I have a question: How do you edit your pictures for your blog? My camera takes BIG pix (16mpx) I have to edit the picture then re-size to a 5x7 before I can post to the blog. Do you have an easier way of doing this? It takes all the fun out of blogging when posting one post takes an hour.
Well, I'll explain what I do.
Which is not fast.
Or simple.
And I would love it if someone has a simple way how to speed up the blogging process. There is probably someone out there who will say, "Wow, that girl really has no clue how to simplify!" To which I would answer "You're exactly right."
Having said that, this is what I do:
I upload all my pictures to my computer. I have it set up that when I plug in my memory card from my camera Lightroom automatically pops up and asks what I want to do with the pictures. I select a file I want the pictures in and then upload.
I edit the pictures how I like them (usually just pump up the "exposure" and the "blacks" a tad, sometimes I up the contrast too). Then I export the ones I want to put on the blog to be 435 pixels high and 650 wide (that's how wide my blog is), or 550 wide and 800 high if they are vertical shots. I export them directly into Photoshop where I sharpen them (any picture that is re-sized should be sharpened a little). Once they are exported in their own little folder I upload them to Photobucket. Then I take the direct link of each one and load it into my post.
Did I mention I do that one by one? Just checking. My fingers are so used to the technique by now that it seems to go by relatively quickly, but man I'd love a quicker way if anyone has one! I know my sister uses and loves a program called "Live Writer" but I don't think there's a program comparable for Mac users.
I was wondering what age do your kids have have to be to get cell phones?
This is a tough one because I really like cell phones and I want my kids to have them. I love when they can text me and tell me about things in the middle of school (I know, that may be bad, but I do love hearing from them). I love when I can get a hold of them when I need them. But I want them to feel like having a cell phone is a privilege that they have to earn. Our deal as of right now is not based on age, it's based on grades (although Grace has great grades and still doesn't get one...) Max and Elle get to have use of a "family cell phone" when they get straight A's. If they slip and don't get the grades one semester they don't get to use the phone any more.
Dave and I reserve the right to re-work our policy at any time so that it works best for our family and things may change up a little in the Fall :)
I, by no means, want to be mother of the year "officially" but I'd like to be just that for my children every day. How do you do it?? I never feel like I'm doing good enough, and while I'm sure most mothers feel the same, I know I could do more and better right now! I just don't know where to start (and I am a young mother... I have 4 kids, ages 6 to 2 weeks.) Help! :)
I'm so very with you on wanting to be mother of the year for our own children every day. I love that thought. (And I'm with you on not wanting an official title either...that's a lot of pressure! :).
I think all of us mothers feel like we can't seem to do enough. There are all kinds of things out there to make us feel like we should/could do more. (Click here for more on that topic.) But here's my thought: you ARE doing enough because you are trying to be deliberate about what you are doing. You are thinking, "what can I do?" and that's half the battle. That's when you start to figure it out. That's when you take time to prioritize...make a family "plan." The struggle is part of what makes you stronger and it gradually melds you into being that mother you want to be.
I think we all need to realize that being a good mother is a constant battle. It's not something we "arrive" at. We won't ever reach a stage called "perfect motherhood." There are too many variables. We are all so different. Our husbands are different. Our children have different needs...each one of them. And things change every day.
But this is what I try to remember: 1) We have to strive to be our OWN best kind of mom, not someone else's version who's talents and abilities we may admire. We each have such unique talents and abilities, we need to figure out what they are and how to magnify them. 2) We have to let God be our parenting partner to raise His children (read here for more on that), and 3) One of my Mom's favorite sayings has become one of my favorites too: "Life is long." I believe we can have our cake and eat it too...we can do all kinds of things in life, but we don't have to do it all at once. It's ok to take a step at a time.
My motherhood mantra is finding magic in the "moments" of motherhood. (More details on those thoughts here.) When I stop to soak in moments (whether they're so crazy they become funny or whether they are beautiful and calm) that's when I feel like I'm being the kind of Mom I want to be...and that God wants me to be.