Importance of Journaling

For this layout, it was all about the details. Record small details while they are fresh in your memory. Months after Owen was born I came across a list I had jotted down at the hospital with little details about him on his first day. I'd forgotten about those fuzzy ears and breathing patterns. It immediately brought me back to that day in a way my photos hadn't. So I decided to transfer the list directly to a layout so I'll always be able to remember those first moments with my little guy.

[fiskars top ten] Erin Roe
The journaling on this layout is truly special to me.  It is about a gift my sister Lisa gave me for my birthday that had an inside joke written on it.  This was the first time celebrating my birthday since she has moved across the country.  Normally when we all get together as a family we joke about the movie Candleshoe and the photo she gave me had a line from the movie on it and it really helped me feel like she was there in spirit.  I think it is important to include journaling on projects so that you won't forget the things that aren't visible in the photos like the way something made you feel.

[fiskars top ten] Vicki Boutin
Some things in life are definitely worth recording, like the first day of school.  If I did not write down how my son was feeling as he waited to go in to the school for the first time, I would forget all of the details in time.  Like how for instance he was so excited about entering kindergarten even though by looking at the photos you couldn't tell!  Using the journaling I wrote down that day, I created this layout.  Take the time to write down the details of your life.  You are the only one who can tell your story and the memories that you record will be cherished for generations to come.

[fiskars top ten] Amy Sullivan
I keep a notebook of the things my children say and do that I know I don't want to ever forget-- statements they make, jokes they tell, interactions they have with one another, observations I make of them. For me, the most meaningful journaling stems from this notebook because it's the little things I want to celebrate and chronicle in my scrapbooks... Like the evening my little guy wanted to cuddle with me on the beach instead of play in the sand with all of the other kids. At almost 4, he's not going to want to do that for too much longer and I don't want to forget how lucky and blessed I felt that evening, watching the sun set with him on my lap. I used journaling from that night on this page.  It's so easy to forget the little moments and details in life, the things that truly keep life meaningful. Keep a notebook with you. Write it all down so that you, and your family, can remember it all.