Both mine and Dan’s parents are super difficult as far as holiday gifts go. They’re very settled into their lives with what they need, and don’t really want a bunch of new things. And while we’ve done some experience gifts … Read More
I am so thrilled to be releasing the book titles and details for the 2022 FREE monthly Global Children’s Book Club! We are so thrilled to be “traveling” around the world to 12 different countries via books, discussions, videos, food, … Read More
Here it is – the full book list for the FREE monthly Global Children’s Book Club for 2022. This year, I structured the countries I chose around important holidays celebrated there each month. The picture books generally correlate with the … Read More
While I find a lot of men challenging to buy gifts for, I actually think Dan is really easy! He is interested in a lot of things so will generally be happy with almost anything, but doesn’t expect much of … Read More
I can’t believe how overdue I am on this post, but our 3rd kiddo turned 7 a few weeks ago! He’s our kiddo who always has loved dinosaurs and building very very much, so it was easy to theme his … Read More
We love taking the opportunity to give end of year teacher gifts to our kids’ teachers. They work so hard throughout the year so it’s fun to choose something for them for teacher holiday gifts! Here’s what we did this … Read More
I only have one sister, so sibling Christmas gifts were always easy growing up. Even now, we still love getting each other something special each year, but now include each other’s families. Still feels pretty easy as we almost always … Read More
A Great Shower A few years ago, we flew from Washington DC to Reykjavik. It’s only about a 5 hour flight, so it was enough time for all of us to fall asleep but certainly not enough to feel rested. … Read More
For the last decade, we’ve spent the month of December doing Christmas family advent activities each day. Some of these Christmas advent activities have been religious in nature and some are just for fun. All of them, including scriptures, simple … Read More
This post is sponsored by Camping World. All opinions are my own. One of my favorite things about RVing is that you can set any RV budget that works for you. There are so many different options for type of … Read More
Welcome to LPF Weekly Deals! These are our favorite, tried-and-true travel gear and home life items that have stood the test of time. With 7 people in our home or when we travel, we try to only purchase items that … Read More
It’s really important to me that my kids recognize that their traditions, culture, and upbringing aren’t the gold standard. I want them to know that their celebrations aren’t “normal” at the exclusion of other beautiful holidays and festivals. I want … Read More
Both mine and Dan’s parents are super difficult as far as holiday gifts go. They’re very settled into their lives with what they need, and don’t really want a bunch of new things. And while we’ve done some experience gifts in the past, it’s been tricky the last couple of years. Plus, with our parents getting a bit older, they’re not always up for big experiences, and things like late-night transportation and varying interests gets tricky, too. Basically, it’s really hard to find gifts for them, just like many other parents and grandparents.
Last year, we did something a little different for Christmas gifts for parents. While Dan’s mom is very into family history and loves learning about her ancestors, she’s relatively quiet about her own life, as is Dan’s dad.
And as for my parents, it’s extremely rare for stories to be recorded in Indian culture until more recent times. Histories and stories were traditionally passed down in an oral tradition, so very few were written down. My parents are on the older end, especially my dad, who was born in the 30s in a time very different from what what is familiar to me or my children.
For both sets of parents, we’ve wanted for a long time to record their stories in some sort of meaningful way. We’ve done a few video recordings of them chatting at family get togethers, but it felt like we were missing so much. We heard a lot of the same (wonderful!) stories, but rarely got any new nuggets.
Last Christmas, we decided to gift each of our parents a subscription to Storyworth. Storyworth is an email subscription with weekly prompts to inspire people to write down meaningful memories. It’s the most beautiful conversation-style memento that captures not just the major events of a lifetime, but all the details and humor and moments that make up a whole person.
Each week, Storyworth either automatically sends a suggested prompt, you can choose one from a list, or you can create one of your own. I love that most of the prompts focus on tiny memories – favorite childhood toys, memories of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, inspiring mentors. It’s super easy for them to respond – they just respond to an email each week. There’s no need to use a complicated platform or app; just a simple email reply. Then at the end of the year, all the responses are bound together in a keepsake book.
Even better, the prompts give us something easy to discuss each week, and helps our kids feel connected to our parents, too. Sometimes it can feel awkward or challenging for them to know what to talk about, but these are such great prompts to ask further questions and to connect their grandparents’ stories to their own lives.
Storyworth has truly been the gift that has kept on giving throughout the year – both for our parents and also for us. It’s been special for them to reflect on their lives and those special moments, and it’s been a joy for us to hear each week about something we most often had never heard before (and likely never would have). It’s been such a unique gift of connection over clutter.
You can still give the gift of Storyworth – it’s perfect Christmas or any other grandparent gift idea or parent gift idea. It’s currently $10 off, so you’ll only pay $89 for a year of weekly prompts, as well as a beautiful hardcover book that compiles them all at the end. (You can also purchase extra copies of the book for other family members if you’d like.) It’s the perfect last minute gift idea!
It’s also the perfect gift for so many others – newlywed siblings, new parents, a new graduate, anyone who is difficult to shop for – it’s really such a perfect gift for anyone who would love to record their stories in a meaningful way.
I can’t wait to see all these stories bound up together – it’s going to be a gift the whole family will enjoy for years to come!
