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"I recommend to you to take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves."
~ Philip Dormer Stanhope
A Better Baby Book
Did you finish a baby book for your child? Maybe for your first, but not your second? Or maybe you have the baby book but only a few things filled out? You have every intention of spending a day filling in those blanks and making a pretty little book for your sweet angel to read one day.
Haven't done it yet, have you? Yep, me neither. Feeling guilty? Yep, me too.
So I've decided to go a different route. It isn't as pretty as a baby book, but it still fulfills the requirement of keeping a record of my kids' lives. And it silences the guilt!
Interested? I'll make it easy for you.
First I got a regular three-ring binder. Then, a set of baseball card holders for three-ring binders. (Business card holders work too.) I cut a stack of index cards in half, and then put them somewhere that's easily accessible (mine are on my computer desk). Every time my kids do something I want to remember, I grab a half index card, write it down and date it, and slip it into a sleeve inside the binder. And that's it.
Mine is basic as can be, but it would be simple for you to jazz yours up with pretty colors or a customized cover.
If you feel like your un-baby book needs more to it, then you can always put things in the binder pockets (calendars, cards or letters), or add sheet protectors to hold scrapbook pages. You can see that my pockets have a calendar in them, plus two Post-It notes that I use to keep a running list of my son's first words.
I love opening the binder up and looking through the notes I've written about my kids. I have a record of funny things they said to me (“Don't yell at me, Mommy!” and “I'm gonna melt down like a snowman!”) and milestones they reached (tying a shoe, winking, solving puzzles, last morning nap). Now that my daughter Katie is starting to read, she can look through some of the notes and read about herself too.
One day, I may decide to split the cards up into their own binders, and have separate sets for Katie and Jackson. I love that this system will allow me to do that later if I want. It's easy and works in my hectic life.
And, best of all, it is a record of the small things that I would have forgotten if I'd waited until I had an entire day to sit down and fill out a baby book. Because, really, I probably won't get that entire day until they go to college. And, by then, I won't remember a thing!
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'Enjoy' Expert, Elizabeth Koziatek is defined by a number of things. She is a wife to Dan, and has been for 12 amazing years. She is a self-proclaimed GRIT (Girl Raised In The South). 
She is a graduate of the University of Missouri (Go Mizzou!). She has worked in television, in ministry, and even in the insurance industry. She is now sharing her creative joy with ExtraordinaryMommy.com by giving you new ways to "ENJOY" time with your children.
Despite all the titles above, the thing that most defines Elizabeth is her job as a mom. She is a mother to two beautiful children - Katie is 5 and Jackson is 1. Elizabeth worked outside the home for Katie's first two years and then decided to stay home. Her proudest moments in life have come in the past few years as she has tackled a number of things she never thought she'd be able to do: she survived her first year as a mommy, she managed to nurse both children, and has handled the loss of family members with more grace than she thought possible.
Elizabeth says her favorite thing about being a mommy is the chance it gives her to see the world with new eyes again... it's an opportunity to act like a kid and revel in her children's accomplishments - whether she is watching Katie as she learns to write or the seeing the joy of Jackson's "So Big!".
This mother of two has found new and amazing ways to be creative with her children. Sometimes she is making toys for them. Sometimes she is creating new games to nurture their learning process. We are excited to share Elizabeth 's creativity with you.
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