Follow the Spirit....It blesses.

I wanted to share my experiance with visiting teaching in November.

I have been going through a hard time with my assignment lately, it all started when I was called to the Primary.
I began to feel a little distant and un attached to Relief Society not to mention really struggling with some personal trial and issues in my life.
I really let my assignment slide.
After a talk with my Relief Society President, I was one, called to repentance, and then two, challenged to step it up.
I was asked to pray about my sisters and really take part in the ministry of Christ.

So after a long heartfelt conversation with my Relief Society President, I had a strong desire to follow her counsel
I went home and prayed and thought and prayed about my sisters.

One sister's husband was deployed for a year and so she was carrying a heavy load with two little girls.
Being a single mom day in and day out is a hard job.

My life is busy and crazy too, but I got to thinking what, oh what could I do to ease her burden.
I began to reflect on the time my husband traveled everyother week for a year at last job.
The thing that I needed the most was a break once in awhile, I felt like this is something that this sister would never ask for.
The spirit told me to make her a meal. I acted on it.
I called her and I told her to tell me the time and day. I also said she didn't have a choice, it was comming that week.

So I took her a meal on a Tuesday night, I must add it was a hard week for me and my pocket book, extra food really was a sacrifice, but I promised and I knew that was what I needed to do.

A few weeks later I got my dishes back with a note.
The note expressed gratitude to me for following the spirit.
It turns out that day was a hard one for her too. She needed to go to the store for groceries but instead ended up treating her daughter for pink eye and staying home taking care of her all day. She was overwhelmed that day, but she had comfort in knowing that dinner was comming and that she wouldn't have to worry about that. She was so grateful and I was glad I listened to the spirit.

I went to visit her in December and she and I cried together as we felt the spirit and sisterhood that visiting teaching provides.
I was blessed so much in my family as a result of following the spirit and knowing that he provides.
I know that my calling as a visiting teacher is a direct ministry of Christ because He can't be in every sisters home. We are indeed His hands.

THE STORM.....

We have all heard it said; "when it rains it pours." It seems that statement has some truth to it in our home this weekend. We got a storm this weekend!
My little Nori had strep, so I went into the doctor on Saturday with the intent to get a Strep Culture and a perscription in hand. Instead, Nori was admitted immediatly into the Hospital due to an abcess they suspected in the back of her throat.
I couldn't even go home and get packed for the event. Not only were we admitted I was told to expect to stay over night then possibly, until Monday. 
I was shocked and surprised. Alas, we were there to stay.

She was simply miserable. She didn't cry at all though. But you could tell she was not feeling well. She was also a very frightened and overwhelmed. They mentioned that if she doesn't respond quickly to treatment she would possibly have to have surgery to drian the abcess.
And due to the location of it it would be more invasive then the normal procedure and would require an insicion under her ear in the jaw line.

We were very blessed that she responded to the antibiotics very well, we did have to stay from Saturday afternoon until until late Monday. So it was a long stay. They suggested many times that she may need to stay until Tuesday morning. By Sunday night though she was up and wandering around the room and the Hospital as happy as a lark until she had to have her blood drawn or until the Motrin wore off. Monday afternoon Santa came to see her, and she was just glowing! 

No surgery needed!

Although, it was a rather tiresome and stressful ordeal something great happened.
I got to spend nearly 3 days alone with my little girl  almost uninterupted. Something that she needed. Being the middle of three she is often the quietest and the least demanding, and therefore often gets the least amount of attention. (This did, however, cause Madi a great deal of jealousy! But she will get over it.)

To really top off our experiance and stress, there was yet one more thing that happened to the Palmers.
Brian got a flat tire at the hospital, and we ended up having to take care of that. While dealing with two kids and one in the hospital. AND on a Sunday. So two new tires, a hospital stay and a very broken budget later, we are home, recovering from lack of sleep and getting much better.

I am hoping to get the sleep I need and get feeling better. AS I was on the mend from a cold before this all happened, it just tore my immune system back down and I am still fighting a cold. I think a few more days of rest and getting the stress behind me ought to take care of it all.

Two months! Too many...updates are in!!

These last two months have been really fun!

Starting with the most current to as far back as Oct. 1st

We had our first real snow on Nov. 21st. My girls rushed out with dad and played in the snow and built snowmen. Owen went out with them to but couldn't keep his gloves on so he was much quicker to give in then the others. I stayed inside and made a warm breakfast with some hot chocolate. It was fun morning. 

Then Something AMAZING HAPPENED! Well, amazing to our girls! We got a dog!

This time for keeps. He is a pure bred Maltese, doesn't shed and is totally potty trained.

He rings a bell to go potty, how great is that? He is three years old and his name is Einstein.

He really should be named Shadow, he follows ME everywhere! He really is a good dog!

HALLOWEEN HAPPENED HERE TOO!

Madi was a Cow Girl, Nori a witch and Owen a Chubby Three-eyed monster!

It is always so fun for them!

 

Finally on October 2nd  Madi turned 7!!!!

She had her Birthday Party at the Vintage Cupcake Company! A cute place here in Ogden where they get together and frost cupcakes and have a great time It was a fun fun fun day for them all!!!!

Happy Birthday Madi!!!

Here is a picture of Owen and Little Ella! Doesn't he look thrilled!

MY NEW BLOG! (As if I don't have enough to do!)

I just added a new blog: THEN SINGS MY SOUL.
http://latterdaymusic.blogspot.com/
This blog is about the music that inspires us all
as latter-day saints. Feel free to read my first post.
I am hoping to add a new song each Monday.
Make comments and suggest things that you'd like to see. I am hoping to really grow my testimony through Music in this way. Come and Join me and we can be inspired together.

You can follow that up with a talk from my Cousin's Blog
http://www.talkoftheweek.blogspot.com/
Which is posted every Thursday.

Imagine the Spirit you can feel through out the week.
Sunday is just one day of the week, there are 6 more days....that we all need to live closer to the Savior.

Journey to health: Physical and Financial

My story

Why I joined INTERNET CEO MOMS.
http://internetceomoms.com/love2behome (that is my personal site.)

About a year ago I contacted this company and decided not to do this. I am a skeptic. I really didn't study it out and I was very quick to judge and didn't consider it again, until now.

The change happened to me when Brian changed his job and though his income went up so did our expenses. We finally had to get a van so now we have payments and insurance payments too.
Brian is now traveling 60 miles each way to work. So the price of gas and maintenance went up as well.

We really want to sell our house and get a new one closer to his work, but we have nothing saved to do so. (Besides we would have to pay $8,000 from our home buyer tax credit, if we move before 2012.) So now we are saving every penny we can and living more frugally then ever. We can pay our bills and make ends meet but we cut our fun money and put it into savings and that is minimal at best and it will take a while to get a nice down payment on what we are saving now.

So I started looking again for someway to make money and still be a Mom in my home, and save faster.
Teach preschool, do child care, really thinking and praying.
Then something else happened during that time.
I was having major breakouts on my face...I've been having them a lot lately. COME ON I am a 34 year old woman, zits are supposed to be gone, right? I had tried all different kinds of cleansers, with little sometimes no improvement.

While on a trip to Park City I stopped at a store that carried organic (I am not a real organic shopper) facial cleansers. I bought a container of a facial scrub and my face cleared up in a matter of days, and I haven't had a problem since. I was amazed! THE LIGHT BULB TURNED ON! If this one change can make a differance what other things might I be able to change?
I have also been getting sick constantly, tired all the time and I really needed to make a change toward better health.
I haven't been taking care of myself and it was time to start.

So, I remembered the company that I had looked at earlier and requested more information again.

Internet Ceo Moms is partnered with a wellness store called Melaleuca.
http://www.melaleuca.com/ps -contact me to sign up

The team members of CEO Moms sign people up to shop at the Melaleuca for the wholesale price.

They don't' sell anything, host parties or buy inventory. They use the product they buy for themselves.

Melaleuca sells everyday products that we use already, but every thing focuses on health.
The products are safe for you in every way. They are effective and the vitamins are a better quality then any over the counter vitamins out there.

So the idea is that you switch stores, and buy products that you need anyway from Melaleuca.
Kinda like joining Sam's club or Costco (in a way).

I wanted to start living healthier, so I wanted to try the vitamins and that is where I am now.

Being on the Team for Internet CEO Moms is a way for me to work from home, gain health and bring in a little extra money. I don't sell the product, I use the product. So far I like it.

THIS BEGINS MY JOURNEY TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS. Physically and Financially.

New and Not So New, News

A lot has changed since my last post.

I am not good at keeping up with it.

What is my excuse? I don't know, I have none.

To start with: BRIAN, NEW JOB (AGAIN)= NEW CAR!

Brian has gotten even another job.

As I had mentioned in my last post that he found another Job and it was a cut in pay.

He was unsatisfied with a cut in pay and continued to look for a job and found a new job.

The UP sides are: it pay significantly more then even working at Flying J.

It is a very good company that does software for background checks, Called TazWorks.

The company is growing constantly. He originally applied as a Support Engineer, fancy for technical support, which is what he has been doing for the last 2 years. He was a good fit, then it was discussed that they needed a Software Engineer, also fancy for computer developer, they asked if Brian was interested in a challenge. He has been wanting for a while to get back into development, the pay is usually higher and job outlook much better. So this was a good move for Brian. He is so happy there. The people that he works with are stellar and are patient as Brian is learning the new technology, as there is in every computer computer a new language to learn.

The DOWN sides: He now has to commute to work, 60 miles there and 60 miles back.

It takes him an hour each way. So the extra money goes into gas, and another vehicle....we needed it anyway. But the future of this job and experience is well worth the sacrifice.

Over all it has been a good change, he has gotten use to the commute.

We would like to move as soon as we can...but with the home buyers Tax credit we need to stay here for another year and a half or we will have to payback $8,000. YIKES!

We needed another car, so we got a 2008 Kia Sedona Mini-van. It has been so nice.

For that last 2 years we have been squeezing 3 kids into a little Toyota Corolla, it was getting very crowded.

NORI STARTED PRESCHOOL!

This was a hard day for me.

I kept My little Eleanor home with me last year instead of sending her to preschool.

That was my way of keeping her little for one more year.

But despite my best efforts of depriving her of sleep and healthy food, she has continued to grow.(Okay, I didn't do that!) Do think that would have worked?

I asked her that one day. Her response: "Then I wouldn't be very healthy and I would be very grumpy" So smart!
I had to let my Nori go! She has loved going to school.

It is a big step for her. She has watched Madi go to School for the last year and has really wanted to go, now she is.

I do miss her everyday, she is really only gone for 2 hours Monday through Thursday. But hey she is the sweetest kid I have met and she is a light in my life.

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH MADI!

Madi has moved to a new school. She has been reading Chapter books for the last year and has loved reading so much that she was reading WAY above grade level. She was invited to test into an Accelerated Learning Academy. She tested in and was accepted. We then had a choice to make.

I would have to drive her everyday, there isn't a bus for the ALA kids. She would have to leave the school that she loved and new. In the process of our decision I never thought to ask her what she wanted to do. So when I finally did. Her response "I could make even more friends, and I even get to learn Spanish, I'd like to try it." Wow, so mature. So it was decided. She is now a Timber wolf and loves her new school and is doing very well.

She will be turning 7 tomorrow and is so quick and smart.

It is a little scary.

But she is such a wonderful little girl, she is so kind and loving to everyone.

And her testimony of the Gospel is just growing so much. What an amazing kid!

OWEN IS HOME WITH ME!

Well, Now it is just me and Owen in the mornings with out the Girls.

I guess I never realized how much help that the Girls are with Owen. He has has someone to entertain him since he was born. Now it is up to me.

I love having the time with him and there is a few minutes of quiet.

But now I have to plan my showers for when he is in bed or before the Girls leave to school.He loves cuddling and wants to be held constantly. I'll stop and do it though, because I have learned that he too will grow, and those moments will fade away.

ME THE MOM

I am just trying to learn how to fit it all in.

Car-pooling kids to and from school. And keeping up with the house.

I did just finish our Primary Program, I am the Primary Chorister.

And it went VERY WELL!

This has been a challenging calling for me.

Not the music and the kids, but I have to say that I haven't felt a very supportive role from the Primary Presidency, and that has really made it hard for me.

So I have to pray for strength every Sunday to do my job.

And I have felt him strengthen me as I have prepared and taught each week.

I thank my Heavenly Father everyday when I pray for the family that I have.

The blessings that I have received.

I Ask Him everyday to help me guide my children in the right ways.

To help me give them the understanding of their worth as a Child of God.

My two Little Princesses and a Prince, after all they are Children of A King.

I hope that this lesson will give the the courage to always choose the right!

At long last, I have come back!

The Palmer's have not fallen off the planet.
I have returned to the blogging scene.

These months have been months of celebration and choices.
We do have to say GOOD BYE to Flying J! And Hello new Job!

About a month after we moved into our new house, Flying J declared bankruptcy.
We were unsure for all of these months about the security of Brian's job.
So we hunted and searched, and searched and hunted.
We were able to get a job for Brian only ONE mile from home.
We are so relieved.
Brian is working now for .....Software as a tester and developer.
They design the software used at collection agencies, and they stated to Brian that they have NOT seen any bit of the recession in their company. We hope this is true.
We are grateful to have a new job close to home.
We had to take a cut in pay, But we will be okay, it is better then a cut job. Especially with so many lay-offs in other places. The choice to get another job wasn't easy, he really looked very hard at going back to school and getting a new degree in Nursing. Random, I know.
But he wanted to get something more secure with a greater earning potential. Reluctantly, I was behind him. I would do what it would take to make him happy and help us in the future.
In our investigation we kept running into trouble with deadlines and other things. The biggest wall that we hit was the MONEY. We would have to find a way to make it 3 years with little or no income. We have done it before, this would be different. We now have more obligations.
Finding a lender provided nearly impossible, we even looked at the Navy, the Air force and the Army. Alas, some would not return calls and the age cut off was an issue for others.
When it came down to it though, we wouldn't want to be in the military at all.
For all that do it, I applaud you greatly. I don't think it is the life we want.
So, as the last door closed in exploring all of our options, Brian received an acceptable offer for this new job. We are so grateful! The process of finding this job proved to be flawless. Something that happens to us when things are JUST THE RIGHT THING!
I am not sure how it happens to you but when things are right they just seem to fall on our laps.

Brian is ending his vacation and begin his new job tomorrow.
He is excited and anxious and is looking forward to not having to travel anymore.
The kids and I are happy that he will be here with us now.

Madi had here last day of school and Brian walked with her to take pictures. She loved school and was at the top of her class. She was accepted to an accelerated learning center here. So I will be taking her to school from now on. No more bus. She says that is okay because the bus is TOO LOUD anyway! I think she will really like learning all that they will offer.
She loved school and did well, but I think that she needs more of a challenge as she has been knocking out chapter books like mad.

She really misses school, but it is nice to have her home.
Nori loves seeing her all day, and playing with her.
Owen stays busy with her too. That really helps me.
I love my Madi!


June 1st, marked My little Eleanor's birthday.
She is four.
For her birthday she wanted a "Funny Four" party.
So they wore their clothes backwards and inside out.
She was able to have four friends and they played some crazy games.



Here they created marshmallow creatures and towers or shapes out of toothpicks and marshmallows.


Here we played pin the NOSE ON NORI, That was a fun thing to watch.

HERE IS HER DIRT CAKE!
She really wanted to have jokes at her party,
so what better way then a cake that looks l
like a scoop of dirt with rocks, worms and bugs.
I don't think anyone dared eat it right away.

They also had Jello in a cup....they were told it was kool-aid.
They got a big surprise when they could not drink it.
I think they had a great time.

I just can't believe she is FOUR....noooooo! She is my Nori Baby.
I don't want her to grow up.

Owen had his birthday on June 8th. HE IS TWO AND IS HE EVER!

He is the busiest little kid I have ever seen. He is talking, climbing, yelling, singing, dancing and always getting into something.
He loves to cuddle under a blanket and read books. He is an avid fan of hats of all kinds.

Here he is sporting a fabulous Strawberry Plant bucket.
The latest fashion at the Palmer home.
We may make our millions with this one.

With as busy as he is I have to put it to good use.
Here he is cleaning the chairs.
I know this is child labor and it is illegal---don't report me.
Notice the cute hello kitty apron, also a favorite fashion item.
He now owns a more masculine one with cars on it, so no worries there.
Despite all his activities and how he wears me out I love watching him grow and learn.
He is my Owen Boo!

NOTES OF INTEREST:

Life has been full, and has really thrown some things at us.

Owen has been diagnosed with breath-holding attacks. These are scary episodes where he stops breathing, passes out and has seizures, when he is scared or hurt, which is often, the episodes don't happen every time though, they are really random. After a few trips to the ER, we have an answer and we now know what to do when he has them.

It is still a scary thing to see, and I still get an adrenaline rush every time, but we are getting better at handling the situation. Which makes him calm and his episodes are less severe.

He is supposed to out grow it by the time he is 6 or at the latest 8 years old.