I heard someone mention the other day that all babies born these days have their entire lives chronicled digitally. No more – or very few – hard copies of photographs are made anymore, rather, there are Tweets, Facebook statuses, Vine videos, and over thousands of iPhone photos capturing more moments in one week than most past generations of babies had in their first year!
Both of my sons celebrate birthdays this week and I still have a couple boxes of photos of them under my bed. Photos I’ve been meaning to put into scrapbooks for them for oh, twenty-something-ish years now. I do have many photos of them in those old-fashioned photo books where you slid one photo into a plastic sleeve, but it’s been so long since I’ve looked at them that I’m not even sure that they haven’t actually melted into the plastic sleeves!
I get the need or desire to take a gazillion pictures of babies, kids, weddings, etc… and post them digitally, but I wonder… do we have to remember everything? I mean, the handful (literally) of photos I have of myself from under the age of 5 isn’t overwhelming. I have just enough to know what cute hair and rosy-cheeked smiles I had, but not so many that I know the entire extent of my wardrobe, which, was probably all of 10 outfits, including footie pajamas. If I were a new parent I’d probably be taking a bunch of pictures all the time too. I mean, I take enough pictures of just regular life – snow, dogs, cat, food, biscuits I just learned how to make – to send to family and friends via text messages that I’m fairly certain I’d be posting 24 pictures a day of my newborn.
On the other hand, I’m also pretty positive that my oldest son is quite happy, thank you, that not everyone in my entire circle has seen the umpteen pictures I took of him as a 4 year old with the uber popular bowl-cut in the early 90’s! Sometimes, less is more, isn’t it?
Anyway, whether their lives have been documented on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or whatever, I’m grateful for my sons and every day they’ve been alive, I’ve been blessed by them and wish them the Happiest of Birthdays!
Here’s what I bookmarked and more this week:
- If you had to leave and take one thing, what would it be? Iraqis flee their homes with their one thing.
- I saw & bought some red palm oil at Trader Joe’s the other day. It’s kind of smoky & peppery tasting and better for you than even coconut oil!
- I need brownies to be dark, chewy at the corners and fudgy in the middle, maybe with a hint of salt. These sound perfect!
- Found this under eye concealer through my daughter’s Ipsy, and it is the very best one I’ve found in 20+ years of trying to hide my dark circles
- Winner of the Coolest Dad Ever award
- Holocaust survivor thanks GI that freed him!
- How to store your cheeses… hint: not in plastic
- Google exec says the internet will eventually just disappear
- How to store the rest of your food to keep it fresher longer
- This recipe for hot spiced milk has been my go-to winter drink as of late
- Color me crazy, but this book about the periodic table looks really interesting
- We saw American Sniper last week, and it was intense, but SO good! Bradley Cooper’s message to the military
- My kids were active in speech and debate. How did I not know about this site? Better for getting the pulse of the nation instead of Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN!
- In honor of both my sons with birthdays this week – What Ridiculous Food is YOUR birthday?
- I’ve always used epsom salts for aches, sprains and bruises, but I didn’t know how they can help your plants and garden too
- Fit twice as much in your freezer
- Video of twins playing peekaboo, guaranteed to make you smile
- Gorgeous photos of insects up close
- Easy crockpot chicken stock
- Usain Bolt takes to Twitter to rate babies doing the Bolt pose
- Lemon Drop chicken wings
- Creative ways to display photos
- I am a Cousin – even better than 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon – Join the Global Family Reunion to see who you’re related to!
- Gnocchi verde is the perfect way to get more greens in your body
- Fantastic redo of a laundry room for just $400
- Shamed dogs who fail at hiding
- A better alternative to nutrition labels on grocery store foods?
- Lumio – beautiful lights – I saw on Shark Tank
- Can’t find something you know you saw on the internet 5 years ago? Try the Internet Archive
- Yep, I still like sugar, but it’s bad for you
- All about your tears
- Stop multitasking