Category Archives: Storytelling

Recommendations From Moms To Moms-To-Be

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I run a Question of the Day (QOTD) on my Facebook page.  It occurred to me one week that not only would I probably like to know various motherhood tips and tricks but that perhaps other not yet moms or soon-to-be moms or new moms would like to know them too.  As a result my questions for two weeks revolved around having kids.  One such question was the one below and I loved the advice!

What is your number one recommendation to soon-to-be moms?

“Take lots of naps! And stick with it through breastfeeding, it’s tough at first but well worth the pain and effort!” – Laura

“Pack your hospital bag at least one month before your due date. Oh and if your partner is going to be there. They should have a bag too at least with snacks. Cause labor takes a while.” – Kelsey

“Allow yourself to heal. It is insane what our body does and continues to do when you have a baby, the whole process so do not feel bad about naps, take MANY baths and take advantage of all the help offered until you are recovered. It is worth it and you will appreciate it forever. No one told me or prepared me for how much I will hurt after having the baby. It felt like I came out of surgery and I had to take care of a baby at the same time, next time will be all the rest I can take, and I am incredibly thankful for my mother in law Sherri Gerecke for all of her help and love!” – Holly

 

A season of change and of blessing

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I am officially moved in, or at least mostly, to our new home in Milton, WI!  The place is cozy, quite, spacious, and home.  We only have some things on the walls but everything else in in place.

This is a big season of change for this Calhoun clan and we feel blessed beyond measure!  Our 15-year-old Mazda died but because of the generosity of my Mom and my Grandpa we were able to buy a new car right away – and our new ride gets 42+ mpg!  Our mattresses were damaged by a basement flood but with the insurance money we were able to buy a super cozy brand new one!  Then, with a realization that living in Wisconsin is a possibility due to the status of Citizen Way, we were able to move here to a quieter, slower world where we have found the home we have been hoping and looking for.    And, finally, I was blessed with a part-time job at Craig High School working in the library so we can hunker down on our two year goal to pay off personal loans to family members and save up for a house – all of which would not be possible on the sustainable but not yet reasonably abundant flow of cash I make through photography.

As a part of this season of change I am thinking I’ll drive myself crazy trying to keep up with week day blog posts.  However, I am thinking I can and want to maintain 3 – 4 days/week.  What I would like to know from you is what days are your favorites to check up on my material and why? This will help me gauge what day/s to take of from the blogosphere and focus solely on editing before going to the library.

I would also love to hear what has blessings have entered your life lately?

My Favorite Birthday

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Perhaps this blog post is for reminiscing about past birthdays or, perhaps, it’s to divulge birthday ideas for others to try.  Regardless, these are my three favorite birthday memories.

CARNIVAL BIRTHDAY PARTY

Growing up, my mom committed to blowing birthday parties out of the box and into a land of unprecedented awesomeness.  Between my brother and I we had all sorts of birthday themes.  We had a Starwars party where my dad dressed up as Darth Vadar, creepily breathed the phrase “Connor, I am your father,” and then worked at calming my sobbing brother even long after my dad took off the helmet. We had a treasure hunt party when we literally scoured our large yard with a treasure map in hand.  I had a Beauty and the Beast party where Bell herself came and visited me at present opening time.  One year we threw a mystery dinner birthday party where an intimate gathering of close friends gathered around our dinner table to coded menu items and blindfolded eating.  Another one of my most memorable parties was a hippie party where all of my guests arrived clad in hippie getup and made leather head bands together.  But, my favorite party was my carnival birthday party.  On this birthday our backyard was transformed into a carnival, complete with clowns, face painters, balloon artists, and a even a miniature pony.  Need I say more?

SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY

A couple of years after Josh and I got married he planned a day of fun on my birthday.  I wish I remembered all the activities… we probably went shopping a little and went on a coffee date but the part I can’t forget is pulling up to a garage full of surprise party guests. We pulled in, Josh got out, the garage door opened, and I was suddenly met with a throng of bright, smiling faces.   I can honestly say I had no idea!  My mom even made the trip down and served as our personal chef for the evening.  We spent our time catching up, eating delicious food still talked about today, and ended the evening with a dance party in the driveway.

BIRTHDAY GETAWAY

Last year Josh planned a surprise getaway at a Hilton in Madison.  He’s the worst at keeping secrets so at one point I found out, but that didn’t dampen the trip at all.  We only spent one night but we vacationed to the max in our short time frame.  For starters, we located the pool and enjoyed some swim time and hot-tubbing.  Then we ordered two large pizzas and two appetizers from the Glass Nickel Pizza Co. and ate until we fell into a heap on the bed.  We watched a movie until we had control of our movements again then went for a stroll in the misty rain.  We came to this lakeside patio and danced to the romantic music in the dark for a few songs.  We walked back to the hotel hand in hand, picked up some ice cream at the front counter, and resumed our lazy movie watching.  The next morning we checked out and walked to breakfast at the Marigold Kitchen.  I seems simple but it was such a treat to have a decent budget to do dine in style while we were in Madison.  It was a treat ordering way too much good food, my favorite pizza to this day, and being completely lazy.  And to top it all off, it is one of those memories where my life was a romantic comedy.  Although, to Josh’s credit, we have a lot of those in our marriage 🙂

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my intensely loving and giving Mom and husband for always making me feel like the most special woman in the world on my birthday!

What is your favorite birthday memory?

Important Beginnings

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A Nugget of Thought

The first hour of your day is critical.  It sets the tone for the rest of your day.

I was reminded of this a little while back while reading Wrecked, which I highly recommend you read.  I had, once again, gotten into the bad habit of plowing straight through any semblance of a morning routine and head first into work.  This is naughty.  Why?

By the time I got to reading Wrecked and being rechallenged to purposefully set the tone of my day I was skipping past breakfast, quiet time, devos and even showering sometimes.  I woke up, barely rolled over, and grabbed my phone.  On my phone I was immediately sucked into emails and Facebook.  Not inherently bad and seemingly harmful, but because I did this I was thrown into my work day before I could yet hold my eyes all the way open.  This is exactly why I skipped past all the important things and walked directly over to my office chair.  Work became the only thing I could see and shortly into my day I was drained.

I dare you to be intentional about the first 60 minutes of your day.

After realizing I slipped up in my prioritizing I reset my morning routine to include a leisurely breakfast, prayer and devotional time in my quiet space, and often times I even do yoga and shower 😉  My new routine has given me life and energy to get me through long hours of editing, corresponding, shooting, and otherwise working.  It also helps that in my prayer time I specifically pray for creativity, productivity and kindheartedness as I work.  Most importantly, I refrain from looking at my phone past looking at the time until well after I have completed my healthy morning routine.

Do you have an intentionally life giving morning routine?  What is it?

50 Favorite Things

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It is very self indulgent to list off my favorite things.  However, today I will take the liberty because a list of favorite things can be a list of story starts.  Unlike some lists, I also want to very specifically list my favorites… not vaguely.  I also am going to only give myself permission to list one thing about Josh, Haley, and Sam each because they could take up the whole list otherwise 😉

  1. yellow anything (even the ragweed that that induces my allergies)
  2. the way spooning Haley can wipe away any and all worries
  3. the way Sam makes me laugh even when I’m supposed to be mad at him
  4. when Josh’s face lights up into his biggest, most pure smile when I tickle him
  5. the smiles that light up the whole face
  6. itty bitty creations
  7. painting pictures with my written words
  8. the way a newborn looks curiously at my flashing contraption as I photograph them
  9. the moment when a newborn is fading into sleep in your arms
  10. wedding joy
  11. Disney movies
  12. decaf hazelnut coffee
  13. children’s books
  14. temperate fall days
  15. spooning in the morning before getting out of bed
  16. reading on a rainy day
  17. coffee dates with my husband
  18. curling up with a good book by my paren’t fire place in their log home in the winter
  19. iceskating on the lake before the first snow
  20. making a house a home
  21. “eclectic” everything
  22. Minnesota
  23. night time thunderstorms
  24. a life full of color
  25. plants to love in my backyard and that love me back by giving me the tastiest of treats
  26. sunsets that are golden, and fiery, and deep all at the same time
  27. early morning mist
  28. fluffy snow lit with Christmas lights and surrounded by Christmas songs
  29. singing Christmas carols around my uncle’s neighborhood at Hagberg Christmas
  30. Christmas eve dinner and present opening
  31. setting up the Christmas tree on a snowy evening with Christmas music
  32. the unhindered love, curiosity, and joy that exudes from puppies
  33. hard-working, weathered hands
  34. sunflowers
  35. catching fireflies at dusk
  36. eating around a table with good company
  37. the intimacy of the human eye
  38. the curve of voluptuous lips
  39. the goofy look of belly buttons
  40. books that cling to your brain even when you’re not reading them
  41. old, wise-looking trees with climbing branches
  42. freshly sharpened pencils
  43. creamy coconut smelling chapstick
  44. photo booths
  45. the moment I know I’ve snapped a winning photograph
  46. the smell of summer air, as if watermelons were cracked open all around
  47. the crunch of shoes on gravel roads
  48. the smell of new books
  49. African safari animals
  50. cantering on a horse in the open field

What is your list of favorite things?