Preserve Family Photos – The Busy Mom’s Guide (No Scrapbook Required!)
Ever feel like you’re failing to preserve family photos because you don’t have time for scrapbooking?
Same.
Between home school lessons, sports, and just trying to get food on the table, who has time to print photos, cut paper and glue things into a book? Not me, and I’m guessing not you, mama.
But here’s the good news—you don’t need a scrapbook (or even a fancy milestone book) to preserve your family’s best moments.
With a few simple, stress-free methods, you can capture your family’s story in just minutes a day!
When my first child was born, I always felt pressure to start a baby book to track milestones and a photo album to have a central place where my children can come back to as adults and see photos from their childhood. I knew I wanted more than one child. I knew I would not keep up with those books with my second or third child. The truth is, I never even started one for my first for that reason! The methods below are so much easier and faster than photo albums or milestone books. I wish I would’ve started when I was pregnant with my first but you know what they say- better late than never.
Here are 3 ways to preserve family photos!
The 10-Minute Rule
Saving your family’s best moments doesn’t have to take hours!
The 10-Minute Rule is all about using tiny pockets of time to record memories—without overthinking it.
At the end of the day, set a timer for 10 minutes and jot down one thing that made you smile.
Maybe it’s the way your toddler said pasketti instead of spaghetti.
Or how your pre-teen gave you an unexpected hug.
You can type it in your phone’s notes app, scribble it in a planner, or even use a digital assistant like Siri to voice record it.
The key? Keep it quick, easy, and stress-free!
Over time, these tiny entries become a beautiful collection of real, everyday moments—no scrapbooking skills required.
💡 Bonus tip: Set a daily reminder on your phone so you don’t forget.
10 minutes a day adds up to a lifetime of memories!
Memory Apps That Do the Work for You
Do you love snapping photos on your phone and recording videos… but hate organizing them?
There’s an app for that 😉
These apps save your photos and memories—with no extra work from you.
Qeepsake: This app texts you questions about your child. You text back, and it saves the answers in a digital journal!
Chatbooks: This app turns your favorite photos into books without you doing anything.
1 Second Everyday: Record one-second video clips, and the app makes them into a short movie.
Google Photos & Tinybeans: These apps store and organize your pictures for you.
Once you set them up, these apps work on their own!
The Monthly Photo Dump Method
Raise your hand if your camera roll is a disaster! 🙋♀️
Instead of letting thousands of random photos pile up, try the Monthly Photo Dump Method.
At the end of each month, set aside 10 minutes to create a digital album labeled something like:
📁 Smith Family – January 2025
Scroll through your phone and add your favorite snapshots—messy toddler faces, goofy family selfies, or that perfect sunset from your beach trip.
No need for fancy editing or captions—just save the highlights!
BONUS TIP: Create a shared album where grandparents can see the best moments each month without scrolling through social media.
This system keeps your memories neat, accessible, and ready to relive anytime!
One day, you’ll look back and realize the little moments were actually the big ones.
And you don’t need a scrapbook to remember them!
With just a few minutes a day, you can create a beautiful, effortless record of your family’s life—one that won’t collect dust on a shelf.
So pick one method and preserve your family photos today.
Because years from now, when you’re flipping through those digital albums or re-reading those tiny but priceless memories, you’ll be so glad you did.
Read more about Chatbooks here!
See more of my Denver Family Photography Here!
