One Secret to Success for a Working Mom, Expand Your Village (Jack and Jill of America)

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Jack and Jill of America member and her daughter Recently, I have become keenly aware that good kids are created by accident. They become good because someone made a concerted effort to pour positive things into them--things like, honor, discipline and respect for others. These qualities are taught through lessons and by observation. For that reason, I have been actively considering how to give my children more examples of people who embody those qualities.  Indeed, raising my children to become good people is my most important job.
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Merry Christmas (2019)

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Family Christmas Card 2019, photo credit: Kara Jacobs


I've been sending Christmas cards since college. However, once I had my daughter I was committed to publishing a photo card. It started out as just something to do, but then it became something more. My older relatives and friends really began to appreciate them a lot. They started to call me and tell me how much they enjoyed receiving the card and each year they commented that they can't wait until the next one.

So, the cards have become a thing.

The Evolution of My Christmas Card Project


Although they started out as a complete DIY effort where I set up our townhouse as a photo studio and perfected my skills as an amateur photographer. Over time though, and as we have added other kids to the mix, we have had professional photos taken. For 2017and 2018, we had our photos taken at the Children's Museum. Every year they host an event for donors and hire a photographer to capture family photos. The first year, they had the event at night, which was perfect for my family of late risers. Last year though, they hosted the event at 8:00 AM. It ended at 10:00AM. Although we got our photos taken, the process was full of yelling, tears, and gnashing of teeth. 

Christmas photo shoot 2019


In a word, we paid a high price for a free photo.

This year, I decided to do something different. We had a mini session with the photographer who is most familiar with our family. Although she started photographing families in the morning, we got a 3:00 PM slot. Despite that, we were late. Fortunately, because she's a friend, she fit us in when the last family of the day was changing their outfits. That family was much more organized than we were. We were lucky to make it there with all of us. It was an hour away.  Also, Andre is generally opposed to anything that takes him away from the city and his ability to do projects. So, having him there was a feat.

So, as you can see, the 2019 project was a success--almost. Even though the photos were taken in November and I have had them for awhile, I neglected to complete the cards until December 21st. That means that although they are "Merry Christmas Cards" they'll probably be received around the new year. I hope my friends and family don't judge me too harshly for that. It's just that the card design I chose was the best look with my photos!

Merry Christmas!!!

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