Another Befrazzled Confessional…
I am now going to confess to something that might not make me politically popular. It’s arguably more controversial than my Marie Osmond confession. Here goes…
I do not save all of my children’s artwork.
That’s right. I said it. I own it.
That does not mean I don’t appreciate it. Far from it. But, after a few years at this, here’s the system I’ve worked out. They bring it home. Their Dad and I LOVE it. I tape it up all over the kitchen. It stays there for a few weeks, then it’s on to the next crop. I can’t scrap book. Last year I scanned EVERYTHING they brought home on two disks and put them in our safe. I doubt either of them will ever ask for it. Ever. But…even that process took hours. I occasionally take digital pictures of some of their best work and blog it. That’s my scrapbooking. Also…our entire X-mas tree is decorated with all of the ornaments and holiday-themed artwork they’ve produced over the last 5 years. I’ve also permanently decorated my downstairs guest bathroom (the one where EVERYONE goes when they visit) with their stuff. I put it in glass frames. Every year or so, I switch out for new pieces. But…I don’t save it all. Can’t save it all. There’s too much.
If I ever doubted my resolve on this, a couple of years ago, my parents moved out of my childhood home. While packing boxes, my mom asked me if I wanted my 5 year old handprints and a nursery school scrapbook of mine. I do not. I am at peace 
Here is my version of scrapbooking…blog-style!
My son’s interpretation of a tiger.
Finally, my daughter….sledding.
So, what do YOU guys do w/ all of it?
OK, my husband is SO wishing I was you, because I keep having to give him tubs full of papers (I have three kids to keep up with y’know) to take to storage. Yes, I keep ALL of them…even the actual schoolwork. I am not sure why. I don’t do that with anything else. I mean, I am not a hoarder. He keeps asking what I am planning to do with all of them, and to be honest, I have no answer
I want to be at peace. Teach me oh wise one. Maybe you could start a support group.
Comment by Cheryl — January 26, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
I just did it. Honestly, that’s all. When my mom tried to give me those old things of mine, thought, “Why in the heck would I ever want it?” and “I am TOTALLY not offended that my mom has asked me to take it.”
The trick is, don’t let the kids SEE you pitching them. Also, if there’s something they’re particularly fond of, hang it up in THEIR room. Finally, if you walk in my house, my kitchen and bathroom are covered w/ their stuff. I just can’t keep the tubs of it anymore. Seriously, EVERY room in my house has clutter in it somewhere. I had to take a stand.
Oh…and another stand I’m taking. No more saving their old clothes. I have a boy and a girl. There’s very little my younger child can wear that was her brother’s (a few things, “play” jeans and coats). I have neices and nephews but they are either all way younger (or older) than my kids or have another hand-me-down supplier. Every couple of months I go in and stuff it all in bags and take it down to the Lion’s Club. I’m not the most organized chick on the block, but I am a SUPER thrower-awayer
Comment by Robin Dec — January 27, 2008 @ 10:16 am
I like the idea of “decorating” your downstairs bathroom with the artwork. My office is out of my house, so when we started putting my office together in our 4th bedroom, my daughter said “Finally you can hang my artwork in your office!” As she went to go “collect” some of her masterpieces, I thought “true, I’ve never had an office to which she was able to see that I “really hang it up”. She’s 10 and VERY artistic==I don’t say I hang up everything, but I have several of her masterpieces. Now my son, who is 14 says “Everythings about Lola, you don’t hang up any of my pictures” But alas, I did have some of his masterpieces—1 actually, it was a “tape cloth” project he made in 4th grade. That’s it? He says? Yep I say. So should he ever decide to make me a picture—no illustrations from Superbad I tell him–I shall hang them up.
To date, no new artwork from Austin.
My friend Karen has always decorated her kitchen in her kids’ artwork—-its on every open space imagineable. Too much for me, but it looks great in her home.
Comment by Cheryl Engfer — January 28, 2008 @ 12:33 pm