As the weekend comes to a close we are winding down….. The house is quiet because the kids are actually sleeping in their own beds, in their own rooms tonight not the make shift beds they make around the TV in the living room. Their most favorite thing to do is sleep in the living room. Not tonight….tonight they will get the rest they need to start the new week fresh.
As I was sifting through instagram this weekend I thought….and as I looked at all the people I follow on there and they gorgeous families everything looks so perfect, so picture perfect all the time. I am a visual person. I learn and remember from things I actually see. I love color and texture and when I look through the pictures on there I see beauty in so many places. Now I know that everyone has their ups and downs just like I do but there is something about a picture. A picture grabs that perfect moment, that might not even seem so perfect at the time and makes it perfect. Then it preserves it for a lifetime. It makes that peanut butter and jelly sandwich my 4 year old made all by himself look amazing. It makes the moment of my sweet baby girl cuddling on my chest look like a hallmark moment. I feel those moments are special but they inspire 1,000’s of other people who view those pictures to take time out themselves, just as their photos inspire me.
I think I love this type of social networking the best because it gives you a small view inside others personalities, what they like and how they love on their families. It reminds me that toddlers sandwiches are awesome and toes sunk into sand on the beach are inviting or a morning hello to a pet chicken is priceless. It is a small reminder that every day life is beautiful, it is good and each moment is worth remembering. I am human and I forget…..sometimes I need a nudge to get back into the game, my own game of Mom.
Today I spent time in my neighbors garden. A place my kids run for as soon as their feet slither out of their sheets in the morning. Our neighbor Gale makes her garden special. She is like Snow White when she walks out her door in the morning. The birds, squirrels and chipmunks come by the dozen. She feeds them all and then enjoys them with her cup of coffee. My boys run to her garden table to listen for all the critters native to our little town. Gale explains to them what they are are hearing and seeing. My children know more about wild life in the 4 short weeks that Gales has been teaching them then I have learned in a lifetime.
Patrick my second son is one of her biggest fans. He waits for her in the morning if she is not out yet or in the afternoon if she is not home. He looks forward to their talks and he shares what he has researched since the last time they have talked. He carries his ipod with him so that he can play and replay the sounds of the birds he is most likely to see and they often show up. He has asked me many many times to come with him to see the woodpeckers and chipmunks. I am usually too busy, with fun things like laundry, cleaning, picking up the house. Today I decided I too would walk over to see this awesome display of wild life and I am so glad I did.
I met the chipmunks……
and I met a woodpecker……
and I spent quality time with my kids….undistracted and special. That is good stuff!
So check it out Instagram…..All Iphone and android users are able to download this FREE app! Let others inspire you! Check my out at profile @ 5boysand1girlmake6 and don’t forget when posting a picture of someone you think is beautiful type the hashtag #changingthefaceofbeauty in he comments to join our campaign. The campaign that believes we are all beautiful in our own unique way! So come on and help me make this bigger then it is now!
One more thing….I am so excited to have heard from other photographers in other parts of the country interested in participating in this amazing journey. I hope to share with you the names and contact information of individuals that are interested in donating their services to small business owners to help integrate individuals with disabilities into their advertising. This is so much bigger then just Steve and I so please keep the emails coming! I look forward to walking this beautiful road with all of you! For inquiries please send an email to tkdriscoll2000@yahoo.com
Have a fantastic Monday! Find something interesting in your own everyday life and share it! So fun!
