The Year We Remembered

I am the world's worst at remembering what I say I'll remember, especially when it comes to family events and milestones. I also never get around to scrapbooking or filling out memory books. Prairie Girl's baby book is halfway done, Prairie Boy's isn't even started, and I have no idea what happened to the wedding scrapbook I was supposed to fill out 8 years ago. But this year is going to be different. This will be the year we remember.

This year I am committed to documenting what we do, even if it's not in great detail. I have a 2-step plan for this. The first step is thanks to my dandy little pre-Christmas present - an iPad mini. I swore I wouldn't give in to having technology follow me everywhere (we'll save that rant for later), but I almost have. And that little tablet is making my life so much easier. So what am I doing with it? I am taking pictures, tons of pictures, every day. My kids are always doing something cute and funny, so those moments are easy to capture. But I'm also taking pictures of the ordinary - things like having coffee and washing the dishes. Why? Because that's my life right now, and 20 years from now, I want to remember what I was doing "in the good ol' days." And out of all those pictures, I'll be posting at least 1 a day to Instagram, so if you want to follow along on that adventure, follow me at technoprairiemom.

The 2nd step is rather old-fashioned: I'm journaling. Remember journals, those things that English teachers made us write in everyday so we could reflect on life and its triumphs and atrocities (thank you, Mrs. Rustin)? Every day I am writing down in just a sentence or two what we did, where went, and who we saw. It may be as simple as "We went to Wal-Mart to buy chicken and milk, and then we came home to wash dishes" or it may be really exciting like "We put on princess dresses, went to the movies, had cookies and coffee at Starbucks, and ran through the yard after dark with glow sticks" (hey - for us, that is exciting!). Regardless of what we did though, I'll remember it.

What about you? Are you going to remember this year? Commit to recording your life in some format. Create something you can share with your family this year and in years to come.