Seattle: get your Santa pictures at Northgate Mall

Are you in the Seattle area? If so, you are definitely going to want to head to Northgate Mall, part of the Simon family of shopping centers, before the holiday season is over. While you’re there, find your way to their holiday display by Kay Jewelers to get your pictures taken with Santa. This year … Read more

Create an heirloom piece with PicturesOnGold.com

It’s now been four years since we surprised our oldest daughter with a heart shaped locket from PicturesOnGold.com for Christmas. Since the day she opened the locket four years ago, it quickly become one of her most cherished possessions. She wears it all the time, and it is her special comfort piece she turns to when … Read more

The best photo blankets from Collage.com

Every year when the holidays roll around, it’s basically a guarantee that at least some of the presents I give will be picture gifts. I’m the photographer in my group and I have file after file full of pictures I’ve taken throughout the year of all of our many events. So, it’s expected that I … Read more

Disney’s Coco opens in theaters today

Are you as excited about Disney-Pixar’s Coco as we are? This was a movie the kids and I have been waiting for, and I have to admit I was apprehensive that it was going to disappoint. We’ve been going to Seattle’s Day of the Dead festival for years so this was a subject we’ve talked … Read more

Matching Girls Monday: the beginning

Girls on mossFor this Matching Girls Monday, we're taking things all the way back to 2015 to the very first matching girls day, ever. Baby was almost two weeks old and we were getting ready to explore a new town near us, and my oldest brought in these Carter's dresses for them to wear. The smaller dress was size 12 months, obviously intended for when baby was much older than newborn, and it was sleeveless because it was bought for much warmer weather than February. The girls valentine's Day

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Celebrating Grandma Johnson: Things I learned from my grandma

This has been an extraordinarily hard week. For the country, for Orlando, and also for our entire family. This week we said goodbye to the matriarch of my husband’s family, Grandma Johnson. She has been someone I looked up to for almost 20 years, and I am so happy I was lucky enough to get to call her grandma. Grandma Johnson 2My older two have long adored their great-grandma, but my heart especially aches for my little one, Grandma Johnson’s mother’s namesake, who was only just beginning to get to know her. Though I can never replace the joy of having her in our lives, I will try my hardest to preserve her memory and carry on her legacy. Barb travelingI have so many things she taught me that I want to be able to share with my kids, so it seemed fitting to pay tribute by sharing the bits of wisdom she has imparted upon me in the two decades I had with her. Grandma Johnson 6With that, I give you my list of things I learned from Grandma Johnson:

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Spring clean and organize your digital life with MiMedia

Sponsored postI know this isn’t a popular sentiment, but I actually really love spring cleaning. Call me crazy, but I love cleaning up and clearing things out until everything is neat and organized just the way I like it. During my spring cleaning sessions, just about nothing is safe and I recycle, donate, and gift with abandon. It’s a beautiful thing.

But, until now there is one area of disorganization that was too scary for me to even begin to delve into: my digital life. We’re talking decades of pictures, music files, scans, videos, and documents that have been over-categorized and misplaced until it’s impossible to find anything or enjoy it properly.

Like this gem. Hidden away in a file called "10-26-2015-BHJLHK". Because OF COURSE I would look there first when searching for an adorable picture of the kiddos with me during our trip to Georgia. If that doesn't scream "open me for adorable pictures" I don't know what does. DSC01056That’s where MiMedia comes in. MiMedia is the personal cloud you’ve been waiting for that gives you an easy-to-access, safe and secure digital home for all of your precious memories. Imagine knowing that all your files you care most about are safe in one spot where you can keep them organized and accessible on all of your devices. With MiMedia, they can be. MiMedia upload queue

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Custom photo fleece blanket from Collage.com {on sale now up to 64% off!}

Sponsored postBy now you know how much I love personalized gifts. Add in pictures of my kids, and it's basically going to be my most favorite thing ever. But, I've got a locket with photos, I have photo prints, photobooks, and even a plaque. So, what else is there?

How about a photo blanket, you say? I had always dismissed photo blankets as kind of grandma-y and never looked at them seriously, but when Collage.com sent me an email and asked if I wanted to see one in person, how could I say no? And, then I saw it in person and was in love. Seriously, is there anything cuter than this? Photo blanket from Collage.com

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Think Portrait Innovations for family pictures this fall

Sponsored postDid you read my post last month about our awesome photo sitting at Portrait Innovations and have been meaning to make an appointment? Do it now, seriously. Trust me when I say that the holidays will sneak up on you and before you know it you will be ordering holiday cards wondering why you don't have one single picture of your family with everyone smiling {nicely} at the camera with their eyes open. I know this because that was me last year, and the year before, and the year before…

But not this year, because I thought ahead and scheduled a fall sitting at Portrait Innovations that gave me lots of pictures to choose from when it comes time to order holiday gifts, prints to frame, and finally, holiday cards. Christmas Picture Portrait InnovationsThe family photo shoot was easy, it was professional, but most of all it was actually fun. Yeah, I said fun. With three kids under 7 you rarely hear the words "fun" and "photo shoot" in the same sentence, but it was surprisingly enjoyable and the pictures really speak for themselves about what kind of shoot it was.
Flowergirl

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Raising kids: beating body issues and focusing on health

Sponsored postBy Leanne, editor and founder

Obesity is an epidemic these days. One look around the local park or school yard and it’s clear that it is affecting kids younger and younger these days. Every parent wants their kids to beat the odds and to not deal with weight issues at a young age, but there is a fine line you must walk so your child doesn’t develop body image issues.

So, what’s a parent to do? I first need to be as healthy as possible and maintain a healthy weight to set a good example. I need to model an active lifestyle that will encourage my children to get out and stay moving. And, finally, I need to not let them see me obsess about my weight… and especially not theirs.

There are some things on this list I feel like I’m doing a good job with, like discouraging laziness by limiting TV, tablets, and games that the kids zone out in front of. Instead we do lots of walking, biking, and we play lots of sports together. But, I also know there are some things on this list I do need to work on, and that is taking care of myself. Jenny Craig Before Picture 2Today my baby is already 7 months old {sniff, sniff}, and it’s time for both hubby and I to get back into the shape we were in before baby. We were talking the other day about making healthier food choices and staying active. We came to the decision that we need to do it now while the kids are young, and while we still feel young. But, we were careful not to say things like “diet” or “lose weight” around the kids. The focus is always health, not weight.

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