The Family Trifecta

Amy's bookshelf: 2024

The Weekend Away

by Sarah Alderson

So so good! Orla and Kate are long-time best friends off on a girls' weekend away. Kate is a bit of a player who is trying to get back at her soon-to-be-ex, causing her to spend frivolously and do drugs and hook-ups. Orla is a new mom ex...

tagged: 2024, audible-books, five-stars, thriller, and thoughtful

Written Off

by E.J. Copperman

tagged: 2024, cozy, easy, and four-stars

Maybe Next Time

by Cesca Major

Parts were a screaming 5 and parts were like “what?” And just irritated me. It is a Groundhog Day premise about a family of four - the mom is caught up in her own life and missing all that is going on around her with her kids and then he...

tagged: 2024, audible-books, fiction, four-stars, and thoughtful

book reviewsbook club

10 things blogging has taught me- Writing Workshop

I really enjoy the prompts that MamaKat provides each week. I love reading everyone’s posts and love the challenge to write my own. This week I am following prompt number 1.

List of 10 things blogging has taught you.

I started blogging in 2007. Our first blog was created by my husband to document our trip to Germany. We planned on posting pictures of his birthplace and the many sites he visited while living there as a 19-20 year old. We posted exactly one picture that showed how fast we went on the Autobahn.

I learned that starting a blog is way easier than actually blogging.

The next blog that I started was a few months later. I posted my first post in May and my second post in December.

Once I started posting in December, I never stopped.

I learned that everything has a season and 2007 was not the season for me to blog

Since the post in December 2007, I have started several blogs. Some have proven to have more staying power than others. There’s Singing and Spinning- still active and my first blog. This is where you find my family journal. Next there was Singing and Spinning in the kitchen. I haven’t posted there since October. After that I archived some of my favorite photos at Two Sanfords and a Camera. I also have a blog for my “if I ever decide to really do it” photography business. Oh, there is also our private blog where the girls journal about their week. It’s called “Their Week- Their Words.”

I have learned I have a very addictive personality.
I learned that I have more to say and share than I ever thought I did.

Each of my blogs have defined something different about me that I have enjoyed discovering.

I learned that I love writing and taking pictures
I learned that I like other people reading my thoughts and sharing their opinions

Before I blogged, I kept a journal. My first journal was when I was 8. I have many many volumes. Some of the volumes have been thrown away because I decided they shared more about me than I wanted my kids and grandkids to read. Others are just too difficult to read because my penmanship in not pretty.

I have learned that blogging is the best way to journal. When you hit the submit button, you are signing your name to it and saying that you are okay with everyone reading it.
I have learned that blogging is ideal for preserving our story for generations. I’m not naive enough to believe that the blogosphere will still be around when my great grandkids are, but I printed my blog with lulu and have a fabulous hard-copy for each of my girls. And I can have them print of another one anytime I need to. If I do this once a year, I’ll have a pretty awesome library to send with each girl on her wedding day.

I started my addiction with blogging back in 2006 when my brother and his family started theirs. They traveled around the world and shared every step of the way through their blog. For a long time, their blog and Simply Recipes were the only blogs I knew about. Boy has that changed.

I have learned that there are more amazing blogs out there than I could ever read. In fact, my reader has more than I can read in a week.
Lastly, I have learned that the blogging world is a world of interested, interesting, caring and social people. I have loved getting to know “blogging friends” through the computer.

Take a moment and go check out some of the other prompts and writings from MamaKat’s workshop. You’ll be glad you did.

Wordful Wednesday - Teddy Bear

On Saturday, Ivy got hurt during her dance competition.

Right before her first number, Ivy and another cute little girl collided backstage. They were both beside themselves because, well, they are 4 years old. Their sweet teacher was able to convince them that going onstage was the right thing to do.

Both girls danced beautifully and you would never know they had been crying.

I went back to meet Ivy and get her ready for the Teddy Bear dance. I noticed a small cut on her foot that had been bleeding. Because I am a smart mom, ha ha, I didn’t say anything to her. Which proved to be the right choice because once she found out – five minutes later – the biggest melt down of her life began. Holy cow she would not stop crying – even after we found a sweet mom that had a band aid. Have you ever heard of a band aid not helping a little tiny cut? She cried and cried. So Miss Alexis told me to leave Ivy with her and everything would be okay.

I sat down with the family and prepared for the cutest dance of the competition. The MC announced Teddy Bear was on deck. Then after the next number, Teddy Bear was still on deck. I noticed Ivy’s dance teacher over waving at me to get my attention. I hurried back to find out that the only way Ivy would go on stage was if I was back stage. Ms Alexis told her that if she didn’t go on, none of the other girls could go on. Ivy simply said, “Oh well.” So, backstage I stayed.

On the bright side, I managed to get some of my favorite pictures of the competition, from backstage.

Of course, if you ask Ivy about how she did in the dance competition there isn’t a mention of her hurt toe nor that she wouldn’t go on stage. According to her, she was perfect and pointed her toes and everything.

Oh how I wish I was more like my girls because both of them forget the hard times so quickly and go on and on about the good times. I just hope it doesn’t go away as they get older.

Check out the other “Wordful Wednesdays” over at Seven Clown Circus.

Tuesday Tip- Getting a Dog...

We are SO EXCITED to get a puppy.

If you are thinking about it, allow me to do a little research for you. You see, there is a lot to think about when you are getting a puppy. Things like a place for him to sleep, food for him to eat, toys for him to play with. And then there are the medical bills that come with a puppy and the decisions that need to be made.

Please, keep in mind, I grew up with dogs but I was not the one that bought any of the stuff for them nor understood the expenses that came with them. My job was to love them with all of my heart and play with them whenever I could. So, tonight and the past week has been a bit of an eye opener for me. And Scott.

When we started thinking about getting a puppy, I called my sister. She has a little black schnauzer. I asked her how much they spend on their dog a month. She said that it averages out to about 50$ a month with shots, haircuts, food etc. I figured 50$ a month we could swallow. I could cut out my manicure and dye jobs – oh wait, I don’t do either of those but I figured we could manage some how to add a dog to our family.

I told Scott it would be about $50 a month and he said “fine.”

Let me tell you the price tags of all of the things I have bought so far (as much of it as possible was purchased at Walmart and the rest at Petsmart)…

1. Dog Bed $20

2. Leash $4-8

3. Collar $2-5

4. Chew Toys $1-9 each (and apparently you need a rope, rubber toy, plush toy and a “Kong” so that he can decide what he likes. Also, a “Kong” is the only toy that is allowed in the kennel for safety reasons

5. Dog bowl $3-15 (sure, you can use a bowl you have but if you are going to leave water out for him, you will have water splashed or spilled all the time. We opted for a holder that has a bowl for food and a bowl for water. I figure it is less likely to spill, but we shall see).

6. Kennel $40

7. Kennel Pad $10-20 (we were actually talked out of this as an immediate purchase. The salesman said to wait and see if he chews on it or not and if he doesn’t, then get him one).

8. Dog food $$$ (you can spend a LOT or a little but some food has all of the animal and stuff from the floor all mixed together and others grind up the bone with the meat. We opted for the more expensive kind that is all natural blah blah blah. We’ll see how he does with it. Right now he’s eating Kirkland and doing great on it).

9. Dog brush $8-12

10. Dental care $10

11. Dog Tag $10-20

12. Pooper Scooper $20

13. Bags for walking (In Utah there is a $250 fine if you don’t pick up after your dog and someone reports you).

The next couple of things we have to spend money on are the 2nd round of shots, and then the 3rd round and then the 4th round and those range from $50-100 depending on which shots he’s going to get.

Once you’ve done that you have to consider if you are going to get him fixed or not. If you are, you can expect to pay around $150. And there are benefits to doing it when he is younger if you decide to do it. He will be quicker to heal, it helps him be less aggressive, it stops him from learning the marking behavior and you don’t have to worry about him getting out and getting busy with the other neighbor dogs.

Then there are other things to consider like obedience school. Petsmart charges $110-ish for an 8 week course.

Also, you can’t forget about grooming or bathing. For us, there will be a grooming bill.

Plus, I would love to get a containment yard for him to use when we go to my parents or when we want to leave him outside instead of in his kennel- but that’s another $75 that I just can’t justify.

All of that adds up to quite a bit and that doesn’t include the cost of the actual DOG!

Man, getting a dog is not cheap. But, I am confident that the love that he will bring into our home will be worth the cost. The girls are so excited to have him with us and can’t wait until we have him home.

The memories that I have of my childhood dogs are wonderful and character building memories. I will never forget studying for my “digestive tract” test on my puppy named Poppy. She was such a good sport when I would lay her on her back and talk through what happens when she would eat. Plus, the conversations I could have with my dogs when I really just wanted someone to listen without sharing an opinion. Dogs are wonderful friends that can truly become part of the family – if you let them.

Don’t forget that Carol at Songberries still has a couple more of these super cute puppies.

Anything else I need to know and prepare Scott for? 🙂

I Heart Faces- Dramatic B&W

My Dramatic Black and White entry is of Jade’s hip hop teacher. I took this picture at the dance competition this weekend. This was while she was listening to the girls and waiting for the awards ceremony. She is such an amazing teacher and the girls absolutely love her. Plus I think she is an absolutely beautiful young woman with amazing dance talent.

Head on over to I Heart Faces for other dramatic B&W pictures.

Am I a Stage-Mom?

Did you know it is dance competition season? I am just learning the ropes of little girl dance competitions. And I had no idea that there were so many of them and that they are such a big deal.

So many of them, I’m getting to learn if I am a “Stage Mom” nearly every weekend.

According to Wikipedia, this is the definition of a “stage mom” — In the performing arts, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set on time, etc. The term sometimes has a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual is prone to obnoxiously demanding special treatment for her child, or suggesting that the individual has placed inappropriate pressure on her child to succeed. Some believe that a “stage mom” is vicariously living out her own dreams through her child.

I fear that in some ways I just might actually be a stage mom, and that scares me. I don’t want to be a stage mom, but what if I AM? Because, we all know, a “stage mom” is a BAD thing.

So, you tell me, am I a “stage mom”?

1. I love taking my girls to their dance classes and I am the only mom that ever takes advantage of watching the last 15 minutes of class when we are allowed to.

2. I encourage the girls to practice their routines at home and even record them during their class so that they can watch themselves and the teacher. (I’m nice though, I send it to all of the other moms).

3. I require my girls stick to their commitments. When they auditioned for their companies, I let them pick which ones they did. Once the classes got going, one of the classes was NOT the favorite. I told them they made a commitment to stick it out through June, they are sticking it out through June.

4. I am constantly reminding the girls that they need to focus focus focus in class.

5. I am one of the few moms that is back stage helping change their costumes during the competitions

6. I take a million pictures of them whenever I get a chance – performances, rehearsals whenever they are in a leotard.

7. I get more nervous during their auditions and shows than they do.

8. I want them to have no regrets. (One of these days, I’ll go into my regrets as they pertain to dance).

9. I want them to always thank their teacher before they leave.

10. I’ll practice leaps and turns with them in the family room until they are tired of doing them.

So am I?

Well, I guess tomorrow I get another chance to find out. We have to be at the school at 7:00 AM for Jade’s first number. Both girls are so excited and have been looking forward to this week’s competition since they finished the Spotlight competition last week.

I’ll twitter the results – so if you are interested follow me at @familytrifecta.

The Family Trifecta

Meet Amy