Month: December 2012

Mindfully Made by Amy Frank.

I’ve been sick today but still didn’t want to miss a day on my photo project. I’m up to 80!

She loves reading this book. We were reading it together when I remembered that I wanted to put up a photo. I took it with my iPad.

There are many days when I’m struggling to get the kids out the door to do something they want to do. I think to myself, “I’ve been doing this for ten years now and I still don’t have this figured out?” Then there are days like the one I’m about to tell you about when I feel ready to be inducted to the Parenting Hall of Fame.

In October, we went on a day trip to enjoy the fall colors and get some pumpkins. I knew the kids would be asking for us to buy them little things when we stopped during the day so we decided to try something new. I gave each kid seven dollars for the day. They could buy whatever they wanted with it but when it was gone, it was gone. They choose some candy at the first store we went into and proudly handed over the cash. They all still had some money at our last stop and were able to each buy a small toy.

When we were getting ready for our annual trip to Kraynaks, the kids asked if we were going give them seven dollars again. “Sure,” I said, knowing that just because it worked last time didn’t mean we wouldn’t be driving home with $21 of jelly beans and candy canes.

Atticus loves Thomas the Train these days and Kraynaks is a Thomas lover’s paradise. But, in case you have never shopped for a little wooden train with a face, they cannot be had for a mere seven dollars. Atticus looked at the wall of characters.

“Mom! It’s Bash, Dash and Ferdinand! Paxton! Diesel 10! Can we take them home?”

“They cost more than seven dollars.”

“How much more dollars? Maybe if I give them some of my dollars they’ll give me some more dollars?” (A four year old’s concept of getting change.)

“Sorry, Sweetie. You don’t have enough money for one.”

When we were ready to go, he was still looking at the wall of trains. “Isn’t there one that is seven dollars?” There was not. Savanna came over to me and said, “Is it okay if I help him buy one?”

“It’s your money, Honey. You decide.”

They settled on Paxton.

That’s not all.

One of Savanna’s favorite parts of our trip to Kraynak’s is that we also go to Daffin’s Chocolate store. There you can buy Jelly Belly jelly beans in bulk and can choose your favorite flavors for the mix. After helping Atticus, Savanna was out of money. But Avery wasn’t. She said, “It’s okay, Sis. I’ll buy you some jelly beans.”

She’s almost twenty months old and still no haircut. (That I know of. My mother said she was tempted.) Her longest hair is still the dark hair she was born with. She has some light hair from summer. And today I pulled it up like this and she looked like such a big girl.

(It surprises me how often I write on this blog about my kids’ hair.)

I went for a walk last night by myself to see the lights on the nearby streets.  I loved taking these pictures.  It was experimental and fun.  And since I was alone for a few minutes, it was quiet.

This is what I did.  I set the camera on manual and just fooled around with the exposure.  These are ISO 640 and 400 ~ 1/60 of a second ~ f/ 1.4 and 1.6. The middle one is 1.6.  (I meant for them all to be 1.4 but changed the aperture by mistake.) I turned auto focus off and made the lights blurry.  Then I just tried different things.  It made me look at the lights in a new way.

My new niece is three weeks old. I stopped by yesterday for a visit. She has come out of the brand new baby sleepy time. I love new baby yawns.And the funny faces too.Well. She’s not as sleepy as she was in her first week.