From the Haugen Heart

"Healthy self-esteem is like a child's armor against the challenges of the world. " "Kids who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures. They tend to smile more readily and enjoy life. These kids are realistic and generally optimistic." Here are some tips to help you develop your own child's self esteem: 1 . Be careful what you say. Children are little sponges. What you say and how you say it is incredibly important. Praise your child not only for their accomplishments but for their effort. If your child didn't make the basketball team, you could say, "I am sorry you didn't make the team but I am really proud of the effort you put into it." or in another situation, "I am so glad that you had the courage to get up in front of everyone and sing that solo. You are doing so much better than you did a year ago." Be tru...

It was Saturday night at 10:15 when my cell phone rang. The night before Mother's Day. Neil and I had just finished putting away groceries after a last minute run to the supermarket. Lars wanted to make dinner for Grandma and me for Mother's Day so a ham,  potatoes and other sundries were needed before the big day. Who would be calling this late? I didn't recognize the number. Probably a wrong number, I thought, half expecting to hear, "Is Joe there?" when I answered. But that is not what I heard. ""This is Mary __________ from Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis. I got your name from the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep website. We have a case of fetal demise. The mother is going to deliver in about an hour." For about a year, I have volunteered my services with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep , a non profit that connects volunteer professional photographers with families suffering from the untimely loss of an infant to provide beautiful heirloom p...

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Children's Contest this year and supported Operation Backpack. Today we announce the winners! People's Choice The People's Choice Award goes to the image that earns the most "votes" or donations to Operation Backpack. The winner this year is Vienna. Vienna is only two years old and she can already dribble better than I can. Of course, that isn't saying much since I am about as coordinated as a chicken trying to hang glide. It may be a little early to make predictions about a WNBA future for Vienna, but she is already chasing her big sister around the court and sleeps with her basketball! Best Expression Cooper is the boy of a thousand faces. He just turned one and really put on a show for us during the session. I love the vintage pedal car that has been in the family for two generations now. I see lots of car shows in Cooper's future. Best Storytelling This image deserves a good titl...

It was my birthday when Neil proposed. He hadn't planned an elaborate event with a brass band or skywriting, "Will you marry me?" But he did have his heart set on asking me on my birthday. The problem was, I had other plans that did not include him. I got a chance to go on vacation with my family so I was miles away. Not to be deterred or delayed, Neil gave me a call. This was before the advent of cell phones so I was on a land line sitting in my sister's living room when he "popped the question." In my mind, there were serious things to discuss before I could answer that question and we certainly couldn't do it long distance and with my family listening in. So I made him agonize for three days until we could be together. The discussion didn't last long. We married young, at the age of 21 (well he was 21 and I was just short of it). We didn’t know much about planning a wedding but we launched into the process of wedding planning with gusto. ...

A beauty contest? Really? in 2013? First a little history: This is the 35th year for the contest. It all began in 1979 with 9 contestants and we called it the "Baby Beautiful Contest". The contestants weren't all babies and personality and expression were always more important than beauty, but we just liked the alliteration of "Baby Beautiful" so we stuc k with it for a long time . The problem was, the name said that it was for babies and we were including children as old as 12 ! The name also said that it was a beauty contest when personality, expression, and a great story were what really counted. Now we include siblings, parents, and even great grandparents and because story telling is an important piece, art takes precedence over beauty. Sometimes the face doesn't even show.   One of the winners was from the first year of the contest was in the studio recently with his new baby boy (how cool is that!) He is an awesome Daddy: "Anyone co...

January is a time of clearing out the clutter, centering, remembering what is truly important . I came across this wonderful quote from Martha Graham yesterday, the visionary founder of modern dance and decided it needed to be shared. This is dedicated to all who create or yearn to create but fear is holding them back from being all that they can be.   There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening That is translated through you into action, And because there is only one of you in all time, This expression is unique. And if you block it, It will never exist through any other medium And be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is: Nor how valuable it is: nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, To keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You hav...