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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

One Of My Favorite Travel Apps Just Got Better For Families!
TechTravel

One Of My Favorite Travel Apps Just Got Better For Families!

by Jill February 14, 2019
written by Jill

I can’t stop procrastinating, and that’s ok! I’m done guilting myself over it. It’s how I operate and honestly procrastination has it’s perks sometimes.

There are even companies completely dedicated to living that last-minute life, like HotelTonight. The longer you wait to book a hotel room through their app, the more you save! That means you are right on time to book something for tonight, and even this coming weekend. You can use the app to book hotels for future dates, too.

We had a chance to take a very last minute trip to Fort Lauderdale last weekend and got to hop on over to the Everglades. 

I’ve worked with HotelTonight a few times before, and they are sponsoring this post, too. You know a brand is awesome when we team up long-term, you guys.

In the past, though, I had to be careful about messaging, only promoting their last-minute hotel reservation app as an option for a solo or couples getaway or staycation because the app didn’t have the option to book multiple rooms at one time for larger groups or families. 

THAT ALL CHANGED! HotelTonight is now an incredible option for last-minute-lifers who want to book rooms for their whole family or big group! This is a brand new update. 

On the iOS app, you can book up to 4 rooms in a single booking. Just open the customized search menu located on the top of the screen and select the number of rooms you’d like to book. If you’d like more than 2 people to stay in a room, that’s still up to the discretion of the hotel and could be subject to additional fees. I’d call just to be sure. 

In Fort Lauderdale, we stayed at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort in two rooms. It was boys vs. girls!If you’d like to save $25 off your next HotelTonight booking, use my referral code JIKRAUSE.

The two rooms were not connected, but we did manage to get on the same floor with just one room separating us, and that room wasn’t occupied. It was being renovated.

When you book more than room, it will note in your reservation, but it’s best to call the hotel ahead of time or a HotelTonight rep to ask that they work to get your rooms next to each other. 

Leyna was not complaining about the silence and solitude in our suite. We kept all the clothes and toiletries and general mess in the boys room so our room really felt like a quiet escape at the end of the day.

I love this option for larger groups just as much as I love it for solo or couples getaways and staycations. HotelTonight partners with hotels at a variety of levels- from basic to super luxe. I always discover quirky boutique hotels in great locations through their app, but you also have the big brand chains to choose from, too. 

If you haven’t downloaded the HotelTonight app, be sure you do that. It’s free and even when I’m not planning to escape somewhere that night (though the idea is always tempting), I love to see what their Daily Drop is.  This feature offers up to 30% off HT’s already low prices, but the catch is after you swipe you only have 15 minutes to book it. Sometimes it’s SO good that I want to make up an excuse to get away.

Thank you to HotelTonight for sponsoring this post. If you’d like to save $25 off your next HotelTonight booking, use my referral code JIKRAUSE.

February 14, 2019 2 comments
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I Am Breastfeeding My Toddler Around The Country
ToddlersTravel

I Am Breastfeeding My Toddler Around The Country

by Jill August 5, 2018
written by Jill

I mean we are currently traveling around the country, and I’m currently breastfeeding a toddler. So naturally I am breastfeeding my toddler around the country.

But also, I’ve made it a point to document many of the amazing places I’ve breastfed him along this trip, and they are some of my most treasured photos ever. (Backstory if you’re not familiar: we sold our house to live in an RV and drive around the US this year with our 4 kids.)

It started with a “get in the pictures” moment at White Sands National Monument at the beginning of the year. I was nursing Wallace while the rest of the family had a picnic lunch in the back of our truck, and I handed my camera to Scott. “Here, take a picture. I don’t have any pictures of me today yet.”

Breastfeeding My Toddler Around The Country

Then I joked that by the end of this trip I could have a whole collection of me breastfeeding in national parks and other beautiful places. People encouraged me to do just that, including some Instagram followers- one who suggested I use the hashtag #MotherNurtureMotherNature when sharing future nursing-in-nature pics, and that’s how my growing collection of these pictures began.

View this post on Instagram

From tiny seeds grow mighty trees. ? #mothernurturemothernature

A post shared by Jill Krause (@jillkraus.e) on May 11, 2018 at 7:03pm PDT

At the beginning of our trip, Wallace was just over a year old and still nursing quite a bit during the day so I really was having to stop and feed him while hiking and exploring quite often.  Of course, sometimes I took advantage of a really beautiful spot and offered him a snack, but many times it was just a natural opportunity to rest and feed him that presented as a photo opp.

View this post on Instagram

We couldn’t pass up an opportunity to take in the Grand Canyon while nursing. #mothernurturemothernature (And please don’t worry, there was a stretch of flat land beyond that wall. I didn’t breastfeed him on a cliff. ?)

A post shared by Jill Krause (@jillkraus.e) on Mar 24, 2018 at 8:09pm PDT

As the year has gone on, and Wallace is now breastfeeding less frequently throughout the day, the opportunities have dwindled. I regret not getting any at Yellowstone! But we’re also always keeping safety in mind, and Yellowstone really exhausted us just trying to keep an eye on the kids. We drove so much at Yellowstone that I mostly just nursed him in the truck after we stopped for a break.

I don’t think we’re done capturing these photos though. Not yet. As long as Wallace is breastfeeding while we’re visiting these valleys, forests, mountains, lakes, deserts, and oceans, I’ll gladly hand the camera over to my husband and request a picture. Wallace doesn’t seem to want to wean anytime soon, so chances are we’ll capture many more #MotherNurtureMotherNature shots this year.

View this post on Instagram

Wallace slept through the big kids working on their Jr Ranger badges and woke just in time for a brisk hike through the Petrified National Forest. Those aren’t rocks behind us! #mothernurturemothernature

A post shared by Jill Krause (@jillkraus.e) on Mar 16, 2018 at 5:39pm PDT

I really, really want to get a starry night sky photo of him enjoying a late night snack. I just need to work on my starry sky photo skills a bit. It’s my unicorn photo wish, though! I’m going to make it happen.

Have your own pics of you breastfeeding in the wild? Feel free to share them using the #MotherNurtureMotherNature hashtag, and be sure you’re following @BabyRabies on Instagram!

View this post on Instagram

Quick snack at the #tentrocks. Hiking makes you thirsty! ? #mothernurturemothernature

A post shared by Jill Krause (@jillkraus.e) on Mar 10, 2018 at 3:53pm PST

August 5, 2018 1 comment
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Consider This, Moms: A Solo Staycation For Mother’s Day Or Any Day
ParenthoodTravel

Consider This, Moms: A Solo Staycation For Mother’s Day Or Any Day

by Jill May 9, 2018
written by Jill

You know we sold our house last year and decided to travel fulltime in an RV with our 4 kids because we thought that would make our life… easier? Or… I don’t really know what we were thinking, but I do know I was fully intending on writing MORE here, not less. And hopefully I will soon.

Read on if you are looking for THE BEST last minute Mother’s Day gift for yourself or someone else! 

It’s just that this lifestyle has a pretty steep learning curve and the first 5 months (OMG almost half a year already!) have flown by and we are just now feeling like we finally have things figured out. That’s really just another way of saying LIFE HAS BEEN STRESSFUL. (And glorious and beautiful and amazing, but very stressful.)

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May 9, 2018 5 comments
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Our Happy Loud Life
Travel

Our Happy Loud Life

by Jill May 9, 2017
written by Jill

I’ve felt what I like to call “creatively constipated” about this post for a week. There’s so much to say and I don’t know how to say it, and every day that I don’t say it keeps me from saying so many other things. So FINE. Here. Just going to put this out there.

We’re selling our house, buying an RV and a truck, and we’re taking our family on a year-ish long trip around the country so we can “roadschool” our kids. I am totally serious. And WOW does that feel so much better.

If you missed my announcement on Facebook last week, here’s the video where Scott and I talked about what lead to this huge life change and a giant leap of faith.

So… yeah. Life is about to get super interesting in, I hope, mostly exciting ways.

Baby Rabies is not going away. In fact, I have plans to re-brand and grow this platform, but we’ll be gradually moving our personal story- the story of our family- over to HappyLoudLife.com. I’ve been brainstorming my baby blogger exit strategy for a while now, and this makes the most sense. I don’t want to stop blogging about pregnancy, babies, and parenting littles anytime soon, but it’s going to make less and less sense for it to be about my personal story as my children get older.

Okay, let me clarify, my exit strategy only recently involved the whole RV part, but that’s really just the first chapter in our new Happy Loud Life. When we get back, I’m sure HLL will evolve a bit. We’ll always be seeking a happy loud life, and that’s the place we’ll tell that story.

Anyway, I am sure you have a TON of questions, and I did my best to answer a lot of them today in a Facebook Live broadcast from the Happy Loud Life Facebook page. (Would love if you’d like me over there and follow me on Instagram at @Happy.Loud.Life.)

I’ll be back on the Baby Rabies Facebook page next week at 10:30 am CST for another Baby Rabies Playgroup live broadcast.

May 9, 2017 4 comments
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DockATot
Playgroup

Playgroup Week 7: Traveling With A Baby

by Désirée March 14, 2017
written by Désirée

DockATot

This week I’m at the BE Conference in Austin with Wallace, so I wanted to chat with you guys about what it’s like to travel with a baby and offer some tips for those who maybe haven’t done it before.

If you’re a first time mom, especially, it can be intimidating, especially if you’re traveling a long distance or if there’s a plane or lengthy car rides involved.

In this week’s episode of the Baby Rabies Playgroup, I wanted to share some of the things that work for us- including tips for getting from point A to point B in one piece, what to bring (and what can totally stay at home), and how to feel as prepared as possible when you’re away from home.

Watch the episode below!

A few more posts on the topic:

  • Please Don’t Turn Airplane Apologies Into An Expectation
  • 10 Things People Who Fly With Small Children Will Totally Understand
  • Disney Regrets

You can click here to see previous episodes or head to fb.com/BabyRabiesBlog.

Giveaway

Since the DockATot is SO perfect for travel (especially travel where bringing a pack and play would be ridiculous) they’ve offered up a giveaway for you guys.

DockATot

Enter below and I’ll announce the winner in next week’s Playgroup.

dockatot giveaway baby rabies playgroup

DockATot Giveaway

March 14, 2017 0 comment
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More Details! Our Oahu, Hawaii Anniversary Trip
The Story

More Details! Our Oahu, Hawaii Anniversary Trip

by Jill October 18, 2016
written by Jill

So how did we decide on Hawaii as the destination for our 10 year anniversary? It actually wasn’t our first, 2nd, or 3rd choice. Originally, it wasn’t even on the list! Only because I didn’t think it would be remotely affordable, and I assumed traveling there would be a huge pain. I was partially right about all of that, but mostly wrong.

I always figured we’d go somewhere in Mexico or the Caribbean, or maybe even the Florida Keys. I also always figured I wouldn’t be pregnant for this trip. And I never knew to expect the Zika outbreak. Once all those original choices were ruled out because of the combination of my unexpected pregnancy and Zika, I thought the only option would be something like Seattle or Vermont. I mean, not bad choices, but so different than what we had in mind.

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After poking around on Expedia, I realized that the travel time to those places up north was actually the same as the direct flight from Dallas to Honolulu (8ish hours) for about the same price. I booked this back in August, so I don’t know if that holds true all year. We decided to use Expedia to book our flights and hotel, and wound up with 4 nights at the Outrigger in Waikiki.

While it was only for 4 nights, the vacation felt much longer because we arrived by 12:30 Thursday afternoon, and we didn’t fly out until 8 pm on Monday night. Yeah… I’ll get to that overnight flight in a little bit.

Where We Stayed

Okay- the hotel. Ugh. I want so badly to give it a glowing review because so many people seem to love it, but I really don’t think we’d chose to stay there again, at least not unless we could afford to upgrade significantly. I kinda feel like we were given the “Expedia” room- the one furthest from the good views, closest to the noise of the street and the AC system, maybe with the worst and most uncomfortable bed they have to offer.

To be fair, I never asked them to move us, but I really felt like it would have fallen on deaf ears because I can’t say the staff was all that warm and welcoming – except for the valets, they were great.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 6, 2016 at 7:29pm PDT

It’s not a bad hotel. It’s in a great location as far as Waikiki goes. The beach is amazing. The restaurants there are wonderful, but I really disliked that there wasn’t anywhere to sit that felt cool and comfortable in the AC at the 2 of the 3 we tried (Duke’s and Hula Grill), and there was a strong sewage smell coming from the back of the kitchen that leads out to the walkway along the side that takes you to the beach.

If we did stay there again, it would only be if we could afford a room with a better view/higher floor, assuming they put (much) better beds in those rooms.

What We Did

At first, I thought we’d just book a bunch of tours. It’s not hard to find plenty that will pick you up at your Waikiki hotel for free or a minimal charge. Once I started adding up the cost of all of those, though, I realized it wouldn’t be much more to just rent a car, even including the cost of parking at the hotel ($35/night), especially after pricing out airport transfers. We used Travelocity to book a week long car rental, and wound up getting a “triple upgrade” to a Jeep Patriot, for about $175.

I. Am. So. Glad. We would have been miserable stuck on a bunch of tour busses with people we didn’t know. We wound up loving the freedom of being able to drive wherever whenever. We only booked one “tour” but it was a totally different experience than most.

I will have a whole separate post on this soon, including some free digital downloads of photos (!!), but I think one of the best things we did was book an Epic Sunrise tour with Oahu Photography Tours. We booked it for the first morning we were there. The 5:30 am pickup time scared me, but wound up being perfect since that was 10:30 am Texas time and we’d been wide awake since 3.  Again, so much more on this to come, here’s just one of the pictures I got of that gorgeous sunrise.

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Did I mention that I lived on Oahu from kinder-4th grade? Oh yeah. I guess that influenced our trip a bit. We tried to get on base where I used to live- Pearl City Peninsula- but since we didn’t have base passes or military IDs we were denied entry. I did get to see my old elementary school (Lehua Elem), though! And while we were out that way, of course, we visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Our extremely early wakeup worked to our benefit here, too. The memorial opens at 7 am, and since tickets are on a first come basis, I imagine it gets really crazy later in the day. We wound up only having to wait about 30 minutes to get on the 9:30 am tour.

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After that, we drove up to the North Shore for lunch, and just to check out the waves. We fell in love with the sweet town of Haleiwa! We decided to book a surf lesson for Scott out there the next day, and thought a long, scenic drive around the island back to Waikiki sounded like a great way to spend the rest of the afternoon. It was lovely for about 30 minutes. The other 2 hours were pretty brutal, considering how many times we had to stop for me to pee.

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Scott’s early morning surfing lesson with Uncle Bryan’s Sunset Suratt Surf School was one of the highlights of the trip. Scott was up on his board, catching waves within 30 minutes. And there was a photographer there who got some fantastic shots that were available for digital download for only $25 (including the one above).

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Meanwhile, I got to watch from the shore, and they kindly provided me a beach chair and plenty of water. Can’t say enough kind things about them!

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Can we take a minute to discuss my favorite bathing suit probably of all time, and definitely while pregnant? If you haven’t found @KortniJeane on Instagram yet, run there and follow them (or check out their site here). They have the cutest suits for all body types, and when I saw they had maternity bottoms, I instantly fell in love.

I paired it with this SwimZip top for trips to the beach (size L, not maternity, but definitely big and forgiving enough).

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Okay, back to places we went. The last day we were there, we booked a Movie Site tour at Kualoa ranch. We saw some cool spots where Lost was filmed, and Jurassic park, along with a lot of other TV shows and movies. I wasn’t really there for that as much as I wanted up close access to photograph the gorgeous mountains and foliage there.

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I do regret that we didn’t eat lunch there. Scott wasn’t impressed with the “cafeteria” atmosphere, so we wound up back in Waikiki and had to settle for a crappy cheeseburger place. That leads me to…

Where We Ate

Of course, we ate at our hotel at both Duke’s and Hula Grill. And yes, we did have a slice of Hula Pie (ordered to go and ate on the beach because it wasn’t worth waiting 45 minutes for a table).

Other than that, we had no idea where we would go before we got there, but I relied heavily on the Trip Advisor app, and it didn’t steer us wrong. I would just check to see what was around us at the moment, and read the reviews.

Our official anniversary dinner was at the Hau Tree Lanai, just down the street from our hotel. Great food (high prices), great service, great view of the sunset and the beach.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 7, 2016 at 11:03pm PDT

When we got to the North Shore, the reviews for KONO’s were too good to ignore. I had the pork plate. So yum!

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The food did not disappoint, and was a great price, but I think Scott could have done without all the wild chickens pecking around our feet. Ha!

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Also in Haleiwa, we had coffee and lattes from Coffee Gallery, and we discovered Island Vintage Coffee, which had THE BEST breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. It was so good, we had it again back at their Waikiki location the next day.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 9, 2016 at 11:10am PDT

We ate at a couple other places, but nothing worth noting. We were pretty disappointed that the AC was broken during our reservation at Top Of Waikiki. It’s an enclosed space and they can’t open windows. We didn’t even make it all the way around because we ate so fast just to get out of there. It’s not an inexpensive place, and I wish we would have just gone elsewhere.

What We Would & Wouldn’t Do Different

Overall, we had an amazing time and don’t regret much, but if we are fortunate enough to make it out there again, I think we’d do things a little differently. For starters, we’d probably rent a house closer to the North Shore, especially if we’re able to bring our kids. We’d plan to stock up on lots of local produce and meat and cook most meals there.

We would definitely sign everyone who’s old enough up for more surfing lessons with Uncle Bryan! That was the only part of our trip that made me wish our kids were there. It would have been a joy to watch Kendall give it a try.

We’d make Waikiki a day trip, but wouldn’t spend most of our time down there.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Oct 6, 2016 at 7:10am PDT

I’d like to say we would definitely not book the overnight flight home, but it’s possible my extreme dislike of that situation was colored by being nearly 8 months pregnant. I can say, FOR SURE, I wouldn’t do that again while gestating. BUT, a Hawaii trip while pregnant (travel to there aside) can be enjoyable. In case you were wondering.

 

October 18, 2016 19 comments
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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.

IMG_7505

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.

tipsforgreatsummperphotos

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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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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