How do you?

[LisaAdmin]

How do you scrap through difficult phases of your life? I am working on the album that comes RIGHT before our house was vandalized, and I am finding it very painful to scrap these pics. I am working with a lot of templates right now, since I just can't think creatively through this.

How have you dealt with similar situations?

[mrscwooddell]

I scrapped the long painful story of when my mother threw us all out in the street, so that one day my kids can read the whole thing and know what really happened. (my house was on her property and after my dad passed away she decided to give all the property to my brother and evict me and my hubby with all 7 kids) It was an emotional NIGHTMARE. Of course if my mom ever reads it I am sure she will have some smart-alec comments but o well.

[LisaAdmin]

Wow Claudette. It will be good for the kids. My daughter was sitting next to me yesterday as I was working on the layouts, and I asked her if I should just skip over them. (My 15 yo) She told me, No... it needs to be documented. I guess I am training my kids about documenting everything as I finish this up. I am VERY thankful I am almost done with it though. I have about 5 more months until the pics of the actual vandalism (of course I took pics). After that, it should get easier. (Since I have already finished 2011's book.... I am thinking I was avoiding certain years.

[scrpncrzy]

It took me nearly a year to talk about the surgery and fear I had with it. I still haven't dealt with the death of my step-dad and father that happened only 11 months apart. I will someday but not now....I think you really have to be in the frame of mind to convey the store and memory before you can scrap the difficult. Sometimes you can get others to help with the layout and merely add the journaling yourself.

I once helped to a baby book for a family that lost the child at 6 months. They sent pix to those of us that helped and then added journaling once the book was finished (in my paper days). They wanted a baby book but couldn't bear to buy the stuff to put the album together, so we did it for them. Everyone spent no more than 5 dollars and then mailed her the pages. No one really asked for their money back since it was for a baby book rememberance, and we were all friends.

[suslyn]

As you know, I scrapped (and am still scrapping) the difficulties (and a few triumphs) in my marriage. Not only was the scrapping therapeutic. But you guys, esp here at PDW, made such a difference as you commented on my pages and shared my heartache. Thank you.

So go Lisa!! It's not always fun... At the same time I think you'll really be glad you did. Bon courage.

[Pheeebzzz]

This is an interesting topic and though it was posted quite some time ago, I hope you won't mind if I chime in.

I had and still have trouble scrapping early pics from when Achille was born last year because his birth was very traumatic (I had a c-section and nearly died from the ensuing hemorrhage, spent quite a few days in ICU and then there was the whole trauma with my parents making a fit at the hospital because they were unhappy with how my Love dealt with the situation (he put our son and myself first and they resented that, felt they were being put aside, anyways...).
When Achille was 6 months old, I did manage to scrap the very first picture of Achille and me (which was taken in ICU) and found it was quite therapeutic.
However, there was a lot going on at the time, like preparing for the move, so I only scrapped this double pager so far and also the picture of him and his godmother when his dad came to visit me in the ICU (he never left Achille with anyone except this time, it was very very important to me that Achille be with his Dad the whole time while I was unable to hold him). I plan on telling the whole story and scrapping the other pictures from the hospital later this summer, or at least, before the end of this year... I will be relying a lot on templates because I know the focus will be on telling the story, not being creative.

[LisaAdmin]

Wow Pheeebzzz, that would be VERY difficult to scrap through. It is good that you are getting the story out, especially so that your son will know what happened, and how much he was loved through that time.

My kids pull out the books I finished and read them over and over again. I am not the best journaler in the world, and so they keep asking questions about the situation. *Note to self..journal a little bit more.

[mrscwooddell]

Wow! Pheeebzzz that is very scary too! Glad you made it and can now scrap it! I think when we share what scares us with our kids they understand that life isn't always a bed of roses...my oldest dd read the page I made about the ordeal and cried because she finally understood what was going on then. She read a few other tough pages I made and really loved them. although now she is spell checking them for me...lol As she keeps pointing out lots of errors...lol

[pasteoptional]

Lisa, You can document it in a more factual than emotional way if that helps - kind of like a news report. Personally I poke fun at everything - you all know it's my favorite defense mechanism - so for me I'd do a TTNRH type take on it after I did the factual accounting. Or, you could merge the two styles into the one series of LO's. Fake culprits and all of that :P

Whatever road you choose to take will be the right one for YOU, so allow yourself whatever time you need to decide

[Pheeebzzz]

That's so true, the fact that it's important for our kids to know the stories. Recently, DS2 hugged me right after I shared a new LO about a great time we spent together : he really enjoyed the time with just me (well me and his baby brother) and it meant the world to him that I enjoyed it too even to the point to make a LO about it.
I recently browsed some older LOs (haven't printed anything yet, so they're still on my computer and I also share them on picasa with my kids) and found out that I really tend not to journal enough : I was sure I would remember forever what it was all about, the tiny details but, no, even with what I journaled I couldn't recall the whole thing (fortunately, the kids did remember so I completed the LO and added to the journaling).

The kids do know what happened to me when their brother was born, but I guess it'll be quite emotional for them too to read about it again and realize that I was that scared... but since this is Achille's story too, I know I'll scrap it anyway and we'll all go through this together, once I've scrapped the whole thing.