SCRAPBOOKING
Memory-making memorabilia
That Can Do Spirit
Being a parent of a toddler is hard work — no one who’s ever seen, heard or smelled a toddler would argue with that. But it doesn’t have to be as difficult as we modern parents tend to make it. Respite can come from an unexpected place…the toddlers themselves.
Looking to lessen my own stress and find some solutions, I recently completed a Parenting Preschoolers class, taught by the fine folks at PEP. In this class (and the many others offered), instructors champion a philosophy that expands how most of us view a child’s role in everyday life. And it doesn’t include a remote or an iPad.
Nowhere is this more apparent than PEP’s CAN DO KIDS FAIR. This annual event (for children 3-10) showcases PEP’s ideas on parenting, putting them into live, kid-operated action. This year’s Fair took place just a couple of weeks after I completed my class, so it was a great opportunity to practice all these new Daddy skills… and hopefully spend a Saturday afternoon getting JJ good and tired.
I’ll admit it was overwhelming at first. Held in a nearby church’s education building, every room on every floor was packed with parents, kids, instructors and volunteers busily trying or explaining a different activity.
We headed to the first of three floors, and not surprisingly I led us to the painting station. I was a little shocked to find it wasn’t full of easels and finger paints. I was even more shocked to watch my three year-old not only roller paint, but also drill a hole in drywall and then spackle over it. Yes, I used the words “3 year-old” and “drill a hole” in the same sentence. It was pretty amazing — and a little frightening — but he was flanked by a PEP volunteer and Papa, and was being given simple, clear instructions. And he was, of course, loving it.
Drill, baby, drill!
Rolling With My Homies: The 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll
I’m about a week behind on life (checking calendar… make that two weeks), so pardon the untimeliness of this post. However, I couldn’t NOT document it for JJ — and for myself, as I am getting older and more forgetful. Plus, have you ever actually met anyone who’s been to the White House Easter Egg Roll? I hadn’t, so thought sharing a bit of our eggsperience might be eggciting* for you.
The White House Easter Egg Roll (henceforth, The WHEER) is one of those things you grow up knowing about — especially around these parts — but never imagining you’d go to. I even remember a few years ago hearing about same-sex parent families attending, and that it was kind of a big deal. But again, I never thought I’d end up at this DC Bucket List-worthy shindig.
But out of the blue, a few days before The WHEER, I got an email from a friend offering us some tickets! He’s got major Obama connections and had taken his nieces last year; but he thought of our family this year. [Thanks RyRo!] Needless to say, we hopped at the chance!
I won’t go into too much minutia — I wouldn’t want to ruin it for anybunny with dreams of going themselves some year… But hare are the highlights:
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THE LINES:
The throng waiting in eggticipation. It started out overcast, and was drizzling about the last 1/2 hour we were in line. Papa also tried to teach JJ to say “obelisk.” I commented to a woman next to us, wondering aloud how many of these kids were going to be sick the next day. Despite all this, it was a surprisingly well-behaved horde.
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Papa and I took turns holding JJ, as he’s a runner. Hare’s a huggy photo I’m particularly fond of.
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Giveaway: Printcopia Canvas Prints!
One of the perks of being a blogger for any length of time is getting nifty stuff to review. Even better is when it’s something that you genuinely end up liking. Such is the case with the canvas print from Printcopia I was asked to create and review for a very cool giveaway that YOU need to enter! (details below)
Not surprisingly, I’m pretty picky extremely anal about what goes on the walls of my house or office. No “off-the-rack” posters, prints or artwork in this Designer Daddy’s personal gallery. Yet that’s not to say I only buy expensive artwork. My main requirement is that it has a story — a painting by my favorite local artist, a framed poster from a trip to Prague, or a charcoal sketch I did in college — it’s gotta be personal, otherwise it’s just decoration.
However we don’t have many photos on the wall. We’ve got plenty scattered throughout the house on bookshelves and dressers; but even more odd, we don’t have more than a couple of photos of our son on the wall… or anywhere. I’ve posted a bazillion on Facebook, Instagram and my blog, and I’ve got a folder in iPhoto for every month since he was born. But since becoming parents, getting photos actually printed, picking out a frame, etc. just takes time we ain’t got.
This is what excited me about Printcopia. It was a way to put up a photo of JJ along with the artwork on the wall and have it fit in — not just in size, but in quality.
I’ve had one photo print made before through another company, and while the quality was good, it only came in one size/shape — square. Printcopia can do square plus a bevy of other sizes ranging from 8″ x 8″ to 30″ x 40.” And not just canvas prints, but also sleek acrylic prints, framed prints, panoramics, decorative wall decals, and yes, even old school photo prints. Images for all of these can be uploaded from Facebook, Instagram, or your desktop/photo library.
But my favorite feature was being able to choose any color I wanted for the edges of the canvas. As a designer, having the ability to customize the details is vital (I’m a dork like that). For my print, I chose a favorite from our trip to Italy. Our living room (where the print now lives) has a warm, bright color palette, so being able to sample the orange in JJ’s shirt and make that the border color was pretty dang awesome.
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NOW ABOUT THAT GIVEAWAY…
I’ve partnered with several other parent bloggers so we could get a bigger booty.
The winner will receive THREE canvas prints:
one 8″ x 10″
one 11″ x 14″
one 16″ x 20″
Keep in mind Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up. Enter this contest (and win)… Shopping for your spouse, parents or in-laws? Done. And WAY better than smelly soap or a tie.
Original photo
Printcopia canvas print, in our living room. The only thing I Photoshopped out were the crayon marks on the wall. (Canvas is 16″ x 20″)
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The giveaway runs for two weeks (ends 11:59pm April 2nd), and the winner will be contacted within 7 days. If you have any questions, email orenmil@bloggerfather.com. Oren (AKA A Blogger and a Father) headed up this contest and will be responsible for prize fulfillment. Contest is open to US residents, 18 and older.
(PS: Printcopia has several sister sites that sell car magnets, banners, and bandit signs.)
QuickPic: Snow Day
As spring is finally starting to creep in, I thought I’d share these few (and rare, non-Instagram) photos of JJ watching Papa shovel snow from a couple weeks ago.
I’m not sure why I think posting photos on my blog is filler — I could look at these all day…
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Silly Hat Day: A Story in Pictures
On a cold, rainy day not too long ago, I had a brain fart of forethought, gathered all the hats from all over the house, and declared it henceforth be known as (cue trumpets)… Silly Hat Day!
In all honesty, I needed a break from playing superheroes (or coloring them, or watching them on TV). And it actually turned out to be more of a Silly Two-and-a-half Hours, but it was nonetheless a fun diversion during an otherwise dreary day.
Let the silliness commence!
I wonder if we've got enough silly to fill all these hats?
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Silly Hat Day starts out a little on the grumpy side.
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QuickPic: Puppy Love
I sometimes worry that introducing a baby into our dog’s life when she’s middle aged (she’s 7) has been stressful for her. (Hell, it has been for her middle-aged fathers!) This captures a moment when I think she’s not minding too much.
JJ’s Top 10 of 2012
As with any toddler, JJ’s moods tastes shift like the wind. Make that a whirlwind. But these ten things stood out in 2012 as being particularly popular with our breezy little boy…
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Buon Natale!
Now that I’ve trotted out several Christmas cards from years past, I wanted to share this year’s…
Since becoming a Dad, I’ve struggled with designing a Holiday card that would appeal to both my clients AND satisfy family and friends that wanted baby pictures. Prior to parenthood, I’ve done just one card for both purposes — but that was before we had such a good-looking kiddo to show off! Yet I wondered if sending a more personal-looking card to clients would come across as unprofessional.
As usual, time and money ended up being the determining factors. I didn’t have the energy or hours to generate a fabulous/unique/award-winning “business” card, and a second one for friends and family featuring an adorable portrait of JJ and a “form letter” describing all the awesome things we’d done this past year. So I decided to pick one event — our trip to Italy — and threw in a whole mess of photos. I collaged them onto three panels: one of predominantly green hues, one in whites, one in reds. The colors of Christmas… and also the Italian flag. Aren’t I clever? 
Front of card: click to biggefy
Back of card: click to biggefy
I concluded that the design and quality of the photography would showcase my talents, and the pictures of happy toddlers eating giant bowls of pasta would melt hearts. And if someone decided not to hire me because they didn’t like my warm and fuzzy Christmas card, bah humbug on them.
Turns out I shouldn’t have been too worried about how the card would be received. So far I’ve gotten 42 emails complimenting the card — 14 from family or friends, 28 from clients or colleagues — by far the largest number of personal notes I’ve received about a Holiday card in 10+ years. Let’s hear it for pics of babies and food!
On a final note, I’d like to once again thank all my family, friends, clients, colleagues and other folks who’ve read, shared and commented on the blog. Every bit of your interaction and support means the world to me. All the best to you and yours for a spectacular 2013!
(PS: Click here to view an interactive version of the card — complete with captions and larger views of the photos!)
The 12 Days of Christmas Past: Day 5
The kiddo’s settled down for a long winter’s nap, so I’ll crank out one more Card of Xmas Past…
We were at my parents’ house this weekend for Christmas I, which included opening presents with my brother and his wife, a couple of way-too-large meals, and Sunday morning service at my Dad’s church. Christmas II will be at our house. Grandma & Grandpa are coming up here for another round of presents and a ginormous lasagna.
As we were leaving my parents’ house Sunday night — all a-flurry and a-scurry to make sure we got all our loot (presents), crap (non-present stuff), and JJ’s everything — my brother asked, “Do you want to take your little girl home, too?”
Yup, we almost forgot the dog.
As many other parents of both dogs and humans will tell you, our dog (Cordi, short for Cordelia*) truly was our “first baby” — a test run of sorts. She’s a 7 year-old “pre-Obama” Portuguese Water Dog, and is the sweetest, smartest and most adorable dog of all time. Don’t believe me? Check out her headshots after this 2006 Holiday card featuring a be-spotted buttshot. Another well-loved card, many of which I sold to local pet and gift stores. Several years later I was out walking Cordi, and someone stopped to admire/pet her. This person mentioned how much she looked like a dog on a Christmas card she received once. She’s not Bo famous, but it’s a start.
