Brook reminds us of many of the everyday moments that are worth celebrating

Climbing a tree higher than you’ve ever climbed. Sipping some hot cider in your favorite jammies. The conversation you just had on the phone with your grandma. That TV series you never miss on Sunday nights. Life is filled with small, everyday reasons to celebrate!

If you look at your the scrapbooks filling your shelf or hard drive and think about how many of those pages are specific events (birthday, anniversary, holiday pages) compared to how many are not, you might come to a realization. Out of all the many moments we choose to put in our albums, it really is the everyday events and small stuff we’re scrapping about most of the time. And, when we think of that stuff as something to celebrate instead of just to “get scrapped,” we might be encouraged to approach our scrapbooking in a whole new way. We might even think of new everyday moments to scrap! Each day we live can be displayed in our albums . . . regardless of its significance or whether any certain event makes it scrapbook-worthy.

Some commonly celebrated everyday stuff can be easy to scrap since many kits are available in those themes. I’m thinking about the “usual” non-holiday celebrations: a lost tooth, a developmental milestone, an academic accomplishment, potty training, an anniversary, weight loss, etc. Those moments are a no-brainer. We have the camera out ready to capture the moment. It’s easy to celebrate. Other everyday stuff can be difficult to scrap, though. Especially the things that are not so theme-oriented. I often find myself avoiding those non-themey pages because they seem like more work for some reason. Slowly, those photos and moments become forgotten and set aside. This is one reason that I love Project Life and daily/weekly scrapbooking projects. They are great for this. But, if you’re like me and not interested in those projects, you might have a tougher time. I want to embrace every day in my “normal” scrapbook, which is sometimes a hard thing to remember to do. 

Life is filled with small, everyday reasons to celebrate!

Let’s think about the everyday when it comes to the people in our lives. Our children: their many facial expressions, that cowlick that won’t lay flat, their scribbly artwork, their collection of toys, or the funny things they say. Let’s celebrate our parents: the way they keep their house tidy, their routines, how they’ve never changed, or what they say on the phone that makes you giggle. Let’s celebrate our husbands (or significant others): their many hair styles, the random photos they take, their hobbies, annoying habits, and mighty brawn. Then let’s celebrate the TRULY everyday by thinking of things that get missed . . . the stuff that’s in-between: that hot cup of coffee or tea in the morning, someone’s favorite well-loved shoes, the signs of life in your home (er . . . mess), the way your dog looks out of the corner of his eye, the stop sign you pass every morning on the way to work, your favorite place to walk, your front door, a neighbor who always says hello, the way the sunlight streams through the window.

HOW do we celebrate everyday life? I think it’s fairly simple: recognize it. Stop and notice. Then, take a picture if you can and jot a few notes about it in your journal. Make sure these little moments are in your scrapbooks, too. Not just Christmas Day, vacations, trick-or-treating, and your child’s 5th birthday. Push yourself to think about the everyday moments and things in your life you have yet to document. Think of it as a personal challenge to flesh out your scrapbook in a way that tells the WHOLE story of your life and the lives of your family. Write about the dust bunnies you always have to go to great lengths to reach under the couch. You are celebrating a small (seemingly unimportant) struggle in your life. Photograph your child’s beat-up sneakers. You are celebrating signs of his/her growth, energy, and adventurous youth. When you sit down to scrap it, try to really tell a story about it. Bring it to life.

Years from now these pages might even end up being your favorite ones! The everyday stuff is the stuff easily forgotten and, therefore, can become the most enjoyable memories to recall.

Happy scrapping!

-Brook