Though I make my living taking family portraits, my real love is documenting life and the beauty of everyday living. I take at least 1 photo (more like  50) every day. I want my kids to feel the same way that I did as a child looking at the past through the books in the basement. The other day I caught the twins looking through one of the many albums that I have made since their birth. One said to the other, "we are lucky that mommy is a protographer (love the way they say it) because we get to have fun looking at our fun." My heart skipped a beat, and a tear dropped from my eye;  They appreciate me.

When I picked the twins up from school today we went to the park because it was a whopping 50 degrees!!!!! I'm not sure who was more excited to be there. I do not think any of us would have survived another afternoon cooped up in the house. To make it even better we were the only ones at the park which is still confusing to me... come on people it is 50 degrees and sunny... Why aren't you here too? 

We played for 2 hours and when I wasn't playing I was watching them play through my lens. When we got home and they had some quiet time I looked through the shots from the day and it put a smile on my face. I have been taking too many look at me photos, posed family portraits. I have not been following my own motto "Be as you are" I was reminded of why I love being a photographer. Capturing those moments that tell the stories of our lives. I need to bring this back to my sessions as this is what makes me the photographer that I truly am and want to be.

Here are a few from our afternoon at the park enjoying the sunshine, lack of frigid air, living, laughing, playing. 

These guys give me the best days, I love being able to give them back to them.

Get out there and live, laugh, and most importantly PLAY!

Xoxo,

Maya

These two darling blondes made my job so easy as they were silly and sweet. They are so cute individually and together.

On top of this frigid weather the twins have slight fevers and a symphonic hacking cough. Besides watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 multiple times we have made space ships, cars, and dog houses out of cardboard boxes along with snowflake garlands and lastly our saving grace, our Kiwi Crate. For those of you who still have not checked out Kiwi Crate, you really are missing out!!!

http://www.kiwicrate.com/Refer?i=MayaT

Since I do not have a daytime sitter and there has not been any school due to weather and colds, I have had to improvise and do my yoga at home with my iPhone yoga app. My kids have wanted to join in and it's been hard to explain the poses so I looked on pinterest and I found a great yoga with kids PDF called Animals in Winter Yoga. 

http://playfullearning.net/animals-winter-yoga/

Well it's time to make dinner and give the next dose of motrin. I hope that you are warm and well.

xo,
Maya

Luckily for me our favorite 14 year old has come over to entertain the kiddos so that I can get some work done. 

With the weather being in the single digits lately it has not been ideal for outdoor shooting, Thankfully my living room converts into an awesome indoor studio with gorgeous natural light. I don't mind this change of pace because I love the simplicity of these sessions.

I'm so used to working with kids that I sometimes forget how to work with adults or teenagers. I felt like a deer in headlights the first 15 minutes of this shoot because I was at a loss for getting my model/client to give me the look that I wanted. Finally after warming up (both of us) I think that we nailed it. 

My favorite! Christina has the most beautiful hair but when I asked her to put her hair back, you see how beautiful she really is.

For any of you who are stuck inside today with restless kiddos and need a few ideas to get through the day here are a few of the things that we have been doing at Casa Tuttle. Enjoy!

http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Paper-Roll-Heart-Stamp/1342

http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Snowman-Wax-Resist-Painting/904

http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Frosty-Yogurt/695

http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Pretzel-Log-Cabin/1045

http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Lava-Bottle/520

Be Safe & Stay Warm.

XO,

Maya

Happy New Year Everyone! 2013 was a great year for me and my family. Though there were some heartaches this past year like losing loved ones,  there were also so many magical moments that made me so appreciative of what I have and  more so knowing of how lucky I am to be able to do what I love; take photos and be a mom to the most amazing kiddos ever (biased I know). I am personally so excited for 2014. I have many friends adding new additions to their families, have some exciting adventures planned, workshops to give & take, photos to make, and with the older the twins get… the more fun we have together exploring the world around us!

Did you make your resolutions? I always resolve to be the best version of myself possible. This year I have added a few actual resolutions... I resolve to finally lose the rest of that baby weight that I gained 5 years ago by eating better and working out, I resolve to be more patient with people who drive me crazy and annoy me, I resolve to find more balance in my work and home life,  I resolve to get my house organized, AND I resolve to try new things out of my comfort zone and even take up a new hobby… guitar lessons?

Since having children my NYE plans have drastically changed. My husband and I used to always go see live music and dance the night away. Though that was fun, I really enjoy our new traditions. These days we celebrate as a family with other families and are home by 10 pm instead of the wee hours of the morning.  I have not toasted the New Year at midnight for 5 years! I tried so hard to stay awake last night, the last time that I looked at the clock and it was 11:40. Did I make it with 20 to spare???? NO!!! I was out like a light!

Being that I am so lame and can't even stay awake to toast the New Year, I have started to make New Year's Day my special day to celebrate. I love filling my table with my loved ones and eating a meal that is supposed to bring you luck in the New Year. What is this lucky meal you might ask?  Swine & Peas or Pork Tenderloins with Sunny's Money Salad. 

There’s an old tradition that says eating pork will bring you good luck in the New Year. Pigs are very round and they root their hooves forward, indicating you’ll have abundance going forward
 

Eating legumes has been said to bring wealth for centuries, predominately because they resemble coins, but also because they expand when cooked, symbolizing expanding wealth. In the south, black-eyed peas are the New Year’s bean of choice.

It is a nice tradition passed along to me by my mother. 

I hope that whatever you did last night that you enjoyed yourself and I wish everyone  a Very Healthy and Happy New Year! 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

Xoxo,

Maya

Sunny's Money Salad

What you need:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and serve.

Here are a few of the cards that I was fortunate enough to make this season! So much fun! Looking forward to making valentines and of course next year's batch!

2014 is going to be filled with exciting new posts. Until then, enjoy the last few days of 2013. Kiss and squeeze your loved ones!

See you in the New Year!

XO

Maya

I'm still crazy busy editing the past couple of weeks but wanted to share this adorable engagement session that I did this past weaken. The bride to be is very special to me and my family so I was more than excited when she asked me to take these shots for her. We are excited for them and can't wait for the wedding this summer!

Here are Allie & Dennis!

Aren't they cute?!?!?!

I will be back soon with some of my favorites from the fall season as well as Holiday cards.

Until then enjoy this Meatless Monday recipe!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted, ground, see note

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) low sodium chicken broth

1 package (10 ounces) frozen cubed butternut squash, or 10 ounces fresh diced

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained, rinsed

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Freshly ground pepper

Steamed rice, optional

1. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat; add onion, cumin and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt; cook until onion is soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

2. Stir in broth, squash, beans and sage; cook until heated through and sage becomes aromatic, 5 minutes. (If using fresh squash, cook 10 minutes before adding beans and sage.) Season with remaining salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.

XO, Maya

Here is a taste of Colorado--- Enjoy!

Since I came home with some Colorado Koodies I have been surviving on an old family recipe that I call Jewish Penicillin-

Make it and freeze it! Best Soup ever!

Jewish Penicillin

4 Split Chicken Breasts

I lemon (sliced)

Dill

1 Onion (halved)

1 half bag of carrots

1 bunch of celery

Water pour over ingredients inch below top of soup pot.

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Cover and simmer for 3 hours.

Remove Chicken and let cool down to shred later. Leave all other ingredients in pot and continue to simmer for another hour.

Remove all ingredients- add shredded chicken, chopped carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips

Back to editing.... Post soon!

XO

Last week I was approached by some friends who have the loveliest blog. They are also the ones who make those darling skirts that you see "E" wearing from time to time in my photos. They asked me to answer some questions to help families prepare for photo sessions. Check it out. I hope that the info will be helpful to any of you who have a session scheduled in the future.

http://aliceandlois.com/tips-for-successful-family-photos/

I'll post some fun stuff soon, until then here are a few faves from the recent months... 

Be well! Post soon.

xo,

Maya

XO,

Maya

The secret is that you can survive on this salsa for a whole weekend or week. All you need is a spoon or a bag of scoops, it is that amazing!

Here you go, you can thank me later as I thank Mere & Ritter every time that I make it.

What you need:

1 can of corn  (fresh or frozen will do too)

1 can of Black Beans

1 can of Pinto Beans

1 can of diced tomatoes 

1 chopped red onion

1 chopped green pepper

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

What to do:

Drain cans, chop veggies, and add to a bowl.

On stove top add oil, vinegar & sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring (about 2 minutes).  remove from stove top and let cool.

Once mixture is cool, pour it over veggie mix.

Try not to eat it all in one sitting, it gets better the the longer it sits!

XOXO,

Maya

Being that fresh school year starts this week, I thought I would start the new format for sneak peeks with the blog. For those who follow I will also be sharing a little bit more such as meals, crafts, and things that I think that you might like to know.

But enough about what I'll be posting in the future, I am so excited to share the Mastro Family with you right now! What a treat it was to photograph them!

I knew when I turned around and saw them walking toward me that it was going to be a wonderful session- they looked amazing! Cheers to "Mom" for great styling! I will definitely show this session to families who inquire what to wear. Super A was a ham and loved having his photo taken. Princess G as sweet as she looks made me work for it which I LOVE to do. It was a lovely Friday afternoon in the park with this darling family- here are some of my favorites from our session...

SO many more to finish editing, it's going to be hard making the final selection.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Maya

These adorable 5 are my husband's second cousins kids. a seven year old, 2 fives, and 2 twos! They were so much fun to be around!

Who doesn't like to twirl?

Just a couple of 2 year twins taking a walk on a bridge.

More twins! These boys belong to sweet friends! I was so excited to FINALLY meet them!

How sweet is this face? One of my little buddies for the weekend. Sweet is an understatement!

My other bud, such a great kid!

I can't wait to make another trip back to Kansas City. There is something to be said for the magic of the heartland. I now understand why so many people love it so much!

XO

She is a beautiful person inside and out and as you can tell from the photos below is an amazing mother to these two cuties. 

My kids are definitely photographer's children. They love getting their photo taken but sadly they learned the word "CHEESE" from someone and now it's hard to get a photo of them where they are not making that horrible "CHEESE" face. I would like to yell at the person who thought saying cheese would be a good idea. I hear it all of the time and it makes me cringe. You do not look nice when you say cheese! I would rather you say nothing at all than say "Cheese". Glare at me, stick your tongue out, do anything but say "Cheese" it will be more genuine and real.

I'll be doing a session and the parents will say, "Say Cheese" I tighten up because it is hard to tell someone that the word that they are asking their child to say will more than likely make your child look like he/she needs to poop. Me saying "poop" is a much better option if you actually want a smile.

This past weekend we were at the park and my kids were having a ball on the tubular slides. They asked me to take their picture while on the slide. I looked up in the tube and was so happy that I had my fisheye lens with me. I started out laying in the slide and was slammed in to every time that they came down, OUCH! After being hit my fair share I figured that I could lay on top of the slide and take the photos. There were many strange looks that I got from parents who were playing and taking photos of their own kids but totally worth the looks as it as I bet none of them have any  pics like these of their kiddos!

Thanks E & W I had fun too and can't wait to blow a few of these up and give them to my hubby for Father's Day. 

The Jean Talon Marche (Farmers Market) was amazing. One of the prettiest markets that I have ever seen. The produce tasted better than it looked!

If anyone reading this is planning a trip to Montreal I feel like I should name a few do not miss items...

1. Stay in Old Montreal. So pretty by the river and so much history in the streets.

2. Cocktails on a rooftop at dusk. There are a few connected to the hotels in Old Montreal. Great views.

3. Coffee at Cafe Olympico. One of the best lattees that I have ever had and the patio is great for people watching, making new friends, and visiting with old ones.

4. MAKE A RESERVATION at Le Filet. Best meal ever!

5. Eat lunch at the Jean Talon Farmer's Market. The food is delicious! We could have spent the whole day eating.

6. Do not drink too much your first night there so that you have to take a nap on the second day. There is so much to do and see, you do not want to miss a thing!

7. Try to stay through Monday. Everyone kept mentioning the Tam Tams on Mont Royal on Sunday. Our flight was early on Sunday so we did not get the chance. No worries.  Just an excuse to return sooner than later!

Thank you Montreal for a wonderful weekend. I can't wait to return!

XO

1) Family

2) Friends

3) Taking photos

4) Colorado

So I'm so excited to talk about this wonderful company from Colorado called Artifact Uprising. "inspired by the disappearing beauty of the tangible" and "driven by the belief that everyone has a story to tell", they use recycled materials to make lovely photo books and photo/memory boxes made from the trees that have been destroyed by the Pine Beetle. For those of you who do not know about the destructive Pine Beetle, here is a link to some info and a photo.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7967666

Just like almost everyone I know with an iPhone, I'm loving the instagram app and have been for years. I was printing my favorite instagrams on 6x6 metal sheets and have made this lovely family wall in our home.  Me being me, a mother and photographer, I have taken so many photos that it's impossible to continue with this method and I had no clue what to do with all of those other photos that were not worthy of the wall but special none the less. Needless to say,  I was so THRILLED when I heard about Artifact Uprising as they have designed books especially for us instagrammers! I just received my first book in the mail and it is so wonderful. All of my silly photos in a perfect little square book for me to put on the coffee table so that my family and friends can look at them for years to come!

With all of the new technology I feel like people forget to print their photos. You can't tell a story through the cloud, you have to make the photos  accessible for others to see them. The days of getting a roll of film developed and rushing home to look at the printed photos are almost gone unless you are a photographer. I shoot some film, and still buy disposable cameras for my kids to use. I try to print my favorite family photos every other month or so. I love making albums so that I can enjoy the memories and smiles. I can't stress enough how important it is to print photos to preserve history for future generations and for you and yours to enjoy today. Even though I offer digital files, I cringe when clients ask to buy JUST the digital versions of the photos because I fear that the images will either never get printed or get printed by a poor quality printer. There are so many amazing ways to reproduce digital images these days that it is a shame that some never see the light. I strive to find the most environmentally friendly and unique items to share with my clients, family & friends. I never offer something to someone without first getting my own. 

And just like every other person who has Colorado in their heart I mourn the trees that have been destroyed by this evil little bug. They say that the damage is declining and I hope that this is the case because now these forests are more susceptible to fires and these dead trees are like kindling:( They burn and they burn quickly. I am so happy that someone is doing something with these trees. It's Green companies like Artifact Uprising that are making a difference in our future. I'm so happy to have discovered them. I am excited to now offer books from Artifact Uprising to my clients and most importantly to share this wonderful socially conscious company with you! I can't wait to make more books myself and hope that you will make some too!

http://www.artifactuprising.com/site/

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

As an adult, parent and a photographer, these woods continue to bring me joy. I spend as much time as I can there whether it be shooting a family session, a family hike or as we call them  "bear hunts", and again for my alone time when I just want to get away and breath or need a little exercise. I use these woods more than I use my gym membership and my kids enjoy playing in them as much if not more than the local playgrounds.

I feel like everyone is so busy these days or glued to a device,  moms drop their kids off in gym daycares, or plop them in front of a television so that they can work out. Getting outside is so good for everyone. I hope at least one of you will go for an adventure after reading this and seeing the following photos.

Enjoy!

XO

Happy Friday! Go play!

With beautiful buildings, bridges, cobblestone streets, lush trees, and more, you have the ability to take a great photo. Besides the amazing architecture and rolling hills, the people are wonderful subjects as well. 

I spend most of my days taking photos of families or my own kids so I was very excited to take a street photography workshop. I needed to overcome my fear of taking street photos of people interacting and the world around me. I was always afraid of people getting upset with me for taking their photo. I found that there were some that were not amused but that others realized what I was doing and some even smiled for me. I had to learn how to compose with a fixed lens when you do not have much room to work with. All of these tasks were not easy but at the end of the day I think that I managed to get some great shots with the new lessons that I learned, especially overcoming my fear.

Here are some shots from this past Saturday while downtown for a baseball game

I'm looking forward to more outings in the streets to capture the rest of this beautiful  city and the great people who live in it! 

A little FYI... it is totally LEGAL to take someone's photo in public without their permission. It is nice to ask if you can and assure them of what you are doing but you are not infringing on them unless you are on their private property.

XO

For those of you who do not know Kiwi Crate I highly suggest that you click on the link and learn about this wonderful company. 

http://www.kiwicrate.com/Refer?i=MayaT

The theme for this months Kiwi Crate was Earth Day. Today we decorated our own reusable totes that were made with recycled materials. We made flower and leaf stamps with clay and used them to embellish our totes.

 You really can't beat a socially conscious art project on a rainy day! And an added bonus is that now my kids have their own totes to collect all of the wonderful treasures that they find on our outdoor excursions. Project 2 of our box is making cards from homemade paper. Should be fun and messy!

Even a creative mom like me needs some help sometimes so again I thank you Kiwi Crate, I really do love you!

Why did this happen?

How could someone cause so much pain and devastation? 

How do we move forward without looking over our shoulders every waking minute?

As if the the everyday struggles of being a parent weren't hard enough... trying to convince my children that there is no such thing as monsters and that there is no reason to be afraid, is even harder when I am afraid of them myself.

I do not remember things like this happening when I was younger. When did our world become so evil? I feel like each act of terror is one upping  the one before. Our media outlets are awful and are whores to the tragedies of man. Enough is enough with the evil and enough with the overkill and nonsense of media. Instead of sitting in front of a desk speculating and repeating gruesome details I wish that they would actually do investigative reporting and actually help find the monsters who commit these horrific acts. George Stefanopolos (sp?) repeating to his expert "So you're saying that anyone could make a bomb like this at home?" THIS IS NOT helping nor wise to say on LIVE television over and over again. You should be fined for the stupid words that come out of your mouth!!!! Why can't you just report the news and say that you will be back once you have something of necessity to share!!!

What scares me most right now is the fact that the monster/monsters responsible for this act are in hiding. Maybe they are planning something else while tucked away or walking around in broad daylight. I'm scared of what happens next, I have so many questions spinning around in my mind.

How do I keep my family safe?

How can I stop thinking about this awfulness? 

How do I fight the urge to hunker down at home and not enjoy the the world outside? 

How can I help those who who were immediately impacted by this tragedy?

What do we tell our children? Do we tell the truth, that we live in an evil world and that monsters do exist?

I am not okay with that. I do not want to live in fear. I do not want my children to live in fear. I want all of us to want to explore and see the world. I want all of us to be able to run races, go shopping, see a movie, go to festivals, and go to school or work.

I feel helpless and all that I can do is love my friends and family.  I can support honest and genuine news sources like the good old fashioned written word or public radio. I can donate to funds that support the medical bills of strangers, because it could have been me or someone that I love who is suffering. I can teach my children right and wrong and to be kind, to give to those in need.

I have to stop thinking about the cowardly monster hiding away and be thankful for people like Carlos Arredondo  who selflessly helped strangers and saved their lives.

I can be human. I can be kind.

Humankind?

A smooch for his sis to apologize for pushing her.

Sipping on a daiquiri.

Morning walks with our favorite little white dog!

Using Uncle Fanny's underwater camera. http://gopro.com

It was a wonderful two weeks spent with amazing family and friends. We found a bunch of fun family activities and places to eat thanks to my new favorite app GOBY. Check it out and download it... http://www.goby.com

I highly recommend this app to all parents and anyone traveling to a city that they are not very familiar with. It is even awesome when you are familiar with a city because you might find something new that you never knew existed. How did we survive before modern technology!

Now I'm back home trying to unpack and get back to life as usual. Booking Spring Sessions and getting excited for Spring!

Thanks for viewing!

XOXO

Hunting for Crickets by the pool.

Roller Skating!

A perfect day to be a 4 year old topped off with ice cream sundaes for dessert!

Stay tuned for more of my children's vacation!

XOXO

Here is day 1 of my children's vacation!

A Giant Blue Chair! I so need one of these!!!

Playing at the Park.

Swimming

Swimming

More Swimming

If you are somewhere cold, you will be happy to know that our pool time ended abruptly with a crazy thunderstorm that lasted through the afternoon. 

We did enjoy the lightning storm from the 21st floor.

Stay tuned for more from my children's vacation!

XOXO

The surgery lasted about 2 hours and then we were sent to recovery. "W" was doing great eating tons of blue slushies and drinking whatever was placed in front of him. We had to sleep over due to some breathing issues and due to lack of room in the hospital spent the night in the recovery area. I will spare you my feelings on this because it was miserable and I care to put it behind me rather than relive it! Upon being released the nurses instructed me to stay on top of the pain with Tylenol. They would not be sending us home with any real pain meds because there had been some recent blah blah blah bullshit!

I say recent blah blah blah bullshit because there is no way to stay on top of the pain with tylenol! 24 hours after being released he was in so much pain that he would not eat and would not drink a thing. I was on top of the pain, I had set an alarm on my phone and was giving him his meds every 4 hours around the clock. Thanks to the blah blah bah bullshit we were back in the ER to treat pain and dehydration. Thanks to the authors of the  recent blah blah blah bullshit for another 2 night stay at the hospital; where can I send my bill when it arrives?!?!?!? At least this time we were given a room and the nurses were swooning over him. I'm biased but he is pretty cute!

It's been 3 days since we were released for the second time and I am still giving him pain meds every 4 hours. He is still miserable but is drinking and taking his meds in fear of having to go back to the hospital!

Besides watered down juice and pedialyte the only other thing that I can get him to ingest is chocolate pudding. This morning I thought I would try one of the pinterest recipes that I had pinned the other day to see if I could get some food in the kid as he is wasting away. Banana Pancakes made with ONLY bananas and eggs. They were delicious and "W" ate a whole plate which is more than he has eaten in a whole week! So easy and so yummy! Just mash some bananas and add some eggs. 2 eggs per banana seemed to do the trick. I highly recommend these to anyone! They are great for so many reasons! First of all getting kids to eat eggs and bananas without them knowing it, a great use for soft bananas, no need for syrup because the banana makes them sweet!!!! Easy, healthy & delicious!!!!!!

Through all of my bitching and mini pity parties I did realize that I am so fortunate to have such great and healthy children and that I have health insurance. There are so many people that struggle with sick or special needs children and go through what I went through + so much more on a daily basis. A week of sleepless nights is nothing compared to what some of women and families go through all of the time. I'm thankful for my community who reached out and sent love to "W" and helped out with "E". I can't say thank you enough to the people who took "E" for play dates, picked her up from school, delivered home cooked meals for us, brought over/sent gifts, played words with friends with me round the clock to keep me entertained while in the hospital, bought my husband his birthday cake, and most importantly kept us in their thoughts. We are so lucky to have such great people in our lives!

I'm holding a contest on my Facebook page for a free session for a family who is challenged with a sick or special needs child. If you know a Supermom or Super Family that you would like to enter in the contest please message me privately with their information. I will be selecting the family at random at the end of the week!

Two things to take away from this post  are #1 Don't leave the hospital w/out the proper pain medication no matter what blah blah bullshit you are told and #2 a delicious healthy alternative to pancakes.

Thanks for reading, I'll post again as soon as I have something to share!

XOXO

I'm still trying to figure out my balance of what to share with all of you so until I figure that out here are some photos from our trip to Florida.

Mostly cold for the majority of our trip, we were able to get one day in at the Beach. The water was too cold for my liking but the twins had fun. Oh to be 4 again!

My dilemma. What do I do with ALL of her amazing masterpieces. She wants to hang 1/2 of it up and then gives the rest to me and other special people in her life. There is so much of it and I am already overflowing in all of my photos and creations. It breaks my heart every time that I have to discard of it but it's piling up everywhere and she is only in Pre-K!

I think I may have found the answer to my dilemma and thought that I would share with anyone who is actually reading my blog.

Ready set.......

http://www.artkiveapp.com

This is so cool! You can take iPhone photos of all of the pieces of art and create books directly from the app!!!!! You can also share the little masterpieces with grandparents, aunts, uncles and dear old dad. It's genius! Why did I not think of this?

I just downloaded the app for $2.99 and plan on putting it to use this week at some point. I'm sure that I will have enough material for a book in no time and will share the final product once I do.

Now that I have found a way to organize my little artist's work, it is time for me to dive in to my own.

Signing off until the next time.

XOXO

Tuesday was my Monday and it started with my nanny giving me a week's notice. For reals?!?!? I'm still in shock but immediately went in to survival mode. Calling all facebook friends! With in an hour of posting about nannygate 2013 I was able to secure some help for the next few weeks. I am so grateful for the evil that is called Facebook. When used properly and respectfully social media can really be helpful!

Now I have the task of trying to reorganize my life. Working, taking classes, and being a mother of 4 year old (very busy) twins.... Panic attack anyone? I know I can do it, I'm just a bit overwhelmed. At least they have each other to entertain, and that the weather is frightfully cold so that a show here and there is kind of excusable?!?!?

Thank goodness they love for me to take their photos...

No school tomorrow and it is supposed to snow. I hope it does and that we get  at least what they are reporting (4 inches). I love wintery photos and making snow angels. Coming inside to warm up with hot coco or as my kids call it "coco ratio" with handmade marshmallows. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that our week ends much better than the way it started.

Signing out until the next time!

XOXO