I have “mom brain.” “I’ll remember this!” are my famous last words. From walking into a room to going to the store multiple times a day, something always seems to slip my mind. Forgetting to buy the milk and my glasses are already on my face are funny little things we’ve all done, but there are things that I don’t want to forget, like my toddler’s earth-shattering yet extremely obvious discoveries like leaves aren’t yummy, or my son’s packed GameTruck party full of wild boys having a blast. These are the things I don’t want to forget. 

No matter how old I get, I never want to lose the smiles, victories, and laughs my family shared. Those are forever part of myself, part of my identity. So, for all the mommas who struggle with “mom brain” and want to hold onto every memory, this blog is for you. Here are four fun ways to preserve your fall memories for a future trip down memory lane!

Create a Fall Jar

Hobby Lobby, here we come! Throughout this holiday season, hold on to things that have special meaning. Have your kids do the same. You can create one jar as a family or help everyone make their own. At the end of the season, pull out some glass jars, glue, your memory items, and a piece of paper. Write down the memory that corresponds to each item. Arrange, glue, and decorate your jar to match your style. Hide your paper in the jar. At the end of this process, you’ll have a beautiful decoration and a capsule ready to save all your fall memories.

Start a Journal for your Fall Memories!

Writing has captured the human experience for thousands of years, so why not try it with yours? You don’t need pages upon pages of beautifully crafted words unless that’s what you want. Sometimes the best memories are short, sweet, and made of broken sentences. Did your toddler reach a brilliantly obvious deduction about life, like cows can’t fly? Maybe your son won his first-ever football game. Did your daughter learn a new skill? Did your spouse or partner tell a joke that made you pee your pants? All of these are perfect examples of things to write down. While these events may only be a few sentences in your diary, they will warm your heart every time you read them. 

Start a Family Journal.

Another option is to create a family journal. Allow your kids to write down, or have you write down, something that they feel is important to them. It may not make sense to them or us in the future, but it’ll provide plenty of laughs in the future to see how their little minds once worked. 

Do a Family Scrapbook for your Fall Memories!

If writing isn’t your thing, try a scrapbook! And, yes, they do sell kits! Scrapbooks can be a fun way to introduce your kids to their creativity with layouts, design principles, and much more! Scrapbooks also provide the fantastic opportunity to print all those pictures we’ve been meaning to print for months.

Make a Home Video!

Are you feeling nostalgia with this idea? While the process might be a bit different than how our parents made family videos, creating your own is a wonderful way to preserve memories, and the cool part is that most of us already have everything we need to do it. Most phones now shoot in 4K, so wipe off your camera lens and capture the moments you want to save! 

Once you’re done, you can download the app of your choice (or use Instagram) to combine the footage, add transitions, music, stickers, etc, to create the perfect home video.

Motherhood transformed me. It’s been a beautiful journey that’s taught me so much. “Mom” is more than just a title to me. It’s part of myself, my identity, and I don’t ever want to lose all of the positive fall memories that have made me who I am today. From family vacations to GameTruck birthday parties, I want to cherish them forever. 

A group of wild individuals approaches the President of the United States on the lawn of the White House. Each November, per national tradition, a group of unlucky individuals face an uncertain fate. Will they live to see another day?    

The President smiles and grants a full pardon to the group standing before him. He releases them to live happy lives of walking through fields, enjoying the sunshine, and eating bugs. Oh, I forgot to mention that these are… turkeys. 

Once the President declares the pardon, the turkeys walk away without making eye contact and gobble along until they reach their new home. Kinda cute, right? 

Well, for turkeys, at least. But when it comes to people, a simple “thank you” would be expected. Turkeys can’t learn gratitude or thankfulness, and neither can we unless someone teaches us. As parents, we must instill these values in our children and encourage them to receive everything they’re given with gratitude and thankfulness.

Teaching Thankfulness to Kids

Remember that kids are naturally self-focused in these earlier stages of development. Gratitude doesn’t come naturally; we have to learn it. As parents, we play a vital role in helping our kids develop these traits. The cool thing is that you don’t need a big budget or fancy curriculum to teach gratitude. Here are four tips on how you can help your kids learn gratitude.

Model It

If we’re honest, many of us struggle with this, yet one of the best and easiest ways to teach thankfulness is by modeling it ourselves. Our kids learn so much by simply listening and watching us, so let’s use that to our advantage to equip them to become young people of character capable of making the world a better place. 

Express It

Be open and honest. Take time every day to say “thank you” to your kids, spouse/partner, friends, and others. Include why you are saying thank you. This lets others know how they have helped you and how much it means to you. Talking about it like this is especially helpful in establishing positive behaviors in kids. 

Another way to express it is by having transformative conversations. These questions get us thinking about the topic more deeply and help us connect with each other. 

1. Ask questions: How do we notice things we should be grateful for? How do these things make us feel? What are some ways we could show thankfulness to someone? In what ways do you like to be thanked? What does gratitude look like to you? Are there different ways to express them? 

Stick with It

Be like glue! Make gratitude stick to you. There are three rules to follow to accomplish this. 

1. Be Intentional. All of these tips require us to be on top of it. 
2. Keep it Simple. The more steps and grandiose this process becomes, the harder it will be to maintain. Consistency is key, and simplicity is essential.
3. Make it a routine. Challenge yourself to express or model these traits every day. Gratitude is a habit worth developing. It may feel odd at first, but the more often you intentionally practice gratitude, the easier it’ll be. 

Just like glue, gratitude is sticky. It’s contagious. Once one person begins, it catches to all those around them. 

Have Fun with Teaching Thankfulness to Kids!

Engaging in meaningful play is one of the fastest ways to master something new. Consider playing games or crafting things like a gratitude jar or a collage to get your kids engaged in learning about gratitude in addition to conversations. 

While the mascots of Thanksgiving aren’t able to gobble a “thank you,” we can instill gratitude in our kids every day of the year. We can consistently model and express it in fun ways. Even though our mission is to help our kids become thankful, we may discover that we become better people along this journey. 

Snow falls. Neon lights twinkle. People gather around to celebrate. The gift-giving season is here! You have a special person in your life and need to get them something that shows them how much you love them. You want them to be blown away by how cool and thoughtful you are. Seeing them smile from ear to ear over the perfect gift is your desire, but maybe you’re struggling with ideas. What do you get the kid who has all the newest games? Perhaps you’re searching for alternatives to video games that your little gamer will love. You might wonder, “what are some gaming-themed gift ideas for kids that won’t break the bank?” 

Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered!

Finding the right gift can add an unnecessary burden on you. You want a gift that shows how much you love them while still being within your budget. With this list by your side, you can rock this gifting-giving season! Stay tuned for our ultimate gift list for Gamer Dads!