April in review & readers spotlight

I really can't believe it's the end of April already! I know, I know, I say that at the end of every month ;). It's really exciting to have all of you on my blogging journey! I love seeing readership grow, as well as the number of comments/discussions we can have about parenting, photography, and everything else! Thanks for your support!

Dogs & flashes

I can't control the intensity of my SpeedLite 380EX. I bought a diffuser cap for it, but that just spreads the flash around instead of diffusing it. Ergh. I've even secured a piece of white paper over the flash. The effect was lackluster. I fiddled with the "flash exposure" on the camera, but that just dims the photo, not the flash. Ergh. Anyways, my bloggie friend Jen recently agreed that it's hard to get her dogs to stay still for a photo, but even harder because they're afraid of the flash. Luckily, our puppy, Jasper, isn't scared of anything. Not even the flash.

HUGE box

I ordered this laundry drying rack from Amazon (great rack, I might add -- sturdy and allows several sweaters and other delicates to hang at an angle. Here's a 2-rack version). Anyways, it came in this HUGE box. I was like "what did I order?" We order so much stuff from Amazon, it can be hard to keep track! Anyone else know the feeling?

Toddlerisms

Around 16 months, our son's vocabulary seemed to skyrocket. These days, we're just so surprised by what he knows and can say too! Here are some our son's toddlerisms...

Portraits

I'm so glad that my parents took a lot of photographs when we were growing up (see some here). I love to recall all the fun memories! They may not be "professional" but they certainly capture priceless moments.

Mother's Day Gifts Under $50

This will be the 3rd Mother's Day that I'm celebrating as a mom. I celebrate being a mom everyday, but just to make Mother's Day on May 13th May 13th even more special, I've put together a if-you-wanted-to-get-me-something list (in order of preference). Just putting it out there! Share your recommendations in the comments!

Simple Sundays

Thanks to Mandi from Sweet Tiny Blessings for recommending As Simple As That -- a blog where Rebecca links up "the simple things" every Sunday. P.S. Rebecca also offers great photography and craft tips, and wonderful giveaways.

A quick "thanks" and "wow"!

I wanted to write a quick "thanks" to everyone to left a comment telling me how they get their toddler to sit and eat during mealtimes. I will certainly try many of them, always remembering that every child and every day is different of course!

Grandma's visit

At the end of March, my mom visited us, which is so nice because then we don't have to pack up all of our 20-mo's (J) and dogs' things. Originally, we were going to take her to see the cherry blossoms, but with the warm weather, they bloomed early. And then a few days before she arrived, rain hit the region. That's ok since the real reason she visits is to see her 20-mo grandson (our son, J) ;). Plus, she thought seeing cherry blossoms was the same as cherry picking, so I guess she woulda been disappointed anyways ;).

How far will you go to get your toddler to eat?

Ok, so technically technically, it isn't that our 20-mo (J) isn't eating anything. The hubby googled "toddler not eating" and read on a forum that one mom's toddler ate only a biscuit for an entire week. Now that's extreme! The issue in our house is that J only eats when he wants, what he wants, and with as much struggle as possible. It's like washing his hands and getting in the high chair is some sort of torture. I know, I'm not alone on this one. I know, this stage is all about my toddler's quest for independence and control. I know, this stage, like others, will pass and pass sooner than I think. But it sure is annoying/troubling/inconvenient at the moment...

Wordless Wednesday -- Balancing act

Just when you think you're about to lose it...

Camera backpack for moms who carry around baby stuff too

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on my blogs yesterday! Overwhelmingly, y'all supports my move to only one blog -- it'd streamline posting, some regular readers here didn't even know I had a photography blog, and it's my blog so why not! So in that spirit, I'll be posting here in the meantime...I am considering a new blog all together...Anyways...

Ever since Tania over at MauiShopGirl posted about cute camera bags that don't look like camera bags, I've been thinking about getting a new camera bag. P.S. I love THEIT bag she featured! And I just found SHUTTER|bag on Facebook - which is a large leather camera bag that looks very chic and functional.

Advice on my blogs

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Jas at AdamAlexMommy recently posted a few blogging tips she learned from a conference. So many great tips. One tip she shared on her Facebook page -- it was something like use the same "name" on different social media/domains so it's easier to track you -- has been on my mind a bit. I was thinking that maybe I should merge my two blogs together and move to WordPress...

It's Friday Friday Friday

For a Friday afternoon, I leave you with photos of our 20-mo holding a dandelion for the 1st time. Oh, it was exciting! Have a good weekend!

Just the two of us to D.C.

First, just wanted to thank everyone who left comments on my last two posts about tantrums! Totally read the comments for some great tips like getting down to your child's level and using distraction! Also, here are two articles left in the comments about handling tantrums -- LouLouLoves shared an article by Penelope Leach, and Jen Kakio shared an article by Kat at Vodka and Soda.

So today's post is finally not about tantrums (yay!), but about how great our 20-mo (J) did on our trek to D.C. and also what I've learned from his past tantrums!

At the mall, tantrums and all

Thanks to everyone who reassured me every kid throws tantrums, no matter what you do to prevent them. Every kid is different, every situation is different, and I just gotta go with the flow. Also, Amberr and SewPetiteGal might not have been ready for the zoo at his age. And Laura B reminded me that perhaps J was also overstimulated and we may have passed our crowd-anxiety onto him. Thanks for all your stories and tips though!

But I'm not done ranting about tantrums yet because...

My first guest post at Power Launch!

I recently won the parenting book, Grooming the Next Generation for Success by Dani Johnson, on Power Launch. When I contacted them about the win, they not only took down my address, but they asked if I'd like to guest post! Whoa, my first guest post. I was sincerely honored!

So please head on over to Power Launch to read the 3 parenting lessons that have taught me that I am not smarter than my baby. Be sure to share your parenting tips in the comments over at Power Launch! And if YOU want to guest post for Power Launch, clicky here to read more about doing so.


  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted at expandng.com - My first guest post at Power Launch  

First visit to the zoo, tantrums and all

My mom visited us for a few days, so we planned several activities, including a trip to the National Zoo. It was Spring Break so everyone else was also there! I kinda hate crowds…Anyways, it was going to be our 20-month's (J) first time to the zoo. Since J's been learning all the animals and their sounds, we were excited!

Please don't hit Mommy

Our little 20-mo boy, J, has started baby-hitting. It's like the gentlest little tap, but it is done with such intent and conviction, you know he means business! We make him be sorry, which I'm not sure he understands or does anything to be sorry. Sometimes when we make a really sad face, he imitates and then laughs at our funny face. Sigh.

Wordless Wednesday

[Photo source, text added]

Profound, no?

On a lighter note, I initially googled "dessert" when wanting to google "desert". Smack head.

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted at expandng.com - Wordless Wednesday  

Non-fishy salmon cakes

I love salmon sashimi. Love. It. I literally cried when I allowed my family to eat sashimi in front of me while I was pregnant. Literally. Cried. Oddly enough, I don't liked cooked salmon. I think it's fishy. But since it's a good source of omega-3s, I cooked it a few weeks ago. We ate two pan-fried steaks that week, and I froze the other two (already pan-fried) for later.

No more ice cream?

Most of the time I enjoy "talking" with my 19-mo. Everything is just so cute because it's babble mixed with discernible phrases. Bababaaa aaaaa oh no. Bababaaa aaaaa all done. Bababaaa aaaaa no more. Bababaaa aaaaa hehe ekeke gggee.

[Source: Food Beast]