'Tis the end of the season and tonight the Christmas tree is coming down. Chris and I will enjoy steaming cups of salted caramel hot chocolate as we carefully wrap and store the ornaments. Every year, I get excited to find the little handmade holiday wreath with Chris' kindergarten picture in the middle. Growing up, my parents weren't the best record keepers. This didn't really affect me until recently. We have two babies and I often find myself wondering things like what was the first word I spoke, what were my parents doing when I was little, are any of these Christmas ornaments from when I was a baby...
Fortunate for some kids (not mine!), scrap booking has become quite popular. While I am not interested in this methodical documentation of our lives, I would like to leave a legacy for my kids to share with their children and grand children. Here are a few simple things we do to keep track of what's going on and, hopefully, create that legacy:
Bins
Each kid has their own 13 qt box for every year of existence (Eleanor 0-1, 1-2, etc.). I throw all kinds of stuff in the box including newspaper articles, pictures, cards received...anything I think they might find interesting in 20 years.
Notes
I don't have a ritual for doing this and, admittedly, I've not been as good about writing notes to Lincoln, baby #2. Whenever the mood strikes me, I jot a little note and toss it into the bin. Typically, it's about what they're doing lately or a ritual we enjoy together. Occasionally, the notes are about what I'm up to as a parent and things I worry about for their futures. While this might seem trivial, I know I would have loved this keepsake.
Ornament box
We have divided ornament boxes (purchased after the holidays to get the best deal, of course) for each kid. I like to hit the after Christmas sales and purchase an ornament or two for the kids. Eventually, they'll have a full box and a head start on decorating their first tree.
Pictures
I use an online photo printing and sharing site (shutterfly.com) to store, share, organize and print pictures. I keep the pictures in files according to month and year. When I'm feeling especially motivated, I turn those pictures into photo books or other keepsake gifts. My dad loved the personalized Father's Day card he received from Eleanor!
Do you have any quick and easy tips to share to keep it all together? Please, nothing that requires a glue stick, sassy scissors or photo corners!
Hi Trish! I've added you to my feed reader ;)
ReplyDeleteCombining two of your thoughts, I make Christmas tree ornaments to keep random memories--like her last pacifier or a special baby toy I don't want to pass on--tie a bow on it, afix a label and date, and it's an instant ornament/keepsake! Even better are when they are combined with photos--I have taken each of Tessie's Halloween pictures and mod podged them to a wooden cut out of the animal she was that year (chicken, lion). You can find these in the bare wood aisle of Michaels, but they are pre-painted. Hot glue a ribbon on them and they are ornaments. it's fun to have pictures hanging on the tree too!
Love the ornament ideas, Kel! While a hot glue gun is a second cousin of the glue stick, it's a lot more fun to play with.
ReplyDeleteOne idea that I have used and continue to use is simply a calendar in each of their rooms. When they do something significant or funny, I make a note of it on that day in the calendar. I started it when Eli was born to track all of the big milestones (for scrapbooking!) but have found I like it and continue to do it. I will admit though Adi's calendar is not nearly as filled as Eli's was at the same age, but I do still try to make as many notes as I can remember (now they are on round about dates though becuase I can never remember the exact day!).
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