Thursday, April 8, 2010

Spring Break: Errand Day

So even though it is spring break, today is a very busy day with chores, errands and sessions. The kids are self entertaining today with  TV shows/movies, Wii and x-box games and then there is always the internet and youtube...

Sorry not tips or activities but self entertainment or as we referred to it as kids, the old term ... imagination :)

Really wishing for more sun on Funday ... Friday ;)
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Where does the time go?


You meet someone, fall in love & get married. Next comes a pet then a baby or two and before you know they are off to school, dating and college. Where does the time go? How many memories are you keeping?



Start a new family tradition:
A great family tradition (besides portraits of course) is a Memory Box. It is great simple way to record daily memories. Now, I am not talking waiting til new years eve and trying to remember what you did that year. The Memory Box is 5 minutes or less daily thing. Kind of like keeping a journal but for the whole family.

How to get started:
The supplies are simply a jumbo index or photo storage box and some index cards to fit the box. You can make them simple or color coded by year or family member. Just as long as you do it often. A different box per year could be good too. The boxes easily fit on a shelf or in a closet when done.

Everyday when your family is together, write a few sentences about what everyone did that day on the index card. You could include snapshots or photos or articles in the school or local paper too! There are tabbed cards available at the office supply store too (you could get either the month tabs or blank to write in your own time frames. Remember to write the date on the card :)

Another fun twist would be to re-use the index cards. By using the cards from the previous year, you can re-read previous years memories. When the card for a certain day is full, start a new one and file it next to the original. It will be fun to see from year to year what each day brings.

Encouraging Group Participation:
All the family can take part. To encourage small kids, ask them the favorite part of their day. Another way they can be part is to record any milestones they did that day (Example: "Tommy slept through the night!"). Also include the adults activities also (ex: "mommy went to a bridal shower" or "daddy build a tree house").

The right time:
With today's busy families, not everyone has dinner together but there is usually a time when everyone is together. Dinner or just after dinner is usually best but if you can 't make it then or on a certain day, you can jot the day's entry down at breakfast or lunch the next day.

It is something you family will find easy and simple to do. Once started, you may find the kids MAKING time for it to happen or reminding you when it is forgotten. Kids love family time and special memories too. The mind fades and life gets busy ... this only takes a few moments :)
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Spring Break 2010: Rainy Day Activities

Rain, Rain go away and come back another day ...

The Michigan weather sure has changed since the beginning of Spring Break :(


What to do on a boring rainy day...crafts of course! Here is a great link with many different kinds and age level crafts. Enjoy! (an if all else fails do a little singing in the rain performance ;p)
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Monday, April 5, 2010

Spring Break 2010: Photo Safari / Outside Activity


So it is the first day of Spring Break for many in the Mid Michigan area ... How long was it before your kid(s) said there was nothing to do?!?

Even if I weren't a photography studio owner, my kids would still love to take their own photos! There are several starter digital cameras in our house. Some were very expensive :( but really now with all the advanced technology, you can get a reasonably good digital camera for next to nothing. And there are some fun editing software that usually comes with them!

Got a digital camera, Now what?!?! Many times we will randomly go out and about and just let the kids snap some pictures. That is not all the fun because then we come back home and look at what they captured. And continue the fun with the editing software.

We have even gone to the zoo with a specific Animal Photo Safari in mind. This is in the style of a treasure hunt game. As a family, all you have to do is to make a list of animals to 'find' and photograph. You could make it a memory game or print off a list created on your home computer. The kids can make notes or check off the animals as they 'snap' them. Kids get really engaged in this activity and makes the local zoo kind of new again ;)

Can't make it to the zoo today?!? Make a list of things you might find around the neighborhood or town. The list could be of ordinary things you would find or a list of things they would like to see in their neighborhood (you might be surprised how many of those things they actually find ;p).

For your learning kids, another great option would be to do an alphabet search. To do the alphabet search, just take photos of things that begin with the letters in the alphabet. An example would be to find things that start with 'S' like a street or a sign or a swing and take a picture of it. When I was a small child, my Grandma Ginnie had made an alphabet 'scrapbook' with several pictures of with things that start with each letter. It was great and one of my favorite things when visiting her house.

On rainy days, this could easily be adapted to inside the home too :)

Grab those cameras and get creative with your kids today!! Enjoy making these special memories as they will last a lifetime <3

(not sure which digital camera to buy? here is a short video about a new camera that all the kids would love!
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Saturday, April 3, 2010

What color are your Easter Eggs?

So here we are at the start of Spring Break and Easter is near :) In years past, we have been too much on the go to color eggs. I realized how much the kids really miss doing this...

When I was kid age, there were 3 or 4 tablets and a whole lot of vinegar. The only choice was PAAS and was like 25 cents or something (Remember the "5 & Dime" stores ~ where things were really less than a dollar ;) no I am not really THAT old but I have heard stories, giggle.)

Then came the fancier kits with sparkles or stickers. Some had lots of little animal or people 'holders'. Then there were the 'shrinkie' sleeves (just slide over egg then use hot/boiling water to shrink the sleeve onto the egg).

Off to the world wide web I went in search of ideas. The Chance family does it right or not at all! Here is a good sized collection of egg decorating ideas.  Searching suggestions to use would be Easter Eggs, Decorating eggs, or Coloring/Dying eggs. The options are only as limited as one's mind. Certainly a creative time that every kids should experience.  I do have to say it was much more fun as a kid than as a parent. Clean up was always the parent's job :(  

Then what do you do with all the hard boiled eggs?!? Eat egg salad for a week straight?!? Many years just enough eggs are boiled for Deviled Eggs for the Eater Meal. Here is one different recipe for a Breakfast Burrito Panini that might make the menu this year. 

We have an extended family member allergic to eggs.  That makes meal a little different but still doable. This year the little one is getting Jello Jiggler "eggs" and maybe a new item this year, Jello Beans (if we can find a candy "bean" mold in time).

Feel free to share your ideas on decorating, cleaning, or eating of all those Easter Eggs in the comments section below ... Hoppy Easter to all <3

Jennifer 
www.jmchancephotography.com
517-819-1617

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Friday, April 2, 2010

Spring Break is HERE!!

Many of you are heading out of town or even out of the state for Spring Break, Congrats and enjoy!
For the rest of us "stuck" here with work and family obligations enjoying our "staycation", JMChance Photography has some goodies for you!

Book some time with JMChance Photography and experience what everyone is talking about! We have several Limited Edition Sessions {custom to your interests or with graphic enhancements}, Spring Sessions {don't get another boring school portrait! show off your child's personality}, OR how about a new Family Portrait {you remember you ran out of time to get that done during the holidays?!?!}


Spring Break Sessions going on through 4-17, times will go fast! Book yours today to get the best time :)

See you in the studio!
Jennifer 
www.jmchancephotography.com
517-819-1617
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