My Journal

 I really am enjoying doing the consumer math with the highschoolers and then doing a little of the pre-algebra on the side. I got home after and had all afternoon to get things done around the house. I got laundry in, cleaned out the fridge and freezer, sat down and went over Benson's website for the bunnies, and sent in bishop orders. The girls went through their clothes all on their own so I just had to figure out what I should actually get rid of. I also chopped up a bunch of veggies for the freezer and made a nice dinner, and got dinner ready for another night as well as got it all set up for tomorrow nights dinner. I went to possibly go with the youth to the Fort Worth temple but they had enough drivers, so I got to go home and bath the girls and read to the kids. It was a very nice day!

 We are getting in a good rhythm at school. I am starting to get homework ready one or even two weeks out. It just feels nice to know what level everyone is at and to have a good routine set up. After school Calvin's track was early which made it easy to make it home for my piano lessons. So many little tender mercies.

 Today was a great day. I felt very blessed in many ways. 1st in seminary we found this choose your own adventure lesson for Daniel, it was perfect. The kids enjoyed it and it covered the material well.  School went well. I then went home and did Roslyn and Maebryn's lessons and then had time to get ready to go to our concert. I normally have a piano lesson but they canceled. It was a huge blessing because it ended up taking me much more time to get ready to go then I thought. We got everything together and then I was suppose to pick up Abbie but driving with the keyboard was slow going and I knew I would be later then I wanted to be so I had Alden go pick her up. People were there to help me move the keyboard, the practice went well, the performance went well and it was so nice to be all done. A good amount of people were there so I thought that was good. I wasn't overly stressed and it all just went so smoothly. I felt very blessed through it all. Michael's phone has all ...

 After last week that felt like I had lots of time on Sunday, today went by really quickly. We slept in, then did a quick Come Follow Me and I left for Ward Council. Church was great. It was especially great not to have to teach in Relief Society. I just attended things today and then I decided to just go home. Frances has been doing temple prep so I have often stayed to be there for that but I knew Alden and Calvin would be leaving in an hour so we had a short time home together so I just went home. At home we had a little snack/ lunch together as a family and then everyone went their different ways, the older two to youth choir practice, Michael took Benson and Evan to his ministering families and I took the girls to deliver birthday things to people in Relief Society. When we got home we had pizza that Michael had made. It was great! Full day but a good one.

 Michael and I went to the temple in the morning. We came home, went shopping, laid down for a few moments and then started on the basketball hoop. Michael dug while I went and took a couple of trips to get bags of cement at Lowes. In the afternoon I took the younger kids to basketball. Michael helped Calvin with Spanish and finished off laying the cement for the basketball hoop. We came home to a nice dinner of chicken and french fries.

 Friday's really are quite low key. I like that I can sleep in and exercise not worrying as much about how long it takes also when reading my scriptures. Even though I completely forgot to prepare for seminary like I often do or will. Maebryn was the only one who came with me, I did homework hub, then violin, and last a math class which was really playing games. I will work on it to make it more productive in the future.  I left right after to go to the temple to do baptisms. Frances got to take her two brothers, her sister and her husband so that was really neat. After the temple I was suppose to go help with parking with Michael but I knew I'd be late so I had Michael just go and then I ended up going with the kids to see the temple. It is beautiful. I really love the colors and everything about it. It makes me want to make our own home more beautiful.  I also wanted to write about how many tender mercies I felt this evening. I walked into the chapel to see a few close ...

 At school it was election day. The Chambers made suckers that said vote for Benson and Benson did really well in the election. It was tie then there was someone that hadn't voted who voted for Benson and but then there was two that needed to vote and each voted for Gemma, making it where she won by one vote. I didn't vote as I just would feel funny if I made it where both of my son's won for president at the school.  After school we had a meeting to talk about a student with their parent and then I came home and took the girls to gymnastics and Calvin to track. I love seeing all they are learning at gymnastics. It makes me want to practice and learn as well.

 Today was a lovely day. Calvin was elected as president at school so that will be interesting and good. After school I don't do math tutoring anymore and I had one lesson drop so I have a whole window break from 1:00- 5:00. I am suppose to teach Benson and Evan during that time but lost track of the time today. We planted rye seed, I also planted some plants I have been needing to plant, then the basketball hoop came and we had to move it, ate dinner and then lessons and then the kids went to activities. It was a nice and full day.

 Today was a great day at school. It was a full day but was good. I got to teach one of the classes on Joseph in the Bible since one of the teachers was out. It was fun as we listened to a little bit of Joseph and the Amazing technicolor dream coat. Also one of the boys that is a little hard to deal with was moved out of Roslyn's class where he's much easier to manage so although I had an extra group, it was really nice to have that last group so laid back.  After school I hurried over to vote and then came back taught Molly, then hurried to get Calvin and Blake to track and then back home just in time to teach Aldrich and Adrian. Then had a nice relaxing evening. I have started to realized that I get to be home every evening and really don't have anything after 7pm. That really is a huge blessing. I need to stop thinking I am so busy and change my mindset. I really have all the time in the world. During lunch today Benson and Gemma did a debate. I was quite impressed with ...

 Today was a great day at school. The one student that I have one on one wasn't there so I had a whole period to get things done. It was really nice. I have a couple of the classes planned out almost a whole two weeks. I need to get there with everyone, but it is nice knowing all of the copies are made and ready. Orchestra had our last week of practice at our house! It is amazing knowing that I will have all of November and December with Monday afternoon's off. I have realized that orchestra really doesn't take too much effort on my part. It did for the first number of years but now it is very much routine. I'm not nearly as nervous about being at the college either. Picture of my two studious children after orchestra.

 It was a little different having fast Sunday right after Halloween, we forgot to really start up in the evening after dinner, but we still had a good fast. It was a nice Sunday. I didn't have any meetings which was a little different. After church I went with Frances to try to visit some people but they all fell through. I came home and didn't have anything else in the afternoon, it was amazing. I did teach in RS but it was a very short lesson. I feel as though I am starting to get the hang of things a little bit. Maebryn came with me on the errands but fell asleep towards the end. She is my little buddy, going all of the places I go. I sure am blessed to have such a sweet little buddy to come along with me.

 All of this last week I have been getting over a cold, yesterday I got to sleep in and today I did as well. In the morning the girls and I went grocery shopping while the boys helped out with the bishop storehouse. I went to the end of the bishop storehouse and then we had time in the afternoon to get a few things done around the house. We all went trick or treating to our neighbors around 6pm and handed out the temple open house invites. In the evening we all watched Young Washington together. It was a nice evening. I was glad that we all had matching outfits but I did totally miss the boat on my traditional Halloween breakfast and dressing up. Michael made really yummy French toast though. When I realized that I forgot to dress up and scare everyone I put on a cat face and the girls joined me in doing so as well. This was across the street from the church, three coyotes hanging up.

 Friday school was canceled! I was sad that the little orchestra group didn't get to practice but I was so excited to have a full day off. Calvin was signed up to take the Alek test which really took most of the morning. We had to jump a number of hoops to take it so I don't think he would have been able to take it without me there. While he took it I went to the collaborative beauty school in Fort Worth to have my legs waxed. I always thought that getting them done professionally it would be better some how, I found out that's not true. I was there for almost 2 hours and my whole leg wasn't done, in the end she just had to do a few spots and call it good....I realized me doing it is just as good. Now I know. Also facials and all of that, you pay extra for a mask, I can do a mask at home...I don't need to go get beauty treatments I decided. Michael and I ended up helping Calvin on Spanish most of the evening. We did go out to wendy's for dinner though.  

 Dress up day at school. Our family dressed up in our Winnie the Pooh outfits. We had a fairly typical day in math which I think is good for them to know that it is routine. I am feeling good about where everyone is at. I feel like students are learning but at a healthy pace where I don't feel like I am pulling them. After school the girls went to gymnastics and Calvin to track. I went and got to watch/ wait at gymnastics where I was able to sit and read through seminary lessons and my lesson for RS on Sunday. It was a good day.

 Michael and I still aren't feeling great but I made it through the day just fine and I think I am starting to feel a little better...my voice doesn't sound so good though. After school had a hand full of lessons and listened to Alden play lots of beautiful music on the piano. I love it when he plays and I got to help the girls with their homework. Good full day.

 Michael and I both did not feel well which made for a rough morning but we both made it to seminary and through our lesson. One sad thing for me was Luis reached out saying that he can't come to seminary any more. I will try to reach out more this next week when we feel a little better to see if we can change his mind or if they need anything. School was a nice low key day. I started the Consumer math. I am really excited about it and think it will be really good for everyone. I will continue to teach algebraic principles as well so that they hopefully get both. In the evening we had our orchestra concert at the nursing home on Santa Fe . The kids all played really well. I thought it sounded good!

 Church was wonderful as always. It will take some getting used to conducting and starting relief society...I am sure it will be normal one day. I really feel like I have no idea what I am doing but that's what callings are all about, learning. It was ward conference so we met with the stake for just a bit after church. I didn't stay much longer after that but went home. It was nice to just have a few hours at home and then the girls and I went to a craft night at Lauren's mom's house. She is one of my piano students a mom with a girl about Roslyn's age. We learned about felting, a type of craft where you bind felt together doing different methods. I made a little candle and the girls each made something as well. It was a nice evening but I started to feel like I might be coming down with something by the end of it.

 In the morning was the stake relief society activity with classes and lunch. I really enjoyed the classes. I went to one on internet safety (mostly on keeping kids safe online), spoon theory, fall craft, quilting, and my own special class working on things in a side room on my own for a bit. It was a nice morning. I was home for just a few minutes and then took Benson and Evan to basketball. It is really nice that they are on the same team this year. We are hoping to get our basketball hoop soon, so that they can practice more. Michael did the first cyber security competition with the boys and I think that went well. It was a full but wonderful day.

 We woke up and made pancakes for Maebryn's birthday and then headed out to go to Friday school. Friday school went well. We left after lunch and then went to a few parks for Maebryn's birthday and I also went to deliver a couple of birthday things from the Relief Society. It was the perfect day to go to the park. Once home we did birthday dinner and cake so that we could go to the trunk or treat. We successfully pulled off dressing up as all of the characters from Winnie the Pooh.