Another month is coming to end and I want to remember the details of my life during April of 2020. It was a doozy of a month and will definitely be one I remember for a very long time. Doing roundups is a monthly ritual of mine since January of 2006. I just take a few minutes to close out the month by recording the everyday details. It’s been the most valuable tool in my memory keeping arsenal.

I follow a simple set of prompts each month and now I have added a few COVID-19 related items as well.

APRIL MEMORIES:

• What did you watch? TV, Movies, Netflix, Plays, etc.

• What did you listen to? Podcasts, music, etc.

• What did you read? Books, Kindle, online, etc.

• What did you learn? Life lessons, classes, new skills and ideas, etc.

• What did you celebrate? Birthdays, holidays, accomplishments, etc.

• What was newsworthy? Personal and family news, world and nation news, etc.

COVID-19 DETAILS:

• What was canceled/closed? What reopened?

• Were you or anyone you know sick or affected by the virus?

• What new norms are you experiencing?

• What are the numbers like in your area and your country? (number of cases, testing, deaths, recoveries, unemployment etc.)

• What has the virus taken from you?

• What have you been blessed with?

HOW TO GATHER APRIL MEMORIES:

• Review calendars, social media posts, journal entries, etc. - I use the Momento app to keep everything in one place and then look back through my online calendar.

• Make sure all your photos are uploaded and backed up to at least 3 places. If you use Google Photos, your photos will already be sorted by date. I like to search the month (April 2020) and then select all of those photos and create an album for them in Google Photos called April 2020. It’s not necessary, but I find it useful.

• Gather any memorabilia from the month such as ticket stubs, invitations, programs etc. Scan or photograph them if desired and then upload them with your photos for the month. And/or put them in a file marked April 2020 if you plan to save the physical copies for scrapbooking or memory boxes.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR ROUNDUP?

• Make a list of your answers to the prompts.

• Put them in a blog or social media post, in your journal, on the last day of the calendar for that month, or on a scrapbook or photobook page. You can even email them to yourself and keep them in a folder for later reference or use a notes app on your phone. Just find a routine that works for you.

• If you share your roundup in any form on Instagram, use the hashtag #roundupyourmemories if you want to share with others.

• The more roundups you do, the more you will appreciate this simple way to document your everyday life!

CHECK OUT THESE MONTHLY MEMORIES ROUNDUP SUPPLIES:

I have designed several pocket cards and calendar sets to make your roundup even easier. You can always find them in my online shop. Be sure to check them out!