I have a terrible memory.  One of the reasons I take photos of my kids virtually every day is because I use them as ways to recall the moments I don’t want to forget.  If it weren’t for my excessive iPhoto catalog I wouldn’t be able to remember some of our trips and adventures and only by seeing the photo can the memory return.  Medical problem?  Maybe.  I don’t know why this has happened to me when I used to remember everything but this is my new normal.

I really pride myself in being the family historian and think every family should have one.  I make sure we always bring the camera, always video what we should, and utilize both by making video montages of my children for every year of their life to look back.  I have several reasons for doing this:

• I like to send the DVD’s to my family so that they can relive the year they missed because geographically we are far away.
• I like to play the DVD at the birthday party (for the same reason)
• I like reliving those moments while I make the video and it is a way to reminisce each year as I both mourn the fact that my child has grown so much and celebrate the child they are becoming.
• My biggest motivation is to have a well made, well thought out video that my children will cherish as adults and that they can re-watch with their own children one day.  I have one home movie of myself as a baby.  That’s it.  I want my children to have so much more.

Over the years I have made several family videos using iMovie and their themes, or made my own from scratch.  Here are the ones I have online for your viewing pleasure so you can see my style and what your own could look like:

This guide is for mostly people who use Macs and have iMovie, iPhoto, and iDVD.  You can use many of these tips if you use a different movie editor including Windows Movie Maker, however the technical aspects will differ.  This post contains helpful images-click them to see their larger version if you need to.  In some cases I have also linked the moment I am referencing in a film so you can skip right to the segment rather than watch the whole thing.

The Photos

The biggest advice I can give you is to FLAG PICS OR CREATE A FOLDER IN iPHOTO OF YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ALL YEAR LONG. If you wait until the weeks leading up to the birthday you will be swimming in thousands of clips and photos to wade through (in a 12 month span I have 6,000+ images in my iPhoto library).  Like me, you might recall one particular photo you really wanted to include and search for hours on both computers and your phone only to never find it.

Decide what kind of movie you want to create- Chronological order, Themes, or Tell a Story.  An example of a themed movie would be organizing clips by milestones, holidays, or ideas (Best Friends, Holidays, Things They Said, Messes They Made, Quiet Times, Park Days).  I think themes make a nice video for older kids who aren’t changing by the weeks, whereas chronological order is best for the 0-1 Year olds.  For Fletcher’s 3rd video I was speaking to him and recounting his year.  Clips and photos fit into these lines such as “You learned shapes, numbers, and your ABC’s” and “You make friends wherever you go.”

I’ve recently added photography to my hobby list.  I have a tradition of taking birthday photos of the kids (Ev poses next to Pumpkins in the shape of a number for his age, Fletcher next to leaves making the shape of his age) and I’m excited to see how my studying (I mostly use Clickin’ Moms forums) will affect my photos (and thus, movies) for next year.

Once you have an inkling of what kind of clips and photos you’d like to include then you can start saving these in a folder or flag them to go through.  Lightroom users can also utilize keywords to better catalog photos.

For me I like to include certain types of photos in my videos regardless of the style I’m going for- sleeping pictures, messy pictures (showing kids in the real messes they create), crazy outfits (when kids or dads choose- always funny), sick pictures (when they are sick and pitiful), with family (since we don’t see them often these are cherished and it will be special to look back on for them to see the people who loved them), a photo from each holiday, outdoor fun, bubbles and splashing photos, birthday number photos, and travel.)

Watch Me in Action

I made a 9 minute video showing the very basic features of iMovie and put together a short video.  This should really give you a good idea of the layout inside iMovie.  Also keep reading for more diagrams in the post.

Drag and Drop- Getting started couldn’t be more simple.  In iMovie begin dragging and dropping each item you want in the video onto the timeline.  I have a long video showing this in action but you can see the iMovie interface below.  There are lots more editing tips so keep reading too.

Get Wide- For videos landscape photos (those that are fit the whole screen) are best so keep this in mind when taking photos and choosing.  Even if a portrait photo is best for the situation I always try to throw in a landscape that I might be able to use in the video.

Polish it up- For added drama and a more polished look consider adding the Ken Burns effect which will make the photo slowly pan in or out.  This is a cropping feature.

 The Videos

When I made my first birthday slide-show for Fletcher to document his first year of life I was using Windows Movie Maker.  It was 30 minutes of pictures with no music or videos.  Oh how much I have learned in 3 years!  Videos make the movie.  As much as I love including my favorite photos in my movies the videos give life to the whole thing.

Most of us rely on our smart phones as our camcorders.  I am guilty of this.  The good news is that we can capture special moments anywhere, anytime because we keep our phones on us most of the day.  The bad news is that the quality isn’t so great, especially when you are watching on a 60″ TV.  But we have to embrace what we have!

Make sure you are backing up your iPhone videos to your computer and again on another backup.  If your phone gets lost you lose ALL of your videos and this is something no one wants.  Once your videos are uploaded on your computer you can again organize your videos.  In my iPhoto I have what is called a “Smart Album” that automatically puts all of my videos inside.  This is easier to then go through this album and choose what clips I want to include.

Please use your iPhone to video in landscape!  

Must include- Good types of videos to include would be those that represent milestones, park days, animal interactions, eating food (and making a mess), those “caught in the act” videos, holidays (unwrapping gifts, excited faces!), water play, tender moments with family, and for older kids who talk get them on camera saying their first words or funny phrases.

Be a cut throat editor-  I’m so guilty of thinking everything I caught on film deserves to make the cut.  It is only after realizing that I’ve made a 2 hour long film that I cut it down.  That 5 minute clip of your child crawling?  Cut it down to 30 seconds or even less.  Trust me- those are enough to convey that yes your child learned to crawl.  We live in the YouTube age where more than 5 seconds is too long.  If you are tempted to put an entire clip in because the first part and last part are really good remember you can splice your clips together, cutting out the “fat” and leaving the best parts.  You can still watch the full videos when you want but this video should just be a glimpse of all that your child did in a year.

Polish it up with effects and timing- Fast forward is also a tool you can use (sparingly) when you want to use more footage but it is far too long.  Or add slow motion to add some drama.  I did this to the end of Fletcher’s 3rd Video of him chasing seagulls.  Now I think I may have overdone it (in conjunction with a fade to white effect) and it kinda seems like he died.  Still, it was a nice idea and a lesson learned.

Make it flow- Edit your video to have a few photos in between each clip and organize so that they go with the photos in theme or topic if you can.

To work with some videos you will need to drag the movie clip into an Event in iMovie.  This is the most time consuming drudgery so having all the videos you want to include ready in a folder will make this easier (if they aren’t housed in iPhoto videos).  Choose a time and select all the videos and drop them in or upload them directly from your camera into iMovie.  Watch a show or sleep while this all processes.

The Music

Videos make a movie more interesting but MUSIC is the heart and soul of a good video.  I’ve left music out of videos before and now I kick myself for it.  Last year for Everett and Fletcher’s videos for their 1st and 3rd birthdays I spent more time finding music to match the videos than anything else and it paid off.

Because I make these primarily to be a time capsule for my boys to watch later I like to include popular songs of the year.  Am I a huge fan of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know it?”  Not really.  But it was topping the charts and it did fit a montage of the wacky outfits Fletcher wore so I used it.  In twenty years we are all going to have a good laugh at the song.

Find Good Music- Some resources I used to locate good music included Spotify Playlists and NPR Music’s Best of (insert year here).  I admit that I am not up to date on current music and filling a video with Smashing Pumpkins just won’t do.  I found an amazing song by Jonsi (singer of Sigur Ros) thanks to NPR for the intro to Everett’s first movie and love how it all fit together.  You can add a favorite song you think might work to a playlist in Spotify and re-visit your list later.  I would play a song in Spotify while my video was playing where I thought it would work best.  If it did in fact work I went into iTunes and purchased it.  iTunes is integrated into iMovie and you can easily drag and drop the song into your video.  (see the first and second images for locations of music in iMovie and in your timeline)

Spotify Playlist for Everett's 1st Birthday

Timing, Timing, Timing- Another way to make a more professional video is to match your music’s timing or wording to your video.  This one is tricky and I certainly don’t follow this rule all of the time.  Sometimes I lucked into it.  An example would be a song’s lyric’s saying “I can tell that we are gonna be friends” during a video of Fletcher playing with his best friend.  It makes me teary eyed every time.  Music is such a powerful transporter and can bring out emotions we weren’t expecting.

In the beginning of Fletcher’s 3rd Birthday video I used the beat as a marker for a new photo.  Each time the the guitar string was plucked I timed a photo to begin.  When the entire section was finished I was amazed at what a difference this little technique had on the overall feel and look of the video.

Another fun way to add a lot of depth to the video is to tie in a video or photo with a particular moment of a song.  My favorite use of this in my own videos was the very last note of “Shut up and let me go.”  I just happened to have a 5 second clip of Fletcher blowing a pouch of food out of his mouth.  I added this to the last note so that the “HEY” matched this moment and it worked out awesome.

I can’t emphasize enough how these little touches make an OK video into an AMAZING one.  I spent many extra hours rearranging, cutting, and finding a photo or clip to match a song, or a song to match a clip.  I have been editing videos in iMovie for years so I know I’m a little more advanced than most users but the interface is simple to use and with enough practice you can learn your way around iMovie enough to start getting more advanced too.

Themes, Transitions, and Text

iMovie comes with a small number of Themes.  I can’t take credit for the cool effects often found in my personal videos of my family.  I’ve used many of the default themes included and this makes compiling a polished home movie much easier.  Do I care that a million others have a videos that look similar?  Not really when they are for my own personal use.

Above you see the themes in my version of iMovie.  My biggest complaint with this software is that they do not have any options for getting more themes, something found in an older version of iMovie.  You can recycle through these but if you want more you need to upgrade to Final Cut Pro.  I have only once found a good use for the other option, Move Trailers, and while I think it turned out adorable I don’t see myself using it for many other projects.

Themes will automatically insert transitions and title pages into your project as you drag and drop your photos and videos into your timeline.  It isn’t perfect so don’t be afraid to change out these with others.  If you don’t like the theme’s transitions consider using the ever popular “cross dissolve” effect or play around with the myriad of other transitions like page turning, mosaic, swipe in/out, etc.

Titles and Text- iMovie comes with limited (in my opinion) ways of adding fun text to movies.  The themes have a few more styles but overall you get simple Centered, Upper, and Lower text options and a few “fancy” onces that are pretty corny.  I’ve started using Motion to get more custom titles and text but that is nothing you need to bother with, however it is a cool program!  FYI- I used a combination of Motion and Final Cut Pro to edit some minor segments of my movies to achieve a desired look not possible in iMovie.

Use Title Pages with blank colored backgrounds or add the title onto video or photos to start a new segment in the film.  Add captions to the movie to describe an event.  One feature in the title options I do use and love is the Date/Time stamp- a classier looking option than the old school red stamp of traditional camcorders.  Utilizing your phone/camera’s internal exif data this will automatically put in the time and date for you (so make sure your settings are accurate).  I found this useful in my Christmas videos I made in 2010 and 2011 because I liked documenting how insanely long it took to open presents.  If my kids ever complain about not having a great Christmas mornings I have evidence to the contrary.  This would also be rad (and useful) in a birth video.

Burn, Baby, Burn- I mentioned before that I do these videos to share my children’s lives with the family that doesn’t get to be an active part of it.  Grandma and Grandpa aren’t hip to YouTube but they are alright with inserting and playing a DVD.  I use iDVD to burn copies for the family and a hard copy for our own library.  iDVD is even easier than iMovie and takes just minutes to make a cute Menu.  You can include multiple videos in one DVD and just like a real DVD you can add chapters.  I add a song from my movie and a favorite photo to the menu.

If you found this guide helpful please share it!  If you have specific questions ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.  

{warning- adult language} With 2 months of living in separate states under our belts a few things have become clear- Everett thinks his father is an iPhone and Fletcher believes Daddy is always “at the office” or finding a house in Florida.

3 months ago we put a bid on a home we fell in love with that had a large back yard with old oak trees all around. It was on a cul-de-sac so the kids could play in the street and it had a lovely pool. There is work to be done on the home (built in the 70′s and has had some updating but still needs TLC) but the price was good and the location was better. Problem? It was a short sale.

Originally we took “short sales” out of our search because we read that the process took 3-6 months. Short sales, come to find out, aren’t short. Short refers to the fact that the mortgage holder will receive less money than they are owed because the owners are in danger of foreclosure. A short sale is better on their credit than a foreclosure but the paperwork and process is a bit of a nightmare. (better explanation of a short sale) (Also I need to stop googling about Bank of America Short Sales because every post/blog/article is nothing but bad news.)

Florida homes in our price range were lack luster, cookie cutter, boxy, and had no yard and definitely no trees for shade so after weighing our options and speaking with out realtor we took a gamble. One that isn’t paying off and that is threatening to drive us up the wall.

We were reassured that the stars were aligned in this case and it shouldn’t take longer than 3 months (we are pre-approved, they are HAFA approved, etc). I was planning to move down with my husband into an extended stay hotel, paid for by his company for 2 months, but we both decided it would be easier for the boys if we stayed behind at his parents in North Carolina after moving from Syracuse. It has definitely been easier in many ways- my Mother-in-Law has no shortage of toys for them and there is plenty of space. They have made friends in the cul-de-sac and I’m loving having “Oma” make them lunches and dinner everyday. I’m lucky that my in-laws are not typical and seem to like me. I do get whiffs of judgement here and there, usually concerning my choice to still nurse my 18 month old on demand and to sleep with him at night, but they leak that out passive aggressively. I expected it and I ignore it or reply back kindly that we are doing what we think is best.

Yesterday was when panic set in that it has been 3 months and we are no closer to having a home than we were before we moved! (Thank you Bank of America employee who went on vacation with our paperwork on your desk to work through- I can not tell you how fucking much I appreciate your consideration in this matter. I kinda hope you got sun burnt). We’ve been told “Your paperwork has been escalated and your (infuriating) negotiator (who went on fucking VACATION before getting to our paperwork like they were supposed to) has 48 hours to complete it (which was 1.5 weeks ago.) Then “You should hear back on Monday” (Which was 6 days ago). So we signed an extension on our bid until mid May. After that I don’t feel like I can wait any longer. We are currently browsing for homes now so if there is no news by then we can promptly bid on another house. Either way it seems the earliest we will have a home is mid to late JUNE.

During all of this time my husband has lived in Florida. He has 4 days to find another place to live. I won’t go into more detail but this is stressing us both out because it is either rent some room who knows where, rent a $$$ furnished apartment maybe? Then there is the cluster-fuck of what is happening with our entire earthly possessions in storage which was only originally meant to be temporary. This is another mess.

funny screencap from a late night FaceTime session. We look awesome

2 months in baby world is a lot. Everett has changed so much since we arrived in NC. He is saying many more words, expressing himself through sign language and hand gestures of his own invention, running and climbing like a boss, and really just turning into a little person! Fletcher has just blossomed even more and his verbal ability is just amazing me! We chat with my husband on the phone and we often do family FaceTime. Thank goodness for technology. It does break my heart than Everett learned to say “dada” when his father wasn’t even here to hear it and used it for the first time to refer to my iPhone. He knows who Daddy is and can point him out but he also knows Daddy is always in the phone so he brings it to me and says “dada” in his sweet voice then proceeds to mash the screen and try to navigate his way to the phone to call him. He associates my iPhone with his father in every way. Fletcher always says “Daddy is working” to Everett when he calls for him. He also tells everyone who will listen that “Our house is all packed up with bockes (boxes.)”

It is such a strange feeling when you have no “home” and don’t even know when you will be a family again. Steven says he is doing ok and that he is at least happy his parents are getting to spend time with our kids since he never knew his own grandparents. I understand that- I’ve actually been able to see my own family more too since they are all in North Carolina. Still- I am really missing my husband, and miss him seeing our kids grow. I also miss the extra help! I’m running on E and need a little time to myself and some extra sleep. Steven will be visiting again next week and I’m already excited!

Moral of the story- unless you have somewhere to live and infinite patience stay the heck away from short sales! The crazy thing is we could wait this whole time and not even be approved to buy- in which case I might just go bat shit crazy. It almost seems that BOA would rather the homes go into foreclosure than let a short sale be approved. Why else would the process be so convoluted and complicated that it takes 6 or more months to complete?! Don’t these people know that families are waiting for these homes? In our case, 3/4 of a family in one state and 1/4 in another? I don’t know who I’m angrier at- the bank, the employee who set us back who knows how long, the sellers who haven’t been cooperative either, or myself for expecting this to work out and putting us all through this nightmare. The entire short sale process needs to either be completely changed or done away with altogether.

I’m so in love with these boys.

I’m Learning how to use my camera on Manual thanks to Clickin’ Moms and taking some pretty awesome shots of my boys.

If you recall I moved out of Syracuse late February.  It is now April and there is still no date in sight as to when or if we will get the house we have placed an offer on in Tampa.  In the mean time we decided as a family that rather than live in the tiny hotel with four people the boys and I would stay in Charlotte NC with my in-laws.  My husband went to live in Tampa and work.

He visited us this past weekend and we finally took the long overdue trip to Asheville to see the Biltmore.  I’ve been dying to go for years.  We were well aware that the trip wouldn’t be a piece of cake with two young ones.  I packed my {lifesaving} ring sling and the dinky umbrella stroller my mother-in-law purchased for use here in NC.  We managed to walk the entire tour inside the home, most of the gardens, the petting zoo, did a wine tasting, and came home with lots of goodies.

Despite car sickness, a gazzillion stairs, out of the ordinary heat in April, a nasty fall, and many “Moooom I don’t LIKE this place let’s GO!!!”‘s we had a wonderful time together.  Enjoy some photos from our trip to America’s Largest Home!

The boys and I bid farewell to our home in Syracuse NY on February 23.  We boarded a plane and flew to Charlotte, NC to stay with my husband’s family.  Steven, my husband, stayed behind for a week to help pack our things.  After a short visit with us in NC he flew to Tampa, FL to start work at his new office.  The kids and I stayed behind to avoid hotel life as long as possible.

As much as I have been looking forward to moving to Tampa I also have to keep my own sanity and the well being of my children the number one priority.  Living with family so far has been great for everyone.   My boys love spending time with their Oma and Pawpaw and they have made friends with the entire cul-de-sac of children.  Each evening they get to play outside (the weather was too cold for that back in NY) and they go to bed officially exhausted.  It has been wonderful!

I have even been able to meet with a fellow cloth diapering mom- Stacy, owner of Jack be Natural, on a few different occasions.  It is always fun to make friends with someone who shares your passions in life.

The best part about staying with family has been that I haven’t cooked a meal or done any laundry (except cloth diapers, I wash those) for 2 weeks!

The worst part has been being apart from my husband.  We all miss him but technology has helped.  We Facetimed before bed and he told Fletcher a story while I poured him a glass of milk.  He even played a game of peek-a-boo with Everett who was laughing hysterically.

Finding time to work has been a challenge but I’m doing my best to keep up with emails and comments from Facebook and adding content to the blog.  I also have an exciting new product coming soon that I can’t wait to share.  The timing could be better but I’m working hard to make it available for sale soon.  It is NOT a cloth diaper.

Here are a few pictures from our time in Charlotte so far.  I’ve been having so much fun capturing our time here in photos.

With Oma in the Sunroom

Running with Oma (or is it from...)

Playing with Pawpaw outside

Sitting with the neighbor

Cruising the neighborhood

Showing his true, goofy self

Playing cars and jets with the neighbor