I scrapbook for two reasons –

1.  It gives me an outlet for creativity and therefore refreshes me

2.  It builds up my family; their values, their heritage and their stories

There is a third reason which I should confess to I guess – I’m a Creative Memories Consultant.  But that plays a small part in why I keep going with my own stories.

In reading Sarah Mae’s 31 Days to Clean last week I was reminded that it was high-time that I gave myself some scrapbooking time.  There is a lot of debate around the idea of whether mums should have ‘me’ time or not.  Is it selfish vs. is it about rejuvenating?  I have always been on the ‘it’s about rejuvenating’ side of the debate.  I liked Sarah Mae’s disclaimer – “if your ‘jazzy’ comes at the expense of your family, it’s not worth it.”  That is so true.

I believe that we need to take a break, be refreshed, and take time to be more than a mum.  Not because Mum is a lesser role, but because I am more than a mum.  I am a woman who God created with many talents, gifts, relationships and responsibilities.  Being a mum is just one of those.  Looking after my house is just one responsibility I have.  They may well be my priority tasks but I am more than those things in themselves.

But I do love the fact that my inner need to be creative (God made me that way) can work hand in hand with my important role to be a mum.

My goals with my scrapbooking are:

1. To make a family album celebrating each year and each member
2. To make a couple of albums over the course of each child’s life, celebrating them as individuals (my children will take these as their own at some stage)
3. To make gift albums to celebrate special milestones.  So far I’m at 10yo and 18yo and Peter’s 50yo
4. To record the faith journey that our family has been on – to tell the God stories in our life
5. To record our values in a written form that can strengthen this generation and be passed to the next generation
6. To create notes to encourage each child as they grow and mature in little ways through the year

I am no where near on track with these goals – but it is there, and one day I’ll get more time than I have at the moment, but in the mean time little by little I can take an hour here or an hour there and know that my creativity is working on the heart stuff in my family life.

These thoughts came as I read and pondered on 31 Days to Clean and I write as a part of Joyful Mothering Homemaker’s Challenge.