We all know that we are still in a tough economy and our families still struggle to provide. Today I wanted to put together some helpful information to share with all of my friends as we all prepare for the holidays. Personally, I didn't know about these resources till a friend told a friend who told a friend who told me. So I guess now its my turn to pass this information to you! :)
First is COMMUNITY FOOD CO-OP OF UTAH https://foodco-op.net/
**** IMPORTANT **** This is a monthly order program and the last day to order for November is tomorrow Friday, November 5, 2010
- The best thing about this program is the only thing you need to qualify is to eat! How hard is that?? Of course they ask for whatever donations you can provide since they are a non profit and occasionally they will also request that you volunteer to help/support the program too but that's not too hard either and there are plenty of opportunities! This is a monthly program where you can order as you need and the quality of food is just as fresh and sometimes more fresh than the grocery store. For more info check out their web page https://foodco-op.net/
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Next - HEAT through Commuity Action Program - Please go to http://www.communityactionprovo.org/pdf/HEAT%20Brochure.pdf to see the flyer. This flyer has income limits and additional information on telephone assistance programs and other info that may be needed. Now if you qualify income wise they will assist you with a portion of your power and or gas bill. Check and see if your eligible. You just might be! If so - I suggest that you call and make an appointment. We all can use just a little bit of help!
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Health Insurance
We all need access to health insurance and I know - its SUPER expensive. However it costs twice as much when the kids fall and break something - which is what happened to me a couple of years ago when I was without insurance for 2 months. ICK! So here is some GREAT NEWS! There are 2 programs that have special enrollment periods PCN (Primary Care Network) and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) There are income limits for both of these programs.
- PCN will open enrollment for all adults November 8-22, 2010. If you are uninsured and age 19-64, you may qualify for PCN. Please go to http://health.utah.gov/pcn/ for more information.
- CHIP has continuous open enrollment right now. Please view information at http://health.utah.gov/chip/
Both of these are great programs for those who don't have health insurance. You also can always apply for medicaid and or food stamps at https://utahhelps.utah.gov/ more information at http://jobs.utah.gov/
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With Christmas quickly approaching 211 and the United Way both have several programs for holiday help for families in need here are the web pages you can go to and find additional information. www.unitedwayuc.org/find_help/211.htm or http://www.211ut.org/
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I hope these resources with be helpful to families with the tough economy and the holiday's fast approaching. God Bless
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
All About Alexys
Alexys is my beautiful daughter. She was born December 18th of 1997 which means she is almost 13 years old. Scary! She has been one of the greatest joys of my life and also the biggest pain possible. I think the later is just because she is just as head strong as her mother.
Alexys' favorite color is baby blue. She loves to dance, sing and cheer her heart out. She is so bright, cheerful and so much fun! She is so outgoing and has an amazing personality and is simply unmistakable. I could sit here and go on and on about the amazing person she has become. I am so proud of her lately that I could burst!
I just got Alexys' report card last week - was absolutely tickled pink! She earned 6 A's and 2 B's!!!!! She has a full plate however hardly complains about school. She always stays on top of her school work and usually uses her free time at school to make sure all of her homework is done before she gets home. It amazes me the amount of responsibility she has learned and applies to her daily life. She really has done well with problem-solving when she has issues and sadly for me never really needs my help.
Funny - OK more so interesting story - Alexys was struggling with the FISH Concept in her Pre-Algebra class. She asked me about it... I asked to see her book. Well come to find out Vista has decided not to use Math Books this year. (me) WHAT?!?!?! So I called the school and they confirmed that the lessons are explained in class and if the child misses a class they must set up a time to have the instruction after class or they must use their flex time to get help. Again - I was a little frustrated. I loved math and received straight A's in all of my math classes including college courses however without a book to know what the heck she was talking about... I was totally at a loss. Now - Alexys could have given up - she could have waited to figure it out in class the next day.... BUT - Alexys took control of the situation and wasn't going to let my memory relapse get her down and called around until she found a close neighbor who was also taking the same Pre-Algebra class and asked for some tutoring assistance. I was so stinking proud of her! She totally found a solution to the problem and didn't let it get her down. AND she was able to figure out the concept that she needed and aced her test too!
Parents always go on and on about all of the good - there is also challenges in any and all parent child relationships. Alexys and I butt heads ALL the time. For 7 years I was a single parent; working full-time and attending college 3/4 time taking lots of online classes so that I was at least home and not away. Alexys has never had a problem standing up and being in charge - and when she was little we had several challenges with her brother. Alexys has always been glad to help - however as she has gotten older the mini mommy thing has gotten old and she can be pretty mean and bossy to her brother. But with all of the negativity there is always greener grass on the other side.
Alexys is amazingly domesticated. She can cook just about anything as long as she has a recipe or clear instructions. She usually even cleans the pans when she is done (she has passed all of the other dishes on to her younger brother!) She can bake just about anything - except for pie crusts (we both gave up one day after trying 4 different times.) Honestly - I don't know if there is anything she can't do. Cooking, cleaning, laundry - she even irons! - I don't even do that!
Babysitting - Oh my heck she is such a good sitter! A couple of friends and a neighbor have had Alexys babysit. They all rave about how much they love her. Apparently she feeds, baths, tucks in and reads to the kids and they are in bed and the house is clean before the parents arrive home. I want a day of this for me!! LOL Its funny - when she is babysitting later at night I worry and like to check in on her often. It is so stinking cute - okay it wasn't the first time - but when I call she sends my call straight to voicemail. Then she texts me that she is putting the kids down and she will call me when she is available. (Me) What?!? I am your mom! (Her) Mom, I am working and will call you when I am not busy. Later she calls and she is whispering.... (me) is everything okay? (her) mom, I don't like to use my phone unless its the parents - everything is fine. I will call you if I need something. Again - I am so not needed because she thinks she is all grown up! So just because I thought she was on her phone and just being a peel - checked her phone records online.... no incoming or outgoing texts or calls except from me.... Hmmmm She so does take her job seriously! I so appreciate that and think that the parents she babysits for probably do to. She totally makes the kids a priority - which she totally should - but this just makes me that much more proud of a momma. I am so blessed to have such an amazing kids. Such a good kid - what in the world to do with her.
Okay - enough about Alexys for tonight...maybe tomorrow can be about Chandler.
Alexys' favorite color is baby blue. She loves to dance, sing and cheer her heart out. She is so bright, cheerful and so much fun! She is so outgoing and has an amazing personality and is simply unmistakable. I could sit here and go on and on about the amazing person she has become. I am so proud of her lately that I could burst!
I just got Alexys' report card last week - was absolutely tickled pink! She earned 6 A's and 2 B's!!!!! She has a full plate however hardly complains about school. She always stays on top of her school work and usually uses her free time at school to make sure all of her homework is done before she gets home. It amazes me the amount of responsibility she has learned and applies to her daily life. She really has done well with problem-solving when she has issues and sadly for me never really needs my help.
Funny - OK more so interesting story - Alexys was struggling with the FISH Concept in her Pre-Algebra class. She asked me about it... I asked to see her book. Well come to find out Vista has decided not to use Math Books this year. (me) WHAT?!?!?! So I called the school and they confirmed that the lessons are explained in class and if the child misses a class they must set up a time to have the instruction after class or they must use their flex time to get help. Again - I was a little frustrated. I loved math and received straight A's in all of my math classes including college courses however without a book to know what the heck she was talking about... I was totally at a loss. Now - Alexys could have given up - she could have waited to figure it out in class the next day.... BUT - Alexys took control of the situation and wasn't going to let my memory relapse get her down and called around until she found a close neighbor who was also taking the same Pre-Algebra class and asked for some tutoring assistance. I was so stinking proud of her! She totally found a solution to the problem and didn't let it get her down. AND she was able to figure out the concept that she needed and aced her test too!
Parents always go on and on about all of the good - there is also challenges in any and all parent child relationships. Alexys and I butt heads ALL the time. For 7 years I was a single parent; working full-time and attending college 3/4 time taking lots of online classes so that I was at least home and not away. Alexys has never had a problem standing up and being in charge - and when she was little we had several challenges with her brother. Alexys has always been glad to help - however as she has gotten older the mini mommy thing has gotten old and she can be pretty mean and bossy to her brother. But with all of the negativity there is always greener grass on the other side.
Alexys is amazingly domesticated. She can cook just about anything as long as she has a recipe or clear instructions. She usually even cleans the pans when she is done (she has passed all of the other dishes on to her younger brother!) She can bake just about anything - except for pie crusts (we both gave up one day after trying 4 different times.) Honestly - I don't know if there is anything she can't do. Cooking, cleaning, laundry - she even irons! - I don't even do that!
Babysitting - Oh my heck she is such a good sitter! A couple of friends and a neighbor have had Alexys babysit. They all rave about how much they love her. Apparently she feeds, baths, tucks in and reads to the kids and they are in bed and the house is clean before the parents arrive home. I want a day of this for me!! LOL Its funny - when she is babysitting later at night I worry and like to check in on her often. It is so stinking cute - okay it wasn't the first time - but when I call she sends my call straight to voicemail. Then she texts me that she is putting the kids down and she will call me when she is available. (Me) What?!? I am your mom! (Her) Mom, I am working and will call you when I am not busy. Later she calls and she is whispering.... (me) is everything okay? (her) mom, I don't like to use my phone unless its the parents - everything is fine. I will call you if I need something. Again - I am so not needed because she thinks she is all grown up! So just because I thought she was on her phone and just being a peel - checked her phone records online.... no incoming or outgoing texts or calls except from me.... Hmmmm She so does take her job seriously! I so appreciate that and think that the parents she babysits for probably do to. She totally makes the kids a priority - which she totally should - but this just makes me that much more proud of a momma. I am so blessed to have such an amazing kids. Such a good kid - what in the world to do with her.
Okay - enough about Alexys for tonight...maybe tomorrow can be about Chandler.
Monday, November 1, 2010
All about Paul
So my husband has an amazing job working for a construction management company. He does a lot of high tech projects and has recently been adding broadband projects to his list.
On New Year's Day we as a family packed up my husband and the 5th wheel travel trailer so that Paul could start his traveling work adventures. He drove far too many hours and decided that Portland, Oregon was not a great place to try and drive a travel trailer around during rush hour traffic. LOL He settled in Wilsonville, Oregon at a really nice RV Resort which was about 30 minutes or so from his job site in Hillsboro, Oregon. Just a couple of weeks later Paul came home for this first home visit - Alexys was devastated without her daddy so he took her back with him. The two of them lived as happy as could be in the trailer from January through June. We decided that it would be best to have her home for the summer (which ended up being permanent :)
We all had some amazing travels throughout the Spring and Summer back and forth from Oregon to Utah. In September Paul was moved to a different job site in Bend, Oregon - still not close enough to home for me :) I keep telling him that he has become such a super star that they are never going to let him leave Oregon.
Paul is going on month 11 of working away from home. It is never easy and we all miss each other like crazy!! We are hoping that sometime this Spring the company he works for will have opportunities to do a couple of jobs here in Salt Lake or in Lehi, Utah. All We can do is hope and pray for the best cause it would sure be nice to all be under one roof for more than a couple of weekends a year.
Paul enjoys playing his bass - he can listen to just about any song then just start playing right along. It is so amazing. He is also an amazing cook. In our home - when he is home - Paul is the cook. He can cook anything and everything. Some of our favorites are: One Pan Breakfast (potatoes, onions, bacon, sausage, peppers, garlic and anything else he can find to throw in there); Fajitas, Salmon, Halibut (I miss him cooking the fish!); He also makes some yummy hot butter rum. Paul can make a meal out of just about anything - its great! He also enjoys archery, hunting, shooting, riding ATVs, hanging out with the family and supporting his children. Paul is also good at building anything and everything - he can build from the ground up and has very patiently taught me how to do alot which with him gone I really appreciate.
So I know this is totally scattered but that is the best part of this being my blog! I can write whatever - however I want!
So Paul and I met online January 2006 and decided to meet in person in February 2006. We have simply been together since. He is so understanding and such an amazing person to have been able to walk into the mess of a family that I had at the time and totally take the kids in as his own. He has taught both of them so much and has helped teach and mold them into the wonderful kids that they are! In February 2007 I became impatient and right about our 1 year dating anniversary we went to this concert in Nephi, Utah... I remember we were sitting there on the balcony waiting for the band to start and I was thinking ... I thought for sure he was going to propose during our romantic dinner or at some other point during the night and was a little disappointed that he hadn't yet. So.... I DID! And thankfully he said 'YES'!!
June 2007 - Paul and I married in Richland, Oregon on his Father's Ranch. I couldn't have thought of a more perfect place however it really would have been nicer being an outdoor wedding without all of the wind. Anyhow - pretty funny that I am ending this post of my sweet hubby with the beginning of us. I miss him like crazy and sure hope that his job will soon bring him back home for a while. Well that's enough for tonight - maybe tomorrow I will write about one of the kids.... hmmm....
On New Year's Day we as a family packed up my husband and the 5th wheel travel trailer so that Paul could start his traveling work adventures. He drove far too many hours and decided that Portland, Oregon was not a great place to try and drive a travel trailer around during rush hour traffic. LOL He settled in Wilsonville, Oregon at a really nice RV Resort which was about 30 minutes or so from his job site in Hillsboro, Oregon. Just a couple of weeks later Paul came home for this first home visit - Alexys was devastated without her daddy so he took her back with him. The two of them lived as happy as could be in the trailer from January through June. We decided that it would be best to have her home for the summer (which ended up being permanent :)
We all had some amazing travels throughout the Spring and Summer back and forth from Oregon to Utah. In September Paul was moved to a different job site in Bend, Oregon - still not close enough to home for me :) I keep telling him that he has become such a super star that they are never going to let him leave Oregon.
Paul is going on month 11 of working away from home. It is never easy and we all miss each other like crazy!! We are hoping that sometime this Spring the company he works for will have opportunities to do a couple of jobs here in Salt Lake or in Lehi, Utah. All We can do is hope and pray for the best cause it would sure be nice to all be under one roof for more than a couple of weekends a year.
Paul enjoys playing his bass - he can listen to just about any song then just start playing right along. It is so amazing. He is also an amazing cook. In our home - when he is home - Paul is the cook. He can cook anything and everything. Some of our favorites are: One Pan Breakfast (potatoes, onions, bacon, sausage, peppers, garlic and anything else he can find to throw in there); Fajitas, Salmon, Halibut (I miss him cooking the fish!); He also makes some yummy hot butter rum. Paul can make a meal out of just about anything - its great! He also enjoys archery, hunting, shooting, riding ATVs, hanging out with the family and supporting his children. Paul is also good at building anything and everything - he can build from the ground up and has very patiently taught me how to do alot which with him gone I really appreciate.
So I know this is totally scattered but that is the best part of this being my blog! I can write whatever - however I want!
So Paul and I met online January 2006 and decided to meet in person in February 2006. We have simply been together since. He is so understanding and such an amazing person to have been able to walk into the mess of a family that I had at the time and totally take the kids in as his own. He has taught both of them so much and has helped teach and mold them into the wonderful kids that they are! In February 2007 I became impatient and right about our 1 year dating anniversary we went to this concert in Nephi, Utah... I remember we were sitting there on the balcony waiting for the band to start and I was thinking ... I thought for sure he was going to propose during our romantic dinner or at some other point during the night and was a little disappointed that he hadn't yet. So.... I DID! And thankfully he said 'YES'!!
June 2007 - Paul and I married in Richland, Oregon on his Father's Ranch. I couldn't have thought of a more perfect place however it really would have been nicer being an outdoor wedding without all of the wind. Anyhow - pretty funny that I am ending this post of my sweet hubby with the beginning of us. I miss him like crazy and sure hope that his job will soon bring him back home for a while. Well that's enough for tonight - maybe tomorrow I will write about one of the kids.... hmmm....
State of Utah Jobs
Many friends and family members have asked how to find out what positions are available with the State of Utah. I always say that I will email or forward them the information. Okay - so here is the honesty - I forget! All the time!!! I honestly and truly am trying to be helpful when I tell people that there is an online job board that lists all of the State of Utah's jobs and that you can search by agency or position - I really mean to follow up but don't all of the time. Love me anyway!
You can go to https://jobs.utah.gov/ to search jobs with the state. You do have to create an account to submit for jobs and want to be sure you have an electronic version of your resume. Be prepared to copy and paste because some jobs ask questions regarding your work history but don't want the full resume online.... others want you to copy and past or use the resume tool to submit your information. Best of luck in your job searches!!!
You can go to https://jobs.utah.gov/ to search jobs with the state. You do have to create an account to submit for jobs and want to be sure you have an electronic version of your resume. Be prepared to copy and paste because some jobs ask questions regarding your work history but don't want the full resume online.... others want you to copy and past or use the resume tool to submit your information. Best of luck in your job searches!!!
Masks
At church on Sunday the pastor at the church I recently started attending was discussing masks. He point out that when you go to the store or interact with friends, family, neighbors or strangers that people automatically respond to questions without really being honest.
When someone asks how I am I give the standard response that I am fine, great or okay. In reality I am so not any of those things. I am stressed, irritated and just simply trying to get by. It is amazing how good it feels to just be honest! Not that I was previously being deceptive but its amazing how much we try to sugar coat or hide pieces of our lives.
When someone asks how I am I give the standard response that I am fine, great or okay. In reality I am so not any of those things. I am stressed, irritated and just simply trying to get by. It is amazing how good it feels to just be honest! Not that I was previously being deceptive but its amazing how much we try to sugar coat or hide pieces of our lives.
Updates
Okay so I am a horrible blogger - Just realized its been a couple of years.... I am going to try really hard to blog one or two times a month... We will see.
There are so many changes in our home and with all of our family. I will post again soon and post all the new scoop.
There are so many changes in our home and with all of our family. I will post again soon and post all the new scoop.
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