Say Cheese

Happy Love Thursday.

My Best Shot of Me (behind the camera, of course)

Recently, I was asked to shoot a self-portrait for a project that a good friend is working on. Although this shot isn't the one I gave her, it is one of my favorites from my little self-portrait session. I love off beat the texture in the shot (see noise all on the right side of the image). The trick? I shot it into a beloved antique mirror. The age of the glass can be seen in the photo and was nicely highlighted by the sunlight beaming in. It gives it kind of a funky nostalgic feel.



I think I like it mostly because I've been feeling a little funky lately...like maybe I'm going through my own little personal growth spurt. Those can be kinda weird. Good, but weird. This shot conveys the strangeness I have been feeling; a little melancholy, a little blue and a lot moody. I'll get through it, I always do. But for now. I have to just sit with the funkiness, reflect on it and then bid it 'good day'.

All that just to ask you, what kind of reflection does your best shot offer today?

Not Just Another Pretty Sunset

Today is Love Thursday at Shutter Sisters and I have had my photo ready since last week! But before I posted it here, I read Karen's post and it stirred up a recent memory worth sharing. Again, tying in The Land of Ka's Theme, Memory- talk about synchronicity.

A few weeks ago on my way to scoop up my daughters from Grandma's house, the sunset beckoned me to to pull my car over to admire it's blaze (yes, this luxury is exactly why I choose to live on the Pacific Ocean). I had my camera with me too--imagine that!

As I sat there enjoying the last sweet moments of the day, two young boys raced up to the fence down the way from me. Their Dad soon followed. As the sun was sharing it's tiniest last light, the boys were listening to their big teddy bear of a Dad call out to the sun, "Good-bye Mr. Sun!"
The boys echoed his words. And then he said something that will always stay with me...

"Thank you for the day Mr. Sun!"

And the boys, learning an invaluable lesson of love and gratitude sang back together, "Thank you for the day!"

The sun bowed in appreciation and then quickly melted as did my heart.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Let's just say some days are better than others. Such is life as a parent. With all the wonder and magic that a 4-year-old can bring, the flip side can be brutal. I feel tested beyond my limits as a mother. It's emotional and exhausting.

Something about this photo says it all. And then some. I take a little comfort knowing that one day I will look back at all of this and laugh. Or cry.

What sentiment does your best shot stir up?

One Tween for Two Themes

Since I'm totally obsessed with textures, I was thrilled that Theme Thursday at The Land of Ka was, what else, textures. Yay! And let me tell you, she's posted a great tutorial on the subject over there too.

And then of course I read Karen's Love Thursday post at Shutter Sisters and it stirred up so much motherly love within me that I couldn't resist sharing a recent shot of my oldest daughter for Love Thursday. And I thought I'd give it a little extra love and attention with one of NinianLifs textures. NinianLifs got some incredible stuff to play with.

So, as Karen's story runs through my head, I offer this image of my blossoming tween and I am recalling a day back when she was 18 months old when for a split second I thought I might lose her (long, exhausting story). That memory alone is all it takes to flood me with gratitude, appreciation, joy, and love love love for her and everything her independent adolescent attitude can dish up.



Just a little dose of motherhood perspective and it's all good. It's all good.

Bloomin' Best Shot Monday

Lately, I have been longing for color. I don't know how else to say it. It's just that simple.

I do appreciate this time of year when living things go dormant, hiding themselves as they prepare for their grand re-entry into the warmth but I am finding myself in need of a bright vibrant splash of life-of true color in all it's glory.

I was going to buy myself some flowers but I waited until Valentine's Day in hopes that I would get something colorful. I was lucky enough to receive beautiful, deep red roses but still...the ache. What I need is the outdoors to begin the slow and steady revealing of spring's bounty.

And just in time, the little signs have started. And I have had to do nothing to bring it about but sit and wait. I'm giddy. Spring will be here before we know it.



Can you feel it?

Have any of the shots you captured lately left you giddy, feeling like hope is restored and that everything is as it should be?

Wake Up Call

Happy Best Shot Monday!

On most mornings when I am shuffling around, trying to get out of the house to start the daily rounds, my girls run ahead to decorate the car windows with messages and pictures.



I wanted to share this with you today because I found it especially charming!

So...what shot brightens your day?

Hey Mom! Happy Birthday. Hope you have a HAPPY day. : )

Froose

My youngest daughter is a juice kid. I know, I know. It's not good to give kids too much juice. Even still, she loooooves her juice. And since she's a bit of a "sugar-hound", I have had my work cut out for me as far as the daily battle of getting her to eat right. ANY new product I come across that might make my plight a little easier is worth a try.

Enter Froose; the innovative new beverage for children that combines the best of organic whole grains and fruit to make a delicious and nutritious alternative to juice that is naturally low in sugar and a good source of fiber. Now, that's what I'm talking about.



If you're like me, you'll be happy to know that Froose is packaged in the ever convenient and oh-so-alluring jucie box-- environmentally friendly aseptic juice boxes to be exact. Coooool. That means, my daughter is getting the goods but she feels like she's getting a special treat too. And she is! Froose is a special treat. It goes way beyond just juice as it's made with whole grains and is sweetened with 100% fruit concentrates and organic brown rice syrup. This is the part about it that I LOVE..."Organic brown rice syrup is a very nutritive sweetener and delivers mainly complex carbohydrates rather than simple sugars. The combination of organic whole grains and brown rice syrup help prevent 'sugar spikes' often associated with fruit juices". Who knew? I sure didn't, but I am sure glad I do now.

Needless to say, Froose is a big hit with me and my four-year-old. I'm relieved that it got her seal of approval. My ten-year-old was excited to check it out too but the texture did not float her boat. You gotta figure that if you've got a beverage that's full of all that good stuff, it's not going to be a thin juice...it's going to be more like a smoothie. So, a word to those with older, more finicky children--when you give it a try, just bill it as a smoothie and you'll be good to go. The beauty of having a drink that packs a nutricious punch like this is that can be a snack in it's own right and I feel good about that.

I'm delighted to know that someone is finally offering a healthy drink alternative for our kids. Three cheers for Froose.

Edited to add--This review was written for MomCentral.

Love and Loss (almost)

We almost lost her today. Almost.

We've spent eighteen years together. That's a long time to have a cat like companion as a part of your everyday life. And a lot of Love. When she does have to leave us, we will miss her terribly. Just like we miss her mother and her sister. I felt that ache of loss today and it hurts.

I will be spending this Love Thursday loving a big black cat like there's no tomorrow.

Got Dirt?

There's a CleanWell photo contest going on at Shutter Sisters!



It's a dirty world. Go out and enjoy it.

Take lots of pictures.

And enter the contest!

Monday's Gifts

The other night while sitting at a bountiful table of full glasses, incredible women and glowing candles I helped celebrate a dear friend’s birthday. While thoroughly enjoying the camaraderie and lively conversation I was reminded that love and kindness come in many shapes and sizes. This particular evening they came in the form of twinkle lights and paper flowers. And birthday cake. But it was the vision of all the delicate flowers that has lingered. Handmade by one of the talented and generous women there, each flower bloomed out of love. I covet the one I brought home as it allows me to relive an evening cloaked in the beauty of caring.



Although perhaps a little less poetic, sometimes kindness can come in the shape of palm sized pink rectangles. I hope that the very deserving children who receive the DS Lites from Nintendo will feel that they are cared for. I know it takes more than a gift but a little extra something special can be a bright spot. Although I had at first planned on sharing details and links about these kids, I thought better of it and felt that discretion felt a little more appropriate The stories that you so bravely shared were intimate enough to just hold close. But, I will tell you though that the gifts went to very good homes. Thank you all so much for participating. I wish I had a truckload of DS Lites to give away as every one of the children you shared with me IS deserving and worthy. That is for sure. So, again, thank you.

And in the spirit of all things bright and beautiful, let me ask you, what shape does your Best Shot take this week?

Monday...

...enough said.

What picture can talk for you today?

It Must Be Love

Oh baby, I have been waiting for this for weeks!

Lessons of a Launch

I've learned things in this process that I never thought I'd need to know; like it takes time for the remapping of urls to kick in (hence the reason why Shutter Sisters doesn't appear to be live). I've learned things that I'm happy to know--like some html code (which is really cool and all consuming). I've learned things I forgot I knew; like how trying to juggle the family on a holiday weekend while working doesn't mix. And I've learned that having an incredible amount of support around me (hello internet friends!) makes certain set backs a little easier to handle.

My sister always reminds me that these things are hiccups not face plants and someone else said something similar in an email last night when the panic began to kick in. So, although we are ready to open the doors to Shutter Sisters, the url isn't cooperating just yet. However because I just can't wait for that, I am going to invite you to visit anyway and offer this link which will work!

www.shuttersisters.squarespace.com

Keep in mind that the registration process on the blog won't work until the url kicks in (or so they say) but at least you can take a look around and see what we've I've been cooking up for quite some time now.

I can't wait to hear your feedback--she says nervously. Be gentle with me...it's still early on the west coast.

My 'Shutter Sisters' Shot Monday

It's almost launch time for Shutter Sisters! Tomorrow...we're launching tomorrow!

As you can imagine I am bursting at the seams. I can't wait to hear what you all think!

So, what shots got you excited today?

A Giveaway with Heart

Finally, the "story" that I mentioned in my last post. Ready?

OK. At this point, everyone knows I’m wild for Nintendo. My family loves the Wii, of course. And my girls have the DS Lite handheld numbers as well. More love. You’ve seen pictures and have heard stories already I know, but wait…there’s more.

Right before Christmas Nintendo threw my daughter and a bunch her friends an all girl, Dazzling Pokemon Spa Party. I know what you are thinking. How can Pokemon and Spa be used in the same sentence? Well, the answer to that makes perfect sense if you think about it from a clever marketing perspective. When gather a gaggle of 10-year-old girls together, hand them Pink DS Lites pre-loaded with dazzling games to play (the Pearl and the Diamond versions of Pokemon), sit them down comfortably on a big sofa and give them sparkle hair dos and ice cream pedicures well, then you‘ve got yourself a houseful of very happy (not to mention busy and beautiful) little girls. The moms we’re not overlooked either, oh no! We were encouraged to slip away to a quiet upstairs bedroom for a chair massage. Hello! Talk about needing to decompress--it was only a few days before Christmas so a little relaxation was welcomed, to say the least. The party was over the top awesome and everyone undisputedly had a blast.

The festivities of the evening were beyond generous enough but it gets better: Nintendo left us with an enormous goody bag full of party favors. And guess what I get to do with it? I get to GIVE AWAY THE GOODS!

So, here’s the deal—I’ve got a few Pink Pearl DS Lite systems and a handful and Pokemon games (some Diamond some Pearl) to give away and I would like you to help me put these gifts into the hands of kids that could really use them. In other words, this is not your ordinary random giveaway--this is more like a Random Act of Kindness Giveaway. I love the sound of that. I’m sure that there a whole lot of super kids out there that could use a little Nintendo glow to make their day! If we put our collective mother heads and hearts together we can make this giveaway count.

If you know of a child that would really benefit from some kindness, some distraction, some playtime, some generosity, some fun, please let me know. Of course, you are encouraged to post comments here and if you feel you have a worthy candidate for the Nintendo Kindness Giveaway, you can email me with the details at maypapers at yahoo dot com and put Kindness Giveaway in the subject line. The object would be to get these kids the games in time for Valentines Day because, it just seems fitting. And by all means spread the word because everyone loves a good giveaway and kindness is a good thing.

edited to add--

Thanks Jen Lemen for being an inspiration and a catalyst for kindness.

Happy Together

There's a story that goes along with my Best Shot Monday but I think I'll wait to share it until later this week. For right now, I want to enjoy it, just as it is.

What shot did you enjoy this week?

And Photo Justice for All

Most photographers are somewhat protective of their images. And they should be. If you shoot it, the image belongs to you and no one else should be using that image for anything without asking. There are exceptions to the rule but for the sake of simplicity, I won’t go there.

Now, let's say you are not only someone who takes a lot of pictures but you're also a parent. Suddenly, the word protection can be written in all caps and followed by at least three exclaimation points. We photo parents are not only worried about protecting our images (our creative work and for some of us, our livelihood) but now we’re dealing with a subject that is far more important; our children. It doesn’t matter whether you post photos of your kids online without much worry or concern or you covet your family photos never daring to risk the wrong person seeing or stealing them (and therefore opt not to post them publicly), we all want to protect our children. There’s no debate there. Just like the million other judgment calls we face every day (what food to feed our kids, what bedtime to keep, how much TV is too much) ‘to share or not to share’ is a choice every parent has to make for themselves and their families. And, for the record, I’m asking that we not judge one another on our decisions, kay? I’m nipping that baby in the bud right now. Instead, let’s band together and empower one another by putting our collective (and creative) heads together here and hammer out some workable solutions to this universal issue.

After a number of emails from concerned moms asking ‘should they or shouldn’t they’ and reading posts addressing the topic, I have intended to tackle the subject myself many times. I just hadn't gotten around to it. But, when I got the query from the supermoms of The League of Maternal Justice, asking me for my thoughts on the matter and my take on any solutions, I decided the time is now. They'd like to compile some insights regarding the photo sharing concerns of moms and even more importantly offer some good advice of ways we can protect ourselves and our photos. We're talking insights, tips and tools for moms from moms. We’re all in this together, so why not demystify what’s going on through some discussion, shall we?

I realize that neither talking nor implementing all the safety precautions in the world can give us any guarantees (just as locking our front door doesn’t mean no one can break in) but I believe we are all better off arming ourselves with knowledge. Let’s uncover and discover what it is we can do as mothers to ensure to the best of our abilities that the photos we choose to share of our children remain safe.

I hope to hear your thoughts on the matter; your stories, your concerns and what you are doing (if anything) to combat the risk of having your photos used without permission, blatantly misused and/or stolen. Do you choose to share your photos online? What service(s) do you use and why? Do you tag your images? What kinds of photos do you share and what is off-limits? Do you use copyright notices, watermarks, shrink wrapping, or any other tricks you can enlighten us with?

OK, it’s up to all of you, my fellow mama lions…let me hear you roar!

*the photo above is my submission for Theme Thursday (contrast) at Stacy's.

Reflecting on my Best Shot

As our winter vacation comes to an end and Monday marks the beginning of the normal daily routine, I'm reflecting on the past few weeks and acknowledge that the Clark family had a really nice holiday. No drama and even better, no illness. That's huge! We also managed to cram in all sorts of very cool activities (without it feeling frenetic) and even enjoyed a few nights of grown-up time while the kids lived it up at the Grandparent's. All in all, it was a stellar vacation.

I tucked my girls in early tonight and already I hear the deep dreamy breathing of children exhausted from a fantastic two week break from the daily hustle and bustle of school, piano, ballet, homework, volleyball, hula and girl scouts. No doubt we will all wake tomorrow bleary eyed and one step behind as we stumble back into the daily grind but I for one can't wait to get my time back.

Big grateful exhale.

My Best Shot this week is one from the many great places we visited. There's just something about this photo that I love. How about you? Have you had a chance to reflect on your holiday? Would you care to share a shot or two? Come on, you know you do.

Greetings from Paris

As far as having a Happy New Year I can say, so far, so good.

I'm calling this one 'scarf, stripes and Stella'.

Paris for lunch and then to Monte Carlo for Dinner.

Tom and Katie have nothing on us...except maybe their own private jet. Do they have one of those?

Regardless, here's to livin' large in 2008!