For some reason I’ve had a hard time being consistent in keeping up with my kid’s baby books, even though I love the concept of baby and keepsake books. Some of my friends are really good about keeping track of everything and writing it down in beautiful neat handwriting. I don’t have beautiful handwriting so that’s one obstacle.
In years to come if you were to flip through the pages I’m afraid my poor child’s book is going to look something like this:
January 2007 – Wesley can hold his head up & coo!
March 2020 – Wesley is becoming an amazing soccer player. I’m so proud of him.
November 2032 – I can’t believe Wesley is getting married, it seems like just yesterday that I was writing about his love of soccer. Sigh. (Try 12 years lady!)
Okay, so my keepsake books don’t have time lapses the size of the Grand Canyon, but I’m not exactly proud of them either.
A simple solution that popped into my head one day is to keep a document on my laptop and type my thoughts about the kids in there.
Now I know having something you’ve personally written out by hand is more, well personal, but what I’m thinking is that waaay down the road I can either handwrite everything out. Gulp. Or print the pages out on nice decorative paper and make each kid their own booklet or something like that, maybe with their picture on the front cover or with pictures throughout the booklet, I don’t know.
Or if nothing else they’ll get an e-mail from me with an attached “doc”.
For now I feel it’s more doable since I’m already in the habit of using my laptop and if I can add to the document every few months or so I’ll be happy.
Of course I’ll also keep the baby books I have, in spite of their wretched lacks, but those only go up to 5 years anyways.
You can print yourself a copy while you’re at it, plus you’d be able to add a personal touch in plenty of ways, such as with beautiful handwriting.
I’ll stick to stickers, stamps, photos and such.
How have you managed to record memories of your children? Got any tips?
Haha, oh dear, I wish I didn’t relate so very well to this post.
I don’t have nice handwriting either or many a creative bone in my body at all for that matter. I have a 6 year old and I have not finished his 5 year baby book. Worse, I have a 3 and 1/2 year old and have only completed year 1 in her book. Sigh!
What I have started doing though is shutterfly photobooks (www.shutterfly.com). It’s not for everyone I’m sure and there is a little photo organizing that would need to be done before starting each book/year. But I personally find it a very easy, pretty way to keep yearly photoalbums/logs of my family. It has all the look of a scrapbook/babybook without also having my messy handwriting or choppy cutting and pasting, you can add the cutest stickers and captions also, arrange the page however you like. It works for me and it’s what I try to work on when I do have a free evening. Sometimes I have real busy months or weeks and I’ll go for quite some time without working on it but it’s nice to know that it is there and being worked on slowly but surely.
Thanks Feli, I need to look into that! I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s not great at doing baby books. : )
Hi Linda! I’ve been meaning to come by for FOREVER because you are always leaving me such sweet comments on my blog. It’s nice to ‘meet’ you! You have such adorable boys.
I am a scrapbooker who hasn’t actually scrapped in YEARS so I hear you on the abandoned baby books. This year I’m doing Project Life from Becky Higgins (www.beckyhiggins.com) and I’m doing an all-digital version because I’m more concerned with getting it done quickly and simply than in having it be perfect. It’s an AWESOME way to capture the every day and the silly/sweet/naughty things our kids do and say. I’m hoping to blog about it soon, but you could check out her website for all the details if you’re interested in it. She is also partnering with Shutterfly so you can do your book entirely on their website and then print it at the end of the year. Lots of ways to do it.
Good luck!
And if for some reason I have commented on here before and just forgot (which I kind of think is the case) please forgive my brain-deadness
Kira, I’ll have to check that link out, thank you! Your boys are cutie pies too! How’s your move coming along, you guys still moving?