I was going over our budget with my husband the other day and thinking, they say it takes 3 months to get a new habit started. But I feel like we do great for 3 months and then all this craziness comes out of the woodwork. For example we plan for hiccups in our budget, car maintenance and  house maintenance. But I really need to be on my game when it comes to my household. That’s more a visual example of how crazy our life is. 

We get in our groove. Know our dinner schedule, what to cook and when to eat leftovers. Which one of us is cooking and taking kids here, there and everywhere. Making sure laundry is caught up. 

But you know what ALWAYS happens when I don’t plan? Our house looks like a bomb went off!  All of a sudden my kids don’t know where their bags, shoes, clothes, hair ties, legos go. We eat on a whim and mostly out to eat because I didn’t plan a grocery run. And then we have spent more money. Don’t even get me started on inflation prices right now. That’s a whole nother game changer. Remember when you could buy milk at Aldi for $0.99?? Ya? Me too!

My point is, while thinking about my budget, my life changes every quarter (every 3 months) If I stay on top of my routines I’ve implemented I only have to move a few things around. Am I always great at this? No, but we sure do try. 

What do I do to make it easy on me?

For dinner, I made a list of all the meals my kids will eat and if they fight me because they're picky it's a list of foods I’ll make them eat. Like something they can cover up with Ketchup or Ranch if they really don’t want to eat it. Not something like sushi/chinese/shrimp,  that’s just mean.

Every Sunday I try to plan out my week. I divide it my week into 4 categories, Me/Kids/Work/Home

Me- are for my personal goals like- work out 4 times this week

Kids-I list out all their practices and games, projects and other activities like if they have a birthday party to go to. 

Work- My big tasks, any sessions I have coming up and what I need to do to prepare. 

Home- Any chores that have to get done, plus if i need to move any chores around.

Then I make a dinner plan, based FIRST on what we have on hand and make my cooking nights the nights one of us is actually home long enough to cook the meal. Sometimes we cook on the weekends if we have time, but with 3 kids in sports right now it's not happening as frequently as I’d hoped.

I also look at the kids' school lunch schedule and we figure out who wants hot or cold lunches. I then make my grocery list. And start adding items to my Aldi/Walmart and Costco list. When I’m super busy working I’ll use Instacart. If I have more time I’ll save money and do store pickup. 

But doing it all online also helps me stay within my budget for our groceries, since I can check the price as I go and adjust accordingly. 

I also try to do a load of laundry a day, and PUT IT AWAY! That’s the kicker! If I have a crazy week my kids know all uniforms are to be cleaned by friday so if they haven’t seen it. They need to put it on the washing machine. 

Another great thing we do every night is to “close down” the kitchen. My Granny has had a routine since she was a little girl, you never go to bed with dishes in the sink. Now, let's not get crazy. I went to bed last night with 2 glasses and a plate in the sink. But the drains and the washer were full because our life was go, go, go over the weekend. However, the counters and table were cleared and wiped down. That’s a win in my book! Do I strive for nothing in the sink, Yes, but if I have so many clean drying dishes I don’t have room I’m not going to fret over it. 

When my kids were babies, the word schedule stressed me out. I hated having to go by the clock all the time. So I started using “routine'' instead. It helped me relax mentally more and more. Yes I have a  window of time I block off but not an alarm. 

Doing these routines helps me to keep our welled oil machine of a house working. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get it all done. We have weeks where we have a pow-wow of cleaning as a family to get the whole house done. It also helps me when we know we are having company over ha! Everyone moves at lightning speed. This year we as a family are working on putting items away. Not just in the room they go. It’s so easy to just toss things in a room and say you’ll get to it later, when in reality if you just took 10 extra minutes it could be done. 

I hope this helps you. Do you have anything else you’d add? Let me know in the comments!

One thing I started doing that I do every year is set up Multiple alarms on my phone, and it's a game changer!

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My first important alarm is to off when my kids need to buckle down and actually get dressed, get their teeth brushed  etc. We call this the  "20 min warning" alarm. They know they have 20 mins from this alarm until its time to leave. It has been a life saver especially with my youngest who thinks he really has all the  time in the world. Then another alarm goes off when it's time to leave. We rarely run late with this system. 

The second important alarm I have is set for 4:30 after school. This reminds me to get into their back packs, check folders, have them empty lunch boxes and water bottles, and put their mask in the hamper. I also start dinner.  If I don't, I'll get busy and start too late while trying to get a child out the door for an activity and then its another sandwich dinner. We get a lot of those if we aren't careful.

The final alarm is set for 8:30 - This one helps the next day go smoothly. We pick out the next days outfits, get backpacks ready, clean mask in, snack ready, water bottles out to be filled. Someone is to take the recycling/trash out. We look at tomorrows school lunch option. If they want a home lunch I pull the lunch boxes out and start pre paring what can sit out while we sleep.

Usually during this time my husband, kids and I are helping get dinner cleaned up, showers in , doing the dishes and  feeding dogs. Theres a lot that goes on at 8:30-9:00 but with all 5 doing it, it takes about 20 minutes. At this point I also set out my work out clothes and daily clothes for in the am.

I'm not saying this is fool proof. But it's a start and a lot better than running around feeling like my life is chaotic! What tips do you use to help yourself stay on track? Share your ideas!

Good luck Parents!

Please share with any parents you feel that could benefit from a little bit of these tips.
Natalie S.

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We start off with your due date. I recommend booking around your second trimester, but if its  a little later that's ok. We just want to get you on our schedule. You pay a deposit  and sign the model release that goes toward your full session. The remaining balance due at your full session. We send these via email to help keep everything in one place. 

Once we get your deposit all the fun stuff starts happening!! We first send over a questionnaire. This is a fun activity to do with your spouse on a date night! We want to know your journey, their story, was this little one expected? A surprise? Did you have trouble conceiving and this little one is your miracle? Is this your rainbow baby? What's the meaning behind their name? How are their siblings handling all the change? Are they excited? Are they put off? We want to know what kind of stress you may be going though. I try to get all questions and concerns answered before baby is here. 

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On the day of your session. We bring ALL THE THINGS. Props, wraps, heater, noise machine, lights. And set up. We move furniture around if that's needed move any clutter for you that may be in a back ground shot. We know how busy and exhausting these last week of pregancy and the newborn stage can be. We do not in anyway expect you to clean and tidy your home for us. Relax guys, We got this!

So, once were are ready, if there is an older sibling/s, I try to get those shots done first as their attention span is only for so long. Once Mom and Dad are ready we add them to the mix and get full family images taken. Then we move on to photos with just Mom and Dad individually and together.  Then we finish with individual poses. Here is where we strive to not move baby too much so they stay in that deep sleep. In between these individual photos, the whole time we are getting the next "station set up" for a quick transition. We always stop for baby to eat, change diaper, get back to a deep sleep.  And, That's it! 

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HAFFNER NEWBORN-24 HAFFNER NEWBORN-40 HAFFNER NEWBORN-2

Later that day or the next I will share a little sneak peek on social media. I try to get the gallery done in about a week. Sometimes it's 2 weeks if I'm busy. Then once you pick the images you like and prints you want I push the order though!

Well, I can make it super easy for you! I'm going to show you some examples! Also know that when you book with me, we can do BOTH! There is no need to decided on ONE type. 

Lifestyle sessions are basically what they sound like. You and your family just hanging in your home or in a studio holding your baby and me, capturing every angle and detail so you remember this moment of them being so snuggly. We wrap them in our provided cloths, which we supply. Or in a a onesie. Which we can supply as well!

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Rank (50 of 50) DeLeon-6 HAFFNER NEWBORN-2
 

Posed sessions take more time, for a reason. Once we get baby good and asleep, we start molding them. We do the transitions to make moving them easy and swift with out waking them. Sure they may stir a little. But we have a little heater near to keep them warm and a sound machine with white noise. 

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Missed Daxton-62 HAFFNER NEWBORN-24

When you book a session with us, we come to you! You don't need to make your house Pinterest perfect. With a little moving around of furniture and objects you'll get timeless images to last a lifetime that take you back in time to when your child was teeny tiny. 

We would love to capture your newborn and sweet little family. Contact us today to book your session! www.natalieshultzphotography.com

Have your been thinking of your wardrobe colors yet? Have a theme in mind? A location in mind? Your session will be here before you know it! I'll send out some helpful tips as we get closer if you're struggling on what to wear.

Fall Dates will be released soon!

We will be doing a mixture of urban (city) and nature. Like last year everyone's schedules are still crazy and adapting to getting into a groove, so we will have multiple dates and times. I felt like this worked out great with sport schedules and school activities pilling up!

Most of the times will be in the evening. I will be able to do some shots on Wednesday and Fridays if these dates aren't possible once posted. Please reach out!

If you would like to book an extended family session please contact me. Those aren't part of our mini session package. Extended family sessions start at $500 and include prints and digital images as well. Extended family sessions typically last 45 minutes to an hour. 

I'm pumped to see you all again and see how much your kids have grown! Please reach out if you have any questions!

Please share this with anyone who may be interested in a session with me! I love meeting new families! 

Natalie S.