Dealing With Kid Paper Clutter

Despite schools adopting more technology and digital instruction, there was still quite the avalanche of papers that came home daily with my kindergartners this school year.  As someone who doesn't like a lot of clutter, I made it my mission to stay on top of all the school papers this year.  I wanted to get some systems and routines in place that I can stick to throughout the rest of their school careers.  Having those routines and systems in place will cut down on some of the daily decision-making that can overwhelm me.

The first thing I have my kids do when they come home is to hang up their backpacks.  Adam added this set of hooks before the kids started preschool and they are still just as pretty and functional as the day he installed them.  After I get the kids settled with a snack, I go through their backpacks.  As they get older, they can do this step themselves.  But as kindergartners, I just do this for them.  I immediately put their lunch trays in the dishwasher and their lunch bags in the cabinet.  Then I take care of allllll the papers.  Lyla neatly placed all her papers in her folder each day, whereas Archer just wadded up his papers and shoved them in his bag.

 

From there, I put the papers in one of four places.  For papers that I needed to reference at a later date (like class newsletters, flyers about upcoming school events, or papers with login information) I clipped on the side of the refrigerator.  I just got two heavy duty metal magnetic clips and wrote each kid's name on one in Sharpie.  This way, I always knew where to find the important papers.  

Any schoolwork or artwork, I clipped onto our metal clothesline that lives in our kitchen.  I put this up when the kids were just babies and kept ripping their artwork off of the fridge.  It continues to be a great way to showcase all their creativity.  Since we can see it from our kitchen table, it serves as great talking points during dinner.  Adam and I can ask about their pieces and it helps jog the kids' memories about what they did in school each day.   

The other two places I put their daily papers in is the trash can or the recycle bin.  Sometimes we wound up with other kids' work or flyers that didn't really apply to us.  So those items immediately went into the recycle bin (paper, cardboard) or trash (things with stickers,tape or glitter can't be recycled.)

Eventually, our clothesline would get pretty full so I would pull everything down and sort through it.  I kept only the most precious items and threw away or recycled the rest.  Those few precious items went into a file box I keep in each of the kids' closets.  I put a file folder for each grade to keep just a few items for me to look through in the future and for the kids to have when they are older if they want them.  My mom asked me awhile back if I wanted several boxes of schoolwork of mine she saved and I just didn't.  I am not a sentimental person and just didn't want more stuff.  So keeping a small file box per kid seems manageable for me.  As I added more items to the file box, I would often get rid of items I had previously saved.  There is probably about 7-10 pieces I saved per kid from their kindergarten career.  One other thing I did was make up a sheet for each kid where I could include their picture and record their school, teacher, friends, favorite subject, favorite part of school, what job they want when they grow up and a place for their signature.  

Those simple steps really helped to combat all the school clutter this year.  It worked well, so I plan to continue when they move into first grade in the fall.  I'm sure this summer they will be creating far more artwork.  To manage all the artwork they create here at home, we have two places for them to keep their creations.  They each have an "art box" in their closet which is just a plastic lidded bin.  If it gets full, they have to go though it to make space for new creations. 

They also each have some wood strips with clips that Adam whipped up for them in their rooms.  They can display anything they want on here.  If definitely helps the kids to have some physical boundaries for places they can put their creations.  I'm sure as they get older and want to add posters to their walls, we'll revisit what we're doing now.  But as kids who can easily end up with twenty pages of artwork each day, this helps us to keep from drowning in paper.  And at this stage, their artwork is more about the process than the finished product.  I certainly encourage their creativity and provide lots of opportunities to make lots of different types of artwork.  

Hopefully these ideas can help out others who might be drowning in stacks of paper on their kitchen counters.  Best of luck to you in this never-ending battle against paper clutter!  

The LEGO Invasion

Archer has a newfound love for LEGOs.  And they are quickly taking over my floors.  There's nothing quite like a LEGO being shoved into your foot as you take an innocent walk across your living room.  Those pesky clear pieces blend right in!  And even if you think you are thorough in picking up all the pieces, there's always a rogue one that gets left out and manages to end up right in your walking path.    

The invasion started slowly, but has ramped up rather quickly.  A couple years ago, Adam gave the kids a small box of LEGOs that were from his childhood.  There weren't that many and he picked some of the larger pieces.  It was easy enough to pick up all the pieces and put them away when the kids were finished playing with them.  Since Archer really seemed to get into putting the LEGOs together, he ended up getting a few smaller sets for birthdays and Christmas.  I kept those sets separated into small bags and would let him get out one at a time.  Well, then the sets he got started getting bigger and more complicated and with more pieces.  And the sets would connect to other sets so he didn't want to put one set away before getting out a new one.  But then he'd inevitably take apart the sets and the pieces would get all mixed up and then he'd get upset when he tried to rebuild them but couldn't find all the pieces.  I even spent several hours one weekend painstakingly separating out all the sets and putting them in labeled bags.  But then they somehow got all mixed up again!  

My kids typically play either in the living room or their bedrooms.  We don't have a dedicated playroom, so I rotate out toys in our living room and keep some in their bedrooms.  I started by having Archer keep the LEGOs in his room, but then I'd find him with his light on tinkering with his LEGOs well after he was supposed to have gone to sleep.  So then I moved them down to the living room.  I would let him keep his creations on the fireplace, but have him pick up all the unused pieces off the floor each evening.  But each morning he would dump all those pieces out again.  Many of those tiny pieces would trickle into the hallway and kitchen.  Finally, I got sick of stepping on LEGOs all day long.  I gathered them all up and stuck them all in the family room.  Since that space is a work in progress, it is essentially a large open area.  Archer did like having a larger area to spread everything out and not have to pick up all the pieces each evening.  

But then, as LEGOs tend to do, they started slowing creeping into more areas.  He liked to use the hard flooring by the door to our garage as a base.  But this, being the entrance to our home we use most often, became problematic.  We all got tired of stepping over Archer's creations anytime we wanted to leave the house.  Adam and I tossed some ideas around and we decided to make him a LEGO base/storage unit.       

Adam whipped up a plan to use some of the plywood we had used when our family room floor was being replaced.  He cut up a base that would fit underneath our couch in the family room.  Then he added some wood along the edges to serve as a fence for keeping all of the LEGOs within the unit.  Adam made sure to sand everything smooth and even routed the edges of the fence so it would be safe for little hands.   

We also decided to put a divider inside the unit.  Our thinking was that one section would be the building area and place where he could keep his completed pieces.  The other section could house all the loose, unused pieces.  We ran this idea by Archer and he enthusiastically approved.  Adam also added a handle on the front of the unit to make it easy to pull the unit out from under the couch.  He made it nice and big so it can be easily grabbed and is super sturdy.  

The final step was to paint it all.  Since it wasn't made from the highest quality plywood, Adam decided painting it would result in the smoothest, splinter-free finish.  We showed Archer all the random paint we have in the basement and he settled on a gray, blue and green color scheme.  Before the paint, Adam and Archer put down a coat of primer.  Archer was pretty pumped to participate in this step.  He very enthusiastically slapped on the primer.  Notice that Lyla decided goggles were in order to keep any paint splatters from getting in her eyes.  

Waiting for the paint to dry was quite the challenge for Archer.  The night after he helped Adam put on the final coats of paint, he came down from his room (when he was supposed to be asleep) to check on how it was drying.  The next day he got to try out his new LEGO unit!  He was thrilled to get to add all his pieces to it and start building!  

Archer adores his new LEGO playing station!  The divided sections definitely help give Archer some visual cues about where to keep the creations he's built and also the pieces that aren't being used at the moment.  It's super sturdy, so it's no problem when Archer decides he needs to get up close to one of his builds.  

I adore the fact that there's now a physical boundary for all the LEGO pieces.  I don't find them scattered all around the house like I used to.  We keep the unit out for the most part so Archer can keep his creations up.  But if we need some more floor space or are taking a break from building, it tucks right under the couch.  Hooray for hidden storage! 

The large handle makes it easy for Archer to get it out all by himself.  This has been such a fantastic solution for corralling all those LEGO pieces.  My feet are most appreciative.    

As much as we all love the final product, watching Archer and Adam work together on this project was the true highlight.  Watching Archer chose paint colors and help out allowed him to grow his confidence.  Seeing Adam let go of some of his perfectionism to allow Archer to take the reigns was fun to see too.  Much like all DIY projects, you get just as much out of the process as you do the final product.    

A Little Preschool Preparation

Somehow my children are old enough to go to preschool!  It is baffling to me because just yesterday they were unable to hold their own heads up.  Now they are ready to go to preschool without me.  I know that I will have a harder time adjusting than they will, so I am throwing myself into getting all the details sorted out.

One little detail I wanted to sort out was creating a place for Archer and Lyla to hang their backpacks.  I am all about every item in our home having a place to live.  You know, a place for everything and everything in its place.  I wanted it to be somewhere visible and somewhere Archer and Lyla can easily access.  That way they can be in charge of keeping track of their backpacks.  

I found the perfect spot for their backpacks right by our front door.  It was practically begging for some hooks!  I threw around the idea of just hanging some hooks directly into the drywall using some drywall anchors.  But my kids tend to be a little rough and I had visions of them tearing the hooks out of the wall the first time they picked up their backpacks.  So I decided a wood board behind the hooks was in order.  That way, the board could be directly screwed into the studs and the hooks could be directly screwed into the board.  

Lucky for me, I knew the perfect guy for the job.  Just look at how excited he is to have one more task added to his already lengthy to do list. 

Adam has lots of scrap wood lying around, so he found a piece of poplar that would do the trick.  I told him I just needed it cut down to size and stained, but he wouldn't stand for just that.  He had to add his woodworking skills to the job and decided to route the edges to give it some more character.  

Once the edges of the board were routed, he stained it using some old stain we already had on hand.  It's the same stain (General Finishes Gel Stain in Nutmeg) we used on our DIY growth ruler that we made several years ago.  Then he finished off the wood with a satin topcoat.  Once the board the was dry, he added the hooks and screwed the board right into the wall.  Two sets of screws went directly into the studs.  The far set of screws just went into the drywall, so Adam made sure to add some drywall anchors into the drywall before securing it to the wall.  To hide the screws, he added some wooden button plugs.  It turned out beautifully!   

The new set of hooks fits in nicely with the rest of our little makeshift command center.  The brass hooks tie in nicely with my thrifted brass mail center.  And I'll be sure to take a "First Day of Preschool" picture with the kids holding our letter board sign.  

We made sure to hang it at the perfect height for our kids.  They can easily hang up and take off their backpacks from the hooks.  I asked Adam to include four hooks so they would also have a place to hang a jacket or coat.  Having these hooks will help us keep track of the items they'll need to take to preschool and also foster some independence for Archer and Lyla.  They'll be in charge of hanging up their backpacks when they get home.  

We've got all the supplies we need and are ready to start preschool!  We even made sure to get their teacher a little something to let her know how much we appreciate her.  Our preschool made it easy for us by including a list of each teacher's favorites on their website.  So Archer and Lyla will be bringing their teacher a Target gift card and Snickers bars when they head to preschool.  They also each made a little card.  Having been a teacher before staying home with Archer and Lyla, I remember how much those small kindnesses are appreciated.  

Now we're all set for the start of preschool!  And I'll try my very best not to cry as I drop them off.  

A Family-Friendly Trip to Bentonville, AR

Back in May, we took a family-friendly trip to Bentonville, Arkansas.  We chose Bentonville because it was a relatively short three-hour drive, had lots of outdoor activities available and was a place we hadn't visited before.  I'm happy to report it was a fun trip for our entire family!  

We left on a Thursday morning and planned a few stops along the way to help break up the drive.  We packed a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches and found a random park to stop at along the way.  (I'm pretty sure we are some of the last people still wearing masks in public indoor spaces.  Knock on wood, Adam, Archer, Lyla and myself have not gotten Covid and we'd like to keep it that way until the kids are fully vaccinated.  So we've opted to find restaurants with outdoor seating, which can be tricky sometimes.)  

Our next stop after lunch was Old Redings Mill Bridge in Joplin, Missouri.  It featured some pretty scenery and had a trail we walked on for a bit to stretch our legs.  I'm not sure it would be a place I would travel to just to see on its own, but it was the perfect pit stop to break up our time in the car.    

After driving for a bit more, we found a Braum's drive-thru to get some ice cream.  Adam has a fondness for their frozen yogurt so whenever we're in an area that has Braum's, we have to make a stop.  Archer, Lyla and I certainly didn't mind stopping for ice cream! 

After our tasty treat, we stopped at Tanyard Creek Nature Trail in Bella Vista, Arkansas.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  There was a really pretty trail that led to a waterfall!  We all enjoyed the views and Archer and Lyla enjoyed not smiling or looking at the camera at the same time.  In fact, that seemed to be a recurring theme throughout most of our adventures.   

 

Following our waterfall adventure, we made it to our hotel.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Bentonville, which worked out really well for our family.  We tend to pick Embassy Suites when we travel because the rooms are bigger, they usually have an indoor pool and they have breakfast included.  In fact, I think Archer and Lyla might have enjoyed the hotel the most out of everything from our trip.  They were big fans of riding the elevator and loved watching cable cartoons.

Thursday evening we ate at Grub's Bar & Grille.  It had decent food, was close enough to the hotel to walk to and had outdoor seating.  

The next morning, Friday, we stopped by Onyx Coffee Lab after enjoying our free hotel breakfast.  While I'm not a coffee drinker, Adam is and he said this might be his favorite coffee shop of all time.  I can also offer high compliments for their hot chocolate, while Archer and Lyla can praise the macaroons.  They also had the most adorable outdoor seating area.  Downtown Bentonville is very dog-friendly, so we all enjoyed watching all the cute dogs walk by in addition to enjoying our treats.    

Next, we walked around their little downtown area called The Square.  There were restaurants and cute shops, along with the Walmart Museum.  We didn't visit the Walmart Museum, but we did head to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 

The weather was nice and sunny on Friday, so we decided to enjoy the outdoor spaces at Crystal Bridges.  There were lots of different paths you could take with sculptures to view along the way.  This sculpture was giving us major Stranger Things vibes!  

Following the museum, we enjoyed lunch at Bentonville Brewing Company.  This was a fun place to eat and drink.  We enjoyed their covered patio and beverages.  They even had a little area for the kids to ride some balance bikes.  

While we were driving around, the kids noticed a park along the way.  Since this was their vacation too, we decided to stop by the park after taking a rest at the hotel.  Osage Park has lots of walking trails, a lake, pickleball courts, an archery range and a dog park.  Of course there was playground equipment too, which Archer and Lyla loved climbing on.  

Coming to Osage Park was a bit of a happy accident.  Right next to the playground was Thaden Field, which is a small airport.  They had a restaurant (LOUISE) which featured patio seating right next to the runway.  So we got to enjoy a meal and watch a few planes land and take off!  It was a really fun dining experience and the food was delicious too.    

We started the following Saturday morning much like the previous morning.  Our first adventure was another visit to Onyx Coffee Lab.  The weather was looking a bit gloomy, but we managed to enjoy some drinks and snacks without getting rained on.  As we were heading back to the car, it started to rain.  We decided to head back to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to check out the indoor exhibits since we only made it to the outdoor spaces the previous day.  There was lots to take in and they even had a cute little art studio for kids to create some artwork.  

Lunch proved to be a bit tricky on Saturday.  Since it was raining, we had a tough time finding somewhere with covered outdoor seating.  We ended up back at Bentonville Brewing Company.  We all enjoyed it just as much as the other visit.  

Our last stop of the day was the Amazeum, which is a children's museum/indoor play area with lots of hands-on activities.  It was super busy and more than a bit chaotic.  But the kids enjoyed themselves and had fun exploring all the place had to offer.  

Sunday was our last day in Bentonville and we ended up at Onyx Coffee Lab, once again.  Did I mention Adam said this was his favorite coffee place ever?  We started heading home afterwards, but did make one stop on the way home at Shoal Creek Falls.  We enjoyed stretching our legs and breaking up the car ride a bit.  The kids loved tossing rocks in the water, while Adam and I kept grabbing their jackets to keep them from tumbling into the water.  

All in all it was a fun getaway!  We got to see Archer and Lyla experience some new things.  We got to enjoy some beautiful scenery.  And we got to spend time together as a family.   

Not Bad For A Pair Of Old Jeans

It's always a sad day when your favorite pair of jeans decide to give up on you.  I'm someone who finds a pair of jeans that I like and then I wear them every day until they start to fall apart.  When my latest pair of jeans decided to rip, I was about ready to find somewhere to recycle them.  But then I stopped and asked myself if I could use them for something else.  

I briefly looked at Pinterest for some inspiration and saw lots of clever ideas out there.  One idea that caught my eye was a tool belt.  Archer would love a tool belt!  I just cut around the waistband and back pockets.  The original waistband was obviously too big, so I trimmed off the excess and just cut a new button hole.  I didn't worry about finishing off the edges or anything.  

It was a hit with Archer!  He was so excited and couldn't get his tools in there fast enough.  He's worn it all morning and wouldn't take it off for rest time.  Not bad for a pair of old jeans!  

Of course I couldn't leave Lyla out.  I decided she would adore a purse, so I got to work piecing together the rest of my old jeans.  I didn't follow a tutorial or pattern; I just kept sewing random things together.  I used the denim from the legs to make the bulk of the purse and sewed on the little coin pocket to the front.  I braided some long strips together to make the handles.  Then I used some scraps of denim to make some cute flowers using this technique.      

While it's far from perfect and a little wonky, Lyla was delighted by it!  She told me it would be the perfect way to carry her night night (the blanket she sleeps with) so it wouldn't drag on the ground.  

Finally, I wanted to find something to do with all the leftover seams.  This idea caught my eye and I thought it would be perfect to use as a hot pad for hot pots and pans on the counter.  I only ended up with enough seams to make a coaster, but it still turned out pretty cute!  

Creating some new items for my kids was the perfect use of this rainy day!  And it was the perfect use of a pair of old jeans!  I really do enjoy doing crafts and putting my creativity to the test.  Doing these projects reminded me I need to make more time to do stuff like this.  It's important for Archer and Lyla to not only see me doing things I love, but to also model how to use our old items in new ways.   

I was also able to find another pair of my beloved jeans on Poshmark!  Poshmark is an online marketplace for secondhand items.  I found another pair of my exact jeans that had only been worn once and cost a fraction of what they would if I were to have bought them new!  Not too shabby. 

These Are My Confessions: Threenager Edition

I'm back with more confessions!  As the mom to two feisty three-year-olds, my parenting skills are tested daily.  I adore so many things about this age!  I can have some pretty in depth conversations with Archer and Lyla now.  They aren't shy about telling me how much they love me.  And I love watching their unique personalities develop.  But good grief do they know how to test my patience!  The speed at which they can switch from being happy-go-lucky to supremely pissed off makes my head spin.  So allow me to share some of my most recent confessions: 

I don't understand how they manage to always have their shoes on the wrong feet given the 50/50 shot they have of getting them on the correct feet.  I try to tell them to switch them around, but sometimes I just don't care.  If they wish to walk around with their feet feeling all funny, then who am I to judge?  This is not unique to shoes.  For instance, Archer and Lyla just checked the mail with me.  While they ran ahead of me, I noticed that Archer's pants and shirt were inside out and I'm pretty sure his underwear were on backwards.  And Lyla's shirt was on backwards too.  

Speaking of clothing, I've been known to ruin Lyla's whole day by picking out the wrong shirt for her to wear.  Sometimes if I just lay out an outfit, she'll put in on without complaint.  But heaven help me if I verbally ask if she'd like to wear a particular shirt.  Geez!  

I tell the kids how important it is to be honest and tell mommy when something happens.  But also, sometimes the grocery store inexplicably runs out of ingredients for cookies.  

 

I often wonder how my children can find a tiny green marble in an I Spy book, yet be completely oblivious to the socks directly in front of them when I'm asking them to put on their socks and shoes. 

I'm impressed with Archer and Lyla's willingness to own up to their behavior at this stage.  "Archer, why did you flip your mattress over?"  "I did."  "Lyla, why did you get water all over the living room carpet?"  "I did."  "Archer, why did you push your sister over?"  "I did."  I'm looking forward to hearing what reasons they come up with for their behavior in the future.    

I don't understand how they can make a mess out of anything.   A tiny nubbin of chalk can end up all over their outfit and face and hands.  One tiny insignificant puddle can result in an outfit change.

I've considered writing a parenting book.  I plan to have people ask me questions about their kids for me to answer.  Except my answer for every question will be, "It depends on the kid."  

When we were working on potty training, I bribed/positively-reinforced Lyla and Archer with candy when they went poop in the potty.  They still get candy every time they go poop.  I'm afraid of what will happen when I stop giving them candy. 

Apparently I say the following things on a regular basis, "Ope!"  "Whoopsy!"  "It's good to share."  "Maybe tomorrow."  

My neighbors probably think my children are insane with the amount of screaming that goes on while we're playing outside.  Luckily it's generally not me screaming.  Not usually.  

It takes so much freaking patience to let them do things by themselves!  I try really hard to let them be as independent as possible, but sometimes it makes me want to pull out all my hair.

I usually turn into a crazy person when I'm trying to take a picture these days.  My ornery children will not look at me when I'm trying to take their picture!  So I usually end up yelling, "Look at Mommy!  Please just for one second?"  And then I'll try to make a funny face or dance some sort of jig without making the camera wobble.  Yep, I'm sure I look ridiculous.  But I do have 1,347 pictures like the one below if anyone wants to see them.  

Archer and Lyla have these kitten Beanie Babies that they love.  They like to pretend they are the kittens and talk in the the most obnoxiously annoying high-pitched voices, because apparently that's how kittens would sound if they could speak.  They were driving me bonkers!  So I might have told Adam to hide the kittens while I distracted Lyla and Archer.  Then when they asked me where their kittens were, I might have said, "I don't know where you put your kittens."  *See previous confession about honesty.  

I have a new appreciation for pockets.  I don't think I ever used pockets before I had kids.  I didn't really even like to put my cell phone in my pocket.  But we recently went on a walk while I was wearing jeans and a jacket.  I had my keys, dog bones and two snack cups crammed in my jacket pockets.  And my jeans pockets featured my phone and wadded up toilet paper.  But my hands were free!  

My kids know me too well.  They know I'll always pick them up or snuggle if they ask.  Sometimes they will ask me to pick them up or they'll snuggle up in my lap only because they need a tissue and will proceed to wipe their nose the length of my arm.  

Sometimes my kids drive me so crazy that I don't speak to them as kindly as I should.  Then one of them will say, "Maybe you will feel better if I give you a kiss?"  And then my heart melts and I feel horribly guilty.  And they are completely right.  I do feel better after they give me a kiss.