parent hacks
what a find!  so, since i’m new on this journey into parenthood and constantly saying to myself, ‘gosh, i wish i’d known THAT two months ago’ i was thrilled to find a fab site that shares the collective wisdom of parents…some miss the mark a bit for me but other tips are like pure gold. 

i have a little break in the day tomorrow and i’m going to have a little photo shoot with A.  i’ve already decided that the polka dotted chair in our front room would be an awesome backdrop…i’ll open the shutters to let the light stream in and shoot, shoot, shoot!

delicious days
beautiful photos! jason and i have neglected our sunday evening tradition of learning to cook something new together (so tasty!) and this is just the sort of site to rekindle it! oh, and this one is good, too – i like how elise mentions how she tweaks recipes from other sites (longer cooking time, etc).  i’m not a huge ‘sit in front of the tv to unwind’ kinda gal but occasionally, there’s something much too comforting about food tv…i love seeing the ingenious way chefs pair flavors i hadn’t thought of. 

uncrate
does anyone else have a hard time buying for the men around them?  welcome uncrate!  so, most of it is pretty unappealing to *me* (hmm, that might be the point of a shopping guide for men!) but i quickly found some awesome gifts! -m-

this image sings to me…we were trying to get some smiles on this adorable little boy, so the tickle-fest began and *this* ended up being my favorite shot of the week.  jessica and her family live in amsterdam and it was such a treat to hear this little guy rock two languages with ease. -m-

quick post of a recent favorite of Susannah’s darling daughter (the best dressed 1 year old around) at an extended family session with her 93 year old grandmother. -m-

p.s. to the side is something else we picked up at dragonfly (love that place!) – a maclaren quest stroller.  we have the great big stroller but it’s been SO handy to have a smaller one, too…especially for times like our recent roadtrip when we really needed the trunk space.  audrey loves rolling around in this (and mom loves the dots!)!   so lightweight! figured we also needed it for our little tour of nyc in the spring so we can travel the subways with ease!  here’s to awesome baby gear! 

i happen to like mondays (although sundays are my favorite) but in case you’re having a rough morning, take a look at this and smile :)  warmly, -melanie-

wanted to pass along this article about being photogenic – my favorite tips were …

#6 Relax. Many people end up looking odd in photos because they freeze
into odd facial expressions with a “say cheese" type of smile on their
face. If you’re used to having bad pictures taken of yourself, you
probably get nervous in front of the camera, and this can make things
even worse. If you know a picture is about to be taken, take a deep
breath and exhale naturally, relaxing your arms and shoulders. As you
exhale, smile.

#8 Smile with your eyes. Nothing projects happiness and beauty like
smiling eyes…This will create wider open eyes and a
relaxed smile.

#9 Listen to your mother. Remember how mom always told you not to slouch?
Good posture can dramatically improve your appearance in pictures.

often, clients prep me that they think they’re unphotogenic…honestly, don’t worry one more bit about it if you’re with me…i’m the same way so I know how to overcome most everything!  warmly, -melanie-

p.s. something fun to look at…