BOSTON CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER, BOSTON FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER, BOSTON NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

This weekend I had three sessions that were all tied to charitable donations I made for our amazing town. Each year I like to donate sessions for auction to specific schools and causes and it’s really fun when they are here in town because I either know who bid and won or I meet new neighbors! It was a gorgeous weekend and it felt good to get out and get fresh air. And of course the money goes to things that are near and dear to my heart… education and support for the kiddos.

It’s sort of been hectic and once again I find myself behind the 8-ball… after returning from out of town for 6 days I only had about 1 working day — on the others either it was an “at home” day with the kids… or we lost power… or I was with my mom in the ER (she was admitted for a few days but is home and on the mend)… follow that up with Columbus Day “no school” and my regular Tuesdays spent with the kids and as you can imagine, nothing is getting done. I’ve managed to pull a few successful all-nighters and am really hoping that with one more tonight + Thursday night and Friday working, I will be caught up. That means Jessica will get her slideshow and gallery… Loreta & Megan will get theirs, as will Caroline. Orders will ship out. And then it’s on to the Erie sessions!

So now that you know way more about my life and schedule than you ever cared to, you can understand why I feel so happy when I escape to actually shoot sessions. [Have you figured out that in running a full time photography business, only 30% is actually shooting?]

Anyway, long and short of it… I loved the sessions I photographed this weekend.

This awesome family donated to the Santa Breakfast held each year at the Proctor School. You know, the one where my children cry hysterically on Santa’s lap and come home with an absurd amount of sugar in their veins? Yeah, that’s the one.  Anyway, their twins are simply adorable… fun… and really cool little “best friends!”  Very neat.

And this family donated to the Trinity Preschool fundraiser. The most amazing thing about this family is that their kids are the EXACT SAME AGES as my kids, within days. Except they had #3. Right around the same time I was pining for a puppy. But really, 3 kid all in the first 2 weeks of July. How cool is that? [The other amazing thing is how great mom looks and she has a 3 month old... seriously.]

And finally this family donated to the Playground Committee to rebuild our favorite Toddler playground.  The one my kids LOVE.  And this mom spent a few years witnessing me in my 8:30AM glory at Joyful Noises.  She is so nice because she never commented on my apparent disarray, my pajamas — I mean workout clothes — or the fact that I never remember who anyone is.  Her kids are pretty cool too.

I was thrilled today when I received my Helping Handbag. If you know me, I am relatively void of style. Like I don’t wear mom jeans, so not bad style (except for the coat that Stephanie will never let me wear again)… but I don’t wear Choos, so not high fashion style. I am just middle of the road, rather blah. I am also not so great at carrying bags, purses, clutches, whatever. I am the person at Trader Joe’s that has their keys stuck in the slots of the shopping cart and wallet hidden under the carton of eggs because I just didn’t grab a pocket book and my coat pockets are filled with pacifiers and my iPhone and crunched up receipts. So when I got the message that these had gone live, needless to say, I did not jump on it.

But then I sat back and I really thought about what my friend was trying to accomplish. And how important her goals are. And how this is her dream. And rarely do one’s dreams translate into doing so much food for so many people. So I searched back through my 6,778 unread gmails and I found her notes to me. First I paused and realized that she is looking really good. Like WTF good. For the love of Jack Bauer, Melora, you look HOT!

Then I went over to her website (www.helpinghandbags.co.uk) and read through the material. Then I logged onto the site and I purchased. Today it arrived. Not only do I love the bag itself, but I am so happy I could support her cause. So even if you can’t swing a bag right now, please take a moment to read through what she is doing and give her some props.