Five Simple Tips for Taking Pictures of Your Kids!

Hello everyone, my name is Rebecca Cooper and I'm so excited to be here on Mommy's Idea.

I am a SAHM of four (Emily 7, Carson 5, Addie 2 and Alivia 8 months), wife to my wonderful husband Randal, an avid scrapbooker and a professional photographer. We're from Canada but are living on the Caribbean Island of St. Eustatius for the time being and are loving our new tropical home. You can read more about our little family and our adventures on my blog Simple As That.

Today I'm going to share a few quick photography tips with you. Let me first start by asking who out there takes a lot of photos of their children? My hand is way up! In fact my husband thinks I take a few too many. ;)

Do you struggle to get that ever elusive smile? You know the one I'm talking about right? A 'real' smile, not one of those cheesy grins we know all too well. Perhaps you're stuck at getting your child to stay still long enough to snap a photo that isn't blurry? Whatever your photography woes are, when it comes to taking pictures of your own children, I have a few ideas that might help.

1. No More Cheese Please. While it may seem to do the trick, asking your child to 'say cheese' will yeild a smile that is just that...cheesy. Try engaging your child in a conversation about something they are interested in (ie. an upcoming birthday, their favorite tv show, a recent family trip, what you're going to do after pictures) and be ready to catch that winning smile. While it may take a little more time, that beautiful smile is always worth the wait!

My two-year old Addie has the cheesy smile down to a science but when we get serious and start talking Princesses or Dora the real smiles aren't hard to find!

2. Be Prepared. When taking photos of your children a little bit of planning can go a long way. I like to have everything ready ahead of time that I may need for photos to make the best use out of our picture taking time. Have a chair ready for them to sit on, snacks or a drink, diaper wipes handy for a messy face or runny nose. Make sure your camera settings are correct and your battery is fully charged, etc. Plan around your child's schedule so they won't be hungry or tired during photos. Any planning you can do ahead of time will make your photos go that much smoother.

Naptime doesn't usually make for good picture time.  ;)

3. Make it Quick. Children's attention spans aren't very long so make the most out of your photo taking time by being quick with your camera. Know your camera well so that you can switch quickly and easily between settings when needed (your camera's manual is a great resource to learn the ins and outs of your camera). Adjust your camera settings where necessary to capture more images in a short amount of time. Burst mode or sports mode are great tools for this especially if you have a young child who is on the move. If you are shooting in manual be sure to check that shutter speed and make sure its fast enough as well.

This little guy was busy as could be but when he was ready to sit down for a second (literally) I was there with my camera waiting and got this quick shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Let Your Child Set the Pace. Capturing great photos of your kids happens most often when you allow yourself to step back, observe and let your child run the show. My kids love it when I let them have a turn choosing their poses, where to sit, or to make a silly face for the camera and when it's mom's turn afterwards they are much more cooperative. Be sure to pay attention to your child's cues as to when they're finished with photos. If it's no longer fun for your child put the camera away for a while and change activities or come back to it another day.

 Emily's turn...

mom's turn...

5. Make it Fun. Associating fun times with getting their photos taken is exactly what you want your children to do. Not only will they enjoy getting the photos taken but they will actually look forward to them the next time. Enjoy a special treat together after pictures, bring along a fun prop (ie. balloons, a bubble maker), hand the camera over to your child and let them play the photographer. If you have a busy toddler who doesn't want to stand still we like to play the game stand on the ___________. Find an object on the ground like a stick, rock, or bring a long some stickers that they can stand on and try not to fall off of. There are many things you can do to make pictures a fun experience for you and your child.

Capturing memorable photos of my children is so important to me as I know it is to so many of us. I hope these 5 simple tips will be useful the next time you pull out your camera to capture some of those memorable photos of your own. For more easy to follow photography tips check out Rebecca's ebook 40 Top Tips for Better Photos by Ella Publishing.

How to Make a “Grab My Button”, Grab My Button Code

I am happy to have helped out so many bloggers to make their own grab my button widget.  I am posting this again, since it seems to be a popular post.  My stats tell me this is what many of you are searching for, so hopefully this post will help to make your very own “Grab my button!”

So how do you make a grab my button?  This tutorial will tell you how to create and install a blog grab button. I’ve tried to give you a simple way to actually make the button and an easy way to use the html code to install the grab button in Blogger and Wordpress.  If it works for you, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know where we can see your new button!

Click to make your own “Grab my button.”

How to Dress Up Your Blog

Who wants a pretty new background?  3 columns? 

Some fun new widgets?

Read on for some tips on dressing up your blog.

 

Instructions are specific to Blogger, since that is what I know, but ideas on where to find new things for your blog apply to everyone!

• BASICS-  If you want to change any of the basics, background color, text color, etc.  Go to “customize” “layout” “fonts and colors.”  From there you can change whatever you like.
  
  
• IMAGES- If you already have a website, you’ve probably covered this part already.  If you’re looking for images to make your blog look prettier, cuter, more professional, any of the above, one of my favorite sites is www.istockphoto.com.  It is full of photographs, illustrations, etc. from all different artists.  They range from $5-$15 per image or set of images.  It works by buying credits and the lowest amount available is 10 credits for $14.  You can also contact the illustrators you like if you’re looking for custom work.  Some do it and some don’t, and costs vary.
  
  
• GADGETS-  Most of you are probably pretty familiar with this, but to add goodies like pictures, html, and blogger widgets, go to “layout” “page elements” and “add a gadget.”  From there you can add any of the listed widgets.  See my post on how to grab a button if you want to put other sites’ buttons on your blog.
  
  
• COLUMNS- Here’s the big question I get, “How do you make a blog 3 columns?”  There are no Blogger templates that are 3 columns.  You can search for html code to change it yourself, but I wouldn’t recommend it without some knowledge of html.  If you do it, make sure you back up your old template.  Also, know that it will erase all of your widgets, including all the buttons you have on your blog.  You’ll need to go back and put them in.
  
  
  
• Maybe the best way to get a 3 column blog is to have someone do it for you.  Here are a few blog designers I have found with some great designs!
  
  
  
• http://olivinadesignhouse.blogspot.com/
• www.LeelouBlogs.blogspot.com (Find free designs!)
• http://berriesandcreamblogdesign.com/
• www.SweetnSimpleDesign.com (Get 15% off by entering the code: MOMDESIGN)
• http://www.restored316designs.com
  
  
• If you have another suggestion, please leave a comment.

• WIDGETS-  This is the fun part- adding widgets that make your site easier to use and more interactive.  Do a search for “blogger widgets” or “widgets for blog” and you’ll find many sites with codes for widgets.  A good place to start is www.widgetbox.com.
  
  
• RSS and e-mail FEED-  You can set up your feed through blogger by adding a gadget.  I like using a site called Feedburner.  Go to Feedburner and follow the directions to set up RSS feed and/or e-mail feed so that readers can keep track of your new posts.  What is RSS feed?  Check out this article at www.problogger.net.
  
  
• There are some things you’ll see on my blog that I honestly don’t remember where I figured out how to do them.  Some have been easy and some have been very time consuming.  There are a couple blogging “how to” websites I read regularly for ideas- http://www.bloggingbasics101.com and http://www.problogger.net.
  
  

Subscribe to my feed or become a follower to stay up to date on upcoming giveaways and posts.  We will be having some blog design giveaways as well as chances to win some cute graphics!

How I Formed My LLC

I'm going to call this "How I Formed My LLC" instead of "How to From an LLC" since I really can only share my experience on the the topic. If you need more detailed information, there is plenty on the internet and of course you can and probably should get legal advice. (If you have no interest in forming your own company, today's post will probably not float your boat. Please come back for Wordless Wednesday!)

It is a good idea to get legal advice from a lawyer. Most will give you an initial meeting for free. I am lucky enough to have a friend who is very generous with his limited time and helped me out tremendously! The first thing you need to do is decide what type of legal entity you should form. A sole proprietership, a partnership, an LLC, etc. You'll have to research these and figure out the best choice for your situation. We decided an LLC was the best option for us and researched the costs involved. To have a lawyer do it, which is a great option if you can afford it, would cost about $1,000.

I chose to do it through an online company called LegalZoom.com. For me, this option worked out well. If you do it yourself, you have to be on top of everything! It's very important that you do each step and don't miss any deadlines. Legal Zoom guides you through the process and files your paperwork for you. On your own, you'll have to publish a legal notice in the 2 local newspapers designated by your county clerk, pay for the notices, send in affidavits of publication after the publication period is over (in NY it is 6 weeks,) and pay the state fees to file the affidavits. One more thing, you'll need a registered agent. This is someone who is always available to be served with papers. Legal Zoom will do it for you for a fee. I used freeregisteredagent.com which is free for the first year. If you're going to use someone other than Legal Zoom, have it set up before you start filling in the forms. In New York State, and my county, this whole process cost just under $500.

You will also need to get a Federal EIN number. This is VERY easy and quick to do online, so I wouldn't recommend paying a fee to have Legal Zoom do it for you. And you'll need to apply for a State Sales Tax Certificate if you will be collecting sales tax. This has different names in different states. In New York it's called, Authority to Collect Sales Tax. You might also hear the term "reseller certificate." This is a form that's filled out, basically proving you are a legal entity that doesn't have to pay sales tax on wholesale goods. See your states' website for specific information.

So, if you are willing to do the leg work yourself, you can save some money. Just be sure you are organized and know what you need to complete.

Here's an important thing to note. This process takes time! Plan ahead, since you won't be able to open a bank account or get credit cards for the business until you have your official paper work. (See my post "The Waiting Game" in the July archives.) Good luck!

How to Make and Grab a Button

I am not an expert by any means. What I can do here is tell you how I have learned to do things. I'm sure there are other ways and even better ways, and if so, please feel free to share by leaving a comment. My experience is with blogger, although I imagine the other blogging sites are similar. These directions are meant for blogger.  


To grab a button:

• copy the html code from the button you want
• open your blogger account and choose "layout"
• click "add a gadget"
• choose "html" and you'll get a blank box
• paste the code you have copied in the box
• click save

That's it! The new button should be on your blog. Go ahead, give it a try with ours. :-) To make your own button:

• to actually make your own button, you'll need a photo program like Adobe
• a standard square button size is 125 x 125, so when you open a new document, set the canvas size to 125 x 125 pixels
• put your images and text on the button
• save as a gif (jpeg is generally used for photos, but will work & some sites will ask for it specifically)
• save your image on a website like www.photobucket.com

To put a "grab our button" on your blog:

• copy the following html code. <div align="center"> <a href="http://mommysidea.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Mommy's Idea" src="http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n453/EllieBags/For%20Blog/MommysIdeaButton.gif"/></a> </div> <div align="center"> <form><textarea rows="6" cols="20"><a href="http://mommysidea.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Mommy's Idea" src="http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n453/EllieBags/For%20Blog/MommysIdeaButton.gif"/></a></textarea></form> </div>

• open your blogger account and choose "layout"
• click "add a gadget"
• choose "html" and you'll get a blank box
• paste the code you have copied in the box
• change my information to your information- the url of the blog, the name of the blog, and the link to your image. (You'll need to go back to photobucket or wherever you saved your image and get the direct link code.)
• click save

Good luck!

This is from Eryn on how to adjust for Wordpress . . .  (Thanks!)

For wordpress users, just go to your widget page (under design), and select a "text" widget, click edit, paste it in (with your own info), save, voila!

**If you have a question, please e-mail me at info[at]mommysidea[dot]com.  I didn’t even realize there were so many wonderful comments until I checked back recently!  Sorry to those I missed!

Help Baby Sleep!

There are a million "sleep experts" out there and as a new mother, I read many of their books. While everyone has their own opinion, I did find that there were common threads among most of them. Start a routine from the beginning, create a comfortable atmosphere, you can't spoil a baby under 3 months old . . .

In my adventure as a mom, I have found some interesting and unique products. Here are a few that help with sleep, for you and baby! (All can be found at http://www.elliebags.com/ )

Sleep Sheep on the Go by Cloud b

We discovered this when our little guy was a few months old, but could definitely have used it sooner. It has four soothing nature sounds (While I think "whale" is questionable as far as being soothing, my husband and son love it.) We even have adult friends who sleep with this product!

Lavender Lab by Cloud b

This lab smells so good, I just can't even begin to describe it. The attached blanket is silky smooth and the lab is super cuddly. There is also a baby lab that smells just as wonderful!

The Happiest Baby on the Block

The Happiest Baby on the Block gives you 5 simple steps that help calm and soothe your baby. One of the main points of the program is using white noise. Babies are so used to it being loud in the womb, Dr. Karp says that simulating that noise is part of how we can activate their "calming reflex." This worked very well for us and the CD was a wonderful tool in helping our little one fall asleep!

Check out these and other helpful products at www.elliebags.com!