I have 6,050 photos, 176 videos, and 290 kiddo selfies on my phone. They are all from this year. You either think I have a picture problem, or you’re a mom like me who loves taking pictures of her kids. I love having all of these great pictures of my precious littles, and I love how easy it is to take a picture of them anywhere doing anything. It gets hard to figure out what to do with them after taking the picture, however.
I want to have lots of sweet pictures as my kids grow, and I want them to be in some format that we can actually use and enjoy. I’ve been trying to figure out how to organize our family pictures for close to a decade now, and below I’m sharing different ways that I do that.
- One of the most important ways to really use pictures is to hang them up on your walls. I love having pictures of my people on the walls of our home. It makes me happy when I walk up the stairs and pass my kiddos’ baby pictures. It makes me smile and have good memories when I see the family fall picture where Jack was just a little guy — short in stature and plump all around with delicious cheeks. And of course, our wedding picture is up on the wall, where I can remember that wonderful day and am reminded of the man living the dream with me. // Frames can be purchased very cheaply if you’re on a budget from Target, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, etc. //
- While talking about things going up on the walls, try a canvas. I was a little late to the canvas game, but I had one printed last year and I am OBSESSED with it. It’s so beautiful and has my beautiful babies’ faces on it. I like the classy look of a canvas.
- Social media. Need I say more? No, but I will. While social media is a great way to connect with other people, it’s also a great way to document what’s going on in your family’s life. Many people are using social media now to mark milestones for their kids, keep track of yearly back to school and last day of school pictures, celebrate birthdays, and reminisce on past days with old pictures.
- Get the TimeHop app. This makes me swoon. Every day it pulls up what you posted on social media or the photos you took on that day in years past. Our kids grow up so fast, and I love seeing how they looked just a year ago and how much they’ve changed! This is like a walk down memory lane every day.
- Photo books are the new scrapbooks and baby books. Upload your pictures to any number of photo book sites, where you can add descriptions and customize as much or as little as you would like. You can make a book for a specific event — like a family vacation, or for a year of a child’s life.
- Chatbooks are a great way to keep track of your favorite photos. It’s an easy way to keep track of pictures and have them printed out and shipped to you with almost no effort required. I signed up for Chatbooks and chose to have a Chatbook sent to me every time I have enough Instagram pictures to fill it up. It happens automatically, and my kids love when a new one comes in the mail. It makes them happy to see their faces in a book! {This is not a Chatbook advertisement, I’m just a big fan. But if Chatbooks reads this and wants to send me some, I’m all for it 😉 }
Be sure to check out our segment on Mornings with Fox43 talking about this topic! We love Abby Ham and WBIR!
There are endless other ways to use pictures. How do you organize your family pictures? What’s your favorite way?
