SunflowerSky Journaling

Journaling to Feel Good

I keep hearing all the talk about how journaling helps you mentally and emotionally.  Well, I found this interesting blog comment that confirmed this loud and clear.

http://creativeliberty.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/creativity-cant-weight/

What this also goes on to say is that journaling helps open up creativity and makes a person feel better!  I even recall reading that when people journal they could lose weight because they start to feel better about who they are and their life.

So if that isn't a reason to get started...well, I don't know what is!

Here's to journaling!

Travel Journals

Do you take trips often?  Ever wish you were better at writing down all your thoughts, insights, funny stories, challenges, etc., while on the trip.  I trip journal is a great idea for those of us that are busy and know that if we wait till we get home to write it all down... well, it's just never going to happen.  Trip journals can be private and accessed online.  You can even upload a photo for each entry.  All you need is an internet connection!

Trip, or sometimes called adventure journals when completed, can be easily printed or downloaded to your computer for safe keeping.  The cover of the journal can be customized with a photo and title of your trip.  Have fun...give it a try!

Children's Journals

So what did you write about today in your child's journal?  Well, here is a topic or idea I think is worth noting.  How about describe in the journal the one thing that makes your child so unique from other children.  Write about this special gift, what it is, why it's special, how it impacts you, your family, and others.  What about it makes you take notice?  Why?  Where do you think this special gift comes from? 

This is a great topic to write about in your child's journal.  Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Check out this web site!

Being that this is an election year, my family is buzzing about all the presidential candidates.  With educators in the family, and a history of having great debates around the dinner table, one can't begin to even imagine that we are still many months away.  How are we going to make it? 

What I find most fascinating is that most people, including myself, are still very nebulous about what each candidate's position is on key topics.  This sentiment was voiced by others in my family, to the point that an e-mail showed up in my inbox yesterday from my mother, telling me to check out this web site, http://glassbooth.org/.  This is a great site!  It tells you what candidate best portrays your position on the topics that are most important to you.

Go check the site out!  You might discover that the candidate that you've been pushing for all this time really doesn't stand for what is most important to you! 

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!  Hope you're with someone special and are able to celebrate.  Best wishes for a great day!

Dog Journals

If you have a dog, then you'll understand...I think!  I have a dog of my own, Molson, who is a gentle giant, but loves and embraces life.  I got him when he was a puppy and it felt like my whole life changed.  I wish I had captured each bit of it in a dog journal, both the good and the bad.  Gosh, I can't believe I even wrote that!  It sounds a bit out there I know, but he has been so much fun, it would be great to look back at it all.

Now he's 1.5 years and huge.  He's a goldendoodle named Molson.  He's still quite puppy, but is also smart now and seems to train me more than I train him...although the wheels are starting to change! (thank goodness)

Journaling for Adoptive Children

If you're thinking about adopting a child, in the process of getting one, or already have that bundle of joy, I'd like to share with you the idea of creating a journal for your adoptive child.  You could start the journal before you even get the child, by writing about where the child is coming from, background, etc.  Why you wanted to adopt a child or even what you're looking forward to the most once you get your child.

It's just another idea of how you could use online journaling from http://www.sunflowersky.com to cherish the special memories so they last forever.

Journaling about someone who has died

A few  years ago my grandma of 96 years old passed away.  We were all sad when she left us, but knew it was time and that she is in a good place right now.  When I would go to the nursing home to see her, I would take out old picture albums and share pictures of the family with her.  A smile would come over her face and she instantly lit up.  With dementia it's hard to find anything that she would recall, but old pictures seemed to do the trick.

It reminded me of the many times I would sit in my grandma's kitchen drinking tea and hearing her tell me stories.  She would also drive me around town and share stories about her growing up, her brothers and sisters, and the life that she had.  Gosh, I wish I had written it all down, created a journal, time-stamping these conversations and details of them.  Now, I'm left with trying to remember them myself, and quite frankly my memory has never been that good, so I'm dealing with bits and pieces of someone's life, when there is surely more.

Journaling about someone's life, including your own, is a wonderful tribute to yourself or a loved one. The secret to it being a good journal is starting it sooner rather than later.  Good luck!

Life Stories/Autobiographies

Creating a life story or autobiography can be quite a challenging task.  Maybe it's because most people try to do it when they are older and the amount of material and information needed to put it together, well, it appears overwelming.

Journaling every day, or even once a week is a great way to accomplish a life story or autobiography.  The trick is to start now!  An autobiography is such a great gift to yourself and those that you love.

To learn more about creating a life journal , check out http://www.sunflowersky.com.

Journaling for Schools

Growing up in a family that highly valued education (my Dad was Superintendent of Schools), I was trying to think of a means where journaling could help the educational system.  Journaling on computers in school is great because it helps kids write on a project for a specific time period, with the teacher being able to closely monitor the work.  I've learned the other day that for special ed students, this is particularly helpful, as these students sometimes have a hard time writing with a pencil.  Journaling on a computer, in a secured environment would be ideal for them.

Or how about journaling in school for students who need to find an outlet for their thoughts, fears, anxieties.  Journaling can be therapeutic for them and help them possibly overcome some challenges.

There are many possibilities for students to journal in school.  It's just finding the right need and getting it started!