Search Results for: blog travel tips keeping the memories alive

Have Duck Will Travel

Who knew a 99-cent rubber duck could be such a valuable part of a family vacation? We just returned from Hawaii and are still readjusting to life minus the sun, sand and surf. (Going from 85 degrees to a high of 10 is enough to shock anyone’s system.) As always my 3-year-old daughter had a blast spending time with grandma and grandpa, “other-side grandma” (my grandmother), her uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. And, of course, my little fish could not get enough of the beach. She loves jumping over the waves, swimming in the whitewash, and practicing her dance moves … Continue reading →

Can You Ever Go Home Again?

I just spent the entire month of January in Hawaii… visiting my parents. It was actually a wonderful visit and given how much we doled out for the plane tickets and how infrequently my daughter gets to see my family, I did everything humanly possible to make the most of every second we had together. That includes helping care for my 93-year-old dying grandma and hosting a bevy of extended family members, who came to catch up and spoil my daughter to no end. The visit (I don’t refer to it as a vacation because in more ways it was … Continue reading →

Is Your Child Ready to Answer the Phone?

It’s a question I asked myself a few weeks ago when my 4-year-old begged to pick up the phone while I was in the shower. Here’s the answer I came up with: If your child still holds the phone upside down and can’t figure out why grandma sounds so far away OR He or she tries to shove a freshly colored picture of Elmo into the receiver so grandma can see how well he or she stayed within the lines, then your child’s phone skills need some work and you might want to hold off on using him or her … Continue reading →

Photo Add Ons

The title might seem deceiving… this post does not discuss embellishments that you can add on to your photos; rather I wanted to provide additional information on topics I blogged about in previous articles. Here’s more info on: PHOTO SORTING When I mentioned that I sort photos chronologically and separate them per event or occasion I failed to mention that I flag some with Post It notes. Doing so reminds me that a certain picture is frame worthy or scrapbook worthy. However, I should note that you should never adhere Post It notes to the front of your pictures. Always … Continue reading →

Creating a Photo Mosaic

I’ve been intrigued by photo mosaics ever since I saw a poster-sized picture of Snoopy hanging in a St. Paul bookstore and realized it was actually an arrangement of thousands of tiny tile photos. Ever since then I have wanted to create a photo mosaic of my own. That was more than five years ago and only now have I gotten around to making my dream a reality. At first I tried to make a photo mosaic on my own. There are hundreds of applications that allow you to do so on your own for free on Macs or PCs. … Continue reading →

Make Your Own Photo Puppets

Ever since my 3-year-old daughter saw “Curious George Goes to the Hospital” on video she has been on a puppet kick. (In one scene George puts on a puppet show for the sick children at the hospital and my daughter falls down laughing each time she sees George with puppets on his hands and feet.) The first time she watched the tape I made her a set of sock puppets so she could put on a show “just like George.” But, recently I found an even better way to create hand puppets that feature your favorite photos. They are more … Continue reading →

Photo Fun with Kids

My daughter is amazingly crafty for someone whose mother has trouble sewing the buttons back on shirts. That’s why when it comes to tackling arts and crafts projects I tend to stick with ones that include as few steps as possible. For the past five months my daughter and I have been working on various photo projects for my grandmother. After she suffered a massive stroke she was moved into an assisted living facility and her room was in serious need of some personalized decorations. I detailed some of the ways we spruced up her room in previous blogs and … Continue reading →

Photo Gifts for Mother’s Day

As you might know by now my beloved grandma suffered a massive stroke a few months ago and has subsequently been forced to live in an assisted living facility. As such I have been desperately trying to decorate her new “home” with as many family photos as possible. Only I’m working with a limited space and frankly, there’s only so much you can do with standard snapshots. Or so I thought. A quick peak online revealed a virtual cornucopia of photo inspired gifts from boxer shorts to cutting boards, pet urns, porcelain plates, playing cards, Rubik’s cubes, stuffed animals, steins, … Continue reading →

Making Photo Easter Eggs

I recently returned from Hawaii where my beloved grandmother has been placed in a life care center following a severe stroke. While there I learned from her therapists the important role photos play in a stroke victim’s life. Pictures of family members, pets, and everyday objects are used in various therapy sessions including speech and cognitive restoration. I am a snap happy parent to begin with, but the therapist’s information inspired me to take even more pictures than usual. (At last count I snapped and printed more than 700 images while in Hawaii.) Currently, my grandmother’s room is filled with … Continue reading →

Photo Cards for Easter and Mother’s Day

I’m all about using photos as part of homemade greeting cards and with Easter and Mother’s Day fast approaching I thought it would be a good idea to discuss ways you can create your own greeting cards with your favorite pictures. Most readers know that my young daughter is the subject of 95% of my photographs (her grandparents who live 5,000 miles away appreciate this immensely), which is why I decided to turn my attention to another photo subject—a more generic item that all readers could use to decorate their cards—flowers. Beautiful blossoms are great to use on personalized Mother’s … Continue reading →