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Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
  • Parenthood
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Parenting LOLZ
  • Photography
    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

      Reviews

      If Your Kid Loves Dump Trucks & Garbage…

      August 13, 2018

      Reviews

      Nobody Tell My Kids ABC Mouse Is Part…

      September 4, 2017

  • Subscribe

Travel

It’s Rare We Keep Promises To Ourselves, But We Made This Happen!
ParenthoodTravel

It’s Rare We Keep Promises To Ourselves, But We Made This Happen!

by Jill October 12, 2016
written by Jill

When we got married 10 years ago, we threw one bad-ass party in Texas. We were living in the DC/VA area at the time, and we planned it from afar. To this day, there isn’t a thing we regret about it… at least that we’ve allowed ourselves to remember.

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Take heart, newlyweds! It’s totally possible to take any unpleasant wedding day memories and stuff them way, way down in a dark place that you eventually won’t be able to remember how to get to.

We paid for the whole thing ourselves, and part of the trade off for being able to write checks for the miniature donkeys, the mariachi band, and the kegs of Shiner was that we had to settle for a “mini-moon.” It was a short 3 day trip to Fredericksburg, a small town near Austin. It was lovely, and really all we needed at the time.

But, we told ourselves, “In 10 years we’ll do this big.”

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10 years seems like a long time ahead of you when you get married. I mean, a decade is definitely a chunk of time when you really only get maybe 9 or 10 of them if you’re really super lucky. But then it just… goes… or comes. For us, having children made everything move at warp speed.

ANYWAY the whole reason why I started writing this post is to tell you WE WENT TO HAWAII!!

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We did it. We made the “big” vacation happen. We flew out on Thursday, and got home at 8 in the morning yesterday, Tuesday, and then I spent the whole day sleeping because let me tell you what a TERRIBLE idea the overnight flight is when you are 30 weeks pregnant- THE WORST IDEA.

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We were there for our 10th anniversary (10/8), and we ate so much great food, and Scott went surfing…

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A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 10, 2016 at 12:38pm PDT

And I got to take a million pictures that I have no idea when I’ll find the time to edit them all.

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I have opinions and reviews and more pictures to share with you! But I also have a terribly frightening amount of work to catch up on before I leave tomorrow for 2 business trips.

And then I swear I am not getting on another plane until this baby is out. You never realize how very upright those seats are in the “fully upright” position until you’re harboring another life in your midsection. Yes, I am that asshole who’s going to recline my seat the minute we get in the air. Sorry, humanity.

If you’d like to see more pics in the meantime, I overgrammed the hell out of this trip on my @BabyRabies IG account. 

October 12, 2016 24 comments
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Fun With Fondant At Duff’s Cakemix!
Food & WineSchool Age DaysTravel

Fun With Fondant At Duff’s Cakemix!

by Jill June 17, 2016
written by Jill

I’m not sure that Disneyland was the highlight of Leyna’s weekend in California. That honor might go to Duff’s Cakemix and Charm City Cakes West.

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You know Charm City Cakes, right? Home to Ace of Cakes’ Duff Goldman? My 5 year old daughter is obsessed with Duff… in that she binge watches all his shows and is actively prepping to become the next Kids Baking Champion. 

That tongue means serious business, you guys. She. Is. Ready.

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Before we left for LA, I reached out to Charm City Cakes West to ask if we could make an appointment just to peek inside their bakery, and I explained what a HUGE fan Leyna is. The staff was so nice, and pointed out that in addition to checking out Charm City Cakes West, we could actually decorate our very own cakes right next door at Duff’s Cakemix. 

So we took Delilah, Morgan’s daughter, with us, and the girls made magical, fondant covered creations.

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Yup, in addition to a few colors of buttercream frosting (complete with piping bags), and a couple candy toppings, they got to choose two colors of fondant. I can not begin to explain how that word has haunted me the last few months- FONDANT.

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Leyna is obsessed with the idea of decorating cakes with fondant. I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO FROST THEM WITH BETTY CROCKER VANILLA FROSTING. She was born to the wrong mother. (But she does come from a long line of bakers and cake decorators on her dad’s side so we can blame them.)

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I’m telling you, as soon as I saw online that fondant was provided, along with all the tools needed and professionals to help, I was sold. YES, this was a thing we would do in LA, for sure.

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Plus, gotta love a place where you make a huge mess there and then someone else cleans it up for you. After they airbrush your cake pearlescent pink.

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Of course we splurged ($2) for the Disco Dust. She is so legit now, y’all.

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And then?! The fun wasn’t over because we got to pop in next door and check out the bakery!

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The girls promised to be VERY good and not touch anything, so they got a little up close with a real-life Charm City Cakes creation, inspired by Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs.

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Mark, the manager, was incredibly gracious, and I’m so thankful for the time he took to talk to the girls and show them around. I mean, you can’t really tell here, but they were super happy.

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And shortly after that, Leyna and I took her cake (boxed and bagged) through LAX security and onto the plane. It safely made it home to Dallas, and we’ve all had a piece (or three).

June 17, 2016 1 comment
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I Recommend Only Having One Child
ParenthoodTravel

I Recommend Only Having One Child

by Jill June 16, 2016
written by Jill

On vacation, I mean. I really believe in the beauty of the one-at-a-time vacation.

2 years ago, I was able to take Kendall with me (and my mom joined us) to Disney World for a few days while I was speaking at a conference there. It made me fall in love with Disney, and I couldn’t wait to bring my ENTIRE FAMILY back. And I did. Last October all 5 of us, my sister, my brother, my sister in law, my mom, my step brother, my dad, and my step mom all went back to Disney World for 7 days.

Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We loved it. It was also an incredible ass kicking.

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Of course, family vacations serve a great purpose of experiencing things as, well, a family. But sometimes it’s really nice to experience them as only part of the family, too.

That solo trip with Kendall wasn’t just great because I didn’t have to keep him from pinching his sister while in line for Splash Mountain. I got to do exactly what he wanted to do most, and we didn’t have to mess with the rest. We had a Disney trip that went beyond Princesses, and he loved it.

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Last weekend I had the joy (and privilege- I get that this isn’t something a lot of people get to do), of doing a solo Disney (land) trip with Leyna. I kept my expectations really low, and then we blew them out of the water. We had an incredible time.

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Just like my solo trip with Kendall, I was able to do exactly what she was interested in doing. We were there with a friend (Morgan of The818 & Buzzfeed) and her daughter, who is Leyna’s age. They both, mostly, were interested in and wanted to do the same things. It made the day 99% less stressful.

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No rollercoasters? No problem. We met fairies and watched parades instead. (Kendall couldn’t stand sitting still for parades.)

IMG_0393IMG_0388We rode the tea cups TWICE (yes, it made me sick, but since my body refuses to throw up it was fine for all those around me).

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And we even got to relax at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique with no boys trying to hurry us along.

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Try not to feel too bad for the boys we left at home. Scott and Kendall finally got the rest of the mulch spread. (That’s the part that was really exciting for Scott.) And then they went to Six Flags together and rode all the scary rides a little sister would never try.

Lowell? He’s living his best life on my mom’s ranch this week. A week of tractors and bulldozers is much more fun to him than anything Disney has to offer right now.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jun 15, 2016 at 10:36pm PDT

Scott and I talked about how this one-on-one vacation approach – even with him taking Kendall to Six Flags just here in Dallas – makes so much more sense for us right now. Sure, he and I don’t get to enjoy these places together, but then again I sort of feel like there should be a Marriage Counseling ride at Disney because I would not classify it as romantic when you are there with 3 children.

Considering we’ll have 4 kids by this time next year, and taking 4 kids and two adults on vacation is insanely expensive, I think we’ll do more of these individualized trips over the coming years. It can be fun to spend 1-2 days at Disney (and other places, I imagine) with one child at a time instead of bringing the whole crew for a week.

I’d love to hear if you’ve had success with this and some of your favorite places to visit! If not, tell me where you’d like to go with just one of your children.

June 16, 2016 18 comments
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Take Summer Photos From Snapshot To Frame-Worthy
PhotographyTravelVideos

Take Summer Photos From Snapshot To Frame-Worthy

by Jill May 17, 2016
written by Jill

Summer is almost here! This is a post I wrote last summer, but I am dusting it off and made a video to go with it because summer is my favorite time of year to take pictures.

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Watch the video below for 5 tips for great summer photos….

Then click through to last year’s post to see what my 6th tip was, especially those of you with access to photo editing programs.

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May 17, 2016 13 comments
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Pictures From Inside The White House- Free To Download
PhotographyTravel

Pictures From Inside The White House- Free To Download

by Jill March 18, 2016
written by Jill

It is not lost on me how incredibly fortunate and lucky I am to have been invited to the White House this week, to share space with the First Lady, and to walk through rooms bursting with our nation’s rich history.

I know this isn’t the same as being able to bring you with me (I wish!) but I’d love to share some of my favorite pictures from my visit. If you click the “download” link below each one, you’ll be able to download a hi-res/non-watermarked version of that photo that’s suitable for printing up to an 8×10. These are free for your personal use. I just ask that you don’t sell them or use them to create anything for sale or any marketing materials. Please do not edit or crop, and if you re-share online, please link back to me.

Details on camera settings and lenses at the bottom of the post.

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The view of the Kennedy Garden and the National Monument from the East Colonnade.

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Look closely to the bottom right of the screen and you can see the presidential doggies Bo and Sunny out to play. I also love that I caught a couple men mid-handshake in front of the portico.

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A sign in the White House Garden.

 

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No caption needed. #flawless

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This was the first bookshelf I walked up to in the White House Library and I found it to be quite symbolic and hopeful. It’s my favorite picture.

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Another amazing collection of books representing so much of what our country is about and has endured was directly to the right.

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The White House library in cloudy morning light.

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A sconce in the White House library.

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A portrait of Nancy Reagan in one of the halls… can’t remember which one.

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Portrait of John F. Kennedy in the Cross Halls.

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Looking into the Red Room.

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Portrait of Dolley Madison over the fireplace in the Red Room.

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Looking out of the Red Room into the Cross Halls at a portrait of Ronald Reagan.

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Looking up at the chandelier in the Red Room.

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A bouquet of flowers in the green room.

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A French vase on the fireplace mantle in the Blue Room.

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A clock on the fireplace mantle in the Blue Room.

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The seat of a blue & gold chair in the Blue Room.

There was never a doubt in my mind that I would bring my “fancy” camera (Canon 6d), though I wondered what lens I should bring. Ultimately, I’m glad I left my most used lens- the Sigma 35 1.4– at home and opted to bring my 40 mm 2.8 pancake lens so that I’d also have enough room to bring my 85 1.8. The pictures from within the parlor rooms were all shot with my pancake lens (oh, how I love that lens for traveling), but when we got to our table, I switched to my 85.

It was the perfect focal length for pictures that felt up-close. It also didn’t hurt that I happened to land at a table at the front of the room. I used this lens for the outdoor pictures, too.

If I’m never invited back to the White House again, at least I’ll always have these pictures. I treasure them so much! I plan to print copies of them for each of the kids, and will store them in their memory boxes.

To view and download the entire gallery, click here.

You can find all the settings I used and which lens in the slideshow at the bottom of the post (you won’t be able to see that if you’re viewing this from my app, unfortunately). 

March 18, 2016 0 comment
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Just A Little Trip To The White House. No Big Deal.
Food & WineParenthoodTravel

Just A Little Trip To The White House. No Big Deal.

by Jill March 17, 2016
written by Jill

If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat, you know this already, but I’ll just scream it out here in case you don’t and also because holy crap THAT JUST HAPPENED so allow me a moment to keep freaking out about it.

I went to the White House this week and I met the First Lady Michelle Obama, and generally had one of the most amazing experiences of my life ever.

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Huge thanks to Stitch Fix for styling me! 

How did this happen?

CafeMom/TheStir was one of the media partners working with the White House to coordinate a group of parenting bloggers and influencers for this visit and they included me on their invite list. The minute I got the email I was like, YUP THAT IS A THING I WILL DO, and bought my air ticket 30 minutes later.

Why was I there? 

We were there to talk about the Let’s Move! program, and how we can help our audiences and our local communities continue to improve the health and nutrition of our nation’s children.

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What did I learn? 

We all know our nation’s children are fighting an uphill battle against obesity. Decreased activity, restricted access to fresh fruits and veggies, and increased exposure to processed foods are the perfect storm of conditions that have lead to 1 in 6 children in the US to become obese.

Let’s Move! has helped more the 30 million kids eat healthier school breakfasts and lunches, over 10 million kids attend schools where they strive to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, and 2 million now have a Let’s Move! Salad Bar in their school.

One of my favorite parts of the conversation was hearing from Dr. Katie Wilson of the USDA. She’s been a “lunch lady” for decades, and was in charge of school nutrition at the the local level before coming to the USDA. She talked about how so much of putting a variety of fresh produce on kids’ lunch plates isn’t just about getting them to eat it. I’ve heard from a few teachers in my life that it’s “such a waste” because kids will just throw it out.

Dr. Wilson reminded us, though, that kids have to be exposed, sometimes MANY times, to these things before they finally try them. It’s about the exposure, and it’s about the conversations. It’s a teaching moment. And eventually? They’ll likely eat it. Or at least try it. When these kids don’t have the opportunity to be exposed to these things at home, this is SO valuable.

Who was there?

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It was wonderful to hear from women working with Let’s Move! who are trying hard to make changes, including 3 time Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes. BTW, she is incredibly funny and relatable. She’s a mom to two little girls, including a breastfeeding infant, and I just want to have coffee with her in our yoga pants someday. She had us laughing the whole time she was talking.

Speaking of mom crushes…

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Swoon! Y’all, Michelle Obama is just as beautiful in person. And to hear her talk? It was like a conversation with a good friend. She is so down to earth. As she tells it, the reason she chose to champion this cause is because she struggled with feeding her family and keeping them active at one point, too. She shared her challenges with us, and offered some really solid parenting advice, along with a healthy dose of realism and commiseration. It was like the best mom’s group ever.

Can we please make this a regular thing Michelle and Dominique? You are my people. I know this. 

It was crazy inspirational. I don’t think anyone can walk through the rooms of the White House and NOT feel inspired to be a better person.

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What’s next?

Well, aside from planning playdates with the First Lady and a 3x Olympic gymnast…

On a personal level, I want to work harder to keep my kids active. Admittedly, we are awful at doing things outdoors with the kids, but I’m motivated to check out the National Parks near us.

Did you know that EVERY 4th grader AND THEIR FAMILY can get a free pass for all national parks at EveryKidInAPark.gov? 

Kendall won’t be in 4th grade for a couple years, but I know many of you out there have kids who are currently eligible or will be soon. 

And here on the blog, I’ll do my best to share ways that we overcome challenges with getting the kids to eat healthy and pack in enough activity every day. I’ll be the first to admit that these are hard things to do, and our family doesn’t face nearly as many obstacles as so many families do.

This is a hard thing, especially given the challenges we face as a country right now, but it’s IMPORTANT.

How can YOU get involved? 

This was my favorite takeaway. Instead of paraphrasing, here’s a direct quote for the Let’s Move! website-

“All schools that receive support from the USDA are required to develop wellness policies that address school food service and physical activity. Many schools have working groups dedicated to improving the school’s health programs and policies. These working groups go by different names across the country, such as school health team, school health council, school health advisory council or wellness council.

Parent members of these groups play a crucial role in creating a healthful school environment. Call your child’s school and talk to the principal or PTA president to find out if the school has an active health team. If it does, find out how you can become a member. If the school doesn’t have a health team, help organize one.

For more information, the CDC’s Coordinated School Health Program and the Education Development Center offers tips and strategies for developing a school health program.” – LetsMove.gov

Okay, tomorrow I’m coming back here with a ton of pictures I got in and around the White House, and you’ll be able to download the hi-res/non-watermarked files for personal use if you’d like. I had a blast snooping around (of course, I wasn’t really snooping) the various rooms we were ALLOWED to go in with my camera. Talk about a photographer’s dream come true!

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March 17, 2016 2 comments
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Disney Regrets
ParenthoodSchool Age DaysToddlersTravel

Disney Regrets

by Jill November 3, 2015
written by Jill

We just got back from a week-long trip to Disney World, and I must start this post by saying IT WAS SUPER FUN.

Seriously, even though I literally feel like I’m recovering from a marathon now. (I’ve run two. I know this feeling.)

Instead of blogging all about how lovely it was (it was!), which I will get to soon, I thought I’d start by telling you about what I regret about the trip so maybe you can avoid the same mistakes… or so I’ll remember to avoid them the next time we go. Oh yes, there will be a next time.

We didn’t have a stroller seat for every kid butt. We brought our Maclaren Quest, and we rented a single from Orlando Stroller Rentals, thinking that Kendall (7) and Leyna (4) could take turns walking. HAHAHAHAHAHAHANOPE. Finally, on the very last day, we rented a double from the park and the angels sang and hit us upside the head for waiting so long.

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We went back to the hotel too much and broke up our day too much. I wish we would have made meal reservations at the parks we planned to stay at all day. We thought we’d be smart to hit a park up in the morning, head back for naps, then get back to the parks in the evening. Most of our dinners were in parks we weren’t in during the day.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 30, 2015 at 9:35pm PDT

This plan works for a lot of people, but what wound up happening for us was the big kids were restless at the hotel in the afternoon and didn’t want to take naps. And we ate up at least 2 hours in travel time to and from the resort. The last two days we simply stayed in the parks all day, but took our time. We didn’t have to rush around to cram everything in. We let the kids rest, play, ate slow meals. And Lowell napped in the stroller.
 
We started our days too late. The first few days, we thought we were doing good to get to the parks by 9:30 or 10. Then on the 4th day I had an early breakfast reservation with Leyna at Be Our Guest, and we got in to the park before it opened to the public. Simply awesome. I do not enjoy early wakeups, but I do not enjoy crowds and lines even more. Next time, I really want to make as many breakfast reservations before parks open as possible. IMG_7800

 
We forgot our ponchos. We caught the tail end of Hurricane Patricia the 3rd day we were there, and it was pretty miserable walking around soaking wet. We thought we were only supposed to get sprinkled on! Nope. Torrential downpour. Never stepping foot in Disney again without ponchos. IMG_7802

 
I thought Leyna would wear her princess dress all day. The day we had breakfast at Be Our Guest, Leyna got fancied up in her princess dress and jewelry. I’d seen little girls walking around the parks all day in their dresses, and thought Leyna would want to do the same. An hour after we finished our meal I was in Sir Mickeys spending way too much money on a shirt and shorts for her because she was miserable in her princess attire. IMG_7576

 
We took our toddler to the Not So Scary Halloween Party. I worked super hard to get tickets to this party. They weren’t cheap, but we’d heard from so many people that it was such a special experience. I really wanted the kids to go. We dressed up as a family, and we brought my dad and step-mom with us. (They were on the trip with us, along with my mom, step-brother, sister, brother, and sister in law- crazy, right?! So fun.) IMG_7505 Lowell, the 2 year old, had a good time, but I think he would have had just as much fun staying behind with the other family members, and we would have been able to focus more on Kendall and Leyna. Not to mention this was the night we learned just how VERY, very scared Lowell is of fireworks.

 
We stayed too far from Magic Kingdom. Our resort- Art of Animation- was really wonderful. Please don’t get me wrong. We loved it. But, IF we could do it again, and IF we could afford to stay at a hotel on the monorail, we would. The buses are super convenient, but there are long waits for them sometimes, and many times they are super packed. You could wind up standing, holding a stroller, and a baby for 30 minutes… on your way home after a 12 hour day. The monorail would take us to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot, which are the two parks we spent the majority of our time in and ate almost all our meals in.  

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 25, 2015 at 12:00pm PDT

 

We tried to do too much. We should have treated it more like a marathon than a sprint. I wish we would have slowed down and let the kids dictate most of our day instead of rushing them from one place to the next. It made it super stressful and caused many meltdowns. I think in the beginning we treated this like a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and that put a ton of pressure on us to get everything done. By the last couple days we realized we would likely come back again, and there was no need to cram it all in.

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I didn’t take enough pictures with my nice camera. Ugh… I don’t know if this really belongs here because it was freeing at the time to give up toting my camera around after day one (and very few snaps because it was just downright inconvenient with 3 kids to watch). But looking back, and comparing the few pictures I managed to get with my DSLR to my phone snaps and the park pictures, I’m just a little sad I didn’t take more myself with the fancy camera. That said, I could have done that and I’d be writing about how I regretted lugging my camera everywhere with me this time.

(I got great pictures at Disney World last time, but I also only had one kid to keep up with then.)

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I’ll be back soon with a few more things that we did right this time at Disney. In the meantime, be sure to check out my last round of Disney Tips & Tricks. 

DisneyRegrets

November 3, 2015 10 comments
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Photos of Israel- Free Downloads!
PhotographyTravel

Photos of Israel- Free Downloads!

by Jill October 8, 2015
written by Jill

::tap, tap:: Is this thing on?

I’m so unreliable, I know. The blog seems to be okay now. I did the thing where I paid a lot of money to have it professionally cleaned up, and I switched hosts and servers. But parts are still broken, and hopefully that will be fixed soon.

In the meantime, though, I THINK I can post these pictures here for you… so let’s give it a go.

I am so excited to share these 14 photos of my trip to Israel, courtesy of Vibe Israel, last month. They are some of my very favorites, and you’re welcome to download them, share them, and print them for free.

Below are the links to each hi-res, watermark free image on SmugMug, where you can download it directly. All I ask is you do NOT sell these, or create anything for sale with these. If you do share them online, please credit me and link to BabyRabies.com

IsraelPicturesPin

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The view as I stepped into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The site is venerated as Calvary (Golgotha), where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and also contains the place where Jesus is said to have been buried and resurrected. Within the church are the last four (or, by some definitions, five) Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa, representing the final episodes of Jesus’ Passion. The church has been an important Christian pilgrimage destination since at least the fourth century as the traditional site of the resurrection of Christ. – Wikipedia

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A mural to the left of the Tomb Of Jesus a the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

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Columns at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Our tour guide pointed out that etching at the top of the left column, left there by a pilgrim. Notice the date? 1384. Wow.

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The Dead Sea, taken as we were driving down to it. The mountains in the distance are Jordan.

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This and the next few pictures were taken at a kibbutz in north Israel, home of the country’s only organic dairy farm. While we were there, we gathered some of our own produce from their gardens and made an amazing, organic dinner.

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This image and the next are from a restaurant in Nazareth, run by a kind Arab man who made delicious Katayef (Palestinian stuffed pancakes) for us, and spoke of his hope for all people to live in peace. It was touching. I loved all these treasures he had hanging in his historic shop.

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This and the next couple were taken in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, said to be built over the home of the Virgin Mary.

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And that? That is a picture of some plump figs at a market in Tel Aviv- Shuk HaCarmel.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

October 8, 2015 2 comments
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On Fear And Learning To Fly- Israel Trip, Part 3
ParenthoodPhotographyPostpartum Anxiety & DepressionTravel

On Fear And Learning To Fly- Israel Trip, Part 3

by babyrabies September 28, 2015
written by babyrabies

When I got the email from Vibe Israel, asking me to to apply for a weeklong trip to a foreign country I’d only ever associated with conflict and war, I actually thought it was a joke.

And then after I checked out their pretty legit website, I asked some close friends if they’d do it. They all said YES, OF COURSE. And I thought they were crazy.

But, there was that voice in my head trying to silence my fear, and sift out the sounds of reason. It was telling me that this was a chance of a lifetime. It was trying to yell over my anxiety that everything was going to be fine, great!

I listened to it just long enough to apply, then hoped I wouldn’t get chosen.

I felt joy when I first got the official invite, nearly immediately followed by dread and doubt.

It wasn’t just the ideas I had about the (lack of) safety in Israel. I was also afraid because what if something happened to my family while I was half a world away, what if the plane crashed, what if I had a panic attack, what if I didn’t know enough about religion, what if I offended someone, what if World War 3 broke out and I was stuck in Israel trying to fight my way home, and had to befriend a zombie?

That last “what if” is courtesy of a lot of too many movies, I guess.

Up until the very last night, I wondered if I should back out. At one point, I thought my “gut” was trying to tell me it wasn’t going to end well, that this was one of those Final Destination moments when I should make the drastic choice to cancel everything, in order to avoid a tragedy I’d see on the news the next week.

You guys. Obviously that was CRAZY. I know this. Sometimes this is where my anxious brain goes, especially before I fall asleep. (My dreams are so super fun.)

I didn’t have much time to think anymore about it from the minute I got up super early the day of my flight. Yay, running late! By the time I got on my flight from Newark to Tel Aviv, I was so damn tired that I slept through most of the 10 hours. Andplusalso, Benadryl.

It was a super smooth flight, and nobody had any interest in keeping their window shades open, so I didn’t even have to think about flying over an ocean.

From the minute I arrived in Israel, I’m telling you, I felt 110% safe- safer than some places I’ve visited in our own country. That’s not to discount or diminish the real conflicts and tension that I know do exist there, but for the time I was there, the places WE visited, from north to south and between, didn’t make me feel unsafe.

All that said, there were still moments that it hit me that I was nearly as far away from my family as earthly possible. There were moments of panic, moments when I had to decide to stop checking the news (not for anything local… just in general.)

But then there were moments like dining on the roof of a hotel in Tel Aviv, and marveling at how far I’ve come… in so many ways. How is THIS my life?

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18 months ago, the voice of reason in my head would have been barely a whisper. Anxiety and fear would have been screaming at me to stay home. Hell, they didn’t even want me to go to the grocery store down the road. And back then a 2 hour flight felt like a one way ticket to the grave.

In the middle of the Dead Sea on the 2nd full day of the trip, I picked up some salt on the shoreline, and noticed the bracelets I absentmindedly slipped on my wrists that morning…

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Fly, warrior.

Goodness, did I ever.

Push play!

A video posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Sep 5, 2015 at 10:15am PDT

DeadSeaMud

September 28, 2015 2 comments
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Israel Trip, Part 2- An Afternoon With an Israeli Mother In Pictures
BloggingParenthoodPhotographyTravel

Israel Trip, Part 2- An Afternoon With an Israeli Mother In Pictures

by Jill September 24, 2015
written by Jill

When the Vibe Israel team asked me what I most wanted to do in Israel, I thought for a few hours, then I knew exactly what.

I wanted to meet a local mom, and I wanted to photograph a small part of a day in her regular life.

Okay, sure, Jerusalem would be cool, the Dead Sea would be rad. But when do I have the opportunity to connect with a mother a half a world away, and document her in a way that is so meaningful to me, and hopefully to her?

Read Part 1 here

The journalist in me wanted to report on how similar and different motherhood is between her and me. The photographer in me craved new spaces and fresh faces. The blogger in me wanted all of YOU to connect with this woman and family the way I was hoping I would (and did).

Esin lives in Tel Aviv, in a small apartment, with her husband and 2 young children- a boy named Yuval, and a girl named Bar. They are currently building their dream home, which Esin is itching to move into for many reasons- one being that she’s an interior designer, and really looking forward to putting personal touches on her own space.

Though her current (adorable) apartment is certainly not lacking…
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We began our afternoon together with some divine Israeli takeout- the really yummy, healthy kind, I’m told. Hummus, falafel, dried fruit and nuts, and some cookies that Esin made out of probably 20 lbs of butter. The unhealthy part of the meal, but I wasn’t complaining.

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Or, a friend of Esin’s and straight up hilarious person, joined us, too. Her family lives too far from the city for me to meet her children that day, but I’m really happy she at least got to hang out with us and chime in.

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I did get to meet Or’s girlfriend for a short time who was pregnant and just had her baby yesterday! (Congrats Or and Ellie!)

We talked for over an hour, comparing cultures and questioning each other like we had just met at summer camp and wondered what the other’s town was like. We came to the conclusion that we are really quite similar in so many ways, from work-life balance struggles to how we are combining the internet, motherhood, and what we love to make a living.

Or does marketing for baby brands and products, and she blogs for a large Israeli parenting site. As for Esin? Here’s a little more about what she does, in her own words:

I am an interior designer, working from home. Mostly I design spaces and apartments and houses for families with kids, while paying attention to functionality and design. On my blog, I write about styling and about the process and the choices that I take with the family. It’s important for me that through my writing my followers will get to know me and my style. 

I could write about these women and our conversations all day, but I guess I should get to the pictures. There are a lot of them. Get your scrolling finger ready!

After our lunch wrapped up, it was time for Esin and I to head out and pick up her children from school.

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I laughed because Esin lamented that they must pass by this snack shop every day on their way from Yuval’s school, and every. day. he begs for a treat. I KNOW YOUR STRUGGLE, ESIN.

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Between pickups and the apartment, there were a few carseat battles and Esin apologized more than once for her “messy” car. It was like I was home with my people.

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The children were delighted to arrive back. I think this could have been because there was a plate of buttery cookies on the coffee table. Not sure.

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Universally, toddlers just want to get naked.IMG_4374IMG_4366

While Yuval and Or took up a lively game of ping pong..

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I poked around and took more pictures. I was quite nosey, and in love with Esin’s decorating.

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You can not escape minions.

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She had strict instructions from me to not clean. I wanted to capture real life. Isn’t real life the most beautiful?

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I asked Esin to answer a few questions about motherhood for me.

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Do you think it’s easy or hard to be a parent in Israel? Why?

For me, its easy to be a parent in Israel!! First, we live in a warm country, our winter is short so we have a little bit rain and then a long summer with a lot of outdoor fun days with the kids. Tel Aviv is the biggest city in Israel, but compared to big cities around the globe, its very small, so everything is close and safe (more quality time with my kids), for example, my parents live 5 minutes walk from us, my husband’s work is 15 minutes drive from our home, and the beach is 5 minutes drive (my kids are crazy about the beach and the sand). 

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What’s your biggest fear as a mother? 

 My biggest fear as a mother is that my children won’t feel safe to tell me everything (good or bad). I would like to know all about my children and what they are going through so I can help them when they feel needed and be happy for them when they are happy.

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What are you most proud of as a mother? 

Mmmmm… nice question!  I think that I’m most proud of the values that I’m giving them. I would like my children to be caring and polite. 

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What was my takeaway from this? As cliche as it sounds, we have so much in common. The differences were there, of course, but through all the cultural barriers and the horrific and hilarious Google translations for words that were lost, we were mothers in a fast-paced world. We have technology at our finger tips, but we struggle to find the time to balance everything. We want the best for our kids, and we wonder sometimes what that is. We wrestle toddlers into car seats, and we have sippy cups on our floor boards.

We are driven by love… and a healthy dose of humor.

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I hope you all loved getting to know Esin, her family, and Or today! Tomorrow, part 3 of my Israel posts will be about overcoming the fear I had before I went- on more levels than just the “OMG, a 13 hour flight?!” fear. Hint: postpartum anxiety lost this battle.

 

I'm half a world away from my family, my home, my routine. This trip was a HUGE leap for me. I couldn't have dreamed of doing this even a year ago. My anxiety wouldn't have let me. But today? I am here. And I looked down as I waded through one of the 7 wonders of the world at the two bracelets I absentmindedly slipped on my wrist this morning to discover this. Fly, Warrior. Indeed. (Fly bracelet from @averyandaustin and Warrior bracelet from the #warriormomcon by @mantraband) #warriormom @postpartumprogress #vibeisrael #vibemommies

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Sep 5, 2015 at 6:46am PDT

September 24, 2015 2 comments
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