StoryWorth is a Mother's Day Gift that Keeps on Giving

 By Meg Brunson

My kids love hearing my mom and I tell them stories about when we were little.  Often times I think about what stories my Dad would tell if he were still alive, wishing he had left some sort of a memoir. So, when I discovered StoryWorth a couple of weeks ago, it only took a moment before I knew this would be an amazing gift for my entire family.  Perfect for Mother's Day, I quickly purchased a subscription for my Mom. I decided to also include a subscription for my stepfather, not only has he been a positive influence in my life since I was 15, he is the only Grandpa my kids know! 

StoryWorth is a unique subscription service that collects stories from loved ones and creates a book preserving those memories for generations.  

Over the course of the next year, my mom and step-dad will receive one email per week asking them a question.  Their task is simple, hit "reply" and answer the question with a story. When they hit send, the story is saved automatically into our StoryWorth account, allowing them to go back and edit or upload pictures to accompany the story - and it's also emailed directly to me. StoryWorth allows you to send the email to any recipients you want to receive your story, and I did consider sending them to my sister, but ultimately decided to keep them coming only to me at this point (I'll tell you why in a minute!).  

Each subscription includes one storyteller and one book, and when you purchase two subscriptions you are given the option to combine the stories into one book and receive two copies of the same book.  That is what we decided to do!  At the end of the year, we will receive two professionally bound hardcover books full of the stories from both my mom and step-dad.  My sister doesn't know it yet (unless she reads this article first), but she will receive a copy of the book next year as a gift - I know she will love it!

I can already see so many great ways to use this subscription service: 

• Mother's Day/Father's Day/Grandparent's Day/Birthday/Christmas/Etc. - a gift for a loved one to share their stories with future generations
• Weddings - a gift for a loved one to share stories related to lasting love 
• Baby Showers - a gift for a loved one to share stories with a new mom-to-be
• Graduation - a gift for a loved one to share stories about work and success
• Enlistment/Deployment - a gift for a loved one to share stories about serving our country
• Just Because - life is unpredictable, so getting stories from your loved ones preserved for a lifetime doesn't require a special occasion.  

StoryWorth has pre-written questions in the categories of family, school, military, parenting, and more, questions to fit every situation!  They also provide you with the ability to compose your own questions as well.  I opted to go through in one shot and select all of the questions I wanted to receive stories about, excluding categories that did not apply to them (they weren't in the military, for example), and then I chose my favorite questions from the relevant categories.  I had no issue getting up to 52 questions (one for each week of the year) and although I went over on my first time through, I found it a relatively simple process to narrow the questions down to 52.  

I received the first of my mom's stories via email this past weekend.  The question was "Where did you go on vacation as a child?"  And I was surprised that it was a story I was unfamiliar with myself!  I loved reading about the adventures that my mother took with my grandparents - and my kids will love to look back on those memories as well.  

This is truly a gift for all involved.  My mom and stepdad love being able to reflect on unique questions about their past and preserve their memories for generations to come.  I am loving reading the emails bit-by-bit as they are written.  And I can not wait to present the finished product to my unsuspecting sister next year!  Find out more about StoryWorth, and start your storytelling experience today, HERE.

 © 2017 Meg Brunson

Thanks to StoryWorth for sponsoring this review. All opinions expressed are my own. See more pictures and details on Facebook and Instagram!

Meg is a mommy blogger, Facebook marketer, and much more. She is a mom to four kids who live in Peoria, AZ and is the local Editor of KidsOutAndAbout Phoenix - helping parents and caregivers find free and affordable things to do with kids, out and about in Arizona. As a former Facebook employee, Meg remains a Facebook addict and handles KidsOutAndAbout.com's Social Media Marketing in addition to providing freelance services for other small businesses on how to best leverage Facebook as a part of their marketing strategy. Learn more about Meg at MegRyanne.com!