Make Your Own Costume

While it wasn't quite Halloween when I snapped this photo, it was a trick when I opened my door to this treat. Here are my three daughters with their favorite little red-haired friend in funny masks and onesies! This would make a great and easy Halloween costume!

What's your favorite Halloween photo? Better hurry as there are only 2 more days until Halloween! Send to: blog.tina@yahoo.com.

Going for the Gore

My darling 8 year old twin boys have turned the corner this Halloween. The days of dressing up like super heroes, adorable pumpkins, or puppy dogs are no longer here. Now they have moved on to wanting the scary, gory costumes for Halloween and the creepier the better. Rather than fight this ghoulish interest, I've decided to embrace it--but with a few restrictions. Yes, they can dress in semi-grisly and spooky costumes but where I draw the line is that they can not have costumes with weapons, blood or wear one where they look bludgeoned (they actually wanted a mask with an axe coming out of the guys head--NO WAY!). So this Halloween, I'll bid farewell to the adorable costumes of yesteryear and (gulp) say "hello" to the Grim Reaper and that guy from Scream.

Things that Go Bump in the Night

Halloween is just around the corner, so of course we had to pick this favorite fright fest as our next photo theme of the week. The picture above was taken at Costanoa, while we were camping this past weekend. Costanoa is a terrific place for the beginner camper or those of you who like to rough it with out really roughin' it. It is a coastal getaway that has something for everyone. Whether you want to pitch your own tent, stay in a ready to move-in canvas tent or douglas fir cabins, Costanoa is the place to get away from it all. If you really hate camping, you can stay at their lovely lodge. Anyway, my kids got a huge kick out of the festive touches found throughout the resort campsite. The one above was their favorite (they loved that the baby skeleton had a binky).


So, whether it be a creepy costume, scary decor, or anything else that makes you think of things that go bump in the night, we want to see your photo and post it on our site. Just email blog.tina@yahoo.com.

It's a Mystery

My husband and boys went to the store last week and brought back these lovely fall berries and branches. I'm not sure what the pumpkin looking branches are. Some sort of berry, squash or gourd? I tried to google it and can't seem to identify this horticultural mystery. Do you have any idea? If so let me know.

Paper Pumpkins

My son came home last week with this adorable paper pumpkin. He actually made one for every person in our family. I thought they were so cute and I was even more touched by the fact that he would make 6 of them. Needless to say they are now proudly displayed down the middle of my kitchen island, giving our home a festive fall feel.

Fall Foliage

As a Midwesterner, one of the things I miss about living in California is seeing the leaves change colors. We just don't have the same colorful show here on the West Coast as we do back in my prairie state. Don't get my wrong, you can find some trees putting on a fall show but you have to look. It is just not as prevalent. I do have one tree in my neighborhood that really turns into an array of vibrant colors in October. It is really one of the few in my hood that gives me a taste of home.

If you are a transplant like me, do you miss the change of seasons? If you have a favorite photo that represents fall, send it in to blog.tina@yahoo.com and we will try and post it this week during our Fall Photo Theme.

Childhood Holiday Memories

It seems that especially when your children are younger the holidays take on a special zing to them because it's so much about the kids. Here's a favorite photo from a great friend showing her children decorating Easter eggs. When she saw this photo, "T" remembers vividly the discussion her daughter was having with Grandma while painting the eggs. It's amazing how fast they grow up, isn't it?

Today was the last day of our childhood theme. Starting tomorrow, our theme will be AUTUMN. So send in your best photos representing fall, autumn and the beginning of the holidays! Send them along with your story to blog.tina@yahoo.com and we hope it is selected for publishing!

Deep in Play

The days when your children stop playing with certain toys is nostalgic. It seems to happen slowly at first, but then when you realize they no longer have loads and loads of plastic, loud, noise-making toys that you have to stretch over and have moved on to small electronics like Gameboys and iPods it's bittersweet. In this photo, our friend sent a photo of her daughter deep in play with her dolls. What a great photo showing how engrossed a child's imagination can be. Thanks for sending this!

What's your favorite photo that represents childhood memories? Send it to blog.tina@yahoo.com, we only have 2 days left this week for this theme!

The Old Man is Snoring

How many of you ladies out there have to contend with a snoring husband? Or perhaps you're the one who is making all of the snorting, rattling, nasally sounds? Well for over 20 years I have had to contend with getting a good night's sleep or battle the cacophony of discordant sounds emanating from my husband's nasal passageway and apparently from the flappy, loose skin in the back of his throat. Egad! For some reason our marriage vows did not include "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and for a peaceful or restless night's sleep." If only!

Through the years I have tolerated and he has tried many gimmicks. He's tried the nasal strips (to medium success), sprays (great effect for me, but made his throat very dry), to earplugs for me (a must if you're traveling) and different pillows. I hate to admit it, but I've often had to sleep on the couch to get a good night's rest if I had a major meeting the next morning. And embarrassingly enough, there has been the occasion or two where I've been the one to wake both of us up from a very loud snort. That has been surprising as I'm not a full-time snorer, but more of an occasional snorer when I'm just completely wiped out from days of no sleep due to my bedroom partner.

But miraculously, as he's gotten older, the snoring seems to have subsided a bit. I'm not sure why, but the coincidental change that occurred was we got a new bed about two years ago. After remodeling, we decided to upgrade. After years with a queen size bed, we decided our room could now fit a king size bed. We also love to read at night, so we splurged and got the Tempur-Pedic bed that has controls to move the mattress at an angle, just like a hospital bed.

I know - we're showing our age because what 20 or 30-year old couple would think of purchasing that sort of bed for their love nest? But after testing all sorts of beds, Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Select Comfort (hey, why do these all begin with the letter "S"?), we immediately fell for the Tempur-Pedic. After sinking into the mattress at our local Sleep Train, it was like sleeping on a cloud. It was that good. I could not believe how my body just hugged the mattress and my stress just melted away. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that we also got the vibrating motion with our Tempur-Pedic! Now that's a feature some twenty-somethings might like in their boudoir.

In any case, I have to say I am getting some of the best sleep I've ever had in my life these days. Either I'm losing my hearing or perhaps it also has to do with the fact that I no longer have small children in the house. I'm finally making up for all of those hours of sleep you lose when you have a child under five years of age living with you.

Get a good night's sleep you all! What horrible bedtime stories do you have? Send them to blog.tina@yahoo.com.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Here is a photo that I love. My son had brought a bunch of his trucks to the park to play. He kept trying to line them up to race them down the ramp. He was so focused on getting every truck on the starting line and keeping them in place before letting them go that he didn't even notice me taking his picture. He was lost in his own little racing world.

Dough see Dough

Nothing screams childhood like Playdough. My kids could not get enough of this when they were little. My daughter, who is now 18-years old, made this when she was about eight. I love how they played so much with Playdough and let their imagination run wild. The difficult thing to do with Playdough though is keeping the various colors separate because you just want to mix them all together.

What's your favorite photo that beckons childhood? Send it along with your story to blog.tina@yahoo.com and we hope to publish it.

Play Ball!

Today it is raining cats and dogs. The winds are fiercely blowing, so much so that at times the rain comes down in horizontal sheets. As I ran errands today (yes, I braved the elements), I saw branches strewn across the roads, police cars sorting out traffic accidents and 2 ambulances. It is a day best spent inside a warm, dry home.

That is unless you are 8 years old. Inclement weather and travel advisories do not matter to little boys who want to get in a game of wall ball. Who cares if your feet get wet and the ball is slick? There are rainbows, skimmers, highwires, and black magic moves that need perfecting. Bad weather fades into the background when you've got a pal over and a game to play.

Quackers for Kids

It's Monday and that means another photo theme. This week we will be posting photos that capture our children or childhood moments. For example, the photo above was used for my daughter's birthday party invitation. She wanted to have a swimming party and she picked a rubber duck theme. She and her brothers love collecting those little rubber ducks from every mom's favorite knick knack party planning catalog, Oriental Trading Company. Now whenever I see these colorful, plastic ducks I think of 14 little girls splashing around in our pool, on a warm summer day celebrating my daughter's 10th birthday.

If you'd like us to post one of your favorite photos that represents your child or a favorite childhood moment, please email us at blog.tina@yahoo.com.

Alaskan Getaway

Our fitness guru, Laura, has become a regular contributor to our photo of the day. Here is a photo she took of a sunset in Alaska's Inside Passage. If you're looking for a wonderful vacation getaway, Alaska has it all. And you cannot beat the fabulous, crystal clear water and fresh air. Must be why the sunsets are so spectacular.

What's your favorite sunset photo? Send it to blog.tina@yahoo.com along with your story.

Ah, Friday!

Ah, Friday how I've longed for you to arrive. This has been one crazy, hectic week. One where I think I may have sprouted a few more gray hairs and deepened the lines in my furrowed brow. "What went on?" you ask. Well, let me give you a quick recap......

Monday was fine. It was the start of Walk to School week at my kids' school. Which means leaving the house a few minutes early (by car) and driving half way and then walking the rest of the route. We just don't have it in us to get out the door 20 minutes early to walk the entire distance. Anyway, that went off without a hitch.

Tuesday is where the tide turned. 20 minutes into our morning, my son called out that our dog had squeezed through a hole in our fence and was in our neighbor's yard (the ones we do not know very well). So I grabbed my keys and shook them in the air to get her to come running back (she loves car rides--and this worked like a charm). Needless to say, the joke was on me because somehow I managed to misplace my keys in the time I came inside to the time I need to drive/walk to school. So what should have been a leisurely walk to school day turned into a run to school day. We had 10 minutes to get to school before the kids would need a late slip. And let me tell you, they fear having to get a late slip. So we sprinted to school. My daughter was a nervous wreck and one of my twin boys was crying all the way as I dragged him down the street. Needless to say, we got there just as the bell rang but the crier kept crying. And sadly, my daughter arrived at her classroom door just as it shut. Because she was too afraid to knock on the door to get in her classroom, she came running back to my son's portable with tears in her eyes. I left my son bawling in his doorway, while I hurried off to get my daughter the dreaded late slip. Anyway, when I got home (after hitching a ride) I felt horrible that they were late and that I left them distraught. So I emailed the teachers, just to make sure they had calmed down and of course they had. Evidently, I was the only one feeling badly about how our day started.

Wednesday, I spent the day fretting about the next day's photo shoot. I checked and rechecked all of my equipment and ran through our picture day process over and over in my head. I practiced setting the white balance on my camera a half dozen times, practiced firing the flash simultaneously with my partner's camera just to make sure the signals would not get crossed, and made a few last minute calls to Pocket Wizard to double check that we had our settings correct. Doing a big job can be nerve racking. I had a fitful nights sleep. I kept waking up throughout the night anticipating my 6 a.m. alarm.

Thursday was the big day. My bus. partner and I woke up predawn and schlepped over to a local elementary school where we took photos of 600 kids and staff. Let me tell you this is literally, back breaking work. Even though my mid to lower back is still aching, it was great. The kids were adorable, the parent volunteers super friendly and helpful and overall it was a terrific day. After spending 7 hours at the school, I rushed home to take my four kids to the dentist and then on to soccer practice. The day felt like it would never end.

And now it is Friday. I've got a mountain of paperwork to go through and I really should be doing that right now instead of writing. But I need a little break and I find blogging very therapeutic and relaxing (especially when I've got a glass of wine by my side). Plus once I hit "publish post," I've got to go kick some butt in a game of Apples to Apples--the paperwork can wait. Bring on Friday night!

Capturing the Sun

My mom took this picture of me trying to catch the sun before it set while we were in San Pancho, Mexico. It looks like I almost got it.

Sunset over Maui

On a different vacation to Maui (one of our family favorite destinations) my nephew took my simple digital camera and shot this sunset while waiting at the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant in Lahaina. Amazing what even a simple digital camera can capture.

What silhouette or sunset photo do you have stored on your hard-drive? Send it to blog.tina@yahoo.com along with the story behind the photo and we'll plan to publish it on our blog!

Life's a Beach

This photo was taken at sunset off the Ka'anapali shores in Maui. A little boy was fishing off the shore while a sail boat cruised along the way. When I seee it, it reminds me to relax, life's a beach after all!

Send us your best sunset or silhouette photo along with a brief story that inspired you to take that shot. Send it to blog.tina@yahoo.com and hopefully we will be able to publish it on our blog!

Sunsets and Silhouettes

This week our photo theme is Sunsets and Silhouettes. The photo above is of the trees in my backyard. I'm always amazed at how green they look during the daylight hours but as dusk begins to fall, they take on the appearance of black lace.

Send us your favorite sunset or silhouette photo. We'd love to include your work as part of this week's theme. Email blog.tina@yahoo.com

The Night Owl

I've been a night owl lately. I'm not sure what it is. I'm usually tired at 8 p.m. and ready for bed by 9:30 or 10 at the latest. But lately I've been getting a second wind around 9:30 which has me up until midnight. And unfortunately, I'm not using this extra time wisely.

I should be getting a jump start on the next day. I could be using these extra minutes/hours folding laundry, paying bills, putting dishes away, etc. Instead I find myself flipping mindlessly through the tv channels stopping a few minutes here and there catching tidbits of (I'm a bit embarrassed to admit) reality tv shows like Intervention, Secret Lives of Women, Toddlers and Tiaras, When Animals Attack, and E True Hollywood Stories. My husband would cringe if he woke up and saw what trash I get sucked into.

I feel like I must say that I really don't watch that much tv. The only night that I do find myself glued to the tube during prime time hours is Thursday. I love The Office and 30 Rock.

Anyway, I'm trying to get myself back on the sleep track. I've decided that instead of wasting time on bad late night programming, I'm going to read to help me fall asleep. Usually that works. The problem is if the book is good, which the one I'm currently reading is (The American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld) I find I'm up later than I would if I watched a little girl putting in her flippers (fake teeth) for her upcoming pageant.

The Nose Knows

Another reader submitted this unusual photo, taken in Paris, France about 4 years ago. The photo was taken by the Medici Fountain located in the Jardin de Luxembourgh (the Luxembourgh Gardens) in Paris. During the time this photo was taken there was an unsual art exhibit taking place in the park, and "the nose" was part of it. Tres French! Ah-Choo!

Some facts about the Jardin du Luxembourgh: The Medici Fountain was built in 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and regent of King Louis XIII of France. Designed by Tomasso Francini, a Florentine fountain maker and hydraulic engineer who was brought from Florence to France by King Henry IV, it was in the form of a grotto, a popular feature during the Italian Renaissance period. It fell into ruins during the 18th century. In 1811, at the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, the fountain was restored by Jean Chalgrin, the architect of the Arc de Triomphe. The fountain was moved to its present location in 1864. The long basin of water was built, and the sculptures of the giant Polyphemus, surprising the lovers Acis and Galatea, by French classical sculpture Auguste Ottin, were added to the grotto.

Merci beaucoup, Carole!

Have a fun photo or idea for our next week's theme? Send it to blog.tina@yahoo.com.

On the Road Again - to Hana!

Our appreciation for all the great feedback about our new "Photo-of-the-Day" series we introduce recently! Today we have a fantastic photo from Maneesha which she took at a vista point on the road to Hana, Maui this past February. The road to Hana is famous for fabulous waterfalls on every turn. However, on this particular trip to Maui, they did not encounter as many waterfalls as it was a relatively dry year. Instead they were totally mesmerised by the waves crashing on the rocky shore along the road and caught this shot and the force of the waves as they met the shoreline. You can almost hear the wave crashing as you admire the picture.

Thanks for the great shot!

Do you have any waterlogged photos you'd like to share? Send them to blog.tina@yahoo.com and we hope to publish it to our site!

Emerald Lake

Zumba guru and photo buff Laura sent a new photo in this week for our "Water" theme. This is a panoramic view of Emerald Lake in Yukon Alaska. (Laura and her family sure travel to nice spots, don't they?)


Our blog has some limitations and don't do this photo justice. It's a beautiful photo of the crystal clear lake with all the blues and greens you can imagine. Just awe inspiring!

What water parks have YOU been to lately? Send us your best shot and we'll include it on our blog. Send to blog.tina@yahoo.com

Gutach Falls

This photo was taken on our summer vacation to Germany. Gutach Falls is the highest waterfall in Germany and one of the main tourist attractions of the town of Triberg (that and the numerous cuckoo clock stores). The waterfall spills downhill for more than 525 feet and is only accessible by foot.

After debating whether or not we wanted to pay the park entrance fee (they nickel and dime you everywhere) we hiked up the trail and soon realized that the sights and sounds were worth the price of admission.