When you look at families, you’ll notice that (most of the time) mothers are the memory makers, keepers, and sharers of the family. We’re the ones taking the pictures, and that’s why we’re not in very many. We’re also the ones who make the photo albums that tell our family’s stories. We create and maintain family traditions, and we make family holiday cards. Mothers are the ones who preserve the family history and keep our memories alive.
Now that I am a mother, I noticed that even though we have our smartphones and can easily document every moment of our family’s lives, many of us (myself included) are actually printing fewer pictures than ever before. The more that I thought about that, the more it hurt my heart. In this digital age, we have instant gratification when taking a picture. We no longer have to wait for our film to be developed and printed to see our images. Today, we immediately see the images that we take, and they are instantly stored in our phones.
When I thought about it, I realized that our generation is losing the practice of printing, sharing, and enjoying our memories. Let’s be honest . . . After you’ve captured a moment with a picture, how often do you and your family really look at it and relive that memory? If you’re like me, hardly ever . . .
When I was a little girl, there were pictures all over the house. People would carry photos of their kids in their wallets. Memories and images of our loved ones surrounded us. And I loved it. I loved hearing the stories. I loved walking into a friend’s house and seeing pictures of their family at different stages of life. And I loved flipping through my family’s old photos. I still do. As you get older, those images become more precious and priceless because you realize that it’s not the stuff that matters in life. It’s the time spent together and the memories created along the way.
An Effort to Remember, Enjoy, and Preserve Life’s Precious Memories
There’s really something different and magical about holding a photograph compared to looking at a digital image on a phone or desktop. Yes, they both serve the same purpose and transport you to a moment in time, but, for me, touching the piece of printed art feels more nostalgic. More sentimental. And far more precious. Holding photographs is like holding your history and preserving your memories. Memories that might have otherwise been forgotten. And, unfortunately, as I look at my home, there aren’t very many pictures. Sure, there are a couple of framed photos from my wedding day and my son’s newborn shoot, but we just aren’t printing and sharing our memories like the generations before us did. I want my son to also be surrounded by our experiences. This is why I want to do better and print more of our family’s photos to enjoy–not just the weddings or vacations, but the beautiful little moments in between too . . . The time baby fell asleep on my chest, bath time when they ate spaghetti-o and had it all over them when they put on your shoes and walked around the house, and so many more beautiful moments.
I’ve tried several printing companies in the past, but I’ve never been able to keep up with printing my photos. I was looking for something new. I wanted to see if I could find a printing company that would make it easier for me to print, that would help remind me to print my pictures, and (of course) that would print my photos beautifully. I then found Mootsh.
Pronunciation: müsh\
Mootsh is pronounced moo-sh
When I did my research, I discovered that Mootsh was founded by two mothers, Noemie and Gratiane, entrepreneurial French natives who now reside in Venice Beach, California. They, too, had come to the astonishing realization that they had hardly any printed photos of their young children. They were taking more photos than ever before but had hardly printed a single image! It felt good to know that I wasn’t the only mom who had forgotten to print our family memories. The problem for Noemie and Gratiane was they felt that none of the current printing services were truly serving mothers, which is why they created Mootsh and their Mootsh Membership.
Mootsh is helping families document and collect life’s best memories consistently. Whether it’s important milestones or the beautiful little moments in between, they believe that the photos we print tell the stories of our lives. And I couldn’t agree more.
How it Works
1. Set Up My Mootsh Membership
I first created my Mootsh membership account, which took just a couple of minutes. The membership is $16 a month, automatically renews on the first of each month, and grants you 10 photo credits (1 photo credit = 1 print) every month. No worries, you can pause a month or cancel at any time. It includes free shipping within the United States–an extra shipping cost applies for destinations outside the U.S.– and satisfaction is guaranteed! With your membership, you then have access to your My Mootsh account. This is your personal account on their website, where you can upload your photos on desktop or mobile and place your order.
*Also, if you sign up here, you will receive the first month for only $1! A special offer for our Baby Chick readers! Thank you, Mootsh! 🙂
2. Choose My Favorite Photos
Once I set up my account, I then had to decide my first month’s 10 favorite photos.
It may seem difficult to choose only 10 (and I certainly couldn’t, so I had to buy an additional 5 images for $0.85 per print), but I like that each month, you print just 10 of your absolute favorite pictures—not 50, not 100, just 10—the moments that truly spark joy.
3. Upload My 10 Favorites to My Mootsh Account
After choosing my top 10, I then upload those images to My Mootsh account. I like how I can upload the images all at once or upload a couple at a time, save them and then later finish uploading my final choices. This service really makes it effortless to keep up with your favorites and actually print them each month, creating lifelong memories.
One reason why I am choosing Mootsh is that each month, Mootsh will remind you to select your 10 favorite photos. Us moms have enough on our mind and can hardly remember what we had for breakfast. Or if we had breakfast . . . so I’m glad that Mootsh reminds me to take a moment and print out the joy in my life. So if you forget and suffer from mom brain, no problem! Their photo print membership has been designed to help us consistently select and collect the best memories of our lives.
And if you still haven’t found the time to order your photos, your unused photo credits will roll to the next month. 🙂
4. Collect My Most Precious Memories
Once I have placed my order, my photos are printed on archival photographic paper and shipped to my doorstep within 2 to 5 business days. They arrive in a protective glassine envelope tucked securely in a thick paper sleeve, ensuring their longevity for years to come.
The sleeve includes an area for notes as well as a thumbhole window designed to display the contact sheet’s month and year. I also really like that the prints are automatically organized in their packaging. Archiving is basically made easy, so I can keep track and stay organized for years to come.
The whole process has been so easy, manageable, and incredibly gratifying. Printing little by little is much less overwhelming and stressful than waiting a year (or even years!) to print my photos. Plus, it alleviates the guilt that comes from letting them sit in my Dropbox folder. And may I also mention that the print quality is phenomenal. Far better than the other printing services I’ve used. The colors, the finish . . . these are prints that I am proud to show off and share with others.
Family Heirlooms Everyone Can Afford
So why am I summoning moms to start printing more of their family’s memories? I want us to remember the big little moments. I want us to remember what our babies look like right now. And I want us to look at and remember their first days of life. Because the cliché saying is so true . . . When you become a mother, the days are long, and the years are short. You’ll one day look at your child and wonder how they grew up so fast. So surrounding ourselves with today’s moments will one day become the memories of the good ol’ days.
Another reason? If we don’t print our pictures, our children will not be able to appreciate them or reclaim their own memories in the future. Digital files are also far less likely to be shared and looked at over time.
What’s the best part of making this a new habit? Little by little, a powerful visual story of my life and my family’s life begins to unfold. A story that just gets better and stronger with time. There really is no other word that I can think of than magic.
The Gift of Memory
If you want to share the love of memories, gifting a Mootsh membership is probably one of the most sentimental and thoughtful gifts you could get. It’s a perfect gift for a new graduate embarking on adulthood, a newlywed couple as they start their lives together, and especially a newly expecting mom as she documents her growing belly and growing family! By gifting the opportunity to another person to document their journey, you are offering them the opportunity to take the time to reflect on their life in a beautiful way. You help them take a moment to select their most cherished photos and turn them into precious memories for their family for a lifetime.
So, let’s celebrate motherhood and the moments that make it beautiful by printing and bringing them to life today.
