Mom's One Line a Day
Right before I had my first child my husband bought me a small journal called Mom's One Line a Day. We had already been doing a 5 year Q&A journal together and enjoying it. The difference with this one is that unlike the Q&A journal where random questions are answered on the same day every year (examples: May 3rd "If you could have a superpower just for today, what would it be?", June 21 "Who do you want to know better?", and November 16 "What are you obsessed with right now?") the Mom's One Line a Day is just 6 blank lines each day, to be filled in with freedom. No special questions, no guidance, just blank lines for mom stuff.
Being an avid journaler I was really excited to start this 5 year journey and wrote my first entry on November 7, 2013 when my first child was born. Little did I know that once you become a mom, things like proper journaling rarely happen (heck, going to the bathroom by yourself rarely happens in that first couple of years!) and over time this little journal slowly became the main source of daily journaling. (Hey, something is better than nothing.)
Each day I wrote something small related to motherhood or my kids. Funny quotes, feelings for the day, laughable moments, moments I wish hadn't happened... Were there days I didn't have anything I felt was worth writing about? Yes. Did I get behind at times? YES! But you push through it. Wrack your brain for any little thing that happened that you loved, hated, or wish to remember (or forget!). Some days it was a place to write all of my frustrations and stress because of a bad day. Other days I recorded adventures and the cuddly perfect moments that make motherhood all worth it. Motherhood is full of ups and downs and so is this journal.
When I got behind I'd just keep a little Post It Note somewhere I'd see it often and write down things as they came to me to be transposed to the journal later.
Fast forward over 5 years later and I have a little book full of 5 years worth of memories. When I started it I was new to being a mother, new to figuring out what being a mom even meant, and when I made my last entry my oldest was turning 5 years old, I had an almost 2 year old who after struggles getting pregnant I wondered if he would ever be, and a 3rd baby on the way -- a girl this time! So much of my life has changed in that 5 years and something from each and every day in that time span is recorded in this little book.
When I finished what did I do? I went on Amazon and ordered volume 2! Now that the 5 year journal idea has caught on there are lots of different options and way cuter covers are now available. While some are specifically Mom's journals, there are a lot of blank journals with prettier covers that would function exactly the same. Chose one you'll love for years to come and go with it!
Tips for choosing your own Mom's One Line a Day journal:
↠ Pick a hardback! You're going to be writing in this book for 5 years. It's going to be tossed in diaper bags, possibly scribbled in by toddlers, and opened approximately 1,826 times so get one with a good binding and solid cover. Hardback copies only cost a few dollars more than the paperbacks and are well worth it.
↠ When you get behind (because let's be realistic, this is an inevitability) keep a Post It Note nearby or use an app like Google Keep to jot down little reminders for the days you missed (i.e. "5th - cut 2nd tooth", or "19th - Funny convo with Emily in car") and then expound on those when you go to write them in the actual journal. As long as you remember what you're wanting to write, there's no reason to write the full thing in your little note only to then re-write the whole thing in the journal. When I am in a season that getting behind is more of a struggle than others I will pick one day a week where I put on my to do list: "catch up on M1LaD". If you get much more than a week behind it's easy to feel frustrated and forget details and the idea of giving up is very tempting. During these seasons I take Thursdays to sit down and transpose any little notes I'd already made or think through the last week and come up with something for each day while it's still relatively fresh on my mind. If you are desperate look through your texts or photos on your phone -- sometimes you will forget something that happened until you see a picture of it or read a text you sent to your friend/mom/husband.
↠ You don't have to wait until January 1st to start! Start your 5 year journey anywhere. Pick a date that is special to you (a birthday, due date, first positive pregnancy test, milestone anniversary, or the day you buy it) and go. When you get to the end of the book, flip to Jan 1st and keep writing in the top slot (each entry allows for you to put your year in the blank spot so this will not be confusing at all when you look back at it) and then when you hit a year, simply move down a row. There's no need to follow a Jan 1st to Dec 31st schedule if you don't want to. This is *your* journal, do it your way!
Where to get your own:
5 Year Q&A Journal
Mom's One Line a Day Journal
Floral One Line a Day Journal
Happy Journaling!
Being an avid journaler I was really excited to start this 5 year journey and wrote my first entry on November 7, 2013 when my first child was born. Little did I know that once you become a mom, things like proper journaling rarely happen (heck, going to the bathroom by yourself rarely happens in that first couple of years!) and over time this little journal slowly became the main source of daily journaling. (Hey, something is better than nothing.)
Each day I wrote something small related to motherhood or my kids. Funny quotes, feelings for the day, laughable moments, moments I wish hadn't happened... Were there days I didn't have anything I felt was worth writing about? Yes. Did I get behind at times? YES! But you push through it. Wrack your brain for any little thing that happened that you loved, hated, or wish to remember (or forget!). Some days it was a place to write all of my frustrations and stress because of a bad day. Other days I recorded adventures and the cuddly perfect moments that make motherhood all worth it. Motherhood is full of ups and downs and so is this journal.
When I got behind I'd just keep a little Post It Note somewhere I'd see it often and write down things as they came to me to be transposed to the journal later.
Fast forward over 5 years later and I have a little book full of 5 years worth of memories. When I started it I was new to being a mother, new to figuring out what being a mom even meant, and when I made my last entry my oldest was turning 5 years old, I had an almost 2 year old who after struggles getting pregnant I wondered if he would ever be, and a 3rd baby on the way -- a girl this time! So much of my life has changed in that 5 years and something from each and every day in that time span is recorded in this little book.
When I finished what did I do? I went on Amazon and ordered volume 2! Now that the 5 year journal idea has caught on there are lots of different options and way cuter covers are now available. While some are specifically Mom's journals, there are a lot of blank journals with prettier covers that would function exactly the same. Chose one you'll love for years to come and go with it!
Tips for choosing your own Mom's One Line a Day journal:
↠ Pick a hardback! You're going to be writing in this book for 5 years. It's going to be tossed in diaper bags, possibly scribbled in by toddlers, and opened approximately 1,826 times so get one with a good binding and solid cover. Hardback copies only cost a few dollars more than the paperbacks and are well worth it.
↠ When you get behind (because let's be realistic, this is an inevitability) keep a Post It Note nearby or use an app like Google Keep to jot down little reminders for the days you missed (i.e. "5th - cut 2nd tooth", or "19th - Funny convo with Emily in car") and then expound on those when you go to write them in the actual journal. As long as you remember what you're wanting to write, there's no reason to write the full thing in your little note only to then re-write the whole thing in the journal. When I am in a season that getting behind is more of a struggle than others I will pick one day a week where I put on my to do list: "catch up on M1LaD". If you get much more than a week behind it's easy to feel frustrated and forget details and the idea of giving up is very tempting. During these seasons I take Thursdays to sit down and transpose any little notes I'd already made or think through the last week and come up with something for each day while it's still relatively fresh on my mind. If you are desperate look through your texts or photos on your phone -- sometimes you will forget something that happened until you see a picture of it or read a text you sent to your friend/mom/husband.
↠ You don't have to wait until January 1st to start! Start your 5 year journey anywhere. Pick a date that is special to you (a birthday, due date, first positive pregnancy test, milestone anniversary, or the day you buy it) and go. When you get to the end of the book, flip to Jan 1st and keep writing in the top slot (each entry allows for you to put your year in the blank spot so this will not be confusing at all when you look back at it) and then when you hit a year, simply move down a row. There's no need to follow a Jan 1st to Dec 31st schedule if you don't want to. This is *your* journal, do it your way!
Where to get your own:
5 Year Q&A Journal
Mom's One Line a Day Journal
Floral One Line a Day Journal
Happy Journaling!
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