Why I do photo a day.....

A few months ago I started doing the Fat Mum Slim Photo a day. This is a challenge where at the start of the month you recieve a list of prompts for each day, everyone recieves the same prompts and you take pictures relating to that prompt and post them online each day. I liked the idea of capturing a moment in each day, just one second of what happens in my life. I liked the idea of following prompts that force me to be creative and think a little outside the square.

Now I am no photographer, and the digital photography course I have on my bucket list hasn't happened yet.... something to do with living in the bush, having babies, working, having babies, studying, having babies, baking ,sewing knitting and having more babies... you get the idea. But I plan to do one before I have grankids so I can be their official photographer and get some half decent shots of them.
There are loads of photos a day out there, but the one that I follow is from the Fat Mum Slim Blog... the link is here  http://fatmumslim.com.au/. There aren't too many 'rules' but the photos have to be your own, you can upload them onto Instagram as I do and share them on facebook. It's no dramas if you miss a day or use an old picture, but I try and use a picture from the day of the prompt.

I try not to include my kids in too many of the pictures of Photo a Day because as beautiful as they are to me.... it would be a bit boring to have an extra 30 photos or so of them a month uploaded. It also helps me be a person as well as a Mum to take a few seconds each day to focus on something other than the kids, but sometimes I can't help it. The prompt for the picture on the left was 'Dream' and I checked it in the morning when I got up.... they were all still sleeping so I snapped it.

I try to always take the picture on the day of the prompt, so that it's like a diary as time goes on. The Photo a Day has encouraged me to snap pictures of such ordinary moments and things like our letter box on the 'Mail Box' day prompt.

I hope the kids will be able to look back and remember things often forgotten with time. Like what Mum's bedside table looked like when we were little from the 'On your bedside table' prompt.

These photos are a great opportunity to show off our little town as well as remember special times, like this picture from the end of the Christmas holidays when Miss 7 and I went walking together most mornings from the 'Ready' prompt... because we were ready for our morning walk.

And this picture from the 'Angle' promt, looking at the angle of the veranda at my parents house while I was on my university Prac late last year. If it wasn't for this prompt I would have stayed here, in my childhood home for 7 weeks without once photographing the view.

This picture was taken in response to the 'Letters' prompt the day I found out I was pregnant.... se so many memories, but all it takes is one look at the picture and I can remember feeling excited and anxious all at once on the way to this place where I absent-mindedly snapped the picture.

This picture is also particularly special because after I had just found out I was pregnant with baby no. 4 while on Prac and I was feeling so unwell. My Mum was also not feeling well but she took us to my favourite ice cream shop for an ice cream, I captured this picture in response to the 'Where you are' prompt... and I am so happy I did, I will always remember this day when I see this picture.... I am so thankful!!

 I love being creative with the prompts, I have captured some beautiful moments thanks to the Fat Mum Slim photo a day challenge..... these memories help remind me of all those feelings at each moment in  time so special and part of..'these beautiful days'.