A Mom Blog

Friends are like Apples

January 29, 2019 By: Nanette

It’s not easy being a teenager and neither is raising one I’ve come to find out. But honestly, I love how they look at life from a totally unexpected angle. My daughter wrote this poem recently:

Friends are like apples.

Some crunchy and pure.

Some soggy and rotten.

Maybe sweet and tangy.

Or tart and sour.

Fresh and stuck on the apple tree.

Fallen into the leaf pile down below.

Clean and juicy.

Moldy and filled with green worms, consuming the inside.

You must choose your friends/apples wisely.

You never know what you may end up biting into.

– Princess (aka my daughter)

She reminds me of me when I was a teen writing poetry. And when you really think about it, she’s right! Friends really are like apples, aren’t they?

Here is my wish for you, may you pick only fresh, clean, crunchy, juicy apples in your life. They are the ones that will fill you with goodness.

Pause is My Word for 2019 What’s Your Word?

December 31, 2018 By: Nanette

Here we are again at the end of another year as thoughts of the past year flow through our minds, we pause when we think of the hopes we hold out for the new year ahead. It’s been a difficult year for me – emotionally, physically and mentally.

As with every year, there have been ups and downs, highs and lows, wins and losses. The losses have devastated me, the highs have lifted me. My word for 2018 was Forward. To be honest with you, I think keeping that word in the forefront this year helped me get through it all. It was a constant reminder to myself to keep moving forward, to not hang on to the troubles of the day but to move past them. It also was a reminder to not stop working towards my goals.

This year I stepped out of my comfort zone on more than one occasion and for that, I’m proud of myself. I applied for the Sony Alpha grant. Now, that was hard but I did it and I’m glad I did. Didn’t win the grant but still felt like a winner because I tried. I pushed myself forward through the fear and did it. It required a video submission and as hard as it was I pushed forward and did it. It was raw, open, honest and emotional for me but I did it. I learned a lot from the process. I learned from it. I wasn’t just being open for the grant but to myself and my feelings.

So yes, I’m giving myself a word for 2019.

My word for 2019

Pause.

Not stop, not a break, just a pause.

I get so wrapped up in the everyday things I forget to breathe. I forget to give myself time to pause life and just take a few minutes for myself to breathe deeply.

My health isn’t where I’d like it to be. This is another area in which I need to pause what I’m doing for others and do for me. I’ve struggled with anxiety since I was in my 20’s. For the most part, I’ve been able to keep it under control but lately, it seems to be coming back and I need to get to a place where I am in control of it again and not the other way around.

My personal goals. Again I put everyone else ahead of me. I struggle and yes I really struggle to allow myself to do things for me because I’m too busy saying yes to everyone else. I did that one this year when I went to the Confidence Workshop. And I gotta tell you, it was the most refreshed, relaxed, inspiring and encouraging weekend I have had in a very, very long time. I didn’t realize how much I needed to pause life and give to myself for just a few days.

So if throughout the year, you notice I haven’t posted here on the blog, or maybe on my social media accounts, don’t worry I won’t be gone long. I’m just taking my word to heart and pushing the pause button for a little while.

Building Confidence in You

December 6, 2018 By: Nanette

I am not one for spending money on myself dare I say investing in myself. Oh, boy does the mom guilt hit hard when I even consider it! I talk myself out of all sorts of things, things my husband says, do it, get it, you deserve it and yet, I let the mom guilt take over and I, of course, don’t do it or get it. Don’t judge me, I’m willing to bet you do the same thing.

But there was this one thing that I have been wanting to do for myself for a couple of years and I finally said ok. Yes, the mom guilt hit hard but I had to push past it because it was something I needed. Something that my creative soul needed. It needed nourishment and knowledge and experience I hadn’t been allowing myself to get.

What did I get?

Confidence! Confidence with my camera, the freedom to allow myself this time to learn and grow among women who felt the same way I did. They too had a passion for photography. It was a weekend of growth and freedom for my creative soul.

I laughed so hard my sides hurt. Brian Tausend is a hoot and brilliant at everything technically camera related. The man can make the most difficult things clear.

I cried, I cried so hard I literally had to leave the room, I could no longer hold it in. Me Ra Koh and her words, reach deep into your heart and soul. She shares not just her images and knowledge of light and what it takes to be the photographer you want to be but her even greater gifts are her heart and her soul.

Together they made it an experience I won’t soon forget.

I learned. I gained hands-on experience. I made friends with women whom I share a common bond with. I spent time breathing, just breathing, just living in and taking in the moment. I spent time with real in-person friends, laughing and talking and sharing.

At one point in the conference, we were asked what our shift was, what shift or change had happened to us over the two-day conference. This is what I shared there. It was my shift in thinking:

There have been so many shifts not just in my photography skills and ideas but also personally. I have given myself the freedom to enjoy this time without guilt. I’m allowing myself this time to learn and grow for myself, to let go of the baggage of everyone else and focus on my dreams and hopes. It makes me better and that will be better for my family too.

Technically, I’ve seen how light can make the image, how instantly you know when you’ve found just the right moment to capture the magic between people who love each other.

I’ve learned to go with the flow and that the best moments are not planned they are created through light, laughter, and love.

I’ve learned not just the technical aspects of photography but the emotional, healing and releasing photography can bring.

The CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women

I learned that it’s ok to give to yourself, to feed your needs. It doesn’t in any way, lessen or put the needs of my family behind mine. It’s ok to invest in me.

What feeds your soul? What are you neglecting that will help you grow?