Memories

Keeping the wedding dress, bouquet, or invitation is expected, but now The New York Times is calling out a new trend: keeping something unexpected.

Some out-of-the-wedding-book mementos require planning, but I'd say the best ones are spontaneous, like the couple who kept a Spider-Man water squirter that was a prize from a box of Froot Loops guests opened to use as confetti in a makeshift, postceremony parade. One bride went all Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for her destination wedding by sending her wedding-day shoes to all her female friends who couldn't make it for signatures.

And then there are the unexpected mementos that start traditions. One couple kept a jar of rain from their wedding day, which they've since used sparingly to baptize their children. A little water remains, but the woman has begun collecting rain for other couples with stormy-day weddings. Sunny-dayers, you're on your own!

So planned or not, if you're married did you keep anything out of the ordinary? And if you aren't, would you plan to?

Source: Flickr User tantrum_dan

Incredible things come out of the mouths of babes, but it's hard to keep track of all the tidbits your tot says — especially if you are mother to many. Some people write the anecdotes down, and others just commit them to memory by repeating them to anyone who will listen, but I've come up with a few easy ways to keep a record of these utterances.

• Frame it! Take your favorite picture of your child and frame it. While a black and white photograph works best, anything will do. Use a dry erase marker to scribble the latest saying across the top or bottom of the glass and it becomes an ever changing work of art. If you have more than one kiddo, create a wall of quotes.
• Stencil it! Looking for design inspiration? Fill the walls of your child's room by penning, painting, or stenciling them with the family-famous sayings.
• Journal it! Fill the pages of a leather-bound journal with all the wonderful things that come out of your child's mouth. Then take the time to read through them every so often.
• Facebook it! Share your youngster's musings with family and friends via Facebook so everyone can appreciate your wee one's wit.
• Twitter it! Since tweets are 140 characters or less, a private account is an excellent way to technologically chronicle your offspring's thoughts.

First (real) kisses can be moments of bliss or awkward exchanges, but we remember them. In fact, Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of The Science of Kissing says people remember their first romantic kiss "more vividly than their first sexual encounter."

My first kiss was on a dare down a dirt road with some unsavory nickname that I can't remember now. The boy in question had told my friend I was "so pretty" during rehearsal for eighth grade graduation, and I became enamored with the idea of him that Summer. On a Saturday afternoon in early August, my friend called, "He's coming over." When I arrived, he and a friend were there, and they served me a Gatorade bottle with a generous pour of vodka and instructed me to shake. I drank it until I threw up, which didn't take very long. Late that night (let's say 10), we walked down the dirt road with the unsavory nickname, and my friend, the matchmaker, asked, "Well, are you guys going to do it?" So we did, and it was awful and weird and nothing like I expected. I mustered up absolutely no grace, pulled away, and said "I don't even want to do this," and walked away to kick a rock around.

That isn't the romantic or "tender" tale Kirshenbaum says people recall, but it was my first, and I really can't recall the second. Except to say that it was definitely with another boy.

What do you remember? You can always logout and write it anonymously!

We purchase family vehicles for safety, size, and price, and then put the pedal to the metal and coast through life. Moms forget that cars are much like homes where children grow up.

1. They carry our babies home from the hospital.
2. Despite excitement and anxiety, our kids get out of them for their first day of school.
3. Classmates hop in, and we know our children have found friends.
4. It's a rare place for uninterrupted conversation.
5. We're the fly in the driver's seat when our kids chat with their siblings and peers.
6. Wars are waged and settled in the backseat.
7. We blast the radio and sing off key as a family.
8. Cars are worn in with memories — sand in the carpet from Summer at the lake and a ski nick on the roof from a weekend in the snow.
9. We see our children every day, but when we catch glimpses of them in the rearview mirror it still makes us wonder where time went.
10. And, one day we will hand over the keys.

In about a month, our family of four will become a party of five. My kids are really excited about their impending sibling who has made his or herself known by jolting my belly in their presence. But, before baby number three makes its debut, I wanted to do something special with each of my kiddos. Prior to my son's birth, I took my daughter on a long weekend trip to LA. Though she was very young, she still recalls the fun we had flying, hanging out at the beach and staying with my best friend. This time around, my daughter, now five, asked to get her ears pierced.

Then over the weekend, we fed my two-year-old son's obsession with firemen and animals by taking him on a fire truck tour after lunching at the Rainforest Cafe. I've never seen my lil guy sit still longer, smile wider or be so wiped out at the end of an adventure. I'm fairly certain he will remember this year as one that was momentous for more than just becoming a big brother. Did you do something special with your child before they became a sibling?