Are you looking for easy ways to write down the funny things your kids say? Things that actually work? Writing down what your kids say is hard! I know, because I’ve tried a variety of things over the last 23 years.
The problem is that my kids are just so darn funny!! 😂 🤣
And I want to remember all of the crazy, quirky little things that they say and do.
Like, when Prince Ali was, well, little. And we were shopping in Walmart. I was busy throwing things into the cart, checking off my list, and managing three little boys in a big wide aisle that just beckons, “run!” 😁
As I toss something into the cart, my little Prince informs me that he has an owie and needs a kiss.
I glance over at him, and he’s full monty! 😂 🤣
Prince Ali! I yelled, rushing over to him and pulling his pants up. As he fights to keep them down, I ask, “where’s your owie?!?”
“On my butt,” he replies, trying hard to get his pants down so I can kiss it. 🤦🏻♀️
It’s moments like these that we want to remember forever
But it’s so hard because we are never anywhere that you can write these things down!!
And then when you are finally home, things are chaos, and the moment is lost. It just flies right out the window.
And with it, the memory. Gone, forever.
Like this weekend! We spent the weekend at a friend’s lake cabin. We had never been there before.
And Toot’s was thirsty. He asked me for a drink of water. He’s nine, so I figured he could take care of himself.
“Just go grab a drink out of the facet, Toots,” I tell him.
“No way mom!” he exclaims, “I’m not drinking that!! Have you seen their toilet?!?” 😂🤣
OMG, I died laughing!!
Their toilet bowl had bright blue water in it, from a toilet bowl tab. 😂😂
Normally, I preserve those great quotes in Snapchat (I’ll tell you how below) but this time, we were so busy enjoying the moment with our friends, that I never quite made it that far.
And that’s how it goes.
The kids say something funny. I mean to keep it, either by writing it down or saving it in Snapchat, but I’m so busy that I don’t get the chance, and then I forget.
Forever.
Who wants that to happen?!?
So, I went on a hunt for brilliant ways to write down the funniest things kids say!
Here’s what I found. 😁
How to write down the funny things kids say
Now, I have tried some of these, but not all of them. I did do an online search, to see if anyone had any other ideas that I’ve never tried before. So, I included my search results.
Also, some of these links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you decide to purchase something using that link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps to support Making Mommas. If you need more information, please read my disclosure policy.
1. Private Instagram account
This is a really cool idea I found from Chelsey over at Lemonade Brain.
Chelsey creates private Instagram accounts for each of her children. And then every Sunday, she goes through the weeks’ worth of photos, finds some good ones, adds a caption, and posts them to the Instagram account.
She doesn’t let anyone else follow these accounts.
Chelsey says this is a great way to preserve these photos because “Hard drives Fail. CD’s break. Thumb drives can be easily lost.”
All very true. And it is a neat idea.
But I won’t use it myself, for a few reasons:
- As we’ve all seen lately, you can get locked out of or banned from social media, and then those precious pictures will be lost as well.
- Uploading photos to an Instagram account doesn’t exactly catch the funny thing your kid said, unless you happened to snap a photo as well, and then added the caption somehow.
- It sounds like a lot of work. 😆 There’s no way I’d actually sit down every Sunday, scroll through my photos for six children, find some cute ones, create a caption, and then upload it to Instagram.
What I find really neat about her idea though is that you can then easily create a Chatbook from those Instagram photos. That right there is almost enough to make me try it!
The other cool thing is that someday your kids will be able to scroll through their accounts and see all of these treasures.
2. Set up an email account for your child
This is another intriguing idea from Chelsey.
What she recommends is setting up an email account for your child, and then periodically emailing your child.
Of course, you don’t give your child the username and password. They know nothing about the account.
It’s just a really neat way to preserve the memories.
Chelsey sends videos, pictures, and letters via email to her children. One day, they will be able to go in there and travel back through time, reading and viewing everything she has sent them.
Chelsey says,
“Unlike Instagram, I write them letters. These letters are filled with my love for them, moments I’m proud of them (which is much of the time,) and feelings I have about them and about life I want them to know.”
I think it’s a great idea – better than Instagram – because you can easily and quickly jot down something funny your kid says and then email it to him, right on your phone. Maybe even while you are in Walmart. 😉
And I love how she also writes them letters. I do the same thing for my own kids, except in a traditional journal.
What I don’t like about the email idea is that email accounts fill up, to the point where they will no longer accept new emails.
So, you can easily run out of storage. And after 16 or 18 years of emailing your child, I can see that happening.
Plus, what if that company hosting the email all of a sudden decides they are done? Then your precious memories are lost forever.
The chances of that happening are pretty slim, but it could happen.
3. Video journal
Ah yes, video journaling.
This is a quick easy solution, no matter where you are because we all usually have our phones handy.
So, instead of writing down what happened, you can quick tell yourself – on camera. And then simply save it in your phone.
Then, when you have more time, come back to it and do something a little cooler with it, like sending it to an email or posting it on a private Instagram account.
I’ll often use Snapchat for video journaling. If my kids do something funny, and I have no time to write it down, I’ll video myself talking about it, and then send it to my big boys or my husband.
Mostly so that they can get a laugh out of it too, but also because I save it to my Snapchat Memories.
That way it pops up year after year. 😁
Again, the problem with this is that your videos are at risk of being lost. If Snapchat ever decides to go out of business, I’ll lose those videos.
And one day, my phone fell on the floor in Walmart and broke. I couldn’t retrieve all of the videos saved on my phone. And they weren’t saved in the cloud because I had run out of storage.
At the time, I didn’t know what that meant or why I should care. But when I bought a new phone and couldn’t access all of my pictures from the past, oh, I don’t know…. FIVE YEARS, well, I suddenly cared. 😆
4. Create a Remember Quote Box
I really like this idea from Cheri over at I am Momma, Hear Me Roar.
She uses an old recipe box to write down and store the funny things her kids say. And I think it’s just so dang clever!
Drop by Tatertots and Jello, where Cheri guest posted this Remember Quote Box tutorial.
What I like about this idea is its uniqueness and simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simply paint and/or decorate a box, insert index cards, and there you go!
You have a great way to write down and store your child’s quotes forever.
And you don’t have to worry about losing them to technology. 😉
But…it does run the age-old adage of…. But I have to remember to actually write the quotes down! 😂🤣 It’s not like that Remember Quote Box will be with you in the Walmart aisle, after all.
Still, you can video yourself talking about the quote quick, save it to your phone, and then transfer it to the Remember Quote Box later. 🤷🏻♀️
Maybe it’s a good Sunday project after all.
5. Create a quote jar
This was a big thing when the twins were babies. And do you think I can find a post on it now?!? 😆 I tried…
But back when they were babies, moms were creating quote jars, out of vases, jars, or whatever. And then writing down the cute things their kids said and did on pretty paper and stuffing the jar with that.
The goal was to give it to their child on graduation day.
My sister knew I liked to write down the funny things my kids said, so she made me a quote jar for each of the twins when they were born.
They were white rustic lanterns, and I loved them. She put a felt sticker with their initials on each of the lanterns. So, one was labeled A, and one was labeled B.
Then she attached tiny little colored pens to the top of the lanterns – a green one for one boy and an orange one for the other because those were ‘their’ colors. (The colors of their blankets, bedroom, etc.)
She then attached little pads of colored paper to the tops too.
So, it was all right there. All I had to do was rip off a piece of paper, write it down, and toss it in the lantern.
I never did it.
I started too, but it was that age-old adage again – the jars were never where I was. And there was always a kid screaming, so even if I wanted to write it down, I just didn’t have a quiet moment to do it.
It was a really cute, neat idea. And I wish I had taken a picture of the lanterns! Because I can’t find an image anywhere on Pinterest for you.
But if you wanted to try it, you could just film yourself again and then stuff the jars with those memories every Sunday. 😁
6. Create a quote book
Now, this is a really fun idea from Mike and Stephanie over at Quote Book Journal. Love it!
I keep journals for each one of my boys – just a random, blank journal, that I pick up in bookstores or Walmart. I started them for each of the boys when I found out I was pregnant with them.
And I’ll write in that journal every now and then, with whatever is on my mind regarding them at that time.
So, I could just add their quotes to their journals. It would be one option.
But I like this idea better because it is a family quote book, not child-specific.
So, I can record all of the funny things ALL of my boys, including my husband! say in one easy place. (Where do you think they get their quirkiness from, after all? 😁)
Again, the Quote Book isn’t handy for when I’m in the middle of the Walmart check out isle, but I do hope that if I keep it on the dining room buffet, it’ll be handy for writing things down any time I’m home – which is nearly all of the time.
Yep, I ordered myself one! We’ll see how it goes.
I think I’ll go through all of my Snapchat memories one Sunday evening and enter them into my brand-new quote book. 😁
7. Use your notes section on your phone
This is one of those ideas that just seems like a “duh” idea. 🤦🏻♀️
😂 🤣
As in, “Of course!! Why didn’t I think of that?!?”
Steph from One Caring Mom uses the notes section on her phone to quick jot down the funny things her kids say.
That way she has them saved there, and her phone is always accessible.
So, if your child is full monty in the middle of Walmart, you can just pull out your phone and write it down.
Then, later, you can enter it into your Quote Book. 😉
Other ideas include journal apps and note collecting apps, such as Evernote.
8. Use a plain notebook or journal
Of course, you don’t need a fancy Quote Book to write down quotes in. You can just use a plain journal or notebook and keep that someplace handy.
I have always LOVED fun notebooks, journals, planners, stationary….etc. 😁 Ever since I was a little girl. It is definitely my weakness. So, I am super excited to get my Quote Book (I got an email saying it was on its way!)
But you can use any notebook you can get your hands on. 😉
9. Take advantage of Snapchat
I have been using Snapchat for a few years now, to preserve the funny things my kids say.
So, like, in Walmart, I didn’t do it at the time, but how I use the app is: I’d have snapped a pic of my son full monty and then quick jot down the quote in the editing feature of Snapchat.
Then I’d save it to my memories and send it off to my big boys and my husband.
I didn’t do this in Walmart because I had to get that kid’s pants up ASAP! 😆 But in normal circumstances, I do this.
I like it because it is quick and easy, and I can often get a pic to go with the quote.
But I don’t like it because those pics aren’t readily accessible. I have to scroll through years of Snapchat photos to find them.
Or wait for them to pop up in my memories.
Which let’s face it – that’s fun too.
But I won’t always be on Snapchat. Someday I’ll discontinue it. And then I’ll lose all of those funny quotes.
That’s why I am super pumped for my Quote Book. 😁
At the end of the day….
It doesn’t matter what system you use for writing down the funny, quirky things your kids say! What matters is that you get that memory preserved!
You are always going to laugh about them. I promise.
My second oldest is now 21. But, we still laugh about the time he cried, as a toddler, “I don’t want Denna’s diarrhea medicine!” when I tried to feed him Pedialyte.
Or the time my oldest was standing on top of the trailer house roof at the lake, and he yelled out, “Daaaddd….I’m gonna pee on you!!” to his father, still on the ground.
Or when he used to say, “Your majesty….” And bend over when I wiped his butt, and then, “Your majesty up!” as he stood back up again. 🤣😂
(He’s so gonna kill me!) 😆
But we still quote these kids, to this day. On everything funny they say!
I don’t ever want to forget those moments.
And neither do you.
So, find a system that works for you, and write down all of those funny things your kids say!
And if you have a system that works for you that I didn’t mention, leave it in the comments below so that I can add it!! The more comments, the more ideas!!
More on writing and planning
The 5 Best Blogging Planners and What You Can Do With Them
Before Writing Your Blogging Goals, Do This!
How to Write Out Your Content Plan