It's a frigid winter Monday, MLK day to be exact, so many families are able to just stay home and snuggle up. I woke up with a determination today to be an interactive Mom, which brings me to my first confession.

1. We made cute little itsy bitsy spiders out of magazines and yarn. Got the idea from here. Here's Macy showing us hers (along with her crazy morning hair).

2. We also did some water color painting before lunchtime. I know, I thought I better slow down or I will use up all my creativity on Monday, leaving the rest of the week to be sad and boring :) Don't be too impressed, I feel like there's a sticker chart in the sky somewhere that moms get more stickers when they don't let their kids watch too much tv or something.

3. I am reading, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling and it seriously makes me laugh out loud. I am not even really a fan of The Office though, I tried to watch it a few times but didn't "get it." (I know, I know, what is wrong with me?!) Mindy Kaling is not only one of their actresses but one of their writers. If you need a good laugh, this is a good read. I mean who doesn't need two pages of "Karaoke Etiquette" to edify them?! According to Mindy, it "behooves you to pick a short song. I don't care if Don freakin' McLean shows up in a red-white-and-blue tuxedo, no one is allowed to sing 'American Pie'. It's kind of hostile to a group of partiers to pick a song longer than three minutes." Not done yet but I am sure the rest of the book will be enjoyable!

4. Dean has turned into a little Kramer. Remember the Seinfeld episode when Kramer decided he liked the feeling of his pants right from the dryer so he started putting them in the oven before putting them on?! Well Saturday I was doing the kids sheets and blankets in the laundry. Everything was dry and warm just in time for naptime. Dean was in the love with his heated up blankets, so much so that he requested today we warm them in the dryer before naptime. I can't blame him, it's 29 degrees out!

5. Did you hear I am giving away an engagement session to one lucky couple? Make sure you let your engaged friends know! I will have updated details coming soon, email me with questions. emily@emilytroutmanphoto.com

6. My workshop is still in the planning stages but I have come to the conclusion that I will really need to do two different types of workshops. One for those of you out there who have decent point and shoots but just want to learn how to do better with them (which is totally great!) The other workshop would be those of you who have a DSLR and some knowledge of what to do with it. The DSLR workshop would be a bit more elaborate because we would spend a little less time on the basics and more time pushing creativity. I want to hear from YOU - what types of things would you want to learn in a workshop?? Email or message me about any of this because I need to hear it. I am spoiled by getting 16 weeks to teach an intro college class, I need to hear from people what they would like to learn in a short 3 hours!

7. You know I like Tori & Dean, I didn't say I was always deep people. I think it's funny that they are pretty relatable. Tori is a very glamorous version of a working mom but my hats off to her for doing it her own way. I can't help but laugh that no matter how glamorous a mom might be, her kid still throws tantrums, the food still gets burnt and she still has tiffs with the hubby. It's all a little reassuringly normal (if you don't count the paparazzi, $500 pairs of shoes, and her gaggle of animals).

8. I got an iphone last week. I know, welcome to the 2000's Emily. I remeber when the very first ones came out and cost $600. Occassionally there is an upside to depreciating technology! I am enjoying it lots. What apps do you like friends?

9. On the crush note, Hawaii 5-0 is all new tonight! Woohoo!

10. I am excited to pick up with my photo sessions this month. I just got my camera all cleaned and fixed up by the Canon people. It's ready to capture your memories! Booking now for family sessions through the spring! emily@emilytroutmanphoto.com

If you didn't catch my feature on the Chockababy blog last week, definitely check it out! If you have never checked out Chockababy, it's a great service as well. Have a great week friends!

Emily Troutman Photography