After School Snacks

They Grow Up So Fast!

It's true, isn't it?

And you certainly don't want to miss a minute. What's a parent to do? Record your children's journey through a variety of methods, and keep those memories alive forever, of course! 

See our favorite methods of chronicling our family's movements from here to here and babyhood to adulthood (not yet!!!!!) as well as some fabulous resources for each.

Photographs - I'm not sure if I know of a family that doesn't have a camera. Remember to take it out and actually use it, not just for those special events and holidays, but regular occurrences - sitting in a chair reading, horseplay with Daddy, anything that you'll want to remember.

Photo albums - with the exploding popularity of scrapbooking, many of us chronicle our family history through photo albums. They can be simple or elaborate as you like. The point is to record our lives in a way that will never fade.

Journaling - I have a friend that doesn't scrapbook, but she sends frequent e-mails to her mother-in-law, who's out of state, detailing the latest exploits of her three young boys. My friend decided to print them out as a fabulous and personal documentation for herself of her trials and joys as a mother.

Video camera - We bought the obligatory video camera when our second daughter was one year old. We've done the whole video taping of birthdays, holidays, and vacations. However, we weren't very good about transferring the small video camera tapes to VCR tapes, and soon our video camera tapes got full - no more videoing. A month or so ago we finally transferred all the little video tapes to VCR (three years' worth!). In watching the videos, we were so touched, nostalgic, and happy that we had these bits of film from our kids in their "little" years. Knowing we'd feel the same way five years from now, we vowed to renew our commitment to our video camera!

Family journals - my girls and I share journals in which we write back and forth to each other. I love reading what they write and bonding with them through the journals. I know I'll enjoy looking back on these journals and reading what we wrote to each other and what was important to us.

Any way that you can document your life and that of your children will become valuable to all of you in the years to come!

Resources for your special family!

Photographs 

All the sites below allow you to develop film; upload digital photos off your digital camera, computer, or picture phone; print copies, develop film cartridges, create photo gifts; and allow others access to view an online photo album.  Prices vary from 10 cents to 19 cents per print.

Photo albums 
  • Creative Memories:  Through an independent consultant, you can order every tool including albums, pages, stickers, cutters, and everything else you can't even imagine necessary to complete quality scrapbook albums that will never fade and deteriorate. They have layout ideas and offer workshops and parties to work on your albums as well as earn free products.

Scrapbooking Magazines

Scrapbooking Sites
  • Creative Paper Crafts: An online magazine offering creative ideas, detailed how-to's, and even paper products.
  • Scrapbook Max: Digital scrapbook software to create scrapbooks on your computer with cool visual effects and even sound!
  • Scrapbooking.com Magazine: Online magazine packed full of ideas, information, articles, and store coupons.

Journaling
  • Once Upon a Family:  This is a company offers a variety of journals and scrapbook type albums just for jotting down memories. One unique example:  a small note pad wrapped in leather called "Dates with Dad" for Dads to jot down memories of their time spent with the kids. Also, the 21-Days Box -  a box with 21 envelopes to write a note or letter for each year of your child's life, Then, mail them one by one 21 days prior to their 21st birthday. 

Video camera
  • You can check your local yellow pages for a company in your area that specializes in transferring video to VCR, CD, or DVD. 
  • Video editing software to do it yourself:
  • Pinnacle: For $100.00 you can transfer to CD or DVD, and it has all sorts of editing features.

Family journals 

You can get journals everywhere, from your local drugstore or bookstore (Barnes & Noble and Borders are always helpful). If you're looking for something a bit more elegant and timeless, try the following.
  • Aspinal Leather Journals:  They are out of London, but their leather journals are out of this world.
  • Amanobooks: Handmade journals
  • Levenger:  Levenger is always a popular favorite of mine for journals and other great gifts.

Return to The Parent Portal for more great ideas, articles, and resources!


Purchase the eBook and download
instantly. Only $9.95.


Purchase the 3rd edition print
version and receive a free copy of
the eBook.  Only $14.95



Check Out/View Cart