Doors to your memory
Jayne Nottage
I turned 33 last week but if you were to judge my age by my memory for the little things you would probably put me somewhere between 75-80! Ok, so maybe that is a slight exaggeration but being someone who is always thinking 'what's next?' I think I simply forget to reflect and the oh so important things slip from my memory far too quickly. I therefore strive to help myself remember in various ways the little things about our family life that I think I won’t forgot but all too easily do. I thought I’d quickly put fingers to keys to show 3 simple things I do to help me remember in the amongst the busyness of life.
Jot down those memories
Everyone loved the television programme ‘Kids say the funniest things’ that aired in the late 90’s early 00’s and this book is my own version. I write down the cute things my 3 do and say, from when my eldest was 6 months old she used to basically make a noise that sounded like a duck that smoked 20 a day for about 3 months to the simple things like what their current favourite book is.
One of my favourite entries is when I had had a tough day with my two toddlers (at the time age 2&3) and went to the toilet for a quick break to find my eldest had drawn smiley faces on the bathroom floor with a biro. After calling her up to ask for an explanation she said ‘don’t worry mummy. If you scrub really hard they‘ll come off‘. Ha! (and I had completely forgotten about this until rereading it now!)
If you are a parent, or a grandparent, or have little people in your world, and you don't already, I implore you to keep a little note book just like this. It’ll be your best read in years to come. Also if you buy a beautiful note book and a pen to go with it you have your self the perfect gift idea for someone who is expecting!
The boxs of bits and pieces
I’m pretty sure everyone has their own version of this, either a shoe box under the bed, a pile in the top of your wardrobe, a well meaning bundle on the top of your fridge or a purpose bought box. I started by just putting all the bits and pieces that held memories in the top of a wardrobe; from ticket stubs to first family portrait they drew of us all looking like potatoes with arms and legs, from the mothers day card with the tea bag stuck in sent home from nursery to the first pair of shoes.
I can be quite sentimental about the little things after having children ours quickly filled to over flowing. So I then went out and bought a box for each of the three kiddies and one for us as a family. Sorting out the memories into the new boxes took me so much longer than I’d allocated as I found myself reading every card, looking over every colouring, and before I knew it 15 minutes had turned into over an hour and I was no longer sitting by myself but my girls had joined me, one on either side, as we chatted through our family memories so far.
And obviously taking a few pictures…..
As the watercolour so wonderfully explains photos help fill in the gaps of your memory. I love to take photos of the everydayness of family life as well as the highs of life (which sometimes are one and the same!). I love capturing those precious moments when the girls have built a den or make a tea shop or a pretending to be baby lambs (or cats) for the hundredth time in a week as much as I love to take photos of our family holiday or an annual family get together. Photos have a unique way of freezing time and therefore opening doors into our memory.
There is a photo in my lounge of my girls’ feet as they run along the beach. If this photo did not hang on my wall their squeals and giggles as they play chase with the waves would soon have vanished from my memory. You can never have enough doors into your memory!
* family memories * Canterbury, Kent *