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Old 01-27-2020, 03:06 PM
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abm234 abm234 is offline
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Join Date: May 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacinda View Post
If you're burning out, and the kids aren't keen on photos anymore, I'd totally change it up. Make your pages more journal focused, and pick a weekly theme that you journal about. Add in a photo or two max, and you're done. Keep it clean and simple. I've done this before and I loved the end result. Some of the weekly themes I used were:

How we show our love - what is everyone's love language etc
Family - journal about relationships within the family, or extended family etc. Include photos of grandparents, cousins etc. Could time this theme with a family gathering.
Our home - take photos of favourite places in your home, journal about the history of your home, or what you love about it.
Activities - what activities do the kids do? Sports etc? Include a photo of their sports team.
Hobbies - crafts, interests, things each family member does in their free time.
Service - does your family give service to anyone? Would you like to? Journal your thoughts and goals.
Grandparents - dedicate a whole spread to the history of your parents/grandparents. Include their photos.
School Holidays - how is the time spent? What do you & the kids do?
Health/fitness - What are you currently doing? What are you aiming to do etc. Do you attend a gym/bootcamp etc?
School - Journal about the kids current schools, how they're doing, your concerns and dreams for them.
Prices we pay - This is a good one to look back on years later. Take photos of your grocery shopping, or find google images of the places you shop. Include a list of prices for bread, eggs, vegetable, breakfast cereal, gas, toothpaste, apples, cheese etc.
Weekly routine - Do you have one? Do the kids? What does it look like?
The food we eat - What is everyone's favourite foods? Do you have picky eaters? What are your go-to meals? What foods does everyone hate? What do you generally have for breakfast or lunch etc.
Toys - When the kids were little I photographed and journalled about their favourite toys. With older kids, what is an object that they're never without? (Devices, spotify, mountain bike, etc)
Wardrobe - you can dedicate a spread per person here. What do they typically wear? Include photos of them dressed casually, for school, for a special occasion etc. Journal about their style or their favourite clothes, or the way they gravitate to certain colours.
In the news - What headlines are in your news right now? What are the breaking stories not just at home but around the world? What issues concern/worry you?
Family trips/events - capture a family event with journalling and photos.
Challenges - List the challenges your family is facing right now, and your plans to get through them.
Our wheels - take pictures of your vehicles, bikes, skateboards, etc. How do you get from one place to another? Do you use the bus system? Do you car pool? Are you looking to buy a new car in the future etc?
Self Improvement - What areas are you looking to improve on? what are your goals? What are your kids working on etc? (e.g. getting better at a sport, or being patient, or being more organised etc)
The games we play - board games, family activities, wrestling in the lounge, jokes etc.
Emergency preparedness - is your family ready for emergencies? Do you have go bags ready to grab and go? Do you have food storage etc?
Products we use - record the laundry and personal care brands you use - take photos of them. What shampoo/conditioner do you use? Deodorant, washing powder, cologne, perfume, toothpaste brand, facial care system, makeup brands, stain remover etc.
Books we read - what is everyone currently reading? What are their favourite genres?
Quotes - who in the family said something funny recently? What phrases do they say often, what funny stories could you share?
Spiritual - do you go to church? If so, what does that look like? Journal your thoughts about your relationship with God, or the people at church.
TV, movies, media, music - What do you watch or listen to? What movie have you seen recently? Your thoughts on media in general.
Social media - Facebook, snapchat instagram etc. Share some random photos or posts from each family member's account.
Our neighbourhood - Walk around your neighbourhood and take photos like a tourist. Include any greenspaces/parks, houses, corner stores etc.
A review of your children at the end of the school year - include photos of their friends and achievements.
Holidays - Easter, Halloween, Christmas etc

The joy of doing it this way, is that you can choose any theme for the week depending on what is going on in your life at the time. E.g. if you have family visiting, then make family your theme. If nothing in particular is happening that week, then journal about the prices you pay, or food you eat etc. It's super flexible.

You could have all you journalling justified in the middle of the left hand layout, then have your photos (even if it's just one big one) on the right hand page. Super easy. You don't even need to embellish it. Templates like the one below for the right hand page would work. If you don't have enough photos, fill some of the spaces with patterned paper.



This is kind of what I mean. Your photo page has as many or as few photos as you want on it though:


Thank you for the really thoughtful answer! I love all of your suggestions. And that album you show is gorgeous!
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