Well, I tend to write a LOT on every page (my CMC calls me the journaling queen). But I do do exactly what you said - do a bunch of pages, minus the journaling, and then go back and journal later. But I also don't even THINK of any captions while I'm designing the page. When it comes time to actually journal, I take out my ruler (to draw very faint pencil lines which are later erased) and all of my pens and sit at the kitchen table and just write. Some pages get more than others - I just have more to say about some events. And I do have some pages that have nothing more than a basic caption under each picture telling where, who, and when (ie, Katherine, 9 months old, Sept. 98 at town pool, or whatever). You don't have to be witty or write novels. My basic train of thought is to cover the 5 "w's" -- who, what, where, when, and why (and sometimes even throw in the how!!). Every page is different so every page has different styles. There's no right or wrong way.

Go back to those pages later, when you're more relaxed. Now you're stressing yourself out about it and you'll find it even harder. If you give yourself some time to NOT think about it, it will all come flooding back to you. You'll see. :)

I tend to write an awfully lot for some pages also. (But then, it wouldn't really seem like me if there wasn't a lot of *talking* LOL) There are some pages where I have just covered the basics. There are lots of sections though too, where I have added a page that has NOTHING but journaling about the page opposite it! One of my most favourite pages in all of my albums is where I have journaled an entire 12x12 page about our elderly neighbour, his strawberry fields and how he was my oldest son's very first best friend. I also journaled about his life, and when he became an angel. My ds STILL loves to read his Grampa Jack story!!

I think if you post things that are humourous, that thats important too!! It is obviously a real key to your personality!! I think its wonderful!!
~Mar~

I have a love/hate relationship with journaling. I love to read it and hate to write it. LOL I usually try and do the journaling the same time I do the pages, but sometimes I am at a ( I know you guys won't believe this part but) loss for words. LOL Penny

Some people don't like to journal because they hate their hand writing. I am one of those people. I would rather use sticker letters on the page then to put my own writing on it. I tend to get tense when writing and make mistakes. I do better when I am relaxed and my handwriting is better as well. Here a suggestion. If you are not up to physically writing on your page, keep a little note pad handy. When you come up with something you want to put on that page, write it down. I use post-it notes and I stick it on the page so I know where it goes. Then I journal when I feel up to it. Or you can type it into the computer and print it out on acid free paper.

I like to journal, but only when I use the computer. When I am using my own handwriting, I don't write as much. I think it's because my handwriting takes up too much space and doesn't look as nice. So I reserve my handwriting for little photo captions, and my nice long narratives are typed and printed out.

I love journaling. My pages are filled with journaling.

I went to visit my parents, and my mother had some boxes filled with papers and photos. Underneath a lot of old newspaper clippings were captions written by my grandmother who passed 15 years ago.

What a joy it was to see my grandmother's handwriting, and to see how much love she had to take the time to write something about her family in those captions.

Goodness, I hope someone in my family will appreciate my journaling someday.