Your camera took that picture of the moon?! Holy crap! That’s a powerful camera ya got there, Sundry. Fancy boy spinning shots, too.

I love that you guys take Riley to farms and such on weekends. Fun.

Enjoy the sunshine!

(I ate dessert three nights in a row last week, cuz I was babysitting at the Four Seasons and it was room service and since I didn’t have to pay…yum. Now, of course, my jiggle is the unfortunate reminder of apple crisps and chocolate truffle cake, but ya know what? I’d do it again in a heartbeat.)

That pic of JB swinging Riley is cool, if not a little creepy.

I love the moon recognition. There’s a song by The Laurie Berkner Band called “Moon, Moon, Moon” and there’s these hand gestures that go with it that are the cutest. Every time the song comes on Charlie goes to the window and looks up for the moon.

I can’t believe I’m giving out recommendations for kiddie music. Dude, shoot me in my minivan NOW.

I am literally turning a violent shade of green, so terrifically jealous am I of your photo-taking skills and camera. Violent.

My nephew, who is approximately a half year older than Riley, calls the moon the “mmmmmmm!” and then breaks my heart by reaching up high and whining for me to get it for him. I always tell him that if I could reach the moon, and there was anybody in the world for whom I would get it, it would be him. Or he. (Less grammatically correct, of course.)

That was meant to be touching, but I suspect I just sounded really lame. Oh well.

i love the spinning riley photo!

did you know there’s a throwing kids in the air flickr group?

That moon picture is great. And yes, dinners out where your companion isn’t using his fingers because he threw his fork on the ground again, it is awesome.

I always wonder about tipping too. Like, how much do tip a guide who takes you on a tour that is already overpriced? What if there are “Please tip if you liked your trip” signs plastered all over the inside of the vehicle? Ugh. I’m still waffling on that one. Was $20 way too much? Or is he at home right now sticking needles into a voodoo doll of my stingy purse?

I say $1 is plenty for the valet unless it’s a Ferarri or something. As for the bucket at the carwash… I’d say $1 there too, mostly because it’s easier to get away with it if you don’t have to hand it directly to the person. (I’m such a pussy.)

You guys are wonderful parents, in case you didn’t know….

I agree, one dollar for both. And yay, it’s so nice to have sunshine again around here! Green Lake was packed like sardines today!

2 bucks for valet, one for car wash. Your pics are beautiful. Great writer, mom, photographer, cook. Geez lady, what don’t you do?

I would give 2 dollars to the valet and a dollar for the carwash. I am never really sure how much to tip…arrghhh!

Dude, Riley and JB totally look like they’re about to become airborne any second now. Awesome!

Suspicious McPunkface. Perfect.

I love the spinning Riley pics! And the moon pic is super awesome!

As for tipping, maybe it’s because I live in L.A., or maybe it’s just because I tip a lot or something, but I always give more than a dollar. One dollar seems like I’m trying to insult them. Maybe that’s my own weird issues.

I agree that car washes are harder work and more deserving of a bigger tip than valets. I tend to give $2 for valet and $3 or $4 for car wash. I plan on taking my car to get a total detailing done, where they clean it super nice, and was already wondering if I should tip $5 or more since my windows are all dog-slobbered, and there are muddy footprints in my backseat.

Now that I’m thinking about it, it might be an L.A. thing to tip more. I walk peoples’ dogs, and on top of what they already pay me, some clients will just throw in a $20 tip just for the hell of it sometimes. It’s awesome!

Nice pix and JB got some good air with Riley.

Oh great, now after seeing Riley airbourne, all I keep saying is “SUPERRRR-BABY!!!!”

Ug, I hate the whole tipping problem. I’m pretty clear on restaurants and hairstylists, but I’m never sure which of the “tip bucket” tipping opportunities are legitimate and which are “let’s put out a bucket and see if we can pressure people into thinking they’re supposed to tip.” There was a tip bucket on the counter of a fast-food restaurant I went to the other day. Soon it’ll be a tip bucket on the way out of the movie theater, and a tip bucket next to the register at Target.

I love the cat and chicken captions. And Riley is so so cute, I just want to snatch him out of the air and take a big bite.

One buck for the valet is fine if it is 5 to park, I would give more in ratio to the price of valet parking. I have stayed in A LOT of hotels where they insist on parking your car for you, and a buck is totally reasonable for just driving your car to a parking lot. IF they help you unload adn move luggage maybe more… Apparently my boyfriend says one dollar is fine for the car wash guy too, but I usually give two since I sit there and watch him dry my car. I am a softie though.

How do you get such great photos of the moon? Whenever I try all I get is a bright white blob.

I go with two bucks on each. Two bucks is my general rule for all random tips like that, and I’m not sure if that’s right or wrong. Am I cheap? Man, I would hate to be cheap.

The tipping conundrum I face is the shampoo person at the hair salon – is it $2? Two dollars seems so…pathetic when the person in question has just rubbed my head down with a whole lot of fervor. And yet, my haircuts are so damn expensive already that if I keep up this tipping bullshit, I’ll be spending the equivalent of my old Boston rent in tips each month.

wow, I love the airborne Riley pic! That took some skill to capture that moment!

We usually do $5 for the valet and $1 for the car wash tip. Guess I agree with JB!!! Your pictures are gorgeous!

Thanks for the nice words about the photos, you guys. Amy, I used a tripod and also a zoom lens — the tripod was key, all the pictures I took before I finally stabilized the camera were blurry white blobs too.

No one’s claimed the gift certificate yet? I could use that, maybe with John Harper and Elizabeth – and speaking of, we should all get together sometime soon. Anyhow, my email is bencheditor at yahoo, drop me a line and we can make arrangements.

Your photos are always great. I like the detail on the closeup of the chicken, and the moon photo is impressive.

As for the tipping question, I’m generally on the generous side of tipping, and I wouldn’t think you’d tip more than $2 (40%) on a $5 service like the valet parking. Also I guess I’m not as generous as I thought, because I never tip the guys at the car wash, but it never really occurred to me to do so, and I’ve overlooked any kind of tip bucket if they have one there (Elephant Car Wash on Denny), which they probably do. Hmm.

Hello moon, indeed! Holy mother, that’s a gorgeous picture.

I tip a dollar for both and go up from there…although I have noticed at one car wash I go to they soap an “x” on your car if you tip more (i.e. 3-5) and it appears a better wash job is done. So I always tip more. While we’re on the topic, tipping used to irk me when I was a stylist. I would hate…er…be sad about clients who would tip me $2 for a cut, or a perm, or a 3 hour highlight job. These are the same people who will tip 20% at a restaurant and think nothing of it. But the person who just spent hours with them, creating their look? Meh… It’s why I always overtip hairstylists…always. Now, my question is how much do you tip a massage therapist? I have been getting massages 2xweek (paid for by insurance…yum!) and always get freaked about the tip. I’ve been tipping $10, but feel like I’m undertipping.

Um, I’ve never had to deal with either tipping situation, so I don’t really have any advice. Plus, knowing my husband he’d never let anyone else drive our car (he has issues with me driving it sometimes, even), so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about valet tipping even should the issue ever present itself.

Great pictures and all. How about equal time for Dog? Like pictures and a story?

i say two each. two to the valet so you don’t feel guilty, but merely because of that because i mean you are already paying five bucks! and two for the car wash because they actually WORK or they do in my mind, since it’s usually the two bucks you get back anyhow. i’m a sucker for tipping properly though unless the service sucks bad.

I agree, $1 or $2 each. I am in a tipped profession and I think for me, it sullies the whole thing to get a 100 per cent tip. But that’s probably just me!

That picture of him flying up in the air gives me nine million heart attacks and at the same time is such a thrill! GREAT pictures.

The spinning is so cool – it’s like JB is the Gravitron at the carnival! I’ve never used a valet because I am super-cheap-cheapskate. Actually, I haven’t had a car wash in years and years, either. Perhaps only once in all those years. So my tipping advice is actually to just not do anything you might have to tip somebody for. And then in restaurants I tip 20% so I feel a little less cheap (unless it’s not typically a 15% tip anymore, in which case I’m still probably cheap).

As always, FABULOUS pics.

http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

There used to be a better site that was easier to search. Hope this helps.

rachel

“Moon” was my niece’s first word. It was nice because the whole family was on hand for it during an October beach visit.

(Lori, you sound like a super aunt.)

Amazing pictures! And Rileys shoes are so darn cute.

I LOVE your site. My son was born just a couple of weeks after yours and I enjoyed reading about your pregnancy while I was too. Except for the delivery because I was having high blood pressure problems but everything was ok. All of that is besides the point. I am curious what size gaurd you use to cut Riley’s hair? I cut my kids hair last week and while he looks cute I obviously used one too short. My mom says he just came out of basic training. I love your pictures too.

I tip valet guy $2. I tip the car wash guy $5 (not in the jar, I give it to him when he calls me over to pick up my car), but that’s because I usually get the super mega car wash with hand wax and/or upholstery cleaning. If they fuck something up tho, they get $1, and sometimes, nothing, especially if they neglect something that I specifically pointed out (e.g.: vacuuming the trunk, or a particular spot on the carpet). Tips aren’t required you know.

What’s the zoom on your camera? That moon shot is fabulous.

I think JB is right. Tipping should also be big. If you want cheap, order a pizza. In my no so humble opinion, I think that anyone that has ever slung hash or waitered believes that tipping at a decent restaurant should be 20%-25%. If a guy does your yard and his charge is 20 bucks, 5 tip is a good minimum. Babysitters, I firmly believe should get 25%-40% of the normal fee. The scale goes up depending on how much your child was channeling the Anti-Christ that night. If someone does manual labor at your home and sweats (literally) for more than an hour while doing so … easy 25% right there.

Ironically, in beginning of our marriage this attitude caused more fights between my wife and I than any of the normal newlywed stuff. She believes firmly that no tip should ever exceed a dollar. It’s like talking to Rain Man.

How much tip for the man who washed our car? About a dollar.
How much tip for the woman who served us our chinese food? About a dollar.
How much tip for the babysitter who cleaned up poop and puke 3 times in 2 hours? About a dollar.
How much tip for the man who gave you a kidney so you could live? About a dollar. Maybe an extra quarter.
How much tip for the man who just saved your child from a burning building? About a dollar .. and a picture of the child to take with him.

All those well-meaning annoying people who try to give you marital advice before you wed always skip that one important part. TIPPING!

I can’t believe no one’s quoted some Stephen King: “M-O-O-N, that spells cuteness”. And I also like the action shot. My action shots tend to look like the spinny picture, only not on purpose.

Love, love, love those pics! Riley is getting so big! Those are really cute boots you have on him. Where did you get them?

Definitely can’t help you with the tipping. I live in NYC where it’s customary to tip your doorman, super and bellman a gazillon $$ at the end of the year. We also pay $400 a month to park our car in a garage and feel compelled to tip the parking guy $3.00 going in and then going out…just so it won’t end up with a big dent. We need to move. :)

My fiance and I generally stick with the 15-20% rule, regardless of what it is So the Valet, 1 or 2 bucks. Car wash is about 6-7 bucks so I say about the same.

If multiple people have a hand in the job, the tip gets split up according to approximate % of help – Fiance is a super-math nerd, so I mostly just make him figure it out.

With a Valet I have always heard it is 1ish dollars a person. So for the 2 of you, 2 extra dollars, but in the case of a free valet I always do more.

And the carwash bucket? I am never good about that, but usually when I do it’s only a buck or two.

Riley is so stinking cute. I love the “spinning” pictures.

I’d give both the valet and the car wiper a dollar tip. But a waitress/ waiter…usually nothing short of 20%, sometimes higher. I value my food and drink much more than the vehicle that gets me there.

My friend has a similar picture of his child being thrown in the air. He used photoshop to get rid of the tosser so it looks like their little boy is flying. So cool!

I swear…Mr. McPunkface is so cute it almost hurts!

One dollar when you hand him the keys and one dollar whe n he holds the door to put you in the car.

Make sure you tip both coming and going

Oh man tipping. I just don’t GET IT…thank goodness I’m home now and nobody expects extra money off me. Hmmph.

On the other hand, scratch that. I’d much rather have to tip and be back in the States *sniff*

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