Letters to My Children

Alternate Title: “My Lazy Way To Scrapbook & Journal”

I loooooove {the idea of} Scrapbooking. I could look at beautiful layouts for hours. Truth be told, I have. When I was first introduced to this amazingly creative activity I spent countless pesos on paper and punches and ribbons and books and other embellishments…all with great expectations to create some marvelous masterpiece documenting all the wonderfully exciting things in my life. I probably spent twice as much time pondering the perfect layout, trying to narrow down the best photos that captured the essence of the moment, and carefully choosing the right words so I could add some journaling.

Thirteen years later I still have a most of those first supplies and probably less than 10 real pages completed in my life stashed in folders or file drawers, but no true scrapbook. For a brief period I attempted digital scrapbooking but never got very far with that either. Like so many things, I love the IDEA of it, but turns out it’s not quite my thing.

A few years back I got the scrapping bug again when I was pregnant. Inspired by some gorgeous examples I saw online I had high hopes to document my whole pregnancy. Once again I a brand new little book and a drawer full of pink papers and stickers. Guess what DIDN’T happen?!

I love these beautiful baby books…if only I was disciplined and organized enough. But I’m not, and I can admit it.

Two babies later I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am lucky enough to keep their baby books fairly up to date. Last year I tried to start a family newsletter. I thought it would be so much fun to make and figured our family would enjoy seeing the updates on the kids. I spent sooooo much time deciding on a template, reformatting and doing the layout, (which I love doing!) but I felt like I spent more time trying to document my life than actually living it. That was the one and only edition to date. Come to think of it, I don’t believe I ever mailed any out!

I frequently use Facebook to document milestones or funny things that happen on the spur of the moment, because it’s easy.

I try to go back and retrieve important things that should go in their baby book. Then I have to flip through the baby book looking for the right page, sift through the photos and scraps of papers and things I have shoved in there with the intent to put them on the right page (someday), and before I know it the baby’s crying and my big girl has is running around with my pen. For one reason or another, I’m afraid I don’t get enough of the little details and funny things saved like I should.

Does ANY of this sound familiar? I cannot possibly be the only one, right?!

Well, I think I finally found something that might work. I’m going to give it a shot anyhow and see how it goes. I created these fun and colorful printable pages that have little sections that will be easy to fill out, jot notes or other thoughts for each girl. I put them on my clip board and I can write little things here and there as I like.

Aren’t they cute? You can download your own copy for free! (I left a spot open to write your own child’s name at the top.)

My goal is to do one page a month, but they could easily be used for one specific day or event, or on a weekly basis. I feel like this is doable, and they will be easy to store in a file or binder. If all goes well I will adapt them and make new templates as the girls get older. One day I might write full letters to them to be read when they are older. But for now, baby steps.

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A Couple More Non-Scrapbooking Ways to Document & Journal

Now that Kayden is talking more and more one of my favorite things is this book. It makes it really easy to write a quick blurb about something funny she said or did. There’s a full page so I can elaborate and write more than what I might on the Letter page.

This is another really fun book that I love. It has a lot of great questions, activities and writing prompts for ages 1-18 and will be a great way to capture each year as they go by without slaving over a scrapbook page that is never completed.