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    Home » Blog » Birthdays

    100 photos every mom needs before her 40th birthday

    Published: Oct 17, 2016 · Modified: Dec 5, 2021 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Today's conversation about how to get moms in the picture is sponsored by Animoto. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

    100 photos every mom needs before her 40th birthday

    I sat down at my computer to compose a recap of my 40 Before 40 bucket list progress. I wanted to make a slideshow of the pictures I have of me finishing certain tasks mixed with fun family photos from the last few years. I pulled up my photo library and I started digging.

    And digging. And then digging some more. Digging realllll deep. Needle in a haystack deep.

    It suddenly became a very Eye Opening Exercise to see just how many few photos that *I* appear in within our albums.

    Me. The same woman who writes to you time and time again about how important it is to be in the photos.

    Me. The same woman who consciously hands over her camera to her husband.

    Me. The woman who has learned to rock a selfie with her phone.

    If there are this few photos of a woman who is consciously worrying about getting in the picture, how few are in the libraries of the average mom who doesn't consider it often??

    I think the reason this is a challenge for many moms, including myself, is that time just flies by so darn quickly. We get so bogged down in the day to day challenges of keeping a family running that we don't realize exactly how long it's been since we've been in a picture. Then when big photo-worthy events happen, we're so busy trying to document everything else it's hard to remember to get in the picture, too.

    So after 2 days of wading through the 40,000+ images in my photo library (I'm not kidding on that number!) I found about 40 photos I loved enough to pull into a birthday video for myself. I actually count myself really lucky to have those 40 because they are perfect to me and represent exactly the highlights of my girls' childhoods that I want to remember.

    In the midst of turning 40 at the end of August, it never occurred to me to make my own Animoto video. Since discovering how easy it is to create memorable Animoto videos this summer, I've done videos for the kids and for Tim but never for myself. Now that I have my own little birthday video, I realize what a special gift it is and it doesn't matter that I had to do it on my own. I got to pick my favorite of the most flattering pictures and memories that mean the most to me. With just a few minutes of time I pulled the final project together. Check out just how simple it is here.

    Despite the fact that my birthday was actually months ago, I had more time to work on the video right now. It was for me anyway, so what does it matter when I do it so long as it got done?? I can't wait to do a new one for Tim for his next birthday. What a fun addition to his party an Animoto video like this would be!

    5 ways to use Animoto videos to celebrate a birthday:

    1. Make a milestone birthday party recap video to share with guests who came to celebrate
    2. Make a video for your long distance friend showing your times together
    3. Make a milestone video for baby's first birthday to share with grandparents
    4. Make a family video for a grandparent's milestone birthday
    5. Make a massive family birthday video highlighting everyone's celebrations from the year

    100 photos every mom needs before her 40th birthday

    While I was scrolling through all those images to find my gems, I thought of so many more photos I wish I had been a part of during those years. It's hard to think of those moments as "special" when you are going through it. With my 20/20 hindsight, I wanted to take the time to create a checklist for the rest of you! As you're surviving those young baby and toddler years, learn to recognize the everyday moments you'll want to remember later.

    Print this list off and share it with your family. Many of these photos you can take yourself, but they can help keep a look-out for the ones you need a little help capturing. If they know how important it is to you, it will be easier for everyone to get in on the job of making sure you are in the photos.

    Does the list need to be finished before you are 40? Is it worthless to you if you're already older than that? NO on both counts. I just know that without a deadline, I'd never accomplish anything. If you set yourself a mental marker of when to get these photos, you won't wake up at 53 and realize you don't have any of them.

    And if the list feels daunting, know that even if you walked away with half of the images on the list you're probably doing twice as well as you would have otherwise at capturing your presence within the family.

    Time is a flyin', friends. Get those cameras snapping!

    Tiffany | Peanut Blossom

    100 photos every mom needs before her 40th birthday:

    1. You and your beloved, dressed up fancy
    2. You and your beloved, scrubby and real around the house
    3. You and your best friend
    4. Sideways shot of your gorgeous baby belly
    5. Holding your newborn in the hospital
    6. Asleep with a newborn in your arms
    7. Feeding your baby
    8. Bathing your baby
    9. Reading to your kids
    10. Outdoor adventure with your kids (zoo, hiking, park)
    11. On vacation
    12. At your place of work
    13. In the kitchen
    14. Behind the wheel of your car
    15. With your pet
    16. In your workout gear of choice (running, bike, etc.)
    17. With each of your kids individually
    18. With all your kids together
    19. Full family
    20. You and your parents
    21. You and your siblings
    22. Relaxing around the house on a weekend
    23. In your favorite seat
    24. You and your babies on their first day of school
    25. Dressed up for a Girls' Night Out
    26. Cheering for your favorite team
    27. Laughing
    28. Opening a special present
    29. In the hospital being brave, or not so brave
    30. Consoling your children
    31. Helping with homework
    32. Making something you love (crafting, baking, etc.)
    33. Hugging and kissing your kids
    34. Drinking your favorite beverage
    35. Hosting a party
    36. Riding an amusement park ride
    37. With the kids in costumes you made (or acquired!)
    38. At the Thanksgiving table you prepared
    39. With a mountain of wrapping paper and holiday prep stuff
    40. In jammies on Christmas morning
    41. Snuggled on the couch under blankets for a movie
    42. At a concert
    43. At your favorite spot in your city
    44. At lunch with friends
    45. Dancing at a wedding
    46. Playing with your kids
    47. Wearing a costume for Halloween
    48. Blowing out birthday candles on your ckae
    49. In your garden
    50. Dressed for date night
    51. Surrounded by or buried under mountains of laundry
    52. At your house of worship
    53. Getting your hands dirty
    54. With your fitness buddies (running partners, yoga class, etc.)
    55. Jumping for joy
    56. On the sporting sidelines at your kids' games
    57. Behind the scenes at your kids' dance recital
    58. With the team of volunteers you work with at school
    59. Eating a Muffins with Mom treat at preschool
    60. Close-up of your hand holding your child's
    61. Selfie of you driving your kids in the car (while parked!)
    62. Wearing your "mom uniform" on an average day
    63. Playing an instrument
    64. Making a silly face
    65. Trying something new
    66. Dancing in the living room with your kids
    67. All your kids kissing or hugging you at the same time
    68. The moment your kid is tall enough to reach your shoulder (or is taller than you!)
    69. Eating ice cream cones with the kids
    70. Getting ready to spray silly string on your kids on the last day of school
    71. Snuggling a sick kid
    72. Selfie of you home alone
    73. Picking apples at the orchard
    74. Carving pumpkins with the kids
    75. Drinking your morning coffee
    76. Baking with the kids
    77. Reading a book of your own
    78. Wearing a new dress "just because"
    79. Eating your favorite food
    80. Visiting someplace new
    81. Holding a shopping conquest
    82. On the front porch of every place you live
    83. Right after getting a haircut or style
    84. Tucking your kids into bed
    85. With the grocery haul before it's all been unpacked
    86. Having a picnic in the summer
    87. Wearing your favorite cozy weather gear (hat, coat, scarf, etc.)
    88. Throwing a snowball or building a snowman
    89. Completing a challenge
    90. With your playgroup friends
    91. A fabulous profile picture
    92. Holding your famous food dish
    93. Raising a glass to toast
    94. At your favorite restaurant
    95. Decorating for a celebration
    96. Playing a game with your competitive face on
    97. A selfie before you do something that scares you
    98. Another selfie after you did it
    99. Wearing a tiara (or other ridiculously fun accessory)
    100. A photo that makes you feel beautiful when you see it

     

     

    More

    • 40 Before 40: a birthday bucket list for mom
    • Paint Palette Birthday Cake
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    • Birthday Photo Wall Gallery

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Trish Forant

      October 17, 2016 at 3:54 pm

      I love this list so much! What a great reminder that we need to be IN our photos not just behind the camera all the time. When my kids look back on all the photos we've taken, I want to be in them!

      Reply

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