Being :: Beyond the Baby Book (Journaling for Motherhood ...

Being: Conscious, mortal existence; life.

Every month we welcome two families, two people, two voices to share their stories in whatever way they choose.? We hope that you find joy in their daily lives, and their simple habit of just being.

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I am a horrible baby book keeper and scrapbooker. For several years, I was bothered by this and felt like I was constantly behind in organizing and curating memory records for my children. As I let go of that perfection, I found a new way that has allowed me to feel comfortable in my recording keeping.

My main way of staying organized is by keeping a journal. This journal has expanded to include so much; it is a rich and true life record of our family life.

I write in it like you might expect to in a journal, recording the daily going ons. I also tape things like a grocery list or a party planning list into the pages. A feather or leaf from a walk might makes its way in too. I mention the books we are reading and shows we have seen.?I paint on some pages, copy poetry and quotes on others.

In 50 years, one can read the pro and con lists for the big decisions our family grappled with as well as ?lists of Christmas gift ideas. If I am eating a banana, its sticker might be put in to my journal.

I write snatches of conversation in scraps of paper and glue them in later. I affix photos and post cards. Sometimes, I might find a really old photograph from my life before children and I tape it in and write a little remembrance.

The space in these journals hold the overflow of my mind and heart, my plans, ideas and dreams. Most of the good things that have happened to me, can be traced back to a journal entry of some sort.

This might not seem like much, and I guess it is not, which is why I love the ease of this approach.

But, as I look back at 10 years worth of journals, I am in love.

I love the record of our life with this method. I feel like I have captured a real glimpse at what our time together is like; so much better than a yearly studio portrait and fill-in-the-blank scrapbook.

What I leave my kids with will not be the prettiest scrapbook with coordinated backgrounds and stickers. It will be a dogeared stack of composition books with coffee and wine spills, filled with both big memories and the mundane. Hopefully, it will give them a richer insight to who I am and how much I love them.

This month we are pleased to welcome Amy to the blog to participate in the Being series. Amy blogs about inspired family living and leads e-labs designed to help families take the leap into developing a creative family culture at Mama Scouts. Thanks for sharing with us, Amy!

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Rhythm of the Home is an?online magazine?for families that focuses on creating with children, nature explorations, seasonal celebrations, conscious parenting, and mindfulness in all that we do. ? To learn more about us, please visit us on?Facebook,Pinterest, and?Twitter.

We welcome new submissions for our upcoming seasons. To learn more about submitting, please visit our?magazine.

Source: http://rhythmofthehomeblog.com/03/being-beyond-the-baby-book-journaling-for-motherhood/

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