Liquids: Day 6

Shark Week

We're about to get hit with a mega winter storm here in Toledo, so I spent some time shopping and was inspired by all kinds of people to make some pretty awesome liquids posts :).  But, I refrained from being slightly insulting because today was a big day for my Lydia.  Her preschool shark parade!  

A little background for those who don't know. She attends the Toledo Zoo Preschool.  Yes, it's in the zoo. No, it's not in the primate forest, but in a classroom inside the aquarium.  She loves it.  I love it.  It's been one of the best experiences of my life....meeting great new friends, watching Lydia grow and her interest in science grow.  I feel very proud to be able to send her there.  I know she'll never forget it.

Over the last week or so, they have been studying sharks.  Which also means that for the last week or so I've been hearing all about sharks.  Over and over and over again.  (I just typed shart by accident.  Thank goodness for the red line that points out my mistakes).  Throughout this shark unit, they've been working on these shark costumes (ugh, I typed shart again!).  They made them all by themselves!  Aren't they great?!?! 

Today they came out of class all dressed up and they were soooo excited!  Of course, not as excited as we were...we were lined up like the paparazzi at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Can't you just see how proud she is in this photo? And she has a cupcake....WITH SPRINKLES.  Yeah, it was a good day for her.  

Ok, so that was my warm and fuzzy post.  Don't expect tomorrow to be like this.  We'll be buried in snow and I'll be going crazy.

Liquids: Day 5

Boo!

Did I scare you?  I didn't think so.  Today Mallory bit Lydia in the arm so hard it drew blood so my liquid thought of the day was blood.  But there was no way I was going to cut myself just for this blog, so my mind wandered to fear and all things scary.  Like waking up from a dream where you are so afraid that your voice is frozen and you wake up screaming for help but nothing comes out.  This doesn't have much to do with liquids, I know.  I'll get to that in a minute.

Before I took this shot, I was downstairs trying to get Dracula to bed.  She was not having it. I was sitting in the hallway as quiet and still as could be.  Just when I thought she had crawled into her coffin, I made my move and, "moooooooommmmmy". So off we go to mom's room so we don't wake Rapunzel (she has school tomorrow).

I finally get her situated in the pack n' play with a game and I grab my gear.  I set up the shot and it hits me.  I have to pee!!  And baaaaaad.  So this, my friends, is the face of woman who is up to her eyeballs in spent fuel and needs to wrap this up fast.


So good night to everyone.  Maybe I will show up in your dreams.  If I do, offer wine.  I consider that a friendly gesture and may spare your life.  If Mallory shows up in your dreams, offer mac n' cheese.  It's her poison.

Liquids: Day 4

Read the Fine Print

So we were recently driving back from Sandusky (Great Wolf Lodge) and there had been a significant snow event the previous evening.  It was also super windy so snow was blowing and drifting on Route 2 making it a messy situation.  I was lucky enough to be stuck behind a semi for a while so I got that super-pretty, grey slush mist constantly crapping up my windshield.  I'm one of those people who cannot have anything on my windshield or I freak.  It really makes me crazy...as do spots on my glasses.  

Anyway, when we got close to home I ran out of windshield juice.  Noooooooooooo!  So we stopped at the corner gas station and they had one jug left.  Phew!!!  So Bill fills it up.  That night it got cold.  Crazy cold.  I drive to work the next day in the same slushy crap and wouldn't you know it....no juice!  My windshield looked like a bad Photoshop texture by the time I got to work.  It ruined my whole day.  "What happened?", you ask.  I'll tell you exactly what happened.  Bill bought summer fluid.  As in "will freeze solid in temperatures less than 32".  Nice huh?  A full tank of frozen windshield washer fluid. I had to deal with that for over a week.  The first day in the 30's that stuff melted and we drained that sucker dry.  Never, ever, again.

The moral of the story...don't stop for windshield washer fluid on the way back from a water park.  I think the chlorine makes you dumb.

Liquids: Day 3

An Earthquake Struck

So that's me.  Unshowered (at 3:00), unproductive, unmotivated.  It's snowing again.  This is my beer cam.  It records me each time I open the fridge and keeps me in check.  No, it's not ok to open one right now.  Close the door and come back later.

I recently took the kids to the library and Lydia picked out this book with some weird looking people on the front.  I read it to her when we got home.  It took me until the last few pages to even realize what it was about.  These little people were living in the fridge and they were super cold all the time.  One by one they ventured over the ketchup, under the leftovers and in and out of the rotter (crisper) looking for a better life.  Each time the homeowners opened the fridge the fridge friends thought an earthquake struck.  If that were a true story, my poor fridge friends must hate their lives.  I open that damn door 100 times a day for no good reason at all.  As if one time I will open it and a delicious Indian spread will be there.  

Have you ever counted how many times a day the fridge door opens?  I haven't either.  Somebody should do that.  But, not me.  I'd lose count after five.

He Shoots, He Scooooooores!!!!!

Meet Zachary.  He's four, he's sweet, he's shy, he likes waffles with syrup for breakfast and he loves sports.  When I arrived at his house today, I asked him if he slept well and if he had any crazy dreams.  At first he said he didn't but he quickly changed his answer and told me, "I had a dream about baseball.  I was playing and somebody threw a ball at my face."  I think he might be a touch tougher in his dreams than in real life, but it's clear that the kid eats, breathes, dreams, lives sports.

Dad built an ice rink in the backyard this year to teach Zachary how to skate.  It's only been a matter of weeks and Zachary owns the ice like he's been at it for years.  He was so excited to get hockey pictures that he happily posed for some family shots, knowing those Sports Illustrated-esque photos were on the horizon.

Move over Yzerman, there's a new guy in town and he's got all his teeth, pristine ACLs and a nose that is straight as an arrow.  And for all you preschool ladies, he's Lydia's.  Back off.

Ok, Zachary.  This is just a sneak peek at your awesome shots.  I'll be sending a slideshow soon and you can study the action shots and improve your technique.  It's never too early to work on that scholarship.  Mommy needs to save her money for our trip to Vegas.

Liquids: Day 2

I'm so Over and Done with This

It's official.  I'm done with winter.  Also official, Lydia is paying too much attention to what I am saying and doing.  Case in point, "Mommy!  I'm so over and done with this snow.  I hate it!".  Hmmm...maybe I should work on being positive.  Or maybe I should pour another drink and prepare for more of this fluffy white crap to destroy my kitchen floor.

I miss summer.  I miss evenings on the patio listening to music and watching the girls play.  I miss my neighbor's hair bands blasting while he beats his pudgy chest. I miss the family of 6,000 frogs that live in my other neighbor's overgrown pool (or ecosystem).  I miss my bike.  I'm getting fat.

So, yeah.  Snow sucks.  Lydia suggested slapping it and putting in the garbage can.  I like that idea.  Mallory thinks the bushes in the front yard are puppies.  I think we are all going crazy.  Spring, please rescue me before I gain another ten and eat my young.

Liquids: Day 1

Embracing Juice

Welcome to day one of my new photography project.  I will take one photo each day for 30 days, all of which will somehow tie to the theme "Liquid".  The purpose of this project is to get me finding ways to make the ordinary interesting and find new ways to communicate my views/experiences through images.

When Lydia, now four, was six-months-old, I started making her baby food.  I would spend hours reading books, pureeing anything and everything and swearing off artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, etc.  I became obsessed.  The girl didn't have a sip of juice (out of fear that she would shun milk and her teeth would fall out) or touch an artificial color until well after her second birthday.  There was a day that involved a lot of blue frosting.  The kind of blue that stained your fingers for days and hung out in the high chair straps for months.  The next time I changed her diaper, I swore that she had swallowed an industrial sized tub of green, Crayola paint.  I immediately called my grandmother asking if any of her kids had ever pooped art supplies.  

When Mallory, now two, came into the mix, I quickly discovered that I could no longer maintain that type of control over my (our) daily life.  Mal was, um, "needy".  She sucked up every last bit of time and patience that I had to offer in a 24-hour period and I found myself letting go of some control here and there.  Much to my surprise, it felt pretty good letting that go.  And so I traded in flax seed, tofu smoothies and almond milk for Tegu Blocks, washable markers and Leapfrog.com.  And sometimes spending more time playing with them results in reaching for a convenience item here and there. I still cringe at the thought of that bright orange powder that comes in a box of mac n' cheese and Trix yogurt gives me nightmares, but I don't sweat it if Lydia reaches for a Capri Sun in lieu of the Vita Juice or if she takes the pink-frosted cookie with sprinkles from the sample tray at Kroger.  

This is a time of change in our house.  Each day brings a new challenge and a list of new questions to answer.  It takes a lot of deep breathes and several sips of pinot to keep it together at times.  But, when I look at my kids wearing crazy hats and showing off drawings they spent all morning creating, I can't help but be at peace with colored frosting, Capri Sun and sprinkles.  

All this to say....sometimes, you just have to pick the juice...because it tastes better than the water.

Happy New Year!

We hope everyone had wonderful holidays and that you are all enjoying the new year.  We have a lot of exciting stuff going on at Aunt Spray!!  First, we are going to be posting new pricing soon, so be on the look out for that.  If anybody booked sessions through my baby packages, I will honor those sessions with the old pricing so not to worry there :).

Second, we are now offering illustration services for children's books, poetry, etc.  Please drop us a note if you have any projects that require illustrations.  We can make that happen for you!

Third, I can finally post my latest photos!  These were taken as a gift to my grandparents and they received them today, so now I can post them freely.  These are of my daughter, Lydia, wearing here great-great grandmother's pearls.  She was from Poland and was a huge part of lives before she passed when I was nine.  I named this series, Perły Babci , or Grandmother's Pearls.


Enjoy!!