Every night I sit down with three wall calendars and write the day’s highlights with my favorite purple Sharpie pen. The squares are tiny, so the information is short and sweet. I’ve been doing this since 1995 and now have a stack of calendars with all my favorite memories jotted down.

I have three calendars; one is for me and the other two are for my daughters. My mom unknowingly started this Christmas tradition years ago when she gifted me my first calendar for Christmas. I’ve always enjoyed writing but felt overwhelmed at the thought of needing to writing pages in a diary. I was also 12 years old when I started this tradition and most of my highlights for the day read, "played outside." I’m still amazed that 12-year-old me took the time to write in each block every night, but I’m so glad I did.

As I grew older, the tiny two-word entries evolved into actual moments that were too important for me to forget; my first crush, school dances, family vacations, the day a grandparent passed away, graduation, marriage, and babies being born. For me, I still didn’t need pages of entries; I just needed a tiny place to chronologically keep all of my memories.

When each of my girls were born, I started the daunting task of keeping a baby book. I did it and they each have one, but I honestly just transferred all of the highlights from my calendar to their baby book. After their first year, I decided to continue the Calendar Journal tradition with them.

Now, each Christmas they receive a calendar for the upcoming year. I write a little message on the very first page to welcome them to a brand-new year. I summarize the previous year’s highlights and accomplishments and then add what we’re looking forward to in the upcoming new year. We’re also a Navy family and move a lot, so I make sure to write down our current address too. This has been a lifesaver when I fill out school paperwork or need the zip code for the credit card machine at the gas pump.

I’ll tape pictures and movie stubs. I’ll trace tiny hands and let them doodle on the pages. I write down birthday and Christmas gifts; days the Tooth Fairy came and what the going rate for those baby teeth were. (Side note: The Tooth Fairy pays A LOT more when you're at the grandparents house).

Right now I’m in charge of writing in each of their little squares, but one day, I’ll turn over my purple pen to them and let them write their own memories.

My oldest daughter is six and my youngest is 17 months. We have hundreds of tiny squares filled with highs and lows and everything in between. As much I wish I could remember all these things, I just can’t. I’m human and half the time I don’t even know where my sunglasses are hiding.

One day my hands may be too unsteady to write such small letters in such tiny squares. Until then, I’m stocking up on purple pens and wall calendars and setting aside 15 minutes each night to write down all the priceless moments that my heart treasures.

For more, follow Katie on her website www.katieuncomplicated.com and on her Facebook page @katieuncomplicatedblog