The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year

One of our good friends (and this sweet kiddo's Mom,) Anna Donlon, is nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year award because of all her hard work and dedication supporting cancer research. There are only 3 days left to contribute to her team's campaign and if you can donate anything to support this important research, please do! Check out her incredibly intelligent and giving daughter's reasons for wanting to help and donate here ---> {fundraising page} My wife and I will be at the Gala this weekend supporting Anna, (it sounds very fancy typing the word gala- btw,) and I'll be taking photos for the LLS while my wife mingles and looks adorable.

Here is some info from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website:

"LLS has invested more than $1 billion in research since our inception. Over that time, survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled. Moreover, we have learned how to cure certain blood cancers. And many therapies first approved for blood cancers are now helping patients with other types of cancers and serious diseases.

But more than one-third of blood cancer patients still do not survive five years after their diagnosis. So more funding is needed to advance more research and to ensure access to treatments to help save more lives."

RAISING KIDS TO BE GOOD WITH MONEY

While I was growing up, my family did not have a lot of money, and it was a huge (unnecessary) source of stress for my little brain. So much of my childhood was spent trying not to stand out in any way, and aiming to look like all the other girls was a huge part of that. 

I remember feeling sorry for myself and embarrassed by my family's situation. All that while I had a safe and warm home, healthy meals cooked for me daily, and was consistently surrounded by art and learning. (Thanks, Mom, Dad, and Grandma!!!) 

After years of being angry and scared about money as a kid, I see the huge importance of teaching kids from a very young age how to recognize and appreciate what they have and why learning about money can create a healthy and needed dialogue that can contribute to their future as happy and self-sufficient adults.

Check out this great article from Asha Dornfest of Parent Hacks on how to empower kids to be in charge of their money. 

How do you talk to your kids about earning, donating, and saving money? Any tips or comments are very welcome!

PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES FOR KIDS

Elliot Eisner said, "The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer." This is one of the core values in our photo classes, and we tie that critical thinking into our weekly lesson plans to help kids build confidence and important reasoning skills. 

FUN VIDEOS FOR KIDS- CATS EDITION!

This cute video makes me a little less frustrated at my cat for being so destructive. He can't help it, it's SCIENCE!

FUN FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY!