Foto Friday

Photos courtesy of The Big Picture Photography.

List Up

Do you ever have one of those days where you get out of bed, and immediately think, "I am going back to bed."? And its not likely that you can go back to bed, but for some reason you can't quite put your finger on, you just don't have the mental, emotional capacity to be jolly. Anyone? No, just me? Okay, well, here is my list of ways to cheer myself up. Feel free to use any of them if ever you find yourself in this particular frame of mind.

• Blame the weather! It is almost always possible to blame your mood on rain, snow, cold or the sheer length of the season you are in. And it makes me feel just a tiny bit better to think its out of my control.
• Go outside! This one is so hard to do when you feel crappy, but if I force myself to take even the shortest walk, it lifts my mood. (I do see the irony in blaming the weather and then going out into.)
• Listen to Music! Here's to the Ipod! Skip songs that aren't your favourites, and skip songs that are wonderful, but too sad for your mood. Sing out loud, and if you really want to cheer up, dance!
• Have a laugh! Turn to the Comedy Network. Read the comics in the paper. Tickle your kids. Whatever it takes to make you giggle. You know this one works.
• Downward Dog! I cannot stress enough what a difference Yoga makes in my life. Mind, body, spirit.

I have also been known to eat cookies, lay in bed watching TV, and go shopping. I'm not sure those are the most healthy alternatives, but they work in a pinch.

What do you do to cheer yourself up on those not-so-great days?

Movie Monday

I invited some friends over on the weekend, so I'd have something for Movie Monday. Just kidding. But what great friends I have for agreeing to be the stars of this film. Look out Oscars, here we come. Note: The advantage to being the person holding the video camera is that you don't end up in a goofy spoof on Movie Monday!

Have a great week, everyone! Check back for a new feature on Friday!

I'm Feeling List-less Lately

Here is a list of great parent friendly sites, with interesting info, opportunities to network and e-mail newsletters you'll actually want to read. (PS: Many of these sites offer FREE promotion of your child related business!)

http://www.momcafe.net/
http://www.helpwevegotkids.com/
http://www.babyvibe.ca/
http://www.savvymom.ca/
http://www.mommyclub.ca/
http://www.canadianbabies.ca/

And more local...

http://www.calgaryschild.com/
http://www.calgarywahms.com/

I have to tell you a little story. The other night I was cleaning out my email inbox, which is crazy cuz there are over 2 thousand messages in there. I came across this email from a mommy type website that was sent to inform me that Small Wonder was now listed as a resource on their site. I clicked on the link in the message, and thought to myself, "I have never seen this website before?!" Then, I noticed the email was sent to me in 2007! Some business woman I am! I didn't even take the time to check out this site that had listed my business. I am never going to make it in the business world!!! Wait a minute, on closer inspection, I see the date the email was sent...the day before I went in to the hospital to give birth to my youngest son. I guess I can give myself a break on this one.

There are so many more interesting sites like these. What are your favourites?

Movie Monday

This week's movie is dedicated to the love of my life.

17 years together. 10 years of marriage. 3 beautiful children. Who could ask for more?!

Try New Things

This past week I used 2 different editing programs for the first time. This is a VERY big deal for me, because I learned to edit and have since edited on the same software, for 11 years! The first one I "decided" to try was Adobe Premiere. I put the word "decided" in quotes because my husband has been suggesting I try this software for some time, and I have resisted. I tend to resist change for the sake of change. Change for a reason, now that's a different story.

Well, this week I got my reason. A client brought me some footage in a file format that I could not import into my beloved AVID. My choice was purchasing some sort of conversion program and then the lengthy process of converting each file, so it could be used in the AVID, or import it directly into Premiere and start learning to edit in there. I chose the latter. I was worried because there was a short deadline on this project, and I was soooo much slower in the new environment. I spent more time than I got paid for, and I had to ask for help a dozen times, but I got it done on time.

The other new experience was more choice than necessity. It was also an Adobe product, actually. We use Adobe Photoshop Elements to organize our photos, and there is an editing function which allows you to make a photo montage with music and transitions. Its a consumer level product, but I wanted to see how it worked, and what the finished product would look like. Doing a still photo project in video editing software is kind of overkill, and therefore more time consuming than it needs to be, I think. Elements was easy to use, with limited functionality. You don't get to make too many of your own decisions. You will see the results of this experiment on Movie Monday.

Overall, in life, I believe change is good. It moves us forward. And these two experiences have done that for me. It feels good to learn something new!

Movie Monday

At the risk of jeopardizing all of our careers (Daddy as a cameraman, Mommy as an editor, Boys as actors), here is this week's movie. Its a doozy!

Movie Monday