Easing back into a routine AFTER school begins!

     There are all kinds of Getting Back to School Lists.  No matter how many times you get to go through it, those first couple of weeks are just rough; getting used to a new morning routine, hoping the bus driver remembers to pick up your child, after school snacks and activities, dinner, homework, and bed.  There are also the weekends.

What’s a mom to do?  You have to navigate through all of this WHILST maintaining your personal routine, and pray that your children sync with you, and not the other way around.

     

     1.Start off the morning with easy, fun breakfasts.  Here are 35 delicious dishes that you and your kids can pre-make for the week.  Some are even awesome for after school snacks.

     2. Pick simple clothes to wear.  I know you did back to school shopping, following the rules that the school sets, and you know you love those first back to school outfits.  Hopefully you set these out the night before with your children’s help.

     3. Bus, walk, or carpool?  If you’ve never put your kids on the bus, it can be a little bit anxiety-inducing, especially if you experience the bus completely forgetting about your kids.  Make sure you know where the bus stop is, and the best walking route.  If you carpool, make sure you know where the drop off area is, and make sure that your kids are ready to jump out as soon as you stop. 

4.  After School Snacks can be easy to make, delicious, and full of nutrition.  Here are 16 awesome snacks you can make with your kids, and so much better than snack cakes and chips.

5.  After-school schedules depend on your work schedule, and the personalities of your kids.  Some kids do well by coming home, getting a snack, and getting right to homework, so they have the rest of the evening to relax.  Other kids need to run and play hard right after school; all of that sitting and learning has made brains ready to explode because they need to move.  A snack, a physical activity, dinner, and then homework is a schedule that might make more sense. You’ll figure out pretty quickly what works for you.

6.  School night dinners can be pretty daunting.  I found that meal planning helped so much… Thinking about dinner 5 minutes after work is too much.  However, I know that not everyone plans their menus.  Here is a website full of possibilities, and I don’t think one needs to have kids in school to make these.  So many look sooooo delicious!

7. Evening routines can be so crazy.  Scouts, church night, sports, music lessons, and so much more can run havoc on those evenings.  Those are the nights you want to make your schedule as easy as possible.  Leftovers for dinner, clothes set out for tomorrow, and quick showers will help the next morning be easier, because your chores after dinner will be less.

8.  School lunches.  Crazy time, amirite?  So on the nights that look like the described ones in tip #7, plan for your kids to get school lunches.  Did you know that making lunch for your kids is a silent reminder of your love for them?  If you’re looking for something beyond the #basiclunches of #PBJ, this website is something you want to check out.  Easy to put together the night before, and so much fun to eat.  A simple love note on a post-it makes an extra touch.

9.  Homework is everyone’s favorite thing to do!  What do you mean, you’d rather be hung by your toes and have your leg hairs plucked individually from a scary buffalo-head-wearing salsa dancer?  LOL.  Having a distraction free area helps, but giving a 45 minute time period of working, and then 15 minutes of fun time, like a dance party.  Playing music with binaural beats can help focus; there is plenty from which to choose on YouTube.

10.  Time management is not an easily achieved skill for many people.  Helping your child put a schedule together is helpful in a kid version planner.  It may help the arguments as well, when you work with them to set up their schedule.

I hope that these different ideas help.Let us know!

10 Tips to Help Moms of High School Freshman

So often, we look on line for guides and checklists on things like, “5 Tips on Choosing a Martial Arts for Your Child”, or “17 Must Have Items for the First Time your Tween Attends Overnight Camp”, or “101 Ideas for your Boy Scout”.

Have you ever noticed that there are virtually no lists on how to prep yourself as your child gets older?  There are tips on prepping for the hospital stay, and what to expect the first year, but those really don’t cover what to expect for yourself. AmIRite?

I was actually going to write a blog article about how to help your new high school student adjust to going to a new school, and as I thought about it, I looked back 6 years ago when my son started high school, and realized, what do I wish I’d known then, with what I know now?  What could I share that can help other moms in that position?

So here you have it, Mom!  10 Tips to Help YOU Help Your New Freshman.

1.     COLLEGE:  Don’t talk about it yet.

It’s super tempting to talk about that… I get it.  But it’s hard enough for your child adjusting to navigating their school hallways, all of the new rules each teacher has, not to mention getting to the bus stop so early in the morning.  Do reminisce with your child a little bit about your first days of Freshman year, so that you can relate, but also find out what they might be expecting and work through that.

2.        IT’S COMPLETELY NEW.  Help your child with this.

Helping your child figuring out time management is vital.  I mean, *I* still need help with my time management.  Purchasing a planner and using it helps them, and you, to see how busy they are going to be with their new schedule is easier than putting everything on their phone.  Back it all up on your phones by sharing schedules, too.  And of course, sleep.  Sleep is so important, so allow those occasional weekend mornings for extra sleep.

3.        CURFEWS.

So here’s an interesting idea I found a few years ago:  Discuss together what you both think is reasonable for a high school senior’s curfew would be, and then subtract every year by 30 minutes.  So for instance, if as a senior that midnight is a good curfew, then as a junior, 11:30, a sophomore at 11:00, and a freshman at 10:30.  This is just an example.  YMMV.

4.        DISCUSSING RULES AND EXPECTATIONS. You know, the hard stuff.

Oh my gosh… this is the really hard stuff that you might be procrastinating on.  Now, we did talk about these things, but I would get eye rolls that were so loud they sounded like bowling balls, accompanied by, “Mom, I knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww”.

Every family has its own values and beliefs, and by 9^th grade, your child is familiar with those things.  Be assured that all of the conversations and the contents of them will be tested.  The hardest conversations will be about alcohol, drugs, sex, consent, birth control… and so much more.  Approaching this conversation will be different for each child, and if you haven’t started these yet, now is the best time to do so. 

Now, I lectured about these things.  That was wrongo-bongo.  Having a conversation would have made this so much more successful.  If I could do it over again, I would start by asking questions about what he’s loving about the summer break, segue it to getting ready for freshman year, and finally ask what he knows about one of these subjects.  I would do it over eating pizza or ice cream. 

And like I said, there will probably be a time that one or more of these rules and expectations will be tested.  Before that happens, deciding what the consequences would be ahead of time will make it easier at the time, instead of reacting with anger or major disappointment.  Being realistic about this will save your relationship.

5.        EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.  Keep her busy.

I really think that what children really want to do as an extra-curricular activity starts at around the age of 9.  By the time she’s in 9^th grade, she’ll know what she really wants to do.  Interests change, and so it’s OK to switch it up.  Freshman year is really a great time to explore that and discover what she loves doing.   Also, be prepared for her to change her mind; even if she does, explain that she made a commitment and sticking it out would be beneficial to her.

6.        CH-CH-CH-CHANGES IN FRIENDSHIPS.
Your teen is about to embark upon one of the most life-changing adventures of life:  meeting new friends that will help shape the rest of high school.  The ups and downs of this will happen, just be there for your child, and support him or her by offering casual get-togethers on the weekend.

7.        STICK WITH THEIR OWN KIND.

As awesome as it is for a freshman to be accepted by junior and senior friends, it’s important to remember that the life of a 17-year old is vastly different than a 14 year old.  Unless they are involved in a club activity that mixes the grades, freshman should stick together.

8.        SURREAL FOR MOM AND DAD.

Mom, this is a great opportunity to help your freshman learn to speak up.  In other words, teachers appreciate a little bit of input from you, but keep it to a minimum.  However, experts agree that if there is background information, then that should be supplied to the teacher it affects.

9.        WHAT TO TAKE?

You know your child pretty well, and what his strengths are.  Does he want strictly college prep?  That’s probably a great direction to go in, with traditional math, science, and literature courses.  Is the business world what she’s looking forward to?  Then accounting, speech, and marketing are all great places to start.  Speaking with the guidance counselor will help you and your child decide what will be best.

10.    SUNRISE, SUNSET

Where does the time go, anyway?  Most likely, you are eye-to-eye with your freshman, and you are feeling time flying be very quickly.  Take the time, every week or so, to check in and adjust to where you all are now.  Over ice cream.

11.    BONUS

Mom, you are officially in a new phase in your life, as the mother of a high school-aged child.  Either join a network of other moms, going through the same thing, or start one.  Doing so will help you to navigate and recognize that you aren’t the only one going through this, and you never know… you might make some new friends, too.

Also, don’t involve your teen with this part just yet, but do get to know the processes of applying for college and what your costs will be, etc.  Get all the information, and after the winter holidays, go over it with your child, and share some of the things you’ve learned.  Over ice cream.

It seems that ice cream will be a great way to smooth over the conversations that may be met with those eye rolls.  What a great tradition!

*The ideas for this list comes from https://grownandflown.com/mom-of-high-school-freshman/.  All verbiage above is my own.

Santa at the Beach: What to Wear

Hey Moms!

So you want to have your children photographed with Santa at the Beach on Saturday, July 13 from 9 until 2.  You know that we'll be doing a couple of activities while we're together, but the biggest question you probably have is:

What should my kids wear?

So, since it's summer, and at the beach, I recommend choosing very simple, casual clothes in your favorite holiday colors.  You could use adorable bathing suits with hats; you could do cute over-alls with no shirt; you could do a cute breezy dress, or a polo shirt and shorts.  It's entirely up to you, and how fun is it that you'll be able to display these, not only at Christmas, but summer, too!  And you can TOTALLY use these for your benefit! 

ACT NOW.  Don't delay on your call for more information!  You don't want to miss this ONE SPECIAL DAY.  We have only 20 available slots.

Our Santa at the Beach Sessions: A Guide for You

Happy Christmas in July!

Are you a beach bum?  Do you absolutely love the Santa tradition, minus Elf on a Shelf? (We hear they hate sand!)  Do you identify as an Islander with hot weather and tons of sun all year long?

We have the perfect, and most UNIQUE premium session event coming up on July 13: Santa at the Beach!

Here he is, pointing to where Donner and Blitzen are grabbing a snack, and hydrating.  Santa's reindeer have a hard time in hot weather, but they love coming to Maryland 

for some crabs and Old Bay Seasoning.

We have a bunch of fun activities for these Santa Experiences that  you. and especially your children, will LOVE.  After the initial greeting, Santa will blow bubbles with your children, and then listen to the ocean sounds in a big shell.  Then, your child can try on a couple of Santa hats.  Santa will then introduce your kids to Sandy Snowman, a round, tropical person who is related to Frosty the Snowman.  After that, Santa will check to see if your child is on the Nice List (each child will get a copy of this, featuring their name), and give an autographed bottle of magical Santa Bubbles.

We're told the Magical Bubbles help keep bedrooms safe at night from anything scary.  There will be an instructional sheet on how to use these.

But WAIT.  THERE'S MORE!

The $99 reservation fee ALSO includes the following:  a beautiful 5x15" dry erase board, just for your child, with a special message from Santa, that can help your child relive those magical moments with Santa at the Beach (and which you can use to YOUR BENEFIT).  And you'll also have $40 to spend TOWARDS your favorite, specially priced package that fits your needs and budget, starting at $65,

The products that are included with these are gorgeous folded 4x5.5 cards, and flat 5x7 cards.  This year, we are adding GLITTER PAPER, which is a top premium product, but we saw this, and I squealed.  I really, REALLY squealed LOL.  The best part of the glitter paper is that the glitter is NOT LOOSE, so no worries about having glitter everywhere.

What's NOT to love?  Well, because Santa's so busy, he's only available for one day, July 13, from 9 am until 2 pm at Jonas Greene Park in Annapolis.  Also, appointments are MANDATORY, as we need to know ahead of time about names for Santa's Nice List and how many bottles of Santa's magical bubbles the elves need to make.  You are welcome to have up to 4 children in your photographs, but certain restrictions DO APPLY*.  We have ONLY 20 slots in 5 hours.  Cell phone photographs and video will be strictly forbidden at this event.  Sorry, that's Santa's policy, not ours.

You can call Megan or Erin at 240-766-8966 for more information and to schedule your slot for this premium event.

*The $99 price includes only 1 dry erase board, so if more than one child is photographed, each additional child's dry erase board will be only $35 (regularly $60)... you'll want one for each child for your maximum benefit.  However, there will definitely be a Nice List featuring each child's name individually, and a bottle of Santa's Magical Bubbles for each child, too.

Christmas in July with Santa at the Beach!

Sand. Sky. Beach. Bubbles. Fun. Santa.

If you’re a beachy, summer-lovin’ family, who happens to be die-hard Santa fans, then this is the event for you!

No elves on shelves will be attending, by the way. We hear they are not fond of sand.
Your children will be delighted to visit with Santa at the beach!

Imagine how they’ll feel: visiting Santa in the middle of summer, with the sand between their toes, laughing over a special sandy snowman, and blowing bubbles to their hearts’ content with the big guy himself.

You’ll have photographs, cards, and gifts that are quite different from anything you’ve ever had for the holidays. Nobody else you know will have such clever and unique holiday photos!

Now, for only $99, you’ll see that this is a fantastic value. First, we’ll hop on the phone and have a great chat about what you love about summer and how fun it is to visit with Santa in July. Then, we’ll schedule your experience for July 13, and your children (up to 4 kids) will have 10 minutes to spend with Santa. During this time, they’ll do a couple of quick, fun activities, and go home with a special, autographed bottle of bubbles from Santa.

Your experience continues later on with a design consultation with your photographs; either at our studio location in Bowie, or in your home. The $99 also gives you 2 more wonderful things: a 5x10” dry erase board (valued at $60!) for your refrigerator at home so they can talk about seeing Santa at the beach every day, and $40 towards your purchase of one of our special holiday packages that start at $65.00.

Location is TBA very soon, and we’ll also be offering a rain date in August. We know that you’ll love this opportunity to have fun photographs that we know you’ll cherish all year long!

Why It's Important to Coordinate Your Photographic Artwork with Your Home's Decor

One of our FAQs is "What should we wear?" and "Do you have a place you like to photograph at?".

OK.  There's matchy-matchy, like back in the 90s when it was very popular to wear white button down shirts and blue jeans, and either barefoot or birkenstocks, and be photographed at the beach, or on the white background at the mall photo studio.










Then there's complementary, like when your daughters love the color purple and you get them dresses for their session that are really pretty, and go really well together, in a purply sort of way, in a field of lavender.






Now there's coordinated, which means we take into consideration, many things, such as your lifestyle, your decor style, and the colors in which you decorate your home, and your favorite places in which you feel most connected.

For instance, if a family had a light and airy farmhouse style of home, then I would suggest wearing fabrics that are natural colors, like creams, tans, greens and blues, in cottons and other natural fibers, and then photograph them in a beautiful field with which they are well-acquainted, at 7 am when the light is pure and clean.  I wouldn't suggest them dressing in vibrant, jewel tones and photographing them in front of modern architecture at 5 in the afternoon.

If a couple had really quirky tastes, with colorful splashes everywhere, then I'd suggest photographing them at their favorite county fair, wearing fun colors and photograph them about an hour before sunset, when the lights start blazing on, the sky looks great, and it's very festive.

If I worked with teens who played string instruments and their parents had a very traditional home that is quiet and peaceful, I would get permission to photograph them at their favorite art museum or local conservatory, and have them dress in dresses and suits in soft colors to enhance that tranquility.

If a mom approached me with very energetic children who were being "unschooled", then I'd ask her what some of their favorite activities and places to visit are, and choose colors in their home that work with that theme.

As you can see, no two families are the same, so neither should their photographs be. 

We believe, so strongly, that everything that goes into a photography experience and artwork should represent that family, exactly.  We believe that artwork that shows a family who they are, where they are coming from, and where they're going, can create such an impact on that family, every day.

Let's face it, we're humans who are visual beings.  We are affected by our environments.  When our homes are tidy and clean, it affects everyone in such a way that they behave a little bit more carefully with keeping it tidy and clean.  When our homes are cluttered, this environment tends to make everyone pretty cranky.

Purposeful photographic artwork of your family does the same thing.  The impact of symbolic artwork of a family reminds each member that they have a place in the family, they are loved, and they are (fill in the blank).  What does it mean to siblings in middle school, whose mom and dad just divorced, and they come home every day to an empty home, because mom is now working full time... and they see photographs, every day, on the wall greeting them as soon as they walk in the door, to remind them of how very much their mom loves them.  To remind them to never give up.  To help them on the hard days when they miss the former chapter of their lives before the divorce.  To actually feel their mom's love as she sacrifices precious time with her kids so that they have a home and a good life.  To know their mom has their backs all of the time.  That despite their new normal, they can depend on their mom.

Do you want an experience like this, to help you and your loved ones remember who you each are, where you are all coming from, and where you're headed?  Erin and I will help you through the experience, every step of the way, with the location for photography, choosing colors and styles of clothing, and finally the emotions that you want to relive again and again for years to come. 

It's definitely a different experience, but one that we know will impact your family for years to come.  Call us today at 240-766-8966 for your first, complementary discovery call, to see how photographs of your family can impact your life.


 *Please note that the photographs used in this blog post are stock photos.  Thanks.

An Unusual, but Most Useful Gift

This time of year is the time for gift giving to so many people.

Graduates from high school and college (and their parents).  Special teachers.  Dads for Father's Day.  And so much more!

Sometimes, gift giving is easy.  However, you don't want to give something that someone else might give also.  Here's the perfect idea!

An experience and photography from Honey Bee Photography.  We offer a couple of different kinds.

College graduates need a good headshot.  Their college or university will probably do a headshot deal before graduation, but it's generic and it looks like all of the other students' headshots.  I offer an experience for these graduates with headshots that make a difference.  We believe that a great headshot on a business card can help your grad when he or she is networking and out there hustling to pay off those student loans and start their life.  Our Business Bee Personal Branding Kits for graduates start at $150, and what a STEAL, too!



Teachers really do spend a lot of time with their students, and helping them to succeed for the future.  This also means hours spent away from their families as they grade tests, read through papers, and stay after school to tutor.  Weekends are so busy for them, too!  Why not give them a gift certificate for an experience and artwork as a constant reminder of the love and emotional connections family members have, even when they are busy.

Dads who work all the crazy hours and travel for business appreciate these experiences and artwork, too.  We offer products that are perfect for hotel room bed-side tables, as well as desks and bookshelves in offices.  Snapshots on the phone are nice, but to have a piece of his family in his favorite photograph that is physically there to greet him can make a huge difference in his day.

And finally, for parents of those graduates.  Before their children fly the proverbial coop after college graduation and finding their partners and getting married, this is probably the last time families with kids ages 9-24 will get family photographs done, until the weddings start.  Wedding photos are fun, but it doesn't really represent who the family is.  Let's give them an experience that they will enjoy, and help them to reconnect and rediscover what they love about each other.  After all, getting kids through high school and college isn't easy, and beautiful artwork on the wall can help those frazzled days get better.

You can purchase a $400 family photography experience gift certificate for ONLY $99.  What you are really giving them is more than just a pretty photo on a bridge;  you're giving them an opportunity to reconnect and rediscover what they truly love about each other, and be able to see that every single day, even on the hard days.

Call today to find out more about our gift certificates!  240-766-8966