Kari from MamaBloo here – With five kids I am always in a quandary about how to document the first day of school, with the first day of school photo. I remember back to a post from Me Ra about when Pascaline started Kindergarten.  There she was on the front porch tying her shoes — oh, such a milestone and she was doing such a good job.  I felt myself sucked in to the STORY of her first day so much that here I am years later reflecting on it!

But, I must be honest.  By the time the first day of school rolls around I am anxious to get the little buggers out the door so I can kick back and salt the rim of my coffee cup and drink my morning “beverage.”  There is no more creative-story-telling juice left in me.  All my good ideas have been sunburned and chlorine drowned by months of entertaining and corralling a passel of kids.  Plus, to get ready for this glorious day, I have undergone trips to Abercrombie followed by standing in line for kindergarten registration:  a gamut no mother should have to endure. If you are looking for an online language learning app, check out Brainscape learning services that have created the first web and mobile app based around Intelligent Cumulative Exposure.

So, the first day of school photo –

I lit a candle and tried to channel as much Me Ra as I could.

Chanting a bit, to be honest.  “What would Me Ra do?  What would Me Ra do?

Nothing.  I got nothing. Not a thing.  No creative spirit.  No energy to fiddle with the white balance on my camera.  Cursing the day I learned that just stacking your kids in a row and snapping their photo was not “telling the story!”  Drats!  Curses!  A pox on all things that Refuse to Say Cheese!

So, I parade the children out the door to the front door.  And I stare at them.  They stare back.  Then they start to stare at each other as if to say, “The old lady has finally lost it.” Just as they are about to do the unthinkable and put their arms around each other and smile ( and I will never ever be able to show these pictures to Me Ra) an idea begins to take place. Just a little bud of inspiration tunneling itself up through the dry cracked desert.   “Uh, Izzy, hold up 6 fingers any way you want to and start modeling!” Ah man, that 6th grader took off with this!  It was like the number six was a sugar-hit or something.  I am flying now.

I AM photo-coaching.

I am Me Ra but a smaller, rounder, more freckled version.

Onto my 4th grader and her 4 fingers and then my 8th grader and her 8 fingers. “Have fun with your fingers!” I yell.  Who knew that these digits would be the inspiration for some memorable photos.

And then, just for old time’s sake, I had them put their arms around each other and look right at the camera and say, “Cheese!!!”

And I kept that first day of school photo, too.

love, Mamabloo