We are all guilty of it. Clicking away! Cell phones make it so easy to capture every moment everyday.  We are quick to snag pictures of our children being goofy, playing sports or having a sweet moment with a sibling. You may snap a picture just because they walked in the room with an adorable kids-like-to-dress-themselves ensemble that you MUST share with your friends and family. We take so many pictures of our children, fur babies and family but what do you do with the aftermath of the digital mess?  The hundreds, and on my phone dare I say, TENS OF THOUSANDS of images, just sit.

My advice and what I want to share with you today is, print them! Well, that’s easy to say, right?  And when do you find the time?  And then there are all the options of where to go!  Phew, it’s overwhelming I know. So, where do you begin? Here’s a fairly easy guide for you to follow and my own personal method!

First let me say, much like your bills and mail, your digital pictures are definitely something you need to sort through and stay on top of monthly. Get rid of the shots that aren’t good and start printing some, not necessarily all, that remains. Perhaps you are asking yourself right now, but where would I print them?

There are so many options but here’s a few worth mentioning:

1-Mpix. This is a great company for you to use to print off loose images or other fun novelty items. The quality is excellent as they are affiliated with a national pro lab many of us photographers use.

2-Shutterfly. They are always offering deals and coupons and they have cute photo books and calendars among other items you can order.

3-Groovebook. Another neat item where you select the pics on your phone you like best (100 per book), click upload and in about 2 weeks you have a flip book of images that runs about $2.99 per month. The downfall to this is you have to stay on top of doing it monthly and if not, you get billed anyways.

4-Chatbooks. I have not used this company but hear great things. The format and quality is higher quality than groovebooks. Check them out too!

5-Digital picture frame. They are a neat option to have some of your favorite images rotating. Its also an excellent gift idea for the spouse who gets landlocked into a small cubby or workspace and has limited space to share pictures.

6-Wall galleries.  When you hire a photographer, or score some amazing images on your own, a wall gallery is in order. These collages could be done as canvas or in a set of symmetrical, matching frames or as an eclectic mixture of frames, can make a gorgeous display of art in your home. Pinterest will blow your mind with options.  This takes time to pull together but is definitely worth it.  Your family photos are your homes own artwork.

6-Christmas tree ornament.  Another cute novelty item you can get from some of those multi-purpose print companies. I try to make an ornament each year with a few favorite images (front and back) and photoshop the year on and voila!  An instant memory. I imagine when my children are grown and are decorating their own family tree and they pull these vintage ornaments out of their box and say, “Oh my gosh, look Molly. This was mommy and Uncle so and so or Aunt Jane from over 30 years ago!” What a neat item to pass down through generations. Right? Here’s one I have done for my family. This is printed on metal and has a ribbon to hang.

But when do you find the time?  Simplify the process and try to keep to a schedule.  There are app’s for your phone images or upload from your computer and file them by month that way you could have quick access to your favorites at any time. For any of your tech-saavy family members, ask for this as a gift! Hand them over some images and if they are stuck looking for a gift idea have them make you a little photo book. My mom does this for me for every vacation, child’s birthday and my favorite….the “year in review.” They seriously are treasured items in our house. My children absolutely LOVE looking back on past birthdays…..always with a lot of questions, laughter and reminiscing.

In all seriousness though…..

print YOUR pictures.

Throw them in a box. Just like our parents did and our grandparents before us.

This digital era we are so reliant on could be deleted, wiped away, gone forever, so easily. So, start small and build as you go! You will love having these images years later and your children will be grateful.