Being a Mom means that I am behind the camera, capturing the special moments of my children.  I am hardly ever in the pictures, although I have learned the awkward, outstretched arm version of taking a picture of myself.  If I am in the picture, it meant that one of the kids took the photo, and then we see who has a natural gift for photography.  I have seen the National Lampoon’s Vacation movie enough to not feel comfortable in handing off my camera to a stranger. 

 

            My key to Family Photojournaling success is to take many pictures.  Using a digital camera with a screen, you can check the picture before leaving the site, to make sure you didn’t chop off someone’s head or take a picture of your lovely thumbprint.  Today’s digital cameras and high capacity memory sticks make photojounaling less expensive than back when a roll of film for taking 24 pictures cost $6 and the developing for double prints was $8.  On a recent one-week trip to Disney World, we snapped over 800 pictures.  We took our Sony Mavica CD500, which stores each 2MB picture on a mini-CD.  In fine mode, each CD would hold 80 pictures or fewer if MPEG videos were included on the CD (kids driving race cars, has to be videoed!).  I carry the CDs around in a case I found at Circuit City in the Game Cube aisle as the CDs are the same size.  The CD method of recording proved very useful because we were not able to take a laptop on that trip to copy pictures to.

             Most cameras use SD, Pro, or SM cards, and with our most recent digital camera purchase, a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S600, we picked up a 512MB Memory Stick PRO Duo card.  We would have only been able to take about half of our Disney trip’s 990 MB worth of pictures on just one memory stick, without the need of transferring to the computer or swapping CDs.  Is $300 too much for a nice camera and large memory stick?  Think of it in terms of what you would get if you spent that amount on film, developing, and printing – 256 pictures, or 11 rolls of film.  Of course, batteries are to be considered.  I find that NiMH rechargeable batteries last longer per charging than non-rechargeable alkaline, and always carry extras.

             Our new camera also has a timer, so when we get a tripod I will be able to run around in front of the camera within ten seconds and appear in the picture.  I make look out of breath in the photo, but I will be there, hands free.

 

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mandyvan wins 685...

lol omg

A2 another dumba$$ play

 

I won with two pair.  Everyone has their own strategy, whether it is making moves based on stats or talking trash.  Trash talking is a strategy, this incident weighed on my emotions and made me unfoundedly question my abilities.  Sometimes I play Aces to the flop regardless of my kicker, especially if they are "suited" which means of the same suit.

 

If a neutral or guy handle wins, they get "nh" for nice hand or "vn" for very nice.  My handle gives away my gender as female, and I get a comment that I made a bad move, but still won?  Hey, Mandy Patinkin (great in Princess Bride, Criminal Minds??) is a guy! 

 

Once, I beat 5 guys playing poker when I fell asleep between every hand!  (Uh, who do you think had to clean the house all day before they came over?)

 

You're just jealous because I am beating you at "your" game, so see you at the tables!  The best I have done online so far is 48th place out of 2500 people playing in a tournament.

 

Mandy

...and dishes and vacuuming.  A little time off has given me time to reflect and do more housework than usual.  Therefore, I must vent.

 

I always talk about how my mother had the same washer and dryer for twenty years and how I have gone through three of them in ten years.  I blame the fact that "they don't make them like they used to."  In my ramblings, I mostly get nods of agreement, but a wise lady once offered that we own more clothing and wash more often these days.  My piles of undone laundry would agree with her!  Play clothes, school clothes, keeping up with fashion and growing kids, not only take up more space in retail outlets, but our laundry rooms as well.

 

Dishwashers have outlived my address changes, but I do have to give them vinegar rinses every now and then.  I was impressed by the dishwasher aisle during a recent grocery visit.  Not as out-of-hand as, say, the laundry detergent or dishwashing liquid aisle with every scent and texture imaginable, but I found the miriad of accessories available quite refreshing.  Not only do we need rinse aid in addition to powdered or liquid detergent, but dishwasher cleaner and glass enhancer. I just love the tube of stuff for plastic dishes!

 

Vacuums, I have gone through three of those as well.  My "upstairs vacuum," a Hoover, the first one my husband and I bought for our first apartment, I think it is on its way out.  It's the kind that sucked up objects have the unfortunate opportunity of passing by the motor and causing foul smell and smoke.  It has a bag, a short cord, a hose that won't stay on, do I have anything good to say about it?  If it weren't for our purple Dyson Animal to compare it to, our good old green Hoover would be a praised appliance.

 

See, I knew I would get more into this blog thing!  But, the dryer buzzer just buzzed so I must tend to the never-ending pile of clothes that keeps reappearing in the hampers (I wish, more like the floor, the stairs, and the kitchen table!?).  I hope you had fun reading my blog, now get back to work! :-)

Wow. I'm blogging.  It feels weird.

It's going to take me a while to figure out what I actually want to say, but watch out, because when I do, it will be much longer than this, I promise.  I type fast and I have a lot on my mind.  Just not right now, I am sleepy.