Avery's L.A. Adventure- Take 1

       What started as an innocent advertisement on the radio quickly became a major shift for our family. Avery has always been an actress and dreams of being on the big screen, I think every little girl has ambitions of being famous so I never put too much stock into Avery wanting the same thing. Once she heard the radio advertisement about a national casting agency coming to Idaho falls, it was all she could think about. She started to prepare monologues, practice voice, work on dance, and became engrossed in television shows featuring kids her age. We went to Idaho falls one Saturday in May: my thought was that I didn't want to be the one to crush her dreams, surely it would be a crazy tough process and I would have been awarded mother of the year for allowing my child to believe that she can accomplish anything she desires. 

          As we arrived at the audition, everybody is filed into a large conference center. The talent agent proceeds to give direction about what they are looking for: that they want natural, energetic, smart, focused, family oriented children to work with who posses high levels of confidence. While some families and children were intimidated by this, Avery was anxious for her chance to audition. When her turn came, she did awesome. Her commercial and monologue where spot on, and she was pulled out of the group to meet with other agents. Out of nearly 400 children, she was one of 12 who continued to work throughout the summer with a union actor refining her skills, working on her resume, and getting head shots ready. Near the end of the six week course a different agent from L.A came back to Idaho. I again thought I had done my job as a parent and the plan of Avery pursuing an acting career was coming to an end. 

          The casting agent and those we were working with suggested we take Avery to La to meet with others in the industry.  We really were quite busy in our lives, but I had a few days off during Harvest break and my mom was able to get away as well. We had an incredible few days enjoying time in upland with family, going to the beach, and visiting the area and homes my mother grew up in. On our last day of vacation, we had an interview with the owner of a management company. It was lovely to meet them, and was good practice for Avery to have an interview with people who know what working in the industry is about. The management company only works with about 35 child actors at a time and has lots of knowledge and experience. Most people we talked with explained to us that we would have several interviews before we found a management company. 

         We arrived back in Idaho, and within a few days I received phone calls and contracts that the management company wanted to represent Avery and asked if we could come to Los Angeles for pilot season in January. After several weeks (months) of being in denial and assuming that it wasn't really going to happen- Avery and I are actually leaving the cold snow in Idaho and heading to sunny California. We have a six week commitment there with some classes and auditions, with a week off in the middle to come home. Part of me thinks this adventure is crazy and we should cancel everything now, while part of me welcomes the adventure and looks forward to the next few months. 
Kirk and I have been prayerful in this decision and the entire family has been involved in the process. Wyatt and Mitchell are so very supportive of Avery and are excited for her. Kirk has traveled a lot for work, and so we know how quickly three weeks can go by. We will Skype  FaceTime chat, and talk everyday and will "joint parent" as much as possible. Avery and I will be staying with family in California and will be involved in the ward there. It can also be a great boost to my HM business as I build a team in that area. 

         There are certainly things that I am  apprehensive about- including leaving Angela to run the clothing outlet by herself for six weeks, and the driving in l.a., but every time I start to get nervous and want to change my mind something else falls into place. Maybe I just have to go into this adventure with faith, knowing that gods hand is in all things and through listening to the spirit we will be blessed and protected.

Heritage Makers Makes a Difference

I love being a Heritage Makers consultant. It is a problem solving company. When I first began as a consultant (nearly 8 years ago) I hadn't realized that it was an answer to prayers that I hadn't even spoken. In the beginning it was about the social aspect- I loved the women who were passionate about helping others preserve and share their family stories, and I knew that it was a needed solution. I would attend events and my friendships with others would be strengthened. I didn't want to miss anything because I knew that I would leave feeling uplifted and motivated. 

After two years of being a "part-time" consultant, my family started to rely on the income that my business was producing. I knew that I had an opportunity to give myself a raise. I worked my business smarter and started to build a team of consultants that also wanted to make a difference. My income would grow every month which encouraged me to continue to work hard. As a consultant I knew that the, the principles of direct sales compensation plans don't change- if you want to make more money, you have to do the income producing activities that increase personal volume and group volume. In Heritage Makers, the income producing activities are simple: workshops, sales, sponsoring, and training. 

I have consultants in my organization who sign up strictly for their own discount, others that do it because they have a photo problem,  some that do it for the fun and social aspect of the business, and others that want to take advantage of the entire opportunity that is provided: income, social, career, relationships, and paychecks of the heart. Over the years I have evaluated "Why" I am consultant. It seems to be evolving constantly and it's hard to describe. My heart tells me that being a Heritage Makers consultant serves a purpose for my life: it allows me the freedom to be home with my children and work around their schedules, it gives me the blessing of being able to help provide financially for my family, it fulfills a need that I have to be recognized and appreciated, but the biggest reason is that I feel like I am serving a mission for God. I believe that stories are the essence of who we are and that our lives are fulfilled as we share stories and serve others. I feel compelled to be doing what I do. 

Several years ago I was serving in the Primary organization in my church and working with the small children. During one particularly difficult Heritage Makers week of failed workshops, missed calls, and forgotten appointments- I began to question my continued involvement with HM. That Sunday during church the children began learning a song that I know I needed to hear. The sweet words to the song are: "Tell me the stories of Jesus, I love to hear. Things I would ask Him to tell me, if he were here. Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea- stories of Jesus, Tell Them To Me. Oh, let me hear how the children stood round his knee. I shall imagine his blessings resting on me; Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace, All in the love-light of Jesus' face." I was struck by the words of this song and I understood the reason for sharing stories of Jesus, reading scriptures with our children, and talking to them of God's grace is all so that we can connect and learn to love God. It is the same crusade I feel with Heritage Makers- I am passionate about helping other share stories and memories of loved family member- it helps us connect to our Heritage and helps us live better more fulfilled lives. I recently completed a Military storybook about my Papa Bill Henderson: when I was done I realized the impact it could have on generations to come. It helps my children be better citizens, serve more diligently, and love their ancestors. I have had similar experiences with other grandparent and family books. As a consultant I have been able to be an instrument to help others have the same experiences. Not only is Heritage Makers the best publisher in the industry, but the mission of vision of strengthening homes and families through the Heritage enriching power of story is a mission that I fully support. 

This year I was honored with the company Legacy Award- it is an award given to a consultant for making a difference in Heritage Makers and spreading the mission and vision. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I received my award at our annual conference and was at a lose of what to say. I am blessed to be a consultant, honored to be recognized, and most importantly: humbled to make a difference. 

I had my photo on the front cover of the opportunity magazine- August 2012

"WHY" I'm a Heritage Maker

The screen shown at HM Annual Convention that literally took my break away

Some of the amazing women in my organization who I have the honor to work with.

For more information about Heritage Makers, please visit my website: www.storybookforlife.com or contact me. 

Job Chart Success

I don't like a messy house. And yet, I find myself living in one. For the past 10 years I've tried to teach my children to simply clean up their own messes and help as needed. I have not been great at this process, and find that the house cleaning is a MAJOR part of my life. Is it really this way for all mothers?

I also try to teach them the value of hard work and dedication. My kids actually do work hard, but certainly more so when there is a reward attached. I have finally come up with a solution, that not only works- but that I am incredibly proud of. Of course, it was created at www.storybookforlife.com and was simple and easy to produce. If you have a Heritage Makers account I'd be happy to transfer the project to you, if you don't have an account go to my website and I'll help you get started.

Here's the process:

The charts were created on 12x12 pages and a FREE UV protector was added so that I can add more chores and write notes. Each member of the family has their own 12x12 board that the smaller pages can be added to (the chores were also created on 12x12 pages with 4 per page). Each square has an assignment with detailed instructions of what needs to be done in that room. For example: Downstairs Bathroom includes; dust picture frames,fold towels, restock toilet paper, clean glass with windex, clean sink and counters with Soft Scrub, clean toilet (bowl and around), wipe floor and baseboards. It also includes a Bonus: organize under sink, clean window.

Each chore also has a  dollar amount attached to it. I never liked the idea of giving an allowance without work involved- now they can earn money. And, they can now pay for things on their own. When we go to a movie as a family, they get to pay for themselves with the money they earned. They also can't do the "money jobs" without taking care of their individual responsibilities first.

I have the jobs on our back door that leads to the garage- it's a metal door so I can able to attach them with magnets (I used to be somewhat of a craft hoarder and have a HUGE roll of sticky magnet, and I find joy in finding a use for it).

When a job needs to be done, I move that page down to the bottom of the door. The kids can choose what they want to do, but it needs to be done before they have an option of choosing another job. That way, one particular child (Wyatt) won't grab all 6 jobs, slap them on his board and then spend the next two days to get them done. Because of the UV coating, the kids can check off the list and write notes on their boards. I write the amount that I owe them on their boards and then can pay as they need the money. 

Last weekend the kids wanted to go see The Lorax. I simply said they each needed to earn $5.00 and their were jobs that needed to be done. It worked like a charm! No more handing out money for doing nothing, no more arguing over jobs, and no more trying to explain everything that needs to be done for each room. It's right there in full color on the back of the door! 

Here's the preview for the entire project I made: http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowserStandAlone.cfm?projectID=2157877&productId=64&sponsorID=152741

Here's to long and workable job chart solution! 

I'm a Terrible Blogger

In my mind, I blog. For the past 10 months (which is the amount of time I've not posted on this blog), I *think about it all the time. I don't know if it's a lack of time, focus, energy, or just not feeling like my thoughts and ramblings warrant a blog post. I actually feel quilt over this~ which is silly because I blog simply for the joy of writing and connecting our family stories with others.

In reality, I've taken quite a hiatus from "blogs" altogether. I used to read several blogs of friends and family and recently have lost touch. It can actually see a difference in my mood when I lose that touch. I start to become more selfish in my every day dealings and stop listening and empathizing less with those around me. However, getting caught up in the blogging world can also have the same negative effect. When I start to believe that everybody has the reality they portray in their blogs I also get depressed. It is a fine line between perception and reality.

I guess Blogging does fill a void in me. I will make sure that my schedule permits me time to write, post, and share the things that are important to me.

Thanks for taking the time to let me share my quilt and resolve to change.

I don't need anybody to make me feel quilt- I do a good enough job bring it on myself. 

Strong Women

There are many amazing women in my life who have shaped me into the mother I am- all of the good I have in me comes from them: I don't know where all the bad parenting I have comes from....As I started my list of women who have influenced me it continued to grow and grow. Once I hit the 100 women mark, I knew that this could potentially be a very, very long post. I opted to just highlight a few courageous women in my life who I want to be like and who I gather the most knowledge and examples from.

The first on the list is of course, my own amazing mother. Do you know Barbara Mann? If you do, you know she is a pretty incredible mother, wife, friend, daughter, and example. She has always had a strong testimony of being a daughter of God, and I think that makes it possible for her to be such a great mother. She has always nurtured and taught with love, kindness, and affection. She is one of those mothers who seems to do everything "right". She cooks, cleans, works, serves, listens, and devotes countless hours to her children. I love her dearly, and am so grateful for her influence in my life. Did I mention my kids are SO LUCKY to have her as a grandmother, my friends have even commented that they would like to be adopted by my parents.

My Beautiful Mother

Another one of my favorite "Mother's" has never birthed children, nor does she raise any. My sister Karyn lives in NYC- she is surrounded by friends and spends her days working long hours, and her weekends doing things I only dream of (traveling the world, going to concerts, celebrity fundraisers, The Tony's, Broadway shows, and the list goes on and on). And though she doesn't have children of her own- she has influenced families in a positive way more than most women. She has worked in the Social Services field for over a decade and is a fantastic advocate for children. I have seen her fight judges, the foster system, and drug addicted parents to protect the welfare of children. She is the best aunt my kids could ever ask for, she is so good about birthdays and holidays and will spend hours on the phone talking to Avery and getting to know her. She is kind, generous, and loves unconditionally. I am humbled that she is able to help "raise" my children and influence them.

My Kids can't get enough of Aunt Karyn. 

These days I seem to be spending more time with my closest friends than I do anybody else. Grateful does not do justice to how I feel about my friends. I can't imagine my life being as happy or fulfilling without them in it. In high school I had a pretty incredible group of friends and I couldn't image that in my 30's I would be able to find those same connections. Yet, it is not only possible, but as life gets more complicated my friends have continued to lift me physically and spiritually. My wish for all the women in my life is that they could be surrounded with the caliber of women that I am on a daily basis. I pray that I can be as good a friend as the ones I have been blessed with. I don't know what I did to deserve to have these influences in my life and I strive everyday to be worthy of these great friendships.

Madison High School "Friends" class of '95

Some of my "favorite" friends from our annual Favorite Things Party. 

The last amazing women I would like to post about is my ten year old daughter. Avery is not a mother (and if I am able to channel the mothering skills of the other women, she won't be mother for at LEAST another decade)! But she is a great example to me, and is the reason that I am a mother. She was not only my first born but my only daughter. Through her eyes I see the future of women everywhere. I have always believed that women were strong and capable, but now there is a passion in me to make sure that women are treated with respect and kindness. Avery is so tender hearted and confident at the same time. She is friendly to everybody and wants to always make sure that others are treated fairly. She is excited to grow up, but also still loves to be a little girl. Avery is one of my heroes. I am grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to raise his precious child during this earth life.

As I look at this list, I feel like my words come close to what my heart is feeling. I love the strong women in my life and today I reflect on one of my favorite quotes. 

Strong Women: 

May We Know Them, 

May We Be Them

May We Raise Them. 

Happy Mother's Day to all Strong Women. 

The BIG Apple

I LOVE LOVE LOVE New York City. Every time I go I promise myself I will go more often. My amazing sister, Karyn, lives in NYC and she was my tour guide. Heidi Parson and I left the Pet Show in Atlantic City and we had 24 hours until we had to meet our husbands again in Pittsburgh.  We crammed as much as possible into our day. Here's what we accomplished: 

*Dinner at Vinyl with Karyn and her friend Wade. Fabulous food, fabulous company, and the funnest bathrooms I've ever been in- themes like Elvis, Dolly Pardon, and The Beatles.

*Stood in line at the Lottery to try to get Tickets for WICKED- they were sold out and we didn't win the lottery, BUT we did get tickets and saw Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Even though our seats weren't great- it was a fun show with Great costumes, and fun music! 

After the show we meet up with Paul (another of Karyn's friends) who plays the keyboard in WICKED. Though we weren't able to get tickets for that show, we did get a personal backstage tour. He showed us all the "tricks" to the show, the costumes, props, sound room, effect room, and make up room. 

*Heidi had written a letter and was able to get us tickets to Live with Regis and Kelly. We had to wait in lines to get in and go through security, but it was all worth it. The show was Awesome- Regis was gone that day, but Kelly is the cutest thing I have ever seen. She is funny, professional, and friendly. The studio was much smaller than I thought it would be, there was only about 120 people in the audience! David Arquette was one of the guests that day- he was surprisingly bad. He seemed tired and didn't ever put a complete sentence together. Mark Rutherford was the co-host that day. Next time I'm in NYC I will try to get tickets for some more talk shows like this- great experience. 

After the show we were able to spend a few hours being "tourists." We took the Stanton Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, saw the LDS Temple (didn't have time to do a session), went to Ground Zero, shopping at Canal Street, bought cupcakes from Crumbs, and ate Yummy crepes from a little restaurant in Karyn's neighborhood. My battery on my camera died, so I still need to get pictures from Karyn (however she is in Europe now), so it will be a few more days! 

Modes of transportation in 24 hours: we took a bus (broken seats, smelling, and hot) from Atlantic City to NYC, subway around the city, taxi to Karyn's apartment, bus to Penn Station, train from NYC to Pittsburgh. And of course we used our feet- I'm sure we walked more than 10 miles in one day! 

Thanks to my amazing sister and my friend Heidi for helping to make my 24 hours in NYC amazing. I am not wanting to wait another 6 years until I go back- it will be sooner! 

Spotz Out

I have had many friends and family asking for more information about what Kirk is doing now, how the product is going, and what the product actually is for.... so here's the post that has been in the "making" for a while.

For the past two years my dear husband has been working with his brother (Nathan) to develop a carpet cleaner specific for pet stains. After lots of time, energy, and money to make sure this product not only worked- but was the best in the industry: Spotz Out was launched!

Two weeks ago we traveled to Atlantic City (and contrary to what I believed, Atlantic City is NOT the Vegas of the East Coast) for a large Pet Trade Show. We were nervous, excited, and anxious to know how the product would be received in the industry. Turns out, people LOVED IT! We wrote several orders at the show, meet with distributors, talked with Sales Reps who want to rep our line, and secured store space for the product in many more stores. Of course, there are lots of products that promise to remove smells, stains, and dirt from the carpet- the difference with Spotz Out is that it actually does what is promised. Rather than just using a "spray and dab" technique, we use an activator that loosens the spot, a brush to scrub the stain out, and a sponge like product that sticks to the dirt/stain/soil allowing it to be vacuumed right up.

Nathan drove all the way to Atlantic City from Lincoln Nebraska so he could haul the booth set up and the product. Kirk and I flew in with Brett and Heidi Parson- Brett is a partner with Kirk and Nathan (and a friend of mine from High School) and does the marketing for the business. We had a great time with them and enjoyed many late nights and great laughs. Heidi and I were also able to sneak away for a day and go to NYC- more about that in the next post!

Since we've been home from the H&H Backer Show, Kirk has been on the phone and computer constantly (when he isn't boxing and labeling products, OR running my business while I was out of town) increasing sales and working hard to make his business lucrative. I am so proud of him and am lucky to be married to such an incredible man!

Highlight of the trip: being able to watch Kirk as his years of hard work and dedication paid off.
Lowlight: staying in THE WORST hotel ever- Atlantic City Days Inn: 1 Star.

Kirk and I on day 1 of H&H Backer show. 

Nathan Stoddard, Brett Parson, Kirk Stoddard

Want more information about the product: www.spotzout.com