Search Results for: blog writing or creating stories

Writing or Creating Stories?

There’s a lost art in the age of the computer, and it’s called penmanship. Given that I am currently sitting at a computer and writing this, I realize that I’ve lost it almost completely. I’ve always been terrible at writing things out by hand. I find my printing and handwriting slow, tedious, and entirely un-beautiful. I am sad that I do not have my grandmother’s or grandfather’s penmanship, but I don’t really have the inclination to pursue it as an art in itself. In those days so long, long ago – say, a few decades ago – before the age … Continue reading →

Writing a Family Tree Book

There are several reasons that you may want to write a family tree book. You may want to include the stories you’ve learned about your ancestors while researching your family tree. You may also know that it would be a nice item to pass down to future generations. You could write a family tree book by simply creating a document in a word processing program on your computer and doing it yourself. This is very simple to do. Using your preferred word processing program, create a new document. If you wish, you can add clipart or photographs within the document. … Continue reading →

Journal Writing

A journal is a great resource for genealogy. It is also a great resource for putting together your family history. As you read journals you learn about daily life, big events as well as small ones. It is a chance to really see inside someone’s mind. As you read other people’s journals you may learn things that you want to add to your own journal writing or it may inspire you to begin writing your journal. As you write in your own journal you should be aware that it may be read by others at some point. This does not … Continue reading →

Writing Your Personal History

As you complete your family’s genealogy and personal history’s for other people, you may become interested in passing on your own personal history to those who come after you. I have really enjoyed reading my grandparents’ personal histories and learning from their lives. I was fortunate enough to grow up and have good relationships with each of them. I heard some of their life stories first hand and others I heard my parents or their personal histories. It can be intimidating to sit down and think about writing about your entire life. It is a lot to cover. Many people … Continue reading →

Three Steps to Writing a Family History

Writing a family history is a big project. If you are working on your own personal history a history that spans generations there are basic steps that you can take to make the project a success. It is important to begin working with a plan in mind. The first step in writing a family history is to begin with the research. You should look at old family journal and letters. This can help you begin to fill in the details of your family’s daily life generations ago. As you add these details you bring your family history to life. The … Continue reading →

Preventing Summer Brain Drain

The school year is winding down for millions of students across the country, and while most kids are thrilled to be getting a much needed break from studying, some parents are hoping that summer vacation doesn’t lead to brain drain. Summer learning loss is nothing new; however, it is avoidable. While most parents think summer school is the key to keeping their kids at the head of the class, there are a slew of other activities that can help preserve lessons learned in the course of an academic year. My daughter would rather give up TV and eat nothing but … Continue reading →

Help with Journaling

I get paid to write, but that doesn’t mean that my scrapbook journaling blocks rock. In fact, there are many times I end up talking myself out of including them in a layout because I feel as though people will judge them too harshly. Meaning, I don’t feel I can casually jot down random thoughts and feelings because people expect more from my entries. For example, I am currently creating a collection of mini scrapbooks for my mom’s birthday. Unfortunately, I am under a severe time crunch, and while one of the books demands that I include journaling, I am … Continue reading →

Make a Book!

Every year, my daughter and I make a book. We do this as a Christmas gift for relatives. We also do it as a way to record her artwork and writing and way of being for another year. In the beginning, this book was a record of her adventures during the year, documented in photographs. As she grew, we added artwork. At first the art was scribbling with a bit of an explanation on the side. For the last three years, she has created a story with multimedia artwork to accompany it. This year’s tome will be a compendium of … Continue reading →

Make a Reading Nook for Your Child

What do you remember about your childhood books? Do you remember falling into new worlds? Acting them out in the garden? Hiding under the covers or in a cosy corner while you read a book? The fall and winter seasons are the perfect time to cuddle up with a book in a reading nook. Dedicate a corner of the living room, rec room, or a child’s room to creating an interactive reading and writing center for your primary-aged children. A reading nook should be private and cozy, but it should also be accessible to the children. Place a small carpet … Continue reading →

Genealogy Project Idea – Halloween Scrapbook

Since it is September, Halloween candy and merchandise have been creeping onto the shelves for weeks now. This time of year is a lot of fun, and it brings back a lot of great memories from my childhood. While I remember quite a bit about the fun things that I did on Halloween when I was small I can’t help but wonder about what my parents and my in-laws and other relatives did when they were younger. One of the great things about genealogy is that when you do genealogy as a hobby, you constantly get all of these fun … Continue reading →