Day 1

Today is the first day of February, a month I usually dread. It's the middle of winter, hubs usually travels a bunch, there always seem to be alot of days off from school (yes, I am only referring to preschool)...2010 was not a great year and I had plans to write down some goals/resolutions to start 2011 but being away from home for New Years made this difficult for me. I think it was in Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project that she writes "goals are for reaching, resolutions are for keeping." Anyway, this is the perfect time to implement "love me" month. A month seems more manageable than a year to start, so here we go.

This project started out as a way to eat better. I am committed to packing my food for the "work day" so I don't eat when I'm bored or sad or mad or because the kids didn't finish their lunch. Today I packed a half a sandwich, a load of brussel sprouts, an apple, and a serving of pretzel crisps.

I am also starting a new book called life is a verb by Patti Digh, "37 ways to wake up, be mindful, and live intentionally." So far it seems to fit in perfectly.

Another goal is to stop complaining about my day over email. Today didn't go so well--another snow day and we're all feeling the winter blues. Doors were slamming and I eventually implemented my own quiet time.

Most of what I will be writing about is a photo "class" called the joy of love. I wanted to do a 365 project, but not having my camera with me for the first two days of the year made this difficult. I discovered this class just after establishing "love me month"--perfect timing. There are many days I am scared of my camera. I feel like I don't know what to do with it beyond point and shoot. But I am happy with my first pictures and hope the kiddos cooperate a bit more as the days unfold.

Joy of Love 01: what they do

Lately the kids seem to be eating constantly. Blame it on a growth spurt or boredom, who knows? Mealtime is also one of the easier times to take pictures of these kids because they are sitting and they are distracted. I thought this would be a good place to start.