3 Reasons Moms Should Scrapbook Their Child's Adoption

I swore that I would never scrapbook. I saw some amazing scrapbooks that friends had put together, but the thought of cutting into my photographs and then spending tons of money on little stickers called "embellishments?" To put it bluntly, I wasn't a cutesie, sticker kind of gal and didn't intend to change.

Then we adopted a baby. I couldn't find a baby book or adoption book that had my son's story and I kept hearing the phrase "life books." Every child's story is unique.

So I made my way to the craft store and tried to find some "embellishments" that didn't include pregnancy quotations or storks. I held my breath as I cut into my photographs. Eventually, not finding any adoption items, I put my graphic design skills to use and created my own transparency overlays about adoption, so I could record those memories from "the wait" to Adoption Day. Now I cannot conceive of having let the idea of a scrapbook of my son's life pass by me. I would have missed great joy.

Why did I decide to scrapbook about my child's adoption?

1. We all know how unique our own story is about deciding to adopt and waiting. Our kid's stories or no less special. Don't be tempted to use a book where you just fill in the blanks, because it's nearly impossible to since you don't have all of the answers, nor do they all apply. And what child wants to see blanks in his book? For example, even adoption books may or may not have a place for information about the birth father or if the adoption was international or domestic.

An additional benefit to scrapbooking is that you can design is so that it is timed perfectly for your child's age and understanding of his or her adoption story, based on what you have shared. It's inevitable that your child will being to ask more questions. It's easy to add that page with the answers right into the book. For example, my son recently has been asking, "Why did God choose me for your and Daddy? If God had sent another little boy, would you have loved him?" This is an idyllic occasion for me to create a new page for his adoption album, explaining how we prayed for a little boy just like him.

2. Photographs are nice but the memories that go along with them fade more quickly than I had imagined. I can look back at photographs from just six months ago that I didn't journal about and realize that I've forgotten the cute things my son said at that moment. What funny joke did we laugh about for fifteen minutes? I remember the giggles, but it's those stories specifics behind the photos that keep the memories alive. And what kids don't like to hear about the funny things they did or said when they were little?

3. Adoption is a special gift and I want my son to know that we acknowledge it as such. Just him seeing me spend the time to putting together an album, lets him know it's important to me. Whatever I share about his birth family, how he came to be a part of our family, visits we may have with the birth family (or if you adopted internationally, then special trips to your child's country of origin) lets him know just how special his story is. It's important that our kids know that we are never threatened by their story. We need to make sure they know that their whole life is precious to us, and not just the time that they have been a part of our family.

Now that I am an adoptive mom, I have expanded by appreciation for scrap booking. I no longer see it as a leisurely craft, but a noteworthy method to record this miracle that God gave us--the honor of being parents to our little guy.

Whether you call your adoption scrapbook album an international adoption lifebook or just an adoption book, it's much more than just a photo album or a "brag book." It's a chronicle of memories and photos, a personalized story book of your child's life, and a reminder to him that he is treasured. Though as parents, we may always have some concerns about how adoption affects a child, an adoption scrapbook is a way to remind him that we embrace and rejoice about the way he helped us become a family--through the gift of adoption.

Make a amazing adoption lifebook quickly with tools from Scrapbook My Adoption. Complete books using transparency overlays, digital scrapbooking adoption files and embellishments, make it simple to have an personalized lifebook your child will treasure.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Copen

By Lisa Copen

Scrapbooking Children's Stories

By Wes Waddell

Children's stories and scrapbooking... who would have thought they went so good together?

Kids are always telling stories and I would venture to guess that you are always telling your kids bedtime stories. Why not capture some of them in a storybook scrapbook?

You may even find that creating the story book scrapbook together with your kids will bring you closer than you ever knew possible. Besides helping them to express their emotions and capture their memories for the future... it lets you teach them life's little lessons with the stories of your life.

Here's a few "Storybook Scrapbook" ideas that you and your child can start with:

A) Custom Version of their Favorite Children's Book

Yes, it's plagiarism, but as long as it's for your personal use and not sold or freely distributed, there is nothing wrong with getting started this way.

After all, that's how story telling got started. One person recounted or made up a story and it was then customized and retold by others for generations.

All you need to do to turn the children's story book into your own personal story book scrapbook is to change the names so that your child and his/her friends and family become the characters'. Then add photos of your child and his friends acting out the parts or use photographs you took while they were doing the same things.

For example: If the children's story book is about a trip to grandma's house, then use images you took on your last family visit to grandma's and use your families names as the characters in the book.

B) Children's Trip Book

The next time you take a trip to the Zoo or your child goes on a field trip to the fire house... or any place they feel is fun; go along and take lots of photos.

When you get home (or no later than a day or two) record your child telling the story of what they did and what they saw. Transcribe the story and add the photo's for an instant storybook scrapbook treasure.

You could even use the sound track and the still and/or video images to create the child's story on CD video or DVD.

C) Playground Monsters and Pirates

Take your child to the playground and get lots of photos of them climbing, sliding, swinging and just having fun.

While you are there or after you get home, make up stories with your child about the monsters they are escaping from or the Pirates that they are fending off. Take notes for each image and lay them out in a little story line.

Now, by hand or (even easier) using digital scrapbook techniques, add the monsters, pirates, whales or what ever they imagined into the images and fill in the whole story line.

Before you know it, you have your child's very first custom story book scrapbook.

D) Story of Children's Dreams

Children have an amazing ability to daydream, imagine and to dream really big! Encourage your child to explore all the different possibilities of life and their fantasy worlds. Take the time to record and transcribe these dreams and stories.

User your imaginations to help your child create the pictures that go with these stories and dreams. Digital scrapbook software can work wonders for this.

Whether you act out the stories and take photos or use photographic images of your child's past that you then edit digitally to come up with the graphic parts of the story. The one thing that will be certain is that you'll have one amazing story book scrapbook that you and your child will love reading for generations to come.

These are but a few of the common themes you and your kids can start with.
Once you get started, you'll find new ideas and stories poping up everywhere.

Enjoy and preserve your children's fantasy life while you can... they grow up and it disappears into history all too fast!

Wes Waddell is Co-owner of Cookbook4Kids.com and TwasTheNightScrapbook.com - the first storybook scrapbook digital download on the Internet. Now you can make your families most treasured memories a part of the story.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wes_Waddell

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