Before We Knew They Were Memories
A collection of stories about motherhood, childhood, and the ordinary moments that became memories.
Before We Knew They Were Memories began with the little stories I had kept through the years. These were ordinary moments from raising my two sons that evoked emotions in me. The funny things they said, the questions they asked, the routines we shared, and the moments that seemed so ordinary but felt precious to me then and more so now.
This book gathers those memories in words, photographs, and art. These are my way of holding on to a time in our lives before we even knew we would miss it.
About the Book
Before We Knew They Were Memories is a collection of 40 stories drawn from the ordinary, funny, tender, and sometimes chaotic moments of raising two boys.
Set largely during our family’s years in Seoul, South Korea, the stories revisit childhood through a mother’s eyes – from bedtime conversations and endearingly little mispronunciations to books, prayers, tantrums, growing independence, and all those seemingly insignificant moments that, over the years, become the ones we remember most.
Accompanied by personal photographs and artwork, the book is both a record for my sons and a reflection on something every parent eventually discovers: we rarely know which ordinary moments will become precious memories until they already have.
The anecdotes in these pages are about my sons, but these are moments every parent will recognize. In many ways, these are your stories as much as they are ours.
Inside the Book
A glimpse inside the pages, where stories, photographs, and art come together to preserve the ordinary moments of family life.
Book Details
Before We Knew They Were Memories
by Wendyflor Palomo
40 stories
Coffee-table book
Stories, photography, and original artwork
Softcover / Paperback · 112 pages · 2026
ISBN 978-621-06-7001-1
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Reader Reviews
Have you read Before We Knew They Were Memories? I’d love to hear what stayed with you.
The book is very inspirational, good idea to collect the memories of what were happening in life especially in our family. Wendy is very good story teller that made me hooked up on the book for hours….
thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback, Meita:-)
As a friend of Wendy’s for quite some time now, I’ve always admired both her creative spirit and her commitment to motherhood. In “Before we knew they were memories,” she translates both onto the printed page. Each and every story is packed with emotions that you can pick out from the seemingly insignificant memories you form during your daily life as a mother.
As I read, I found myself chuckling and smiling ear to ear as I related to her experiences, giving me the opportunity to reflect on the moments throughout my motherhood journey that I resonate with and treasure the most.
I commend Wendy on her success and publication, as well as her effortless storytelling that encapsulates the joy of family life that many of us hold so close to our hearts.
I am so happy to hear the stories resonated with you. Indeed, these are every parent and every mother’s story. Thank you very much for your support, Widya.
I didn’t expect a small book like this to hit me so hard. “Before We Knew They Were Memories” captures exactly the kind of moments we tend to overlook — bedtime chats, silly family moments, ordinary afternoons. It shows how they quietly become the things we hold onto forever. Wendyflor Palomo has a gentle, warm way of writing that made me pause and think about my own little family. I found myself tearing up more than once. This is a wonderful selection of real-life anecdotes that will remind you to treasure (and document) the everyday.
Thank you, Karen. I truly appreciate your feedback and I’m glad to know it made you pause and think about your own family. This is really what the book aims.