Simply Bliss

After three days of Blissdom Canada excitement, I am eager to take my blogging to the next level, I want my blog to evolve and grow just as I have this past weekend in Toronto.  The number one take-home message I gleaned from Blissdom Canada is simply stay true to yourself; and this applies regardless whether talking about the posts you choose to write, the brands you choose to work with or the words you use to communicate.

My first task is finding a more effective system of turning the random thoughts and ideas rolling around in my mind into blog posts.  In a day I have tons of fleeting ideas triggered by anything from people I meet, phrases I hear or things I see.  Many would make great posts, but in my haste to create thoughtful, well-edited and usually photographed posts, many of these potential ideas fall to the wayside.

That's something I'll be working on, but for now I just want to revel in Blissdom.  I already wish I had taken more photos, but I was just too busy soaking it all in or taking care of the baby.

I absolutely loved 'Nostalgia Lane' (aka the CBC Radio Museum), where I had a chance to sit in Mr. Dressup's tree, touch the stool and easel that Mr. Dressup actually sat on and look at THE tickle trunk up close and personal.
   

The baby boy was pretty amazing; he attended just a few sessions since I was fortunate enough to have my sister along to help with the babysitting.  The little guy just loved the Fisher Price Jumperoo (its like an exersaucer and jolly jumper in one) and the girls at Mom Central Canada and the Fisher Price suite were great about letting him visit and play.

All of the sessions and the panelists were fabulous, here are some quotes I tweeted during Blissdom Canada. Seriously, brain food for bloggers.

• 'If you want to improve, be content to be though foolish and stupid' --Epictetus, who was not at all stupid. @herbadmother
• Be confident in who you are and what you do @alisonipr
• The 'employer' has to want you as much as you want them... @kathybuckworth
• There is power in saying no @barbarajones
• Your blog is your home and you make the rules @marrtinwaxman
• 'I live in the country of motherhood right now' @allanaharkin
• Take the time to invest in you...and have an engaged community...and you can make magic happen @jeffpulver
• write about something you really care about and when you hit publish be prepared to answer for it @nummiesbras  
• If you let people dictate to you who you are, you will very quickly lose yourself. @GailVazOxlade 
  

Except for the opening and closing parties I didn't manage to attend any of the evening activities; in truth I felt like it was more important to spend time with the baby boy.  Fortunately that left me with a little bit of a chance to explore Toronto, including a meal at the Kensington Cornerstone Restaurant'; a completely gluten-free dining experience where I had deep fried goodness in the form of kalamari and chicken strips.

Although it meant that the conference had come to an end, the much anticipated Costume and Karaoke party was tons of fun and I absolutely loved my costume.  I admit that I was nervous about going down to the party, but once I got there it was impossible not to smile seeing all of the innovative costumes, including fellow 80's cartoon, Rainbow Brite.

And of course there was the surprise visit by Jordan Knight formerly of the New Kids on the Block. It wasn't until the girls convinced him to Karaoke 'Step by Step' that I remembered how much I LOVED New Kids back in the day. All in all, Blissdom was amazing (and a little exhausting), I just hope that this will be the first of many blogging conferences in my lifetime.

Mamarazzi Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids | Review & Giveaway

Last year the hubs spoiled me with a Nikon DSLR for my birthday; over the past year I've promised myself time and time again that I would learn how to really use my camera, to stop using the auto mode on this incredible piece of machinery.  You may recall that although I have no formal photography training, I did spend many hours working in a photo lab.  I've also read photography tutorial after tutorial online and considered taking a photography course, however thus far had only managed to move from auto to priority settings, slowly trying to understand each mode independently.

This year for my birthday, which was last week, I finally started shooting in manual mode and bought myself a shiny new Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens (dubbed the 'nifty fifty' by Stacy Wasmuth) while outlet shopping on the Oregon Coast.  Both of these fabulous facts can be attributed, at least partially, to a new book I received for review; Mamarazzi: Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids by Stacy Wasmuth.

So what exactly is the Mamarazzi?  I'm a member and I bet you are too.

Mamarazzi [mah-muh-raht-tsee] (noun, plural): Mothers who doggedly pursue opportunities to take, share and display photographs of their children.

I admit that when I first received Mamarazzi I immediately started flipping through the pages, reading snippets of information that seemed interesting or relevant to me.  I started with the technical information in 'Chapter 6: Camera Crew' and was amazed at the comfortable yet informative tone of the chapter and was even more surprised to find that after reading the chapter I found myself eager to try out what I had learned.  The best part, when I actually went out and starting shooting in manual mode, I was happy with the results.  Happy enough in fact, to invest in a much wanted new lens.  Here's a sampling of said photos, including some of my sister (whose not a child, but was happy to let me practice photographing her) what do you think?






After gaining a better technical understanding in Chapter 6 of Mamarazzi, I started reading the book cover to cover.  The book is full of useful tips and techniques, including suggestions to replace cheesy pictures with genuine ones, regardless whether you are shooting infants, toddlers or preteens.  The book is infused with beautiful imagery, each complete with the settings used for the shot, which I found infinitely useful in my quest to understand manual shooting.

When I read Mamarazzi I feel like I'm having a private photography lesson from a friend who also happens to be a photographer.  I'm confident that whether you have little to no photography knowledge or if you've read books and taken lessons, Mamarazzi will be able to teach you something new about photographing kids.  The icing on the cake?  You don't need a DSLR to benefit from this book, Stacy Wasmuth has written this book so that point-and-shoot cameras can learn something too.

So, are you dying to get your hands on your own copy of Mamarazzi?  We are giving away three copies here on the Momma Stuff Blog, so make sure you comment to enter and spread the news on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for additional entries.  Don't forget to check out Stacy Wasmuth's work on her website http://www.bluecandyphotography.com/.

Contest now closed, congrats to our winners
#52 - Donna
#31 - Sara
#8  - Katie

Maternity Self Portraits

When I was in university, I was extremely fortunate that my parents were able to cover both my school and living expenses.  My personal expenses however, which included Starbucks, beer, ferry rides home and shopping were all on my own dime, which meant that I needed to work part-time if I wanted to have any sort of social life.

As far as part-time jobs go, mine was pretty cool; I worked in a photo lab, which is where my interest in photography was truly piqued.  Although I've never taken any photography classes, in a single shift I would look at literally thousands of pictures and over time I started to get a feel for photos that never seem to work out as intended, photos that are mainstream and boring, even though they seemed exciting when shot, as well as an eye for the style of photos that intrigued me.

When the hubs bought me a Nikon F55 a few years ago I was both stunned and excited, though I felt a little guilty last year when I decided that what I really wanted was a DSLR.  Now that I have my Nikon D3000 however, I feel like I'm finally really starting to learn about photography.  I read tutorials and have slowly been experimenting with my camera, including making a conscious effort not to use the auto mode whenever possible.

When I was pregnant with the boy I only really got one decent maternity picture, but I was determined that this time around I was going to truly make an effort and do some maternity self-portraits.  Of course as a working mom to a toddler time is scarce, particularly during daylight hours when the light is best, so despite being down and out with the flu last week I decided to slap on some makeup and attempt some photos last Friday when I was feeling a little bit better and the boy was off at his aunties so I could rest.

I ended up taking around 50 photos and these are some of my favourites.  I have to admit, I'm pretty happy with these photos, but I hope its not just selfish pride and that in reality, my photographic skills are actually slowly starting to improve.

Who doesn't love a good wedding?

A dear friend of mine got married last weekend and I was honoured to be a member of her wedding party.  Unfortunately, that meant that I didn't get the chance to snap a bunch of pictures during the wedding as I was standing up there beside her.  Even worse, my camera battery died shortly after the ceremony, so I couldn't piggy back on the photographers pictures either!

That of course isn't to say I didn't get ANY pictures, I do have a few that I love, but I'm very cautious about how much I'm willing to share on the blog.  For now, I hope you enjoy this picture of her lovely wedding dress; my friend looked SO Greek Goddess on her special day!

And this delicious looking wedding cake was full-on gluten-free, dairy-free deliciousness and I happen to know it didn't cost an arm and a leg.  It is possible my friends to have allergen-friendly treats without totally blowing the bank.  The cake was made by High Crow Gluten Free Foods, whom I had met at a local farmers market.

During the post wedding festivities, I was lucky enough to get a great picture of my lovely new haircut.  If you follow me on twitter than you likely already know that I chopped all my hair off about a month ago, and I'm loving it.  The truth is, I've had my hair short, more or less, since I was in grade 8 and I just feel more comfortable without a ton of hair.


Unfortunately, every couple years I seem to forget how much I prefer my hair short, but I'm lucky enough to have Courtney around to remind me.  Seriously, short just looks better, remember this picture from about early January?  Courtney's available to help you with your hair woes and questions too, send her your questions at mommastuffblog@gmail.com.

whirl wind

When I was a little girl, I remember time passing so slowly.  Each day was so full and the time between birthdays and holidays seemed almost insurmountable.  Now, life feels more like a whirl wind and I have to be cautious not to let it pass me by without stopping to savour the moments. I'm learning that keeping my camera at the ready at all times is both enjoyable in the moment and in embracing the memories.

I took this photo about 3 weeks ago in an attempt to document both my growing belly and my new haircut, but was disappointed with all of the shots I took, but after a little fun using Pretty Presets freebies, this enjoyable little gem emerged.


And look at this independent little man; seriously are little boys ingrained to find walking sticks? The boy carried that stick around for almost our entire walk and he doesn't even know anyone that walks with a cane!

I love capturing innocent father-son moments like this one, there's something so beautiful about catching my boys in the crisp, cool air absorbed by each other and the family of ducks swimming below them.

And of course, I love when the hubs manages to catch a photo of me and our exhausted little boy. It just makes my heart melt.

Ferry Photos

I had to go on a daytrip this week for work that involved an early morning (and afternoon) ferry trip in order to make a meeting on the island.  Thanks to Karen Lisa's Photo Fun Month, I found myself inspired, not only to bring my camera along but to take the time to shoot a few pictures.  I'm pretty happy with some of the photos and had trouble picking just one photo to share, so I decided to share a bunch. 

I really enjoyed taking the time to get to know my camera a little bit better. I've been reading up and experimenting with the settings and this was a great opportunity to do just that while observing some amazing scenery!

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins!

 

Despite the threatening torrential rain pour, the boy and I made it out to our local pumpkin patch this weekend.  Although we met some friends on site, the boy had his own agenda. 

We checked out the corn fields.

Played the drums...

Tried to steal baby pumpkins...

And ran through the pumpkin patch with no help from Momma at all.

After all that, a well deserved rest was in order.

And Momma finally got a chance to take in the scenery.

I feel so fortunate to live somewhere that a trip to the pumpkin patch, complete with the smell of earth in the air and the feel of mud in our boots, is just around the corner.

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