A Summer Project

We're so far back in to school, I've almost forgotten summer...! However, there was a creative project going on that definitely needs to be shared here.

Last summer was a weird one...we moved in with my parents while building our new house, I was working three days a week and I was very pregnant. The kids didn't do many things that we typically would have done. There was way, way too much screen time, and I didn't want to do that again this year. This year, the kids did have a lot more to keep them busy, most days, but at least one day a week, I planned to go to my parents. The intent was to get things done for and with my mom. I knew the big kids could and would have to help with the baby, but I didn't want her nap time (and when the other kid was babysitting) to be screen time, the entire day again.
Just before school got out, my son was was complaining letting me know that I am so far behind on their scrapbooks. I mean, he is absolutely right, I am extremely far behind on scrapbooks. I think my daughter has one Christmas scrapped, ever. No one has to tell me this piece of information, haha...... But I really CAN'T fix it right now. I have too many other things to do and this is just not the season of life I can possibly pay attention to scrapbooks. Sorry not sorry...
Well, my wonderful husband put the two "problems" together for one happy solution- on the day we went to my parents, the kids were supposed to take their own scrapbook project with them to work on! Less screen time AND pages done. BAM. haha.

The kids started off SO excited! I taught them the basics that I would teach in a scrapbook class, showed them everything they were allowed to use, taught them how to choose colors, what to look for in choosing embellishments, the importance of journaling...everything. And even tho I hate to give up "control" of their books, haha, I was excited to see how they would do on their own, and what would get accomplished.
I started off getting a picture of them with their pages, but that didn't last long... 

And they didn't get a page done every week like they were "supposed to". Some weeks we were too busy, some weeks they were gone! (scout camp, etc...) And some weeks they just didn't want to do it and they didn't. But over the course of the summer, they got pictures out of their shoeboxes and on to some pages and that makes me happy. 

I think it makes them happy too.

It was really interesting to me to see their different styles.

My son usually enjoyed using stamps, but didn't want embellishments that make his pages "too crowded". 

This section are his pages:

  I have no idea what made them pick the colors they picked.

My daughter started off loving embellishments, and avoiding stamps as much as possible. She prefers the "doodling" method. 

Her pages are below. 

The only critique I gave was this. One of the things I've been doing at my mom's is scanning in old photos, and then labeling the scan with names and dates, so that future generations know who on earth is in the photo and why we care. I have literally spent days glued to the computer working on this project, which is a little frustrating when there is no information. I reminded my daughter that she needed journaling on her page, even just names. She insisted she already knew who was in the pictures, so it was fine.
Are.
You.
Kidding.
Me??
Soo after her masterpieces were complete, she had to "ruin" it with words that she hadn't planned on. silly girl.

I also thought it was cute that three different times, her whole page comes down to "I {heart} my family!"

They each have a shoe box of photos, separated by event, as close to "in chronological order" as possible. My son would grab a random section of photos from his box, and my daughter went in order.

I also thought it was interesting that I had printed *my favorite shots of each event, and more often than not they didn't use all the pictures I had. Lots of suddenly-considered-extra photos went into albums over the summer too!

Honestly, I'd love it if this became a Sunday thing for them, during the school year. I really honestly don't have time to scrapbook and we just keep living life and taking more pictures so it feels a little bit like I will never, ever, ever catch up, haha... But, I'm not going to push it so much during the school year either. Maybe next summer.