What fills the majority of my memory card

Today I took 283 pictures. As I load them onto my computer I always hope there will be a keeper in there among the many photo failures.

Because I sometimes just sit here and laugh at the ridiculous failures, I wanted to share a few of those with you.

Taking pictures of your own kids is harder than photographing other people’s kids. Taking pictures of 4 of your own kids at once is like asking for crazy to come over.

Photo Fail #1

I snatched Tess up right after her nap and didn’t even notice her white mohawk until we got out in the sunlight. I won’t even comment on the two older girls. And this might have been the one and only time Milo had a decent smile on his face.

Photo Fail #2

Leroy decided to join the party. The cat and the dogs made me yell quite a bit this afternoon. No wonder my throat is sore again.

Photo Fail #3

This was after we took a break and came back. I fixed Tess’s hair and even sneaked on a headband. Here she’s just about to discover she’s wearing something on her head. Clementine claimed to be bothered by a gnat. I can’t tell you how many times I yelled:

“PUT Your FEET DoWn!”

“Put yOUR HanDS DOwn!”

“LOOK at ME!”

“Stop maKING That StupID face.!”

“LOOK at ME NOT Tess!”

Photo Fail #4

See the dog in the background. I could live with that though if the kids were acting right.

All this to say, I know why you haven’t taken your Christmas picture yet. But this is not discouragement. It’s just to let you know, I feel your pain.

People

This week I’ve had the chance to take pictures of a lot of family. The trees and leaves have made a beautiful background. Sunday I made everyone pose for their Christmas picture.

I’m pushy like that.

Think they’ll mind seeing their faces on my blog? Hello family! What do you expect from free photography? Privacy?

I love this brother and sister shot. Little brother did not want to be held back.

And look at that little noggin smashed in between her brother and sister. Are you loving that boys dimples?

My mom and step-father.

Aunt and uncle.

Cousin and her husband.

Have you done your family Christmas photo? I hate to be a nag, but time’s wasting. Do you usually send out a family Christmas photo, a letter, just a card? Please don’t say just a card. At least send a picture of your dog. Come on, take some family photos. It’s just so much fun.

Real

The beauty of blogging is the magic that happens when you narrow your focus. When you blur the background. When you crop out the ugliness. When you break the day apart and show a sweet game with the baby when the other parts were not so sweet. The other parts were snotty and tearful.

Today I don’t feel like cropping. Today I’m finding it hard to see the sweet. Today I’m feeling real.

Real is this table that is a junk magnet. Real is I’m too lazy to clean it off every day. Instead, I’m one of the main contributors.

Real is my bar gets cluttered almost immediately after I clean it off. This morning- clean, this afternoon-

My family has a big problem with dishtowels. Over use. Abandonment. Neglect.

Real is that my baby and I are feeling a little sickish. The sick is making me want to sleep even though it is beautiful and sunny outside and I feel like I’m wasting the day. The sick is making her want to stay awake, cry or ride on my hip all day. We are at odds.

Real is that these giraffes have been hanging out by my sink for over a week. I find them in different poses.

It’s really true that I let my kids dress like this and walk around outside every day. I say nothing. Sometimes I take pictures of it. They speak with an English accent when they dress like this.

Real is I pushed my kids outside and told them not to even thinking about coming in for at least an hour. Then I saw that they were doing this to our carport (Don’t look husband!).

Real is that I left my bed unmade on the chance that I might get to get back in it, even more real is that I leave it unmade every day partly for this reason, and partly because I’m lazy.

A new game

It goes like this:

Where’s Tess?

Where’s Tess?

There she is!

Peek a boo!

It’s really a lot of fun.

Especially when the player is so cute.

Boys

When they’re not watching Monster Trucks or Wrestling on TV, they’re having sword fights in the living room.

I’m just glad my husband has someone to play with.

5 tips for finding the right pair of jeans

Friday I went shopping with my cousin and a friend and we had a great day. While we were out, I was determined to try on some jeans. I wrote this post a while back and since then have been pondering the many comments I got that told me to “keep trying”.

When did jean shopping become as stressful and involved as swimsuit shopping?

We began in a store that carried designer jeans. I tried on Citizen jeans, 7 jeans, Joe’s jeans (these worked the best of that brand). I was disappointed each time that they didn’t do some kind of miracle on my lower half, at that price they should.

I walked out without anything. Then we went in the buckle. Again, I tried on numerous pairs in a variety of sizes. I finally walked out with one pair, these. Which my cheering section all agreed looked great on me.

I learned a few things while jean shopping that may help you too.

1. Take a friend, or two. You need them to tell you that the jeans are too tight, or not too tight. Which ones look good and which ones don’t. And to keep you going. I would have given up long ago if I had been alone.

2. Try a few different sizes. It turned out I was size smaller than I thought in one style. In another style, I had to go up a size. Most jeans stretch and after wearing them all day, so no wonder I’m pulling them back up. They’ve stretched out and sagged down. You have to buy them tight. Which was weird for me.

3. Don’t dry your jeans in the dryer. This may not be specific shopping information, but it was something I learned in the process. I’m hopeless at laundry, but a couple of sales people gave me this advice. They say the stretch in the jean can get zapped by your dryer and ruin the jean. If I’m going to pay big money for a pair of jeans I guess I better commit to taking care of them.

4. Try on different styles. They do have a higher rise jean now, a mid-rise that is not as uncomfortable as those low, low rise jeans. There is also a huge variety of washes. And, amazingly, there will be wash that looks better on you.

5. Love the body you have right now. Not the body you want to have. Not the body you think you might have in the future. Don’t criticize your flaws in the mirror. Decide this is how you look right now and get the best look and fit for today.

Now go forth and shop for jeans!