As I get older, time seems to be getting faster. Don’t you feel the same? I remember when I was at school, a year was like a lifetime. However, now as a grown-up with three kids of my own, it feels like Christmas was just yesterday and yet Mother’s Day is around the corner. I’m spinning on that hamster wheel and the days just pass in a blur.

So what’s my Mother’s Day wish? Well, it’s for time to stand still – just so I can savour those moments, enjoy my kids’ giggles and take a few deep breaths. Ok, I know there’s nothing I can do to actually stop the clock ticking but I do have a good idea as to how to pause time and capture those special memories for good.

This year, my Mother’s Day resolution is to find ways to catch those moments and turn them into memories, just for those times when life seems to be running away faster than you can catch up.

Here are my Top Five Tips To Capture Those Precious Memories:

1) Make A Photo Wall

How many of you have had ‘make a photobook’ on your to-do list for months or even years? I’ve got hundreds of pics stored on my phone but finding time to actually make a photo album is just impossible. Plus with so many photos, the best ones all get lost amongst the mass of photo clutter that takes over your camera roll.

Well, you are all going to love my new discovery.

It’s a portable wireless printer which can easily fit into your handbag or your back pocket and prints out instant photo prints from your phone or Facebook, Instagram or Flickr via Bluetooth. How cool is that?

So what I’ve started doing is printing out my favourite pics when I’m out and about and when I get home, I pop the pics onto our photo wall. The pics even have a sticky-backing so they’re easy to fix on any surface. And the printer uses some sophisticated thermal printing technology so there is no ink involved.

My kids think this printer is the most amazing invention ever and it’s the most requested gift on their birthday list. And our photo wall is becoming a beautiful way to store our memories.

You can make your own photo wall using the HP Sprocket Plus, which is available in white, black or red and is fully portable making it perfect for festivals, parties, at the office or at home! Available at hp.com.au/sprocket and www.jbhifi.com.au. It’s also available in JB Hi-Fi stores.

2) Do An Interview

With Mother’s day coming up, I am thankful that I still have my mum in my life to cherish. So this year, I’m going to do something a little different. I’m going to interview my mum and ask her those questions that I’ve always been curious about but have always been too busy to ask:

So what was your secret in bringing up three kids without going nuts?
What was the best thing you ever did as a mum?
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?

If your mother has passed away, you could always interview a person who was close to her and knew her well: an aunt or uncle, your dad or an older sibling. Maybe they will reveal tidbits of details that you never knew.

Write down or type the answers so you can keep those memories alive.

You could also interview other special people in your life – your partner, your siblings and your kids and make an interview book that is interesting for the whole family to read.

3) Capture Your Kid’s Drawings

My kids love getting creative and I have folders of artwork that they’ve made, from the time they were able to hold a texta. Sadly, the artworks have just become dust-collectors and they usually get stored under my bed until I remember that they’re there. Sometimes I’ve used the drawings as wrapping paper but generally, I can’t bear to let them go.

So this year, I’ve decided to take photos of their art and then print them out instantly using my amazing HP Sprocket Plus. The prints are nice and compact – 2.3 x 3.4-inch (5.8 x 8.6-cm) so they’re the perfect size to put into a flip photo album to keep or because the prints have a sticky-back, I thought I’d stick them into a notebook to make a showcase of their creativity. So easy! The photos are also smudge-proof, water resistant, and tear-resistant making them more durable than a regular print-out.

4) Make A Video

If you’re feeling creative (and have a bit more time on your hands), why not make a video, which is a perfect way to capture family memories. All you need to do is use your phone to take short video clips. Perhaps you can interview your parents, kids and siblings and ask them fun questions about themselves. Get your kids to do a dance or tell a joke and capture it all using your phone.

If you want to bring your mum to (happy) tears, take videos of family members saying what they love most about your mum. Then put the clips together (there are many free and easy to use apps to stitch video clips together) and show this to your mum on Mother’s Day. This does take a bit more effort but it really is a beautiful way to preserve memories.

5) Get a Selfie Stick

Selfie sticks are not only for tourists! In fact, this accessory is on my list for Mother’s Day pressies this year. If I look through my photos, there are heaps of my kids doing all sorts of things. But out of the hundreds of kiddy photos, there may be one or two with the whole family. When my kids are adults, I want them to look back at our adventures and not only see themselves but their mum and dad as part of the fun too. So we’re going to get a selfie stick to take along with us so that we can capture family memories, with all of us in the picture. And then I can print out the pics on the go with my HP Sprocket Plus, so they don’t get lost or forgotten.

So these are my top 5 tips to stop time for a moment and keep those memories safe. What are your tips to capture your family’s precious memories?

Mother’s Day Special Offer – Sprocket Limited Edition Gift Box

The perfect gift for Mum this Mother’s Day – already wrapped! Treat Mum to a Limited Edition Sprocket Gift Box, and give the gift of turning beautiful moments into printed memories. Easily print photos from your smartphone or tablet. Make time with Mum more memorable with instantly shareable 2×3 inch snapshots or stickers of every fun-filled moment.

Sprocket Limited Edition Gift Box includes:

• HP Sprocket Photo Printer (White)
• HP ZINK™ Sticky-Backed Photo Paper (10-sheets) + HP ZINK™ Sticky-Backed Photo Paper (50-sheets)
• HP Sprocket Gold Wallet Case; Mother’s Day Card
• Setup card; Micro USB Cable; Regulatory Sheet

Only $219. Buy it online now from HP, JB HiFi Online or in-store at JB Hi-Fi.

This article was commissioned by the team at HP as part of the HP Sprocket Plus Awareness campaign. The MoM editorial team compiled this article after using the HP Sprocket Plus Printer and realising that this product is the perfect solution to capture memories and would make a wonderful gift for mum on Mother’s Day.

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