When this blog post was first published in 2021, it was the first blog post I wrote postpartum after having our baby girl. After over 12 hours of unmedicated labor, I officially became a mom to an amazing baby girl. My husband and I became a mommy and a daddy. Originally, this post was written as a way for new moms to talk about the role of journaling in the postpartum journey and newborn phase. Now, this post is more of an invitation to use journaling as a tool for lots of different aspects of motherhood. Motherhood is a remarkable journey filled with joy, laughter, and countless moments that you don’t want to miss. Yet, amidst the chaos, it's easy for busy moms to feel overwhelmed by the demands of nurturing a family, managing a variety of household items, and balancing work-related tasks. In the whirlwind of diapers, playdates, and bedtime routines, moms need to carve out moments for themselves, moments for reflection, and ultimately use journaling as an outlet for self-care. In this blog post, I invite you to explore practical tools for planning, goal-setting, continuous learning, and stress management. All by using a notebook or journal as your sidekick.

Creative writing isn’t just for famous authors or story writers. One thing I have really noticed since becoming a mother is that imagination and play have such a huge role in our lives, and as we get older, the former methods of play kind of fall away. They seem not needed. Almost trivial. In the classroom, creativity and imagination in the form of free writing with limited rules are one of the most beloved activities that kids crave year after year. It is not because it works in every single classroom, it is because they can feel that imagination and be able to play is fun again. Learning should be fun. Also, life and having kids should be fun.

Mamas have all sorts of stories to tell.

Stories of when we were kids.

Stories of times before we had our own children.

Stories of giving birth and labor.

Stories of how we adjusted to parenthood.

Stories of raising little ones.

Stories about our fears and triumphs, our hurts, and our hearts that now walk outside of our bodies.

We keep these stories in important places. We carry them in our physical beings and in our minds. We take pictures to not forget these moments. We write down important moments. We teach our babies about the value of stories. The power of creative writing unlocks the ability to share the real stories that happen to form the memories in our lives, and it allows us to dive deeper into our imaginations. We teach our babies to think "outside of the box," and our writing allows us the same outlet for play. Creative writing allows us to be heard in some way. We get to be silly. We get to have fun. In many cases, we get to heal. If children learn about their worlds through exploration and play, we can learn about ourselves through the stories inside of us.

Mama, you are already a writer without putting one word down on the page. This post contains a free resource to download or preview, and anyone can pull from the creative writing prompts to find inspiration, fun, and play.