Putting it all down.

I am a journal keeper.

Well, I used to be before I had children that is.

Yes, I'm sure everyone who reads this blog or talks to me in real life is tired of me blaming my children for things. To be honest, I am too.

So I want to do something about this journaling business and make it stick.

I saw New Years Eve...the movie this weekend and it made me think of the dreaded resolutions. Seriously, I hate new year's resolutions. I just feel like I'm so unsuccessful at those resolutions specifically. For instance, let's say on June 16th, I decide to make a resolution to start dusting every week {oh, you do this already? good for you : ) } then I will be better at keeping it than lets say I resolve to loose 5 lbs a month on new year's. Just saying.

So I'm making this a Dec. 11th resolution: journal!

I'm asking my husband for a new journal for Christmas.

I've gotten an iphone recently and hated the thought of never using a pen and paper again. I love pen and paper. So to keep from loosing my great handwriting genes or little random jots here and there, I've wanted to still have a paper calendar too. The only problem is I don't want to spend a lot or feel pressured to use it everyday. I also don't want to feel pressure to journal long entries as I just don't have time. So he is going to get me a journal that is thick enough to write a year of dates at the top of each page and small enough to fit in my purse/diaper bag. This way I can jot down to-do notes, appointments and small prayers. Maybe if I want to focus on a specific verse or a quote i can do that on there too.

Here are some things I've been finding or that inspire me to get back into journaling.

Check them out:

a pinterest find

My Daddy is a journal keeper. Now it's mainly just the highlights like the weather, important moments and fun random happenings. But I love that he has done this for sooo many years. Sometimes we have looked back and read funny things about days where I got my braces or Johnah went for her drivers permit. It's neat to look back on.

This lady did the same thing and I thought if nothing else, what a great treasure to have.

I got this from Geninne's Art Blog. She is someone that incredibly inspires me in journaling and in painting. Very talented lady! I would love to do more drawing/doodling in my journals. Hmmm.. maybe I'll have to get a cute little pen/pencil box like I had from my college art class days to carry in my purse as well!

There is something hopeful and even exciting to me in a stack of empty journals.

I guess it's the thoughts of what could be, victories won and even a place to escape to during the most mundane of days.

This stack I found here... cute journals!

And then there is this magnificent post on journaling by none other than, Ann Voscamp. Love her.

I've heard of someone doing a journal by recording their: peeks, pits, prayers and praises. They would write about the best of their day (peek) and the worse of it too (pits). Then add any requests or praises they had.

When I look back through my years of (off and on) journaling, I see a switch take place. I used to write in them like a diary...just to whom ever. Then in middle school or early high school, I switched to writing prayer journals. Don't get me wrong...they are not lofty or eliquent prayers written out. I've even shuddered looking back through some entries thinking of how my grandchildren might find these one day. They would know the good, bad and extremely ugly. But that is ok...because I'm hoping they'll see God's grace mostly. Because I write about nothing, I plead of things I desire and I gripe too. The good thing of journaling in the form of prayers is I find it always brings me back to HIM.

Anyways, one last little quote that makes me laugh and remember I'm not the only adult out there that still thinks like a child! : )

"She sat down before breakfast Decided how to spend her day: climb trees. run fast. sing at the top of her lungs. Do the dishes tomorrow." - unknown

Happy Journaling!