Memory Keeping

 I have always loved taking pictures and have been a "scrapbooker" for nearly two decades (um that makes me sound young hrmph). I just love being able to look back and remember and tell stories and all the yumminess that comes with photos and scrapbooking. I just read a blog post by Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project called "7 Reasons Why Photographs Can Boost Your Happiness." She totally nails it in this one (as per her usual).
I lost that for a few years as I struggled with my divorce and depression and I am sad that so many memories (the good and the bad) are lost. I am excited that I am finally at a point where I am wanting to take more pictures and be more active in documenting memories for my children and myself. That being said, my life is completely different from three years ago. As a stay-at-home mom I had a lot more time on my hands than I do now as a single working-mom-student-person.
Enter Project Life by Becky Higgins. I've loved Becky Higgins' work for years but she has developed this product/concept for memory keeping that is just phenomenal. It appeals to all people - men, women, and children, parents or not. Memories can be documented with NO fancy scrapbooking tools whatsoever - you don't even need scissors and glue! The process is simple but powerful and it won't take up a ton of time to maintain.


This system is at the tippity top of my birthday wishlist! Since my birthday is still a month away, I've been diligently journaling and will be working on a setting up a good photo organization process while I wait not-so-patiently. I did make my very first scrapbooking-related purchase with some Christmas money the other day and it felt sooooooo good!

I just LOVE this SMASH line! I saw it at Micheal's too.

This planner will be for journaling.

LazyBones

The kids and I have been having a heck of a time getting back into the swing of things now that Christmas Break is over. We can't seem to go to be early enough to where waking up gets any easier. Even Colby, who normally has his internal alarm block set somewhere between 5:30 & 6am, has been sleeping in! He's been lamenting almost daily of how he wishes we didn't have to go back to school until February, hah!
Thankfully, the universe has taken pity on our lazy bones and has been slowly easing us back in to the real world. Their homework has been minimal, my work has been slow, & my next semester at Taft College doesn't start until next Tuesday. Once I start school things will start to feel a lot more hectic. Especially since I will be attending a class on campus once a week.

I'm trying hard to be more present for them when they are with me. Knowing that my time with them is limited keeps me in check. I do most of my grocery shopping, errands, & homework when they are with their dad. The class I'm taking will cut our time short for about a month while their dad finishes coaching basketball but then they'll be able to go over there on my class day.

I just can't believe we are already near the end of January!

Hello again

Let's try this again shall we?
So a lot has happen since I wrote last but I do not plan to recap it all. Just gonna start fresh from here and move forward.
This is where things are now:

My kids are 9 & 10 and they are amazing. Seriously their stories and dance moves are very entertaining. They get excellent grades in school and are overall a lot of fun to hang out with these days. That being said, we are entering the world of Tweenville, USA, so that can be quite exhausting. Mood swings abound let me tell ya! I'm reminded of their toddler years as their arguing and crying tests my patience.

As for me, I still work part-time at a middle school as the librarian and I am still plugging away at getting a college education. I'm about a semester away from getting an AA degree. Unfortunately, most of the courses I need aren't being offered online and my life does not allow room for me to take several classes on campus. I'm coming to grips with the fact that ill get there when I get there. It's hard because I'm so close. In the meantime, I adore my job! I'm surrounded by great people and BOOKS! And the kids are pretty fun too. Other perks include: flexibility to visit my kids midday, for their awards assemblies or just because; I work the same hours my kids are in school; and I get the sand minimum days & holidays that they do (We just finished Christmas Break and it was heavenly).

So there's a mini update for ya. I typed this entire post on my iPhone with my right thumb while laying in bed in the dark. Isn't that crazy?

Till next time...