Post by Jessica R.

With the Tiny Prints Talent Search contest under way, we thought you might appreciate a few tried and true real mom tips for getting great pictures of your kids.

1) Take tons and tons of pictures.

Most kids freeze up at the sight of a camera. They start to pose. They act goofy. They plaster a cheesy grin on their face. And they become a child you don’t know. The more pictures you take the less they’ll act up in front of the camera. After a few dozen shots they’ll get bored and go back to being themselves. That’s when you get the really great shots.

2) Never say “Cheese!”

Kids are used to cracking into an incredibly goofy, totally unrealistic smile as soon as you break out the camera and say “Cheese!” That’s not the child you want immortalized on film! Don’t worry about making them smile and face the camera. Follow them around and see if you can capture the emotions and facial expressions that are truly their own. Those are the pictures you’ll want on your wall.

3) Get down.

We’re all so used to looking down at our kids we forget what they look like face to face! They’re stunning! Get on your knees, lie on the floor, you’ll love the resulting pictures.

4) Get in their faces!

Push your camera up close, use a zoom and fill the frame of your viewfinder with your child’s face. Don’t worry about cropping out some hair, an ear or even a chin. Get right in there and capture the twinkle in those eyes!

5) Focus on the eyes.

Whether or not you’re filling the frame with your child’s face focus on the eyes. You’ll make sure that his face is in focus and you’ll bring the whole picture to life.

6) Have fun!

Goof off, make your kids laugh, giggle, be silly! Fill your camera with life and laughter.

7) Be flexible.

I get that you need a great picture for your holiday card, but you’ll just get frustrated if you try to make everyone behave and sit still. Anyway, who needs another picture of kids sitting still? The one of your brood all piled in a heap is going to get front and center placement on the mantle.

8 ) Keep your eye on the background.

Is a pole sticking out of someone’s head? Is there a huge pile of trash or laundry in the back? You might not notice while you’re shooting, but it’s all you’ll notice later.

9) Don’t make anyone pose.

Stalk your children. Capture them being themselves. You’ll treasure the photo of your daughter reading to the family cat much longer than you’ll keep the one of her sitting primly on the couch.

10) Use the Child Mode or the Sports Mode on your camera.

Those modes are perfect for capturing moving objects. Kids move. Lots.

And don’t forget, send us your best shots! You could win $1000 and your kids could be the new face of Tiny Prints!

Post by Jessica R.

Whether or not you’ve decided to get your children vaccinated against the flu there are a few things you can do to keep them, and yourself healthy this winter.

1) Wash, wash, wash your hands. And when you’re done? Do it again.
Clean hands are key and three seconds under cold running water won’t cut it. Soap, hot water, and a nice little ditty is what you need. Lather up and sing Happy Birthday, I’m a Little Teapot, or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Or do what we do at home, make up silly lyrics to old favorites, it’ll keep the kids from rushing through the song and not washing their hands long enough.

Use paper towels to dry those clean hands. If that’s just too wasteful then make sure that every member of the family has a different hand towel, and yes, wash them often.

2) Keep those hands clean, even in public.
You can’t stay inside forever, not even with Netflix and the best grocery deliveries. So yes, you’re going to encounter some germs along the way. But you can beat them!

Avoid touching public doors and handles with your bare hands. Use your hips,  elbows, or feet to open doors. Moms used to having their hands full already know all the right moves. Think twice before touching anything and when in doubt use a sleeve to protect your hands.

For those times when you can’t avoid touching a public surface a quick squirt of hand sanitizer should take care of any germs you encounter. You just have to remember to use it and to carry it with you at all times.

3) Where are you taking your kids?
People waiting to pick up prescriptions at drugstores, Target, or Walmart take their kids to the toy aisle to entertain them. Parents stuck at home with sick kids sometimes escape to the public library to stock up on books and kill a couple hours. Keep that in mind before you let your kids loose to check out the new toys.

4) Eat well, drink lots, and sleep as much as you can.
You know keeping your body well rested, fed, and hydrated will help you fight off germs and viruses, your kids need you to remind them.

Protein makes you strong, vitamins keep you healthy. A colorful plate is a plate filled with vitamins. And no, that doesn’t mean buying rainbow plates and piling them high with mashed potatoes and frozen chicken nuggets. Play a game with your kids to see how many different colors they can eat in day. Gummy bears don’t count. Unless they’re vita-gummies.

Speaking of vitamins, check with your pediatrician before you start doling them out, but vitamins C and D3 help fight off the flu.

5) Forget what your mother taught you. Don’t cough or sneeze into your hand.
It used to be the polite thing to do, now it’ll get you the stink eye from parents in the know. Teach your child to cover sneezes and coughs with a tissue or the crook of an elbow. And if they used a tissue, please, throw it away ASAP.

What else are you doing to keep everyone around you healthy this winter?

Post by Mom Talk Correspondent, Jessica R.

Ever since having my kids, I must admit that I am convinced that kids make the best accessories.

Now I’m not saying that you should all run out and get yourselves pregnant so that you can join the ranks of Hollywoodites toting around cute little babies in their fashionista slings. I just mean that next time you’re standing in front of your closet lamenting your pre-baby wardrobe and sighing at the sight of your possibly frumpy, most likely stained mommy clothes, don’t despair.

Pick the most basic outfit in your closet, something comfortable and somewhat flattering, then go pick out your child’s cutest, most irresistible outfit. You know, the one you spent more money on than you’ll ever be able to admit to your mother-in-law.

Then, you can walk into any event – wedding, preschool meeting, playgroup, office party –with an adorably dressed child and no one will ever notice what you’re wearing. And fine, yes, if you really want to emulate the Hollywood elite, by all means, invest in a stunning sling. But I guarantee that that’s not what is going to distract people from the stain it happens to be covering up.

Having your kids with you also works great if you’re a bit nervous about what to say or how to act in a new situation.  Afterall, a well dressed baby or child is the ultimate ice breaker.

In fact, it worked for me last Friday when I was a bit nervous about attending my first Tiny Prints’ staff event – the rocking annual office Halloween party. Big bash, tons of amazing costumes, and a room packed with people I had barely met. I threw my shoulders back, grabbed the hands of my Witch Princess and her little sister the Cowgirl Princess, and strode in. It worked perfectly. No one noticed that I wasn’t dressed up or that they hardly knew me. All they saw were my two adorable little accessories.