Three Fun Ways to Document Life During Quarantine and Beyond

“Documenting little details of your everyday life becomes a celebration of who you are.”
Carolyn V. Hamilton

During quarantine, we’ve had some good moments getting outside together and strengthening our relationships. We’ve also had some not-so-good moments, when alone time is painfully elusive and the demands of juggling my new job as a homeschool teacher and working from home has thrown off our equilibrium. This time has challenged us to get creative in our marriage and change our expectations of just about everything.

But, life will not always be this way. When something big happens, like a viral pandemic flooding the world, we start thinking maybe we should take notes. Maybe we should leave a record about what it was really like to live in a time of global economic shut-down and stay-at-home orders. Our stories will be important not only for us to look back on, but for future generations.

I love this article in my local news: Why historians say we should all be journaling during COVID-19.

I want to remember the moments, good and bad, of this time, and the moments that will follow when life starts to normalize again. Here are three fun ways to help you document life during quarantine and beyond:

1. Family Videos

Sam Kelly 
I LOVE video documenting because I not only capture a still picture, but the movement, voice and life of my little ones. Watching our family videos together is one of our favorite ways to reminisce on trips and everyday life. If you want a simple, sustainable way to get those videos off your phone and create beautiful videos you’ll cherish forever, I could not recommend Sam Kelly’s Family Videos course more. Check out the course here and use the code KIMBERLY get $5 off. This course is so user-friendly, even if you’re not tech-savvy. All you need is an iphone or laptop to make videos. You can see some of my own little family videos here!

2. Photo Journaling

Chatbooks 
There is also photo-journaling. We used to do this with patterned paper and stickers, and called it scrapbooking. Remember? The digital version allows us to print the results in a bound book and save the digital version in the cloud so it never gets lost or destroyed.

If you already post your photos to social media, a great resource is Chatbooks. It connects with your Facebook or Instagram account and automatically creates a book for every 60 images you post. I also love their monthly series of little books they print for you, called Monthly Minis. You can review and edit before printing and the final product is a little book of photo memories you can easily stack on your bookshelves. My kids love flipping back through these. Use this link to get $10 off your first order!

3. Write Your Story

Loom Journals
I’m a huge believer in classic, pen-to-paper journaling. I created Loom Journals with two friends who also believe in the power journaling has to connect us to ourselves and our loved ones. Our prompted journals make journaling simpler and more meaningful.

There’s no wrong way to journal. However you decide to document the moments of your life, I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Which type of memory-keeping resonates with you most?