Do you have memories of Polaroid photos when you were a kid? My father in law tells stories of coming home from work when Simon was a baby, and my mother-in-law had a series of Polaroids laid out showing the events of the day. Isn’t that sweet?

As a little girl in the early 1980s, I have a very distinct memory of finding a Polaroid camera in my grandmother’s cabinet and excitedly snapping a few photos and then finding that foil-wrapped pack of unexposed film. Waving them in the air to expose them, I couldn’t wait to see that blown-out image murkily appear.

I haven’t used an instant camera in ages, but I stumbled on these Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 cameras (so many colors!)  at Michael’s last week and promptly ordered one on Amazon (for half the price — sheesh, Michael’s, price gouge much?).  I love the instantaneous delivery of the photo (so necessary in our gimme-it-now world, is it not?) and the parallel slowing-down it requires to shoot an image. No snapsnapsnap of an iPhone where the storage is practically limitless — a film camera requires a certain restraint.

Plus the thing is just so darn cute. When I got it in the mail, I promptly opened it up and loaded the film and called Jude in to watch it spit out the photo. But I had to quickly remind him to shoot wisely… because the film runs out!

Anyway, super fun and I highly recommend getting one to toss in your bag. Besides, when our great grandkids look through old pictures, don’t you think they need some good ol’ Polaroids to peer at?

GRAB THEM HERE: