2015 P52 Week 4: Sign of the Times

In case you missed it, this year I'm participating in a group photo project on the ClickinMoms photography forum. Each week, we are given a prompt for a photo. In the end we'll have 52, one for each week of the year. I've also been taking part in a weekly blog circle with some of the other women: that's what this post is all about.

For week 4 of my project 52, we were invited to think about and photograph something that might not exist 10-20 years from now. I had a few ideas for this photo, including maps and phone booths, but in the end, I chose something more personal. This photo is of P testing Aedan's blood glucose, something we do 3 times a day. The technology is already there to replace the finger pokes and glucometers with some kind of continuous monitoring, and I think that 10 years from now it will be commonplace, and likely incorporating smartphone apps.



Please visit the rest of the talented photographers in the circle, starting with Jude!

2015 P52 Week 3: Favourite

Well, I didn't get this post together in time for the blog circle, but I wanted to share anyway. This week's prompt for my project 52 was "your favourite". And right now, my favourite is nap time. Aedan is a huge challenge these days: he requires an almost inhuman amount of patience and presence. I so look forward to being able to lay down with him for the few moments before he falls asleep. When he is calm, and quiet, and not kicking or hitting or spitting or yelling. When he wakes up, it's like a clean slate. We're all refreshed and ready to get through the rest of the day.

2015 P52 week 2: House on Fire

For this week's challenge, we had to think about and photograph what we'd grab if our house were on fire and we had 10 minutes to gather personal possessions. It made for some beautiful images and stories shared in the forum, and lots of thought provoking discussion.

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would grab. But in the end, I feel like, other than the obvious (our lives) there is nothing we couldn't replace. I've lost an important piece of heirloom jewelry in the last couple of years, and it was agony for about a year. And then I got over it. They're just things. Most of my photos exist somewhere on the internet. So, I was practical in what I would grab. It doesn't make for a very interesting picture, but it certainly has had me thinking a lot over the past week.

My camera, which is replaceable, but it's always on my mind so, if I'm being honest, I would probably grab it. The diaper bag, because that's second nature by now. Aedan's boots, because I wouldn't want his feet to get cold, and his glucometer and Glyburide. Both of which are easily replaceable, but, like the camera, it's always on my mind.



Please take a few minutes to check out some of the amazing talent in our blog circle. Next up is Kristy.

Where in the world?

At first I was avoiding writing this post. And then I felt ready to write it, but couldn't make the time. Now I've got about 3 posts I want to write, and I just need to get this out of the way! So, while Colm naps beside me and Aedan is quietly watching t.v., I'll fill you in.

After 2 weeks of Costa Rica, we decided it just was not the right time or place for our family to be experimenting with the ex-pat lifestyle. We made a radical change to our plans, and came back to Ontario in time for the holidays. Costa Rica is absolutely beautiful, and it is a place to which I will return. There is so much more of it to be explored, and when the kids are older, maybe we'll see it all. The beach we stayed at was wonderfully low-key, almost undiscovered really, and we've got some great memories of it. Aedan discovered that he loves to play in the waves and to devour mangoes in the sand. And Colm never showed a moments hesitation with the water! He even tried taking his first real steps in the surf. I guess he thought it would be easier to enjoy from a slightly higher vantage. 

We relaxed, we soaked up the sun, we ate our combined weight in fruit, we dispatched no less than 6 scorpions from our house (and one enormous, hairy black spider), we watched a group of 10 howler monkeys move through the trees at our back deck, we played in the waves and watched the sun set over the Pacific ocean every night.

I felt so guilty, so ungrateful, when we first made the decision to come back to Ontario so soon. But I know now it was the right one. Spending the holidays with family felt like exactly the thing we should have been doing, and the boys are loving all the time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. 

Without any further ado, here are some of my favourite photos from Costa Rica. Enjoy!

2015 CM P52 week 1: You

One of my goals for this year is to continue to practise and improve my photography. I'm going to try to shoot daily, but I'm also trying to be realistic! Between the two littles and a baby due in May, I know I'll miss days. But I still want to push myself a little, so I've commited to a group 52 project: posting a photo a week, following the prompts on the Clickin' Moms forum. Alongside that, I'm going to join in a blog circle with some of the ladies in the group. Week 1 is a self-portrait. Seems like a logical place to start the year, so here I am!




Next in the blog circle is Karen!