I don’t keep Sunday School papers. Or announcements from Awana. Or even (gasp) most of the doodles that my children make in their spare time. Oh, a select few are put into a notebook to avoid terrorizing by the toddlers, but most are enjoyed for a time and passed to the recycle bin or trash. My children know this. They are ok with it.
What I do strive for is to make sure that my children know their creations and gifts are special to me, because they are. However, I’m blessed with six creative children, and we’d be drowned in paper very shortly if we kept every piece!
So I try to make special spaces. Yes, some things go on the refrigerator, and others on the wall, but we enjoy them for a season, and then it’s time for them to retire.
I have a decorative pot on top of my microwave where we keep a select few rocks from outdoor adventures. Overflow gets stored in special rock piles outside.
The vase you see pictured in front of my speckled kitchen window is a great space for mama love bouquets that are brought in from playing. It’s probably about to stand empty for a while, as the cold weather has set in, but I did receive this lovely clover head from Lydia the other day. Perfect company for dish washing.
And since I photographed the vase, that leads to another method of clutterless preservation. Snap a picture of the artwork, preferably with the creative genius who made it. I have a special category in the computer picture files for such displays of creativity.
My household is far from clutter-free, an issue I continue to work on, but this system is working pretty well. Perhaps you will find something to share the joy with all as you love your little ones and their creations.
For more Help for Growing families visit Ship Full O’ Pirates.
Oh how clever you are. I would never have thought of having “special piles of rocks” outside. LOL I just throw them out there without ceremony. They would feel so much better if I had more sentiment for their “special” rocks.
By: Jenny on November 25, 2008
at 10:04 am
Thanks for linking!
By: Jenny on November 25, 2008
at 10:04 am
What fun! I have had a blast showing off the ‘newest’ pictures of my precious grandchildren. Yes, I was able to enlarge Miriam’s picture so I can see those two front teeth. I’ve enjoyed reading your thoughts as usual. Keep up the good work. Mother
By: Nancy Pierce on November 25, 2008
at 12:18 pm
I, too, throw out papers often, even pictures. We have to! I keep a gallery, though. I should write about it sometime. Thanks for the idea!
By: Mommaofmany on November 25, 2008
at 12:20 pm