Ready, set, LOG!
Monday, November 30th, 2009The time has finally come when we can actually use our Memory Logbooks! Even though it is technically still November, the December 2009 edition of the Memory Logbook kicks off today with its first official Weekly Challenge : “How do you relax?” As will be the case every week, the book also offers several variations on this prompt to ensure there’s something that will suit scrapbookers and memory keepers of all backgrounds and lifestyles. If you haven’t purchased a Logbook, there’s still time to get in on this month’s fun, especially if you choose to download and print your own book. Check out your options in our on-site store HERE.
(If you’re interesting in purchasing print copies of our books, be sure to check out the special one day only “Cyber Monday” sale going on today at Lulu.com. Use coupon code: CYBERBOOKS and get 25% off your purchase in our Lulu Bookstore. Offer ends at 11:59 p.m. tonight (GMT).)
Because this is a brand new product, even I haven’t given this tool a true test run yet. So this month, I’ll be right along there beside you figuring out how best to incorporate my memory logging into my daily routine. To help everyone along, today I will point out the main features of your Memory Logbook, as well as offer a few ideas for putting it to use in your life. Feel free to share your own ideas through a comment following this post!
Monthly At-A-Glance Calendar This two-page spread includes room to jot down appointments, short anecdotal comments, special events, birthdays, etc. and already includes standard US holidays. Also featured is a list of several suggested photos you might want to get related to the current month, such as “stacks of catalogs” or “delivering holiday goodies.” When I work up the nerve to actually write in my book, I will be entering “My 40th Birthday” on the 29th… LOL.
Daily Calendar Pages With about a third of a page broken into half-hour increments from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for every day of the month, you could use this feature to track your schedule, appointments and the like. But these pages also offer a convenient slot to jot down the “stuff” that makes up your every day experience, such as the unusually warm afternoon temperatures on Tuesday, the funny thing your little one said on Thursday morning or that great new dish you tried at your favorite restaurant on Friday night. There’s additional room below in the “Real Life” section to jot down more detailed stories, ideas or other information you’d like to save for later. This could also be a great place to record your December Daily project ideas, if that’s something you are doing this year.
Weekly Challenge & Page Planner This is the real heart of the Memory Logbook, as it begins each week with a focus on a particular area of your “real” life suitable for scrapbooking. There’s room below the questions to jot down your thoughts and ideas related to the challenge, as well as a full page of boxes to the left in which to sketch layout ideas. If you feel inspired and have time to scrapbook right away, this will get those creative juices flowing. And if you don’t get to scrap right away, your ideas will be right there waiting for you when you do find the time – plus you can always go back and add notes, sketches or other ideas to your Logbook as they come to you. Personally, I tend to be much more productive and happier with my pages when I am really inspired by and interested in the topic. That might not be during the week each particular prompt is scheduled. So instead, I will flip through and jot ideas throughout the entire book when they come to me and then scrap them when it feels right.
"Stress" by aly321
On several of the Weekly Challenge pages, there is also an actual scrapbook page that fits the theme. You can find full-size, full-color versions of these layouts in our private Logbook Sample Layout Gallery, as well as tons of inspiring pages like the one above created by the Log Your Memory Calendar Girls. (This gallery is accessible by Book Club members only. The purchase of any Memory Logbook qualifies you for membership). When you do scrapbook a page in response to a particular Weekly Challenge, be sure to post it to that week’s album in our Logbook Layout Gallery. We’d love to see your pages and are sure to be inspired even further by your sharing. The private Book Club forum is also available for use by members, so if you feel inspired to start a topic, ask a question, seek input or share ideas related to using the Memory Logbook, please feel free to do so.
Monthly Check-Up, Holiday, Celebration & Birthday Worksheets These are all open-ended questionnaires found near the end of each month intended to help you get information about these particular events down on paper. I’ll touch on these more when the opportunity arises, but for now you may want to just take a peek so you’ll know what’s included.
Now what do I DO with this? My Logbook is sitting right out on my desk where I will see it every time I walk into my home office, which is about a million times a day! I am going to start first by using my print-your-own version with its incorporated pocket pages so I can slip Christmas programs, wish lists and other goodies into the pockets. I will use it to write down my daily schedule, as well as my anecdotal notes, with a goal of taking at least 5 minutes before I go to bed every night to think about my day and write down anything that comes to mind that I may have missed earlier. Because I don’t have a lot of time to scrapbook right now, I’m not sure I’ll actually DO any of the challenge layouts right away. But I will definitely be thinking about the questions and writing down my ideas so that when the opportunity arises, I’ll be ready.
What I tend to find is that by writing these things down, my creative juices really get flowing, the ideas start to multiply and pretty soon I will just find a way to get the page scrapped, busy or not. And that works for me, with the end result being that my memories are getting recorded and my scrapbooks are getting done. That system may not work for you … but I’m confident if you are willing to do a little trial & error, you will find the one that will. And we’ll all be here cheering you on along the way… 
To celebrate the holidays and as a special thank you to all of my new Log Your Memory friends, I put together a little freebie Gift Pack for you to download and add to your December Logbook. This packet includes several handy lists & planning pages to help you get through this busy holiday month, all designed in the same style as the Logbook. If you don’t own a Logbook, you may still find these pages useful … and you can print as few or as many as you need for your own holiday planning. You can find this free Gift Pack HERE in our on-site store.
Just one last reminder … tonight at midnight is the deadline for our Cover Girl contest! Be sure to check out the entry rules in this post and get your cover submitted today to be included in the fun!
Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…
Log Your Memory is also taking part next month in a special scavenger hunt on Facebook where participants will have the chance to check out a ton of scrapbook-related Facebook Fan Sites and pick up a whole sleighful of freebies in the process! Be sure to check our blog on Tuesday, December 1st for details, as well as our 
As if the above wasn’t enough to keep you busy during December, a week from today we’ll also be introducing a brand-new product to the 
If you attempted to access the Log Your Memory eWishList this weekend, you found out it didn’t work out quite as we had planned. Unbeknownst to us, the system we had set up for the eWishList was going through some major migration this weekend, making our form unavailable. That transition is still underway.
