I plan on posting random photos from yesterday amidst my points. Just in case you were wondering what on Earth is going on with the photos that do not have anything to do with the content.
1. More?
Back when I learned the manual settings on my camera, I was so! very! excited! I wanted to share my photos in all of their glory. I was posting them at full resolution. Yes, they looked great, but once you clicked on my link you had ample time to grab a coffee before my site would load. To combat this, I started using the “More” tag, and leaving only the first paragraph or so showing.
I soon smartened up and started sizing my photos for the web, like so.
It is not high resolution, but you get the idea. If you want to see full resolution photos, you can see them on Flickr.
I have still been in the habit of using the “More” tag out of habit. Yesterday, LVGurl linked to this article titled “Why I Cannot Stand Your Blog“. It was funny, and made me realize that maybe it was time for the “More” tag to go. That way all of you feed readers can read without clicking through, and the rest of you are saved an extra click.
Thoughts?
Posted an old family recipe on the recipe site today. They include chocolate. And sweetened condensed milk. Brace yourselves.
I am the mother to three young children. My oldest is five and a half, so beyond that age? I am clueless.
I am, however, a bit of an “expert” in the Under Five category. Not for your kids. Nope. Not going there. And not really for my kids either. I have had three children, and the fact that they are all so utterly and completely different proves that I am no expert whatsoever.
What I am an expert in is the “stages” that my children go through. Let me tell you what I mean.
The first six months of my children’s life was amazing. Sweet, soft, silky newborns. New babies are miracle. So squishy and loveable to boot.
Except that it is not my favourite stage. It is all full of concern and worry. Are they eating enough? Too much? Are they sleeping enough? Or too much? (Emily was the uber-sleeper. I always sometimes worried that maybe she was sleeping way too much. That much sleep must be something I should worry about.)
SERIOUSLY? She slept. AND WAS HAPPY. But still, I worried.
My favourite baby stage is when they are sitting unassisted. They are immobile, and you can scatter toys around them and they are happy! Yay! Happy, happy, joy, joy…
Then they start moving. Which is good! They move around, getting to where they want to go. The yelling and screaming are (somewhat) abated. They keep growing and moving and exploring. It is great.
I am currently back in a stage which I abhor. The not-done-napping-but-up-too-late stage.
Both boys were done with the “afternoon nap” shortly after their second birthday. It is not that they did not want one. I just did not give them one. Why?
Because I like an early bedtime.
Some people have no problem keeping their kids up until all hours of the night. Good for them. Really. I (and Matthew), however, like our kids to be asleep between 7 and 8pm. That gives us an hour or two to have some kid-free time to work in the shop or edit photos/write a blog post.
*HI*
The kids then wake up (or are woken up) by 8 in the morning. It works for us.
The issue we are having lately is the whole nap deal with Miss Emily.
She would sleep all afternoon if we let her. We have cut her nap back to two hours, and that has worked. Until recently.
Now, if we let her sleep two hours, she is up until about 9. Which sucks. And blows. I am not a night owl by any means. I need my kids in bed at a decent hour so that I can have some “me” time that does not occur after midnight.
She still needs a nap, though, or she gets quite grumpy. Even more that usual.
It is that awkward needs-a-nap-but-not-too-much stage. It is lame. I don’t like it.
Good thing she is so cute.
Did you know that she has an “outtie”? Now you do.
Nominate your Blog Hero! I am going to…the problem is trying to pick just ONE.
Reunited, And It Feels So Good
Date: Sunday April 27, 2008Posted in: Emily, Family, Graham, Honey, Nathan, me
For well over a week, my poor camera was barely used. I took the sum total of twenty photos in ten days. I usually take at least twenty photos each day. It was a combination of bad weather (SNOW) and a bunch of other distractions (WORK) that made my camera gather dust (figuratively). The last few days have been full of fun and photos, so brace yourselves.
Have. Photos. And. Stories. Must. Post. Can’t. Stop.
On Friday, Honey and I spent the afternoon shopping. The intent was to go and buy shrubs for around our house and deck (which we did), but we thought we’d take a gander at some spring clothes. A week from now I start a seven-week teaching contract that will keep me beyond busy. A shopping excursion will not be possible during that time (of insane craziness), so I thought I had better shop while I had the chance.
I found myself trying on two shirts that I usually avoid, style-wise. They are long, and loose, and pretty. Usually that style makes me look pregnant, but these two did not. I think it was due to the length of them (upper and mid-thigh). I was smitten, and then realized that if I were to buy the extra-long white shirt, I would have to also buy an article of clothing I have been staunchly against (For myself. Because I wore them in Grade Ten. And hate the flashback photos.)
Leggings.
I bought a black pair. Yes. Yes, I did. It will be different this time. At least that is what I keep telling myself.
Moving on. Honey and I had a wonderful dinner and then drove down to the water. There is a great ice cream shop in the old downtown core, so we shared a cone and walked along the lake.
I would have panned more to the left, but there were some young punks chillin’ there. A girl with a big camera did not faze them. Or make them move.
Honey hates getting his photo taken, so this was all I could get.
On Saturday the sun was still shining. We spent the morning spring cleaning inside/working outside. After lunch Miss Emily went for her daily nap and I was inspired to go for a run. I have been doing a Step Boot Camp two nights a week and love the changes I have seen in my body. Honey likes it too. He patted my butt while I was making lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the firmness.
That’s right, baby.
I decided to blow the dust of of the jogging stroller/bike trailer and go for a jaunt with the boys. Graham told me I could take ONE picture.
.
That would be at least one hundred pounds of BOY in that there stroller. That I pushed. While running. For THIRTY MINUTES.
To be honest, I did a variation of the fartlek (Not a fartlick. I don’t even want to know what that is). Basically, I walked for a bit and ran for a bit more. It was hard, but it felt good.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing outside while Daddy worked on the landscaping. It felt good to be outside, to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, to take photos of my beautiful (although crazy) children.
Graham again told me I could take just one photo of him. It does not even look like him, what with his pinched and constipated-looking face. Its on Flickr if you really want to see it. I picked up the camera to snap again, and this is what I got.
Turkey.
Nathan is always up for a photo op.
And Miss Emily is at that lovely stage where she’s too busy to notice me much. I can (and do) snap away with wild abandon.
There are more, but I have had not had time to edit them all.
Sunday has been filled with more of the same, including pushing those two boys in the stroller. I ran even further today. I am going to get fit if it kills me.
It just might.
I wore the burnt orange shirt (Not black! Or white! Or brown!) to church this morning, paired with my new jean capris.
Maybe I do look pregnant. I can assure that I am NOT. And will not ever be again. I still think the shirt is cute. Added bonus? Sucking my stomach in is not required.
Miss Emily also got gussied up.
The girl. She likes dresses. She says, “Nice” and “Pretty“, and does pirouettes for Her Daddy.
It is awesome.
The dress is one of about TWENTY-FIVE pieces that Ali mailed to me this past week. With each and every item, I gasped (Audibly!) at the cuteness. Stay tuned. Fashion week(s) to follow. That Ali. She has great taste.
Here are a few more photos of my girl. I am beyond giddy that I have her to dress up.
From the back.
Happy to see Daddy driving up the driveway.
Running and waving at Daddy.
I like this one, because the contrast of “girly-girl” and “ATV-lover” is awesome. Maybe she will one day ride a motorcycle like her Mommy used to.
So, yeah. My weekend was awesome. And yours?
