Getting Organized

So anyone who knows me, knows that I'm forever trying out something new to get organized. I cannot stand clutter, messes, piles, yet I seem to be plagued by them constantly!

This year, like most years there is a major push to get organized as our kids go back to school. Nothing is worse than losing that paper you had to sign, or looking all afternoon for a lost assignment. But mixed in with the "stuff" that matters is the piles and piles of "stuff" that doesn't. Each day the kids come home with papers and artwork, and more papers and I'm supposed to care. And let me tell you, something went missing in my mom genes, because I just don't care about this stuff. I don't get sappy over the math paper that Kira got 100% or the billionth finger painting brought home by my kindergarten kid. I just see clutter, garbage, STUFF to deal with . *SIGH*

So anyway. My kids don't see it my way, and I just can't be cold hearted, even though I want to be on occasion. ;)

So while talking about solutions with some online friends the brilliant idea to have an art folder came up. I loved it and implemented it this weekend!

All it is are two poster boards taped together on three sides and decorated by the kids. They can put all the art they can fit into throughout the school year and they store them under the bed. Then at the end of the year we can sort through and choose a reasonable amount, put them in a scrapbook and start over again next year!

No more fights or hurt feelings that mommy doesn't think something is as valuable and worth keeping as they do, and I don't have to look at it piling up somewhere!

Here they are working on them, Evan thought this project was "Too boring". Oh well!
I told him to just write his name on it then and leave it blank, but he said he "At least has to draw a race track on it!"





This is the "after" Kira was proud and wanted me to keep taking pictures of her.
Evan was irritated and told me that he wasn't smiling and he wanted to go play now.