RULE NUMBER ONE: LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS

      Not to sound harsh, but real life is messy and blurry and kids don't always care about "the gram." Have you ever browed Pinterest for inspiration for some elaborate cake or photo set up and tried to recreate it? I'm guilty of this when it comes to finding watercolor scenes to paint. You spend so much of your efforts trying to get it to look exactly like the picture that it usually ends up straying from the creative path. To the outsider who hasn't seen the "inspo pic" it looks fantastic, but all you can think about is what is wrong with it. Same goes for alllll the pretty pictures you see online. Trying to recreate it isn't an organic way to get authentic reactions of your family. Don't try to recreate, just be you. 

RULE NUMBER TWO: DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

     Don't worry about wrinkles or outfits or any of the "fluff" that comes with planning family pictures. My favorite pictures are the authentic, big, happy faces that are expressing what they are feeling in that moment. What really matters is how a picture makes you feel. While matching outfits and pretty clothes are nice, I will take a photograph full of moment, mud, and emotion any day over a perfectly curated "everyone look at the camera" image. 

RULE NUMBER THREE: BE YOURSELF 

     Going back to rule number one; if you are trying to be one of the "Instagram Moms" you see online when you plan out your family photos, it won't be the real you. Your kids may not even recognize what's going on and won't be as authentic. If you and your kids like to dance and sing together, then go right ahead! Be you, be energetic, your kids will feed off your energy and reflect it with their own. All of this happy energy results in happy, real, authentic images that you will 100% cherish forever. 

Remember, social media is just a highlight reel. For every perfectly captured image, there are dozens of bloopers that don't make it to the feed. Case in point: