i hate scrapbooking...sorry gals

When someone says, "I'm a scrap booker" or "I'm a scrappy stamper"(someone who stamps AND uses stickers)...i shudder in my panties. I have several reasons for my shuddering:

1. I hate cutting my pictures...one of the best things about pictures is looking in the background many years later and recalling the ugly wallpaper and the size of my moms booty back in the day (hot stuff). Isn't it sort of editing memories?

2. I don't like stickers with themes..'nuff said.

3. I don't like taking so much time to save memories, because then i'll need another scrapbook of pictures of me scrapbooking...("oh, remember the days when i would sit at the table all day long and glue ribbons, and other paraphernalia into a $1000.oo book...)

4. real christians don't scrapbook...its true..ok, its not true.

5. The Guilt!! I simply do not want to take the time to do it, but then i feel guilty, so i go to Starbucks to feel better...(and us moms do not need any more guilt of not being perfect enough!)

6. I don't like being stereotyped by men...(my wife scrapbooks....wicked eh?)

7. I miss real old scrapbooks...like taking scraps and putting them into books.

8. One of the things i loved doing at my grandmother's house was digging through a massive box with a zillion pictures in it..spanning about 5 decades..and then trying to remember the memories together..with organization that wouldn't be possible.

I think that is all of the reasons....and friends if you don't hate me by now..i LOVE looking at YOUR scrapbooks..especially if they involve placenta pictures...SO, to stop the forever guilt of not 'properly' archiving my children's memories, i am going to do these things (ideas are taken from http://www.cookiemag.com/ )

From the top:

1. Memory boxes, simple yet special....i think i'm going to memory box my skinny clothes("now those honey, are the undies mommy wore before she had you...and before she worked at Starbucks")
2. I love this idea: write random letters to your kids, dogs, what have you...and then someday when they care, give them the old unopened letters...or, fill up a daytimer with your agenda and then on the next page write funny quotes from your kids..or something that happened that day. Then they'll have a full picture of what your life AND theirs looked like.
3.Write down on the calender a certain day each month to take a picture of your kids/family members..(hopefully you start this before your husband goes bald...then you'll be able to watch the process...fun!)..remember to use an old camera with real film so you'll have to get it developed and it won't just sit on your computer...then write little notes on the back of the photos about that month,etc..
4. And finally my favorite...a good sturdy pretty box to throw all the best momentos in.

And if you're still too lazy..use your imagination and become a good BS-er, so when your kids ask you questions about their childhood, you'll have some really good half-truths for them....(its OK to mix up which baby did what...does it really matter?!)

Tea please

Throughout my last pregnancy i must have drank buckets full of Red Raspberry Leaf tea...i grew to like the taste, especially with a touch of agave nectar or some honey:) This brew is known for being a uterine tonic; helping the uterus contract more efficiently and reducing the risk of hemorrhage after birth. My last birth was so quick, about 45 minutes of active labor..i went from 5 cm to birth in 40 minutes! Afterwards i barely bled at all, and i fully believe it was due to the amount of Red Raspberry Leaf tea i drank throughout that pregnancy, as I did not have the same experience with my previous births. I would use a french press and fill the bottom with the loose tea, and then drink the whole litre of tea through the morning,then again in the evening. Red Raspberry Leaf is rich in vitamins A, C, E and  B complex, it also contains  highly absorbable forms of calcium and iron, and is rich in minerals such as phosphorous and potassium. It also assists in producing a good supply of breast milk:)  A good brand of bagged Red Raspberry Leaf is available from Yogi Tea