Tips For Completing a 365 Photo A Day Project

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1100.

That's how many photos I've taken over the past three years.

In actual fact I've taken a great deal more photographs than that, frequently I take 1100 photos in a day if we've had a special family trip out somewhere. However I have taken at least one photograph, every day, for the past three years. The reason for this happy snapping is something called the 365 Project: A Photo A Day, Every Day, For A Year; I couldn't stop now even if I tried!

I have posted every one of those photographs on this blog under the 365 page, and it is a wonderful thing to look back on. During the past few years there have been many everyday and ordinary moments with my son and family that I would have normally forgotten. I skim through the photographs of my 365 projects and suddenly a wave of memories engulf me and I am there; I'm in the garden watching three generations of my family having a snowball fight. I cannot emphasise enough how wonderful a project it is, or how fulfilling it is to take the photograph on the last day of the year knowing that you've done it!

I've learnt a few things over the past three years that make completing a 365 Project easier, and I thought I'd share them for anyone embarking on a project this year.

Tips For Completing a 365 Photo A Day Project

  • Snap, snap and snap again:
    • This is the first and foremost guideline. I personally feel it is better to have taken ten photographs throughout the course of the day and have the choice to select the best or most apt, than to struggle to find one for the day. Developing a habit of taking photographs is not difficult and becomes second nature very quickly. I'm a bit of an expert at whipping out my phone and capturing The Boy before he's even noticed.
    • And if the worse thing happens and it gets to bedtime and you've forgotten to take a photograph, there's nothing better than a sleeping child shot. Use a torch to illuminate them and provide a warm glow rather than the flash which is harsh and risks waking your child up!
  • Always have a camera to hand:
    • It doesn't matter whether it's a phone camera or a swanky dSLR, I've often heard the expression that the best camera to have is the one in your hand. Children won't pause for you to run and get the proper camera, they also won't repeat it if you missed it as the setting was the wrong one. Photography is art, but it's also about capturing a moment. For most parents it will be entirely about remembering their child at that point in time, when you look back at the photograph in a year you won't care if it was take on a mobile phone or an £800 camera, just that it was taken.
  • Organise:
    • I had a general folder for all my 365 photos in the first year and I numbered them as to which of the 365 days they were. Disaster! During the 2013 project I set up a folder for each month and named each photograph using the date format with the day in brackets, e.g. 1st January 2014 (Wednesday). It makes it easier for me to find the relevant photographs quickly, and to check that I've got them all!

    Tips For Completing a 365 Photo A Day Project

  • Edit:
    • Sometimes a photograph doesn't turn out quite as intended; the lighting might have been too dark or the colour is all wrong. Worse there may be a little photobombing incident, or a smudge or stain in the wrong place. Crop, lighten, clone or airbrush the mark. The queens of editing on mobile devices are HPMcQ and Point And Snap The World. I use Picmonkey.com to retrieve many a photograph. If the worst happens and a photograph is grainy and poorly exposed, I lighten the photograph, turn it black and white and put a little sepia filter on it. Suddenly I have an atmospheric and dramatic photograph which has been saved from the recycle bin.

    Tips For Completing a 365 Photo A Day Project

  • Challenge and Improve:
    • Use the experience to hone your photography skills. I very quickly realised the importance of composing a photograph, if only to ensure there wasn't a pile of washing in the background or my shadow wasn't covering half of the subject. Work out how to take advantage of natural lighting to ensure the photograph is exposed properly or as backlighting, use the rule of thirds to help with composition, or use silhouettes to create a wonderful effect. A Party Of Seven has a fabulous series called Mammarazzi helping to explain some more advanced photography principles. You do not need a fancy camera to take fancy photos.
  • Themes:
    • Somewhere around the third month, you may well lose the desire to ever press the shutter button again. If this happens, set yourself a theme to interpret which will help freshen up your photography. The wonderful A Kilt And A Camera has used the themes 'Through' and 'From Where I Stand' for an entire year, the latter was a wonderful theme to interpret which I often borrowed in slow weeks. Likewise Carole Finds Her Wings has set herself weekly themes to follow and been very imaginative. I've also used the FatMumSlim Instagram prompts, and Britmums provide Snap Happy suggestions.
  • 365 and Blogging:
    • If posting on a blog to take part in a linky like the one I host, it is easier to do a weekly round-up post than to post daily as that is very restrictive on your free time. I use Picmonkey.com to create a collage of my seven photographs which I put into one post and write a description for each day. I also have a separate page on my self-hosted blog to keep my 365 posts on so as not to flood the main home page. Ensure that the photographs aren't too small otherwise your audience won't be able to see them properly, most websites accommodate a width of 500 pixels.
  • Enjoy:
    • Doing a 365 project should be about capturing the every day and the fun, it should be enjoyed and not feel like a chore. Capture the fun.

Other tips provided by the 365 bloggers who join in with my linky each week are:

  • Don't beat yourself up when you forget and end up with a photo of the washing up or the book you're reading.
  • Have spare batteries for your camera so you don't miss out on snaps when they run out!
  • Pick a theme you can have fun with.
  • Make your photos fit with your life, so its the good the bad and the ugly… it would be nice to have perfect well captured pics but its not going to happen in this house!
  • Don't compare photos – just because someone else has taken a professional looking picture with an all singing all dancing dSLR camera, it doesn't make your quick phone snap any less important or meaningful!
  • Don't worry about impressing anyone – it is a photo a day of your life and they are memories of your life and what is important to you. Even if it is a photo of a sleeping child, a flower in a vase or a meal you have cooked as long as it is important to you that is what matters. Don't feel stressed trying to take a better photo, just enjoy taking the ones you do.

Tips For Completing a 365 Photo A Day Project

With thanks to Jenny from Mummy Mishaps, Kate from Family Fever, Pippa from Redrose Mummy, Emma from The Mini Mes and Me, Jaime from The Oliver's Madhouse, Carole from Carole Finds Her Wings, Peg from A Kilt and A Camera, and Jo from Jo's Nursery for the above suggestions.

Aldi Ski Range (Review)

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Regular readers of this blog are used to seeing The Boy kitted out in his bright blue all-in-one ski-suit during Winter months. Wrapped up warmly inside this, he will happily play for hours outside on the beach, in a forest or in the snow. Never on a ski-slope though, which goes to show the adaptability of the outfit.

Just before Christmas we were sent some of the ski-wear range from Aldi which was launched in December as a part of their Special Buys selections. Unfortunately, the set that we were sent was for 7-8 year old boys which obviously doesn't fit my four and half year old son. However, I was so impressed with the salopettes and ski jacket that I immediately went out to buy the snow boots that went with it. If I'd been clever then I'd have tried to predict the size he would be when he is indeed 7-8 years old, but that's a tricky job when he has only gone up once size in a year.

The salopettes and ski jacket are excellent quality and in a really nice design and colourway.

Aldi ski-suit

It's nice to see boys' clothing that isn't bright blue or a garish neon green or orange, but a more subdued shade of green and classic grey. The salopettes have thick elastic braces to them which will ensure they don't fall down and as the straps are so wide then they won't dig in to his shoulders either. At the bottom of each leg there is an inner boot snow-flap with slip-resistant tape and an outer leg which fits over the top of the boot. Very conveniently, this is zipped to provide easy access when putting boots on or taking them off; something his current snowsuit doesn't have. The jacket has elasticated snow protection at the waist and cuff to prevent snow slipping in. There is also a zipped pocket in the arm, designed for a ski pass but perfect for other important things when playing outdoors.

While the stock on these products is obviously limited to what is left in store still, I nipped into Aldi yesterday (actually to buy their sweetener as it is the only non-aspartame based one in any supermarkets) and spotted that there were still plenty of boots and salopettes, along with merino wool thermals.

Priced at only £14.99 each for the jacket and salopettes, they are £10.00 cheaper than those I've seen in Matalan, and actually better quality.

I was sent these products for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

The Chair, Again

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The chair is the same.

Less padding in its seat now, but that's ok because there's more in mine.

The green cushion is squished out of all recognisable shape and could never be interpreted as ever having been square now.

But the chair is the same.

The tune on the mobile is the same.

Your dark eyelashes rest against your flushed cheeks in the same way that they did three years ago, but now those cheeks aren't as round or chubby. The Cupid's bow of your lips is more pronounced, your nose longer and taking shape. Your hair darker and more coarse.

Your face is still squished against me in the familiar manner of a child desperately seeking comfort from his mother, desperately trying to take the pain (of yet another wretched ear infection) away.

You curl an arm around my neck and pull yourself closer. Bring your knees up to your chest as I wrap my right arm around your lower half tighter to stop you from slipping. My left arm is burning with the strange angle it is contorted into to hold you close. Three years ago I could hold you with one arm nestled into me and type up a blog post with my right hand on my phone. Now I need both arms to hold you tight, while your legs dangle almost to the floor over the edge of my lap.

I contemplate my next move. How do I lift you enough to place you back into bed? Waking you is not my concern, the sheer effort of standing up while holding you is enough to consider. I tuck you in and smooth your hair, positioning Oliver Monkey under your arm. When did you become so big? Tonight has proven though that you won't stop being my baby for quite some time yet.

And the chair is still the same.

BOB Revolution CE Stroller (Review)

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Early in 2013 I was approached by Britax to become an ambassador. Incredibly flattered and excited to work with them, I accepted eagerly and the PR and I engaged in a conversation to determine the best product for The Boy. Aware of his increasing age, that at nearly four years old he was hitting the upper age limit for their products, we settled on a lightweight stroller which would be good for longer walks (when he still became tired) or weekend trips.

We were sent the BOB Revolution CE Stroller to review, as it was meant to accommodate a lot more weight and have a bigger seat so would probably last a bit longer. The Boy and I eagerly unwrapped the box and set to putting it together (a little bit tricky) and he eagerly clambered in. And that is why it's taken me longer than I would have liked to review. While the seat of the BOB is wider and it has a decent amount of leg space, the hood is very flat and it left very little head space. When the hood is folded back, there is a lot of folded fabric to accommodate and it takes up space where his head should have been. When the canopy is open and extended fully, the upper sling of the fabric doesn't support his head.

Mortified and disappointed it took a little while to work out what to do. In the end I've borrowed a friend's two and a half year old son to model the stroller.

Bob Revolution CE stroller

The specifications for the BOB Revolution CE Stroller (amongst others) are:

  • Swiveling front wheel allows for superior maneuverability. Locks forward for increased stability when jogging or if the terrain turns tough.
  • Easy, two-step folding, lightweight frame for convenient transport and storage.
  • State-of-the-art, adjustable suspension system provides an exceptionally smooth ride.
  • Ultra-padded, adjustable reclining seat for enhanced seating comfort. Five-point padded harness helps keep your child comfortably secure.
  • Multi-position canopy adjusts for protection against the elements. Large viewing window lets you keep an eye on your baby.
  • Lightweight alloy wheels with pneumatic tires and tubes are durable and compact.
  • Low Boy Cargo Basket provides plenty of undercarriage storage. Additional space in large seatback pocket. Internal seat pockets provide a great place for snacks and toys.
  • Padded handlebar for comfort; wrist strap helps you secure stroller when strolling and provides handy fold lock when folded.

I've always been skeptical of three-wheeled strollers or pushchairs as I was worried about tipping and felt they were bulkier than the standard four wheeler. The BOB is very sturdy and tipping didn't seem to be possible accidentally. It is a little bulkier and the front wheel does remove for storage in the boot of a car. When folded in the house, the front wheel is best removed otherwise it slips and falls over. It also takes up a lot more space when folded than a conventional four wheeled pushchair.

I look for a few factors in pushchairs: reclining function, shopping baskets and rain-covers. The shopping basket is large but is similar to a sling without a decent depth to it, so I'm not sure how useful it would be for a shopping trip. Reclining the BOB is not as simple as pulling on a lever like on a Kiddy or a Maclaren pushchair; it uses straps (similar to those on a rucksack) to loosen and lower the back to the required position. This is not something that strikes me as an easy thing to do with a sleeping child, and keep the child asleep! The raincover is fairly easy to fit over and has a large viewing window for the child to see out, with vents down either side.

A more detailed analysis of the specification for the BOB Revolution CE stroller is available on the website directly. The CE model is advertised as being good for "Tight corners, crowded pavements and small spaces" but I beg to differ that it is too bulky and large a pushchair to negotiate the crowded streets of a busy town centre or even a suburban area. It is better suited to energetic parents who are looking for something for jogging or long woodland walks.

Priced at £325.00 for the stroller unit, £16.00 for the rain-cover and a further £20.00 for the detachable snack tray, the BOB Revolution CE is at the top end of the price range for a pushchair like this. Having reviewed both a Maclaren Techno XLR and a Kiddy City 'n' Move (and owned an iCandy Cherry), I don't feel that this is an option that I would have investigated independently due to the size, price and lack of capacity for a larger child.

I was sent this product to review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Two Thousand And Thirteen

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I am not one for the sentimentality of New Year's Eve.

I genuinely struggle with people who feel that because the clock strikes midnight and one day turns into another that all of a sudden the slate is wiped clean, and they can forget mistakes or negative things that have happened. I am the type of person who believes that everything happens for a reason and we should learn from things that happen to us. It is, after all, better to regret something that you did do than something you didn't.

However, as I sit here with my husband pottering in the kitchen and my son ensconced in his cocoon upstairs, I am taken with a surge of reminiscence.

So what happened in 2013 to our little family?

Anything special?

Any huge changes?

No. For us life continued in an average day to day fashion.

With rainbows and snowball fights. Cycling down a one-way path and learning to swing. Eating an ice-cream on the beach in 5°C. Rolling down a bank. Climbing a tree. Jumping from a tree. Frolicking in only pants in the sand and scaling the London Eye. Standing on a swing. Driving a tractor. Going on a rollercoaster for the first time.

Turning 4, 36 and 38.

Collecting conkers. One wedding. Not singing 'Big Red Combine Harvester' on stage. Singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' on stage. A holiday in Butlin's. Another one in Dorset. One in Cornwall too. Several weekends in London. Discovering the importance of cousins. Of siblings. Waving goodbye to a brother as he emigrated to the other side of the world. Enjoying the relationship with the other. Jumping from a moving swing. Squelching in mud. Meeting a shrinking man. Giving Welsh cakes to a short, Welsh man. Swinging on a rope swing. Making new friends. Developing longer standing one.

And did I mention the swing?

2013

365 #52

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WAHOO! We made it! Another year of Project 365 complete!

Seriously well done to every single person who has snapped away for 365 days, and those who've taken part in Project 52. It is a major accomplishment and you should all feel very proud when you look back on the photos you've taken this year.

This is the beginning and end of my 2013:

Day 1 & Day 365 of 2013

I really hope that many of you will continue with the project next year, reviewing how much you've accomplished and the changes in your children is amazing!

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Join in by entering the URL of your favourite photograph of the week (either a 52 or a 365 photo) and show some comment love to everyone else in the community. We've got a Facebook group, and now I've created a collaborative Pinterest board (if you'd like to collaborate, let me know and I'll add you).

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
365



Days 356 – 365 of Project 365

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Days 356-365 of Project 365

356. Twist and… SNAP! (I enlisted his help to prepare the Brussel sprouts ready for Christmas Day. Buying them on the stalk was a complete indulgence, but it was good for him to see how they actually grow.)

357. Wrapping (The Boy had some help from me to wrap Daddy's present, and then wrote who it was for and from on it. I love seeing him writing independently.)

358. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care… (Our traditional Christmas Eve was great fun this year: making and decorating the gingerbread house, watching Polar Express in the pyjamas that Edward the Elf left as a present when he returned to the North Pole, making reindeer food and sprinkling it, hanging up our stockings from the mantelpiece. We always finish with 'The Night Before Christmas' as a bedtime story.)

359. I Got It Right (Showing a photo of The Boy opening a present with a gleeful face would have been too obvious. This is Mr. TBaM opening up his present; a scooter which he has wanted for 18 months.)

360. Cheese (Mum took us out to a beachside Italian restaurant for lunch on Boxing Day rather than her standing in the kitchen cooking for two hours! It was great to have something different and to sit as a family, thoroughly enjoying each other's company.)

361. Builder (The Boy and I have very excitedly been constructing a castle from the Teifoc brick set that we gave him for Christmas. We've made a few errors – like forgetting to put the doorframe in – but have really had good fun doing it together.)

362. Crashed Out (My final week wouldn't be complete without a sleeping Boy photo!)

363. Tiger, Tiger (Father Christmas brought The Boy face paints and he asked me if I'd paint his face. He's never had it done before and I was amazed at how well he sat while I did it, then he spent ten minutes roaring at himself in the mirror. However, I've just discovered how hard it is to get off; he still has yellow in his eyebrows two days later!)

364. Little Chef (We've been having major issues with The Boy's eating ever since he was sick at his aunt's wedding seven weeks ago. It's almost psychosomatic in a way. On Sunday he'd refused to eat his scrambled eggs because of the colour – it's one of his favourite meals – and had made himself vomit as a result. On Monday we went shopping for his choice of tea and he helped me prepare it; result as he ate it all!)

365. Splat! (The day started in the same way that everyday has for the past week; torrential rain and drab, grey skies. I felt a bit down in the dumps but resolved to don our waterproofs and go to the beach. However by the time we got there, the sun was shining, the sky was azure, and it was actually quite warm. As the tide was far out beyond the end of the pier, we ventured down onto the beach and trotted down to the water's edge; over pebbled, fine golden sand, rockpools and squelchy mud. This is where we had a great time making huge footprints and gloopy noises. I turned around to take a picture of the pier, heard an "uh-oh" and whipped back around to see this. Thank God I'd put his waterproof trousers on him!)

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TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

Gro-Clock (Review)

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Earlier this year on twitter I expressed mild irritation concern at The Boy's inability to stay asleep in the early hours of the morning. He was going through a phase of waking at around 5.30am and not going back to sleep; we were all exhausted and life was becoming quite unbearable! Many, many people stepped forward and suggested a sleep training clock, and The Gro Company stepped in to send us a Gro Clock to try out on him.

Words cannot express how grateful I am to the wonderful folk of twitter and the ingenius person who invented the Gro Clock, for changing my son's early morning sleeping habits.

The Gro Clock is a small white clock made up of a circular display with digital images on it. During daytime or 'waking' hours it shows a yellow screen with an overlaid image of a smiling and awake sun, but at nighttime or 'sleeping hours' it displays a soothing blue screen with a snoozing star to remind a stirring child that it's still sleepy time. The adult sets the acceptable waking time in the clock and, once the nighttime button has been pressed to change the screen from the sun to the sleeping star, the display will continue to show the sleeping star (with miniature countdown stars around the outside edge) until the clock has reached the time set. At this point the sun wakes back up and takes over the display with the yellow background again.

With the clock comes a wonderful story which explains the way that it works via a setting of a pig who lives on a farm and is grumpy because he doesn't have enough sleep. This is a wonderful story, beautifully illustrated and it really explains to the children the important of getting enough sleep.

The Boy took to the clock very quickly and it has become firmly embedded into our bedtime routine. He understood the point of it very quickly, and it took around a month for him to realise that if it was still blue then it wasn't time to be awake. We did have a random week early on where The Boy would wake up and rather than go back to sleep he would lie awake waiting for it to change to yellow. As he had no idea how long it would be (and sometimes it was an hour!), this was a particularly infuriating point of the training. However, it then took a month for him to train himself to go back to sleep, with consistent reiteration from us that if the screen was blue he had to close his eyes again. Once he'd understood it and 'got the hang of it', then we were able to change wake-up time from 6 o'clock to 6.45am. This took another month as we took it very slowly and only changed it by an extra ten minutes or so each week.

We're now eight months on from starting to use the Gro Clock and I could not recommend it strongly enough to parents of toddlers or older children! Every time we go away (even if only for one night), the clock comes with us. It is so reassuring to hear The Boy tell me that he saw the clock was blue and so he went back to sleep!

The Gro Clock is available from a variety of high street stores or online directly for £29.99.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

The Best Playground (Country Kids)

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Considering what an advocate of outdoor play I am, I've found it increasingly difficult since The Boy started school to get out and about more than once or twice a week on a school day. When he comes home from school he's utterly exhausted and collapses on the sofa for half an hour or so, vegetating in front of the television while chomping down on a snack. Invariably by the time he's recovered enough to do anything it's pitch-black outside.

I must try harder next half-term.

However, while we have managed to get down to the nature reserve to feed the swans once a week or popped to a park, we seem to have neglected the best playground around; our back garden. With a climbing frame and slide set, plus a swing, there's really not much more he needs to create some fun and games in his own time. Therefore on Christmas Eve morning, when things were becoming a little fraught in the house, I sent The Boy out with Mr. TBaM to rediscover how easy it is to get 15 minutes outdoors a day.

The Best Playground

Watching him through the kitchen window as I made our Christmas cake, it struck me how more physically aware and confident he is than six months ago when he first had the climbing frame. The Boy now scampers up the side of the frame easily and balances at the top with no problem. The swing seems to have become a challenge for him; how many acrobatic moves can he perform on it? Standing on it gave me a few palpitations, and then I saw him jump off the seat…

He ended the play with an attempt at flying. Because he's four and if he wants to believe he can then I'm not one to stop him!

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country kidsOutdoor play party