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Keepsake Jar of Vacation Memories
by Rondi Hillstrom Davis
The song says it all, “Hot Fun in the Summertime”. Our summer was
certainly full of fun: outdoor barbeques, neighborhood cookouts, making
ice cream, 4th of July parades, a trip to grandpa’s house, sleeping
late, moving my oldest daughter into her first apartment. It never seems
like the season is long enough to do everything we want to do.
Now that the summer is almost over, how do we preserve these memories?
Take a few minutes before the busy routine of school begins to put
together a family album of summer keepsakes. Whether it’s in a
scrapbook, photo album, or shoebox, these mementoes chronicle tidbits of
family life that often become lasting traditions. Your kids will love
showing friends and family how they spent their summer vacation.
Want a quick and easy way to make a time capsule of your summer
vacation? Make a keepsake jar.
Find a large, clean, wide mouth jar (mayonnaise jars work well) to hold
your treasures. Paint and decorate the lid.
Gather together pictures, ticket stubs, sea shells, maps, souvenirs,
pressed flowers or anything that has sentimental value from you summer
vacation.
Write names and dates on the back of photographs. Place all of your
items inside the jar. On brightly colored paper, write a few notes about
each event. You may want to interview other family members for their
thoughts as well.
Preserve your summer stories in a place of honor. Kids will enjoy
getting their keepsake jar down to tell stories for many summers to
come.
And don’t forget to snap a picture on the first day of school. We take a
photograph in the same spot every year. My daughter is leaving for her
first year of college. In the opening pages of her scrapbook are all of
the pictures we had taken on the first day of school. From the scared
preschooler with the little lamb name tag, to the confident, beautiful
young woman she blossomed into, each picture was truly worth a thousand
words.
About the author
Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book
Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out her website that's
jam packed with family ideas, visit
www.togetherparenting.com To subscribe to her online newsletter, go
to
www.togetherparenting.com/feedback.asp
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