What exactly is a “Mama & Me” journal? Well, it is basically a journal for my daughter and I to share. We write letters back and forth to each other…kind of like being pen pals (without the envelopes & stamps). My hope is that these seemingly simple letters to one another will become a book of memories to treasure for a lifetime!
I wanted to make it look special, so made this cute little label for the notebook. In case you want to make one similar to ours, here is what I used:
- composition notebook
- fun scrapbook paper
- clear contact paper
- the “mama & me” label (Download from here!)
Directions: Print the label and cut it down to the desired size. Then cut the scrapbook paper a bit larger than the label. Layer the paper and glue them onto the notebook. (As an option, you could just print the label onto sticker paper and then just stick it to the notebook.) In hopes of keeping the label intact, I put clear contact paper over the entire front of the notebook, except for the black binding that you see in the photo. Then I trimmed all the excess contact paper from around the edges…and that was it!
My daughter was SUPER excited when she found the journal on her bed! It is a great way for me to “see” into the mind of my little princess! Plus, since we are the only girls in the family, it is a fun way for us to bond! Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that it is a sneaky little way to add in some extra work on writing and penmanship! 🙂
Of course I didn’t come up with this all by myself! I got the idea from Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler…who got the idea from another blogger! I even followed her lead with my intro letter, which reads:
Dear KJ,
Would you like to be my pen pal? Instead of mailing letters to each other, we can keep them here in this notebook. Does that sound like fun?
I will write to you and then leave the notebook on your bed. Then, when you want to write me back you can begin writing on the next page and leave the notebook on my bed when you are done.
You can write about anything! It can be funny or serious! Just write about whatever is on your mind! 🙂
I am so excited and I hope that you are excited too!
Love,
Mom
P.S. Write back soon! 🙂
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do hope that my boys will want to do this at some point as well. I have even made their labels, though I have yet to put it together on notebooks for them. I figure I have at least another year or so…who knows?!?!?
