When you hang out in any type of scrapbooking community, you are bound to notice that a lot of the pages, discussions, and products center around families with young children. This is understandable since childhood is filled with many memorable moments, but memory making is not just limited to a certain demographic. Anyone can make and document special memories!
Scrappers with an “empty-nest” (regardless of whether or not the nest was ever filled) have some unique opportunities for enjoying special and also everyday moments worth scrapping. I’ve watched my own parents as their nest has emptied (it took a long time for them because we are all so spread out in age) and it’s fun to see what types of things they enjoy. I’ve used some of my mom’s ideas, as well as my own brainstorming to come up with a list that can inspire anyone to go out and make some memories. Even if your nest is still bursting at the seams, you can use these ideas for individual or date night breaks. It’s also ok to file it or pin it for later use.
Memory Making Ideas for Empty Nesters:
- Go on a photowalk. Take your camera and snap pictures of what you see. You can even use a prompt list or set a theme to guide you.
- Go out to eat at unusual hours – late night pancakes, mid-afternoon lunches, midnight buffets. Without little kids to rule your schedule, enjoy some freedom to mix things up a bit. Take pictures of your menu and what you order.
- Take drives or short trips. Document what is within a certain distance of your home (10 miles, 100 miles, etc.) in every direction.
- Act like a tourist in your hometown. Take tours of local attractions, see the sights during the off-season,
- Organize a group of empty-nesters and take turns planning activities. My parents have a once a month evening group where they rotate between different houses and enjoy activities together. Sometimes they even have someone come share a special trip or experience with the group.
- Find friends with similar interests. My mom is part of a group of ladies who are all grandmothers. They get together and talk about their kids and grandkids and enjoy a breakfast or lunch together. It’s one of her favorite things to be a part of!
- Do the kids stuff…without the kids! There’s no rule that says you have to have kids to go places like Disneyland, the park, or even sit down and play with play-doh or color with crayons. Sometimes those activities are even more fun when it’s just the grownups!
- Experiment and document with favorites. Have a taste test party and decide what your favorite brand of rootbeer is. Buy one of every type of apple in the grocery store and try them all to see which one you like the best. Document the results in writing and photos.
- Have a movie marathon and watch every movie in a series – all the Harry Potter movies, every John Wayne movie, or a selection of your favorites.
- Watch every episode in an older tv series. You can have show marathons and fall asleep on the couch.
- Create a “bucket list” of things you want to do. There are plenty of online helps to give you ideas.
- Take a class online or in person. Learn how to do something new. Record what you learn in words and pictures.
- Learn to use Skype and video chat with family and friends who live far away. You can even take screen shots to use for your layouts.
- Go to some festivals or fairs and enjoy local culture and cuisine.
- Practice your photography skills. We had a ton of photography posts here at The Daily Digi to help with this!
If you have any ideas to add to this list, feel free to leave them in the comments. We love to hear from you!
P.S. The title graphic was created with “Where the Heart Is” by Kaye Winiecki and DJB Play Misty for Me font by Darcy Baldwin.
P.P.S. Congratulations to Carole Mac who won TWO coupons of her choice from our January featured designers for sharing her layout on the post Therapy for Digital.
Share This Using…
Tell yourself stories in your scrapbook. Could your old scrapbook pages benefit from additional journaling? Get your memorabilia on a page with the story or stories that go with it.
Dig in your kitchen for that old gadget your Mom or Grandmother gave you (or you bought yourself). Pretend you are setting up a museum and really photo-document it from a number of angles, put a ruler in a photo or two. Is it heavy? Does it smell funny? Does it still work? Did it ever work? Tell the story of how the item came into your possession and also what the heck it is!
I have a few old tools from my Dad that could use documenting in the same way. Check the jewelry box. Look at the bookshelf. Peek into those treasure boxes you had as a child or teen. Look at everyday things with new eyes.
I tell my husband family stories and he encourages me to write them down. So I don’t forget, I record the title of the story on a list with the main character’s name at the top: Stories about Grandpa, about little brother, about friends, about places I’ve lived.
None of these things require children or grandchildren to legitimize your efforts. Tell yourself some stories. A year or two from now you can read them, look at the pictures, and be amazed at your life.
Also, do the same thing with family photos. Sure, go ahead and document the people and the event, but don’t forget to look around in the background. Tell the story of the weird lamp, the rubber kitten, and the Studebaker, too.
You are SO right Joyce! I love your perspective and am so glad you shared some tips in the comments here.
I am pinning this even though I am not an empty nester… yet. Thanks for the ideas!
Fabulous!
Ever since I did a digital December daily, I have been keeping a digital daily journal on our family website. Our kids love checking out what we’re up to. More than that, needing a picture everyday inspires you to get creative, and break out of the rut. I also include regular doses of scanned family photos along with the stories. My sister and I always wish our Mom had done something like this to preserve memories of her life for us. Hopefully my kids and grand kids will enjoy these memories and pictures in years to come.
I love it when my Mom includes things on her blog like a photo a day. These seemingly small memories are such a big deal! You are giving your kids and grand kids a real treasure.
Thanks Katie for such a thoughtful (and thought full) post! We are both nearly 60 and I scrap mainly about the grandkids now. How nice of you to think of and inspire those of us without little ones. I’m going to suggest some of these ideas to my husband, who just happens to read maps like I read books, so I’m thinking there is a day-trip in our near future! Thank you!
Lucky you! I love day trips
I’m an empty-nester, whose kids and their kids come back and forth, so that’s always good for some scrapping. But, even without that, there’s always stuff to document! Like our travels. But, it’s also been a great opportunity to scrap MY own childhood or family history, do some art journaling, or document my faith. I’m never without material!
Great point Barbara – there’s always plenty to scrap about yourself!
This is great! I fell out of scrapbooking for a couple of years for this very reason. I am now in my early 50′s and both of my kids are in college. I love to take pictures. My parents gave me a Polaroid Swinger when I was in 2nd grade and I haven’t been without a camera since. I am learning there is more to photograph than just my children. I am following Capture Your 365 and taking a photo every day according to the prompt. I am having a blast and falling in love with photography and scrapbooking all over again! Thanks for acknowledging empty nesters and those without children!
Those prompts are great to keep you creative and taking pictures. Awesome suggestion!
Thanks for this – the suggestions work equally well for DINKs
We are childfree but still have plenty to scrap about! We do a lot of day trips on the weekends and are involved in various clubs and hobbies.
Totally true! DINKS have plenty of fun to scrap about