As a mom, I have a newfound obsession with pictures … of my kids. Anyone else continuously buying more iCloud storage because your photo count keeps growing? It seems like every little move they make I want to capture to remember one day; maybe even show their friends and embarrass them a little. I strive to take a balanced number of pictures of each of my kids, capturing consistent milestones and doing some side by side comparisons to see who looks most like mom or dad.

But something that has become obvious to me as I scroll through my pictures and create my annual scrapbooks (albeit I am years behind on this project) is the challenge to find myself in the photos. Where is the proof of mom? I am great at yelling “Say cheese!” or “Get with dad and smile!” but when it comes to capturing these moments with my family and including myself, I am failing.

This became a real focus for me when both of my grandmothers passed. As a family, we went through countless photos and it was so fun to see them in the moment, enjoying themselves; they’re precious keepsakes for all of us. I want that for my family and kids. I want them to not only remember the moments, but see that I was right there with them during their experiences cheering them on; not always just holding the camera and yelling, “Smile!”.

Like most women, I am my worst critic and always full of excuses … my hair is a mess, I didn’t put on makeup, I don’t like my outfit, I feel bloated in my bathing suit, etc. As a mom who works outside of the household, I often feel as though I am dropping the ball on one thing or another. I don’t get unlimited hours with my kids and when I do we’re in the trenches of sibling rivalries and after school activities! But when I look back on pictures, I’m reminded of the fun adventures we have, how sweet my kids can be to each other, the love they show in between trying to make the other one cry, and I want to be in those pictures more.

I will be in those pictures more!

By writing this post, I am making a commitment to myself, to all of you, to follow some simple steps and say YOLO. I encourage you to do it with me! Who cares if our hair is a hot mess, our makeup isn’t just right, or our taste in fashion is terrible? It’s the memories and the time we spend together that they will remember. I want them to see how happy I am to be their mom. I want them to have proof of mom long after I’m gone!

Here are a few tips I am going to try and implement moving forward …

• Ask your husband to take some photos.  ** If your husband is like mine, he will need to be prompted to do this instead of taking candid shots – don’t get frustrated by this! I can guarantee he will be glad to share the spotlight and over time it may become more natural for him to do on his own. **
• Ask surrounding people to take a couple family shots, if available. I always offer to take photos of other families first. Often times they will reciprocate and then offer to take mine – it’s a win-win for everyone.
• Family selfies are adorable, so take turns with your husband to see who has the better angle.
• Invest in some equipment; tripods and remotes are amazing to capture great family shots.
• Have fun! You don’t have to post every picture to all your social media accounts. There will be some bad shots, but remember it’s about capturing the moment as a family and having something to look back on.

Share any other tricks in the comments below! And tag us in your “proof of mom” pictures on social media – we love seeing you in front of the camera – not just behind it!