24th May

Selina Allen

So you may have heard us mention once or twice (ok…we say it a lot) about making memories with your loved ones and storing these in your LifeLot account for safe-keeping, to pass down through the family generations to come etc. etc. you know the drill!

After you’ve finished eye rolling and thinking to yourself ‘here they go again with the family stuff’, take a moment to think about what is really important to you. Would you have any regrets? Time spent with family, taking photographs, sharing stories and moments together or potentially losing a loved family member without having many reminders of happy times spent with them - the answer is clearly obvious...of course we all would want those precious moments captured with our most special people. The reality is is that life is so fragile and it can literally change in the blink of an eye, so we need to do something about it now!

…but where do we even start?

As we are focusing our blogs on Families for the month of May, we thought it would be a nice idea to think about what kinds of things you and your family can do, and give you some ideas about making priceless memories you can create and treasure forever.

1. One second video recordings

We absolutely LOVE this idea. The easiest way to do this is to install an app on your phone, and record just one second of whatever you want to at a time, then put it all together into a video when you’re done. I have the 1 Second Everyday: Video Diary app which is free for android users. 1SE helps you stitch together moments of your life into mini movies that you can share with anyone, or keep for yourself. (Or, you guessed it…store it in your LifeLot account.) There are heaps of similar apps out there so just find the one that you like the best.

2. Make some family traditions

We’re not talking about the things you do each holiday or special occasion but just something little, such as Pancake Sunday’s or another we like to do is take turns around the dinner table each night and say what our best part of the day was. Sometimes the most special moments can seem insignificant but have the most meaning.

3. Keep a digital journal to turn into a book

LifeLot members will soon be able to create and print their very own LifeBook, using photographs, memories and snippets of information contained inside their LifeLot account. If you don’t have your own account yet, look at keeping an online journal of all the little things and photos that you want to remember and look back on. Remember to include the funny things kids say. It’s scary how quickly they grow and how fast we forget…

4. Experience a ‘family first’

Find something that no one in your family has done and do that. It may be a fun activity - something like an Escape Room where you have to work together or perhaps more community based such as volunteering your time on Daffodil Day. Whatever it is you decide on (make it something everyone wants to do!) will be an awesome way to make some memories, or even lead to a new family tradition.

Family is like music, some high notes, some low notes, but always a beautiful song

5. Start a family blog/website/Facebook page

This is a good idea if you have older kids, who can participate by adding photos, videos and comments…sharing the stories and memories that go along with the pictures. You could even take photos of precious heirlooms or items of value and share the history behind them that makes them special.

6. Plan a family holiday/reunion

Perhaps the idea of a stinky, squishy car ride for 5 hours doesn’t appeal to you (just a guess), but maybe you could try to find somewhere central to meet up with family and enjoy a few days together, longer if you think you’ll handle it. One of my best childhood memories is always our 2 week family holiday at the beach.
Most of the family - Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and Cousins would all convene at one location and spend as much or as little time together as we wanted, but one thing is for sure, a LOT of wonderful memories were made. Mmm fresh fish for breakfast, lunch AND dinner…thanks Grandad!

7. Memories the old-fashioned way

If you want to take it back to the old school ways, consider making a traditional photo album or family journal that you can flip through, that isn’t just kept online. I like the idea of doing it scrapbook style so you can write captions and details for some of the photos. Don’t hog the pages with selfies and make sure to let everyone in the family add their own pictures and comments to the album. If you just must do it digitally, there are plenty of online websites that allow you to upload photos and create your own photobook using one of their pre-designed templates.

8. Have a family ‘date night’

One night a week, turn off your electronic devices for a couple of hours (or more) and have a 'date night' as a family. Cook dinner together - our fave is homemade pizzas, or play a game, create a new dessert perhaps…find something interesting and fun to do each week! Don’t let unimportant things get in the way of this night, just focus on the family as the top priority and enjoy each other’s company.

There really are SO many ideas that you can come up with together as a family – everyone could write something they would like to do and pull one idea a week or month out of a jar. So long as no one writes Bungy Jumping or Sky-Diving you should be fine but perhaps put a few boundaries or limits in place beforehand though, unless of course Nana is an adrenaline junkie...all good!

Hopefully one or more of these mentioned ideas appeals to your family, and we would love to hear how other families make their memories last a lifetime as well. Drop us a comment on our Facebook page with your family's Memory-keeping ideas! 

Related: Families | Plan Time With Your Loved Ones | Life Is Made Up Of A Lot