Memory Keepers

• Family Foodies: When her daughter moved out, Melody Wren, a writer and tea expert in Guelph, compiled favourite recipes in a binder as a gift. For a quicker family memento, write comments (“The kids loved it!”) in cookbooks after you try recipes.
• Months of Memories: Post a calendar on the fridge and make it do double duty. Jot down appointments, party reminders, baby milestones and even your teen’s first date. Glue on family photos, too.
• When-You-Were-Born Kit: The day Leah, my now 20-year-old daughter, was born, a friend sealed a newspaper, magazine, TV Guide, music CD and DVD in a box. Now Leah has a time-capsule record of the state of the world when she was born.
• A-Day-in-the-Life Book: On one day each year, take “typical day” pics-eating breakfast, playing with friends, reading bedtime stories. Every year, make a photo page for each family member, then store the pages in a binder or online.
• Love Letters: After enduring fertility difficulties, Laura Wright, a writer from Brockville, Ont., was thrilled by her “miracle baby.” When he turned one, she wrote him a letter to express the joy he brought to her and her husband’s lives. Now the letter’s stored in a fireproof box, to be opened when her son is grown. You can do the same for your children: Each year on their birthdays, write them loving notes. Including details about your hobbies, daily life and dreams will let them get a sense of the younger you.

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