Friday Randomness...

I know, I know, my posts have been few and far between lately!  I'll spare you another email full of excuses and just get to the postin' already!  I have a bunch of randomness to share.

First, we had a family photo shoot at our home a while back, which was a birthday gift from my fabulous hubby, and was done by the most fabulous Erin Johnson.  (You check out her MOMtrepreneur interview on the right column of this blog.) It was such a perfect gift for me...a way to capture my sweet little boys' childhoods, and also to celebrate the fact that we survived (barely) a year of fighting to sell our home to get to this wonderful new (old) home on a lake! I think if you look closely you can see the relief in our faces.  There are SO many GREAT shots but I'll just post a few favorites...

All of us by the shoreline...love the sepia tone!

Sweet little Toby was losing his patience with this photo shoot stuff...started to tear up and retreated into his "Monkey." This one really captures his sensitive side!

My boys (and "Puppy") on the dock! Believe me, I'm about as close as I could be without being in the photo here! :-)

In my Paintertainment world, I've already shared about the county fair that has kept me busy...I've had several other face painting "gigs" this past week too, and am currently in the process of adding new products from 3 new vendors to my store! But I'm most excited that the first copy of my new face painting book just arrived in the mail yesterday and is now available for sale!  I've had so much fun making this book!!

The other thing I wanted to share unfortunately has no photos with it, but I promise it's not to boring.  ;-)  Over the past month or two my hubby and I have sortof evolved our evening routine and it's been awesome.  In the past we've gotten the kids in bed by 8, and then often spent the remaining 3 hours of our evening zoning out in front of the TV. Granted, I am usually doing other things at the same time, like emailing, crocheting, or whatever.  But sitting in front of the TV for 3 hours is just not the best use of our time.

So, without going into the lengthy story of how it evolved, here's what we're doing now:
8:00-9:00 - "The Productive Hour" - We both spend time getting something done on our to-do list. 
9:00-10:00 - "The Deck Hour" - We sit on the deck with a beverage, no computers, and TALK!
10:00-11:00 - "The Vedge Hour" - We vedge out in front of the TV.

It has been so simple yet so awesome in so many ways.  At the end of the night, instead of feeling like a vegetable, we feel satisfied that we've gotten something accomplished.  We have some quality time to connect and talk about our day without interruption.  And we still get to watch the Tivo'd shows we like.  Often times the deck hour will extend right up until bedtime and we skip TV all together. I suppose in the winter "The Deck Hour" will have to turn into "The Living Room" hour or something.

So there you have it.  A small change in our routine that is really a life changing thing, I think!  I know it may not work for everyone, but I thought I'd share it as a great way to cut a little TV out of your day, get stuff done, and stay connected to your spouse in the chaos that is child rearing!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone! 

Picky Sticky Picture Stickers

You may remember my previous post about how I take photos of my boys every week with a sign that says their current age...

With my first boy I taped the sign above his head on the chair he was sitting in.  With my second, I've been setting it on or next to him.  I have recently discovered the flaw in this plan, as he has started to grab his sign and eat it.

 A friend of mine just sent me a link to these great "Picky Sticky Picture Stickers," designed specifically for this purpose!  Simply peel and stick them to your baby's clothing and snap your photo.  What a great way to market this idea...just had to pass it on!  Maybe I should start printing my signs on some sticker paper instead!

MOMtrepreneur Interview: Erin Johnson of Erin Johnson Photography

I am happy to share another great MOMtrepreneur interview with you!  Today's super mom business owner is Erin Johnson of Erin Johnson Photography.  Erin and I go to church together and I have seen a lot of her amazing photos!  Erin and her husband  live in Chanhassen, MN with their two daughters, 6 year old Sara Jo and 4 year old Nora.  I know she is one very busy woman with an overflowing plate and am so honored that she found the time to share her insights with us today!

What did you do before becoming a Work-at-home mom? 
I started my business a few months before Sara Jo {now 7 years old} was born when I was 23 years old.  Before that I was working at a children's photography studio.

What was the final “push” that got you to take the dive into leaving the 9 to 5 behind and run your own business full time?
I worked for a difficult boss so it was time to move on.  Once I left that job I waitress a little and my business just started happening.  I started taking photographs of friends of friends and then people just kept sharing my name with other people.  I then had to work a little backwards to create a good business.

What skills or education from your background do you think help you the most in your success as an entrepreneur?  
I have always been an artist.  I have a natural talent with photography and in visual arts.  I came from a line of entrepreneurs.  My father had his own business and everyone in his family does also.  Being a mom helps me run a business because I have to be the queen or multi tasking!  Being an artist and a business women came naturally for me. 

What new things have you learned since becoming a business owner?
What haven't I learned!  I have learned so many life skills like how to treat people, how to be humble and how to forgive others and more so how to forgive myself.  Running a business like mine where I am documenting people's most valued moments and/or intimate days teaches me how to relate to people and their situations.  I have learned endless office skills and computer skills. 

What’s the most challenging part about being a Mom + business owner for you?
Everything!  It is so hard to balance my life.  I have learned to set hours for my business even when working at home.  Childcare has been one of the best things for both me and my kids.  I figured out that I couldn't be good at either if I was trying to both at the same time.   

How would you define “success” for yourself and/or your business?
Money is a good thing but more than that I bless people.  My business is my ministry.  Not everyone can give the gift of good photography.  I have taken photos of many hurting people and my photos have helped them heal and find peace.  My photos have also reminded people of some of the happiest moments in their lives...how amazing that I can help people relive that.  Success to me is giving back and blessing others.

What advice would you give a new mom looking to start a business from home?
Put your family first!  Revolve your business around what you want out of life and don't let your business be your life.  Find balance between the things that matter and your business.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us that I may have missed?  
Owning your own business is an amazing adventure but along with all the ups there are many downs.  I think it takes the right kind of person to have what it takes to have a successful business working for yourself.  I think your business should be something you are passionate about and love doing.

THANK YOU so much, Erin, for sharing your experience and insights with us!! Please check out Erin's website, as well as her blog, to see more of her amazing work! Every time I go to her website, I find myself getting sucked into her photo gallery and spending way more time there than originally intended! ;-)

Weekend Snapshots

We had some great fun over the weekend and thought I'd share a couple personal snapshots...

Friday there was a penny carnival at a park in Golden Valley, which is north of us.  All the kids' games and activities cost between 1 and 5 cents.  It's a fun, cheap family activity and a great way to help your kids learn to count and spend money! 

Toby was too little to do much, but I love this shot of him in the stroller... his face is lighting up because Daddy just came into view...a guy we haven't seen a lot of these past couple weeks with all his travel.  What a treat to spend a whole Friday with Daddy!

Fireman Sam checkin' himself out in the shiny truck (with "Puppy" in hand of course!):

I usually try to find some super cheap or free thing we can do on the weekends.  Well, since we've done a lot for a little all summer, we decided to splurge on "a day out with Thomas" on Saturday.  It's not every day Thomas comes rolling through your state!

What a dream come true for a little boy who loves all things trains, to ride on THE Thomas.  I love this view of him sitting in the train car...tired, hot, overwhelmed by the excitement, and trying to take it all in:

Hope you had a great weekend as well!  :-)

Happy Sunday!

Just a couple photos from the weekend...

Here's a shot of Toby I snapped while we were sitting on the front step.  I did a little Photoshopping...took out some color but didn't add any to what was there.  Those blue eyes are all his!  Love them!  How come the boys always get the best eyes and eyelashes?!

Here's what we were watching from the front step...

Here's a fun activity to do at the computer if you have a Mac (or maybe PC too...just not sure what software you'd use).  Sammy and I love to play with the "Photo Booth" program that comes with my mac, making silly faces at the computer and snapping pictures! ;-)

Hope you had a great weekend!  I'll have a new tutorial coming up tomorrow morning to start your week with...if I can decide which one to post...

Childhood Comfort Items: Send Me Your Photos!

So about an hour ago, my 3-month-old started getting cranky and showing signs of needing a nap.  I took him down to his bassinet, only to find it occupied by my 2-year-old's favorite comfort item: "Puppy."  How on earth could I possibly disturb Puppy, who had been so very lovingly tucked into bed with a throw pillow under his head and humidifier turned on?  I just couldn't do it...baby napped upstairs in his crib instead.

I can't tell you how many cute photos I have of Sammy and his Puppy, a blankie-slash-stuffed animal hybrid.  This recent moment reminded me that for quite some time now I've been wanting to compile a photo book of friends and family's own security items.  Wouldn't that make the cutest coffee table book?  I'm picturing photos of little kids sucking their thumb while cuddling their favorite stuffed animal, chewing on the corner of a ratty blanket, or in Sammy's case, dipping Puppy's nose into his cereal bowl to feed him some breakfast. 

I would absolutely love it if you would be a part of this little project!  My plan is really just to make a little book because I haven't seen any out there like this and think it would be fun to have.  I would likely self publish it like I have with my face painting books, and anyone who has submitted a photo for the book would have the opportunity to order however many you want at just the cost to print it.

Are you willing to send me a photo?  Your photo would have to be of a decent size, resolution, and clarity to print well, but I can do some Photoshop editing if needed as well.  If you are willing to send me a photo of yourself, your child, and anyone you know with their "lovey," or even just a photo of the security item by itself, that would be awesome!!  It doesn't have to be clean and washed and sparkling.  The more "loved" it looks, the better.  Photos can be emailed to gretchen(at)gretchenfleener(dot)com.  Please include the object's name if it has one (ie, "blankie"), the child's name (first name only, if you're willing to share) and feel free to share any fond memories or other adventures you've had with the item.  (Keep in mind that by sending me your photo, you are giving me permission to print it in this little project and publish it!)  Don't have a photo but you want to share a memory or story?  That's great too...just shoot me an email!

I can't say how long it will take to complete, as that will depend on how many people participate and how quickly you all get me your pictures, but if I can get enough photos/stories to make this a decent size book, I think it would be a really fun way to immortalize your "loveys" and share them with the world! I will keep you all posted on this project's process through my blog, and maybe even share some photos along the way!  Thanks in advance for your participation in this mission to "immortalize the blankie" and help their stories live on beyond the thumb sucking years! :-)