We all remember those pictures our moms took of us years ago where it looks like she stood 50 feet away before she took the shot. You don’t have to have an amazing and expensive camera to get good pictures. Below are a few of my tips to taking better snapshots of your family and friends.

1. Read your camera’s manual. I know it’s not the most exciting of reads, but if you know your camera and what it can do, your pictures can be amazing! Keep it handy and check it often for refreshers on how to achieve the type of photo you want. 

2. Take a second before you shoot. I know sometimes you’ve got a split second to get that once-in-a-lifetime shot, but most of the time you can take a moment before you take the photo to ensure that the settings on your camera are set correctly. Look through the viewfinder, and don’t only look at what you are photographing but also look beyond that point. Is there a pole in the background that will look like it’s sticking out of the heads of the people you are shooting? Do the people in your picture have shadows on half of their faces? Make sure you’ve got the best picture you want before you take them.

 3. Zoom in or step closer. Move in closer to get a facial expression or to get a more intimate picture. You don’t have to have everything in the picture. Focus on what you are taking a picture of and keep the rest out of the photo.

 4. Take a breath. Breathe in, hold your breath, keep still, and snap the photo. Even breathing can cause the camera shake. Reduce blurry pictures by just holding your breath while you push the button.

5. Law of thirds. Look through your view finder and imagine that your image is split into thirds diagonally and horizontally (making nine total squares). Put the focus of your photo at one of the intersecting lines. It helps bring focus to your subject.

6. Practice makes perfect. Even professionals practice. Keep working at it, by taking tons of pictures, and you’ll surely get beautiful snapshots.

Tara Brooks is the owner of Tara Brooks Photography and the mother of five. Check out her work at www.tarabrooksphotography.blogspot.com. Read her previous blog post on 3girlsandapug.com titled “Look Like Rockstars in Your Next Family Photo Shoot.”

I was invited to be a guest blogger for Dr. Greene, the author of Raising Baby Greene. Please post a comment if you visit the website. I offer tips for green pet products, but there’s lots of great advice for parents, too. Thanks!

In the years BC (Before Children), my husband and I never really appreciated how much time we were able to spend together. We’d take walks, go on hikes, and have conversations (without interruptions—gasp!). And then came a time when that all of that halted. I can’t entirely blame it all on having children, either, because our personal lives became more cluttered, too.

Several years ago I think I saw my husband on average (if you don’t count the time when we were asleep) about 10 hours a week. That means we spent less than 20 percent of our week (168 hours possible) together in the same room and awake. My husband was working full time, was pursuing his MBA (which I jokingly say that MBA stands for Mom’s Bad Attitude), and had numerous other volunteer responsibilities. I was pregnant with our third child (and off and on bed rest for months), was busy building our business, and I took care of our then two preschool-aged children.

Needless to say, those 10 hours a week weren’t exactly the most romantic. Instead they were filled with lots of “to-do’s,” and we tried to squeeze in some time for Dad to kick up his heels and relax, too. Granted, most couples aren’t this busy, but many families have split schedules, or in some cases a spouse is deployed or works out of the area during the week. Regardless of the lifestyle, it’s important to connect with your spouse on a weekly basis.

We love our weekly date nights (see last Monday’s post about this topic), but we also implemented a weekly “romantic” thing for one another. Now, when I say it’s romantic, it’s usually more thoughtful or charitable than it is romantic, but the purpose is the same: to bring a connection. Here’s how it works:

1. Together you select a day of the week by when the romantic thing must be completed. We like to pick Fridays as our deadline day because it’s also our weekly date night.
2. Each person selects one romantic thing to do for the other person throughout the week.
3. Then you each express gratitude for the romantic thing that has been done and begin plotting next week’s surprise.

It really doesn’t have to be a big deal. It’s just the idea that you’ve gone out of your way to show appreciation to your spouse. Some of the things we’ve done over the years include:

· Purchasing flowers

· Planning surprise weekend getaways

· Writing notes

· Leaving sticky notes in the dashboard of the car or on the mirror

· Emptying the dishwasher before breakfast and leaving a note

· Having the kids write notes of appreciation

· Stocking the fridge with ice cream

· Buying a new CD or downloading new songs on the iPod

· Taking a long walk

· Having a long talk

· Ordering take-out after the kids go to bed

If this is something you’d like to do with your spouse, discuss it with him or her first. Then make a list together of some of the ways that you’d like to show support to your spouse and ways that you’d like to receive support. Sometimes my husband gets stuck for ideas on what to do and I’ll give him a list of ideas for him to use. He’s happy to have suggestions to work from. (Men hate trying to read the minds of women.) Over the years that we’ve taken this approach it seems to make the sailing a little smoother for two ships who are just passing in the night.

I’ve started writing for GreenDivaMom.com. Check out my article from Friday about a great program, called Surfer’s Healing, that teaches Autistic children how to ride waves.

www.greendivamom.com

Today marks the first full month of www.3girlsandapug.com. Thank you so much for reading the blog, telling others about the blog, and posting comments. We now have readers in 31 of the 50 states. Keep sharing your ideas and posting your comments. Thanks!

I don’t remember intentionally putting a piece of fruit or a green veggie on my plate until I was an adult. I’ve learned how to prepare fruits and vegetables and that’s helped me learn to love them, but my kids have always been big devourers of healthy snacks. I’ve never been much of a food pusher, and I willingly let my children indulge in sweets. I’ve found a few ways to make fruits and veggies more appealing so they don’t shirk at leafy greens.

1)      Education. With a background in health education I’ve taught my children a lot about what fruits and vegetables do inside your body once they’ve been swallowed. My children love to eat carrots and feel like their eyes are sharper or that the blueberries they eat are consuming the “free-radicals” roaming around inside of them (They actually understand what free-radicals and anti-oxidants are.). Like anything in life, if the student understands why something is important to them personally then they’re more inclined to make better, educated decisions.

2)      Gardening. A friend of mine grows amazing vegetables in her garden year round and lets us benefit from her green thumb as often as we want. I owe her my life because my children love eating the vegetables they’ve helped pluck from her garden. In their minds, it’s much cooler if they’ve helped participate in the gardening process from the ground to their plates. They now love lettuce, tomatoes, and squash thanks to her summer garden.

3)      Farmer’s Markets. In some cases, you don’t have the resources for a garden and the farmer’s market is a great alternative. We’ve gotten to know a lot of the local growers in our area and they’ve introduced a lot of new foods to my kids. I’m shocked at what they’ll try for a stranger at the outdoor market, but not for good ol’ Mom at the dinner table. I don’t take it personally, but instead use it to my advantage.

4)      Cook together.My oldest girls freaked out when they saw me put an eggplant into our shopping cart one day. They both insisted there was no way that could be edible, but once we were in the kitchen making eggplant parmesan together they couldn’t control their excitement to sample the goods. Anytime children take ownership in a new program they’re more likely to get onboard and less likely to resist the change. Besides, kids love to cook up creations so you won’t have to twist their arm to get them to pitch in.

5)      Smoothies. Want your kids to eat more fruits and veggies? Dust off your blender and load them up with anti-oxidants in a simple smoothie (see recipe below). They suck their nutritious drinks up with a straw in a heartbeat. By contrast it would take them 30 minutes or more to eat the fruit equivalent. Some moms I know use powdered vitamins or yogurt to increase the nutritional content. I even sneak in sweet or tasteless vegetables like carrots and spinach. I also put a little flax seed into my creations to boost the fiber and healthful benefits and call it ‘magic pixie dust.’

Question: How do you get your kids to eat their five-a -day?

Smoothie Recipe

1 small scoop of fruit sorbet (They come in lots of flavors – peach, mango, pomegranate.)

3 cups of fruit and/or veggies (strawberries, bananas, blueberries, pineapples, oranges)

¼ cup of water

Chop fruit and blend together. Enjoy!

Warning: This post contains a true confession.

I let my 3-year-old watch Dora for three hours. She wasn’t sick. I wasn’t sick. She was just cranky. And frankly, so was I. I felt guilty for an hour, but then as she happily watched more and more of our lovely bilingual friend the guilt turned quickly into freedom.

When my first daughter was born I believed that I’d be the kind of mom who rarely let my children watch TV and that a French fry from the golden arches would never touch their lips, but I’ve discovered that’s not realistic. With that said, I also believe that all things should be done in moderation. I’m by no means endorsing lots of media consumption. But there are some products that help you to balance your child’s media consumption. In fact, I think these products help you to consume entertainment in a more controlled and conscious manner, unless of course you’re having one of those days.

1.    TiVo. My kids love that they can access their favorite shows anytime they want and I love that I choose they view. They only watch what I allow them to record. As an added bonus they don’t watch commercials. Not only are commercials a waste of time I think they make children want for material possessions. It’s great to use TiVo as a filter to shut out the negative side effects of TV viewing.

2.    iPod. My daughters are addicted to what my husband calls, “Chick Rock.” I’m not sure you can put Hannah Montana in the category of rock. Regardless, they love their tunes in the car and we listen to our favorite mixes on the iPod endlessly much to husbands’ dismay. But I remind him that when the chicks are rockin’ out in the car there is peace. They’re singing along to their favorite tunes and I’d rather listen to Taylor Swift sing about young love over and over again than hear my children bicker in the car. The things we subject that poor guy to.

3.    DVD players in the car. It never fails to amaze me how often we use our built-in DVD players in the car. Of course, they’re great on long road trips, but they come in handy when we’re waiting in the car for someone to finish up a class or an afterschool activity. They’re great for times we get stuck in traffic (living in SoCal it happens a lot), when kids are tired and cranky in the evening, or as a reward for good behavior.

Question: How much TV do you let your kids watch? How do you monitor their consumption of media (TV, music, video games, etc.)?

I love Spring – new green, new warmth, and for the return of spring veggies.I realize that every grocery store has tomatoes, green onions, and cucumbers all year round. However there’s a time and a place when these items grow prolifically in a yard – and that time is now! Spring is the perfect time to dive into seasonal vegetables at the peak of their harvest to try them in new ways.

The idea of being a vegetarian may be radical to some, but there are some key benefits to eating fresh, whole food complete in vitamins and phytonutrients. The truth is everybody needs these foods – whether you’re a carnivore or herbivore. Our bodies need fruits and veggies in variety.

Medical journals and studies have concluded that increasing the amount of raw fruits and vegetables into your daily diet can aid significantly in a number of ailments including heart disease, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. Now, I’m not saying run out and live on carrot sticks (contrary to some beliefs), but I am encouraging you to try some fresh, locally grown produce a little more often than at present.

For example, many of the farmer’s markets are bursting with spring mix lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, colored bell peppers, etc. I usually head over to a road-side stand during my lunch and pick up a handful of things to make a salad. Most of their selection is pesticide free and fairly inexpensive.

My latest salad concoctions have included fresh raspberries, mango, dried gogi berries and pumpkin seeds (for protein). Add a little light Italian (Newman’s Own, yum at 40 calories a serving) and you’ve got a good portion of veggies, fruits, seeds and berries that pack a considerable nutritional punch with very little caloric impact.

 This Easter I sprang an entirely vegetarian meal on my family and our visiting guests. Vegetarian Times had a great recipe for a Spinach, Feta and Tomato quiche using phyllo dough instead of a pie crust. Light and delicious, it was beautiful, inexpensive and filling.

We also served a slew of salads.  The wheat Pasta salad with asparagus, peas, mint, basil and feta was amazing. A Greek Lentil Salad gave us all the protein we needed and light flavor with its dill, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions in an olive oil, garlic, and lemon dressing. To round it off, I served a Burst of Spring Salad with spinach, a few radishes, chunks of navel orange and pumpkin seeds with a citrus vinaigrette.

I made the whole deal from scratch in an hour. The brunt of the work was in chopping and waiting for the quiche to bake (40 minutes at 350 degrees). I noticed afterward that even though we’d all eaten a lot, none of us had that feeling like we were going to burst. Another great thing about consuming veggies is the ease your body has in processing these foods. Spring draws us outdoors after the chilly winter. Get on out there and try something new on your table this season!

Check out her recipes below!

This crunchy salad looks and tastes special, though it’s no harder to put together than a garden-variety tossed salad. If you can’t find pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), substitute pine nuts or sunflower seeds.

1. Salad. Peel oranges with sharp knife, removing white pith. Quarter and slice into fans. Toss spinach, radishes, and half of dressing in large salad bowl. Top with orange segments and avocados. Drizzle with remaining dressing, and sprinkle with pepitas.
2. Dressing. Place all ingredients in jar with lid or medium bowl. Shake or whisk to blend.

Serves 6

Dressing

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. sherry vinegar

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. agave nectar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Salad

3 navel oranges

10 cups baby spinach (9 oz.)

1 1/2 cups sliced radishes (1 bunch)

3 Hass avocados, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup roasted pepitas

Jasmine Walea-Sampson is a vegan and mother of 3 wonderful children. Look for future posts from her on 3girlsandapug.com.