sad fact that a family member had lied to me for months and done damage to our relationship to the point I honestly don't know if it can ever be repaired.  My poor husband had to listen to me vent and then try to help me process through the truth before I felt like I could move forward.  It hit him harder in some ways than it did me as it was someone he'd known his whole life.  My saving grace in all of this is that once I get my venting out of the way I can focus on what I need to do to pick up the pieces and fix the mess that was left in the wake of the truth finally coming out.  As one of the leaders of my team talks about constantly, you have to have non-negotiables and honesty is one of mine.  In life and in my business I wont negotiate on honesty.  It is just that important to me.

So yes, I came home changed, hurt and determined to fix the mess that was created by the choices of just a few people who chose to not see the big picture of what their actions were creating.  I can already see so many positive changes happening because I made the choice to shed light on the deception.  That is the funny thing about lies, they hate being exposed to the light, but once they are healing can begin.  I'm honestly excited to see what the next few months will have in store for me because the truth has finally come to light.

But since being home it's been crazy.  Busy crazy and I've loved it.  My kids missed me, and while I did miss them I really did enjoy my kid free week.  It was needed.  But here it is now, the end of the month is almost here and I can't help but wonder where the time went.  I've been on the go all month long and here it is that summer is almost over for us.  We still have a few weeks left before the kids go back to school, but I'm excited to see what is coming through the rest of this month.  I think part of what has made this month fly by is that we've just been busy as a family.  My husband has been busy with school and work, the kids have kept us on our toes, and well I just don't seem to stop working until the weekends.

So what will the rest of our summer hold?  Honestly I'm not sure.  But I do look forward to seeing what comes.  My kids are excited to be going back to school, and honestly I am too.  We've had a more active summer than in years past and yet it was mostly due to me traveling than anything else.  And once more I'll just have my youngest daughter at home, but unlike last fall this time she is potty trained.  Oh yeah, I totally forgot.  She was my easiest and quickest child to get potty trained.  We started the week before I left for Dallas and she was completely diaper free the week after I got home.  3 weeks and she was fully potty trained!!!!!!!  Her older siblings took so much longer to get to this point.  Not her though, no she caught on quick and loves being a big girl.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, she does have a no fear mentality.

Summer is almost over, fall is almost here and it's almost time to look and evaluate how my goals looked this past month.  I'm excited to see what things turned out like for this month.  And next month's goals, well they are already in the works.

Healing

There are few things in life that are as valuable as true friends.  I've got a few that are in my small circle of people I can call a true friend and I want to share the healing that is happening to one of them because it is truly amazing to see how much has happened in a short period of time to help heal her.

Debbie and I met through a military wives Facebook group about 3 1/2 years ago.  We became friends very quickly once we discovered that we were the only two women in the group who happened to be members of the same church.  During this time she's opened up to me some about her previous marriage, the divorce and challenges of getting married again all while trying to help her 3 kids from the first marriage adjust to not only military life, but having a step father.  There would be so much bitterness and anger when she'd talk about her ex, but at the same time she seemed so lost.  She didn't have much confidence in herself or feelings of self worth.

Then last week out of the blue her ex called.  When we talked about how she was feeling about all of it, her emotions and feelings were still raw, but something started to happen that I don't think she was aware of at the time.  True healing had begun.  It was the first time in all of the years I've known her that she was upset with him.  She asked me at the time if she should talk about the experiences on her blog and I encouraged her to do just that.  What an amazing thing to see happen.  Anger, bitterness, hurt were gone.  The healing process was beginning.  She got truly vulnerable with herself and her audience about what was going on and how she felt.

I sat back and just felt lucky to be watching this process happen to her.  Suddenly that lack of confidence and self worth were melting away.  She was forgiving him and all that had happened in the past overnight.  Now, I can't say that is an easy process because it isn't.  Going through my own healing years ago took a lot of forgiving those who had hurt me and then forgiving myself.  That is the process that we all go through at one point or another in our lives.  But watching Debbie go through this and knowing that the healing is doing so much more than she can see, oh what joy will she have when she looks back to see how far she's come.

Today she asked me what I thought of a new post for her blog.  This one was just as incredible as her last one.  Full of so much vulnerability and healing.  I told her once, and this is something I truly believe, that forgiving those who hurt us and then forgiving ourselves changes us for the better.  We become better people and the personal growth we go through is something that I feel does something inside to us to give us growth and heal our hearts.  I'm so lucky that I get to essentially be along for the ride as Debbie goes through this healing process and watch her continue to grow and change.  Watching her grow in self confidence is something I've prayed to see happen for a while now, and now it's truly starting to happen.

Summer months

The summer months for us are long.  My kids don't go back to school until September.  We don't really go out and do anything fun, it's impossible with my husband's work schedule and us being a one car family.  So that means I'm trapped in my house with 3 kids a lot.  Unlike most summers this one has been unusually wet so kicking them outside has been impossible.  It's rained more than it hasn't it seems.  And when my husband is home he's focused on work qualifications that he is preparing to test for and is taking 2 classes to work on finishing up his degree.  Keeping the house from being totally chaotic lies on my shoulders.

I can't say I always succeed at that.  Some days I feel like I'm floundering.  My older two kids are old enough to have some chores and help, but that doesn't mean it is easy to get them to do the work.  Let's face it.  Chores are not fun.  But with their help we do keep the house at least somewhat organized and clean.  Not spotless, but clean.  And then there are those days where lets face it, comfortable clothes are the style of the day.

Today fell into the later category.  My kids got dressed for the day, me not so much.  I threw on one of my fun shirts and my yoga pants and called it good.  It was just that kind of a day.  My middle child, and oldest of my girls, asked me at one point to paint her toe nails.  I told her I'd think on it.  I'll admit, doing the girly things like painting nails isn't my strong suit.  It is something I struggle with and my daughters both love the more girly side to life.  So it takes some building up of courage to take the time to paint their nails.  And you know what, they loved it.  They thought it was the best thing ever to just sit with me and have me do their nails.  Each choose a different color and considering that the younger one is 3 I was impressed she even sat still long enough for me to do her nails, but also sit long enough for them to dry.

I'm not exactly the best mom, but my kids love me and love when we have these little moments like this.