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DIY Glinda and Wicked Witch of the West Halloween Costumes

Thursday, October 1, 2015

DIY Glinda and Wicked Witch of the West Costumes – homemade Halloween costumes don’t have to be complicated. With inspiration from the classic Wizard of Oz movie, you can put these simple Glinda the Good Witch and Wicked Witch of the West Costumes together in an afternoon – little to no sewing involved!

We don’t always DIY our costumes but this year we got creative thanks to the Michaels Makers DIY Costume Challenge and it was a lot of fun! My 7 year old wanted to be a witch for Halloween and with inspiration from the classic Wizard of Oz movie, we put together a simple DIY wicked witch costume for her.

Of course, I couldn’t resist making a sparkling Glinda the Good Witch costume for her little sister as well. Their costumes turned out so cute, but most importantly, they didn’t break the bank and they were easy to put together!

Let’s start with a quick how-to for the Wicked Witch of the West costume. It’s completely no-sew and my daughter especially loves how full the tulle skirt is! Below is a list of supplies we used for the Wicked Witch of the West costume.

4-5 rolls Black Tulle Fabric | 2 rolls Green Glitter Tulle Fabric | Scissors | Black Leotard | 1 inch Elastic With the exception of the leotard and the witch’s broom, everything pictured above was purchased at Michaels. We started with a plain black leotard as a base for this costume. Below are the steps for putting together the tutu. Wicked Witch of the West Costume Step 1 Measure a length of elastic to fit around child’s waist. Secure ends of elastic together with a few quick stitches. We kept it really simple by just stapling the elastic together. Step 2 Decide on how long you’d like your skirt to be. Measure a length of black tulle twice as long as you’d like the tutu to be. Use this piece as a guide to cut the rest of your tulle. Step 3 Now you’re going to start tying the tulle onto the elastic. Take one piece of tulle, fold it in half and loop around the elastic from the front. Pull the rest of the tulle through the loop. Step 4 You want all of your tulle pieces to be tied to the elastic in the same direction. Keep adding tulle until the tutu is as full as you’d like. We added about 5 lengths of tulle to the elastic then added a green one and repeated this pattern all the way around the tutu. Step 5 Once the tutu is as full as you’d like try it on. Trim any stray pieces that may be a little long and that’s it! One beautiful, wicked witch of the west tutu! We purchased a broom and Michaels had some really pretty witches hats to complete the outfit. Glinda the Good Witch Costume My youngest daughter is all about glitter and sparkles so this Glinda the Good Witch costume was right up her alley! You’ll find the supply list and instruction for the costume below. Pink Tulle Fabric | Silver Glitter Paper | Pink Long Sleeve Leotard | Scissors | 1 inch Elastic | Craft Foam Crown | Krylon Silver Shimmer Metallic Spray Paint | E-6000 Adhesive | Rhinestone Stickers | Wood Dowel | 3 1/2 inch wood star | Foam Brush | Silver Metallic Craft Paint | Mod Podge | Silver Glitter No-Sew Glinda the Good Witch Tutu The base of this costume is also a plain ballet leotard in pink. Follow the instructions for the no-sew tutu above using this time using pink tulle. Depending on how full you’d like the tutu to be you’ll need 4-5 rolls of tulle or more. To add some shimmer and shine to Glinda’s dress I cut out various sizes of stars from silver glitter cardstock using my Cricut Explore. Next, I glued the stars around the bottom of 1/3 of the tutu using e-6000 adhesive. I also added some small rhinestones to the tutu, adhering them with E-6000 as well. The final touch on Glinda’s dress was adding some sparkly butterflies. I used this font and cut out three butterflies from silver glitter paper with my Cricut Explore. I then attached them to the tutu using E-6000 adhesive. To add sleeves and the butterfly to the pink tutu I pulled out my sewing machine, but you could just as easily attached them to the tutu using adhesive. For the sleeves I used three layers of the same tulle fabric I used for the tutu. I gathered the tulle and sewed it along the top edge of the sleeve of the leotard. I also sewed the butterfly directly on to the leotard, but you could use adhesive instead. Glinda the Good Witch Crown Of course the Glinda costume wouldn’t be complete without the classic tall, jeweled crown. A craft foam crown painted with silver shimmer spray paint became this beautiful head piece. To make yours, spray the crown generously with the silver spray paint until it’s completely covered. Decorate with rhinestone jewels in varying sizes. Attach to the foam crown using E-6000 adhesive. Glinda the Good Witch Wand To create the wand, you’ll need a thin piece of wood doweling. Drill a hole in a 3 1/2 inch wood star. Glue the dowel inside the hole. Paint the wand with silver metallic craft paint. Using mod podge cover the star. Sprinkle glitter over the mod podge. Seal with another layer of mod podge. As a photographer, Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without the photos. We had so much fun snapping a few shots of the girls in their costumes! I think these two get a long a bit better than the original Glinda and Wicked Witch – well most of the time anyway. 😉 DIY costumes aren’t always practical, but sometimes it’s a fun way to go! My girls and I made some special memories creating these costumes together this year. Whether you’re into spooky sights, playful pumpkins or giggling ghouls, the Michaels.com Halloween project page has tons of ideas for DIY Halloween costumes and décor. If you haven’t decided what you’re going to be check out the other 49 DIY costumes from the Michaels Makers and you might just find the perfect one for you, your kiddos or your beloved pet this Halloween– they’re to die for!

An InLinkz Link-up

FOR MORE HALLOWEEN INSPIRATION VISIT THESE POSTS

Modern Halloween Photo Card Templates

Tips for Taking Creative Halloween Photos

Tips for Taking Spooky Silhouette Photos

DIY Hand Painted Pumpkins

Silly Spider Halloween Hairdo

Apple Butter

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

This Apple Butter recipe is easy to make on the stove-top and made with all natural ingredients. This small batch is a fall favorite and tastes amazing on english muffins, toast, oatmeal, and more!

Hello there Simple As That Readers! It’s Katie from The Casual Craftlete back with another delicious, easy, and healthy recipe. This apple butter recipe is one of my favorite fall foods to make. It’s apple season here in Southern Illinois and the orchards are loaded with all types of apples. For my apple butter recipe I used Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples. I say you can use your favorite type of apples to make this apple butter.

I love to make recipes healthier whenever I can and recently I am trying to avoid refined sugar. This apple butter is made with just a few spices, local honey, and local apples. It’s not too sweet but has just the right amount of juicy sweetness from the apples and honey. I enjoy putting apple butter on english muffins and toast in the mornings for breakfast. I was also thinking that this apple butter would go perfectly with Rebecca’s Applesauce Muffins.

Ingredients:

4 cups peeled and diced apples

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Rinse, core and dice apples.

Add all the ingredients into a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often.

Cook until the apples are tender and the liquid is reduced, about 20 minutes.

Let the apples cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a food processor or blender.

Blend until smooth.

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

*This apple butter recipe should make approximately 4 cups.

Making apple butter is a family tradition and a local favorite. I hope you enjoy my recipe and please stop by my blog, The Casual Craftlete for more healthier recipe ideas.

Pumpkin Inspired Nursery Mobile

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Pumpkin Inspired Nursery Mobile – beautiful, neutral colored baby mobile made from scrap pieces of fabric.

Hi everyone, it’s me Annika stopping by. I have a cute little craft project for you today, that is perfect for those cooler, rainy days coming up. I find that I decorate more around this time of year, than any other. There are so many colors and fun shapes to be found during fall, and I get excited like a kid every year.

One of my absolute favorite decorating objects, are pumpkins. They come in so many shapes, sizes and colors….I just love ’em 🙂 I’m particularly fond of the green and white pumpkins…they have such beautiful colors….and I felt like making something that was inspired by them. So I came up with this; a cute pumpkin mobile in green and white colors, made from scrap pieces of fabric I had laying around.

A beautiful, neutral colored baby mobile made from scrap pieces of fabric.

I have collected lots of fabric and yarn through the years, so I didn’t really need to buy anything for this project. If you are not a collector of craft materials like me, don’t worry. Go visit a thrift store and I bet you could find some interesting pieces of fabric, buttons and yarn to use for a project like this. You could even get the pillow-filling at the thrift store, by buying an old pillow and take out that filling. There are of course also the craft stores, which will have everything you need for this project.Now, let’s start and I’ll show you how to make this cute pumpkin mobile for the nursery or your kids room.

For this project you will need the following material and tools– FABRIC (use different types to add character to your mobile. I used about 7-8)
– YARN (use a couple of different ones to match your fabric)
– EMBROIDERY HOOPS (two different sizes, mine where 21 cm and 13 cm in diameter)
– BUTTONS (about 1/2 inch wide)
– SEWING THREAD
– PILLOW FILLING
– NEEDLE
– SCISSOR
– PEN (to draw on fabric)

Creating Pumpkins
With all your material gathered, follow the how-to below to create you little pumpkins.

simpleasthatblog_pumkin_inspired_nursery_mobile_craft_project_05

Hanging the Mobile

To hang the mobile, attach 4 pieces of yarn to each of the hoops and make those meet in a loose knot. Before you create the final knot, make sure everything is pretty level. Then thighten the knot.To easily place the pumpkins, hang the hoops before adding the pumpkins. Hang each of the pumpkins with sewing thread and place them equally along the hoop edge. Adjust pumpkins by dragging the thread knot, along the hoop, to even out the wight of the mobile.

I hope you enjoyed this project. May you all have a wondeful fall.

Annika

Modern Halloween Photo Card Templates

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Modern Halloween Photo Card Templates -Ever wish you could get more mileage out of those cute Halloween photos? Send a photo card to friends and family, spice up your social media posts or create a fun piece of Halloween decor with these free digital templates.

As a photographer I love finding fun ways to use my photos. Halloween is a great excuse to get creative with your photos and show off your cute ghosts and goblins in the process!

Creating your own, personalized Halloween photo cards is easy with these simple to use premade digital templates! You’ll find links below where you can download each template in the collection for FREE – there are 4 templates in total!

What can I use these Halloween Digital Templates for

You can use these template to create a Halloween photo card to print and mail to loved ones.

You can create an eCard to send via email or share on social media.

They would look really cute printed and framed to display in your home.

You can use them in a scrapbook or memory album.

When printing, shrink down the size and attach as a gift tag to some Halloween goodies.

How to use Digital Templates

These templates are 5″ x 7″ layered PSD files and they are fully customizable to suit your personal style. Simply drop in your photos, add your names and customize the greeting and they’re ready to go! I absolutely love using templates for creating cards, beautiful photo collages and unique art displays for my home.

These templates can be used in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements is currently on sale for 40% off! This an amazing price if you’ve been thinking of purchasing it!

If you aren’t familiar with using templates, follow along with this video tutorial as I show you how to use them! The video demonstrates how to use my holiday card templates, but the same principles apply.

Modern Halloween Photo Cards Commercial Use License

*If you’re a photographer and are interested in purchasing a commercial use license to be able to sell these photo cards to clients you can purchase them in the Simple as That Digital Shop using the link above.

Create your own Halloween Photo Cards with PicMonkey

Don’t have Photoshop Elements to be able to use these templates? No problem. You can download a free trial and test it out or you can DIY your own photo cards using PicMonkey. Picmonkey is a free online photo editor that is really easy to use. You can use it to fix your photos, add beautiful filters and text and create photo collages.

Click here to Download Halloween Photo Card Template No. 1

Click here to Download Halloween Photo Card Template No. 2

Click here to Download Halloween Photo Card Template No. 3

Click here to Download Halloween Photo Card Template No. 4

Looking for more Halloween inspiration or photo tips? Be sure to check out these posts

How to take Spooky Pumpkin Photos

5 Quick Tips for Taking Memorable Halloween Photos

Do it Yourself Katniss Everdeen Costume

25 Simple Do it Yourself Costume Ideas

Free Printable Halloween Journaling and Filler Cards

16 Spooky Fonts for Halloween

Silly Spider Hairdo

Bat Book Page Banner for Halloween

Monday, September 21, 2015

Bat Book Page Banner – this banner is quick and easy to put together and will add just the right handmade touch to your Halloween decor. Scroll down for a supply list and instructions on how to create your own bat book page banner!

We have one of these book page banners for nearly every season . They turned out super cute and were completed in 30 minutes from start to finish! How’s that for a quick and easy Halloween craft!

What you’ll need to make your own Spooky Halloween Bunting

String

Stapler

Buttons

Black cardstock

Gluestick or other adhesive

Pages from an old book

Here’s how you’ll put it together

1. Using your book pages cut out 5 or more rectangles approximately 3.5″ x 6″ in size.

2. Snip out a triangle shape from the bottom of your rectangles. Hint: From left to right, find the center of your rectangle then measure 1 3/4 ” from the bottom to find where the top point of your triangle will be.

3. Cut out the number of pumpkins/bats you’ll need for your banner. Here’s a great source for bat templates if you do want to draw your own.

4. Attach bats to your banner pieces being sure to allow enough room to fold over the top edges. Place a button in the center of each bat.

5. Now you’re ready to put your banner together. Simply cut your length of string and attach banner pieces to string by folding top edge of banner pieces over the string & staple. Space banner pieces evenly along the string by sliding them back and forth as needed.

6. Now hang that cutie up somewhere and enjoy your new Spooky Halloween decor!

For more Fall/Halloween inspiration visit these posts

Tips for Taking Pumpkin Photos

Simple Fall Pumpkin Bunting

Tips for Capturing Spooky Silhouettes with your Phone

Silly Spider Hairdo

Halloween Pop Rocks Gift Tags

Halloween Paper Plate Crafts

4 Tips to Help Improve a Child’s Focus

Thursday, September 17, 2015

This is one of the best mom-hacks I have up my sleeve. The use of a simple tool that has made a world of difference in my children’s ability to focus and take responsibility for their activities. Plus, four more tips to help improve a child’s focus.

I know many of you are familiar with this scene:

Two kids doing homework, one practicing the piano, and the youngest having her turn on the tablet.

From my place in the kitchen, I can see one blond head bobbing up and down at the homework table—just itching to bolt. The one at the piano is slumped so low on the bench that I think she’s about to slip underneath.

The only one truly focusing at the moment is our daughter on the tablet, but I’m already picturing her reaction (more accurately, her abject despair) when I tell her time’s up.

A few months ago, we had so much frustration building up in our home over daily tasks like homework, reading, piano practice and teeth brushing. It felt like the only way I could keep my kids on task was with constant reminders.

The dreaded nagging.

I knew I couldn’t keep policing; it was noticeably straining our relationships. I needed a solution.

After doing some googling, we discovered a timer, the Time Timer, that would allow even our youngest to get a visual on the passing of time.

I could set the timer and leave them to it. (Cue moms everywhere jumping up and down!)

The red indicator allows them to monitor the amount of time they have left, so they aren’t caught unaware when their time is up.

We started setting it for all of our daily activities, and before long, I was noticing some benefits I hadn’t expected. Not only was I nagging them significantly less, but they started taking a lot more ownership for their activities.

Unexpected Benefits of Using a Timer

I saw them beginning to take pride in their independence. They would grab the timer without even mentioning it to me, and I could see the satisfaction in their eyes when I expressed surprise and appreciation for their initiative.

For short amounts of time, I could see their brains get fully engaged in an activity. This kind of focus is practice in mindful living, or living with your heart and mind attuned to each moment.

They also began developing more self-discipline. Instead of relying on an external force (read: me) to keep them on task, they started relying on themselves.

As a mom, I’m so grateful to see them learning this now, because I know it’s a skill that will prove essential as they grow—from high school to college to career and home life.

“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.” Josiah Charles Stamp, economist

4 Tips to Help Improve a Child’s Focus

1. Break tasks into small, manageable time increments. You can’t expect a first-grader to focus for an hour. Try ten minutes of math homework, followed by a drink or snack break, and then ten more minutes of language arts.

2. Call it a “speed test.” Calling something a “speed test” or adding the word “challenge” works wonders with younger children. Try setting a one-minute timer and challenging them to pick up as many toys or do as many math facts as they can before the minute is up.

3. Create a code of hand signals. To reduce distracting chitchat and help your kids feel like they’re in on something cool, work with them tco develop a system of hand signals. Pointing to your eyes could mean “eyes on your paper.” The motion of zipped lips could mean “no talking till the timer dings.” The important thing is to get your child’s input on creating the code, so he takes ownership for it. (Sometimes my kids use the code on me!)

4. Develop a routine and stick to it! I can’t overstate the importance of a routine that your kids can count on. If they grow accustomed to your family’s rhythm (such as snack and homework before screens and friends), you will get so much less friction during the times when you need them to focus. For more on our family’s routines, check here: 5 Simple Tips for Stress-Free Homework Time.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like…

Best Chapter Books and Series for Boys (and girls!) Ages 7-12

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Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde) Recipe

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde) Recipe – easy to prepare and delicious, this classic Mexican side dish is a staple in our house! Not to mention, it’s green color comes from fresh spinach and cilantro! Just another great way to incorporate an extra serving of veggies into your family’s next meal!

This recipe feeds approximately 6-8 people. With our family of 6, we typically have enough left over for another meal and it tastes just as good the next day! We eat this dish a lot because it tastes great, goes with just about any meal and it’s packed with green veggies!

Pureed spinach, cilantro with chicken broth and milk is what the rice is cooked in and gives this Mexican Green Rice that bright green color.

On busy nights I’ve even thrown this dish into my rice cooker to cook. Simply follow the steps in the recipe to prepare the spinach/cilantro puree mixture. Brown the rice, sauté the onion and garlic in a skillet then add the rice and spinach/cilantro puree mixture to your rice cooker and cook as normal.

I most often serve this rice with tacos but it can go with just about anything! I like the rice in my taco and the kids enjoy it on the side. It’s also perfect in a taco salad! I love how this green rice adds a little color to our meals.

How to Make Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde)

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde) Recipe

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

Author: Rebecca Cooper

Recipe type: Side

Serves: 8

Ingredients

½ cup tightly packed cilantro
1 cup tightly packed spinach
1¼ cups chicken broth
1¼ cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup minced onion
1 clove garlic
1½ cups rice

Instructions

Put cilantro, spinach and broth in blender and blend until pureed. Add milk and salt and blend until well combined.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet. When butter is melted, add rice and saute until brown (3-4 minutes). Stir constantly. Add onion and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add cilantro-spinach mix, stir well, bring to a boil.
Cover, turn heat to low. Cook 20 minutes. Take pan off heat and let rice steam in the covered pan for 10 minutes.

It’s easy to see why this versatile, easy to prepare dish is a family favorite! It has great flavor and is the perfect way to sneak a few green veggies into your family’s diet! We hope you enjoy this Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde) recipe as much as we do!

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Instill a love of Reading with Bookroo

Monday, September 14, 2015

Instill a love of Reading with Bookroo – reading can have an impact in so many areas of a child’s life. A one-of a kind, curated book subscription from Bookroo is a wonderful way to get kids excited about books and instill a life-long love of reading.

It’s no secret that we’re a family of book lovers and when we were introduced to Bookroo, a darling book subscription service, we quickly fell in love!

Bookroo’s Mission

At Bookroo, we believe, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did that:

“It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own.”

Our mission is to enable and empower parents to build their children’s book collections in an affordable and exciting way through curated monthly book deliveries. We believe in the power and impact of the written word in the life of a child, and believe it’s never too early to start reading to children!

My youngest girls are officially over the moon for Bookroo! They can’t wait for their Bookroo boxes to arrive in the mail each month and it is pure joy to watch them open them! We’ve discovered so many new titles and authors since our Bookroo subscription started and many of the books have quickly become new family favorites! Here’s a peek at my 5 year old opening her very first Bookroo box:

We’ve enjoyed Bookroo so much ourselves, that a Bookroo Subscription is at the top of our gift giving list year! Baby showers, birthdays, Christmas – I love the idea of giving a child the gift of reading!

As fun as it is to open our Bookroo boxes, the real value of this subscription is realized as we snuggle up on the couch and to read our books together over and over again! I love this quote from Dr. Seuss so much, isn’t it the truth?

Click Here to Download Magic of Reading Quote

More about Bookroo

-Select what book type suits your child best – board books or picture books.

-Pick a plan according to your budget with month-to-month, 3 months or 6 months options.

-Plans start at $17.50 per month. This includes either three board books or two picture books and shipping is free.

-If you happen to get a book that you already own all you have to do is take a picture of yourself giving the book to someone else, send the photo to Bookroo and you will get $5 off your next subscription.

I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Bookroo and if you’re thinking of ordering, I’m excited to let you know that Bookroo offering all Simple as That readers 20% off your first subscription box so you can try them out yourself! Click the box below to take advantage of this fabulous discount!

Disclaimer – We received a Bookroo subscription for review purposes, but all opinions are our own. We only recommend companies that we use personally or we feel would be valuable to our readers.

Homework Helpers: Homework Basket

Monday, September 14, 2015

Homework Helpers: Homework Basket – Create a basket with all of the necessary homework supplies in one place.

Back to School time is here and that means homework. I don’t know about your house, but homework time can be crazy. My littles get home from school at 4pm and we have about an hour before activities start. One thing that has saved me from ripping my hair out is having a homework basket.

Our homework basket has everything we need to get through homework time. No searching for a ruler, a sharpened pencil, a protractor, or a glue stick. Everything in one place. And let me tell you, this have saved us from some after school tears, mainly mine.

Over the years some of the contents have changed, but for the most part this is it. We keep it on a shelf in our mud room and everything goes back into the basket when homework is done.

(A great book on homework and strategies is called Homework Made Simple by Dr. Ann Dolin. I’ve heard her speak and she has changed our lives.)

Art supplies:

Scissors
glue/glue sticks
markers
colored pencils
crayons
markers
highlighters

(Having some math manipulatives at home has been immensely helpful for my little ones. Especially counters. You can use them for so many things. Base 10 sticks are also incredibly helpful. That is a tough concept for little ones and being able to see and touch it cuts down on frustration. For both them and you.)

Math supplies:

rulers
protractors
coins
clock face
number line
measuring tape
calculators
counters
Base 10 set

A talking dictionary has cut down on the “Mom, how do you spell?….”. They type in how they think the word is spelled and they are given options and they can pick the correct spelling. I love this tool. It is not cheap, but we have had this one for 3-4 years and it is worth every penny.

Time Management and Staying On Task:

a timer – No more “How many more minutes do I have to read?”. I have a different colored one for each child.
Tanglers – put one in your child’s non-dominant hand when they are having a hard time staying on task. Magic!
Silly putty – Same idea as the Tangler. (I have a hard time concentrating sometimes and I like to play with this when I’m listening to something. I always keep some on my desk.)

The big gun – the electric pencil sharpener. How many times have you searched your house high and low for a sharpened pencil? I have tried many, many inexpensive electric sharpeners and they usually die by October. I splurged on this one and have never looked back.

Every summer, I go through the basket and add and replace as needed. It is single-handedly the best thing that I have done to tame the homework beast.

What homework helpers have you found that help with the afternoon homework struggle?

6 Ways Photography Helps Me Savor Motherhood

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Sandwiched in the tedium of motherhood are a million joyful moments that are so easy to miss. A camera in hand helps me catch those moments. Here are 6 ways photography helps me savor motherhood every day.

As a mother of four ranging in age from five to twelve, I sometimes catch myself looking ahead with a dreamy expression on my face, to the day when the children are older and can do a few more things for themselves. Days that don’t involve toys strewn all over the living room, sticky dining room chairs, and the scramble to finish forgotten school projects at the last minute.

I have to stop myself in my tracks when I find these thoughts creeping up on me and remind myself that in wishing away the meltdowns and the messy house, I’m inadvertently wishing away this time with my children that I treasure so much.

Being a mother is what I’ve always wanted to be, and the joy I get from spending my days with my children is such a blessing in my life.

Why, then, can it be so difficult to focus on this perspective on a daily basis?

With my camera in hand, I find myself more able to focus on the simple joys and everyday moments that my children and I share, and it has helped me find more patience and joy in motherhood.

5 Ways Photography Helps Me Savor Motherhood

1. I look for the joyful moments amid the monotonous and exasperating ones.

Sandwiched right in between the tedium of motherhood are a million joyful moments that are so easy to miss if we’re not looking for them. Pulling out my camera instantly heightens my awareness of those brief but bright moments.

2. I notice my children’s small victories, not just the big milestones.

From those first tentative steps to the smile my child throws me on her way into the kindergarten classroom, the milestones matter. But in addition to those, I love to capture the silly little details that make our story unique.

The way my daughter uses her hands when she talks…

The expressions on our kids’ faces when we announced an upcoming Disney trip…

The sight of happy kids splashing in the bath…

These are the things I want to remember forever.

3. I engage with my children on their level.

Because my best shots happen when I’m on my knees, holding a camera motivates me to interact with them on their level. They sense the difference—the amount of attention I’m giving them—when I’m down on my knees, so I’m grateful that photography gives us this chance to connect in a more intimate way.

4. I’m less distracted by technology and to-do lists.

The outside world fades away when I’m engaging with my kids, telling knock-knock jokes to get them to laugh or listening to their best impressions of favorite cartoon characters. My usual worries barely even cross my mind when I have a camera in hand and my children around me.

5. I’m motivated to get out and explore the world with them.

On the days when it might be easier just to lay low at home, the thought of the perfect shot nudges me to round up the kids and go adventuring. As a photographer, I also get the added benefit of seeing it all through their eyes.

6. I am more grateful for my current stage of life.

Photography helps me realize how fleeting every stage of motherhood really is. As I look back on photos I took only a few months ago, I can see the changes in my children’s faces—something I don’t recognize in the bustle of day-to-day life.

Through photography I learn to appreciate my life with my children as it is right now, and I’m so thankful for gentle reminders to have patience, slow down and enjoy life’s moments as they happen.

________________________________________________________________

Whether you’re a pro with a DSLR or a mom with a camera phone, have you experienced these benefits? What do you love most about photography?

Click here to download a printable version of the Normal Day Quote below