Advice: Taken and Given

So much going on with the Internet and the Blackout to protest SOPA and PIPA. Crazy scary bills, in which you can read a brief summary here. Through LauraC's blog post today, I learned about an alternative to the protest that was proposed on Stirrup Queen's blog. Instead of protesting the bills, why not share what is good on the Internet, what might get lost if these bills pass? I thought this was an excellent idea and it kind of ties into what I wanted to share today anyway.

So today has also been declared free advice today as it showcases the positive, the things that we gain from being able to share on the Internet, specifically for me, in relation to my blog and by reading others' blogs.

Advice Taken: LauraC advocates taking pictures of your family. It doesn't matter when or where or whether you think you stand to lose a few pounds or whether you got the kids to smile or even look at the camera. These are memories you are going to want to have captured. Her advice reminded me that I withheld what I thought was our best family picture of the year from my blog because I used it for our holiday card this year. Therefore, I realize many of you have already seen it. But I wanted to explain for a moment why I chose this photo.

When I look at this photo, it takes me back to a wonderful memory of something that we love to do as a family. When we go to the river, I am able to relax and enjoy myself and my family to a degree that can not be compared to anything else. It is my happy place. And the fact that Kuma is in the picture too, makes it even more meaningful because I consider him so much a part of our family.

Did I have reservations about using this picture for our holiday card because I am in a bathing suit and not in love with my figure or because it was not holiday themed? Only fleetingly and simply because of everything I stated above, it trumped any insecurities I had.

Advice being given: If you have a blog, do not stop at updating it or even backing it up to your computer. Do something with it! I just received a package yesterday with two of my newest blog books including every post and every picture for the years 2010 and 2011. While I love scrapbooks and agree that they are super cute, I was never good at keeping up with them. And these blog books have so many details I have written about that I never would have taken the time to put in a scrapbook. It is a combination of a memory book and a journal and I have no doubt that I will cherish them for years to come, as will the kids. They will be able to look back on these and remember all the wonderful things we did as a family, the good and the not so good of our everyday lives and get a fairly accurate picture as to who their mom really was during this time in their childhood. I can not be more happy with how they turned out.

Here are the front covers. Every year I chose a picture of the kids that is a genuine candid and has sentimental value to me. These are the pictures that I would probably never frame on the wall but love nonetheless:

For the back covers I inadvertently started a tradition that has stuck of using a picture that is taken from behind. And beautiful scenery of a fun outing doesn't hurt. 2011 was taken when we went apple picking and 2010 was from our holiday photo shoot at the Morongo Preserve:

And just to give you an idea, a typical page on the inside. So far my yearly books have ranged from 320 to 500 pages:

Finally, if you do nothing else today about the protest to SOPA and PIPA, you can take a moment to participate in this petition letting Congress know how you feel. And my apologies for the link heavy post.