When we are faced with such hostility we can choose to react on instinct, to defend, to justify, to attack and ultimately to feed the ugliness of this dysfunctional theater, but in doing so we allow it to become a part of us. Eckhart Tolle¹ describes much of this beautifully, and may summarize it best in his words: “Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”

-Today’s World – Karma, Reflection and Kindness.

It is disappointing that there are those few of you who find my success to be threatening. That feel you need to have your presence known with each degree of success I earn and that seem to feel that attempting to tear others down is a way to build yourself up. My success is based on a true and honest heart and most importantly it is based on integrity. Integrity is defined as an adherence to moral and ethical principles. For me this holds true in every detail as well as holistically. Any one of you have the potential to be as successful – but your first goal should be to apply the energy you use to attack me to improve your own life skills. I am well aware that some of “you” are individuals that are known in the WAHM community yet hide behind anonymity and innuendo. Sadly, there are also those few that are simply wanting to “belong” to something regardless of the ill intent, the falsehood or those it injures. As women, we should stand up for and encourage the success and empowerment of our gender. I will forever strive to be a champion for us as women; women who not only want to do meaningful work, but who also find great meaning and success in being wives, partners and mothers.

Here is a picture I snapped right after we got back from the post office! Thought you’d like to see my little monkey in the sock monkey. I like that print for him because he was a late crawler (just started last week at 13 months) so he got really good at grabbing things with both his feet and his hands in order to extend his reach from the seated position! So I always call him my little monkey because he uses his feet so much!

The diapers are beautiful. Thank you again!

Kristi

Kennedy, photo submitted by her mama Alyssa.

. . . It was my other kids’ idea to dress her up like a fairy to match the diaper. Madison (her 4 year old sister) offered up her backpack wings and wand. We tried so hard to get her to hold a wand to complete the ensemble, but she just wouldn’t let go of the toy lipstick. We got a great smile on her because Dustin (her 5 year old brother) was behind me playing peek-a-boo, but instead of saying boo he said “Stinky diaper” (meaning she is wearing her Stinky Couture diaper; he just loves the name).
It was quite the family photo shoot, but we had a great time doing it. Looking back at this picture reminds me of passing the afternoon with all of my kids laughing and smiling with each other.

- Alyssa

What is haute couture? As defined by Stinky Couture™ it is made to order for each baby’s needs. Luxurious cloth diapers made from high-quality, hard to find and often out of print fabrics that are sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish. Comfort, function, beauty, Stinky Couture™.

April’s winning photo is of Caden, 3 months, photo taken by his mama Lisa. We got quite a kick out of the photos submitted by Lisa as she submitted several photos showing Caden in a variety of moods. This was our favorite as sweet Caden was trying oh so hard to sit up and show off his Stinky Couture™.

Submissions can be sent to “photocontest at stinkycouture.com”
* Diapers will be YPS (you pick size)
*All photo submissions to date will be considered for the month of March.

Be patient
When photographing children, patience is a must. Have fun! Don’t expect to get that perfect shot immediately. Sit back and wait for the right moment, then snap away.

Get close to your Baby!
Be sure to fill the camera’s viewfinder or LCD display with your Baby to create pictures with greater impact. Get close to your Baby or use your camera’s zoom to emphasize what is important and exclude the rest. When a flash is needed it is better to get a little further back and utilize the zoom function of your camera.

Get down at there level
Eye-to-eye contact is as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. Laying on your belly or sitting on the ground is a great way get a picture from a child’s perspective. By doing this, your Baby’s expressions will be natural, your flash photos will be more evenly lit from nose to toe, and the background will probably look a lot better, too.

Crop it…before and after!
Visual cropping: Try cropping your photo visually prior to taking it. Fill the view finder or LCD display. When doing so are there things that you see that shouldn’t be there? You can crop, or remove, these elements easily by moving closer or utilizing the zoom feature on you camera.

Crop it after the fact: Whether you take your photos to be processed or download pictures to your computer, cropping is easy! Cropping really can make a good photo great!

Be real!
Ignore the impulse to force your Baby to pose staring at the camera. Candid pictures that are real and not forced really are best. A dirty face, mismatched socks and bed head are just a few warm examples of childhood that one can connect to. We have oh so many pictures of our children as they are… children.