A Thursday List.
1) I was asked if there was a story behind me almost hitting the owl.
Not really.
I had been out shopping with Daisy Mae. We were driving home. It was dark. I glanced to my left and saw a massive, winged creature soaring right towards my window. The wingspan was impressive. I think it was an owl, but what do I know?
I screamed really loudly and Daisy Mae was shaking the rest of the way home, certain that I had had a heart attack.
And that, my friends, is the owl story.
2) I had meant to use this clever phrase in my owl story yesterday, but, alas I forgot.
It happens.
So, I shall share it now.
“Owl be darned.”
Hardy. Har. Har.
I’m sorry, that was lame.
I am without excuse.
3) Poor Little Dude. He is the youngest and suffers as a result of it.
Let’s examine this photo, shall we?
A) He is missing a sock. This is because I had to butter his foot in order to get it unstuck from a chair.
B) He is missing his pants. This is a result of big brother being a bully.
C) His shirt is too small. This is because his mother is lazy and slothful.
Let’s dig deeper.
Bloody lip. This is a result from that darn big brother bully again.
Who is a precious boy, I might add.
Red mark on ankle. This is a result from the aforementioned butter/stuck leg incident.
I texted my husband to tell him all about the adventure. Would you like to know his response?
“How much butter did you use?”
Dang, if that man isn’t uber cheap. And we don’t even use real butter.
4) Daisy Mae decided to take a silly picture of us.
The astute reader might notice that Handsome Dude is crossing his eyes.
I fear that is unintentional on his part.
Are you wondering where his glasses are?
You are not alone, my friends.
5) I spent yet another day trying to organize my house. Which begs me to ask of you, dear reader,
“How do you organize all the kids JUNK? Help. Especially all their excellent ‘crafts?'”
Would you like to hear a sad story?
I have never had a plan with kids coloring pages and artwork. So, I usually just throw away stuff during naptime.
Horrible, I know.
But there was a time in Daisy Mae’s life where she signed all of her creations with the word,
“HO”
Ha!
Lest any of you are confused, her name is not “HO.”
And I carelessly threw them all away, always thinking I would eventually save one.
But I didn’t. And then she figured out that her name is not “HO.”
Woe is me.
So, please. Someone give me a spectacular suggestion.
I will be waiting with bated breath.
Happy Thursday!
Take close up pictures of most of the artwork. Tuck away one every couple of months, toss the rest. I ahve a drawer for “special” stuff. I take the pictures, and then when I do the digital family scrapbook, I include the pictures with the artists name and date.
Shoot, you can even use the blog as a special place to preserve artwork as well. That is kinda what we are doing with Princess Hope’s special blog. You can get blogs printed out pretty easily. There are several services that will take your blog and turn it into a book for you.
We can’t keep it all. There would be no room in the house, for we do lots of “art”.
Put the art stuff in a sweater tub – the shallow kind, one for each kid then at the end of the year or their birthday, whatever once a year date works, go through and pitch some.
It will hold several years worth. You can offer to them when they graduate college/ move out/ get married and they will say I don’t want that junk.
You’re welcome.
I do the same here. Each child has a bin under their beds. I also takes photos of their special pieces and include it in their albums.
I do the same thing. I put them all in seperate boxes through the year and then sort through then and put them in a bigger tub, I also put other special things in as well, like thier going home outfit from the hospital, first halloween costume, etc.
oops…”have”… it has been a long day. I started packing and by default sniffing the lovely smell of those honkin’ black markers that I use to write lists on boxes. Oh, the fumes!!
We have a tub we keep for special art and report cards. The rest we just secretly throw away.
Mind you not a bathtub, but a rubbermaid container, much smaller in size.
1) Take detailed pictures of crafts, signatures, writing samples…etc.
2) Make a special craft scrapbook album for each child.
3) Place pictures in albums, label with the hilarious comments that only you can make so that later in life they can read your comments and howl with laughter.
4) Store pictures on CD so you have a back up.
5) Keep various “hardcopy” samples of flat artwork that will fit in album.
6) Toss the cluttery crafts away, ignoring the wails and shrieks of small fry in the house.
7) Do not ask me if I am organized enough to do this with my one child.
Best of luck!
First, anything they love and ask you to hang on your walls, you take into their rooms and pin it up there. Try to reserve this for stuff they really make. Next, have a box (they actually make art boxes for this purpose, but the aforementioned sweater box is fine too) and slip all the things that just pull at your heartstrings in there, things that strike you as truly special. Next, throw most of it away, and while you’re at it, throw out the guilt. Think of it this way, how much have you cared about all the stuff your parents saved from your childhood? It’s cute to see some favored things, but too much of it is just annoying; they won’t appreciate your having saved every little thing they ever made. And, be honest, it’s not all that great anyway. I feel I can say this because I was an art teacher. I gave the same advice to the parents of my students.
Throw things out while the kids aren’t looking. Keep telling them to make more stuff so they never notice. And whatever you do, don’t feel guilty. By the time the kids figure out that you didn’t save anything from their youth, you’ll be in the grave, and they’ll be cleaning out your house.
I am such a spirit-lifter, eh?
BTW, you wouldn’t have a handy-dandy 7-day lesson plan for juniors and seniors, would you? My brain is fried (hence my above comments), and I am in desperate need of something.
Wait.
I could always make them do crafts.
Wonder if I can find a State of Florida benchmark for that.
Hey, look at me. I am leaving a comment on your post for extra friend credits…
Just so you know – the youngest in the family always looks like that, and they end up being the most well adjusted of all the kids when they are adults. I can say that because I myself am a youngest. I loved the idea of taking pictures of their drawings – I so wish camera’s had been invented when my kids were young..
I don’t have much witty or relevant to say…just that you are super funny, and I love your perspective on your life. As exasperated as you must be at times you seem to be able to keep smiling. I admire that. 🙂
Christian always goes around with one sock on and one sock off, on purpose. He just likes it like that. We have also had a kid stuck in the slats of a chair, I think it was someone’s elbow though. Do not feel bad. You are not alone. 🙂
Except that MindyLou has an almost broken arm, I would expect her to have some really good advice here. I am on yet another plan for organization. The trouble is, that no matter how excellent the plan, I am somehow still expected to participate in its implementation. That sort of ruins it. Right now, we just have massive clean-up days once in a while and the kids throw away their own stuff. Apparently my hoarding issues are being passed on to them in the the form of “throw it away now before mom tries to keep it!!” PsychoMom Win!
Get a binder for each kid. Save one piece of artwork a month, date it and put it in the binder. When kids turn 18, hand them the full binder and tell them it’s time to move out. Or, follow calfkeepers advice, she seems to know what she’s talking about. HO
Where can I get a manicure like that?
I love the ‘take a picture’ suggestion. I had a bin for each child and saved bits and pieces. The bins weren’t really organized, just toss it in and they enjoy looking thru it. I did date things so I’d know how old they were when they created the piece.
I think the binder sounds good but in reality tossing it into a bin was way easier : )
I was with a friend at the park one day and her daughter somehow got her foot stuck in the park bench. The fire department had to come take the bench apart. I’m glad butter did the trick.
Nice view out that window!!
Also, I do believe Erin’s manicure comment deserves the COW.
Yeah. But I don’t understand the manicure comment. I didn’t speak of a manicure?
Sometimes I think Erin is Looney Tunes.
That owl must have really scared you… look at the pictures! 🙂
Happy Friday
I use totes for all the crafty things the kids do, but only for the super special ones. The others, I, too, throw away. I used to hide the fact that I threw the art that they spent several minutes on. Then, I just broke it down to them gently that I have to throw some away. We can’t have a house full of totes. I cannot be a hoarder. Although, I fear my 6 y.o. is a hoarder and it will be worse when I’m not there to encourage her to throw things away. I have daydreams of her future sometimes…I get scared.
i say take a picture, or scan them into your computer and make books on some online scrapbook source.
I throw mine away too. I do this because my mom saved ours and then one day, when I was grown, she presented me with a massive pile of my old papers.
And I did not care one bit and threw them all away.
So she saved for nothing. My poor, poor mama.
I have a tote with each kids name on and I save special things, that way I cann tuck it away under the bed and its not in the way. Love the owl story, funny!
I buy the plastic divided 13 slot envelope paper holder storage things at walmart when they are on clearance, (currently $2 at my walmart) and just stick the papers in there. I’m terrified to throw any of their art out, and I’m hoping to just use one of those things a year to hold everything. 🙂
My almost broken arm is better! FAIL! Why, you ask?? Because when it hurt and had to be in a sling for a week then my mommy came and took care of everything for me for a week. Looking back, it was heaven. She made me rest while she did my dishes, my laundry, cared for the children, and made meals. Besides the intense guilt I felt it was wonderful. But enough about me. I have a file I keep all my bills(that I’ve paid, mind you) in for the year, you know, all divided by month and stuff, and I choose the ones I really want to keep, and file them away till the end of the year with the bills. Then at the end of the year I go through them at the same time I go through all the other papers and it’s fun to see them and stuff. That’s all I got.
And just a quick sidenote…it’s been a few months since I’ve seen you in person–FAIL!!– and you look skinny, girl! Nicely done!
I threw most of my kids’ art projects away when they were little. I did that because they inherited their art ability from me, meaning their projects were pretty bad. But somehow Joel managed to hang onto six, count them, SIX of his handmade Christmas tree decorations. They are all huge, and he insists on putting them at the very front of the tree. But he is not twelve and can handle a little disappointment, so I told him only one on the front and scatter the rest around the tree. Then I put the rest in the back after he went to bed that night. I am a horrible mother. And yet my children survive. But I fear they will write no poems in my honor. And if they did, I probably threw them away. Oops! : )
I meant he is “now” twelve. Sorry!
Neil always made his lower case e’s backwards. When I corrected him he listened, unbothered then said: “Well, that’s how I make my e’s”. That kid never had a self-esteem problem, no sir. I remember when she always used T for C. Let’s go in the tamp trailer and have tookies, it’s tozy. One day she’ll just grow out of it. I say save everything because you don’t know what to save just yet. Put it safely in the shed or barn or whatever you call it. In five years, go through each item, lay them all out and choose the most precious, most revealing, most representative for when their kids are learning and you will be glad you did. It may be uber important when they grow up to be teachers, famous artists, writers, Congressmen etc or when they become parents which is the most important job of all. Very cute to have a tape recorder of their little voices. Also important is what each liked to play and pretend. I think Owl be Darned is hilarious.