Arg! even with the journal i can't remember

First, thank you for the warm welcome...
I have been trying to keep a dream journal, but when i wake up in the morning, i grab my note book and scribble down what i can remember, but i can barely remember anything. My entry this morning was "Helping the 7 drawves." that was all i could remember about the dream when i woke up, and now i have no idea what my dream was at all (its 11:30 at night for me). Yesterday morning i couldn't recall anything from my dream when i woke up. The morning before, all i could remember is someone saying that I get pickles in my food. I know those are kinda crazy, but i can't help what my dreams are... thats not the point.. anyway, how can i remember more from my dreams? The first ten minutes when i wake up i spend trying to remember my dream that i woke up from, and usually it all just flies away.
sorry for the long winded post, but can anyone help?

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The first ten minutes when i wake up i spend trying to remember my dream that i woke up from, and usually it all just flies away[/b]

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Do you do this after or before you grab the Dream journal? I suggest you stay in bed, think, and then get the DJ

here are my tips that might help

-While you fall asleep everynight say to yourslef everynight "I will remember my dream when i wake up" untill you fall asleep. do NOT let your thoughts stray from this
-Wake up repeatedly during the night and try to remember one dream at a time(this is supposed to work because you are waking up directly after a dream compared to waking up and remembering a multitude of dreams that you dreamt all night)
-Try some hypnosis. Im no expert, but maybe LDGuy's tutorial on the HILD might work for you. Instead of asking for Lucid dreams, ask for complete dream recall and/or being able to remember your dreams.

uhh..i think thats it, but im sure i missed something

I don't know how to wake up in the middle of the night, and i can't set an alarm for then. I know they said movement generally makes you forget dreams, but i have to move and shut off my alarm or dad will get mad at me. Also, just lying there trying to remember my dream without moving just makes me fall back asleep, so it sort of defeats the purpose. However, i can try telling myself that at night, and the hypnosis thing.. we'll see how that goes.

oh aren't i nice... forgive my rudeness, and thank you for the tips.

How long have you been keeping your journal? :|

I thought i mentioned this but i guess i didnt, but also tell your self as you are going to sleep "I will wake up after every dream" or something along those lines. Ive heard for other people that they usually wake up after every other dream.

you could also take pills if you want to increase it. They are perfectly safe and wont harm you. Pills are called B-6. Go take a look at the tutorials on more information on them. btw they are vitamins.

I'll try the telling myself thing, and if i can get to a store, i'll look for b-6.. probalby get it at walgreens... anyway, i've had the journal for 6 nights now... i dont know if thats long enough to expect good results, but its driving me nuts that i can't get this.... i'll try the tips though, thank you all

Give it more time. When I started my journal I was getting a dream every week or two. As you get further with your journal your recall will increase dramatically.

Everything that's been said is good. Another possible way to help remember dreams: take a nap for a couple of hours. The short sleep period is ideal for dream recall, since when you wake up from a nap you are just going out of REM. When I had time, I would sleep only sleep 5-6 hours in the night and plan on taking a nap during the day.

But basically keep it up girly. In time you'll get better. As someone who NEVER remembered my dreams, I've been able to record 2-3 dream per night semi-frequently.