In the blink of an eye they start school, sit exams, learn to drive and baby's off! Where does the time go? Whatever age your baby, child or young adult, you will no doubt be amazed how the months and years have flown by and wonder where those tiny, funny little people went to!
Some days, when you're tired and it's tough it's easy to feel the days are dragging. When you seem to be stuck in soft play groundhog day and the thought of digging yet more playdough out of the carpet makes you want to drop kick the child out the back door, the days can seem long, relentless and nothing other than some sort of torture! In reality those days are racing past and you will, YOU WILL, look back on them fondly and wish you could relive them sometimes.
Seemingly without warning, kids grow overnight! They change, evolve and sometimes you seem to wake up and be living with alltogether new people! There's not a parent alive that doesn't adore their growing children but I'm sure they all like half an hour with the tiny little people again. Just to meet them again, listen to them, watch them play and mostly laugh at their little foibles!
For it's those unique foible and nondescript moments that we often forget but that form our innermost love for our children. The funny little weirdnesses that each one develops in their own unique manner that come out of the blue, form their personality and make us love them that bit more each day.
We love hearing your stories, howl laughing at some of the stories you tell us about why you want to order some of our keepsakes. It is so important to record and remember all the perfect imperfections of the early years of our kids' childhoods. Not only will the memories enrich their lives and give them an insight into either what you went through or why your love for them is so deep, but it will also remind you of all the reasons why you do indeed love them so deeply, why you belly laughed each day and help reform little photographic memories of special times you shared together.
Here are our Top 5 ways to record your childrens' most precious early childhood memories.
Handwriting
From the formation of their first letters writing their own names to little notes, stories or doodles make sure you date them and put them away somewhere safe. Even if it doesn't seem that special, in just a couple of years time you'll be amazed at how they've progressed and will easily forget their gorgeous back to front letters, or overly sized words and ginormous dots on the i!
Especially little gift tags, cards or even encourage them to write you or a family member a little love note. How they express themselves through pen to paper will be priceless looking back on in the future.
Keepsake Box
It sounds obvious but many of us still haven't got ourselves organised with a box to keep little bits of the kids memorabilia in. Do it. Purchase a box for each child, doesn't have to be big or fancy or even personalised. Store them somewhere accessible so that every time they bring home a certificate or receive a card from a friend or draw a hilarious portrait of Grandma, simply pop it into their box to preserve the memory. Once you have the box in place, it's easy. And it's invaluable in the future.
Scrapbook
Either a scrapbook for each child or one for the family is a great way to store tickets, receipts, photos, quotes, or any other memento from a special day out or occasion. If you don't pop the item into your keepsake box and have time to work with a scrapbook, they are great to keep in date order and flick through together to remember great times. It's also a fun activity to create the pages with the kids themselves and can almost become a tradition at the end of a fun day.
Quotes Book
Out of the mouths of babes remains a perfect statement to describe the best quotes that should never have been said, but that we're kinda glad were so that we can look back and laugh!
So many times we say we must write that down when little Johnny comes out with a corker of an inappropriate comment - but we forget!
Buy the book, put it somewhere you can easily grab it. Maybe your handbag, on your kitchen windowsill, in the car door or in your dressing table drawer. In fact, maybe plant a few around the place but always have a pen on hand to ensure you capture those pearlers! Hours of belly laughs will be guaranteed in years to come as the family relive all the funny, embarrassing but always wonderful comments that the children came out with!
And one word of advice - you think you'll remember them without writing them down, but you won't! I promise!
Photo Log
This is the hardest. But it can be hugely rewarding if you stick to the golden rules:
Sorting your photographs, especially now we are all digital and can store hundreds a day in the 'cloud'?? So we advise you SORT your photos for keepsake by following this simple guide:
1 Strict
Realise that if you don't stick to the rules the log will fail, your keepsakes will be lost. You must stick to you plan if you're to create something truly wonderful
2 Organised
Choose a log for the family or one each per child, but only choose 10 photos per log per month. Email them to yourself from your phone or save them directly into a file on your cloud. Alternatively print them out and store in an album or better still send all 120 off at the end of each year and create a printed book.
3 Ruthless
Choosing just 10 will be almost impossible but it can be done but you must be absolutely ruthless in deciding. Junior will look gorgeous in all 8 of the similar shot you took with just a head tilt difference in each BUT you must be prepared to cast some aside. Too many photos and you'll get bored in years to come. Choose the most defining of that month, the ones from most memorable times, the ones with great stories attached or indeed, the ones where they look the most gorgeous! Don't forget comedy or mishaps also create the best memories and recollections in years to come!
4 Time
Do this the same time every month and don't deviate. No matter what day you choose, make it a habit. Don't let the day slip - remember Rule 1
SORT your photos from today!
We hope we've inspired you to start creating keepsakes and finding new ways to store and preserve them. We promise you won't regret it, in fact we are already excited for you and the future times you'll get them out and remember those cherished times x