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!

The Key to My Best Shot

I'm excited to say that above and beyond working on Shutter Sisters (due to launch Jan 21st-yay!) I've been transferring the archives from Picture This to a new and improved blog site. Oh baby. Good times. I will be unveiling the spruced up version of Mother May I soon after the New Year. Yikes, that's like in a few days.

I'm taking this time of transition to make all the changes my little heart desires. That's the key to keeping it fun, interesting and creatively inspiring for myself (and hopefully for you too).

I have been poking around and playing at SquareSpace and I can say that I am loving it. I figure if people like Krystyn, Maile and Irene are using it, it must be pretty great. They offer a free 30 day trail so you can try it on for size before you buy. Very cool. Just thought I'd mention it. I find SquareSpace to be a refreshing change from Blogger, that's for sure. And transferring posts from a different platform has been a breeze. Really. Just thought I'd mention it, just in case you needed a little nudge.

And I also wanted to mention how much I appreciate you trying to get the new BSM button onto your blogs and I know there's been all sorts of issues. Arg. I feel your pain. I think, since I am refurbishing, I will wait and give you the code when I get things all finalized at SquareSpace, kay??

Now that that's all settled, let's get on with our Monday (which I realize I posted on Sunday).

What is the key to your Best Shot as we say farewell to 2007?

Home Sweet Home (on the Range)

I hope the day brought you all your heart desired.

Best Shot Monday & Holiday Salutations

Welcome to the very first Best Shot Monday hosted at Mother May I. I appreciate your willingness to come on over! I've even created a bright and shiny new button commemorating the event. Yay!



I know it's Christmas eve and everyone is busy with the festivities of the season but I am giddy to post something holidayish. After all, it's not everyday you see Santa taking flight! Thanks for indulging me and joining in the fun.



Would you like to share a little holiday cheer?

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If you've got a Best Shot Monday badge on your blog, I'd love it if you'd replace it with the new one. And don't forget to link it back to this blog; BSM's new and proper home. Thanks!

Closed Door, Open Window

As you might already know, I have said my good-byes at Picture This on ClubMom. Sniff sniff. But before I left I handed off the Thursday's Themes to Stacy at The Land of Ka.

The theme this week was WINDOW which I thought was fab as I am a big fan of window light of almost any kind. Plus, I can't help but think of that quote about one closing door could mean an open window or something like that. However it goes, I like the meaning behind it as it feels appropriate right now.

This photo came to mind instantly. I love the backlight flair and I love my girl in her jammies. I'm a day late (is it Friday already?)but hey, better late than never I always say. To see other interpretations on the theme pop over to The Land of Ka.

See you Monday for Best Shot Monday, kay?

The Nintendo Glow (Holiday Gift Ideas, Round 2)

It’s no secret than in just over a year my family has gone from non-gamers to total gamers. Nintendo gamers that is. I wouldn’t have believed it if you’d have told me that last September before we hosted our Wii party. No way. I did not expect to be won over--but I have been, by not only the folks behind Nintendo but by the products! The Wii has been a welcome addition to our family since we got it last Christmas. We still have regular family bowling or golf tourneys in our living room. No kidding. Unfortunately, the Wii is hard to come by again this year so I won’t be talking it up anymore. At least for now. I did however want to preface this post with a little bit of our Nintendo story.

One Nintendo product that is readily available this season (YAY!) is the DS Lite. Love, love, love it. I had never even heard of a DS before we were gifted a few last year (one for each of our girls) and now, I cannot imagine life with out these little wonders. I know, it’s so dramatic, like when people were like “you don’t have a cell phone? How could you live without a cell phone?” Yes, I was a cell phone hold out and was probably the last person in the free world to get one. Well, although the DS might not be as crucial to everyday life as a cell phone, when it comes to having the perfect babysitter at your disposal anytime of the day or night, it’s a close second. Not to mention it’s a lot more fun than a phone and no matter how long the kids are on it, there’s no cost for additional minutes. That’s saying something. Yes, I believe in electronic babysitters for my children. At least I know that when I’m on an important business call the only sound I’ll hear are the adorable little sound effects from the DS Lites.

Though I knew my oldest daughter would be able to play the handheld game with no problem, I was a bit concerned that my youngest might struggle. But, there was no point trying to keep it from her as anyone who has 2 kids knows, what the older one has, the younger one wants, no matter what it is. So for those first few months she just had fun scratching notes and sending them to her sister. Happy faces, hearts and the like. I know, how cool is it that you can play back and forth between 2 DSs?

And then we found Cooking Mama (thanks to a helpful gal at the EB Games)! I shop at game stores now—huh? It ended up being a perfect game for her even at the ripe age of 3 ½ and she’s still loving it a year later. And her sister does too.

What was not available back then was a fab game for the younger set but alas! Now there is Smart Girl's Playhouse which is a delightful game for the DS that really is meant for young ones. We just got it and she really enjoys it. They also offer Smart Boy's Gameroom for the boys in your life. The graphics are adorable and the variety of games is ample and perfectly age appropriate for little gamers-- challenging enough to keep busy minds occupied and simple enough to keep busy hands well, busy. Since many of you have little choice but to get the younger sibling a DS, now you know there is a game that is suitable for the age.

As far as the older kids go, well, I only have girls so I’m not sure what a favorite pick for the boys would be but for my 10-year old daughter it’s got to be Nintendogs, hands, er, paws down. Even I think it’s totally cool. There is a lot of reading involved, just so you know and although there are features that can be used (and figured out) without reading, a non reading gamer will need some help with it. It even takes the feature of playing between tow sets to a whole new level. Once we were at the post office waiting for over and hour for our Passports and my kids and 2 little boys who were also waiting played Nintendogs between each other (they had it too). They had a doggie playdate, traded dogs, and had a regular dog party while passing the time. That’s what I mean when I say babysitter.

So, what’s on the Christmas List this year? Mario Party DS and Cooking Mama 2 (dinner with friends) and I know those are 2 gifts that are going give back all year long!

Thank you, you cute little DS Lites. I love you.

Holiday Gift Idea, Round One

Since it's that time of year when we are all scurrying around trying to figure out what to get for out kids, I thought it was a great time to post some ideas for your little photographers. Actually, I only have one camera I am reviewing today for The Parent Blogger Network but hey, one is better than none, right?

Discovery Kids is offering what they are calling the Slide and Shoot Digital Camera. It looks more like a little cell phone than a camera which is probably why my daughter is wild for it. She has yet to get her own phone so anything that even looks like a phone is cool with her. The other plus is the slide feature that gives the camera a spy gadget sensibility. Yet another design perk. My daughter has been taking it everywhere with her, hidden in her purse and pulling it out kamikaze style-- shooting pix of everyone and everything in her path--the hockey rink, her sister brushing her teeth, the shrimp scampi. I think it makes her feel sneaky. And the LCD screen is cool! Small but efficient enough so that you know what you are shooting (no holding up to eye necessary) which is ideal for a stealthy photo spy. Needless to say, it's been a hit.

Now, as far as the nuts and bolts go, it produces the kind of low rez images you would expect from a tiny toy camera. Even the highest resolution setting will only give you an image that will print to 4X6 (barely). I'm not complaining really, I mean, I can't imagine we would want to print anything larger than that anyway. Plus, the upside to the small size is that they are easily shared via email or, um, in a blog post. Ahem.

So, what about the quality of the images? They look great when taken in ideal light situations. By ideal I mean bright light. It's when you're shooting indoors (low light) that you're going to get lots of grain. But like I said over at Picture This this morning, I don't really mind grain much. Especially for play pix. Still, I know some people aren't that forgiving but keep in mind, when you shoot in low light settings you're going to get more grain (or noise) with almost any digital camera. The cheaper the camera, usually the worse it can be so I'm not sure I would use that in a case against this particular camera.



Exhibit A- Outdoor shots look great. This was even taken in the shade and it's pretty impressive for a "toy" camera.



Exhibit B- Indoor (low light) and grainy, or er, artsy.

The camera comes with the easy to use photo uploading software (YAY!) and simple editing software to use with your pix once they are on your computer BUT...when I say simple, I mean simple as in basic. As in maybe a little too basic. I dunno, maybe it's because my kids a photographer's daughter but neither one of us felt compelled to use the editing tools or even the artwork (borders, etc) to adorn her pix. Yawn. And there are no options for true editing anyway except for cropping or red eye removal. Let me put it to you this way, there is no flash on this camera hence you'll never even get a chance to use the red-eye feature. Just a little something I noticed. Still, with that said, my daughter interrupted my complaining with her high drama, tween urgency voice, "Mom, I don't care about the editing tools, that stuff doesn't matter to me. You had better give this a good review and say that I love this camera because I do!" And I think she even referred to it as her baby. More than once. Huh?

I'm thinkin' that's all that needs to be said.

Oh, and that even though I only am reviewing one camera today, I saw a pretty cool little kid camera review round up over at AlphaMom for even your littlest of shutterbugs.

Spreading the Good Word

Everyone seems to be Babbling about JOY!

And with kid's jerseys that declare messages like Joy, Compassion, Humility and Courage, why wouldn't they be?

What's Your Focus?

Have you heard about the Mama Focus photo contest?






It's not too late to enter your best shot of...you. Come on, let's see it. It's about time something is about us Moms for a change, don't you think?

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AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Wii Made it to Oprah

Have you read the latest Oprah from cover to cover yet? Did you see Wii, er, me?




OK, so it might not be quite as glamorous as it seems but being in Oprah Mag is being in Oprah Mag any which way you look at it. At least that's the way I choose to look at it. And this is actually the second time. Yep. I had a letter to the editor published once. Boy, I've sure got some claims to fame now, don't I? Look out world. Not just anyone can say they've played the Nintendo Wii in Oprah. Ahem.

Mom Blogs- A Virtual Lifeline

If you have found yourself depending on the Moms of the Blogosphere for the sake of your own sanity, like I have, please go visit my guest author blog post at the Chronicle Book blog. It's just me gushing about how amazing us moms are. I know, it's preaching to the choir but driving a little mom traffic over there can only be a good thing, right?

Go sneak a peek at my post Finding My Village.

If you make it over, please comment. They are giving away a Chronicle Book too so don't miss out.

Hopes and Dreams

In case you didn't know, the lovely and talented Jen Lemen has opened the door to her new downloadable art site SoulSisters Design. Glory Hallelujah! This on top of the wares she offers at her Etsy shop. That means more ways to get yourself a little bit of the beauty that makes the world a better place. How sweet is that?

Pretty sweet.

The Elephant in the Yard