500 posts already!

500 posts! 500 memories! This was a surprise that came up in my notification list yesterday! I’m not following numbers on my blog, so it’s always a nice surprise šŸ™‚ Feeling good. Can’t wait to share another 500! Ilze

Helmī and apple

This was funny! Sometimes girls like to eat an apple, but sometimes not. When I buy apples – they seem to have registered in “apple hater club” and when there isn’t any at home, they ask for apples like “apple lovers”. HelmÄ« loves apples all the time even saying she don’t when the older sisters … More HelmÄ« and apple

Salacgriva

I went to Salacgriva to charge my batteries! I didn’t take a camera with me but I took a laptop to be sure I have an opportunity to write a blog post or check my email (don’t like to check my mail on the phone). So, my mom loves to walk at seashore and dunes … More Salacgriva

Keto

I had problems in summer solstice 2018 and decide I can’t live like this and I need to change something. I’m famous for changing eating habits every 3 months… but it’s not about that. I have heard about KETO at the end of the year 2017, but then I was on my “sugar-free” journey and … More Keto

Best things about living in the countryside

Well, 4 and a half years ago, in the summer, we moved from capitalcity Riga to countryside 200 kilometers away. Sometimes it seems, that we changed “everything good and fun” to “there is no pubs, cinemas, theatres, cafes or restaurants…boring!”. But no, I LOVE living in the countryside! WHY? Local organic fresh food, garden and … More Best things about living in the countryside

Fun in the snow

This isn’t how it looks! I didn’t let them drive alone on Can-Am šŸ™‚ But they had fun with S and his Can-Am through the snowy fields! Oh Boy, they didn’t want to get off! Ilze

The Christmas Tree

Finally I’m in the studio and ready to take down studio Christmas tree! My first Christmas photoshoot was in November, 3rd 2018 and last one few days ago. What can I say.. I need to take down “Christmas”! A bit too much šŸ™‚ How about you!? Do you like Christmas time and when is the … More The Christmas Tree

Sunny Day!

Goodmorning. It looks like today will be sunny! I love snowy sunny days. I haven’t been outside walking for more than 2 months! Sounds crazy, but that is my life lately! I will go out for a walk today, cause I’m home and it’s sunny! Do you like walking? Ilze

Date night

I forgot to share this memory. This is the second year we are attending Ozolkalns Christmas Party. This isn’t posh establishment but it’s organized by local young people (also our friends). So this year I offered myself as a photographer, but after I got ill, I canceled that… Still, I got my camera with me … More Date night

Jigsaw Puzzle addict

I guess few of you already know that – I’m jigsaw puzzle addict! I didn’t know that until I started to puzzling 24-48 piece puzzles with my girls! Next one was 1000 piece puzzle.. and another one, then 2 of 500, then again 1000… until all the puzzles we bought (as a bundle) were done. … More Jigsaw Puzzle addict

Mail Day #1

I love Mail Days!!! If there is something you bought you can’t wait for it to be delivered… her in Latvia it might take a while to deliver an item you ordered. For example – puzzles. Why!? Cause almost every internet shop orders items from Poland and then deliver to us :). It’s cheaper to … More Mail Day #1

Year 2019: Day 1

Yesterday I took time to lit candles and sit for a while without any device or other distraction – to think about the year 2018 and what new excitement year 2019 will bring to me and to my family. The first big “thought” was – OMG my girl will start school this autumn! Can you … More Year 2019: Day 1

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all! Well, it’s almost 10pm but I’m sitting on the sofa and thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Well, I’m not the resolution fun but this year it feels like I will lose myself if I don’t have any “resolution”, “rules”,Ā  “dreams” or “guides”. I will have time to think about … More Happy New Year!

I wish I had…

I wish I had more time to write! But I can’t complain, cause I had MORE time to make, to be, to build, to do, to capture and to LIVE. It’s so hard to let go of this lovely habit to write a blog and all the community, but I need a miracle to make … More I wish I had…

Almost Christmas!

And once again it’s been a while since I wrote something in my blog! Have no excuse… if only I’ve been busy with a lot of Christmas photoshoots at my studio, listening to online photography courses, dealing with viruses and household. Everything is nice! I’m having few days off… spending under a blanket and with … More Almost Christmas!

Word Challenge: J

A while ago I challengedĀ myself to name the words starting with a certain letter and then take or find a picture and share on the blog. Ā You can read about itĀ here. To choose a letter I usedĀ Online random letter generator. This time it was letter J. Well, this is what I got after thinking about … More Word Challenge: J

Pure Wool Socks

Today I had time to update my Etsy shop “FamilyBizzBuzz“. I added my mom’s hand knitted wool socks. She loves to knit and she has very low income, so my idea is to sell her handknitted socks and give all the money to her. She says that no one needs a hand knitted wool socks … More Pure Wool Socks

Jigsaw puzzle #5

I couldn’t sleep… till 2 AM! Then I finished another 1000 jigsaw puzzle and went straight into bed. Today feeling a bit sleepy šŸ™‚ Work, work, work. Busy, busy, busy. Launched my Christmas offer. Have a nice Friday!!! Ilze

Jigsaw Puzzle #4

Finished. Unfinished.Ā  Ā  Ā  This is what you get for buying used puzzles, but I don’t mind šŸ™‚ It’s already stored back in the box. I puzzling and how the design is starting to show up but after finishing I “destroy” it and put back in a box without a problem. I know friends who … More Jigsaw Puzzle #4

Day off…

Yesterday girls & I had a “day off”. For me, it means more cooking and cleaning, but for girls – more fun! Well, this time I somehow manage without “big” cooking and did all the chores in 20 minutes cause I had something on my mind! A JIGSAW PUZZLE! I wish I had Chrismas themed … More Day off…

First Snow!

This morning I woke up and immediately sat in my armchair. Opened up my laptop and checked if I don’t have something important to do. Girls woke up screaming: “Snow! Snow! Snow! It’s a snow on the car!”. What!? Really! Marley and I didn’t saw any snow from our favorite spot. This is how much … More First Snow!

Latvia celebrating 100!

Today my country celebrating 100 years! I’m proud to be Latvian! If you want to know our history, visit the blog post “18th November – Latvia’s Independence Day“. On a day like this, I couldn’t resist sharing few videos below šŸ™‚   In the video, we see a lot of wonderful personalities – both more … More Latvia celebrating 100!

Word Challenge: T

A while ago I challengedĀ myself to name the words starting with a certain letter and then take a picture and share on the blog. Ā You can read about itĀ here.Ā I usedĀ Online random letter generator. I made only 2 articles… why!? Don’t know! Now it’s time to do another blog post on this! So, Online random letter … More Word Challenge: T

Handwritten letter

I received a handwritten letter from my friend Dimi! I can’t remember the last time I had received a handwritten letter! Maybe in high school! I’m not talking about Christmas cards and Birthday wishes but about REAL HANDWRITTEN LETTER on multiple pages! While I Opened up my letter I remembered when was the last time … More Handwritten letter

Christmas in my studio

Well, I miss blogging a lot… sometimes I wish there were more hours in one day. A few weeks ago I made a Christmas corner at my studio. And since then I’m so festive :). I love my fake fireplace! How do you call it in English? Are you getting ready for Christmas!? Ilze

Yesterday

I’m easy on naming my blog posts… Friday, yesterday šŸ™‚ Yesterday I thought I will do all the paperwork, but sadly Linna got ill – eye infection and stayed home. So, no paperwork for me. Plus the weather was terrible – windy, wet and cold! We had “coffee break” between house chores. Coffee for me … More Yesterday

Friday

I thought I will stay at home today and do accounting… all the paperwork. Jānis took all the girls to the kindergarten to be sure I can take all the papers out… but he came back with Linna. Linna has an eye infection and that is something that is very contagious. HelmÄ« had it about … More Friday

Crazy… but love it!

Two months as an owner of my own business! My first business :). I haven’t been in my comfort zone ever since! The journey so far was crazy enough. I love it! Perfect balance between workout (photoshoots) and time at the computer (photo editing). On Sunday I saw a squirrelĀ – hanging upside down and looking … More Crazy… but love it!

OMG!

It’s been a while! So.. a lot has happened in the past month. Biggest things are: Taking care of MY photo studio, one of three local kindergartens said no to the conveyor style photography company and choose me – basically, give me a chance to try capturing 280 kids in portraits and 13 group photos. … More OMG!

Mini Rally & PJ party

What is a mini-rally? Well, it’s the name of an amateur rally here in Latvia. Why am I writing about this!? Jānis is participating in it! He is co-driver: reading off a set ofĀ pacenotesĀ to the driver. While he was 450 km away from home we (girls) had a PJ party! Girls are sad when Jānis … More Mini Rally & PJ party

Misty Mornings

Beautiful misty mornings are here! I love those mornings but don’t like the fact that autumn is coming! And by autumn I don’t mean colorful leaves, sunny days and stunning views! What I don’t like is rainy weeks, muddy roads, blues and sneeze that comes with it… Am I the only one struggling to smile … More Misty Mornings

Opening

Finally, I’m (not) ready to open my photo studio! The Grand (is it?) opening will be on Saturday 25.08.2018 from 11:30 till 15:30. If you are in Gulbene – please visit! Most of the things gone wrong, but I feel it meant to be that way! For example, I ordered a big chesterfield sofa and … More Opening

More obstacles

So, about my project – the photo studio. Well, I sent 2 days to deal with Adobe.com to get licenses! Usually it’s click -> pay -> done! But not in my case. Life made me an obstacle so big, that I thought – it’s time to give up! But that was for one second in … More More obstacles

End of July

I was away… I was BUSY (hate that word)! I can’t explain my absenceĀ in other words! Maybe CRAZY, RUSHing, MULTITASKing!       Well, that is not why I’m blogging at the moment! Sitting in my kitchen sipping decaf coffee with cream and eating macadamia nuts. And these past weeks (months) was NUTS! Still is! … More End of July

Latvian Song and Dance Festival

From wiki: TheĀ Latvian Song and Dance FestivalĀ (LatvianĀ Vispārējie latvieÅ”u Dziesmu un Deju svētki) is one of the largest amateurĀ choralĀ events in the world and an important event inĀ LatvianĀ culture and social life. It is also aĀ Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. TheĀ All-Latvian Song and Dance FestivalĀ have been held since 1873, normally every five years. During … More Latvian Song and Dance Festival

Low carb diet?

Not sure were we going with this, but now we are on a low carb diet. Sometimes I like to change my diet to see what will happen. This time it was Janis, not me who suggested a low carb diet. Not sure if it’s right or wrong but it’s easier to get “full” and … More Low carb diet?

Day #170

Nelle is still sick and HelmÄ« is accompanyingĀ her. Now – two ill and it feels like this stomach virus is spreading. I hope no one else catches it! While girls were sleeping I worked on labels for honey. My friend has honey bee farm and she is selling honey, pollen and bee bread. I love … More Day #170

Rabbits

A few days ago I cooked stew and had spare spring cabbage leaves to share. Also, plenty of dandelion leaves growing outside, so I suggested to pick those and go visit rabbits in our friends family house. It was 15 minute walk with my little ones and it was hot and sunny. We got water … More Rabbits

Herbal Tea

Our plan for today was town festival, but we had to cancel it. Nelle is ill and we won’t go without her! We like to be together when going out. Instead of the town festival, I went to woods to collect birch leaves. Why in woods, not in bushes?! It’s so summery, dry and dusty! … More Herbal Tea

Photoshoot #3

I’m learning to let go and be me behind the camera. Plan, direct, shoot, edit and learn. Repeat. The internet is full of pictures, the world is full of cameras and Gulbene is full of photographers… Still, this is my dream and will be a reality for upcoming few years. Dream big! Even you think … More Photoshoot #3

Busy!?

Busy is a strong name I don’t like to use! Usually, I would say – in hurry, don’t know how to prioritize, need to set my goals, deal with this/that… I’m never busy! Busyness kills and won’t give joy and certainly not an inspiration! Yesterday I had to sit down and plan my day, cause … More Busy!?

Small Detour

We sometimes like to take small detours around the countryside we are living in. Yesterday I spent the whole day learning photoshop and editing baby Freijas pictures so I felt like I need to change the ” view what’s around” and have a detour. It ended with a surprise – horses. Very friendly horses! Girls … More Small Detour

Long Awaited Results

I received a call on Tuesday (didn’t expect that) and I was asked to “come over” and “sign papers” which means I WON and my business plan was good enough to get support! Now I will have a lot to do till 20th of June! Paperwork, institutions and agents and then when I finally register … More Long Awaited Results

Baby Freija

Yesterday I spend whole day capturing baby Freija! She is so adorable when sleeping. The problem was she wasn’t sleeping! She cried or ate. I was there for pictures but she didn’t want to model :). I hope one day we will meet again! Sweet dreams, Freija! Ilze

Sunday: Birthday Party

Sunday we were at a birthday party for Linna’s kindergarten colleague Lizabella. That was fun! Girls enjoyed inflatable attractions while I took my camera out and start to capture kids and moms with kids… Loved it so much Ilze  

Saturday fun

Weather is getting back to normal here in Latvia. It’s still warm and sunny. But yesterday it was with a fresh breeze and a bit cloudy. Girls asked forĀ gouache and that means – trouble! They will be covered in gouache in no time…. no jus table and chair and t-shirt, but hair, and face and … More Saturday fun

My Business Plan

I wrote a business plan for something (I still don’t want to tell what it is… but maybe I already did!?) and now I’ve been waiting for results… Now I’m a bit annoyed, cause I don’t like waiting! A short period of few days is ok but not a month! Now it’s a bit more … More My Business Plan

Sunny & hot

Can’t believe the weather this year! It’s so hot and sunny for weeks! Haven’t rained or at least not in the daytime. Maybe few nights had rain but it wasn’t heavy for sure! Usually, it’s not that hot here in Latvia. Those who love warm weather are happy now. When I was in Salacgriva for … More Sunny & hot

Nelle is 6 now!

So, I was off the blogging cause I “made” Nelles’ birthday party! This was my 12th kids birthday party I have thrown. Well, I would say I never learn! Still doing it by myself, still cooking, baking cakes, making decorations, cleaning, planting flowers, etc… even when I don’t have much time left. This is called … More Nelle is 6 now!

My girls’ Namedays

Here in Latvia, we have such thing as Name day. Imagine all the “Latvian” names (it’s not only Latvian, I would say common names in Latvia) are written in the calendar. What about those whose name isn’t written on the calendar. There is also one day (and that is May 22) when those who don’t … More My girls’ Namedays

Grandma’s house

My grandmother Agafia died in theĀ year 2004. Unfortunately, I can’t share aĀ picture of here with you at the moment. I think when I’ll get back home I will find Agafia’s picture and will write a specialĀ blog post about her… But for now, I can share a most peacefulĀ place on earth – my childhood memories, my … More Grandma’s house

Happy Mother’s Day

We aren’t all mothers, right? But we all have mothers! Happy Mother day to all mothers all around the world! Especially those moms who follow my blog and inspires me:Ā Jodi,Ā juliehcares,Ā visionsofmy60s.com,Ā atticsister,Ā higginsmj …and I bet there are more! Happy Mother’s day to you all! Ilze

Big Cat

I love this cat! I love how big he is! I asked if I can take a picture of him to show to myĀ followers. He didn’t say anything so I think he don’t mind šŸ™‚ He is only two years old and he was rescued when he was 5 months old. Last summer he was … More Big Cat

This is huge!

After spending some quality time in my hometown with my family, Janis took the girls and they went back home… and I stayed on my own in a quiet, tidy and homie caravan! ONE MY OWN for three days (for 3 1/2 days)! Explanation: So, since I’m a mom, about 5 years and 11 months … More This is huge!

Hometown Salacgriva

Our next stop was Salacgriva. We all wanted to meet my mom. Girls were sad when we left Gauja National Park, cause they meat wonderful friend Normunds and didn’t want to leave. But when I told that next stop is Salacgriva, they were so happy! Linna especially! So, after a one and a half hour … More Hometown Salacgriva

Gauja National Park – Ligatne: Cliffs and Nature

Those who follow me since the beginningĀ know that I’m not interested in seeing cities and museums. I love nature! We opened our caravan season on Friday, 4 May by heading to the rural property of our friends’ family near LÄ«gatne (Latvia) in Gauja National Park territory. All the property is suited along the cliff and … More Gauja National Park – Ligatne: Cliffs and Nature

Early Morning

This was early morning. I woke up at 6:20 am and Janis even earlier at 5:45 am! Today girls will be in the kindergarten and the reason for that is: first – they want to (we had 4 day holiday) and second – I need to clean caravan and pack all the stuff to leave … More Early Morning

Doggy

We have Linnas Godfather here for the weekend and he brought his doggy to! Our Marley isn’t happy (since the dog stays inside all the time and eats what’s left in Marley’s bowl) but we are trying the best to show love to our Marley :). I hope that by the end of the day … More Doggy

Coltsfoot – Finally!

Nelle is better, so she was in kindergarten for half day and then in art school.Ā  She was home at 2:30pm. Nelle: “What about coltsfoot?!” Me: “Hmmm, last time we checked they were starting to open, so today (a week later) they should be in full bloom. Let’s go and see?!” Nelle wanted myĀ cardigan and … More Coltsfoot – Finally!

5th Anniversary!

Today I was surprised to find out that I’ve been blogging for five years (with this account)! I’ve been through a lot of changes, doubts, and dramas, also dreams, perfections and struggles! I’ve lost myself…because of blogging! One year and four months ago I’ve started THIS blog (latvianmom.com). This blog is who I am! I … More 5th Anniversary!