I was like “Oh what a cute little Giraffe!”
Stephanie was like “You are going to HAVE to get Lucas one!”
After watching how much Meg loved hers I thought to myself  ”Self…You are going to have to find one for Lucas soon!”

Next time I went into Franklin Goose, sure enough, there you were!
I picked you up with all intentions of buying you but then I looked at your price tag.
HOLY CRAP!!!  You are one very expensive squeaky toy!
There was just no way I could bring myself to spend $20+ for a squeeky toy….
Wouldn’t that make me a bit nuts?
I mean you ARE cute…and eco friendly and all those jazzy buzz words we mama’s want to see these days…
But $20+ bucks?????

I swear Adam had his favorite phone rattle and Haley had her favorite butterfly teether but both were well under the $5 mark.
The loved them very much.

But then came Mr. Finn….
Who just so happened to also have you.
He too loved you so…

and it was just to much…
Clearly there is something about your little giraffe self that these babies just love!
Then came my coupon rewards from Babies R Us from our Christmas toy buying…
$45 in rewards bucks meant that the #1 thing on the baby… “extra cash has fallen from the sky so now you can have something you don’t really need” …list was finally about to be purchased for Lucas.

The day came that I finally walked in and slapped down $20+ bucks for a rubber squeaky toy.
I brought you home and promptly Spike (the dog) was so confused…
Strong feelings of “Why is this baby taking my squeaky toy?” ensued.
Jealousy ran rampant and he would sit at Lucas’s feet and patiently wait for Lucas to play a raging game of fetch with him.
Poor fella.

My real question was “So will MY baby love this toy?  Is it over priced?”
Only time would tell…
And we very quickly found out that, indeed, you were worth every penny we didn’t actually spend on you!

Lucas has love affair going with his Sophie…
She makes him smile when he wants to do nothing but cry…
He takes naps with her and chews on her and they are very good friends…

and by the way…totally off topic…
Special thanks go out to my friend Megan for teaching me how to setup a faux bed for some great window light pics.
I owe ya girl!

Oh Sophie Sophie Sophie….
You must taste so good…

Yes…Sophie…
Worth every penny.
So much so I am going to buy your little Mushroomy friend for him next

I suppose it does matter but not in the way you would think.
The “Best camera” out there is always the camera “you have”.
No truer quote has ever been made…
One only has to follow my blog, FB feed and Twitter to realize that I probably take just as many pictures with my iPhone as I do with my “fancy camera.”

When ever I get asked this question I normally asked the question back…
“Well what is it you think you love the most about my work?”
The answer is typically “The emotion/story in the image.”
Guess what…that has little to do with the camera and more about knowing what the normal flow of human behavior is and using whatever camera I can get my hands on.
I refuse to really be “brand loyal” most days because this is my job.
I will, undoubtedly, always buy the best camera of the moment within my budget.
Camera equipment holds it’s value extremely well once you invest in the higher model cameras and lenses.
I sold a lens last month for $200 less than I paid for it almost 6 years ago.
It was a quality lens!  I always stay away from a kit lens…I only buy the camera body and often my lenses cost more than the camera body they are attached to.

I will say I have started off with a Nikon D100 about a hundred years ago…
ok maybe more like 10 years but good Lord it seems like 100.
It was my very first digital slr camera and boy did I SUCK with that thing.
Every image had this horrid yellow cast to it.
I always joke that Nikon taught me photoshop because I had to learn very fast how to fix those horrid images.

About 2 years in though I decided to make the switch over to a Canon 20D.
Oh the colors were to die for….
The images were all dreamy and the colors…did I mention the colors?
Granted looking back at the equipment we had back then it was all crap and not sure how I survived?
The equipment that comes out each year now is just….amazing.
Just about anyone can now pick up a camera and learn how to take a great image.

Many photog’s are standing by this not being the case but my Facebook feed tells me otherwise.
I see so many amazing images coming out of my clients entry level dslr’s.
That was so not the case even 5 years ago.
Each year the equipment just gets better and better!

This year around Christmas time I couldn’t help myself any longer…
I broke down and purchased a Nikon D7000 as our family camera.
I have been teaching photography constantly to folks in classes and in private lessons/mentoring and often they are shooting Nikon.
I knew that in order for me to be an effective teacher I needed to learn BOTH brands backwards and forwards.
This is called “being a good teacher.”
Since I teach the very basics…not just photography…I needed to know the equipment.
Probably didn’t hurt that I had just had a miserable experience with Canon trying to get a body fixed that they had broken while they were cleaning it the previous Spring….
but of course that is nothing more than my word against their’s.
The whole thing was handled very poorly and the terrible customer service did nothing to keep me “brand loyal”.
Keep in mind at any given time I have several camera bodies and lenses….backups for my backups.
This is my career so….well you get the idea.

When I received my new shiny Nikon I posted the above image on Twitter and Instagram and the response was amazing…
It was so clear that there is a huge group of folks who are brand loyal to one or the other.
I understand though…after all I have been all Canon for 8 years.
I have LOVED my Canon’s.  I never even thought twice about jumping ship…
But more so out of the fact that Canon always seemed to lead the way and be a bit ahead on somethings.
That’s just not the case anymore though.
The last few years Canon has left me wanting more….
more focus points…
quieter shutters and lenses (I LOVE photojournalism….hard to be “sneaky” with that darn KERCHUNK after each click)
auto focusing while shooting video…
multiple memory card slots…
etc…..the little things 

Nothing huge…but I am always saying the love is in the little details…not always the big details.
Would the Nikon hold up against the Canon’s?
At the time I had two Canon 5DII’s, a 50D and a T3i.
Lenses: 50mm 1.2 ; 24-70mm 2.8  ; 85mm 1.2
The D7000 has quickly replace the 50D and the T3i…actually sold the 50D and will be selling the T3i in the next month or so.
The 5DII still wins for the full frame and low light shooting though.
I shoot all my client work on the 5DII still.
You would be hard pressed to figure out which images on my blogs and FB are the Nikon and which are the Canon though.
I have been saying that the second Nikon came out with a camera that beat the 5DII I would probably be making the switch.
I am that in love with my Nikon now.
The button placement even feels better and the many features that Canon just hasn’t added yet.

Last night when I got wind of the new Nikon D800/D800E I was like “OMG!  I may be making the switch?!?!”
I posted as much on my FB wall and was amazed by the response once again.
I suppose folks really think that the kindof camera I use is what makes my images…my images?
Several got offended that I would even dream of switching to Nikon…
Several e-mailed saying it was the best thing they ever did…afraid to post on the thread for fear of Canon user attacks…lol!
I of course was sitting there going….
“Is the type of camera I use really that big of a deal?”
While the equipment definitely helps a great deal in making my images sing I can tell you it is about mastering the equipment you have.
I simply do this for a living therefore drool a bit more often over new equipment as it comes out.
ALL BRANDS.
I. am. a. geek.
I love all gadgets and gizmos and love nothing more than to learn about them all.

I am the first to tell you that when a new camera comes out wait five minutes and another will come out.
Will I be buying the D800?  No idea.
I am going to wait until the end of February and see what the rumored 5DIII will be having.
I am very much in love with the video on the Nikon and since I use video alot these days, unless the new 5DIII has the auto focus built in like the Nikon I will probably go with the Nikon.
I will keep you guys posted.
Either way…I will have a almost brand new 5DII up for sale come April/May (still under warranty )

When you go to purchase your next new shiny camera just remember…
It is always about capturing the moment and no matter what you are working with that can only be done if you have a camera in hand…
Even a crappy cell phone camera.
My camera will never dictate “my style”…I will dictate that.
The camera is nothing more than a tool.
Granted…I am picky about what “tool” I prefer on any given year.

Who’s to say I won’t love Nikon for the next 8 years and then go back to Canon?
Oh the beauty of brand competition…
They keep pushing each other to be better…
Total customer “win/win”.

“Photography is the art of observation.
It is about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.
I have found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” 
~Elliot Erwitt

See I started with the flu last Saturday…sore throat…stuffy nose
By Sunday I wanted to nothing but stay in the bed and whine…
By Monday I would swear I was dying….
By Tuesday I could muster getting out of bed and dragging…
By Wednesday I could answer an e-mail or two but still slept most of the afternoon since Jill was home…
By Thursday I was better and it was on to Adam getting it.  Lucas has a stuffy nose but seems to be trooping along…
By today…I am back to normal.

But I still lost a week!
I am so far behind but…
Tomorrow is going to be an incredible day for me.
Getting to work with one of my all time favorite celeb’s….
I will be able to share more tomorrow and will probably be live Tweeting and Instagraming most of the afternoon…into the evening.
Let’s just say I am in amazement that this dream gig is on my plate for tomorrow.
Sometimes I look at my little mundane daily life and how absolutely boring, ordinary and simple it is
(which by the way is JUST the way I like it )
and am left speechless by the randomness of where my camera takes me from time to time.
Blessed.
Happy.
Finally back to healthy.
What’s not to love?

Lucas and Haley went out tonight to help me find a few more pieces for my outfit tomorrow…
Can you believe Lucas is to this point already??!?!?!!?

He still ended up in his favorite ring sling…he is a bit addicted to the thing.
I think it is because he is so nosy and likes to be included in everything.

And this week he decided that blueberries and bananas are his new favorite…
Not mine since I am STILL minus a washing machine…

God Bless my iPhone…
I have had zero energy for being on a computer this week editing.
Of course I still take photos everyday though.
Pretty sure I couldn’t live without Instagram…
Not interested in finding out though…
I am even more addicted to Instagram than I am to Pinterest and that is saying ALOT!

Well back to work for me…lots to catch up on…
And lots to get ready for tomorrow.
Be sure to check in my twitter and Instagram. 
If you are not on either I will probably be posting a few on the FB page as well…
It’s gonna be a fun day!

Dear Universe,
Are you aware Lucas is a clothe diapered babe while at home?
That we have 6 people that use that machine every. single. day?
I suppose you know this…
I suppose you sent me this saga to teach me something…
Besides the whole “You know you can wear jeans at least twice before they are considered “dirty” technically?”…

Lessons in the little dramas of life…
Lesssons like a washing machine being broken may seem like a “big thing” but really it is truly “a little thing”.
After all I am still kicking and breathing.

So today after a very long week with no washing machine my Sears man finally shows up…
And promptly tells me “Sorry nothing I can do for you until February 6th when your $1000+ in parts comes in.”
Ok so this is the part where I mention we have a home warranty with American Home Shield.
Have for a few years.
So far we have had good experiences but then again I have never had to go 2.5 weeks in a house with no washing machine and 6 people before…so my opinion my fast be changing.
I’ll let you know this time next week

I promptly call AHS and say “Hey why are  you going to pay $1000+ to fix a machine that at most is worth $400?”
AHS girl: “Well Sears will cut us a deal.”
Me: “So even if they give you half off…which we know they aren’t going to give you half off…you are still paying more than the value of the machine.  A machine the tech said may still have problems.”
AHS Girl: “Well maybe we can reimburse but there is a chain of things we will have to go through first.”
I give her the repair man’s cell number…she says she will call him herself and get it straight.
I receive a call from Justin the Sears repairman…who was soooo nice and was like “She didn’t call me but some third party service did.”
Neither of us really understood what they were wanting from the poor guy and I am left with yet another day tomorrow of fighting red tape…
I will indeed be earning every penney of either them fixing the money pit washing machine or doing the smart thing and just cutting a check….but hey I guess if they want to keep throwing money out the window guess I will just let them.
Oh and I am sure that when I ask them to reimburse the money I am spending each week now at a laundromat the additional $100 will be on top of that.

Not the “Finding Happy” part though…
Well maybe…I did find some happy in listening to Justin and how happy that new baby on the way is going to make him and his story.
Seldom do I cross paths with folks and not get such stories.
I love it.
Happy people rub off you know.
You maybe in a grumpy mood but it is so hard to stay grumpy when you are in a room with someone who no matter how much you frown and scowl at them they refuse to let you bring them down.

There is a nurse in the lab at the kids pediatric office.  She is always in a bad mood…
Almost never smiles.  Even at the kids.
Since we break Lucas’s shots up into separate days I see her alot…lol.
Pretty sure I drive her nuts because she is a “permanent scowl” on her face kindof gal.
At first it would bug me because…hello you are working with CHILDREN…
But then it became a game…
“Make the unhappy girl crack a smile.”
Every time we go in I find this as a personal mission to make this gal crack a smile.
Even if it is the “This girl is so darn goofy!” Type of smile…
It counts

So tonight’s question was “How do I “find happy” in a absolutely craptacular day?

I finally find a self service laundromat (who knew they are that hard to find in the burbs?)…
I call and find out that I have to have all laundry in machines no later than 7:30pm…
at that point it was like 6pm and I live 30/40 minutes from them.
Jill and I run all over the place throwing laundry in trash bags and grabbing laundry baskets.
I am NOT “happy”.
I am pretty sure that if I told you I was “happy” at this point you guys would know I was bold face lying….
who could be happy with dragging every morsel of your families dirty, stinking clothes all over town at night.
Dinner for the family was ready but no time for me to eat it.  Daryl still at work.
Nope no “happy” in that.

I had just about had enough on that long drive…
Heck I even had to stop at Wawa and pick up cash and decided I should grab a sandwich so I wouldn’t starve to death.
So armed with cash, a gas station dinner and a mom van loaded with everyone’s dirty clothes onto the other side of town I went.
Nope still no “happy”.

 I started off by getting $20 in quarters…
First question is why in the world are these machines still taking quarters?
Doesn’t it seem like at this point and time if you are charging $6.50+ for a machine that putting in quarters is a bit….ummm…outdated?
But hey…for just a few seconds I found happy in the ching ching ching of $20 in quarters coming out of the machine…
Gotta chuckle thinking “It’s like I totally lost in Vegas and got stuck in some surreal “other vegas”…I lose my money in either place.”

I get all dirty clothes deposited and the nice gal gave me some lessons on how to use the darn things…
and finally sat down to eat my fancy gas station dinner (good thing I was on my feet all day and worked off all those calories no doubt) and read some of my Nookbook…
Girl With the Dragon Tatoo (which by the way I am having such a hard time getting into…but keep reading it anyway)

So where’s the happy?
the “happy” was in the fact that :
A) It was peaceful….no kids…no crazy dogs….just quiet.
B) I was sitting down.  First time the entire day. Awe…
C) Oddly the laundromat reminded me of the rollerskating rink….why?  I have no clue…old? yucky floors? Crappy tables?  Bathrooms you are afraid to use?  I don’t know but it made me laugh….I love surreal moments that leave me going “Is this for real? ”
D) I actually found “happy” in the NO Wifi!  I managed to get some editing accomplished without distractions…

 And because I know it is killing her and she deserves a sneak peak….the lovely Mrs. Megan and a few shots from our session for the “Filled With Love” image series I have been working on the last few weeks.
Aren’t they sweet?!
These totally helped me “find my happy”….

By the end of the late night I closed the mat down and ended up standing outside gabbing with the clerk for a good while as she smoked her last cigarette.
That gal has stories…oh does she have stories…
So many stories that just maybe after I finish my current Filled with Love project I may just have to start documenting a laundromat…
Cause clearly there are stories there

What did the universe try to teach me today?
How to make the best out of a big craptacular day ….
Find some nice people and find little bright and shiny lights and appreciate every chance given to smile.

Oh and yes, I am so not looking forward to the hours on the phone tomorrow trying to get my washing machine figured out….
Cause I can’t live without one.
BUT I get to have a newborn session with little baby Meredith and that will totally make my day perfect and happy!
Hope everyone can find some happy today…even if your day is craptacular

Oh homeschooling…
Why must folks make it more difficult than it should be?
I am not a big debater.  My fighting skills are at times sharp in person but often rusty online.
But today I came across a small little battle that just had to be fought.
Now before I go on you should know that most days when “invited to a fight… I normally chose not to attend”…
but today….
I attended.

Here in the lovely state of Va. there is a law going before our state General Assembly called The Tebow Law… here is an article that gives a bit of both sides of the debate.
This morning when I woke up to a friend sharing the link to a local news channels Facebook wall and a  thread all about the debate I realized that the stereotypes and disdain for homeschoolers seem to be running rampant these days.
I would post a link to the thread but I will say that a “coach” got onto the thread and really vented how angry she was and let all her feelings, preconceptions and anger towards home schooled CHILDREN really shine.
So why am I not posting the link?  Because personally I think as a “coach” and an educator of CHILDREN she should have stayed out of it since once this law passes one day (because I have no doubt one day it will pass) her bias and hatred of homeschoolers will all be there for the world to see.
Can you imagine the grief this would cause her one day when she has a homeschool child try out for her team and once again they don’t make her “team”?  No matter how good they are.
I find that people often say things online, letting all their true feelings show no matter how ugly, and never really think of the long term employment consequences.  I will not be the reason she gets outed with her school district for being…um…a teacher who dislikes homeschool kids.
I shudder to think what would happen if I ever had to put my kids in her classroom and she has these strong feelings against families who have chosen this route…for whatever reason.   She was very clear in her disdain for home schooled children.
The very sad fact was she was NOT alone in her sterotype and attitude.
Anyhow…I know the traffic I get here and I refuse to be the reason…
even if it is slight…
that one day this gal gets in trouble of some sort…
But hey….I am self employed and a homeschooling mom so I can say exactly what my thoughts are…
although I am far better explaining my thoughts in person than I am online.
So much is lost in interpretation.
I am taking it with a grain of salt that is exactly how it played out for her…
sounding so hate filled and angry…
I shall give the benefit of the doubt and that perhaps it was just the venue with which she chose to vent that made her sound so unhappy.
Onto my side…

We are on our fourth year of homeschooling…
We fell into this…want to read how?  Once upon a time I wrote this lovely article over at the Creative Mama called:
“Never Say Never and Are You Nuts?” 
Basically this article will get you up to speed on how we started four years ago.
What a journey this has been.

When we started I so feared that we wouldn’t “fit in”…see I too had heard all the stereotypes.
Thought for sure I would have to wear dresses everyday and never cut my hair again.
Thought for sure we would be shunned since…gasp…we don’t go to church every Sunday (I have to work…)
Thought for sure my kids may just miss out on everything from having “best friends” to “will they ever be invited to a birthday party?”
Thought for sure we would feel isolated and spend many a day lonely.

None of which happened. Luckily homeschooling mom’s seem to like having cute clothes, purses and getting their “hair did” just the same as traditional school mom’s.  Who knew?
I do wear dresses from time to time but that is because I like dresses…
I do have a cute little haircut I happen to like…(mainly because it looks like “I care”  enough to have done it but really…not so much)
I have never been shunned for our lack of belonging to a church.
The kids both have lots of “best friends”…go to parties often… we have playdates, field trips etc… every week…more often than not…several times a week.
Heck these kids have double the “social life” they had when they were in traditional school.
We never feel isolated because we are out in the community everyday.
Dance classes, art classes, co-ops, Boyscouts, football ….you name it we are probably doing it.
You would never know these kids are “homeschool kids” unless you asked them straight up “Where do you go to school.”
Turned out that the reasons parents choice to homeschool their child are as varied as the stars in the sky.

So where am I going with this?
While I was sure I knew I was in for it from the homeschool community when we first started because I thought we would stick out like a sore thumb…
I had no idea just how shunned we would be from many families who’s kids do go to traditional school
For some reason our choice to homeschool our kids is somehow saying “Your school/education isn’t good enough for OUR kids.”
Somehow the notion that by homeschooling we think our kids are too good for public school or something.
So so so so so far from reality.
This attitude just always leaves me scratching my head.
At first it used to hurt my feelings.  I am the least judgemental person you will ever meet.
Just because we chose this for our family I would never say it is “the best way” to educate a child…
it is simply what fits….
MY child.
MY family.

How does our choice effect those families?
Why the anger towards homeschooling families?
Oh you should read some of these comments on any venue that The Tebow Law has been posted.
Many of the articles end up with heated debates and full on prejudice against homeschool kids.
KIDS.
Somehow I had missed many of these arguments till today simply because my children aren’t big athlete’s.

Heck, Adam is totally a computer guy and Haley is clearly an artist spirit.
How lucky are they that we homeschool and they can feed their love for what makes them happy in life.
How much we have given up to give them these opportunities.
I have never regretted it a minute.
I will continue to homeschool them for as long as they desire.

But by golly…if they want to play stinking soccer in high school they should be allowed to “try out” to play soccer in high school.
Will they “make the team”?
Honestly..I doubt it.
Why?  Because many of the public school parents have their panties in a bunch that somehow by a homeschool child trying out they could “take the spot of a real student”.
Really?
I loved this quote in the article above:
“They contend there is little or no periodic monitoring of academic progress for children taught by parents at kitchen tables, unlike in public classrooms.”

I admit it…this statement got a full on chuckle out of me.
The thought that somehow teaching a child at a kitchen table instead of a desk in a classroom is somehow…well bad..or “less” of a learning environment.
Oh and the “no monitoring”…right.
Two points here:

1. Adam works on a computer at a desk…
   Haley does indeed use the kitchen table alot.  Somehow there is no less information in her Abeka Language Arts curriculum whether it sits on a kitchen table or a school desk…
   I would know…it is the same curriculum I grew up on years ago in a traditional school setting.
   Just saying.
2. Yep… we are monitored and DO have to turn in test scores…and if that isn’t enough to be able to kick a ball on a field…why not just make up the rules that would indeed make coaches and public school parents happy to fill the requirements?  Like bringing in their work weekly to a school counselor to prove they did the work…or some other COMPROMISE (we are adults ya know).

Oh silly adults.
Can’t we all just get along?
Does everything have to end up in a “My parenting method is soooo much better than yours!  Your wrong!”
Can’t folks realize that homeschool families pay taxes and actually a public school benefits tremendously from homeschooling families.  Especially families like mine who have a child, who if in the system, would have special requirements.
We are saving them money and giving them our money all at the same time!
We have never complained a second since it has been our choice.
A choice I am soooooo thankful this state has allowed us to make.

I am positive that my children would be completely different people if we hadn’t gone this route.
It was the right choice for us.
Our choice is by no means some hidden attack on the establishment of public education.

Are there homeschooling families that stink at educating their children?
Yes.
Are there public school that stink at educating there children?
Yes.
The sooner everyone realizes there just isn’t a “One Size Fits All” tag on education the sooner this country can get back to the business of educating ALL children in the manner in which they need to be successful.
Every child deserves a chance.
A chance to learn.
A chance to grow.
A chance for an adult to cut them a break and let them kick a ball around a field.

To all the parents up in arms about the possibility that their child may have to compete against a homeschool child for a coveted spot on a sport team…take a deep breath and realize that the prejudice against a homeschool teen from ADULTS will always make any attempt at getting on the actual team close to impossible.  This country has dealt with prejudice over and over through out the years.  I admire any teen who tries out for a team sport after this law goes into effect one day.
They will be some of the bravest teens I will have ever met.  Can you imagine that pressure?
Teenagers are smart and totally know what they are up against…yet they STILL want the chance to try…
Just a chance…that is all they are asking for.

Last note…
After reading through pages of angry adult posts today it became clearer than ever just where bullying starts.  I have often said that if one wants to know where bullying starts and how to get it to stop one has to look no further than the parents/adults surrounding the bully.
Listening to the “coach” today I realized that if any teen made her team they would not only be given a hard time by the coach for being a homeschooler but the team would have free reign since surely the other cheek would be turned if any sort of hazing began.
Oh how times never seem to change.

Of course this is all just my opinion…my venting platform.
Every year we ask the kids “Do you want to go back to regular school?”
Every year we get a loud “NO!”
So I will continue each year until it is a “Yes”.
It just fits OUR family…but I wouldn’t think twice to let them try out regular school anytime they would like.
See it isn’t about thinking we are “better than”…just about thinking we are a family that sticks together and listens to each other.
That simple.
No big hidden agenda or conspiracy.

isn’t part of our families life…

and oh yeah..
the mama in me loves that Haley will just grab any camera and knows how to frame a shot with zero direction from me…
She has been learning manual.
Best 9 year old photographer I have ever met

And yet somehow I had to work around Mr. Sir…aka Lucas.
See Lucas is “busy”…
Not 4 month old busy…
No…he is more like 6 month old busy.
He simply wants to be a part of EVERYTHING…
Can’t miss a thing this one.
Nickname “Mr. Nosey” is already his at this point.

Fast forward to lunch time.
I am trying so hard to lose the baby weight but at my age it just ain’t so easy.
Add in a busy baby, kids, work schedule, on and on and on…
And eating a nice healthy lunch often gets forgotten or I end up with my fall too…
PB&J…fancy I tell ya.

Today was different…I was like “We are going to do better for lunch.”
Lucas said he had other plans…
But I won the battle and decided he could be the cafeteria ladies helper today…

Oh the things a mom will do to get something accomplished…
I would NEVER have allowed anything like this with the first baby…
but the third?
Yep he can sit on the kitchen counter while mommy gets lunch made

Lemon Pepper Mahi Mahi and scallops…with some noodles.

Crazy easy and yummy..
The kids even loved it…
Recipe?

Ingredients:

Frozen Mahi Mahi fillets thawed…
4 tbl of stick butter (I prefer the salted version with this recipe)
Handful of baby scallops
1/3 cup of lemon juice
Handful of fresh cherry tomatoes cut up
Dash of salt

Bake at 350 degrees until the fish is nice and flaky.
Cooked a pot of egg noddles up…
Add them together and wala…
Lunch…

The kids actually like this recipe….
Which is saying alot around this joint.
Granted they still dip their fish in ketchup…eweeeeeeeeee!

I don’t want to “shelter them” from the whole world or anything like that but there is something to be said about going in the extreme opposite direction that many parents do today of allowing free reign in the world of media.
I am such an uncool mama.
My kids will not have their own cell phone till they are 13 at least…I prefer 16 but think I will probably lose that battle.
Instead we have a “family phone” that goes to spend the night on sleepovers or to dance practice or whatever else they may need a phone for…
They aren’t allowed to watch MTV.
Simply put it is dangerous especially for young girls and anyone who tries to tell me otherwise will get a “lalalalalala I can’t hear you!”
I have zero desire for my young lady to think that her worth and value are all about going around half naked and making boys drool.
Nope she will be someone who has brains first…the inside will always need to be far “prettier” than the outside.
My son will NOT be some fella who thinks he is a man and thereforesuperior and woman are good for only one thing…
Nope…I will not stop limiting what media they are allowed free access over.

A what point will I ease up?
Hmmm…not sure…probably will be a gradual thing and something we watch as a family and talk about.
Perhaps letting your teen girl watch Teen Moms wouldn’t be so bad if you sit beside them and point out all the downfalls…
like “See how the boyfriend NEVER stays? ”
Sometimes being the mom who monitors things isn’t fun and can seem lonely…
You can easily find yourself questioning “am I over protecting?  After all little Billy Bob’s mom is letting him watch it.”…
When I start to question myself I simply remind myself that this is untested waters.  We don’t really know what the long term effect of all of this media is really going to have on these kids.
Do I really want my kid to be the guinea pig?
Or do I stick with what I know…
What I grew up with…
And how I turned out as a strong minded, very independent…
Good person….
Or at least I think I turned out pretty decent

Ya…I will keep monitoring and limiting.
No need for them to race through childhood.
There will be plenty of time for them to deal with adult issues later on…

I prewarn you before you watch this video….it is NOT for young eyes.
It is a documentary and I so wish that the first image YouTube has it stuck on wasn’t the one below…eeck…but to important not to share.
It is a valuable reminder of the need to help our children turn into smart, strong individuals.
Not what the media seems to want them to turn into…

Sums up my life brilliantly…
When I was 17 I was sure I knew it all.
By 23 I knew I wasn’t close to “knowing everything”…
By 25 I knew I not only didn’t know “everything” but I WANTED to learn everything…
At 38 I think I my  insatiable curiosity to learn new things has become almost out of control…

See I have found that this need to learn makes me sooo happy!
With every new skill, craft, fact etc… I have become this sort of sponge.
I can listen to someone talk about just about anything and absorb it and I want nothing more in life than to master it…
Share it…
Enjoy the knowledge.

This weekend I tackled a few new things…
First was my friend Kelly’s “Fermenting party”…Yes you heard me right…
“Fermenting party”…
WTH is that you maybe asking?
So was I!
Turns out that rotting veggies on your countertops are good for you!
Who knew?
Ok well maybe they aren’t technically ”rotting”…lol!  (I am kidding….kindof…sort of)
I was totally clueless about all of the fermenting and had zero clue just how healthy such foods are.
We made things like beet kvass, water kefir (with some sort of “scoby” thingy….very intersting), fermented shredded carrots,  sauerkraut, and kombucha.

This is where I admit I had only ever heard of sauerkraut and I have never had a bite…
even though I grew up in Ohio…well known for it’s German influences and things such as “the Sauerkraut Festival”.
Yep…I have never been brave enough to take a bite.
See I normally gravitate towards the same foods as a 5 year old.
Now if someone had just told me it is just cabbage and salt they probably would have sold me on it sooner…

Will I ever “Ferment” things again?
Hmmm…. maybe the sauerkraut but not sure I have enough counter space to grow all of these goodies all the time…

Ellie did a great job explaining all the reasons and good stuff and I will probably walk into Whole Foods and buy the goodies…
Just not sure I will make them all the time.

Above all else…I sure did have so much fun with a gaggle of girlfriends cooking in the kitchen.
I think I will be hosting something similar come canning season.
It was just to much fun working in a communal kitchen the good old fashioned way

After gabbing with them I will definitely be tackling learning to make my own lard and healthy stocks this month…
I even started growing my own “sprouts”…
See I love growing things…

And this time of year I am missing my garden terribly!!!
This way I get my “gardening fix”

Anyway around it….
I love learning new things…
Makes me sooo happy!

I am sure once I find the extra time I will write more on the fermenting but this week is packed full of sessions for the upcoming image series I am working on over the next few weeks…

Take today and find one new thing you would like to learn about…
Fermenting?
Crocheting?
Cooking?
You name it…go on YouTube or Google and learn about it!
There is just no reason to see if taking 5 minutes out of  your day today doesn’t make you find some “happy” in your day.

So how about this week we flashback …
Oh about 5.5 years?

Adam’s 6th included a fun trip to Kings Dominion followed by a yummy Rescue Hero cake…
Remember the Rescue Heros?
I hear rumor they are making a comeback!  Adam saved his Rescue Heros and can’t wait to share them with Lucas

Somebody got his first camera for his birthday

uh oh…Crazy driver…

gotta love a B-Day that includes Spongebob….

I love that Anne and Beckey were there too…
I love that I have friends that are still such a part of my life and have been around….
a long time.  I heart them and their kiddos too!

Yum….

This shot…
The one and only time I have EVER had a child fall asleep anywhere other than their carseat or bed.
We came home from the park…had cake and she passed out.
I of course was like “Where’s my camera!!! ”
And of course I left her right were she was.
Let sleeping babies lie.