I finally got my September roundup done! For the record, I'm already worried about how I'm going to do October's roundup since so much has already happened this month. I think I'll start my template now and add a few details and then revisit it throughout the month.

I’m posting the September roundup prompts a day early so I will have plenty of time to share my upcoming Digital Scrapbook Day news and sale. It always feels good to close out the month and this one is no exception. I guess I’ll be saying this every month for a while still, but it sure is a strange time! That makes it even more important to take a few minutes to jot down what life is like right now. Use my simple roundup prompts to document the month so you don’t forget all that happened. It’s my favorite memory keeping tool and so many of my readers have made it a routine in their own lives as well.

In a very 2020 type of move, we had a major multi-day windstorm last week with hurricane-force winds. Depending on where you were in the Salt Lake valley, winds were anywhere from 30 to 100 miles per hour. Hurricane winds are classified as 75 mph or higher. This story in The Washington Post does a good job of telling the basic details.

Another month has passed and I’m proud of myself for taking the time to document it. Lately, my roundups are not the most fun, but they are definitely rewarding. I’m so grateful that I’m keeping track of the details of this unusual time. It makes me grateful for the many good things in my life.

Here’s a snapshot of our August:

I’m amazed at how differently schools in the United States are approaching the school year amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Of course, each state (city, town, etc.) has different numbers and risk factors, but overall it sure seems risky to start school up again in most places. I also totally get that kids need to learn and also need access to the many other services and benefits that come with school. My heart goes out to all families right now as they try to get this figured out. I certainly don’t have the answers, but I am going to encourage you to snap some photos and jot down the details of what the beginning of a new school year means for your life right now - even if you don’t have kids. Really. Just stay with me on this and I think you will understand why I’m proposing that idea.

I saw someone post online the other day that they couldn’t believe it was going to be September because literally March just feels like it was 16 years ago. 😀 So true! For some reason, August felt extra long to me and I’m ok to be turning the calendar page now. Before I put August to bed, I’m going to go through my roundup process. It’s so important and meaningful to me to document my world and life right now. I know so many others feel this way as well and I’m glad to have such great support for my monthly roundup prompts.

I realize that we are well into the second half of 2020 now, but I stumbled upon this resource last night and just had to share it! This is from CNN and it gives a really thorough overview of the first 6 months of the year with some great photos. It’s also fascinating (and sad) to watch the Coronavirus numbers change each month. This will definitely be something that I will use for a year-end recap and to add to monthly roundups.

July was a tough month for us because our daughter Riley and her husband Ryan suffered a miscarriage. I share this with their permission and I think it’s very important to check with others before you include sensitive details about their lives. It can be difficult to know if you should include the really hard stuff sometimes. I always believe in including the good and the bad, but there are times when that isn’t possible or even comfortable. I’m grateful that Riley encouraged me to include this and how strong she is. Miscarriage is a very painful thing to go through (emotionally and physically) and having never gone through that myself, I’m glad that there have been others who could step in and tell her they know exactly what she is going through.

Last night, our son Alex was shocked to find out that it was going to be August on Saturday. He said “I don’t even know what month it is anymore!” I think we can all relate! It’s such a strange time, but that makes it even more important to take a few minutes to jot down what life is like right now. Use my simple roundup prompts to document the month so you don’t forget all that happened. It’s my favorite memory keeping tool and so many of my readers have made it a routine in their own lives as well.