I have been asked several questions over the past few years and so instead of answering the same questions over and over I will put some common questions and answers here…just in case you may have the same question.
I share a bit of more about my family and I over on the About Me page if you are interested.
“How do you manage to do all I do with 5 kids and a husband?”
I first have to tell you that I do NOT do it all. Please don’t leave here thinking that. I have my struggles like everyone. I do like to do things. I have always been this way. I look forward to projects and having something to work on. I have a hard time sitting still for long periods of time. I don’t watch very much TV, and if I do watch something, I am almost always busy working on something.
I work early in the morning or at night after my kids are in bed and while the kids are at school. My husband also travels a bit with his job so I have lots of nights where I am free to work on my projects without feeling like I am neglecting my husband! I try to be really organized and have a schedule that when I follow, I am able to keep up on the housework and laundry…ha…well, laundry might be a different story!
“Your camera takes great pictures…What camera do you use?”
Thank you! I taught my camera all it knows :)! I LOVE photography and LOVE that blogging allows me to practice with my camera A LOT! I have taken a couple of Photography Classes from a local Wedding Photographer and I was able to learn how to work my DSLR. I started out with a Nikon D40 and then upgraded to a Nikon D5100. You may notice that my photography back in 2009 is a lot darker and underexposed. I have learned how to use my manual settings better the more I have practiced.
“Blogging? How did you ever become a blogger?”
I still wonder about this one…haha. I started a personal family blog back in 2008 as a way to stay in contact with my sisters and their families. One of my sisters was living far away from us and it was a way to keep in contact and see what they had been up to. I had been working on updating our 30 year old home and my sister wanted to see what I was working on. I began sharing pictures of my projects on my personal site. After a while I began to get random comments from complete strangers and new followers. It was weird….haha! But I enjoyed interacting and getting to “know” these other women by visiting their blogs as well. My site continued to grow and decided to start a new blog devoted completely to my projects and activities the kids and I were doing together. I made my personal family blog private and The Idea Room was born in February of 2009. I continue to blog because I love sharing and learning from others who are interested in the same things I am. It is a way for me to be me in the midst of raising a family.
“Do you have a maid or a nanny?”
I WISH!!! I don’t know why I get asked this question as often as I have. I would certainly love one. Wouldn’t we all? But alas, I am the nanny and the maid. I do have a set schedule for working that I try to stick to just like a real job, so that I set aside time for blogging and time for house cleaning. I try to turn off the computer when the kids are home from school and be present with them.
When my house gets really messy or cluttered we will have a family cleaning party. We set the timer for 10 or 20 minutes (depending on the scale of the disaster) and turn on some dance music. Then we all work cleaning up the house one room at a time all together. It is amazing how quickly the seven of us can clean up the house. It takes only a few minutes to pick up what would take me 2-3 hours by myself. It is not always the kids favorite thing, but they usually end up enjoying it during the clean up.
“What are the paint colors in your house?”
Well, this can change….haha! I have a painting addiction. Painting a room is a fun and easy way to change the entire look and feel of a room. Right now my room colors are as follows:
- Kitchen: Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore
- Family Room and Office: 50% Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore
- Laundry Room and Entry Way: Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore
- Master Bedroom/Bath: Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore
- Girls Room: Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore
“What software do you use for editing your photos?”
I use mainly Photoshop Elements. I have also used ipiccy.com.
“How do you get the watermark on your photos and why are they so big?”
I put my watermarks on my photos in Photoshop Elements. I have created a stamp that allows me to place my watermark where I want it on my photos. I just googled it and found a lot of great tutorials that show you how to make one. You can also just write text on your pictures with the text tool.
I don’t like intrusive watermarks. I think it distracts and takes away from the photograph…but, with that being said, I do tend to make my watermarks large and cover a portion of the image in my photos. I do this for a reason. I have had quite the trouble with people taking my images and cropping off my watermark and claiming them as their own. It has been super frustrating. I spend a lot of time and effort to take these photographs so that my readers can use them to help them recreate what I am sharing. So, to help cut down on them being taken, I make sure that my watermarks can not be easily removed.
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