More End-of-Summer Fun...

I had a few simple 'traditions' that I started with my kids when they were young. I didn't realize they would become a yearly activity or that they would mean so much to me in the years to come.

I had the kids print their names in a scrapbook on the first day of a new school year. It is amazing and fun to see how every year their signature took on a whole new look. The early years they tried to get it 'just right'. As they got older, they wanted it to look 'real cool'. This simple 'tradition' is now a priceless treasure to me.

I also measured them each year at the start of a new school year. In each of their closets are precious memories notched on the wall. I dated each mark and we 'oohed' and 'aahed' as to how tall each child had grown that year.

The kids kept a one page list of what was important to them each year:
Friends' names
Favorite books they read
Favorite movie they saw
What sports they enjoyed

I had to help them during the younger years, but they came to realize it was a 'right of passage' to get into the next grade! They needed to record the essentials for mom's sake.

It took abit of effort, but doesn't everything that is worth something? Think of ways to capture the memories of your children now that summer is coming to a close. Keep it simple and enjoy it all!