mini photographer

this is ryan.

he is a little friend who came to visit us last fall

he loved to 'take photos' with his daddy's camera,

and fortunately he didn't mind having a few taken of him!

he didn't put that camera down the whole time we were at the park.

i hope he comes with his family to visit us again this year!

favourite things friday

well, it's friday.

friday the 13th in fact.  i didn't realize until i saw someone post about it.

this momma is not so superstitious...

so friday brings us to my 'favourite things'.

i had a low key day today and was enjoying some of my favourite things 

while the girls were at school.  

here's a little taste for ya:

• a chat with my mom on the phone
• exercise time in the basement (courtesy of just dance 2 on the wii)
• pc sweet and salty popcorn
• looking at favourite photos from this year and ordering a few to print

jude took this one last spring - love it!

• a hot shower (bliss)
• a little ingrid playing (love her music)
• hot chocolate (powder blended with a bit of milk first, then add the hot water)
• baking a new family favourite: banana chocolate chip blondies (found the recipe in a library book)
• and a new (to me) band that does amazing stuff - walk off the earth

jude and i were loving that video last night, enjoy!

i had a lovely day...
(yes, i realize how lucky i am to have days like these)

i hope you have a great weekend.

top pick

well, i've spent hours going through my photos from 2011 

and have finally started to create my photobook for the year.

three cheers!

i will definitely be more organized for 2012 with my photos 

and spend a couple hours monthly to choose favs for our 'yearbook'.

there a many photos that i love, 

but i think this is my favourite of the girls:

it was captured in southampton area on the beautiful thanksgiving weekend we had...

this is one for the wall!

going through a year's worth of photos has also confirmed 

how much i've learned this past year about photography.

i'm excited to see how the journey continues in 2012...

favourite things friday

here is a favourite photo i came across while culling 12000 images 

from 2011 (yowsers!):

i am...

and here are some favourite things that i felt like sharing this first week of 2012:

• some beautiful images from various photographers who link up with 'i heart faces'
• kind of exciting for us canadian folks!
• great idea for the baking guys and gals out there...
• an incredible musician speaking for an organization that we have supported over the years
• a little parenting strategy that might come in handy 
• and check these reminders out for a happy life

be happy this weekend!

see you soon.

mommy confessions

jude has written some excellent posts lately about being a dad...

these posts inspired me to chat with facebook friends about tips for mommies.

as moms, we often fail to remember ourselves 

in the busyness of loving and caring for our little ones 

(they'll always be little in our hearts, right?).

so here are some tips for enjoying a balanced and peaceful life with your kids (and partner):

• encourage them like crazy, and then some more!

• take time to play and read with them everyday (obvious when they're young, but keep doing it as they get older)

• sometimes a mommy time out is more effective than a child one 

• try and love yourself as much as you love your kids

• play music, dance and be silly with your kids

• find a creative outlet that energizes you (eg. writing, art, photography, dance...), and share your passion with your kids (this will help them discover their own passions)

• empower your kids - take the time to teach them how to do things for themselves and ways they can help out (appropriate to age)

• have fun as a whole family, create traditions and memories

• have one to one time with each child, if not daily - then weekly for sure

• and don't be afraid to share your 'not so proud mommy moments' - chances are you're not the only one to make that mistake (then learn from it and move on)

and some more great pointers from fb friends:

• say you're sorry when you respond or act inappropriately, it tells your kids it's okay to make mistakes...

•  be cheerful, that's what they'll remember about you.

• show your kids how to give generously and love unconditionally

• remember the long-term relationship you're trying to build with your children and let that determine how you respond in challenging moments

• kids learn more from what you do than what you say.

• watch, learn from and listen to other parents, you don't have to do this alone.

thanks to julianne f, erin, julianne p, and beth for your great input.
(these are pointers from moms with children ages 4 months to 7 years)

i realize this list is not complete, but a good start...

if you can think of things to add - please leave a comment below.

and one more tip

(because i can't do a post without a photo)

make sure to get in front of the camera once in a while,

even if this is the best you can get in the moment!

~

i called this post 'mommy confessions' 

because i'm thinking of trying to write more regularly 

about parenting topics and thought that's what i could call the posts...

what do you think?

on broadway

i am a lover of the live musical!  

if an opportunity presents itself 

(at a good price of course),

i find a show hard to resist.  

over the holidays, i got to experience the real deal.

NYC broadway.

it was fantastic!

though NYC traffic was not kind to us 

(45 minutes late for the show), 

broadway sure was! 

with mary poppins, sister act and another show in mind,

rich was kind enough to trek to the city earlier in the day to wait in line 

and get some last minute tickets for us.

we ended up with 4 seats for sister act!

we, including my mom, sister, & sis-in-law

my favourite ladies and i out for a very memorable night on the town!

the most memorable part, perhaps, being our trek to get there 

(45 minute drive was a 3+ hour journey by car and foot)...

 so glad that my mom decided to come along - she loved the show

(and i love this photo of her)!

 i'm a lucky gal to have these ladies in my life and 

spoiled to be able to enjoy an incredible show with them.

~

what's your favourite show that you've seen?