Dumb Ways to Die

Metro Trains "Dumb Ways to Die" Video from H.K. McCANN on Vimeo.

OREO Wonderfilled Anthem

So good!

Design Camp Sans S'mores

The awesome guys I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with - Jason Kernevich, Eric Madsen, Simon Collison, Will Gay (my husband of course), and Dustin Summers.

On the left - Ben from Studio on Fire, The Heads of State, and Tom Wixo. On the right - Doug Powell, AIGA President (just so you see this was a serious conference)

I'm just getting back from a fun little break. Normally a design conference would fall more under the "work" category, however, since I stay home with the boys, and that usually involves really intense work, I'm gonna call this a break. Luckily though I got to take Will with me. Well, actually it was more the other way around.

A few months ago Will got invited to conduct a series of workshops at AIGA Minnesota's Design Camp, which is basically a design conference in a camp setting. Me, having attended Design Camp in the past, decided in less than 0.2 seconds I was to accompany my husband in this endeavor, you know, for support. Ok, and for the s'mores. S'mores are, in my opinion, not only delicious, but extremely fun to make. Maybe it's just something I missed out on as a child that I'm now trying to make up for. After all, my first experience with s'mores was just 6 years ago – at Deign Camp. 

So this year I go up there very focused to make sure I get my s'mores. The first night we were too cold and too tired, so we go back to our cabin. The last night Will discovers he's lost his wedding ring right as we are ready to walk to the bonfire. RRRrrr. So, we spend a long time looking for it and by the time we make it to the fire the s'mores are all gone. Yes, he did find the ring, but I should still be mad at him right? I tried, but I really can't. Despite of it being a sans s'mores experience I have nothing but great things to say about my time at Design Camp. 

Even though I absolutely do value the fact that I'm able to stay home with the boys, I find it very exhausting, both physically and mentally. I didn't choose a career in graphic design for the money. Yeah, I don't think anybody would do that. But I did very much enjoy my work. Now, I get maybe 1-2 hours on some days to work and to be honest I miss it. I'm not ready to go back to working outside of the house just yet, but I am trying to balance things a little better. Going to Design Camp for a few days was so refreshing to me. I got to hang out with my husband and I also met a lot of wonderful people. The whole experience confirmed that I need to dedicate a little more time to my career. Designing makes me happy, and a happy mom is simply a better mom.

So thank you Will for "making the cut" and allowing me to tag along. And, thank you to the amazing AIGA Minnesota team that put this event together.

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If you're interested in learning more about what went on during Design Camp this year Ben did a really good job with his reports on the Neenah Paper Blog. And there's a picture of Will and I on "day 0"

Confettis on Instagram

I recently found this mom leaving in Sweden and taking awesome pictures on Instagram. Looking at her shots just makes me happy. A beautiful house, children and amazing light, and colors. If you want to see more, search for @confettis on Instagram.

Noah's Light Foundation

"Every day in the United States, nearly a dozen children are diagnosed with brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors. To me, that is a pandemic – can you imagine if our children were being abducted at a rate of 12 a day? The country would be on a manhunt!" via Jedi Noah's mom blog.

I don't know about you, but every time I see a fact like this I get extremely uncomfortable, actually it's more like furious and paranoid at the same time. 

I was introduced to Noah's story a few years ago through my husband, who knew Noah's mom, Amber. Her blog really had a big impact on me. I admit it, I've shed quite a few tears behind my screen, but most importantly, I have learned quite a few things, not only about cancer but also about family. I have learned to value our health and the time we spend together more than anything else. 

After years of fighting the cancer with EVERYTHING available, the Larkin family lost their 8 year old son Noah in May of this year. The reason I'm sharing this is because this family is so amazing that they started an organization called Noah's Light Foundation in an effort to find a cure for pediatric brain cancer.

Today, and until September 19th (Noah's birthday!) you can support them by voting for Noah's Light Foundation, as they were nominated for the Chase Community Giving's $250,000 grant. It will cost you nothing but will be priceless for them. 

Voting Steps

1. Click the Noah's Light Foundation link:https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/27-1804403?ref=b7775da95b
2. Log in to Facebook if you haven't already.
3. Click to "Like" Chase (If you do this, they get extra votes :-)
4. Click to "Vote" for Noah's Light Foundation
5. You may have to allow the application first, but after doing so just return to our Noah's Light Foundation Chase Giving Page to vote for them!

Summer Craze

I didn't sign Owen up for enough camps this summer, and yes, it's been crazy around here. I did it on purpose, so I could take him out and spend more time with him. The thing is that him and baby Kellan require LOTS of attention. I just can't even hear my thoughts when they're both around. Performing even the simplest task becomes a challenge when you're being told in great detail what the spaceships are doing, or when R2 tells you the story and Owen translates. My child takes no brakes when it comes to talkig. So, what's been helping me stay sane, and kind of on track with the basics? This little app called TeuxDeux and some chia seeds. TeuxDeux is just a to do list on your iPhone that syncs to an app on your browser. It's super simple, well designed, and tapping the item to scratch it off the list just feels good! Chia seeds are something eaten by the Aztecs for strength. May be psychological, but I do feel like I have more energy when I don't forget to add them to my morning oatmeal.

LEGO Ads

 
How cool are these minimalist LEGO ads by German agency Jung von Matt? I'm planning on quizing my 4 year old when he wakes up from his nap!

Sehr, sehr geil...

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