In honour of my 300th post, I thought I’d share the story of my avatar.
This photo was taken by Tim Reisdorf, a close family friend, on a cool November day in 2008. I had flown home to Winnipeg for two days – a rare weekend away by myself – to attend Lefse Bootcamp for the last time on my family’s farm.
My mom is of Norwegian decent, and lefse, a potato based crepe of sorts, is part of our Christmas food tradition. As my parents had recently sold our grain farm, this would be the last time we’d make lefse on my prairie playground.
I started Lefse Bootcamp in 1996 because none of us cousins knew the art of making it. It soon became an annual event, a full day of rolling, cooking, laughing, and chatting amidst three generations.
The last bootcamp on the farm proved to be just as fun as the others, only this time we had photo documentation. Tim, an experienced photographer, snapped pictures frequently, so often that we stopped paying attention. I had no idea he’d taken this picture.
Fast forward a year. In November 2009, I decided to start this blog. When I told my husband of my need for a photo, he said, “How about that lefse shot?”
“Which one?”
He said, “The one I think is sexy.”
I found the photo on my computer. “You actually think that’s sexy?”
“Damn straight,” he said, “because you’re totally unguarded.”
I wasn’t convinced it was sexy (or I may not have chosen it), but I felt Tim’s photo showed a more frazzled and ungrounded me, words that also describe my approach to parenting.
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In the two years I’ve blogged, this photo has garnered two imitations, one intentional, one not. Weeks ago, my good friend, Clay Morgan, gave me the idea for a contest by tweeting me his “Ironic Mom” shot:
Feel free to caption this photo in the comments.
Months before, another fab friend, Kelly of Dances with Chaos, directed me her young son’s drawing. “Check out the Ironic Mom eyes,” she said.
The head shape is eerily similar, too.
And now it’s your turn.
I’m launching a contest. Submit your best “Ironic Mom Pose,” be it of the eyes or of the face and eyes. Email it to me at IronicMom(at)gmail(dot)com by Wednesday, January 25 for your chance to win some brand new goodies from Thailand.
The criteria for winning are random and nonsensical. Judging will be done Clay Morgan himself, unless I annoy him more than normal over the next two weeks.
I’ll post all entries in a collage of sorts on January 30th. I’ll try to give everyone who enters some linky love too.
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Finally, thank you for reading and for your friendship. Here’s to the next 300 posts. Or at least the 301st.
Leanne Shirtliffe is the mother of seven-year-old twins, Thing 1 and Thing 2. She lived in Asia for eight years, which turned out to be a build-your-own-family adventure. Leanne writes for Nickelodeon and pens a humour column for The Calgary Herald. She is represented by Jill Marr of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency in California. 
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What a great idea! I’ve always thought your avatar reminded me of Munch’s The Scream, minus the hands to the face. Not that you look ANYTHING like that dude, but because I feel that it represents how you (and most parents) sometimes feel on the inside, even when we look calm and SEXHAY on the outside
But I feel like that dude. Every day.
It’s just in your eyes – that haunted, forlorn look of anguish that is the result of your kid trying to pee in the laundry room
My entry is already zooming across the interwebz!
And congratulations on your 300! That is quite a milestone Leanne, I look forward to the next triple century and more.
Thanks, Christian. And I’ll save comments on your picture until the collage goes up.
My caption for Clay would be: “You want me to drop my pants for WHAT?”
My entry is on its way
Bwahaha. Great entry, Pig!
Your photo is what got me interested in your blog! Not sure about entering but great idea.
Thanks. I do get a lot of inquiries about the photo on Twitter. e.g. “Just what are you looking at?”
First of all, I LOVE THIS IDEA! And secondly, I love that your avatar was unintentional. It makes me love it even more.
I have one I’m dying to send you. And it’s actually from when I housed your Things. I was trying to make them feel less homesick, but they weren’t buying it.
Can’t wait to see it. And you were their first host!
Clay: “Whatchu talking bout, Willis?”
I’m not sure I can send a photo because of the whole anonymity thing, but this is a fab idea. I always thought the pic completely embodied the entire theme of your blog. Kind of a “everything is hunky doory . . . oh, shit, what are those kids up to over there now?” sort of feeling. You look surprised and a bit apprehensive. I think it is quite brilliant, actually.
Thanks, Misty. And I think “everything is hunky doory . . . oh, shit, what are those kids up to over there now?” would make a great motto for my life!
I will forgive you one Baltimore Ravens trespass since you made an 80s quip for me.
You don’t REALLY wanna bring up the Ravens v. Steelers right now, do ya? Yeah, I thought not!
Congrats on your 300th post my amazing friend!!! Who would have thunk it, eh? You’ve come a long way, baby. (ok, Can I say anymore bad lines? Lol)
Have always loved your avatar. Can’t wait to see the collage!
Thanks, Trish. You’ll get the first peak at the collage. I’ll be assembling it at our writing weekend!
I’ve always thought your avatar photo looked as if you’d been caught in the act of commiting a petty crime. Of course, you’ve already admitted you were unguarded…you didn’t admit WHAT you were doing at that moment.
I would love to submit a photo but I’m still getting over a major black eye garnered when I was attempting to heave a bag into the trash bin. Short people don’t have any business heaving heavy bags as if they are shot puts. The pavement made a nice trampoline for my cranium as it bounced like a kid with a new found hobby. I’ll send you a photo now that it is on the mend but it is hardly an unguarded moment and will not be in contention for the contest.
Props to Clay for coming up with a great idea.
Ouch! Your poor eye and head, Teresa. Wow. I think you should get a free pass and not have to take out the trash anymore.
As for what I was doing, I think I was rolling lefse. You have to roll it very thin (3 mm?). They’re supposed to be circular and I was likely wondering if anyone noticed mine looked like Texas.
Either that or I was looking around to see if anyone was going to fill my wine glass.
Congrats on 300 posts, my friend!
I would submit one, but I think any attempt would pale in the face of my son’s drawing. Could I submit his drawing? I mean, for a four year old, I think he did a great job capturing the person who’s icon is always staring at me.
To quote my husband, “The eyes… They follow me wherever I go.”
Tackler’s eyes are an amazing resemblance. And your poor DH likely swears when we IM!
(P.S. I still think you should enter).
How cool are you!
Love the contest idea. I have always loved your avatar and am glad you aren’t changing it. I will gladly do my best Iconic Mom impression and send it off to you!
Clay’s caption: “Did you take the last lefse?”
That does sound like something I’d say.
Oh yah! Did you ever get my Christmas car? A lot of them came back in the mail for more postage…
Card….
Good caption. The Christmas card did arrive – what a fab idea for making a card! Vivian quickly tried to copy the card (without my help, of course).
The Christmas “car,” however, has yet to arrive. I think it’s held up at customs.
I bet it was! Hahaha!
Hey! I got your fab post card! Thanks so much! I hope to visit someday. Let me know if you are ever in my neck of the woods!
Congrats on the 300th post! I agree with Trish…you’ve come a long way, baby!!
not sure I’ll enter, but awesome idea!
I’m snapping photos of you and Trish on Thursday.
300th’s post! You’re like the blogging sage of our time. I do declare: you are one of my favorite bloggers in the world.
I just sent you my IronicMom pose. I hope I win because I would LOVE some Thai goodies. =)
Why thank you, Ms. EllieAnn (can you hear my bad southern accent?).
Someday we’ll meet and chat in person. Can’t wait!
300? Dang! You’re on fire, congrats on your blog posts!
I’ll have to get my son to help out with the IronicMom pose. I love learning the story behind the pic, I’ve always like it and it intrigues me, now even more so. Great fun!
Thanks, Tameri. I hope you do enter. I don’t think I’ve ever written 300 of anything before. Well, maybe 300 items on my list of things-to-do.
Congrats on reaching the big 300! I read your blog a lot, but I don’t think I’ve commented before (I’m sneaky like that). I’ve always wondered about your avatar picture and loved hearing the story behind it. My husband’s family is all from North Dakota and lefse is big at our house around the holidays (slathered with butter, mmmmm . . .).
My grandfather came up to Manitoba via North Dakota (when he was a wee lad). It’s not very often I find someone else who knows lefse! Does your husband’s family eat lutefisk? I tried it once, which is enough for 9 lives.
Thanks for reading, Amy, and nice to “meet” you in the comments!
Skoal!
Oh my gosh! Can you please stop having so many amazing ideas??? You’re making the rest of us look bad.
Congrats on 300! Way to always come out on top. #iykwim
Hardly, Birthday Girl! I’ll trade you a piece of lefse for a fried pickle. Someday!
Just sent you a pic, Leanne! This is fun! Now, as far as Clay’s picture:
“So, THAT’S how I’ll look after the sex-change operation?”
Bwahaha!
Ha! I am laughing hard at that one. And the pic you sent: fab!
HA. I haven’t considered that surgery in years Kathy.
I think the picture is sexy, too.
Is that wrong?
Congrats on 300. I’m at 303. You always have the best ideas.
I’m catching up! (Although I think I started blogging before you – did I? In that case, you lapped me. Or something).
And you can think that picture’s sexy. That’s just fine.
CONGRATULATIONS on #300! Truly impressive. And this is a great contest idea! I’m so glad you gave the background on your gravatar; I’ve always thought it was really eye-catching, and to me it said, “I’m a woman who doesn’t take herself too seriously.” Which I love
I like your interpretation. If I took myself too seriously, I’d be even more of a mess than I already am. Thanks for commenting!
Congrats on the first 300! Keep up the good work.
Thanks, TH. If I ever stay in your hotel, I hope I tip you nicely.
Wow you are rocking along, i think that is great, I only pop in occassionally the farmy keeps me busy, but I may even have a shot to send you, I will rustle about have a look. We are in a blizzard at the mo and i am waiting for the electricity to give up the ghost but I will be back. Wait! c
Stay warm on the farm. I remember times (usually an ice storm in March) where we’d lose power for 3 days. Hope it’s short. And I hope you find the pic!
I often find the best pictures of me were taken when I had no idea someone was taking my picture. I’ve tried to make this work for me by encouraging people to secretly spy on me and take my picture all the time, but nobody has taken me up on it as far as I know.
If you reversed and cropped your avi, it’d be a contender.
Yep, I’m tracking with your husband on that one. Shots like that are sexy. I doubt I can come close, but I’ll be doing my best to plan a shot that looks totally spontaneous.
Maybe male Leafs fans think it’s sexy.
New hockey team idea: The Toronto Maple Lefses. I don’t know how you pronounce that word but in my head it sounds right.
Love it. I’d enter the contest, but I think the blond swoop bangs are essential to the look, and I’m a proud brunette.
No getting out that easily! There is the close-up photo! You could rock the big eye look!
Leanne, as a mother I agree with your take on the pic – I love it, don’t get my wrong, but to me it speaks surprised Mum of twins (i.e. what the heck have they done NOW) rather than sexy! On the other hand, I love that your husband thinks it is sexy – THAT makes him sexy!
No, I’m not emailing you anything –
– I have no shote of me in panic collecting my child from school with concussion!
Clay? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
“If I’d known parenting was like this….. Is it too late to change?.”
That’s an interesting story about your Avatar Leeanne. Thanks for sharing! I always thought, from the moment that I first started enjoying your posts, that your avatar was a bit different. The look in your expression, combined with the humor in your writings, reminded me of David Duchovney’s wife, Tea Leoni. Your humor seems really similar I think. In fact you both seem a similarly fun couple. Good luck with 301 and the rest! Thanks for making us smile!
That’s my compliment-of-the-day (or year!). Thanks for the kindness.
Congratulations on 300 posts! I’ve been sort of lurking for a while and finally subscribed.
Since I’m so incredibly camera-shy, I went with an avatar of my fictional alter ego, HM Murdock. In that particular shot, I think he’s got the slightly vacant yet amused stare. He also just might be thinking “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Bravo!
Thanks, H! Actually your avatar and mine could possibly be in a staring competition…
I’ve always thought your avatar was great… mine came about as a bit of serendipity as well. I was messing about with my new DSLR and accidentally took a self portrait on a long exposure with a flash that gave me an eerie sort of ghost image. That image represents a few different things to me… like my public and private selves and the fact that I’m a fidget that is constantly in motion.
Congratulations on your 300th post and thanks so much for sharing your stories with us. I’m looking forward to the next 300!
Serendipity indeed, KB! I love that story. I’m anxious to hear about all the changes coming your way in the next month, too.
I have always loved your avatar; and now having seen Clay’s submission and Kelly’s son’s picture, I love it even more.
I don’t think I could ever look that sexy or unguarded. Even if I tried. (Which I suppose rules out unguarded anyway.)
Still, congratulations on 300 posts. And all your other accomplishments along the way. Seriously. You are amazing. And Scandanavian. So.
I adore you no matter what.
p.s. Got your postcard yesterday and was thrilled. You, my friend, are a true original.
p.s.s. I actually finished an entire comment without being snarky. I think. Maybe.
You’re still funny. And kind. Thanks, Julie, my Scandinavian sistah.
This is a great idea! I am always amazed at how you come up with some amazingly great ideas!
I got the great postcard this weekend with the subtle, understated Canada theme!
I love your avatar. I tried the photo, but as you saw from what I emailed, it can’t capture the “essentiel Leanne.” I still have time. Maybe something a little more along the Jackson Pollock vein. hehehe
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