Moms, who’s with me – getting your entire family out the door on time is nearly impossible, am I right? If you have little ones, it’s like trying to herd cats. Once you get one kiddo ready, you turn around to help the other one, only to find that the first one has written all over themselves in sharpie marker or something worse. And if you have more than two, it’s like solving world peace, right?
Don’t even get me started on teenagers.
It’s hard enough to get to the bus stop on time…so getting to a portrait session where everyone has to actually look put-together can seem insurmountable. But, you can do it! Your portrait session is an investment – we are going to be creating amazing portrait artwork. You’re going to have an entire hour to focus on ONLY your family and the love you share. No cell phones, no carpool, no conference calls. Just you guys. So this is important. And, with a little planning, you can do it! You can get your entire family out of the house, into the car and arrive at your portrait session location on time! Here are some tips:
1. Lists Rule
Make a list of everything that needs to come with you to your session – clothing, extra clothing, snacks, things to keep little ones occupied, etc. You’ll be glad you did this later!
2. Hang it up
Make sure your clothing is ironed and hanging up the night before. Even if you’re not wearing clothing that wrinkles easily (which is probably not the best idea for a portrait session anyway), it’s a good idea to just have everything set aside to make sure the dog doesn’t throw up on it or something.
3. Get it ready the night before
Along the same lines, make sure you have ready any snacks or things to keep little ones occupied during the session. If the weather is going to be cold and you are having an outdoor session, bring extra layers such as a coat or blanket for everyone to keep warm between poses.
4. Shoes… did I mention Shoes?
Make sure everyone has shoes that match their clothes. Make sure they’re clean and set ‘em all aside. Again, the dog.
5. Get your Zzzzzs
Make sure everyone gets a good night’s sleep. This especially applies to teenagers who like to stay up way too late for their own good as well as small children.
6. Reverse-engineer it!
If your session is right away in the morning, estimate how long your must-have-coffee-to-function routine needs as well as any extra wake-up time you or other family members will need. Figure out how long you think it will take your kids to be ready and add a cushion. Then, figure out how long it will take you to get to your session location. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early, and add 15 minutes to your travel time. Back it all out to give you a wake-up time or start-getting-ready time. This assumes that dad is self-sufficient and can work with whatever timeline you set forth. (ha!)
7. T-minus 10 seconds
Getting everyone into the car for an on-time lift-off can be tricky! Treat it like you’re herding sheep (or cats). Make sure everyone is in their seats and buckled in. Check your list one more time to be sure you have everything. If you’ve forgotten something, you have a cushion, so you’re golden! Ready for liftoff!
Wheels up! You did it! Now it’s time to celebrate, take a deep breath, sit back, relax and enjoy the drive. 🙂
