• The couch
• The bare wooden stairwell
• My swing set
• Harvest gold cafe-style curtains in the kitchen
• My tricycle
• Our fireplace where I posed for my 3-year-old birthday photo

I laughed with my sisters as we pored over the pictures and listened intently as dad told us stories.

And then, this week I helped move my newlywed son and his sweet new bride to another state to attend graduate school. I couldn't help but do a tour in my mind of each home and apartment my son has lived. A flood of memories washed over me and I couldn't help but be grateful for this next step in his life.

“There is magic in that little word, home; it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits.”

Who lived in the home with you…  How big was the yard… What do you remember about your neighbors… What was your favorite room… why?

These questions and many more can be found in the “Places I’ve Called Home” Mini Story Starter, and for a limited time, as a Mom it Forward reader, you can download it for free.

Pull out some old photos, take a tour in your mind of the places you’ve called home. Get your FREE download and watch for next week's post as we move to another chapter in your story.

When was the last time you looked through old photo albums? What were your favorite pictures?

Check out other posts in our Power of Story series:

• Part 1: Power of Story Intro
• Part 3: When I was Little
• Part 4: Where I Come From
• Part 5: My Interests and Passions

For over 20 years, Carol Rice has been a national presenter, lecturer, author and conducted hundreds of workshops and training events about the power of storytelling.  Yet, she has been living it her entire life as the daughter of an avid genealogist, Carol learned first hand the importance of bringing our heritage to life through the power of story.  She currently serves as President of a storytelling and family history publisher, Cherish|Bound.  She produces an annual event called Story@Home. Has served as Outreach Executive Director for Timpanogos Storytelling Institute and Finance Chair of the National Storytelling Network.  Everyone has a story - Carol's mission is to help you tell yours. Find her on facebook, follow her on twitter: carolrice or email: carol@cherishbound.com

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How to Plan a Memorable Family Reunion

1. Spread the word. Make sure there is enough interest for this large family gathering!
2. Invite a few family members who you know are well organized to help you. These little groups, or “committees,” can be in charge of invitations, site arrangements, food, activities, games, set up/take down, and whatever else you think you will need.
3. Make a checklist; it is the very best way to be organized! Create a timeline for items that need to be done for your family reunion.
4. Decide what type of event best fits your family. Some families love to dance and sing karaoke, while others will enjoy a pavillion by the lake for fishing and swimming.
5. When you have picked the type of event, now it is time to choose where and when you would like to have your event. Your event should be accessible to all who are planning to attend. Make plans for all family members who are traveling a far distance.
6. Make a budget and stick to it. Ask family members to contribute money, food, decorations, activities, or any other help you need.
7. Make a food list. Having the right food choices can make or break your event. Potluck is a great idea so that everyone’s food can be enjoyed.
8. Send out invitations early. More of your family will be likely to attend with plenty of notice and time to plan.
9. Plan activities, crafts, and games to keep the kids busy.
10. Invite everyone to bring videos, pictures, or family heirlooms to share with the rest of the family and do not forget to capture this memory as a family.

Enjoy your next family reunion!

 Do you attend regular family reunions? What are you favorite activities at family reunions?

Robin Greene is a mother of two and stays quite busy with their extra curricular activities.  She enjoys her downtime as well such as catching up with her friends to freelance writing for mybabyclothes.com.  Shop and enjoy some of the latest trends this summer!  You and your kids won’t regret it!

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As I thought about my dad, I really began to think about my husband as a father, and how much he has changed over his 16 years of parenting. It is kind of funny when you have children at an early age, you almost get to “grow up” with your child, which is exactly what we did. My husband was twenty years old when our son was born. I thought we were adults back then. What was I thinking!? I look back on pictures of my husband holding our new little bundle of joy and see how young he really was.

My husband has always been a great dad, but at first, he did not relate to this little baby that slept, ate, pooped, and cried. But they grew on each other quickly. They loved to build blocks or stack cups and knock them down. My husband bought our son his first bike before he was even a year old. When our son was old enough to play baseball, his dad signed him up. Baseball is still their thing, along with fishing. The boys have spent hours on end together working or just having fun over the years. Our son has learned so much from watching his dad, and my husband has enjoyed spending time “growing up” with his son.

So this Father’s Day thank your dad for being a great dad, and for showing you fatherly qualities to look for so your children have a great father, too.

How has parenthood changed you? How do you build strong relationships with your children?

Robin has been married for more than 15 years and has learned a lot.  She has thoroughly enjoyed watching her son and husband interact and grow closer every single day.  Robin is enjoying spending time with her family during this summer break and writing for mybabyclothes.com.  Make sure to stop by and shop for the cutest summer wardrobe around.  July 4th items are available as well.

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No matter what stage you’re at with your dad, there is no better time to strengthen your relationship with him as you realize how much he’s done for you. If you feel like you’ve never had a special bond to your dad, there’s no reason you can’t start to create one now.

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Dad

Communicate

The best way to have a strong relationship with anyone is to talk with them. We are lucky to have many modern conveniences that allow us to do this so easily. Talk with your dad often; tell him the simple things you did throughout the day and keep up with his latest adventures as well.

Make Him Feel Wanted

Ask him questions and seek his advice. Your bond will grow as you follow his advice and help him understand how much you appreciated that advice. He will feel closer to you and more cared about as you seek him for knowledge. Participate in his birthdays and other special occasions to show your love and care for him.

Get Together Often

Just do something together. Anything. It could be a fishing date or you could just stop by his house to spend some time with him. Invite him to your children’s events and encourage a strong relationship between your father and your children. As their bond grows and he becomes a part of your family’s life, the stronger your relationship with him will become.

Create Memories Together

Do something out of the norm to create a lasting memory and have fun! Do things you used to do together when you were young or find common interests. Build a snowman together and bring your kids to create a lasting family tradition. Did you just find out that you both have an interest in whales? Plan a whale watching trip. Reminisce on old memories that you made together so he knows that you remember him and what he’s done.

Show Your Appreciation

First, take a step back and realize how much he has done for you throughout the years or what he is trying to do for you now. Show that you are grateful for him by saying thank you in person or through a card. You can also let him know that you appreciate his work by letting him know how useful the shelf he made is or by thanking him for teaching you how to change a tire. Show you are grateful for him through your words as well as your actions. Return favors to him and take time out of your schedule to do something for him.

What are some ways you are strengthening your relationship with your dad?

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But there was a time when I had to pull away from social media for awhile.

Living for Social Media

I have been speaking and teaching for years on parenting and family on a personal blog, as we had so many unusual circumstances and challenges raising wild boys. As I began to increase my activity on Facebook, Twitter and my blog, every scene or circumstance in my life was directed in my head like a Facebook timeline update. “ACTION … aaaaaaand cut!”

It was cute when my boys were small. Adorable little lessons of boys and bugs and life analogies, from a child’s perspective, can inspire us all. Raising boys requires a LOT of humor, and they provided great fodder for that humorous perspective. But then they got older.

Everything we did as a family, that may end up being a goofy flub or a great laugh, my boys would say, “Mom, you’re not gonna Facebook this, are you?” And I realized one day how much my Twitter and website and Facebook page were controlling my reaction and response.

Social media was writing my life, instead of just journaling my life. I had to take a break and get unplugged for awhile.

Recording memories is not a bad thing, but when we cannot enjoy the moment because we have to charge the camera and make sure the lighting is right, and fix our hair, and tweet again, instead of just looking our family in the eye and hear them, and enjoy them, or make them dinner, something is wrong.

How to Live Unplugged

One remedy for us is traveling home. When we visit my parents, there is little internet, minimal TV, a lot of gardening to pick, woods  to hike, fields to romp, and nature everywhere. It is a heaven for boys, and for a mom who wants to unplug for awhile.

I still love to blog about my boys and our joys. It is a ministry and I hope that our experiences will make a difference in the lives of others, if only to relate and offer a humorous perspective.

But they are older now, teens themselves, so we try to discuss it first. We also try to help them realize all they are posting should be edifying and considerate of others. And some things are just better left un-posted. I want them to feel the freedom of being kids, enjoy the moment and plant memories that may take years to savor and truly appreciate.

Our goal this summer is to create as many offline, humorous memories as possible. We will work in the garden, walk the woods, and chase some fireflies. If they think they are too old for fireflies, then they can sit on the porch in the rocker, and laugh at their mother chasing fireflies.

During those fabulous goofy times that are so great, I am sure the writer in me will still think, “This would make a really great post.” But I won’t be instantly worried about my hair or make up, or the phones losing their charge. I will just be gazing, adoringly at my beautiful boys growing before my eyes. Literally.

Then I will intentionally NOT post about it, but just hold it in my heart, as a memory unplugged, and  cherished. Which makes it even more special. Of course, I can still scrapbook about it in my latter years. … aaaaand cut.

What memories do you plan to create for your family this summer?

Visit Sophia Dare at www.yourdaringlife.com, sophiadare on Twitter and Facebook.

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What to do With Your Old T-Shirts

My Story:

My husband finds it hard to discard anything related to his premarital past: old posters from college, the Sports Illustrated covers that lined his dorm room or old t-shirts that have seen better days. So, it wasn't too surprising that my mother-in-law visited us at our new house with a few items my darling spouse had asked her to bring now that "we had more room."  As if by magic, she pulled three huge white garbage bags out of her tiny car and stated, "Oh! A asked that I drop these off! These are his  t-shirts from school. I've even washed and folded them for him!" As soon as she arrived, and before I could protest, she promptly jumped back into her car and disappeared.

As I stood on my driveway surrounded by very nice smelling old t-shirts, I knew that I needed to think about my next steps carefully. I couldn't donate or trash them, right? He would eventually discover his items missing and question me on their whereabouts. But I also did not want a bunch of old, unused clothes cluttering my new home. I asked my husband what he would like done with his clothes and he casually mentioned something about having room in the attic for them. Note: putting the shirts in the attic equated to NEVER wearing them again.

My Solution:

Yes, like in the old cartoons where a character gets an idea and a lightbulb goes off over her head, I had a thought (and incidentally, the garage light, which I happened to be standing under, inexplicably turned itself on!) A QUILT!

From Plastic Bag to Amazing Quilt

I am sure there are quite a few uses for old t-shirts, but I can think of nothing more original than turning these old mementos into a quilt. As it turns out, there are very talented quilters who specialize in making beautiful quilts out of old t-shirts. I happen to have found the woman who designed and created my quilt via www.etsy.com. I placed the order in October, shipped the 30+ shirts to the quilter in Texas and in less than two months, I had an incredible Queen sized quilt to present my husband for his birthday.

To say my husband was surprised when he saw his t-shirts transformed into a very warm and aesthetically pleasing work of art is an understatement. I'd like to say that he had tears in his eyes but that is a bit of an exaggeration. He was quite shocked to see his "fabric memories" made into a blanket. I also think that he was and still is grateful that he can pull out his blanket and be reminded of the great times that he had in college.

A Closer Look at Memories

As many of our children transition from high school to college or beyond, having a "Memory Quilt" is a great way to (a) get rid of the t-shirt clutter clogging up drawers and space and (b) remember those wonderful times and events in our lives. I am currently saving my daughter's soccer jerseys and t-shirts with the plan of having them made into a memory quilt before she leaves for college in a few years. She's going to get such a kick (pun intended) to see all of the different colors, team names and numbers that she wore over the many years.

 What are some ways that you can preserve your memories?

Renee Radbill Keats has been blogging since 2003. Recently, Renee was selected to be one of twelve Oprah Winfrey Lifeclass bloggers on the OWN Network. You can find Renee’s musings on  A Windy City Momma, where she writes about her strange parental experiences, the decision to learn Hebrew and become a Bat Mitzvah as an adult and her ongoing adjustment to living in Chicago despite the fact that she has resided there for more than a decade.

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How to Plan a Family Spring Break

Here are some ideas for travel destinations and activities:

For the Outdoors Family

Head to the National Parks. Each one has something exciting to offer and is bound to be full of adventure for a family of explorers. These are some of the top parks for families, but don’t count the others out!

Biscayne National Park, Florida is a perfect activity for spring; take your family snorkeling or even scuba diving!

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico has exciting underground caves to explore, and thousands of bats to view in their natural habitat.

Olympic National Park, Washington has it all! Hot springs, bald eagles, rainforests, beaches, and mountains, all in one place.

For the Amusement Park Family

Not loving the nature idea? Try a new amusement park.

Disneyland and DisneyWorld will always be a number one Spring Break destination. Pack up your family to meet your favorite characters and immerse yourselves in a fairytale life.

SeaWorld is an underwater world waiting to be discovered. Learn about aquatic creatures and visit their world up close. There are locations in San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando.

Six Flags has attractions that older kids might better enjoy. It has 11 locations across the U.S. and thrilling roller coasters rides to get your family screaming!

For the Learning Family

Still don’t know where to go? Think about places or activities that your family has associated with recently. Did one of your kids just do a state report? Go visit all of the places they just learned about. Did they just learn about the civil war? Visit the sights in the East. Anasazi Indians? How about a trip to Colorado? Fascinated by airplanes? Go see where they’re made at the Boeing Factory in Seattle, Washington.

For the Budgeting Family

And of course, we’ve heard it before, but there is SO much to see in your own state. Find a hotel or camping location nearby and explore your city with a new mind.

Save Money by searching for both Spring Break and last-minute deals, and be sure to get your kids involved in the planning process. Let them help you choose your hotel and plan what activities they want to do. You can even let the older ones help with budgeting. Let them plan activities with an allotted amount of money.

Wherever it is you end up going, have fun and focus on family bonding; that is where your memories will be made.

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When I was at Blissdom12 this year, Hershey's offered us a chance to fill a virtual Easter basket on the computer in their booth. The really cool thing is they delivered that exact basket to my home this week. It has so many delicious treats, I can't wait to surprise my kids with it on Easter morning. You can also go to Hershey's Easter website and find all kinds of fun ideas, recipes, and crafts. They asked me to share some of my favorite Easter memories with you.

Easter Traditions with the Family

We have so many Easter traditions in our family. Each year I buy a new Easter dress for my daughter. I remember my mom going to the store and buying my sisters and I a new dress to wear to church, with white gloves and a hat. I only have one daughter and she was never really into the hat and glove thing, but she always likes picking out a new church dress.

In our old neighborhood, we would have an annual Easter egg hunt. Each family would buy and fill a dozen eggs for each child and then take them to the coordinator's house the night before. On the morning of the hunt, we would go down to the neighborhood park and start hunting for eggs. It was fun to watch the kids take their time searching for eggs and then open each one to see what was inside. Some years the Easter bunny would show up. This was always a lot of fun.

As the kids have gotten older, our Easter egg hunts have become family hunts. We invite my parents and siblings over so that all the cousins can go on a huge egg hunt together. My parents love to hide money in some of the eggs and it is always fun to see who gets the lucky eggs. I remember one year the kids hid the eggs four times. They didn't want the hunt to end. This picture was taken years ago when we decided to go camping for Easter weekend with my sister and her family. We had an Easter egg hunt in the campground which will always be a special memory for the kids.

One of the things I love about Easter is that we are together with our family. We usually prepare a delicious meal of ham and scalloped potatoes, and then tell the story of the true meaning of Easter. We have a special activity where we talk about Jesus and all the wonderful things he has done for us. It is a time of reflection and meaning.

I hope my kids will cherish all the memories we have created over the years. I know I will, and I look forward to many more to come.

What are some of your favorite Easter traditions?

Jill Greenlaw has a banking background. She gave that up 17 years ago when she got married and started having kids. She loved being a stay-at-home mom while raising her four beautiful children. A few years ago, Jill went back to work in sales. She is now working for the Mom It Forward team as their Community Manager. She loves her job. Her interests include camping, motorcycling, boating, photography, reading, cooking, and traveling. Put her in flip flops anywhere warm and she is happy.

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Forming memories is one of the building blocks of successful relationships. And since you never know when you'll bond over a specific event, activity, or topic, the key is to spend quality time with the people you love so you have ample opportunities to build memories. For example, like when my mom, sisters, and I went to Disneyland, wore matching shirts, and snapped this pic in the hotel bathroom mirror while we were getting ready (see above).

When I think of fun memories, two words come to mind: Muppets and mini horses. Let me explain.

Family Bonding Over the Muppets

After Thanksgiving dinner last week, my sisters and I piled into the car with our families and headed out for our annual tradition of going to the movies on Thanksgiving day. We had been waiting for months to see The Muppets. Who am I kidding? We couldn't wait at all! We were dying in anticipation of reliving childhood memories of Miss Piggy and Kermie. And we weren't disappointed.

As children, we watched The Muppet Show each week. We also saw Kermie on Sesame Street. We watched the release of the first The Muppet Movie on the big screen and the others on DVD. We wore out our tape of The Muppet Movie soundtrack and knew the words to every song. We've even been known to dance around the house, falling over laughing, as we listened to them in our older years. Image six adults dancing to the Muppet Movie soundtrack. Kind of embarrassing, right? But that's what memories do. They bring out the kid in you and make you giddy at the thought.

The new movie The Muppets did not disappoint. It had lots of flashbacks to the 80s, including awesome music and a reference to my then favorite actress, Molly Ringwald.

My sisters and I laughed out loud throughout the movie. But, no part struck us as funny as when Walter did his whistling act. Our mom is a non-stop whistler. And, when Walter started whistling, we all erupted in laughter. It was too perfect! (Laughing now as I write this!)

Reliving memories was the perfect ending to a perfect Thanksgiving, reminding me of how grateful I am to have such an awesome family.

How Friendship Formed Over Mini Horses

What I love about memories is that they can help form new relationships.

This past summer, my family took a family vacay to Branson, Missouri. We went to Dolly Parton's The Dixie Stampede and saw some mini horses race. It was all of our first time seeing a mini horse. My 8 year-old son thought they were hilarious and couldn't stop laughing for an hour after seeing them.

For whatever reason, I brought up the experience on a drive into the city with Cynthia from Nap Warden—who we had just met—and Jen and Jill from the Mom It Forward team. Cynthia quickly informed us that her mom raises and shows mini horses. She went on to explain that some are used as seeing eye ponies. I immediately texted Troy. His response? He texted image after image of seeing eye ponies wearing sneakers no less so they wouldn't slip. By that point, we were crying we were laughing so hard.

I'm still trying to figure out how Jen, Jill, and I can get ourselves back to Chicago to road trip to Cynthia's mom's house to meet her mini horses.

It sounds ridiculous—similar to why Walter whistling would make us double over in laughter—but that's how memories are. Sometimes they only make sense to the people who share them.

What memories are you making with the people you love the most? What can you do to create memories to strengthen your closest family and friend relationships?

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Using an online cloud cache—a digital service that stores your files online like Dropbox, SugarSync, or Amazon Cloud Drive—to store your family memories is a great way to ensure that they’re safe from the ravages of time.

5 Tips to Storing Your Family Memories Through an Online Cloud Cache

Here are just a few steps towards making this format work for you.

1. Compile. The first step to caching your memories is to compile them. You’ll want to collect photos, videos, and even audio files that pertain to your family history. Likely you already have scrapbooks, journals, photo albums, and boxes of films and tapes stored someplace. But this is just the obvious stuff.  You should also consider compiling family stories. Since many are passed on orally, it’s only a matter of time before they get lost or there’s no one around who knows the real story. So go to the source and make audio recordings or have older relatives write down some of your family history, before it is lost in time.
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2. Digitize. Next you’ll want to digitize everything. The only drawback of a cloud network is that it is entirely digital, so old photos will have to be scanned (although as a bonus you can correct them) and film, video, and audio tapes will have to be transferred. Since the latter can be hard to do at home (without the proper equipment) you may have to contract the services of a vendor that does this type of transfer. It could be a bit pricy, especially if you have a lot of footage, but it’s worth it considering that film and video tape degrade over time.
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3. Upload.  Now you’re ready to begin uploading your files to the cloud cache. While the process is pretty simple, the trick is finding a cache that you’re comfortable using. Ask family and friends what they suggest and then shop around for a service that offers all of the features you’re seeking at a good price. You need to find a company that is safe, stable, reliable, and affordable to entrust your family memories to. This post by Lifehacker.com provides a great review of some of the popular services out there.
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4. Expand. While you may be able to get some space for free by signing up for certain service plans, at some point you are bound to need more storage. Luckily, expansion is easy; there’s really no limit to the amount of data that can be stored across multiple servers since all the company has to do is add more as needed. However, it can be costly, so you may want to get other family members involved to defray the expense.
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5. Share. You could rely on DVD duplication to share your family members with relatives and friends, but this will entail a lot of extra time and expense on your part. One of the best features of a cloud cache is that it allows you to share all of your files instantly with anyone you choose, saving you both time and money. Even though you’re probably willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that your family has access to the many wonderful memories you’ve created together, there’s no reason not to make your life a little easier whenever you can.

How do you protect and save family memories? What are your favorite ways to save and share photos?

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