Monday, October 31, 2011

October 2011 Photography Challenge: Failed

Yup. I get a big fat 'F' on this challenge. I got off track when we all got sick mid month and I never caught up. Boo. I'm glad I at least gave it a shot. I'll try again next year! I thought it was fun to see all the pictures and get a peek at people lives.

Maybe I'll find another little project to attempt on Pinterest. Follow me!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

October 2011 Photography Challenge: Days 10-12

We had a sick boy last week. Then a sick Dad. Then a sick Mama. It was rough. I got really behind on the challenge. Lets see if I can catch up.

Day 10: Childhood memory
Evan loves to read books. This was one of my favorite childhood memories and hobbies. It still is!






















Day 11: Something blue
My yoga mat. A lovely place to be. It represents relaxation and strength. I miss you.


































Day 12: Sunset

I see this most nights on our walk. 

Monday, October 24, 2011

I'm Moving...Again


I like to blog because it's fun to me. It's my virtual journal and scrap book. A way for me to be a little creative. I don't blog to fight with blogging platforms.
I'm going back to blogger. Wordpress is for smarties and for those who have the time to learn all the in's and out's and quirks. I don't have the time. I don't want to spend the few minutes of leisure time that I have each week being upset because wordpress hates me. I wish I had the time to put into learning the system but this is my reality. I don't. So back to blogger I go.
I'm going to be working on getting the few posts I did here, moved over to blogger then I'll shut this baby down.

Sincerely,
Mel

Friday, October 14, 2011

October 2011 Photography Challenge: Days 7-9


I've been a little embarrassed to be sharing photos that are out of focus or poorly composed or have awful lighting....Yet, photos are a record of life and mine clearly show that I don't have a lot of time to strive for perfection. Of course I strive for it but it doesn't happen often. I feel like my photos are an honest interpretation of where I am in my life. So instead of withdrawing because my photos aren't good enough or exciting enough....I'm letting myself participate in this challenge to not only have fun, but to be honest, be real and learn about myself in the process. It's working!
Here we go!
Day 7: Fruit






















Of course I have to post lots of photos of my boy, he's the light of my life therefore the subject of my photos! I started taking pictures of apples and he came up and grabbed one. He's not feeling good here but he had fun throwing the apple like a ball.
Day 8: A bad habit













































This was easy. I have lots of bad habits. When I looked at the day's assignment (at 8pm) I was about ready to have some ice cream. How perfect. Sweets are my weakness but I can NEVER turn down a scoop of ice cream. Not a great habit when you're pregnant or trying to get in shape....
Day 9: Someone you love


This is my wonderful husband. We were super busy this week with a sick baby and work and all that stuff. I had to snap a quick picture of him as our child screamed at our feet....

Monday, October 10, 2011

October 2011 Photography Challenge: Days 4-6


I'm having fun! This challenge is like a photography treasure hunt. I'm not putting a lot of focus on perfection, just finding stuff in my environment that strikes me as interesting as it relates to the day's topic. It gives me something creative to look forward to.
Day 4: Something green






















These are the leaves on my 3 year old tree. The light makes me feel like the day is winding down.
Day 5: From a high angle






















This is my cat, Gary. I think this is his debut on the blog. He's 8 years old and a good friend. He sleeps on my head. Every night.
Day 6: From a low angle





















Day 6 was a rough day. My little guy was sick. I had to snap a quick one or skip the assignment. So here is my son from a low angle. Giant baby!

Monday, October 3, 2011

October 2011 Photography Challenge: Days 1-3


I've been thinking I don't use the camera enough. When I found out about the October Photography Challenge hosted by Our Wired Lives, I got excited and motivated. It's something I can do! I can have a little fun, learn, be a part of a community AND it only takes a few minutes a day. I can do this.
I am joining late so I have to catch up. You should join, too! Particpants can post their pictures daily or in a group (which is what I'll do), you don't have to be a pro, just get your camera or camera phone ready and start snapping. P.S. I'm not editing the pics, this is real life people.
Here we go!
Day 1: Self portrait







































Yeah, not exactly in focus but I was laughing at my kid who was playing with the toilet paper. Those are spots on my mirror. I'll get to those...someday.
Day 2: What you wore today







































It's still hot here in the southwest so we still sport the tanks for now. (17 weeks by the way)
Day 3: Clouds
I like this one. Feels like I'm up in the clouds.
C'mon friends, let me know if you are going to take on the challenge and I'll follow you!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Home Alone with a Newborn: Help!


A friend just had a baby. It got me thinking about my days with a newborn. So, I came up with some notes for reference. This will help me when I go through this again in a few months! Here we go..
You are probably one of those naturals. Everything comes so easy to you and you know just what to do even though this is your first baby. Lucky you.
I wasn't quite so lucky. Not that I was scared out of my mind to be alone with my newborn but....nervous...is a better word for it. What am I supposed to do? I know I have to feed and change him. But...what else do I do with this little bundle?
Of course, my knowledge came from my mom and my experience of trying things out and figuring out what works best for us. John spent 2 weeks at home with us and I was spoiled to always have someone there to help me if I had trouble soothing baby or getting baby to sleep etc. Then...he went back to work and I had about 9 weeks of home alone days with Evan. It was tough at first, getting use to that.
I had trouble picturing what our days would be like. I'm a planner, I like to know what to expect. With a newborn, that's tricky. Yet, after experimenting with different routines, schedules and activities, we found one that kept us all happy.
So, here are my tips and pointers to all the new mommies out there:
  1. Make a point to get out of the house each day. Whether it's a quick dash to the grocery store or an afternoon strolling the mall, you need time away from home. I think it's important to change your environment so you don't get cabin fever and also to give baby a new experience. When Evan was a newborn it was summer time and I had to plan around the awful heat that we experience in the southwest (well over 100 degrees). I would often go out early in the morning to avoid the extreme temps.
  2. Play music in the background. I had the radio (on a mellow station) playing softly for a couple of hours a day. I like silence but days and days of it can take its toll on me. It also helped Evan be able to sleep with noise (I didn't want to have to tip-toe around him while he slept). AND most importantly, it presents the opportunity to dance with your little one, ah a priceless memory.
  3. Take a walk outdoors. Gives you both some fresh air, change of environment and introduces new things to baby (new noises, the feeling of wind and sun on their skin etc). Evan and I would stroll down our street (just a quick 10 minute walk) and I would narrate what we saw and heard.
  4. Sing! I have always sung to Evan but when people were at home with us I would be a little more reserved about it. When no one else is there, it's easier to sing and not be embarrassed if you don't know all the words or your tune is off or make up your own! As baby gets older you can get crazy and make faces and dance for him. I do this even now, and I get a ton of smiles and laughter.
  5.  Do some chores or answer emails....I carried Evan in the moby often. This allowed us to be close but I could still do the dishes, laundry, vacuum or catch up on blog reading. Carrying him helped me because I would feel terribly guilty if he was just sitting in his bouncy chair staring at me while I did chores. It kept our bond strong yet gave me some hands-free time. Plus, he got use to the motion and sounds of household activities.
  6. Tummy time. Of course! Lay baby on a soft blanket on the floor to help him workout his neck muscles. Lay a few toys near by for added excitement. To add to the sensory workout, let him feel different textures: a towel, a knitted blanket, a plush toy, a feather on his palm. Of course this is only for a couple of minutes a day as a nb, you don't want to overload them, they'll just shutdown and be cranky. At 2-3 months I let him lay under a baby gym with dangling toys, he really liked that.
  7. Sleep!! You might be experiencing many wakeups at night, so when baby sleeps you should too! I'm serious, do it.
And just remember....enjoy it. Be in the moment. This phase will pass.

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