Blog book

When I was about 10 years old, I started keeping a personal Journal regularly. About 11 years and 15 Journals later, I had my first child. With the new schedule of a mother plus the desire to somehow keep records of my daily life plus everything happening in the life of my baby, I stopped writing completely. I recorded random, sporadic entries over the next two years until I decided to start a blog. The blog has become my family Journal. It is where I record our big events, our daily happenings, funny stories and, mainly, just my best attempt at chronicling our life and the life of our three little boys. I love having it on the Internet for friends and family to read, but I miss the solid, hard copy, pull-it-off-the-shelf-and-read-it-anytime part of a Journal. And that is why I am make mine into a book. I'm sure a lot of you know about this already.  There are several different options out there to use.  Last year, I used blog2print. 

 I love having this book.  I like the size of it and that the back and front cover of the hardback book are fused to the book (no dust jacket). The picture quality is great. But, I had very limited options as far as editing. 

 Pretty much I typed in my blog address, it pulled in my entries into their book making software and the way is came up is that way it had to stay (this was a year ago, so it's possible that their software has improved).   

This year, I used blurb. 

 I downloaded their software, "Booksmart", typed in my blog address and it "slurped" in my blog.  Then, I could go through and edit the way the pages look.  I could make some with just pictures, enlarge pictures, move them around a bit, etc.

  I still don't have complete freedom with each page, as you are limited to the use of the page layouts they provide. But, there are lots of page layouts ...plenty to get the book the way you want it, I think.  My book was 112 pages, hardcover.  With shipping costs, this book was $48.  To me, I didn't hesitate to pay that to have a high quality family Journal, complete with pictures, printed and on our shelf. (And, for the record, I think my book from last year was almost the exact same price.)  I do them once a year.  I hope that we have this in our family forever. I hope that when my boys want to reminisce and remember something about their childhood, this is what they will pull off the shelf.