(Laguna Beach, photo by me.)
Wishing you all a happy and safe Fourth of July!
For more photos of the American Flag check out Flickrs’ American Flag Group.
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 Author ArchiveThree tips for taking amazing family photosJuly 3rd, 2009, 8:37 am by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer(Enter to win a photo workshop class from Anytime-Art by leaving a comment.) The moment people become parents, their world is immediately filled with “I wish I had my camera!” moments. But sometimes, even if you do have your camera, you end up with images that don’t have the impact that a special moment deserves. To inspire your creativity when photographing your children, we , Mali from Mali Workman Photography and Noel from Bosh Images who combine creative forces for the Anytime-Art website, are going to give you these 3 tips to keep in mind: 1. Try new things: One of the best things about a digital camera is that there is no cost for the bad pictures you take. Experiment all you want! Use different angles like from below and from above instead of always being at eye level with your kids. You’ll be surprised at what you get. As you try new things, some will work and some won’t… so remember to delete all the bad ones once you get home. Your computer will thank you later. 2. Think about your composition: Read the rest of this entry » Little moments of wonder at Aquarium of the PacificJuly 1st, 2009, 8:39 am by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
Summertime weighs heavy on these heavy hitter attractions, I knew that before I got there, so I was prepared for the inevitable crunch of kids, parents, and exhausted grandparents. I was a little stressed being there with the kids by myself. It was a struggle to keep my eyes on them in the dim light and among all the people pressing their way to the glass. But, there were little moments of wonder that made it all well worth it! These jellyfish, which I know now are Pacific Sea Nettles, were our favorite part. We stayed in this part of the aquarium for a long time, just watching them spin and dance around. So beautiful. Ben, my five-year-old, who just minutes before declared he would only be a fish if he could be a shark, now included jelly fish as an option for fishness. “It’s good to have choices,” I agreed with him. ✻✻✻✻✻✻✻ A friend of mine told me about this online ticket purchase discount. Also, 10% discount with AAA, which is probably true for most things we do, I just always forget to ask. Parking is $7, but make sure to have cash ready because you pay before you park. Win (or make your own) Fourth of July cupcakes!June 30th, 2009, 8:54 am by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
Baking cupcakes day in and day out for my company, Meringue Bake Shop, I look forward to finding fun ways to mix it up and break the monotony. Sometimes it’s by changing up the flavors, sometimes it’s by finding new ways to decorate, or it’s finding new ways to eat them! Cupcake kabobs are easy, fun and inexpensive to make. Using your favorite cake recipes or buying box cake mix, these kabobs come together with minimal effort. They are a fun project to keep your kids busy at your 4th of July BBQ. And they look great and are delicious! There are instructions on how to win a dozen just in time for the Fourth at the bottom of my post, but if you feel up to making them yourself, here are the directions. Read the rest of this entry » Free OC: The Dana Point tide poolsJune 28th, 2009, 8:57 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
(Dana Point Harbor, photos by me. That’s my family up there on the sea wall, my toes in the sand, and that heart is Emily’s new signature.)
There are so many things to do; hike the sea wall, browse the gift shop, see the tall ship Pilgram, play on the beach, say “hi” to the sea lions that are always laying around the rocks, and explore the tide pools. Take your camera! Serious potential for your family’s Christmas card photo being snapped while out there. The Ocean Institute is there too, but it will cost you; $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for kids 2 and over. If you are going in the morning, pack a lunch and find a place to eat on the beach, but I suggest going later to romp around when it’s less crowded and then catch the sunset. The whole beach lights up a warm pink and they have benches to sit on and take it all in–you have to do this at least once. After the sun goes down, there you’ll be with your family, in the dark parking lot of the Dana Point Harbor–starving. What to do next? There’s a nice little ’50s style Denny’s on PCH on your way out of the harbor and they offer free kids meals Tuesdays and Saturdays nights. Just a suggestion. Have fun and remember–free can be just as much fun as expensive, but costs a lot less!! ❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄ Other things to do in Orange County that won’t cost ya’ The Santiago Art District’s Art Walk Play with your kids outside way past when the street lights come on! This Guest Blogger says “See mom run!”June 26th, 2009, 11:28 am by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
As a full-time civilian law enforcement employee, people always ask how I do it all. I work 40+ hours a week, have a husband, a 4 year-old son, volunteer with the Junior League, blog, and I run. Running is where I am able to relieve some stress. I average at least 15-20 miles of running a week. I just have to schedule my running along with everything else in my busy life. I don’t know how I could survive right now without my BlackBerry. I usually run the beautiful San Clemente Beach Trail with a friend at least twice a week. On Thursdays, I have been running with a run club formed by the store lululemon at the Irvine Spectrum. I try to fit in at least two other runs in the week, either on the treadmill in my garage, or a casual trot around my neighborhood. In the past 6 months, I have completed 6 road races. I try to do at least one race a month. I have run the races with friends and with my run club. These races are for charity and for fun. The biggest reason that I do all of these races is to challenge myself. Here are a few things to think about if you want to start training for races: #1 pick a “do-able” race that you can physically do and can commit the time to train #2 gets good shoes #3 You can’t cheat a race! If try you will pay the price! Put in the time to train and it will pay off. In the past two years, I’ve lowered my time for a 5K (3.1 miles) by 12 minutes My next big event is the OC Mud Run which is on July 18th. This will be my second mud run that I’ve done. The first one was last September, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department Mud Run. I declared it, “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done”, and it still is. I have never been so dirty, scrapped up, sunburnt, and tired from any of my other runs. I consider a “mud run” just a fun event, not something I’m trying to win. I think finishing is a great goal for me this time and the gloating afterwards is always great. It’s fantastic to tell people, “I did the mud run last weekend.” ❄❄❄❄❄❄
You can also follow Julie on Twitter, again, which I highly suggest. She posts things like a picture of the kids’ toy at Ruby’s she couldn’t put together and she is usually up for having a Twitter conversions at one in the morning–which is priceless. We just meant to scare them just a little, not scar them for lifeJune 24th, 2009, 3:18 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing WriterArt work available on Etsy.
My husband, Larry, and I were just thinking of a creative way to get our kids to brush their teeth for two minutes. We had tried it all; toothbrushes that play “High School Musical” songs, cute little timers, threats, and, the old standard, blatant bribes. Then we thought, “What about scaring the living daylights out of them?” Kidding. We didn’t plan on doing that, but that’s what happened. One night last week after the usual hassle / battle at the basin, Larry decided to show the kids what will happen if they don’t brush their teeth twice a day for two minutes — implementing the scare ‘em straight method. Where did he go for this kind of propaganda? Why YouTube, of course. He found this lovely video of the foulest teeth you’ll ever see, ever. So we plopped them down in front of my computer and let them watch this video (right before bed, mind you). I am warning you, this is D.isgusting with a capital “D,” but it IS set to a great song, “I want candy,” by Bow Wow Wow. Not that it makes it okay, but just wanted to point that out. 
I know! It’s like the dental version of a Quentin Tarantino movie. Gross, right? Yea, our kids thought so too. Mission accomplished. They scurried to the bathroom practically tripping over each other to get to their toothbrushes. But when we went to put them to bed, Read the rest of this entry » Winner of the Andreas Hotel giveaway!June 22nd, 2009, 1:17 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer(Photo by me, taken in Palm Spings.)
Living in Orange County it seems I rarely hear people say, “Oh, we can’t afford that” or “That’s not in our budget.” I believe people think it, but hardly ever express it. That’s why I loved this post and the long thread of comments that followed it. People were honest and seemed like they truly wanted to help out. Thanks everyone! Before I announce the winner (chosen by random.org, thanks for the suggestion) I wanted to share some of my favorite tips: Marlys : SCE A/C cycling plan: if you don’t have this, call them now (well that is if they’re your provider. I think SDG&E has it too). During the summer months, you can get up to $50/mo off your bill (it’s a formula based on your A/C size). They put a remote control box on your A/C unit outside, and it gives them the ability to turn off the A/C for specified amts of time, depending on the plan you choose, in the event of a power shortage. Details Here. Casey at Love 2 Pinch Pennies, had a lot of good ones, here’s one: We have also cut out all eating out. That alone saves $400 a month! I still can’t believe we used to spend all that money on eating out. Expensive, but clean up was a breeze! North County Mike: I mow my own lawns and all the other gardening stuff myself. No more paying a gardener. Sipote:- Budget! Create one. I’m work with number so I have a fancy spreadsheet tracking every cent we spend and comparing it to the budget WE create at the beginning of the month. We also use Quicken to track and download all of our bank/401k transactions. You can find free software to help you budget online. Try mint.com or wesabe.com (both very good programs) -Get your husband (or the main bread winner) a term life insurance. Shop around online, they are very inexpensive policies. NO whole life, please! They are ripoffs. - Keli Horton’s is my favorite because it is so simple: Paint your own toes. Brew your own coffee. Cook your own meals. Entertain your kids yourself. Entertain your husband yourself. Do your own hair. Sew your own clothes… kidding! Shop second hand.. cool stuff to be had. Go to the beach And the winner is … ADVERTISEMENT
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