by: Rondi Hillstrom Davis

The song says it all, "Hot Fun in the Summertime." Our summer was certainly full of fun: outdoor barbeques, neighborhood cookouts, making ice cream, 4th of July parades, a trip to grandpa's house, sleeping late, moving my oldest daughter into her first apartment… It never seems like the season is long enough to do everything we want to do.

Now that the summer is almost over, how do we preserve these memories? Take a few minutes before the busy routine of school begins to put together a family album of summer keepsakes. Whether it's in a scrapbook, photo album, or shoebox, these mementoes chronicle tidbits of family life that often become lasting traditions. Your kids will love showing friends and family how they spent their summer vacation.

Want a quick and easy way to make a time capsule of your summer vacation? Make a keepsake jar.

Find a large, clean, wide mouth jar (mayonnaise jars work well) to hold your treasures.

Paint and decorate the lid.

Gather together pictures, ticket stubs, sea shells, maps, souvenirs, pressed flowers or anything that has sentimental value from you summer vacation.

Write names and dates on the back of photographs. Place all of your items inside the jar. On brightly colored paper, write a few notes about each event. You may want to interview other family members for their thoughts as well.

Preserve your summer stories in a place of honor. Kids will enjoy getting their keepsake jar down to tell stories for many summers to come.

And, don't forget to snap a picture on the first day of school. We take a photograph in the same spot every year. My daughter is leaving for her first year of college. In the opening pages of her scrapbook are all of the pictures we had taken on the first day of school. From the scared preschooler with the little lamb name tag, to the confident, beautiful young woman she blossomed into, each picture was truly worth a thousand words.