Hello! I’ve been excited to share this post for a while, but maybe with Mother’s Day just around the corner, the timing is actually perfect.
If you aren’t already aware, I love being a mother. Raising my three (and maybe more) babies will be the most important, challenging, and joyful thing I will do in my life. And a few months back, I got to thinking, shouldn’t I be documenting the days that I love (and sometimes struggle with) so much? And the answer was, yes of course!
I know many mothers who received baby journals as a baby shower gift. One day, years later, several of them found theirs in a box in the attic and thought, “I really wish I’d have taken the time to fill this out.” Been there. Which is why I created these journals on Minted. Unlike traditional baby books, which require you to collect all sorts of data on your child from precise time he was born to his first grin, first food, and first word, these are simple, elegant, plainly lined journals that encourage you to document real life. While a list of your child’s favorite foods at one year may be fun to remember, does reading that list 10, 20, or 30 years later really evoke much emotion? Does reading it let you re-live a precious moment in time? I don’t think so. Maybe for some mothers, but not me. So what does?
Actual moments, memorialized, in your words. That’s what these journals give you. They’re nothing fancy. I create one every year, and when I have a memorable experience with one of my children, I take five minutes at the end of the day to write a few lines about it. What happened? What do I want to remember? How did it make me feel? Just the date and a few thoughts. It’s not always the best moments … sometimes I write about the challenges, other times the joys. But no matter what I write, I know that when I read my own words a few decades from now, I will remember what it felt like to be a mother … I may even be able to hear Olivia’s voice, smell Kellen’s sweet scent, or feel Emme’s silky hair. No one can give you a gift like that … you can only give it to yourself, by taking a few moments each day, or even a few times a week, to document your experiences with your babies.
I have yet to find a better option for creating my journals than Minted. The designs are simple, customizable, and beautiful. I linked to a few of my favorite designs below, and you can access the design I used above here. Or search all the designs yourself here. The inside cover of the design I chose lets you customize a message, and the options are endless: favorite quote, Bible verse, favorite nickname, one of your son or daughter’s funny first phrases, etc. Make it meaningful for you.
You may receive some wonderful Mother’s Day gifts this year … do yourself a favor and gift yourself a journal that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. If you’re looking for gift ideas for your own mom, or your mama friends, you can check out my Mother’s Day gift guide, which will hit the blog in the next day or so.
If you choose to create your own journal on Minted, or create one for your loved one, you can save 15% and upgrade to free expedited shipping on all gifts using code FORMOM (ends Friday, 5/1 at 3 PM EST).
Happy Gifting!
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