When I got pregnant with my first, I didn’t spend as much time developing pictures for fear that the darkroom chemicals would affect the unborn baby. Then when my son was born, I simply didn’t have time to dedicate to the craft like I used to. Shortly after his birth, I also got a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera which allowed me to get some of the dark room results in a shorter amount of time (although it still wasn’t the same)…and more and more I started to use automatic mode (instead if manual mode)…and then after awhile, my DSLR started to become a bulky burden to travel with (along with the diaper bag and other kids). Next thing I knew, my iPhone became my go-to camera since I always had it with me wherever I went. So slowly and eventually, I gave up the art of photography. I hadn’t even realized that it happened.

At the end of last year, I was invited to join a 365 Photography Project with other professional and amateur photographers. It’s a project where you take a picture a day and share it with the group. We started the project on Jan 1st of this year. I thought it would be fun to not only participate (and shoot again!), but to also see tons of other photographs as well…from both professionals and amateurs alike.

Can I tell you how much I enjoy it?! I love shooting, I love talking photography with other people with similar interests, I love sharing my shots and seeing other people’s shots. I love that it’s a low pressure situation and that I’m starting to view things with a photographer’s eye again. In the beginning most of my shots were taken with my iPhone, but I did dust off my DSLR and started playing with manual mode again. I’m so rusty, but I welcome the challenge.

This whole experience helped me realize the importance of doing something that I love for myself (something other than resting and/or relaxing). Why hadn’t I thought of that before? My pre-mom self still exists, even though parts of it have been dormant for 7+ years. My love for photography is still alive — of course now it’s in a different form, and that’s okay, because in a lot of ways I’m different too. I’m a busy mom and entrepreneur — but I somehow have found the time to also shoot. Is so fulfilling, and I think it helps spark my creativity — which benefits other areas of my life as well.

The 365 Project I’m a part of is on Google+, but I share quite a few of my shots on Instagram as well. You’re welcome to check them out…my alias is kool_ing.

Is there something that you loved, but let fall to the wayside (maybe without even knowing)? Try revisiting it…it’s so nice to fall in love again.

I usually get frustrated when things don’t go as I planned, but lately I’ve been telling myself that I have enough of what I need to do what I’ve been put here to do. I’ve been focusing and appreciating what I do have and actually realizing that it’s true — I do have everything I need — and for that I am grateful. So I keep trying to do what i believe I’ve been put here to do with what I have.

I find that when I put myself in that mind frame…the things I do need keep manifesting themselves in my life. When you count your blessings, they expand.

Do you realize you have enough to be the best you?

This is somewhat old news at this point, but I forgot to share with you that back in October I was the guest on an online radio show hosted by the Haitian AllStarz on radiolily.com. I was asked to come on the show to talk about the Cornbread and Cremasse blog. What an honor that was!

It was a great time, and I wanted to share that interview (actually, the whole two hour show) with you. I hope you enjoy as I did.

To listen, click the following link:

I’m so excited about this year…not only because of all the fun projects that I know are in store for me, but also because I and many of my friends will be celebrating our 40th birthday this year. Because its a milestone birthday, lots of friends are having get togethers and parties or celebrating in some way — and it gives me an opportunity to see and catch up with old friends whom I probably wouldn’t have seen it this weren’t a milestone year for us.

Although for many logical reasons it shouldn’t, but it does surprises me to think that I, along with a ton of my classmates from all walks of life, will be 40 this year. I don’t dread it or anything, I’m actually looking forward to embracing it. It’s just that 40 seems so major when you say it, but it really feels the same as any other birthday to me — well, kind of the same.

It does make me think back on my life though, my accomplishments, my legacy, and I can honestly say that I’m quite happy. Of course, I’m always striving to improve, and there are some things I would have probably done differently if given a second chance, but overall, I’m happy with what I’ve done with my life and I have so much to be thankful for.

So this year I’m celebrating life — all of it — family, friends, work, love — I plan to take it all in, and enjoy myself.

Party over here!!!

I was recently asked to participate in a panel to discuss life as a work from home Momapreneur (for a local community access channel).  Thought I’d share the You Tube link with you — hope it inspires — or is at least somewhat entertaining.  I learned that I like to touch my face when I talk (ugh!), but am otherwise pretty proud of it.

Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DemlBelnpQ&feature=youtu.be

One week was consumed with my eldest son’s birthday celebration (literally a 4 day thing followed by my hosting Sunday dinner), the following week was consumed with dealing with the after effects of hurricane sandy (almost a week without electricity or school for the kids), then the following week when I was finally powered up again I was consumed with catching up with work and everything else I was unable to do without having power the week before. Not to mention that my daughter got really sick earlier this the week…and I’m tired to boot.

Anyway… I still don’t feel like I have a whole lot to say, but I thought I should check in anyway. I felt like i was bordering on rude for staying away so long. So Hello!

This week was the first “semi-normal” week in what seemed like forever. Schools were finally back in session on Wednesday, which was the first time in a while that I had my day free to work. So I’m still in catch-up mode.

Hopefully soon, things will start flowing again with some degree of normalcy. Hope you all are doing well, and those who experienced the effects of the storm survived.

So in my defense, I had a very abnormal week and I’m hoping to try my new schedule again next week. So this week, two of my children had off from school (one on Wednesday and one on Friday)…which pretty much made those days a wash in terms of productivity. On Tuesday, I helped chaperoned my daughter’s field trip so that day was spent at the pumpkin patch with 2 and 3 year olds. On Monday I got a new printer delivered…which was bigger than expected and required me to rearrange the office a bit…that was Monday.

So in a nutshell, Thursday was the only day I got a good chunk of work done. I didn’t work out at all during the week, although i did manage to get it in over the weekend. I’m not totally bummed though because I do love the new printer (which will broaden the range of stationery I can produce in-house), and I do appreciate that I can go on field trips with my kid’s class and keep them home with me when they have off from school. So I’m more grateful than bummed — but I am a little bummed.

I will try again next week.

Since we’ve met last I’ve been really trying to work my schedule. It doesn’t seem that I’ve quite grasped the concept of having the whole (school) day to myself. I’m getting things done…but I need to get more efficient because my end goal is not to stay up late working in the middle of the night if I can help it…and so far, I’ve still been staying up late working.

So i have a plan of sorts that i will implement this week. I will report back and let you know how it goes. There are a few things I need to do every week, and I plan to assign a day to each activity for efficiency’s sake.

– Networking: some weeks i have meetings 2-3 days a week which really cuts in to my productive hours, and doesnt allow me to have a good stretch of time to get work done. I plan to set one day a week aside for networking (meeting with potential or existing clients, or catching up with friends, etc.). Going forward, I will schedule meetings on Wednesdays (breakfast or lunch).

– Materials: I generally need to visit my vendors to get materials for projects on a weekly basis. instead of picking up stuff that i dont have in stock on an ad hoc basis, i will set Thursdays as my materials acquisition day. Sometimes, because I work with several different vendors and have different needs for different projects I may have to make several stops to get all the materials I need. This should save me time during the week too.

– Workout: I like to workout 2-3 times a week. The plan is to work out as soon as I come home from (school) drop off at 8:30 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I should be done, showered and ready to report to the office (or meeting) by 10am.

– Volunteer: I have committed to volunteering an hour at my son’s school one day a week from 1-2pm. The day of the week varies…but I will know in advance…I have to be flexible here…but it’s only an hour — shouldn’t be too tricky.

I need to do all these things between the hours of 8:30am and 2:30 (the time I need to get ready for pick-up. (You see how my days are packed?!)

All the holes in the schedule will be dedicated to working — designing, creating, taking calls, responding to emails, etc. and on the busy “assigned days” I will likely be up late working — but hopefully that’s just two days a week.

We’ll see how that goes — wish me luck!

Oh, and I welcome any helpful suggestions you may have…I’m all ears!

But I’m back! I’ve finally gotten into a groove with this new school year, and life has become more manageable (and scheduled). Now all three of my kids are in school — the time I’ve been looking forward has finally arrived!! I really enjoyed being home with the kids when they were younger, but that chapter is over, and I am happily welcoming a new one. I can’t say that I miss a mommy and me class at all. I’m officially over that.

My 6 year old (soon-to-be 7 year old) is a proud 2nd grader, my 4 year old is in his last year of preschool and is already looking forward to graduation so that he can join his older brother in “the big school” next year, and my 2 year old is thrilled to also join the ranks and go to school like everyone else. Her transition from non-student to student has been great. She loves school, and the teachers and kids seem to love her back.

Although I had been looking forward to being an at home mom with no kids at home during school hours, I wasn’t 100% sure how I would feel when it actually happened. I thought that there was a possibility that I would miss having a kid around during the day…but I’m happy to report that it was all happiness (maybe because of the summer I’ve had, I don’t know). Not even bittersweet — all sweet! In fact, everyday I’m surprised how quickly 3 o’clock comes around.

I had so been looking forward to having a whole day to dedicate to working — and actually having time to focus on growing my businesses (particularly the stationery business) — and most importantly being able to work during the day so that I could sleep at night. That was the plan.

What is actually happening is that I AM getting lots of work done during the day…but I’ve realized that 9-3pm (although it’s more time than I had before), is not a full days work. I AM growing the business — my workload is increasing, but I’m finding that I still need more time! I still stay up late working (although there have been a few nights when I went to bed with the comfort of knowing I could finish something the next morning)…but I’m loving it, I really am.

So that’s my life right now. I’m still trying to figure out how to best maximize the school hours. I find that my days are spent working (designing and producing stationery), purchasing materials, and meeting with potential clients. I squeeze in a workout here and there…but I still feel like I need more time. I’m in the process of making a schedule that will help with that.

Come along for the ride as I try to figure this thing out…

It’s nice to be back

Talk soon!! Tootles!

Here’s what I came up with:

After I’m gone, I’d love for people to be able to pull out their scrapbooks and/or their box of mementoes and point out an ID Stationery invite that was perfectly and specially crafted just for their special occasion, and not only love the actual stationery, but also appreciate the process in which we worked together to come up with it. I’d love for that piece of stationery to conjure up happy moments well after the event is over.

I’d also love to have helped foster pride, knowledge and awareness in Haiti to members and supporters of the Haitian diaspora — especially first generation Haitian-Americans like myself, and their children. I hope that the Cornbread and Cremasse blog and Macaya will have aided in serving that purpose…or at least sparked the start of that for some people.

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a mom and have a family. I feel so lucky to have experienced love, marriage and partnership in my lifetime, as well as the gift of motherhood. I hope that the three children that God has sent to this earth through me will Find their passions in life and work hard at it so that they will not only be fulfilled in life, but so that they may also be assets to society and the world and people around them.

And finally, I would like people to remember me as a person who worked hard, played hard, loved hard and was kind to people.

So there…now you try it. I found this exercise to be rather useful and quite motivating. If this is to be my legacy, I need to continue doing all these things everyday. You should try it out for yourself, and see how it makes you feel.