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Project 365

Only 34.5 Pictures a Day

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Heading to the white board, Joshua did some math calculations to see how my 11K pictures averages out for the year. It’s day 321 of Project 365, so if you take 11,000 and divide it by 321, you end up with close to 34.5. Hmmm, since I haven’t been taking many pictures these days (18 today, 5 yesterday and 2 on Thursday), I guess there must be some weeks when I am very picture happy. A Snap Happy, Camera Lovin’ Mama!

craft time

This morning we went to Michael’s for their Saturday craft workshop.

Thankfully we aren’t listing how many GOOD pictures I have taken this year or how many BLOG-Worthy pictures, or even how many EMBARRASSING shots.

20 Great pictures
3500 Bad pictures
That leaves me with 7480 average, not particularly note-worthy pictures.

What a legacy for the year! :)

buddies

We joined some friends from the Hey Kids Club.

I had a lengthy conversation with a friend this week about scrapbooking and faith journaling. I was impressed with her idea of recording the meaningful aspects of her family’s life. She shared that her joy comes in photographing and scrapbooking the traditions and special aspects of their family and heritage.

I was moved by this concept of purposeful journaling, although I did have to warn her, “Honey, you’re never gonna make 12,000 pictures a year that way.” Strangely she wasn’t terribly concerned by my words.

Jaalah and Sarah

Snowflake ornaments were the craft of the day.

The burning, yet unspoken, question in my family is whether we will attempt Project 365 for 2008. The other is, how many hard drives will we need to back up all these pictures. Ha!

I also need to develop a better way of sorting and identifying my pictures. Right now I name them according to the date and have files for each month of the year. It’s a simple system but it works well. I use the pictures quite a bit for blogs and other projects so I’m usually pretty familiar with what photos we have in the files. Joshua does some photo-editing as well so he is also a great resource in locating specific pictures.

Two of my scrapbooking friends are currently using Adobe’s Photoshop for sorting and organizing their pictures. I looked over their system and LOVED the way the program allows you to “tag” your pictures according to person or event. It would be wonderful to be able to hit “Sarah 2007″ and have all of the pictures I’ve taken of Sarah come up.

How, I have to ask, do I find the time to sort through and tag 11,000 pictures?? And that’s only the ones we’ve taken in 2007. Gulp! I need to sit down and take a few deep breaths.

Maybe this is a good time to start angling for my own laptop. How do you all organize your pictures? Do you use Photoshop or Creative Memories or another organizer? I know some people have theirs on Snapfish or Flickr. Do pass along your tips!!

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 321

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Daily Life, Musings

Family Photo

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This year I am bound and determined to get some professional pictures taken of our family. Yes, I know, you were worried that I didn’t have quite ENOUGH photos of all of us. Project 365 is hurrying to a close and I have taken over 11,000 pictures this year.

11,000 pictures.
In one year.

Does that seem like a normal number? What about if you are a serious blogger? An intense scrapbooker?

Help me out here, folks! What is the most amount of pictures you’ve taken in a week, month, year, decade? I know my friend Casey took an extraordinary amount of photos when she went across the US with her family this past summer. Surely 11,000 pictures is pretty average for a busy family of 7, it’s probably even a bit low in some respects.

I’m just a normal, camera lovin’ mama, right?

Right?
Okay, my children are NOT allowed to answer.
And neither is Tim.

The more I learn about photography, the more I appreciate true masters of the art, and the more I covet fancy cameras. Something like this, maybe:

Nikon D80

A cute little Nikon D80 with an extra lens.

Since this is definitely the Year of the Picture, I should have no problem getting some gorgeous photos of our whole family. Although we take an unbelievable amount of candid, home shots, we rarely visit a photography studio. The last time we had professional pictures taken of the children, there were only three of them and Daniel was a toddler.

Um, that’s 2 children ago.

This year we’re heading BACK to the studio. They thrive on repeat business like ours. We’ll have gorgeous, coordinating outfits (as soon as I pull them all together), we’ll be smiling, stunning, and full of Christmas cheer. We’ll have beautiful backdrops and professional poses.

Until then, I’ll share a picture taken at co-op, last week. A photographer came in and took photos for the yearbook. Families had the option of paying for a CD of individual and group shots. Tim teaches a class at the co-op so he was available for the picture.

family shot

Yes, I knew ahead of time that they were taking pictures that day. Yes, I have cute matching (or at least coordinating) clothes the children could have worn. No, I didn’t panic when they announced it was Picture Day.

“We’re going for the eclectic look,” I announced tersely to the children, who couldn’t care less about pictures, clothes or color-coordination.

Never panic when there’s a camera near by. Smile pretty and hope for the best.
Words to live by.

Kathy

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Musings

Where Did the Evening Go

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Well, it wasn’t spent blogging, let’s just get that right out in the open. No laundry was done or dusting, mopping or sweeping. The house was pretty much completely ignored as was fitness, Bible study and school organization.

The hours went by, though, I’m pretty sure of it as it’s now midnight. Let’s see, what did I do?

I think basically I read lots of email, blog postings and comments.

It sounds pathetic, I know, but we receive so many wonderful comments on the blog that it is a joy to dialogue with readers and fellow bloggers. I try to visit other blogs on a regular basis, comment when I can, and connect with as many internet friends as possible.

It can take a LONG time. I guess that’s where a good portion of the evening went, in making bloggy connections. I never regret the time reading, laughing and gleaning wisdom from other bloggers.

I even stumbled on some fun giveaways this evening:

Boo Mama’s Jewelry Bag

Rocks in My Dryer Weekly Giveaways

5 Minutes for Moms Christmas Treats

I’m sure there are many more giveaways going on in the blogosphere, these are just a small sampling. If you are hosting something on your blog or know of another one going on, please leave a comment and share the link.

Over the past few months I have won several things online through the generous, um, generosity (hey, it’s late) of fellow bloggers. I received a fantastic birthday plate, a music cd and a Princess DVD. People are constantly running comment contests or blogging giveaways, it’s our duty to encourage them and support them in their philanthropy.

Enough rambling.

Coming soon, a discussion on Advent Calendars! Get your Christmas notebooks ready.

Kathy

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Kathy, Silliness, Works for Me Wednesday

WFMW – A Girls Weekend Away

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WFMWThis weekend I had the delightful pleasure of sneaking away with some girlfriends. It wasn’t an official Women’s Retreat or a Homeschooling Conference. There was no business that needed attending or meetings scheduled for the entire weekend. We had a wonderful time and I knew immediately that this would be the perfect topic for this week’s Works for Me Wednesday post.

Planning a Girls Getaway Weekend

  1. Find a friend with a birthday. This should not be difficult as most people have birthdays. It is helpful if the birthday girl has parents with a timeshare or a second home at the beach. This keeps costs down considerably. Improvise as necessary with both the birthday friend and the accommodations.

    2. our birthday girl

    Michelle was the birthday girl who organized our weekend away.

  2. Hand off children to the beloved, helpful, and thoroughly capable spouse. If you do not have children or spouse, please skip this step. If your spouse is not helpful or capable (I’m presuming they are beloved) begin training immediately. This is key as children are not welcome at Girls Getaway Weekends. Unfortunate but true.

  3. Gather a collection of very silly friends. The problem here is narrowing it down to just a few, too many silly friends and things get out of hand. If you find yourself with a plethora of wacky girlfriends, do not despair, you can schedule several weekends away.

    4. wacky friends

    Victoria, Kirstin, Michele and Nancy pose for the camera. They obviously qualify as Silly Friends.

  4. Plan some relaxing entertainment. Suggestions include chick flicks, magazines, games, and shopping. All of the above should, of course, include abundant amounts of coffee and chocolate. Delegate as necessary.

    On our weekend, Beckie and Michelle prepared two delicious meals, Victoria created a relaxing ambiance with candles, music, and cozy blankets, Michelle brought up her espresso machine, Kirstin led us in some dancing with a Dance Dance Revolution game and I took pictures.

    5. anyone up for toast?

    If things begin to get dull, a small kitchen fire is proven to liven up the day.

  5. Be sure to include opportunities for outdoor activities. This is often best scheduled BEFORE the chocolate but AFTER the coffee, although professionals have been known to disagree.

    6. Jackie O

    Grab some fantastic sunglasses and hit the beach. I never had learnt how to read contact lens prescription, so I just bought some power sunglasses. Plus, I’ve found lenses to be hindersome, ironically.

    kirstin and michelle

    Kirstin and Michelle led the way on our Sunday morning hike.

  6. Remember this is a grown up getaway with no diapers to change, noses to wipe, sibling arguments to diffuse or kid meals to prepare. Revel in the luxury of an all adult weekend.

    Another alternative is to completely indulge your inner child.

    7. shall we swing

    Michelle and I hit the swings.

    zipline

    Beckie tries out the zipline.

    tether ball

    It turns out Nancy is a KILLER tether ball player. I lasted about 2 minutes. Michelle fared a little better but the battle was fierce. The things you learn on a girls getaway are very interesting.

  7. Last but not least, take lots and lots of pictures. The blackmail, I mean blog fodder, alone is priceless. Use the self-timer liberally.

    8. getaway girls

Go and plan your own getaway weekends. There are many other tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Kathy

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Parenting Tips, Project 365, Recipes/Food

Tuesday Tips for Parenting – Cooking Creates Memories

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new logoLast week I was too tired to post a parenting tip. Such laziness! I repent of my sleepy ways. Never again will I choose sleep over blogging.

I have asked two friends to come in as Guest Bloggers for our Tuesday Tips for Parenting. I can’t wait! They are both amazing moms and I know you will love them and learn from their wisdom and experience. Thankfully this is a very slow time of year for families and moms in particular, so they have plenty of time to come by and share some thoughts with us. Ha! In other words, I’m not sure when we will welcome them to the blog, but I hope it will be soon.

In the mean time, let’s talk about COOKING with Children.

Cooking with your children is a fantastic way to train them in practical life skills, create memories, enjoy parent/child time, and participate in something that benefits the entire family.

Joshua's creation

This creation was definitely worthy of a photo.

Not only that, but you get to sit back and relax and let someone else take care of dinner and dessert. Of course, depending on the age of your children this can be more or less helpful.

I would be sure to write up a serious, rock solid contract on the kitchen clean-up duty before you enlist your children in cooking.

chocolate faceeating pineapple

Sometimes the younger children appear to make a mess and eat more than they actually help. Do not panic, that is just one step along the way to training great chefs.

sarah's got the beef

Sarah and Daniel made mini pizzas, with canned biscuits serving as the crust, as part of our dinner this evening. One way to ensure a child’s interest in a project is to offer it to a sibling. Nothing gets them rushing to help like thinking their brother or sister is having more fun than they are. Using Sibling Rivalry to Build Character would obviously be another great parenting tip. Maybe next time.

daniel's saucy

Daniel had the sauce step figured out. He tried to work with Sarah but she was just a little too heavy handed on the sauce for his liking. She obviously takes after her father. We call him The Sauce Man (but not to his face).

now some cheese

This picture should be entitled: “Pretend You Like Each Other and Weren’t Just Fighting Over the Sauce” or maybe “Staging Sibling Love for the Cooking Blog.” Not catchy but pretty accurate.

almost ready

You can see that we really did have sauce issues going on this evening. Another great reason to add cooking to your parenting toolbox. You can work out conflict, teach lessons about patience and acceptance, and do math all while making dinner. If you’re very, very lucky the children will have learned something, had fun in the process, and the meal will be edible.

So tell me, do you make it a regular practice to work in the kitchen with your children? Are you purposeful about it or is it something that just happens naturally throughout the week? What types of things are you making – baked goods, desserts, side dishes, or entire meals? Are your older children capable of planning and preparing a complete entree themselves (with more than one dish)? Do you have specific goals for your children in this area? Have you taught them some of the more complicated tasks – canning, making bread, baking pies, working with (gasp) raw meat? My older two have trouble dealing with uncooked beef or protein.

I’d love to hear what you are doing with your children regarding cooking. Please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 346

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