One of the things I love to do in the pages of my notebook is to keep ephemera. Ephemera like notes– those bits of things that make me smile or hold a memory. Sometimes a photo of something helps to bring the memory to life. (I use a Polaroid Zink Printer. You can also use a Sprocket Printer. They print with no ink and the photo is a sticker!) 

Today I got a text from my sister and she sent me a photo of my niece, Jillian's journal work for her fourth grade class today. She wrote about me! I printed it out and (with Jillian's permission) I'm sharing the page here. These pages may not contain as much writing as other notebook pages, but they contain heart moments from my life.

My notebook is a part of me. My writing is a part of me. Everything (and I mean everything) goes into my notebook. I put it all into one notebook. I've tried having separate notebooks for different things, but it never worked for me. I'm often asked, how do you find anything? I find it by serendipity. It's true. When I have to find a page from a notebook, I usually remember the notebook cover first. Once I remember that, I get the chance to flip through an old notebook. It's like visiting with an old friend. 

The only organizing tip I use is to write the year and some significant events on the top of my notebook. That helps me. I write the number notebook, the date I start and end, and any important events. (See photo below.) You are the boss of your own notebook. Figure out what organizational pattern works best for you and use that. Be ready to fail for a few notebooks. Remember, being organized is NOT the most important thing about notebooking! It's always about showing up to the page.

​Happy Notebooking Month!

Today I bought a bicycle. I haven't had a bike in a long time, but I've seen so many people cruising around my neighborhood, I started looking. My dream bike was bright yellow, but I couldn't find one. This baby blue bike is perfect! 

It's sitting in my garage, while I wait for my helmet. (I have a giant head so I had to order my helmet online.) It brings me so much JOY to see this bike, so I decided to name her JOY. Did you see?!?! There's even a place for my notebook!!! 

The drawing I made in my notebook is a mess and I don't care at all. The color expresses my excitement. Years later, when I look back on this page, I know I'll remember. Happy fourth day of Notebooking Month!!! 

Hope to see you tonight at the Teach Write Twitter chat (7pm EST). We will be talking about notebooks! (There's a giveaway too!!!) 

I don't have much to say today. The sky is getting dark with stormy rain clouds and life feels like a lot. I've been sinking into this quarantine, but there are still moments that get to me. I turned to my notebook and wrote about today. How is today for you? Notebook about it...

We celebrate notebooks in May! The third Thursday in May, May 21st, is National Notebook day. I decided to spread out the celebration throughout the entire month!

Keeping a notebook is something that has kept me sane during these 51 days of self-quarantine. Showing up to the pages of the notebook helps me untangle my feelings about this pandemic. It brings me peace. It will someday help me remember what this was like. 

As we begin to celebrate Notebook Month, will you show up to the pages every day? Remember that notebooking is for you. Pages can be elaborate and artistic or messy and authentic. What goes on the page isn't as important as the fact that you show up to the page. The audience for the notebook is YOU. Beyond that, it's your choice. I will share some notebook pages during this month. 

Celebrating is always more fun together, so I hope that you will join me to celebrate National Notebook Month! Grab your notebook, your favorite pens, find a good spot and get to notebooking! 

​We did it. One hundred days ago we made a decision...to show up to our notebooks every single day for the next one hundred days. It all started with that simple decision. 

The work was in showing up every day. Finding the notebook, grabbing a pen, and opening it up to pour ourselves onto the page. Did you do it? Did you show up? Did you stumble along the way? The learning is in the journey. What do you know today that you didn't know on day one? 

Take some time today to celebrate! (No matter what day you're on.) Celebrate your decision. Celebrate the journey. Celebrate your notebook.

Take some time to reflect. The world looks very different than it did one hundred days ago. Reread your pages. Sit with them. Remember. Be grateful that you took the time to notebook. 

Share your journey. Share it in our Facebook group. Share it with your family. Share it!

Continue. The "challenge" has been renamed #!00 Days of Notebooking AND BEYOND. We've reached the beyond. Keep going. You can do this! This community will continue and I hope you will continue to be part of it. 

Congratulations!


I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for being part of this. When I look back on day one, I never imagined what would happen during this time. I am proud of myself for beginning this and disappointed that I could've done so many things better. I will take all of that and continue. Thank you for being alongside me in all of this amazing writing and learning! 

Notebook #2 for #100daysofnotebooking. Actually, notebook # 84.

It's hard to believe that we are approaching the middle of our journey together. The middle is a good place to stop and reflect. How is it going? What's surprised you? Where do you want to improve? What are you learning? 

For me...it's going well. The notebooking is already part of my world, so the daily-ness of it is easy for me. I'm completely surprised that so many of you are joining me in this journey. I am also happily surprised at the vulnerability so many of you are willing to show when you share your pages, your struggles, your journey. 

I wish I was better at keeping up with this. I wonder if people need the blog and the suggestions. I hope I'm providing enough support for all of the notebookers out there. I'm learning about new ways to notebook and that's a huge thing for me. I've been doing this for more than thirty years, so to learn new techniques and new ways to create pages and show up...I'm so grateful! 

The middle is the place to stop for a moment and take a breath. Turn around. Look behind you. You did that! You made it these days! There are some days that are better than others, but you're here. You continue to show up and that's what is most important.

Now, turn around again and look forward. You've got the next half to go. How will you continue? What will you change? We are here. We are all here for each other. Continue to support, encourage and lean on each other. And before you go, would you take a moment and complete this survey...finish all of the questions or only answer the first, but let me know you're out there...notebooking!

Congratulations for showing up! Today we are officially one-third of the way through the #100daysofnotebooking. It feels good. I'm noticing that I'm focusing on my time in my notebook, which means I'm not blogging or on social media as much. Noticing is good...judging is not. I'm still working on this.

As I notice something, I need to reflect and decide if it's something I want to change. Right now, I'm feeling guilty about my lack of presence online, so I do want to get better at participating in our FB group and responding to twitter comments. The blog will stay a weekly update. 

One more thing before I share some notebook page ideas...make this challenge YOURS. To me, notebooking is spending time each day inside the pages of the notebook...a physical notebook. Write diary-like entries, use artistic elements, make lists, write poetry, rant...do what works for YOU. It's important to  remember that YOU are the boss of your own notebook. 

Are you familiar with the Serenity Prayer? 
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

I found this alternate version online: 
The Other Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
To stop beating myself up for not doing things perfectly,
The courage to forgive myself because I’m working on doing better,
And the wisdom to know that You already love me just the way I am. Eleanor Brownn

And then I wrote MY OWN version for notebooking. Think of it more as a mantra: 
Notebook, grant me the serenity
To stop comparing myself to everyone else,
The courage to take risks and to be messy and imperfect,
And the wisdom to know that notebooking is about showing up to the page.

Here are some ideas to inspire your next week inside the pages of your notebook...
​
*  Bring your notebook with you somewhere to write...a coffee shop, restaurant, the mall, church, a park, a Super bowl party...anywhere. Sit. Observe. Breathe. Write.  

* Write a commercial script for MONDAYs. Who would be your audience? What would be the selling points? 

* Take a page or a spread and do something different...something that feels strange and uncomfortable. Try it...and then, notebook about it. How did it feel? Would you do it again? Why or why not? 

* We are one-third of the way through our #100days already. Reflect. How do you feel? Go back and look through your pages. Have you changed as a notebooker? Has it gotten easier? Harder? Has your attitude about it changed? What’s your plan for the rest of the challenge? 

* I love quotes. I’ll share a quote each week to trigger some writing. Read this. Copy it into your notebook. Write about it! “Stop thinking you’re doing it all wrong. Your path doesn’t look like anybody else’s because it can’t, it shouldn’t, and it won’t.” ― Eleanor Brownn

* Stuck?! Remind yourself that you are the only one who can write your story. What does that mean to you? What kind of story are you sharing? Is it a comedy? A tragedy? Drama? Why?

* Write as your teenage self OR write to your teenage self. What advice do you have to share? 

* Is there someone gone from your life? Are you separated by death or simply by life taking different directions? Write to them Write about them...record your memories.