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I carry post-its in my planner - which goes with me wherever I go. When I have an idea or thought that I don't want to forget, I jot it on a post-it and stick it in my planner. Then I can stick the post-it with pictures or supplies I want to use, and come back to when I have the time!

When I am journaling I think of what I would be telling someone looking at the page. I also try to write a letter sometimes.
I like the idea of answering my own questions about the page.
When there is something private or truth I add a hidden journaling in the design :)

I buy a file-it calendar each year, where each month has the calendar on the outside and a file pocket on the inside. I write brief thoughts, events, quotes on the calendar so that I can remember when things happened, and throw in memorabilia, longer notes in the pocket.

I'm loving using the 4 by 6 "Share and Tell" journaling cards from Pebbles inc. They are super cute and colorful and big enough to tell a story. Plus, they are lined which is super helpful to keep it neat looking. Love them!

I love "Post-its" notes, I write a thought or two about the photos that I want to scrap and stick it on the back of the photos...so when it comes time to scrap it...I have the dates and memory with the photo.

With most of my pages, I like to include the whole story. I've evolved from my earlier scrapbooking days where I'd have a title and then the names of the people. I like to tell the story and the feelings. If I don't have room on a page, I'll usually make sure there is a place to tuck it in or use a flap to place it under. As I go back through my pages/books, I enjoy the ones with more text the most - it helps me remember and will be a treasure for future generations.

I have a couple-
1- put captions on photos when I upload them to my computer (funny story, names of people, where we were, what was going on)
2- blog the story that way it'll be there when I get to it. I also use Facebook Status for this too.
3- journal before heading to a crop, that way you come home with your pages done rather than needing "just one more thing"

Always speak YOUR truth, speak from your heart and be very authentic. If your are journaling for yourself then speak in that voice, if you are journaling for your children, speak to them and if it for others, do likewise.

I keep an extra journal in the car, so when I have to sit and wait for my 4 children to arrive back from "whereever" they've been, I can write down the latest "snippets" of our life! It also works great for page ideas, or lists I need to make!

Just do it! Your memory will become fuzzier over time and if your kids are small, then they probably won't remember it at all. Write something -- as simple as you want -- so the memory is preserved!

My sister got me this cool 5 year diary - http://www.amazon.com/5-Year-Diary-Black-Cover/dp/0977648133 very short daily entries supplemented by blog posts related to the pictures help me remember the event & start the storytelling juices flowing.

When on a vacation, carry a small notebook and jot down names of places(lakes, canyons, waterfalls, etc.), names of restaurants you liked, anything specific to help you remember the trip - it not only is great for your pages but helps if you ever go back and wonder what was the name of that place we visited we liked...

Seems most of us agree -- write it down right away. I try to put it in one of the two or three note books i have for this purpose. If i use a piece of paper, I put it inside one of the books or even attach it to a page, so as not to loose it. And sometimes pictures and photos do not match, but I don't care too much :)

I love to journal using a quote from my daughter. Kids seem to say the funniest things and I want to remember those and tell those stories for her.

Use your pictures to inspire the emotion or feelings of that moment in time and look beyond the who, what, when, where and why sometimes to connect to something else about that moment...
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my best tip for journaling is to talk to yourself. Out loud. It may feel silly at first but if you tell yourself the story out loud a couple time you really start to get your voice. Saying it the way you do in real life.

Use their own words. Or in the case of a pet, object or baby, think about how they would see it.

I try to make my journaling mean something...not just "hey we went here today and had a great time" I want to put more into it...it's not always easy, but looking back I appreciate it more.

Sometimes, I use song lyrics/song titles for my journaling. I am obsessed with music, so there is usually one that fits. I was doing my cousins album, so I'd guess what year the pic was from and search for the top 100 songs of the year. I made a mini book in the back of her 12X12 with lyrics from Tom Petty's "American Girl". Tom says it better than I could! :-)

Do your journaling when you are doing your page, or you will never get your journaling done.