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by Angela Giles Klocke

These days, families are constantly on the lookout for ways to spend quality time together. Some real quality time projects take real thinking.  Family trips are great but not everyone can afford to take them all the time. But when you do, whether it is to the park or on a mountain hike, you can work together to preserve the memory.

My family keeps a family journal. After returning from family outings, the family gathers together and those who can write take a turn to jot down their day and what they thought of it.  The younger children talk about their adventure and one of us writes it down for them.  We list the pros and cons of each outing and makes notes on whether we would like to return again and what, if anything, we have learned.

The journal is made accessible to the whole family so that they can look through it at any time.  Once pictures from our outings are developed/printed, we place them in the journal also.

What will you need?

• One (or a few) regular notebooks OR;
• Loose-leaf notebook paper
• Construction paper
• Family photos
• Binder
• Blank Photo Pages
• Pens
• Markers
• Glue
• Scissors (for trimming photos)

It’s always best to try to work on the journal the same day as your trip, if feasible.  If not, make sure you do it as soon as you can.  Little ones tend to forget their excitement or what they saw if too much time lapses before they get to tell you their thoughts.

Journal writing time isn’t just limited to after taking trips, though.  We work on our journal after fun days of school, interesting days of work, etc … This helps the family also keep up to date with how each other’s days went.  Rather than just talking about our days, we are working together on a fun project and making memories to last.

Just as baby books are great for reading once children grow up, a family journal will always evoke fond memories of the times in the past as well as the time spent putting it all together.  It will always be a cherished family heirloom.

About the author

Angela is a married mom of three who juggles work, school, and life from beautiful Colorado. Her musings (and photos) on life can be found at: www.angelaklocke.com