The little things

So, I have a solid 8 months under my belt and I feel confident in sharing one of my proudest accomplishments of this year. My "mom journal".

I'm sure you've noticed, but blogging has been a struggle for me this year. For some reason, I stare at the screen and all the space to fill and I am just blank. But I feel like I'm missing an awesome opportunity to document the amazing experiences of my kid's early years.

I found that Facebook and twitter statuses were easier for me to write, but I wasn't confident in the ability to archive all of those. And I was positive most people didn't want to hear a lot of the small, seemingly mundane moments I wanted to remember.

So at the beginning of the year, I bought a planner. It's a simple planner that is broken out into short rectangles each day...one week takes up two pages. It's just the right size to capture my thoughts without feeling overwhelming. It takes less than a couple of minutes most nights.

And I have written in it every single day since January 1st. I take time every night, even the nights I'm traveling, to write small, wonderful (and the occasional tough) moments. It is a treasure to me, something I look forward to. It causes me to better remember a sloppy kiss or funny saying or a milestone. I've even recorded voice notes on my phone when something great happens in the morning so I don't forget later in the day.

So, it's a small thing, but I'm so proud that I've done it. Knowing I have boys, they probably won't have the interest that girls would in reading these kind of things. Maybe they will. But it is mostly for me.

I wrote this in the beginning of journal:
"I wanted to write this mostly for me...to remember the small moments of these precious days that go by so quickly. I also hope that one day Colt and Owen will look at these and see how much I truly love being their mom. That they'll know I treasured moments big and small. That even the tough days were blessings. And that every night before bed, I take time to reflect on what I love about them. Every day they're learning and loving and surprising me. They're the pleasures of my life. My world begins and ends with my three men...my family. I love you!"