Three Photo Tactics to Get Through Your Daughter’s Teen Years

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Wow. . . my thirteen year old (going on 30) daughter really has mastered the art of the attitude. It has been a real surprise for us because she literally reached 10 before she ever talked back to us. But, now the attitude is with our family every day, maybe not 100% of the time, but every day.

PLEASE NOTE: I love my daughter who is a straight A student and fantastic girl when the attitude is hiding!

Last night, my husband asked her to help make spaghetti so she sporadically stirred the noodles with her headphones on. When he realized the spaghetti sauce was sizzling, he asked her to turn the heat down. Hannah replied, “How many things do you expect me to do at once?” He asked what she meant and she said, “I’m stirring the noodles, listening to my music and daydreaming.” When he laughed, she was offended in the way a teen can only be.

Hannah told me this morning I was disrespecting her when I asked her about it, perceiving me to be teasing her. Sigh.

Here’s what I know, in order to get through these tough teen years, I am going to have to rely on cherishing the good moments, celebrating memories and planting seeds for her future.

Here’s my mom advice on how to get through these teen years using your photos:

  1. Pull out the photos of when your daughter was younger and oh so adorable . . . and didn’t know what sarcasm was. Even better, share those photos with your daughter to laugh together about some of the things she did when she was young.
  2. Take a photo of your daughter or several – selfies do not count here. Really think about the background and enjoy a few moments with her. Then get that photo printed.
  3. Organize old photos and digital photos with your daughter. The time spent together accomplishes several things – memories are saved and celebrated, special moments without teenage friction are shared and generations are connected.
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Cute photo of Hannah on Thanksgiving Day – those years we fried a turkey in half an hour – so good. Maybe we’ll try that again this year!

And I am not alone in seeing the value of photos as a parenting tool. The Association of Personal Photo Organizers reports in their Insiders Guide to Photo Organizing:

Studies show that photos have a positive impact on families by connecting generations and reinforcing positive values. In fact, many experts agree that photos have a significant impact on the emotional wellbeing of children. Parenting and youth development expert, Doctor G (Deborah Gilboa, MD) says that “organizing and displaying photographs connects children to our families, our values and our life goals for them.”

Here’s some resources for you in this journey of watching our children grow up!

Doctor G – Parenting Expert – For parenting help!

Pixologie, Inc. – For help with photo organizing!

Growing Up Photos Will Be A Hit at Your Wedding Reception

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When my husband and I got married back in 1996, digital photography was barely even hitting our radar. We had film cameras, our photographer had film cameras and we had some disposable cameras floating around. Funny to look back.

But I did know that I wanted to have some of our growing up photos on a board for people to look at and enjoy the memories. And, my friend, Jenny who was an engineer created the Precious Moments poster for us also – featuring both my husband and myself at the age of two – my husband in lederhosen and me with my hand knit hat from my Grandma Hartmann.

Here’s why you need to have your growing up photos at your wedding reception:

  1. Your guests will love looking at how little you both were – and possibly seeing some fun moments your families have had through the years.
  2. Family traditions will inevitably be captured in those photos – sharing and celebrating them helps ensure they will be passed down to next generations.
  3. Great conversations come out of looking back at memories, the joy and laughter will add to the blessings of your wedding day!

Whether playing in a dynamic photo slideshow or displayed on fun posters, your photos will be a hit!  At Pixologie, we have helped create poster boards and slideshows of photos and would love to help you with yours!

This Friday night, we will be at Elegance Salon & Spa for A Bridal Soiree and we are offering FREE SCANNING of your growing up photos for your wedding. One lucky couple will be drawn for a free photo slideshow (value of $300!)

Hope to see you there!!

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A Bridal Soiree Details: http://www.elegancesalonandspa.com/soiree.html

Or come and see us at Pixologie!

9803 South 13th Street, Oak Creek, WI  53154

414-731-1881 ~ contact@pixologieinc.com

A Running Photo that Inspired Me!

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These photos are of David Hoffman, 80 years old, who just just returned from Bermuda after competing in the Bermuda Half Marathon and Bermuda Triangle Challenge – that is THREE races in one weekend! His wife, 72 years old, did the 10K! He sent me the photo taken of him running in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, in my opinion!

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As an aside, I serve on the Wisconsin Senior Olympics (WSO) Board, have for the last three years and I hear about great benefits of well-being, fitness and being active. However, being fit is not what would be used to describe me. David brought his medals, t-shirts and other fun stuff to our last meeting and I snapped that photo at the top of this blog, thinking it would inspire our WSO athletes. (See a link below, David has run a marathon in every state and on every continent – his story is great!)

But it was me that was inspired by his photo to go look at my old photos. I have had athletic achievements and fun with races . . . and I pulled these photos out to look at them again. Here’s two photos of me after completing the Danskin Mini Triathlon in 2012 – one week before I turned 40. I really did work hard for a few months to do this race. And, then proceeded to return back to my normal level of inactivity – due to a busy career and family.

Looking back, I can see I really did it and my photos make me think I could do something like this again.

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I love sharing these photos with my children so they can see the rewards of hard work and perseverance – and maybe we’ll all build a little more character as I start up exercising again and being a better, healthier role model for my children. Stay tuned!

Blog by Mollie Bartelt

Do you have any photos from races you have completed? We’d love to see them – post them on our Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/pixologie.

Want to know more about David’s experience with running?

http://www.aarp.org/giving-back/volunteering/info-03-2011/runners-drive-infuses-aarp-volunteerism-wi.html

Want to know more about the Wisconsin Senior Olympics?

http://wiseniorolympics.com

http://www.pixologieinc.com

Helping get photos back into life to be celebrated & shared

so stories, values and traditions can be passed down to the next generation.

Growing Our Mission While Increasing Awareness for Someone Else’s

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AKA: We’ve Joined the World of Crowdfunding!

Pixologie is officially a year and a half old! Wow – what a ride the last eighteen months has been. We’ve been able to help hundreds of people sort, save and share hundreds of thousands of moments. We are passionate about our mission to help people save and tell the stories found in their photos.

However, with that kind of growth comes increasing amounts of work and need for additional resources! We are taking our business to a whole new level with a loan request through the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC). Not only does WWBIC offer potential loans to small businesses, their team offers relevant advice, encouragement and guidance along with an extensive list of classes and workshops. Their team members have visited with us twice and are amazing business advisors and cheerleaders.

As part of our larger work with WWBIC, they have recommended we apply for a crowdfunding type loan through Kiva Zip who provides 0% interest loans to entrepreneurs doing good things. We applied for a $5,000 loan and so far have had over 30 individuals support us with as little as a $5 loan – which we will pay back. Click on our profile graphic below to check out our profile request to see how it works.
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We just think the whole concept is outstanding and its a fun way to raise awareness about what we are doing on a global basis! Importantly to us, we are raising awareness for the missions of both WWBIC and Kiva Zip by telling our stories of working with both of these organizations.
For more information: