France Photography Blog » Mommyhood

Meet Maximus! (Colorado Springs infant photographer)

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:06:11 +0000

Meet Maximus Quade France! It’s such a strong name for our tiny little babe but we think it fits. Max is SUCH a sweet baby! He is super chill and we all ADORE him to pieces! I’m sad he’s already one week old. I wish they could stay newborns forever. I just LOOOOOOVE babies so I’m trying to take in every little noise he makes and expression he gives. My kids are liking him too. They were fighting over whose room he’ll eventually sleep in and right when they get home from school, they run to him so they can be the first to hold him. Oh the JOY! We are so happy and doing well.

Thank you everyone for all your well wishes! For the next few weeks I’ll be posting a newborn image each day of him because this stage doesn’t last that long so I’ll be taking and sharing lots and lots of pics!

Pssst…If you are a photographer and you like this bowl, there is a 10% coupon code for it today on www.chiccritiqueforum.com

xoxo,

Chore Cards for Kids Freebie!

admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:33:47 +0000

Call me a Chore Nazi (that’s what my kids think I am) but I am a HUGE stickler for making kids do chores. Children have it SO easy nowadays and this is one way for them to learn to be hard workers and realize they can do hard things. Not only does it teach them responsibility but it gives them confidence in learning new skills. In fact, when I taught my daughter how to clean the toilet, I gave her a big pep talk on how, when she went off to college, some of her roommates might not even know how to do that but SHE WILL! Apparently that pep talk was effective because I overheard her giving it to her brother when he was learning how to clean the toilet. Now all three of my kids know how to clean the toilet well, including my 4-year old!

The way that I enforce chores with my kids is through Chore Cards and “The Chore Bag.” Every morning, they have to pick a Chore Card from “The Chore Bag.” “The Chore Bag” is simply a paper lunch bag full of different chore options. Whatever they choose is what they have to do for that day. If they don’t complete their chore that morning, they have to do it after school. If they don’t complete their chore at all that day, they will have double chores the next day. They cannot have “Screen Time” or play with friends until their chores are done. Like I said, I’m a Chore Nazi.

I have been using Chore Cards in a Chore Bag for several years now and it still works like a charm! The reason that my Chore Cards/Bag are so effective is because of one thing: the coveted “Freebie Chore” card! The “Freebie Chore” card is the card that my kids are always wishing and fishing for from The Chore Bag. If they get it, it means they don’t have to do a chore that day. However, they can only get one Freebie per week.

I also have a favorite Chore Card and that’s the “Mom’s Choice” card. If chosen, I get to assign any chore I want. Mwa-ha-ha.

During the summer I take extra time to train my kids on how to do each chore from the Chore Cards well. Then, during the school year, when things are busier, they will already know how to do the majority of chores without a lot of supervision. I do, however, make them come and get me for “inspection” on completed chores to avoid them from slackin’ on the job. The quote below sums up my thoughts on “inspecting” their completed chores.

WANT A FREE SET OF CHORE CARDS FOR KIDS SO YOU CAN BE A CHORE NAZI TOO?

The set includes 18 4×6 chore cards + a Chore Checklist + an “inspection” reminder + ideas on how to use them!

Simply visit: www.chiccritiqueforum.com to download your FREE set of Chore Cards for Kids now!

xoxo,

Summer Sanity Schedule for Moms

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:30:11 +0000

If you are anything like me, you might be feeling a little frazzled now that your children are out of school/preschool. Trying to fill up a 12+ hour day and keep your kids from fighting can put you on the verge of losing your sanity. I’d like to share a weekly schedule that is very structured and works for the entire summer. I call it my “Summer Sanity Schedule” because it makes me feel a little more in control of what we do and when we do it and it brings a sense of security and consistency in my children’s lives. I also involved my children in creating our schedule to get their feedback and give them a sense of control and ownership in our hourly and weekly events.

I wanted to make each weekday special, so every afternoon (sometimes the times vary) we get to do a FUN ACTIVITY. For example:

Monday- PJ Day + Kids in the Kitchen (My kids love that they get to relax around the house in their pajamas and I think it’s nice to plan on NOT going anywhere and getting caught up on housework, etc. We also make a fun treat together in the kitchen-yum!)

Tuesday- Park Day (Our goal is to meet up with friends and visit as many different parks as we can this summer)

Wednesday- Water Wednesday (We put on our swimsuits and flip-flops and head out for some fun in the sun whether it’s in the backyard or at a local pool/lake)

Thursday- Playdates (I schedule a playdate for each child and rotate whose house it is hosted at)

Friday- Library Day (We joined our library’s summer reading program and encourage the kids to load up on books for reading. We also get a movie for our Friday Family Movie Night)

We made a poster of our “Summer Sanity Schedule” using words and text so my kids would be able to refer to it too:

Keep in mind that my weekly schedule is not a rigid or robotic way of life. It is simply a flexible guide for my children and I that can change according to our needs and wants. I also created this schedule in order to help me define when my “work hours” would be since I work from home. Defining and knowing what my work hours are and that I only have a few precious hours to work each day really helps me to be productive with my time and focus more on being a Mom when my work hours are over.

We’ve already started doing the “Summer Sanity Schedule” and it makes me feel much more organized! The kids love it too because they have a new fun activity to look forward to each day.

And just because I love to help out frazzled Mamas like myself, I’ve created a PDF example of my “Summer Sanity Schedule” combined with a blank one that you can edit and make your own! Download your FREE Summer Sanity Schedule now! (Be sure to save a copy to your computer first before you edit it)

**If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign-up for my newsletter (see tab on left) where I share photo & business ideas in the Photographer edition and fun ways to embrace motherhood and cherish childhood in the Mama edition.

xoxo,

End of School Year Slip n’ Slide Party

admin — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:19:48 +0000

Not only do my kids look forward to the last day of school but they also look forward to the annual Slip n’ Slide Party that we have a few days after school ends. They each get to invite 1-2 friends along with their Moms (so I can have some fun too) to come over and have fun in the sun. We provide pizza and popsicles and then ask everyone to bring a side dish. It’s also the only time of the entire year that I make Kool-aid…he.he.he!

To prepare for the party, I set up the slip n’ slide and fill up a sturdy plastic pool and turn on the sprinklers–easy peezy! I usually buy pre-cooked pizzas about 20 minutes before everyone arrives so that we are ready to eat right when they all get there.

I can’t tell you how much my kids LOVE doing this every year. In fact, as I was blogging this my 4 year old saw one of the photos and said, “Oh I LOVE it when we do that!” Not only do they love it but I also enjoy doing it every year because it gives me a chance to enjoy the sunshine and chat with several of my friends all at once. So this might be a fun idea for you to try to celebrate the beginning of summer.

What do you like to do to kick off the end of the school year?

xoxo,

J’adore: A few of my favorite things

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:10:16 +0000

These are some of my favorite things too!

xoxo,

J’adore ~ Laptop lunches

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:39:18 +0000

While at New Orleans, a photog friend, Karen Byer, showed me some phone pics of the lunches she makes for her kids. WOW! I was super inspired! Not only did she pack unconventional lunches but they were flippin’ cute AND healthy!

Karen shares with us: “The best resources i’ve found are from www.laptoplunches.com. Get 10% off using discount code: ”beyer”. I recommend reading the book: The Healthy Lunchbox by McClendon and Shauck. You’d also be surprised at how many blogs are out there with ideas and tools to make packing healthy lunches/meals fun:”

Check out some of the Karen’s super inspiring lunches:

xoxo,

The Power of Moms ~ France Photography

admin — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:50:09 +0000

As much as I love blogging, I don’t read a lot of blogs. I just don’t have time. So the blogs I do read are like gold to me. A friend of mine recently shared a new blogsite called The Power of Moms and I love it! Here’s what it says so you can get an idea of what the website is all about:

You want to be the mom your children need, but you also want to become the woman you’re meant to be.

Your goal isn’t to simply get through motherhood–you want to enjoy the process.

If you’re like us, you’re busy…very busy, but you’re determined to find balance in all your pursuits.

If you’re like us, you need a place to

learn and share as you
mingle with like-minded moms and
become the mother you really want to be

If you’re like us, you need this website. And we need you.

LOVE IT! Another thing I especially love is that they offer Moms Retreats kinda like a workshop for Moms. I love going to workshops for photography because I learn new things and meet great people and leave feeling energized so I ADORE the idea of a workshop for Moms! I’m totally going to their next one because my role as a Mother is even more important to me than that of a photographer so why not invest in it?! Anyhoo, I know a lot of Moms read this so I had to share this site since I’ve found it to be such a helpful source of information for Mamas!

xoxo,

Easy and enduring sticker charts that work! ~ Colorado Springs Mommy ideas

admin — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:49:02 +0000

Check out my latest article on The Creative Mama where I share about the sticker charts that I have used with my kids for the past 3 years and they STILL work!

xoxo,

Bonjorganization ~ organization guide for working moms

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:16:24 +0000

Remember when I mentioned a while back that I had been working on some secret stuff to be revealed later? Well, here it is! I’m SO excited to share my new BonjOrganization guide!

I often get asked by other photographers and moms, “How do you do it all?” The Bonjorganization guide includes all of the strategies that I utilize to maintain balance between my family and my work. I wasn’t always organized. The strategies that I share are ones I had to learn the HARD way when my life was getting WAAAAY out of wack and I almost wanted to quit. Now, I incorporate the ideas and suggestions included in the BonjOrganization guide on a daily basis to keep my life in check. Oh how I wish I had had this guide years ago!

The Bonjorganization guide was designed to help the overwhelmed Mom photographer. The BonjOrganization is a 50 page pdf guide teaching the art of balancing work & family along with client and time management. Bonus items include “Worst First” charts for the entire family, my Mom-preneur schedule, client checklists, and much more. It also includes my office makeover with specific details on the strategic setup as well . This great guide is jam-packed full of ideas to help balance your work and home life. It will change the way you work and play.

If you are in desperate need of keeping your sanity and the beds made, you can buy this lovely PDF exclusively at The Savvy Photographer Store in the
“Savvy Finds” section for the introductory price of $99. The price will go up to $129 so act fast if you are considering purchasing one!

www.francypantsacademy.com

xoxo,

Office Makeover: the “after” photos ~ Colorado Springs baby photographer

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:03:30 +0000

This was no easy task. I had to take everything out of the office and then start from scratch. My goal was to make it look clean, fresh, happy, pretty and functional. It was difficult to do because not only do I work in there but my husband & kids like to be on the other computer AND I needed space for my Presentation Artist to package orders and frame prints. This is a tiny room so I had to utilize EVERY square inch. We are also renting this home for now so I could not paint the walls or build anything onto the room. However, I knew that if I made it pretty, I would be more likely to keep it clean and organized…regardless of my right-brain tendencies.

So here it is. My clean-fresh-pretty-and-functional (and no longer crap-tastic) OFFICE:

When my Presentation Artist saw the office for the first time, she gasped and asked, “Has it always been this big??” See what I mean by feeling like the walls were crowding in.

www.francephotography.com

www.francypantsacademy.com

xoxo,