It’s time for another contributor post! This time, Victoria from Creative Home Keeper is here and she has an awesome idea to share, complete with free printable! It’s super fantastic, so let’s just get right to it…
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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not super crafty. The thought of glitter, glue, paint, and felt pom-poms just stresses me out. Despite spending a ton of time on Pinterest pinning adorable DIY crafts, I really have no intention of making most of what I pin. I wish it were different, I wish I were a bit more crafty, but I’m not. It’s not in my personality, it’s not true to who I am.
I used to feel guilty that my kids would be missing out too. They would miss out on elaborate scrapbooks filled with adorable pictures and stencils that document their childhood. They would miss out on handmade quilts made from their favorite baby clothes. I used to ask myself the question, “How would I be able to preserve my children’s memories if I’m not crafty?”
Then I realized that, while I’m not crafty in the traditional sense, I do have another gift that I am passionate about- the gift of words. One area that is true to my personality and gifts is writing. I love to write. Back when I was pregnant with my first child, I started to record my pregnancy progress into a small notebook that quickly turned into a memory journal for my son filled with stories from my pregnancy, his birth, the first few months, and letters I wrote to him sharing my prayers for him. Some moms keep a traditional baby book for their children, I keep a journal. But I started to record important dates on random sheets of notebook paper because it always seemed like I never had my memory journals near by.
So I created a Mom’s Special Memories sheet to record all of those thoughts, memories, and special moments that happened everyday. I keep a copy of my Special Memories sheet for each child in my home management binder, which is always on my kitchen counter. Whenever I want to record a special memory, event, adorable phrase they said, or other highlight from our days, I simply jot it down on the Special Memories sheet. It serves as a catch-all for all those every day moments that are precious. I record them here on the Special Memories sheet so that way when I have the time to transfer the memories to their baby book’s or journals, I won’t forget them.
I set up the sheet to serve not only as a place to record those everyday moments, but also to be able to keep as a keepsake too.
- I print off the two sheets front to back and 3 hole punch so I can place it into any 3 ring binder
- At the top of the first sheet, there is a place to record the child’s name, age and year
- There is also blank space on the first page to place a picture of the child, have the child draw a picture, place a hand print, or any other special memorabilia from that year.
- There are three spaces to record things the child loved, sweet words or phrases they said, and humorous accounts of things they did.
Once every few months I pull out my Mom’s Special Memories sheet and transfer those precious moments over into their journals. Once the sheet is filled, I also like to keep the sheet in a separate 3 ring binder I have designated for art projects or other import papers I keep for each child. 
I’m thrilled to be sharing my keepsake printable with you today. Hopefully it serves as a place to gather all of those special everyday moments that you don’t want to forget but don’t have the time to stop and pull out the baby book.
To download your free copy, click here. I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to check out Creative Home Keeper for more thoughts and ideas on living intentionally.
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How much do you just love that?! Isn’t that a great idea. While I do enjoy scrapbooking, I don’t have the time, or budget, to create elaborate scrapbook pages for my kids. I use my Calendar Journal a lot like Victoria uses her awesome binder. I absolutely adore a spot for photos. Thank you so much for sharing, Victoria. Go check out all the awesomness that is over at Creative Home Keeper.
