Last fall Lucy joined the third soccer team of her short soccer career, one that is mostly full of girls from her elementary school. She has actually played for a few years, once on a random team of girls we didn’t know when she was in the pee-wee league, and two seasons on a team with her preschool friends, but this is the first time we’ve really felt at home. On our first team, Lu was by far the smallest and all the other girls were looking to be the next Mia Hamm. The second team was full of awesome girls, but it was far from our home, so getting to practices and games was a pain, especially as I was working full time.

But this team seems to be the perfect fit! Lucy is having a ton of fun hanging out with her friends from school at practices and games, and the team is very focused on skills and teamwork instead of just winning games. Which was a good thing this season, because for whatever reason, the league decided to make our tiny team of first graders play up a grade. We had several girls who had never played soccer before, playing against 8 and 9 year old girls who had been playing for years. These girls had such a hard season, and yet they kept smiling until the end. I am so proud of each and every one of them for working so hard, even when certainly wasn’t very fun. Our coaches were endlessly patient, and I feel pretty lucky they focused on the growth of our girls this year instead of on winning or losing. I’m actually sort of proud of our group of parents too. It’s the worst watching your kids get beaten in every game, especially when it’s so obviously unfair, but we tried to stay positive too. I think the great attitudes of our girls reflected what awesome parents they have.

Hopefully next year our league will be a bit more evenly matched, but until then, I’m going to focus on how proud I am of this team!

Today was a little funny around the Crazybananas house, it’s the last Friday before summer break. In less than a week, school will be out and our first summer with me at home (more) will commence. I am so very excited. In the past, summer’s have been sort of hard for me and the kids. With my old work schedule, and Lucy’s school schedule, all “summer” meant was scrambling even more to get childcare. It certainly never felt slower than the school year, in fact, it was probably more chaotic. Two summers ago we had a nanny full time, which was WONDERFUL, but so expensive. Last year Lucy went to daycare back at the place where she went to preschool, and where Tate goes, but it was still hard. She wanted to sleep in and hang at the pool, but our schedule just didn’t allow for that. I hated her missing out, and dreamed of late wake-up calls and lazy days in the summer sun.

This year is so completely different from where we were before. I will still be working two days a week in the office, and our fabulous former nanny Amanda will be with us on those days. But three days a week plus weekends it will just be me and the kids! I know it won’t be easy, and there will be days when I wish I could escape to an office, but hopefully those days will be few and far between.

The one thing I will miss are my mornings alone with Mr. Tate. For the past two years he’s been tagging along as we’ve run Lulu to this or that activity, with little regard to his wants or schedule. But while she was in school this semester and I was home, we finally got some time to hang out alone. Today we had our last lazy Friday, laying around in our PJs and playing trains, taking breaks only to watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was lovely.

Next week it will all change. Again. That seems to be a theme in this here life of mine. So far, change is good. Let’s hope we keep the streak going!

So, you got a new camera for Mother’s Day, huh?! Lucky you! Or maybe you finally got your friend’s hand-me-down point and shoot. Or you’re just an Instagramming fool, taking tons of shots with your phone or other mobile device. Well, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take beautiful photos, and you certainly don’t need the most expensive camera on the market. With a few easy tips and tricks, your photos will look awesome, regardless of your professional status or equipment.

1. Find the Light - I think this is the most important rule of thumb when it comes to any kind of photography. Light will make or break your image, and natural light is the way to go. Look for interesting shadows or backlighting that is a bit different from the norm. If you’re taking portraits of people, make sure not to have them in direct sunlight. Find a shaded spot or head out on a cloudy day instead. In terms of shooting time, first thing in the morning and right before sunset is when the natural light is at it’s best, so if you can work around that schedule, do it.

2. The Rule of Thirds – This is a basic photographic principle that’s pretty simple for even a novice to use. In it’s most simple form, the rule of thirds says that the frame of the photo can be broken down in to a grid with 9 parts and if you place the subject of your image on those grid lines it will be more interesting to the eye. For nerds like me, it means, simply, don’t center your subject. Crop at an angle that is a bit different and that can take your photo to another level.

3. Learn Your Camera - When I got my first digital SLR camera, I spent the first two months reading the manual cover to cover. It sounds tedious, but that was the best thing I could’ve done. Every camera is different and if you don’t understand what the buttons mean than you’re never going to get the most out of it.

4. Find Tutorials Online - The Internet is a magical place, isn’t it? It’s full of experts who will help you with pretty much anything, and that extends to photographers! Some of my favorite photography tutorials are on the Pioneer Woman’s site, where she goes through everything from exposure to aperture to focus to Photoshop with easy to follow images. If you’re looking for great photography apps, I’ve done a few round ups of those right here and here that will really help you out if your a smartphone photographer.

5. Have Fun! – I know, that’s annoying advice, but it’s true! Keep trying different things until you find what works for you. Get out and shoot whenever you can and eventually you will find yourself with images that will blow your mind. Happy snapping!

(All photos in this post, other than the first one (by Christina Gepner), were taken by me with the iPhone 4S, proof you don’t need a $3,000 camera to get some fantastic results!)

I know it’s a bit late, but I wanted to share a little from our fun Mother’s Day. Truth be told, we didn’t really do too much this year, which was pretty fantastic. Last year was lovely, with brunch and a day at the park (read all about it by clicking here), but this year all I wanted was a few hours alone to run errands. I know, super glamorous, huh? But as many of you moms out there know, a day of running errands without kids in tow is like a trip to the Bahamas!

Before my luxerious Target run, I was served a lovely breakfast in bed, with leftovers from our date night evening before, and received some amazing gifts, including the clay frog you see below. I mean, seriously?! Best gift ever! We capped the day with an evening soccer game for Miss Lulu’s team. All the soccer moms were joking about spending our Mother’s Day out at the field, but we all knew there was no where else we’d rather be than cheering on our little girls. Every year that passes I feel luckier and luckier to be the mom of my two little rascals, and I’m sure most moms feel the same. This mothering business can be thankless and downright crappy some days, but then there are days like yesterday, when it all feels pretty perfect. Yay for the moms!

P.S. Love this cute video one of my friends made with Blue Bunny Ice Cream for Mother’s Day. Mothering really is a lot like eating ice cream without spoons, wouldn’t you say?

P.P.S. To see what we sent our moms/grandmas for Mother’s Day this year, click here.

{Photo via Flickr}

Last weekend I was lucky enough to meet up with a fun group at the wonderful restaurant Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Missouri. Our good friends live in Smithville, about 30 minutes north of Kansas City, and they have raved about this place since it opened. The chef, Jonathon Justus, transformed the space where the old Smithville Drugstore was housed in to an incredible place to eat and commune with friends. The meal is an experience in itself, with up to five courses, and lasting at least 3 hours. We sat down at 5:30 on a Saturday night, and didn’t leave until around 10.

The menu at Justus is seasonal, as one of their biggest focuses is delivering food fresh from local farms. The highlight of my meal was either the amazing goat cheese salad or my main dish of stuffed rabbit. Holy moley, it was good. Oh, and the jasmine tea rice pudding with lemongrass ice cream wasn’t too shabby either.

Justus is a wonderful place to host a celebration meal, and I think it was even better with a medium-sized group. We saw plenty of two-person parties, but we had a total of six. A little tip, if you’re going to have six or more at your table, on Friday and Saturdays you must make your reservation either at 5:30 or 9 p.m. But trust me, it will be worth it.

{Me and my cute date at Justus Drugstore, via the iPhone}

1. Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera – This is a no-brainer, right? Right. Find it at Amazon for $62.50 (overnight shipping available).
2. Soda Stream Jet Fountain – Hi, I’m obsessed with fizzy water. This is cheaper than the gazillions of dollars I spend on La Croix. For reals. Find it at Target for $79.99.
3. Madewell Canvas Zip Tote – To make schelpping around town with the kids a little chicer. Find it at Madewell for $128.00.
4. Doctor Who Season 7: Parts 1 & 2 – Dear God I still haven’t seen this and if you spoil the ending I will kill you! Find it at Amazon for $40.00 (both editions, overnight shipping available).

Remember if you’re looking for last minute gifts for your own mom or grandmother, you can donate to Happy Bottoms in their name and they will be added to the Mom Honor Roll! Shhhh…no one tell the moms in my life, because that’s what they are getting. Click here to learn more!

{An outtake from a recent self-photo shoot…not perfect, off center and out of focus in my weedy backyard…but still, beautiful.}

Throughout the years I have harbored a love/hate relationship with myself. Which, honestly, when I read it right there in print, sounds flat out insane. I mean, I spend so much time lifting other women up and touting the awesomeness that is the gaggle of rad ladies in my life (and whoa, they are incredible), but I have to admit, I have a hard time treating myself with the same kindness. But isn’t that how we all can be? I feel like so many of the women I know, especially the moms, spend a majority of their time propping up everyone around them and forget to do the same for themselves.

For me, this bad attitude toward myself started fairly young. I was the second daughter in my family, and through no fault of her own, my sister is gorgeous. Like, straight up model-esque. She was tall and thin and so, so pretty, and since we were many years apart, her beautiful phase coincided perfectly with my totally awkward stage. She was also effortlessly cool, while I felt like a nerdy outcast most of the time. By the time I hit my teen years, I had a nice, big pot of self-loathing stewing in my brain.

So early on I decided it didn’t matter how I looked. I would be awesome because of my mind and my heart! And for years, this sort of worked. I told people I didn’t care about that superficial stuff, and continued to promote my hard work in academics and sports. I was in drama club and I was known for going to Space Camp. I had my own little nerdy crew and I loved them!

But deep down, I knew I was a phony. No matter how hard I tried to mask it, I did care. I thought I cared because I wanted people to like me, but what I learned later was I wanted to like myself. Even though outwardly I acted like it didn’t matter, inside I was beating myself senseless. And this bad behavior manifested itself in truly horrid ways. You could see it in the way I treated my boyfriend, friends and family. I thought I was so good at hiding all those feelings, but it turns out, they were out there for everyone to see, even if they didn’t know exactly what they were seeing.

Fast forward about 10 years and two kids later…and I’d love to say I’m better now. I’d love to say, “Gosh darnit, I love ME!!!” And you know what? Some days I do! In fact, most days I do. When I look at my body now, I see hips that carried two little beings. I see eyes that have wrinkles from smiling too much. I see a snaggle tooth that will always have a great story behind it. I have spider veins like my mom and an overbite like my dad. I have lots of freckles. My feet are massive. My boobs, which fed two babies for two years, are no longer the plump melons they once were. Now they are more like water balloons. But hey, water balloons can be fun, right?! Who doesn’t love water balloons? Sure, there are days when I look in the mirror and feel just gross, but I’m human, and I’m allowed to feel bad sometimes. Usually it’s right around that moment that my daughter, who has my eyes, face, hair and smile, will ask me how she’s looking today. And what will I say? Would I dare tell my mini-reflection she looked gross? Hell no, because she doesn’t. She is beautiful and glorious, and I will tell her that every single day.

My point is, when I look at myself these days, I don’t see perfection in the mirror. I see myself. I see a body that is carrying my spirit around this world, and that’s a pretty incredible thing.

Dare I say, a BEAUTIFUL thing.

This post is part of the Love Yourself Linkup. Visit here to learn more and read some amazing posts from real, beautiful, smart women.

Today’s post features one of my favorite people on the Internet, Erin Loechner. You may have heard Erin’s name around here before, and that’s because I work as Erin’s research editor on her child-focused website “Design for MiniKind.” Erin is also the author of the award-winning website “Design for Mankind” and has been featured on the Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, HGTV, and Lucky and Glamour Magazines. She’s pretty incredible, is what I’m saying, and she was kind enough to answer some questions for me about her workflow, priorities, balancing life with new motherhood and how “slow blogging” changed her perspective. Thanks Erin!!!

Last year you had your first child, your daughter Bee. How have the demands on your time changed since her birth? Has your work schedule changed dramatically? Were you prepared for the change?
Oh, the demands of motherhood. You know, I’m only nine months into this gig, so I don’t know that I have a lot of really sage advice on this subject. But, I do know that I value my time much more than I ever did pre-Bee. And it’s not because there’s less of it, really. It’s just that, suddenly, there’s this urge to create something meaningful and honest and authentic – something that I’ll feel proud of. Something that I feel will justify the time spent away from my family and this beautiful new creation. I know it all sounds so very dramatic, but it’s true. I never want Bee to look at my work and think, “This was more important than me?” Perhaps even more so, I never want to look back on my own work and ask that same question.

So I suppose the answer isn’t that my schedule has changed as much as the work itself has. My priorities and yes’s and commitments look very different now – but I think for the better. I hope for the better.

It’s a change in myself I didn’t anticipate. I’d assumed that new motherhood would force me to become more efficient and flexible and task-oriented, and although it has to some degree, it’s also done the opposite: I’m becoming more thoughtful and engaged and slow-paced. I’m quite liking the change.

What does a normal day look like for you? Is there a “normal” day? How much flexibility do you allow in your schedule from day to day?
I’m a creature of habit, so I do have a “normal” workday. This is a pretty clear picture of how it works around our house during the week (minus Bee’s morning nap because, sadly, she’s dropped it already!), but on weekends – all bets are off!

I do try really hard to be flexible and take advantage of the fact that my job is mobile and most deadlines are self-imposed. Today was beautiful outside, so I ditched the to do list and headed to the zoo! I’m a pretty dedicated worker bee, so it feels nice to give myself the day off every now and then (even though I generally end up making up for it with a late night!).

What tools do you use to make your workday more efficient? Are there any applications or web-based tools that allow you to organize your life a bit better?
I’m a big fan of the traditional to do list on paper, but here are a few of the tools and techniques I love, love, love.

You’re a proponent of the “slow blogging” movement. Can you explain what that is? How has living that philosophy changed your work and home life?
Sure! Essentially, I’m doing my best to turn the inspiration faucet down a bit. I love that my work is so heavily rooted in visual culture, but I think that with the rise of Pinterest and various social bookmarking tools, we’re losing an essential element to creativity: the story. I’ve always identified with writing as my first love, so I’ve been focusing on sharing the details and struggles and stories of today’s creative projects, rather than simply sharing an image and moving on to the next bigger, better thing. It’s a challenge to re-train myself to think deeper and write with more meaning, but I’m really enjoying it.

The added benefit, of course, is that the philosophy is trickling into other areas of my life. I’m becoming a slower, more thoughtful responder in conversations and I’m seeking out more purpose and intention in my own creative work. It’s been a welcome change.

What advice would you give to another working mom who is trying to figure out this work/life thing? What advice was given to you that you found helpful? What about advice that missed the mark?
The best advice I can give is to take a moment, breathe deeply and re-list your priorities. They’ll likely look a lot different than they did pre-baby, so write them down (and, if you’re like me, limiting them to just three might help. I tend to get overwhelmed easily!). My priorities are listed here, and I can’t put into words how much the act of listing them helped to navigate this whole work/life balance thing. I’m a big proponent of setting realistic expectations and placing value on things that matter to you (that might not matter to other women). It’s the reason I have dust bunnies that scatter my floor, but always make time to take long, leisurely walks with Bee.

In terms of advice I’ve received, the most helpful thought was when a girlfriend shared that what you do first thing in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day (so choose it wisely!). Luckily enough, my schedule allows for lots of family time in the morning, and I feel so grateful that I get to start my day with the priority that matters most in my life. I often look back and remember those mornings where I hit the ground running, answering emails and drafting articles until midnight. It was a productive time, yes, but not a time I remember accomplishing things that truly mattered in the long run.

And you know, I haven’t really been given a lot of advice that’s missed the mark. Advice is little more than one woman’s perspective, and I think we can all learn something from each other, even if it doesn’t particularly resonate with us at the time. Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I’ve never been one to turn down the opportunity to listen to another woman’s story.

*Photo Credit : Woodnote Photography*

We have a standing tradition in our house that weekends are for movie nights! Lulu is a huge fan of this idea, and honestly, would have movie night every night if she could. It has become something that Lu and I can do together, that doesn’t cause too much stress and isn’t hard to pull off. We usually wait until Tate has gone to bed, because two-year-olds are kind of a bummer when it comes to watching a good movie in peace, but I’m sure one day he will become a part of this tradition as well. Until then, it’s girls only movie night at my house!

We have a steady stream of Disney flicks on rotation, but lately I’ve been looking for movies that both Lu and I will enjoy. Here’s a list of our top five mother-daughter movie faves (of the moment, of course, we are very fickle):

1. The Sound of Music – I love this original trailer from 1965!

2. Lemonade Mouth – OK, yes, so technically a Disney movie, but I’m a nerd and I sort of love this one…(plus I have a secret wish that Lu is in a band someday…I might be living my dreams through my kid.)

3. The Wizard of Oz – A classic, and as a kid from Kansas, she’s gonna need to know why everyone keeps asking her about Oz (Flashback: Remember our Wizard of Oz photoshoot with a three year old Lu as Dorothy? Adorable.)

4. We Bought a Zoo – This one is probably the only one that you’d have to worry about language or adult themes, and it’s pretty mild and adds to the story (the older son goes through a phase where he yells curse words at his dad…). Lucy adores this film and both of us bawl our eyes out every time we watch it. So good.

5. Bride & Prejudice – Jane Austen + Bollywood, need I say more! No lie, this is Lucy’s favorite movie right now. And for good reason!

Have a great weekend and hopefully a movie night or two!

P.S. Check out these amazing ideas for a backyard movie night. I think we may have to plan one for this summer….

Here are my photos from the April photo a day challenge! I tend to post these to my Instagram, so come over and follow me at @crazy_bananas. Sometimes I’ll upload them to Facebook too, so if that’s more your speed, check me out over there. Happy snapping!