They've got to see this.

Forget the shoebox full of pictures. Digital scrapbooking will set you free.

When I was pregnant I pictured myself creating beautiful, elaborate scrapbooks chronicling every precious moment of my kids’ childhoods.  But as it turns out, I’m not much of a scrapbooker.  Maybe it’s all the years spent living in apartments.  Clutter just isn’t a great option when space is at a premium.  Or maybe I’m just lazy & enjoy getting 4 hours of sleep instead of 3.  So our answer is digital scrapbooking.

When our kids were born, we created an email account for each of them.  We email them on special occasions, or whenever we feel like sending them a little message.  Birthdays, we send a happy birthday message & attach a jpeg of their invitation.  When we send baby photos to family members (almost daily, I admit) we CC our kids. First steps, video clips of dance parties, Halloween costumes.  Or most often, we’ll just send an impromptu love note.

We also gave their email addresses to our family and close friends so that they can say hi when the mood strikes.

Every so often, we’ll check their email accounts.  It’s already so much fun to read about all the little moments we’ve had with our kids over the past two years.  It’s sort of like a photo album meets journal meets scrapbook.  I love to picture our son, 10 years from now, reading a note from his uncle on his 2nd birthday. Or our daughter watching a video of her first birthday cake.

…But enjoy checking that email while you can- I fully expect to be banished in a few years.

-m

Sloane Tanen feels me.

Wow.  My toddler called me out. I was having a glass of wine while reading him his bedtime story.  Taking advantage of a page-turn, I took a sip.  He looked at me, smiled & said, “Drink Mama’s juice!”  Mama’s Juice??  Hilarious.

We don’t have much chance to get out these days.  Between the kids and work, days are pretty long.  By the time they’re both in bed, our idea of a party usually involves dvr & pizza.  It’s funny how disappointed we are when Saturday Night Live is a repeat.  That’s where the glass of wine comes in.  It makes it feel like it’s the weekend.  Like I’m still a grown up, not just a mom.

It’s been a long day.  Fun but exhausting.  And I really enjoyed that glass of “Mama’s Juice.”

-m

“Goodnight Moon” photograph by Sloane Tanen via http://www.sloanetanen.com/

Welcome to the world, Mabel Ruth Sharp.  Big kiss!