I know StyleMint publishes a lot of Instagram images on their website. That said, I know they don’t publish all the images that get their hashtag, because I’ve done more that didn’t get picked haha.
Pretty excited to see two of my outfits on the front page-yay!!
Today was a bit of a rough day. I had to take Maya to yet another urologist, and she’s gotten to the point now where the minute they call her name to go back she starts crying hysterically. Not without good reason considering they had to do another catheter-ugh. Needless to say, we were both in tears by the end of the visit…
Am I the only one that dresses in bright colors on crappy days, in the effort to cheer up? 
It got pretty sunny again yesterday…love it! 
Love this kid so much. You’d never even know she was sick or had a crummy start to her day. 
Spinning! 
On me…
On Maya…
I may have already worn these flats a few times, but I love how they add fun to a pretty simple outfit. 
And…”super mom tip gone bad” I mentioned before my dislike of taking things to the drycleaner (who has time?!), and my frequent tossing of “dry clean only” items in the wash. Well, this sweater is 100% cashmere. I’d washed it on gentle before and it came out great! Then…it accidentally went into the dryer. Wah wah wah 😦 I’m actually ok with the length, but am totally bummed that it’s more of a traditional turtleneck than the cowl neck it was before… Oh, well. I got it on the cheap off eBay (about 90% off!), so I guess I can’t cry over it too much…
All that said. I layered a little boho tank underneath so it wasn’t too short with these very tight skinny jeans.
I am SO buying the size up on these when Maya finally grows out of them!! For $6, I LOVE THEM! 
On me…
This is family picture season. I’m in the thick of it at work, and families always ask…
“What should we wear??”
My answer is always, first and foremost, wear what you feel good in! It doesn’t matter if you are wearing the latest trend, all look good together, etc… If you don’t feel good-you won’t like the pictures! Now, that aside, here are some tips-
*Wear complimentary colors, but try not to be too matchy matchy. I love when a kid/children wear a print and then older siblings and parents pick up a solid color in that print. Or, you can have everyone wear neutral colors (creams, browns, grays) and then have a pop of color here and there (scarf, shoes, hair accessories, ties, belts) that match.
*Try to stay away from large logo’s or pictures on clothing. It tends to draw the focus away from the most important thing….you and your family!
*Don’t wear all black. Yes, we all feel good in black. However, when you are all cuddling together (those are my favorite pics!), you will look like a big blog of black with floating heads.
*When in doubt, do a dress rehearsal really quick one night and snap a pic with your phone. You will see if it all meshes well or clashes 🙂
Here’s what we wore last Mother’s Day. Every year, that’s what I ask for as a present. My parents take the pictures 🙂 We don’t have the boys for Mother’s Day (obviously), so this just gives you an idea for a smaller family…
I started off with Maya’s print top…
Then I picked up a color in her top with my solid top. 
Same with my husband. 
I made sure his shirt picked up another color and also went well with my top. That’s usually not a problem if you chose different colors in your child’s top. The colors usually are meant to go together 🙂 
Then for Father’s Day, I did a little shoot with all the kids and made a book with the images. 
On me…
Shoes- Zulily
Super Mom Tip-
You do NOT have to break the bank and go crazy buying clothes for pictures. Having a color scheme in mind is the best time to hit the thrift stores! Both boys are wearing thrifted Ralph Lauren Polo shirts- $5 each 😉 You can pick up a fun colored scarf for $1.50 or a pair of fun shoes for $10 that will MAKE your outfit! Also, check out Pinterest! There’s a TON of ideas on there. Here’s a board I started with a few more ideas.
I’m not saying I’m complaining about the weather lately. That would be stupid. It’s not raining!! However, the freezing cold mornings, followed by total sunshine, then rapidly dropping temps again makes it hard to dress accordingly. So…sometimes there’s a midday outfit change!
Started off wearing this…
(Don’t mind the silly grin. This was another self timer day, and Maya was singing to a frog sculpture haha.)
Then of course she wanted to get in a few 🙂 
These shoes are beyond comfortable! I have a black pair that I wear when I’m on my feet 8+ hours shooting a wedding. Ok, I have two black pairs 🙂 
It hit me that I don’t do any close ups of Maya’s clothes. These boots are one of my favorites! Hers too! I love that they can be worn up or down… 
THEN…I had a shoot later in the day. I knew I would be too hot in that sweater, so I changed. 
On me…
Look 1…
Shoes- Soho Lab (Sold out (boo!!). Similar here and if $ were no object *sigh* here.)
We had an unseasonably warm day in October and I finally got some shots of this dress – one of my fav “mom uniforms” this summer. I wore it often with a sports bra or as a bathing suit cover-up during the day, with a necklace and some fun shoes at night. You know.. on all those date-nights enjoying good food and quiet conversation at our favorite local Italian restaurant with outdoor seating. And by date-night I mean tag-teaming on feeding the kids, and by Italian restaurant I mean preparing spaghetti-Os in the microwave.. and by conversation, I mean trying to remember what it was like to actually finish a meal.. We’ve been adjusting to life with two, and it’s been a wild but incredible summer! 🙂
This sweater is one of those incredibly light-weight merino wool sweaters that wraps you in warm & cosy the second you put it on!
You know all those weekends where you play with your kids during the day and then get to go out with your husband at night? Yeah…me either. However, it does happen on occasion, and a lot of times it’s a short notice offer from my parents that we jump on. Here’s an outfit that lets you run around during the day, then swap out the shoes for night.
These are so comfy, and I love the added bling of the glitter. So not me, but fun! I think Maya is rubbing off on me haha. 
Then a little bootie for night! Haha, just reread that. And, yes to that too 😉 
Funny story. I’ve had these boots for probably 10 years! That is the upside to buying quality leather… I used to wear them under my long bootcut jeans. You never even saw how cute they were. Love that it’s in fashion to let them show now! Remember-hoarding, I mean holding onto quality classics, is good 🙂 
These were all done with the self timer again. Maya was a little sad she wasn’t in them all! 
On me…
During the fall and winter, my uniform changes from jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops to jeans, boots, and sweaters. I’m pretty simple like that 🙂 
Maya likes cozy sweaters and boots too!
On me…
Boots- Frye (ebay!) old, but similar here.
I got this sweater a while ago. It’s so fun, and I love the metallic coating. Who says skulls are just for Halloween? Not me!
This was a “self timer” shoot. Maya kept saying “Again! Again!” She loves running back and forth from the camera to the “spot” haha
On me…
So, about 60% of the shots I take are with my tripod and a timer. 20% my husband takes, and the other 20% one of my parents take. (*edited to add* As I’ve gotten better with this process, I now take about 98% of the shots of me/me with Maya). When I take images with my tripod and timer this is how I do it.
1-Put my camera on a tripod.
2- Find something I can focus on. I’ve used a chair, Maya’s stroller, a long stick stuck in the grass, and then I figured out I could use a light stand. Most people won’t have a light stand, so just use anything that will stand on it’s own that’s at least 3 feet tall. (*edited to add. I now tie something onto the top of my stand, so that the camera really has something clear to focus on. I actually tied a little stuffed animal to it :})
3-Have your lens on auto focus. Focus on your fake subject, and while you still have the shutter pressed halfway down, move the focus to manual. This will keep the focus locked where you want it.
4-Mark where you had your fake subject. If you are shooting at a shallow depth of field, a few inches will matter. I usually use a leaf or a crack in the pavement.
5-Either use the self timer button or a shutter release. I’ve got both, but end up using the self timer, so that I don’t have to worry about having something in my hand. Plus, a lot of the times that’s how I get good laughing shots on my own. I might trip on my way back to my spot, have a neighbor drive by wondering what the heck I’m doing, or just laugh at the hilariousness of it all.
Ok, truth be told. It doesn’t ALWAYS work haha. I almost scrapped this post because I totally messed up on the focusing, but why just show my success stories? Maya now thinks it’s a fun game. Press the button, run to the spot…go back to the camera. Over and over :).
It also helps to have a handy assistant to lug all your gear around for you 😉 
Good Luck!!
On me…
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