The Lazy Mom’s Guide to Documenting Family Memories (No Scrapbook Required)

Have you ever felt like you're failing at documenting your family's life because you don’t have any time for scrapbooking?

Same here, sister.

Between school drop-off, dance practice, soccer, and trying to find a minute to drink your coffee while it’s still warm, who has time to cut paper and glue ribbon onto a book? Not you, right?

Yes, I have good news—you don’t need a scrapbook (thank goodness) to preserve your family’s special moments.

With just a few simple, no-stress ideas, you can capture your story in just minutes!

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, all the way back to 2001 when I had my first son. Back then, I didn’t consider taking photos as a huge priority, let alone keeping photos as treasured keepsakes. 

I grew up disliking photography. Gasp! I know.

My dad was a photographer, but never took photos of people-including me. He was a landscape photographer. We had all the photos of rocks and mountains. None of me.

Long story short, I never really took photos of my kids growing up. I mean, I took the occasional snapshot of them playing in the backyard or digging up broken sprinkles. But, nothing more.

Sigh.

Coulda. Shoulda. Woulda. 

The 10-Minute Rule

Saving your family's sweet memories doesn’t have to take days! Or, even hours.

The 10-Minute Rule is all about using little pockets of time to record those moments—without overthinking.

At the end of the day, set a timer for 5 minutes and write down one thing that made you laugh or smile.

Maybe it’s the way your toddler said shoda instead of soda.

Or, how your twelve year old gave you an unexpected hug.

You can type it in your phone’s notes or write it on a notepad. Heck, you can even let Siri or use Google to voice it for you.

The key? K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Silly, and no-stress.

Over time, these fun entries will become a big collection of real, everyday moments—no scrapbooks will be harmed in the keeping of memories.

Bonus: Set a daily reminder on your phone so you don’t forget. 

10 minutes a day adds up to a lifetime of memories!

There’s an app for everything these days, including documenting your family photos.

Apps That Do the Work for You

Do you love taking photos and recording videos on your phone… but, don’t know how to organize them? Or, have time?

Welp, there’s an app for that!

These apps will save your photos and memories—with no extra work from you. Woohoo!

Qeepsake: This app will text you to ask questions about your child. You text back, and it saves the answers in a digital journal! What!?!? I know.

Chatbooks: This app turns all your favorite pictures into books without you doing anything.

1 Second Everyday: Record a one-second video clip, and the app makes a short movie out of them. Super cool, right?

Google Photos & Tinybeans: These apps store and organize your pictures for you. Yes, please. That’s my kind of organizing.

Once you get them set up, the apps work on their own! Yay!!

I personally use Amazon photos. It doens’t organize them into books or anything fancy though.

It does keep all the photos and videos I’ve taken since I bought my first smartphone. We have a firestick too, and when a show or movie is paused for some time (no idea how long) the photos show up on the tv. We all laugh at out funny faces and memories from past trips and life. It’s a good time. 

Don’t forget to add those pet photos, too! They’re part of the family.

The Monthly Photo Dump Method

Raise your hand if your camera roll is a disaster! And, albeit full.

Guilty, here!

Instead of letting thousands of random photos pile up, try a Monthly Photo Dump.

At the end of the month, set aside 10 minutes to create a digital album labeled something like:
April 2025- Jones Spring Break

Scroll through and add your favorite photos—silly toddler outfits, tired faces after a sleepover, a wonky fort, funny faces, or that delicious dessert from your family trip.

No need for fancy editing or captions—just save the highlights!

BONUS: Create a shared album where grandparents can see the fun without heading over to social media.

This system keeps all your memories organized, easily accessible, and ready to relive. Anytime!

Some day, you’ll look back and realize those precious little moments were actually the big ones. 

And see, you definitely don’t need a scrapbook to store the memories!

With just a few minutes a day, you can create a beautiful, effortless record of your family’s life—one that won’t fall apart in ten years and collect all the dust on a shelf.

Just pick one method and start today. It’s easy, right?

And, years from now, when you’re flipping through a digital album or re-reading those tiny bits of priceless moments, you’ll be so glad you did.

I’m huge on printing photos. All the photos. But, no scrapbooking allowed.

I print out a really cool calendar with photos of the kids every year at Christmas. I give one to each set of grandparents and my husband for his office desk. 

It’s perfect and simple. 

 I hope reading The Lazy Mom’s Guide to Documenting Family Memories (No Scrapbooking Required) has given you some new and creative ideas on how to store all those precious memories! If you’re still looking for a High Desert  Whimsical Photographer, click here to see my portfolio of Storybook and Fantasy  images.

Read about Kids Photography over here!

See more of my Phelan, California Senior Photography here! 

Thanks for hanging out today and happy memory making.

Cheers to no scrapbooking!

Annette