When Beth, of Tip Toe Photography, offered me a complementary mini-session (also look at her “belly to baby” and “baby’s first year” packages as well as different sessions) I knew that I would get some amazing pictures of my daughter. Little did I know though HOW absolutely fantastic they would be. With an artistic eye and quick trigger finger, she snapped up 15 of the best pictures of Jaden (and with some convincing a couple of Jaden with me). To be honest I had a couple tears in my eyes when she posted the pictures that night. They all looked very natural (even though Jaden doesn’t normally feel at ease in front of the camera.)

Website:
http://www.tiptoephotography.net

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TipToePhotography

In a remote field, just outside of Boerne, with a SUV parked nearby that she transported her beautiful suede couch in, Beth captured the moments I knew existed but I never had been able to catch before. (Another plus, she delivered them without any prompting from me! She just knew!)

When I received the cd with all the pictures, it came in an adorable cd sleeve with detailed printing recommendations (see her interview below for more details!) If I haven’t convinced you to give Beth a call to book your session immediately, her interview responses will! She talks about what led her start the business she passionately loves, suggestions for keeping photo sessions natural, best outfits to wear for sessions, and much more.

Beth is very laid back, your entire family will feel at ease as she patiently the moments you’ll want to remember and cherish for forever. As someone who had never hired a professional photography, I never realized how much of a good investment you are making.

Check out her beautiful portfolios of children, families, maternity, and newborns to see the different techniques and styles she leverages during her sessions. LOVE them all!

*Click on any of the images for more detailed, related information.

Beth pictured below with her two precious babies:

From her blog, she immediately posted sessions the day of with a couple more pictures to follow the next day of our mini session.

Did you grow up wanting to be a photographer? What did you originally want to do?

When I was younger, I don’t think I ever really knew what I wanted to be. I’ve always loved photography, to be honest, but never thought about making it into a career. I went to college and got my degree in business and then went to culinary school where I became a pastry chef. But then I realized I only really enjoyed baking for my family and friends, so I never made a career out of it. It was only after my daughter was born that I realized how much I truly loved photography and set out to learn as much as possible.

What is some “standard” advice you give people before to prepare for their first session?

Advice I give before their first session is mostly related to clothing! Nothing matchy-matchy because not many people look back on pictures where they’re all wearing the same thing and are thrilled with them. My photography is all about a family being themselves, so I don’t want anything too manicured, too perfect. I want to take the pictures that you look back on and remember just being yourself with the ones you love, so don’t worry if your baby has her hand in her mouth all the time because she’s teething or your toddler is running around crazy while I’m trying to take pictures – those are the memories you’ll want in ten years.

What do you think about as your photographing your clients?

As I’m photographing, I’m mostly just thinking about technical aspects of pictures. I keep reassuring people to just be themselves and don’t worry about the rest, that’s my job!

It must help to have a supportive husband! Does he enjoy being a model?

My husband is definitely not a model for me, lol. He much prefers being behind the camera with me to grab the attention of our less-than-cooperative children while I take their pictures. He’s a wonderful support system and I would never have come so far without him. He is my best friend and my biggest fan.

What outfits photograph the best?

Outfits that photograph the best definitely depend on the person wearing them. It’s completely case-by-case. If you’re a mom to a one week old and we’re doing the newborn session, I always recommend you don’t dress up in a fancy dress and put on all of your make up – there’s nothing less realistic than a well-rested new mom, lol. For newborn parents, I always strive to have them wear something very simple and comfortable – plain black or white shirts that will leave the focus on baby. For families, something coordinated but not matching. In this time of year, navy, maroon, browns and creams all go together well. Or you could change it up and go all bright, retro colors like oranges and teals. Yellow and gray is an awesome combo right now (and what we did when we had our family pictures taken in the spring!). Some people like to get dressed up for pictures, others like to wear something similar to their every day garb – it’s all about how YOU feel comfortable and how you want to remember yourself in pictures. Of course, letting your 3 year old pick out his or her own outfit is always fun and exciting too )

Thanks to the information you provided with our photo cd, I now understand that not all print developers were created equally. What are some of your favorites?

For clients, I usually recommend mpix for printing. The quality is not going to be quite the same as prints that I do for clients, but they are still good and reasonably priced. Never, ever use your drugstore or grocery store. All printers are NOT created equal.

With the holidays coming up, do you offer any personalized gifts for purchase with the sessions. Do you have any suggestions or favorites?

With the holidays, lots of people love giving mini accordion albums. They’re 3×3 albums that fold accordion style and have between 7 and 10 images in them. They’re adorable and make awesome little gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles. Of course my absolutely favorite idea for gifts is the Organic Bloom frames that I sell. These frames are completely awesome and make a real statement. Then there’s always the classic gallery wrapped canvas, one of my other favorites )

Some Tip Toe Photography products:

Gallery Wrap Canvas
are
dramatic, with the image printed onto a piece of canvas and then stretched over a 1.5? thick wooden frame:

Check out 28 variations/examples of the Mini Accordion Albums:

Example of the Organic Bloom frames and the incredible customizations included:

Related posts:

1. 2011 Lemonade Day San Antonio

Don’t forget to check out my 2009 Black Friday post and my 2010 Black Friday posts for my past Black Friday shopping plans and favorite websites. I read through them and both still absolutely apply!

Based on the stores listed by Black Friday 2011, I sorted the stores by open hours (a LOT of stores are opening their doors at midnight this year!!) so that you can strategically forgo sleep and pace yourself like I plan to from midnight to 10am (at which point the major deals are mostly over…)

After spending one year fighting Kohl’s website outages (let’s performance test people!!) I have been paranoid about doing all my shopping online. Where do you plan on shopping?  The list of over 40 stores below link to their Black Friday newspaper ad.

*I’ll update this list the week of Black Friday with more stores and store hours!

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackFridayFans

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/BlackFridayFans

iPhone App:
http://www.blackfriday2011.com/app

Related posts:

1. 2011 President’s Day Sales and Coupons
2. 2011 Back to School Coupons

Do you have a loved one overseas, out of state, in the hospital?  Watch the UTSA graduation online:

http://dlat.utsa.edu/accordent/Static/UTSAxCommencement+Ceremonies/

And for more detailed information from UTSA’s Graduation Office, please see this link:

http://utsa.edu/oit/video/ITV_commencement.html

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Hand sanitizer. Raise your (potentially germy) hand if everyone at work is out of the office with the flu, a cold, or some other communicable disease? Last year I wrote another blog post comparing the symptoms of the flu, H1N1, and the common cold and being able to tell the difference between the three. While I was writing that post I learned more than I ever expected to about hand sanitizer and have been meaning to blog about it.

This blog post will include everything you ever wanted to know, and probably didn’t know about these alternatives to soap and water.

1. More Alcohol the Better

• Should contain AT LEAST 60% alcohol (i.e. ethanol, isopropanol)
• Studies show that are “alcohol free” are much less effective at killing germs

2. Size Matters

• If you’re not using at least half a teaspoon of sanitizer, you might not be using enough. 3ml recommended (at least half a teaspoon)

3. Watch the Clock

• 20 to 30 seconds of vigorous rubbing required, rub your hands until they are dry.
• If your hands are dry before 20 to 30 seconds have elapsed you probably didn’t use enough (see 2)

And remember, NOTHING beats soap and water (with vigorous scrubbing.) Medical professionals recommend using hand sanitizers when you cannot wash with soap and water. Even with more alcohol, it’s still not as effective.

According to Consumer Search the following:

BEST Hand Sanitizer reviewed:

“Several store brands contain the same ingredients as Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer, but professional testers and everyday users tend to prefer the way Purell smells and feels on their skin”

Price: $4 for 8 oz

*couldn’t find official Facebook or Twitter account information

BEST Natural Hand Sanitizer reviewed:

“EO gets high marks for ingredient safety, environmental friendliness and social responsibility from watchdog websites.”

Price: $8 for 8 oz

Twitter: http://twitter.com/eoproducts

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/EO-Products/370792511937

Additional information about hand sanitizers can be found:

• Center for Disease Control (CDC) Hand Washing and Hand Washing
• CDC Guideline for Hand Hygiene
• French study of 14 medically accepted alcohol based sanitizers

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I don’t even need to own an iPhone to know how helpful a few strategically downloaded games can be when it comes to entertaining your child (or someone else’s!)  Here are one’s that I have downloaded on other people’s phones or that were recommended to me!

All the apps are free to download and have been kid tested and mommy approved!

*Make sure thought that before letting your child play the games, all default settings are as you expect.  Lately there have been a lot of articles about kid’s downloading full versions and automatically charging to their parent’s itunes account.  Don’t be caught with any surprise purchases!

Click Image for iTunes Link	iPhone App Description
	Tap Fish, you are only taps away from owning multiple aquariums where you can decide what fish to grow, to sell, and to breed!
	Toy Story takes you on the adventure of a lifetime:  A fully interactive reading experience packed with Games, Movie Clips, Coloring Pages, Sing-along Tunes, and Surprises on every page. Hear the story read aloud, record your own narration, or explore at your own pace.
	Approved by teachers, parents and toddlers alike Toddler Teasers Shapes teaches while it entertains. With a focus on simplicity and full voice overs, toddlers play and learn without the need for extra help. The app displays colorful quizzes and offers positive reinforcement and fun rewards. The child-safe menu allows parents to customize game play and difficulty.
	I Hear Ewe – Animal Sounds for Toddlers -Entertain and educate your toddler with this simple game full of 24 different authentic animal sounds and 12 different vehicle sounds. When your baby taps on an animal or vehicle icon, the game will verbally announce what type of animal or vehicle it is and play a recording of its real sound.
	Balloonimals (MY FAVORITE!!) Beautifully rendered Balloonimals spring to life when you blow into the microphone on your iPhone or press the screen with your iPod Touch. Watch the balloon inflate and then give your phone a shake to start constructing your Balloonimal. With each shake, your animal takes greater shape until… Voila! Your Balloonimal appears and is ready to play. Pet your Balloonimal to see what tricks it can do.
	Peekaboo Barn Lite Inside a little bouncing barn, friendly farm animals are waiting to pop out and surprise your little one. Try and guess who they are; tap the doors to find out!
	Chinese for Munchkins takes children on a journey, teaching them how to say animals and numbers in Mandarin and Cantonese – the two most common Chinese dialects in the world (there is an English option too). Whether they want to roar with the “lau fu” (tiger), munch on bamboo with a “hung mao” (panda) or count “yak, yee, saam” (1-2-3), kids will be drawn to the flashcard pictures, sounds and animations.
	The experts at Parents® magazine help moms and dads keep young children entertained and stimulate learning with Parents Flash Cards. The included card packs are Colors and Shapes.
	Shape Builder LITE – The Preschool Learning Puzzle Game – Each puzzle has 5 to 10 pieces and after positioning all of the pieces, the real image is revealed along with a professional voice recording of the word spoken by Jill Dews, a licensed speech therapist. Encourages cognitive thinking and fine motor skills plus exposes young minds to new music instruments, animals, produce, objects and the alphabet in a fun and engaging format with LOTS of fun sound effects!
	Tangram Puzzle Pro FREE – Get 12 puzzles for free and see what Tangram Puzzle Pro is all about. Intuitive one-finger controls let you slide and spin shapes, and a convenient shape tray keeps things organized.
	FingerPiano Lite – allows you to play the piano with your forefinger.
	Read Me Stories – Children’s books A fun new educational and entertaining book EVERY day helps your child develop good reading habits. Each book teaches your child new concepts, new words and how to say them.

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Did you wait until the last minute to purchase a Christmas present this year?  No fear!  UNICEF is here.

The best gift is a gift that keeps giving…and what could be better than a gift that literally saves lives, natural resources, and makes the world a better place!

A couple of Sundays ago, at my church Oak Hills in San Antonio, Max Lucado quickly showed a video of missionaries from our church sent to different parts of Africa to build fresh water wells w/ money raised from the Bibleland Children’s Sunday School classes.  Not only were the children there laughing and thanking us, they are now able to enjoy clean, fresh water without worrying about contamination, disease, and travelling many miles to fetch a tiny amount.

Check out all the ways to give back to children around the world:

About UNICEF:

Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, protection, emergency relief, and more.

22,000 children die EVERY DAY from preventable diseases.  Imagine being able to buy a gift that saves the life of one or many children in poverty stricken parts of the world!  Several, charitable organizations like UNICEF let you do just that!  Dedicate the purchase in the name of a loved one or friend and send/print notification.

Right now the featured gift is a “Winter Child Survival Pack” that includes:

• supplies to sustain child for 6 months!!
• vitamins and minerals to grow healthy
• measles and polio immunizations
• enough water purification tablets for 50,000 liters of water!!

ALL of that is possible w/ a small donation of $81.35!  And if that’s too much they take general donations of $5 and more.

• Education & Play - school supplies, soccer balls, and more give these children a chance for quality educations!
• Immunizations – vaccinations for diseases that don’t even exist in modern countries ($20 buys 412 tetanus shots)
• Water – water pumps, purification, and family water kits
• Nutrition – baby scales, ready to eat food, vitamin powder ($18 buys 604 individual doses of vitamins and minerals!)
• Emergency – high energy food, water kits, tents and more to help during emergencies
• Health - first aid kits for field workers, mother/baby packs, for $80 save 1000k from deadly diseases

Did you know that as you’re shopping for people on other sites you could still be helping children fight preventable diseases?!

American Airlines | Causes on Facebook | Delta Air Lines
FEED | Gucci | H&M | IKEA |  Western Union

Click on the links for more details!  American Airlines is fighting diseases w/ incentives to donate to UNICEF by offering 2 AAdvantage miles in return for EACH dollar donated.  Donate right now!

The special edition “Gucci for UNICEF” Sukey bag, designed by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini in grey “La Pelle Guccissima” leather, is being sold in Gucci stores in over 20 countries and from April 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, Gucci will donate 25% of the retail price!

UNICEF Social Media

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UNICEF-USA
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/unicefusa

TeachUNICEF is a portfolio of UNICEF-focused resources designed and collected by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Education Department for educators, afterschool instructors, and parents. The units, lesson plans, stories, and multimedia cover topics ranging from the Millennium Development Goals to water and sanitation.

*Teaser for my next blog “Teach UNICEF”

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Tasty Byte: Magnolia Pancake Haus

Website: http://www.magnoliapancakehaus.com

Address: 13444 West Ave | San Antonio, TX 78216 { MAP }

Phone: 210.496.0828

Tasty Bytes

Also, make sure that you don’t miss the St. PJ’s Children’s Home Pajama Run, this October 2, 2010 from 8am until 1pm. During this time you’ll be able to enjoy a fun family run/walk and afterwards enjoy a pancake party catered by the Magnolia Pancake Haus! Click here for more details. Even if you don’t feel like being physically active, you can support a great cause by eating the breakfast for only $5! Event flyer here.

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In an impassioned attempt to support the local economy, a friend and I have enthusiastically participated in and relished San Antonio’s 1^st Annual Restaurant Week which started Saturday, August 21^st and lasts through Saturday, August 22^nd!

So many choices, so little time! How to choose? Check out where I ate and see mouthwatering pictures showcasing the lunches at 5 San Antonio eateries. Each post contains restaurant menus, contact information, Twitter/Facebook pages, and more reasons to attend, this week and go back subsequently!

WARNING: Pictures of food are incredibly tempting and should not be viewed if adequate meal is not forthcoming!

Sun., Aug. 22 – Las Canarias

Although distracted by the Sunday Champagne brunch, the lunch menu offered throughout the rest of the week looked incredible tempting!

Mon., Aug. 23 – The Palm

Even though it all started in 1926 in NYC, The Palm is still the place to be, with international locations! The San Antonio location kicked off Restaurant week on a high note!

Tue., Aug. 24 – Boudro’s

Boudro’s is a Riverwalk gem and ammunition for anyone who says you can’t find good food on the River. Incredible lunch, left very little to be desired.

Wed., Aug. 25 – The Lodge at Castle Hills

A San Antonio classic, the lunch did not disappoint. The restaurant, a converted mansion nestled within two and a half acres, offered an instant mid-day escape from everything else.

Thu., Aug. 26 – Tre Trattoria

Another Chef Jason Dady treasure, this Tuscan Italian restaurant offered a great ambiance and an equally scrumptious lunch!

Formally the New World Wine & Food Festival, Culinaria is sponsoring this event offering the opportunity to try some of the Alamo City’s BEST culinary masters’ finest dishes in an affordable fashion.

After this week, I’ll never view lunch the same!

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I hope that even if you’re not a teacher, you share the information in this post with one you know!  I can’t think of a more intense profession – please take the time to thank the teachers in your life!

This post is chock full of deals, reward programs, and other incentives that teachers and educators might not have the time to find.  Check out these deals for back to school, a lot of which last all year long!  Most require sign up with proof of teaching license or school code but all programs are free with rewards offered to your school!

B&N Educator Program

• Educator Discount, Resources & More
• Save 20% off the publisher’s list price on all purchases for classroom use
• Get up to 25% off the publisher’s list price during Educator Appreciation Days
• Receive valuable email offers and information on special Educator events
• Listen to popular stories being read online
• Join by filling out this application and bringing it to any location! More FAQ
• Coupon code: B8X7U8U, Exp: 08/17/10 (save 30% off the Back to School Category)

Classroom Discount Card – savings for teachers

• Individual teachers, from preschool through high school, as well as school librarians and homeschool educators.
• Save 25% off the list price of books and music CDs
• Save 10% off the list price of DVDs for professional use.
• Applications are available at all Borders stores, and signing up is completely free.
• Follow on Facebook for more deals and events!

Half price Books – Educator Discount

• Half Price Books supports educators, school teachers and librarians in the community.
• Educator’s Discount Card saves 10% all year round!
• Just bring in valid ID and proof of current employment such as a pay stub or employee ID card.

Crayola – Gold Star Teacher Program

• Sign up
  for the program to get great deals, printables, and other online resources!
  
• Check out these resources, templates, and other freebies!
  
• FREE science lesson plan for teachers
  

Office Depot – Star Teacher Program

• Get 10% back in Rewards on ink, toner, and paper, plus 1% back on almost everything else.
• Get discounts with these “My Star Teacher” reward partners
• Find out more information about smart reward programs and going green!
• $10 off $50 (Coupon Code: 75009959)
• $15 off $75 (Coupon Code: 63427096)
• $20 off $100 (Coupon Code: 40124581)
• Expires 8/21

Adobe Software – Student/Teacher Discounts

• Get up to 80% off Adobe software products!
• FREE shipping!

ATT Wireless

• Teacher discounts, apply through email

Join PBS Teachers!

• Exclusive Content from PBS!
• Ability to Save, Rate and Comment on Classroom Resources (like their Activity Packs)
• Online Discussions on Media and Technology
• Just by signing up, you will receive a 10% discount on your next purchase at ShopPBS for Teachers.
• Follow on Twitter – @pbsteachers

• You must have a valid e-mail address at an educational institution ending with the domain suffix .EDU (i.e., leina@contoso.edu) OR have a valid email address at one of the educational institutions listed here.

• 20% Off All School and Office Supplies (In-Store Only)
• Valid 8/15/10–8/21/10

Michael’s has this program called “The Knack Faculty” which offers teachers and other educators tons of printable templates, ideas, and savings!

Make sure you take advantage of their teacher appreciation event:

What: The Knack Faculty Free Teacher Appreciation Crop Event

When: 8/27/2010 3:00 PM – 8:45 PM

“Create some fun for the classroom. Teachers and friends, join us for Teacher Appreciation Crop Event. Learn to create fun bulletin boards, bookmarks, signs and more. We provide the space and assortment of tools. Plus, we take care of the cleanup.”

HP – Teacher Experience Exchange

• Upload/browse through lesson plans on different subjects
• Checkout professional development resources

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After coming back from an incredible vacation in San Diego and Las Angeles, California, I had a million pictures to share. Sure I immediately posted them on Facebook and Picasa but there’s not really easy to send a zip file of all the images. The file, too large for gmail, also exceeded the uploading limits of a favorite uploading site of mine, drop.io. (I like drop.io because of the easy, clean interface with advanced, customizing options.)

Here are some other sites that worked for me:

• Another clean interface, no sign up required!
• FREE members are able to upload at slightly faster times, only 25 seconds before start compared to 45 seconds for non-members
• 200 GB online storage

Easy sign up here.

• Max 2000MB limit
• No sign up required
• Simple, fast

Easy sign up here.

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