you inspire me
Monday Musings
a family session | the miles 2014
Meet Kristine Miles. One of the first times I ever remember meeting Kristine was when she was pregnant with her youngest. Radiant and carrying so beautifully, she was always smiling and made pregnancy seem effortless. After a few more times of seeing her, I noticed how she made others around her walk a little taller. She always had something encouraging to say. She is genuine. And kind. And she surfs. In crazy places around the globe. Enjoy getting to know her. I know I have.
Q. List a few of your boys favorite things to do….
A. My boys enjoy time with their friends, playing sports and participating in the fun activities on the Severn River. They also love hanging out at home relaxing and playing many different types of games. We come up with the funniest games and laugh a lot.
Q. What is your most humbling moment as a mother…
A. When my children were born.
Q. Who influences you as a mother?
A. My mother influences me. She was the most amazing mother and person I have ever met. I can't even begin to put into words how beautiful she was in ever way.
Q. If you had more time, you would...
A. Spend more time talking with my family.
Q. Best advice you have been given as a mom...
A. You gave me the best advice Lee. You told me to take as many photos of my children as I can, especially of their hands and feet because they grow so quickly. I love that advice.
Q. How did you create balance between motherhood and career?
A. I try to go with the flow each day and not worry too much. No matter how organized I am something unexpected comes up each day that changes my best laid plan.
Q. What is your beauty routine…
A. Rest, good food, exercise, Obagi.
Q. What is your exercise routine…
A. I love many different types of exercise and decide each day what I'm in the mood for, whether it's running, paddle boarding, hiking, or lifting weights, etc. I do not like regular exercise routines. I like to change things up because I get bored easily. I like my mind to exercise just as much as my body.
Q. Something you wish you could do better as a mom….
A. Teach my children many languages and show them more of the world.
Q. What is your proudest moment as a mom…
A. My proudest moment was being on the set of Fox 45 Morning New and watching my sons do the weather forecast live with Jonathan Meyers. It was so much fun and I will never forget it. I loved every minute of it.
Q. What is your favorite part of the day…
A. Early morning before the world around me wakes.
Q. What do you like to do on date nights?
A. Our very favorite thing to do is to hang out at our house after the kids go to bed. We also enjoy going to dinner or playing sports with each other and with friends.
Q. Raising boys is....
A. Fun. They continually make me laugh and they are so gentle and lovable.
Q. Favorite designers, artists, etc….
A. I do not lock myself into favorites. My tastes continually change.
Q. Your style…
A. I buy what I love. I don't stick with one design or fashion theme.
Q. One of the hardest parts of being a mom?
A. Knowing my kids will be leaving the nest in a blink of an eye.
Q. List a few things that keep you sane….
A. Exercise, healthy eating, and reflection keep me sane, and my husband too. Also, I make it a practice to not over-commit myself or my family with too many activities.
Q. What do you hope your children will learn about life….
A. LOVE
a family session | The Bailey Family 2014
……………………………………….
"that mom" is a series of inspirational women who
share their thoughts on motherhood, style and grace.
by lee kriel
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Meet the Bailey family. A beautiful family both inside and out. "Mrs. Bailey" used to be my boys teacher in elementary school. We swore bluebirds flew out of her mouth when she spoke. Needless to say my boys were like putty in her hands…and still are.
Emily is a wonderful mother and I asked her if she would be willing to participate in my "That Mom" series which focuses on the mom that you aspire to be…you know the one! She is truly so dedicated to her family and it was inspiring to spend a little time with them this month. Enjoy getting to know her...
List a few of your favorite things to do….
Shopping, running, cooking and eating, drinking coffee and wine, decorating our home, chit-chatting, and doing anything, and everything, as a whole family.
What is your most humbling moment as a mother….
At this point, it is the moment that each of my children was born. Everything else in the world did not matter at all and I knew I would never be the same now that they were with us.
Who influenced you as a mother?
My own mother’s willingness to always put her four daughters before herself has greatly shaped me as a mother. However, I am completely surrounded by so many incredible moms. The women who influence me the most, and for whom I have endless admiration, are the mothers who spend their day keeping their family together, safe, healthy, active, happy, fed, excited, prepared, etc. They don’t care if anyone is giving them credit and they don’t expect anything in return. They do it because their love is unconditional and they would not have it any other way.
You are always so generous to the neighborhood children, who inspired you…..
I had a sweet, sweet neighbor across the street growing up who treated my sisters and I like her own grandchildren. She would keep her cabinets stocked with candy to share, invite us to help in her garden, and make us feel so special. When my mom became a grandmother, we named her Mimi after this lovely friend. But in our neighborhood, everyone is so kind and caring to one another, especially to the children running around our yards, driveways, and houses that it is definitely contagious.
Best advice you have been given as a mom…
Don’t worry about trying to make everything perfect. It’s so much more important to stop and enjoy what is going at any given moment, because time goes way too fast.
What is your favorite part of the day…
I have lots of favorites. But right now, sometimes it works out that Vera wakes up, I have my special morning time with her, and she goes back down for her first nap before Henry is even awake. Then I get him all to myself while Vera is asleep. I feel so lucky to be able to start our days slowly.
How do you create balance between motherhood and career?
Teaching part-time creates a wonderful balance for me. After Henry was born this was the deal Mike and I came up with, and it works for us! Summers off are a necessity, and always will be. And although during the school year it is hard for me to leave, even for a few hours of the day, it makes me appreciate my time at home that much more.
A few things that keep you sane….
Running, wine, and friends.
What is your beauty routine…
Hmm, I guess it’s more of a strategy – Do the best you can with the 10 minutes you have to try to look nice before leaving the house.
Something you wish you could do better as a mom…
I wish I could be more spontaneous. I am such a planner, but wish I could more easily put my to-do list aside and not worry about what isn’t getting checked off that day.
What do you like to do when you have a night out on the town?
This almost never happens, which is pretty much ok with me at this point in my life. But when we do, I love first heading to a wine bar and then off to try somewhere new and delicious for dinner. Oh and we love, love live music.
Hardest part of being a mom?
Feeling like I cannot give each of my children every ounce of my attention. Henry does a very good job now that he has to share us with Vera, but whenever he gets upset, it is almost always a result of us needing to give his sister more attention at that moment. That is hard for me.
What is your exercise routine…
I love to run. I would run everyday if I could. For now, sometimes I only get one good, long run on the weekends, but I’ll take what I can get. Running feels peaceful and productive at the same time. Two birds, one stone.
What do you hope your children will learn about life….
To always be kind and considerate of others. That a positive attitude goes a long way. To treat each day like a gift that they should enjoy to the fullest.
What is your proudest moment as a mom…
When Henry tells me he loves and that I’m his best friend, when Vera kicks her arms and legs, grinning from ear to ear when she sees me, and when I overhear Mike telling people what a good mom he thinks I am. Mike and I also feel so happy when we see Henry being playful, silly, and comfortable with other kids and adults. It makes us feel like we are doing something right.
Share a favorite recipe…
I live off of my sister’s granola recipe-
Add ½ C Olive oil
T Salt
Cinnamon
½ jar Honey (about 1 ½ C)
Mix
Add 3 C Rolled oats
4 C Mixed nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds, macadamias, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds)
1 C coconut
MixFlatten on medium sized baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes
MIX and flatten again
Bake for another 20 minutes
Let cool for 2 hours before breaking apart
p.s. On my next shoot with the Bailey's, I am spending more time on the interiors of their home…a home so tastefully built (by Mike) and decorated so thoughtfully (by Emily)! Stay tuned!
you inspire me [maddy keller]
a few samples from my niece's portfolio.
how incredible are these oversized, bold chalk colored portraits drawn from an instagram photo! and of course, i am always a fan of the pencil sketch (or ball point in this case).
crazy, crazy talented. awe inspiring. one to watch. she needs an agent.
oh and did i mention i've watched her finish one in about an hour.
accepting commissions. maybe i'll be her agent. proud aunt.
xo
you inspire me [the lighthouse shelter]
When I was 16, I volunteered for Mitch Snyder in an abandoned building in NW Washington DC. Mitch Snyder was an advocate for the homeless and was making news by creating awareness about the problems in Washington DC.
My memory is vague with the details, and I don't remember how or what made me become so fascinated with him, but it was enough to head to DC, by myself, and volunteer at his shelter. I brought my camera. I wanted to help document his story. And theirs. My only real experience with photojournalism was capturing the details of what most 16 year olds and their friends document and that was nothing that I was about to see.
I thought I might get a chance to meet him. But I didn't. I was put to work in the kitchen and I put my camera down. I worked the day through. Wondering about each one. What each story was about. Why were they there. How did they get to this point in their lives. I am an observer. This is the best way I learn.
My camera was never used that day. I did not have the confidence to ask if it would be okay. I sometimes still don't. But there were so many stories to tell. And there still are. My father always reminds me that the only difference between me and them is nothing. They have just come on to some hard times. And we are all human.
This year I had an opportunity and the courage to tell some of their stories with my camera by contributing to the Help Portrait. The idea behind the Help-Portrait is simple: find someone in need, take their portrait, print their portrait, and deliver it.
So before Christmas, I set up a portrait session at The Lighthouse Shelter. The shelter gave me a list of people who were interested, which consisted of about 7 people. I finished the day photographing 26. Both individuals and families.
I couldn't stop as the snow fell quietly on that Sunday afternoon and people came to find warmth and shelter. I listened all day long and observed, not only behind my camera, but out in front of it. I listened to the mom who needed a belt for her van so that she could drive to see her family in Virginia. How she took her two small daughters to the auto repair store, by bus, to purchase a belt. ( I had remembered seeing her earlier that day waiting on the corner, in the sleet and snow, without a coat, and her girls and their stroller waiting for the bus. ) As she told her story, a man overheard and offered to change the belt for her as he was a skilled mechanic. She offered him $25. And he agreed.
A small community of resourceful people all helping each other. They aren't just like me. They are more than me. Resourceful. Kind. Strong. Beautiful. I left that day feeling humbled with perspective.
Two weeks later, I wrapped and delivered their prints for Christmas. What turned out to be a gift for them, selfishly became more of a gift for me. Although not my intention, I am truly grateful.