I am guilty of the same offense so many photographers commit– I get so busy photographing newborns, children and families that sometimes I forget to document my own family. The last time I really focused on photographing my kids doing what they do best was months ago, and this 10 on 10 project is going to help me preserve the little everyday things that I capture for my clients, but for myself. A couple of disclaimers before you get to the pictures: 1. My house is incredibly dark from lack of natural light and constantly cluttered thanks to the 8 small hands that constantly rifle through every room in search of a single block. It’s real. It is clean and orderly for approximately 8 hours a day… the 8 hours when all the kids are asleep. Running around behind them cleaning up all day is like shoveling during a blizzard… I would rather enjoy them while they are little than be able to see every square inch of my floor 24/7. The do clean up after themselves… sometimes. Considering the baby is in the “I need to see every toy in the house strewn across the floor before I decide what to play with” stage, the bigger boys’ efforts really don’t have the impact they should. The house can be put back together at bedtime… it’s a fresh slate for destruction in the morning. 2. They are in pajamas until the very last second before we need to go somewhere. If we don’t go anywhere, you will find me pulling pajamas off the kids at bedtime to put on a clean pair. Why? Because 4 kids can create a ton of laundry. If I do get them dressed, chances are before we need to go someone will manage to cause a ketchup explosion at lunch or get a little carried away with the toothpaste in the morning and need a new shirt/pants/etc before we need to leave anyway… may as well conserve where I can!
For my first 10 on 10– a morning in my life… my every day (and it’s never boring with 4 kids 7 & under!)!
Everyone is up for the day. Breakfast has been eaten. The dog has made sure nothing changed in the yard overnight. Micky Mouse Clubhouse is playing on Disney Jr. I’m checking my email and making sure I don’t have any client questions to answer. My living room has already been destroyed.
You can find 3 of my 4 in the first image (assuming they aren’t completely camouflaged by their morning handiwork)– big sister has already left for school. Yes, the baby (I know, he’s not really a baby any more when he’ll be 2 next week… but he’s still “the baby”) has safety goggles on his head… no, I can’t really answer why. I can only hope it’s so he can be properly outfitted while buliding a high rise out of mega blocks (and not a construction project involving sharp objects and a trip to the E.R.)– one can never be too careful, ya know :)
If you have preschool-kindergarten aged kids, I can’t say enough great things about the game “Pigs Up”. My grandma, the master of awesome gift finding, gave this game to my 5 year old for his birthday last year– even when they’re not actually playing the game, the little wooden piggies are loads of fun :) Baby-man likes to pile them in a school bus… when he isn’t just transferring them between the box and the lid.
Littlest man also has some very strange favorite places– we affectionately refer to the TV console as his “office”. Often we find him in there, sliding doors closed, holding a board meeting with a toy laptop and a zoo of animal executives. And if a sippy cup has gone missing (especially one I know had milk in it!), the office is always the first place to check!
In an attempt to pause the destruction of the living room, we relocate to the basement (the room that is neglected in the end of the day pick up… it’s kid zone). Somehow they have managed to leave just enough clear space for the gym mat we have for the oldest 2 to practice their tumbling (well, I guess #3 could practice his skills too… he doesn’t tend to get sent home from practice prepared to work on the moves at home yet!). Big Sis has been hard at work for a few weeks now, trying to teach #2 how to do cartwheels and handstands (she feels like a master after finally getting the motions figured out– a little fine tuning still needs to happen with hers). That kid is destined for teaching as a career I suspect, considering #2 can now hold a perfect handstand longer than his sis (to see the perfect one, visit my facebook page where I posted it yesterday)! Of course if I photograph #2 doing cartwheels and handstands, #s 3 & 4 have to get in on it too… just with different skills :)
After a few hours of playing, some lunch (and getting dressed for the big one!), we lose one to the Kindy bus– after Christmas break it took littlest bit a few days to stop screaming like his big brother was kidnapped by the big yellow machine– bus time has once again been filled with screams of “bus! bus!” while jumping up and down with excitement :)
Just before nap, the little 2 get run through the bath/shower (for some reason this week, 4 year old #3 has decided he prefers to shower… I’m betting next week he’ll be back to splashing with little brother) and get dressed (since the big kids return and we run out to gymnastics for the 3 bigs right after nap)… and mommy finally gets to eat lunch without sharing every other bite :)
If you would like to schedule a “day in the life” session please fill out a Chicago family photography client profile.
To see some other 10 on 10 projects, please follow the circle starting with a fabulous St. Louis Photographer!
by Chicago Newborn Photographer
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