Summer Mommy school: VIDEO

 I hope you're enjoying the new videos I have been working on. I have a lot more coming and some fun ideas cooking in my brain. if you missed a few check out my channel and watch them!
if you have any questions, suggestions or ideas you would like to see please feel free to comment.
I am trying to get on a schedule with the videos but not over load myself or you.
So far this is what the video schedule looks like:

Tuesdays: tip/personal video
Thursdays: field trip day
sometime during the Weekend: photography related video

So that is 3 videos a week and I feel confident I can stick with this schedule. and I am trying to keep the videos any where around 5-10 minutes long. I will always post a blog to go along with it. so if you follow the blog you will be notified but sometimes I finish the video a little faster than the blog so if you just can't wait any longer subscribe to my youtube channel and you will be notified the second the video gets posted! of course you could add me as a friend on facebook and you will see a link to all of it too!

for today's tip/personal video I wanted to share some of the details about our summer mommy school that we are working on right now. 

Julia's party

o

I am sooo behind!! 

I wanted to post these pictures of Julia's birthday party.

yep two weeks later.

but that's not even the worst part!!

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We visited this park last year 

Julia had so much fun she wanted to invite friends and family to here for her birthday.

it was a hot day so the sprinklers were perfect!

we had an ice cream cake from Graeters

and fruit and chocolate cones.

Julia had a blast and ran around the entire time!
so much so that I only got one picture of her.
I hate that it makes me feel like a bad mom.
 I wish I could have gotten more.
but in all reality she's just not into getting pictures taken and she is just a wild child that once you let her run she's off.
 thanks so much for everyone that showed up and celebrated our girl.
still can't believe she is 10!

Field trip video: clean Grandma's house

 It is very very very important to me and my husband that our children help and show apprechiation to others.

We talk a lot about how everyone would love money and if we had tons of it to give we would. 

We just can't

 but

 there are other ways we can give back. 

this week I wanted to show my mom some loving and help her out. 

While she was working hard at her job, we were sneaking around her house doing all the chores that needed to be done and cooked a little dinner and dessert. 

 so no not a typical fun field trip but an important one and one that was free! so I taped it to share with you all:

Painting oranges

It's been 2 years since we remodeled our Kitchen. We were not completely done at the time but it was just small projects that were left and we figured we would get around to them sooner or later.

well two years went by and we still haven't gotten around to any of the small projects.

Life.

it throws all kinds of wrenches in our way

someday it will be done.

two weeks ago we were finally able to replace a broken oven and my Grandma gifted me the table and corner bench I have been dreaming of since we moved in.

I was feeling pretty good about the space again and wanted to build on that feeling.

I saw this idea on the Beautiful Mess website.

I was nervous but also very bored.

so I just went with it.

that built in cabinets we plan on taking out and just making it a giant broom closet with a sliding barn boor.

 Here's the view walking into the kitchen. See my corner booth.

 The beautiful mess ladies made their own stamps but I went with a sponge technique

 I made three different shades of orange and hand painted the leaves.

 I love my white kitchen and this little wall just added a touch a color.

 And for anyone that wonders what my Husband thinks
like all of my decorating ideas he would be against it if I explained what I was doing. So instead I just do it and when it's done he understands the vision and approves. But something tells me if I left it all up to him this whole house would look nothing like it does.

fahter's day slide show.

I watched this man fight against all odds to be the kind of Dad he always wanted. He wont let a day go by where they don't feel his love.
I love father's day because I feel the good ones do not get enough credit for all they do. Thank you babe for everything and for being our daughters's first love, you set the bar high for any future boyfriends to come.


Now to work on getting more pictures of him and Hazel and some with all of them together.

Bloodline

I am so excited 

tonight is the first gig for this brand new band!

I got a sneak peek a few weeks ago while I was taking some band pictures.

 I admit I was nervous about their choice of songs and sound because it's very different than what the band's most of these guys have been apart of. But I also knew it was something they all have dreamed of doing for so long.

 I stayed in the background during a practice session and after the first song I was blown away! Yes 3 out of 4 of them are part of my blood line (haha get it?) But they sounded so good! I just can'take wait for everyone else to hear!

 So if you are local and want to have an awesome time and do something different come to Borderline tonight! June 19th! They start playing at 10pm! I will be there taking pictures and dancing.

Splash park video!

another installment of a free field trip with my kids!

10 things children of photographers dont like.

I am a self proclaim mom-tographer.

just one look at my instagram feed

  you know my children are constantly in my viewfinder of every camera I own. I want them to always have memories to look back on. So I document basically anything and everything I find that tells our family story.

One day we were having a normal picnic in the back yard. After everyone finished eating no one got up. I asked what they were waiting on? my 4 year old said "Are you going to take our picture first?"

I laughed out loud. most normal non photographer children would not of thought twice about running off to play but my kids knew I would have just called them back to pose for a "candid" picnic pose. 

This got me wondering what else my children have to live through because their mother has photography on her brain 24-7?

So later at bed time I asked them and they seemed to enjoy this question and had already thought of tons of answers. most of the answers seemed to be what They HATE about having a mom-tographer.

Here are the top 10

10.

Smile! Cheese! Fuzzy Pickles and Smelly Feet!

We know all your tricks to make us smile. and they don't work any more. If I am not in the mood to smile just deal with it or try again in an hour.

 

9.

We have to do it again and again and wait one more time, one last time!

 when Mom catches us doing something and she wants a picture of it, it always becomes such a hassle! We have to stop, wait for her to get all her settings ready and then repeat over and over that one action just to repeat it again because it's too dark or blurry or she missed it. by this point our fun little action just got really boring and really frustrating.

 8.

there's always someone that ruins the perfect picture

mom gets determined to get a group shot. she sets everyone up and right before she presses the button someone gets upset or moves or blinks or a demon takes over them and this quick group photo ends up just being about 28 outtakes and not one perfect picture.

7.

You get recognized at the grocery store!

This actually happens. Mom always knows the people but because more than not we have no clue who this person is that says they see all my pictures and love them! 

Belle modeled for a  metal band promo picture. a few weeks later someone came up and said she felt like she was meeting a celebrity! I thought we were just playing dress up and holding cold steak with ketchup.

6.

Adjusting

not only do we have to repeat things over and over. we also have to adjust what we are doing so mom can get her picture. this could mean moving into better light or turning a certain way or using a different hand, looking a different direction. Here Stella was enjoying a watermelon. mom took it from her and held it up at a higher level so she can get a better picture. Stella was able to still enjoy it but not in the most comfortable way.

5.

Angles

sometimes just watching mom moving all over is pretty embarrassing.

she crawls on the floor. she climbs trees. she stands over top of our shoulders. she is in front of us and behind us. she runs far out to get a wide shot and then shes up close into our personal space.

4.

NO SCHOOL PICTURES OR SPORT PICTURES

Mom say's she's not going to pay money for something she could do herself. So we don't ever get to participate in picture day.

3.

Test subjects

We are always mom's test subjects for any artistic idea she thinks up. face painting, costumes, props and strange locations are a norm for her. She tries to get us involved with picking things out and makes it into a game but ultimately it's her vision.

2.

modeling in public

a lot of times her ideas include shooting in public locations and we just have to learn to ignore any staring from strangers.

1.

Lots of embarrassing photos

lets just say we will be keeping any future boyfriends far away from mom's scrap books for as long as we can!

yes I am that mom.

The crazy photographer that puts my kids through it all.

and as they might hate it in the moment I always show them the final images and they always seem happy.

they spend hours looking through the scrap books and boxes of thousands of pictures. 

one day when they are grown

I hope they treasure each one and have fond memories of their mom-tographer.

A day in my life video!

I have been venturing into more videos lately

I thought it would be fun to do a day in my life video.

again there are some silly bloopers and awkward faces I makes.

 plus I was in the begining stages of a bad cough cold thing so my voice sounds very stuffy.

enough with the disclaimers

enjoy!

a 10th letter to Julia

Dear Julia,

 a whole decade old! 

my how fast 10 years have flown!

it's been the greatest and hardest ten years of my life. 

You haven't changed too much either. You have always been this strong willed, smart, determined person. you are a fighter and not too good at losing. you have a hard time making a decision and a lot of times that anger you hold on to gets you in big trouble. you so desperately want to be grown and independent. 

Your Daddy and I are so proud of all the accomplishments you have made at school. 

yes this past year has been filled with a lot of life changing events and even a few unfair events that you have taken to heart. I have told you before that the song "My wish" by Rascal Flatts always reminded me of you. and it seems like every year it grows more true. 

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too

Please don't let this past year bring you down. all their mistakes are on them and in no way do you deserve to hold it on your shoulders. you did and do not need to do anything to make someone change. you are a gift and one that we treasure deeply. we love and want you. We will never give up or let you down. You made us parents and that is a job we take with arms wide open because even with all the ups and downs this is the best roller coaster ride we have ever been on. you are worth every thing. We are proud.

That perfect smile, your funky feet, your beautiful hair, your contagious laugh and the way I can just see all the gears in you mind constantly working and scheming up ways to break a rule. I love it all. 

and I feel so blessed to have been here to witness every moment of your youth. 

but for you birthday I want to ask you for something

 please go easy on me in the next coming decade.

Love, Mama

Field trip video- Downtown Cincinnati library

Field Trips!

as explained in my new Chachi's memories video, I have a special trip/activity planned with my girls every week this summer! most of the trips are complete free! my favorite kind :) We plan on vlogging each trip to share with you in hopes that they inspire you to take a field trip with your kids. 

this week we went to the downtown Cincinnati library.

side note: I messed up on the music, I promise to not do that again in the next videos. I don't know about the goofy faces or the random "bla-bla's" Miss Belle likes to shout out. :) 

I am really excited about all the field trips we have planned. Tomorrow I will share the birthday pictures we took of Julia at the library! make sure you come back and subscribe/follow so you don't miss any of them!

big news! VIDEOS!!

I am super super super excited to announce I have officially become a Youtuber!
I have been wanting to step into this little big world of vlogging for a while now but just recently really felt the nudge to just stop making excuses and do it!
What is a vlog you ask?
 well it's basically the same content of things I blog about right here but in video form.
 this does not mean I will stop writing but instead when I feel like a video would explain topic better I will be posting that. most of my videos I plan are just fun mostly free outings I will be taking with my kiddos, some tutorials about things I am passionate about and a few script videos of part funny part nightmare situations I have found myself in as a mother.
now before you watch my first official video please note that is just that my first. lol
I mess up and act awkward and semi know what I am doing half the time!
but if you ask anyone that knows me in real life that's me. so I don't do retakes or edit to heavily on things. just laugh at me. it's OK. and DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!
check out the channel here
and watch the first video.
heck go ahead and watch all of them!

Hazel is 7 months!

So if you are a facebook friend of mine you pretty much know the story about this truck.

but I will just tell it again :)

We moved into our house almost 5 years ago!

I spotted this truck driving around and instantly dreamed of taking pictures of it.

5 years later I finally built up the courage to ask the owner, a complete stranger, if I could please use it as a background for Hazel's 7 month pictures. 

he laughed but said absolutely 

it's a 1952 Studebaker.

The owner said he bought it after someone restored it but he has done all of the up keeps on it to keep it running in perfect condition. 

 Ok now on to my Hazel Nut and all her accomplishments this month!

well nothings really new. lol

she still can't sit up to well on her own but we have been giving her lots of opportunities to strengthen her back and neck. 

belly time, walker time and sitting in the actual baby seat at the stores instead of her car seat.

 she is trying to talk more. and making more sounds like ma, ba and bae 

she loves puffs 

and she's trying so hard to crawl but she just lifts her butt up really high and somehow rolls over instead of forward.

 she still wakes up a lot at night but I am dealing with it. some days are harder than others. 

I like my sleep and get rather grumpy if I don't get enough.

She is worth it though

and she always gives me a sweet smile so that makes it better too.

I will add her monthly update picture soon. she's napping right now and I forgot to take it earlier. 

so check back because the thighs have doubled! lol my chunky butt!
update:
Monthly picture inserted here.

What I learned my first year of home school preschool.

So we wrapped up Home school Preschool with Miss Belle

When I started this year I wrote this post 

I was feeling extreme anxiety

Being a stay at home mom since the day she was born has been one of the greatest blessings.

I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. 

in fact I had a aunt who stayed at home with her kids and she seemed so stressed all of the time and her little ones made her want to pull her hair out. I assumed all stay at home moms were crazy slaves. I didn't want that. I didn't want to put my career on hold. I didn't want to depend on my husband for basically all the income. 

Then as my maternity leave was coming to an end and I was trying to figure out how I was going to leave this perfect little girl. I looked at my husband and he already knew what I was thinking. 

"We will figure things out. she needs you."

 (2011)

so I held her tight basking in the fact that I was going to get to watch her grow everyday. I would be there for every meal, smile, boo boo, cuddle, sick day, fun day and nothing special but just as important day in between. 

I became a crazy slave to my Miss Belle.

 5 years seems like a good chunk of time. in the beginning it feels like it's so far away. But as that saying goes; The days are long but the years are fast.

It's so true. 

5 years has flown!

how?

So I wanted to slow down this last year I had with her at home. 

obviously I couldn't do that but I could carve out time everyday for some one on one. So I worked hard and organized for hours. did as much research as I could. got tons of books and workbooks. I planned out themes, activities and field trips.

 I had expectations but I also had a lot of doubt. I, myself struggled in school. I didn't have a teaching degree and I misspell words on the regular. I knew the best time for preschool would be during nap time and I selfishly wasn't sure if I wanted to give up that quite hour to myself. 

But I found out fast how much fun we were having together. she really was learning and loving it! I was filled with so much pride in her when she conquered her name in that first week! something I seriously thought would take a lot longer.

 It was like a high.

 I taught my daughter this.

 I worked with her and I witnessed the light bulb turn on and it clicked in her little mind. I learned so much about her. things I never otherwise would have learned. I am not a perfect parent. I make mistakes everyday. But there are somethings I know 100% without a doubt I did the right thing. Mommy's intuition I guess you can call it.

 Home school preschool was the best decision for our family, for Miss Belle and for me. 

I did a little review with her about everything we learned these past 8 months.

I asked her questions

What was your favorite subject we learned about?

Babies and Daddy week

what was your favorite way we learned?

Reading books

 What was your favorite field trip we went on?

Boats

What do you wish we would have learned about?

Parks

She was tested to start Kindergarten and didn't do too well.

she is extremely shy and didn't answer any of the teachers questions. 

The school denied her acceptance to be enrolled.

insert Mommy's intuition again.

after many prayers and conversations with my husband and even a Huge nudge from my late Grandma before she passed We have decided to enroll her at another school.

 she will start this coming August. it's time. she is ready. I need to let her go and take that first step out of our little nest and let her spread those wings. but first we will have one amazing last summer before her school career starts.

Home school preschool will reopen when Stella turns 4. 

that's in a few years though.

a few years I am sure will come faster than I will be ready for. so the anxiety will continue.