BEST KID STORAGE FOR SCHOOL PAPERS + ART DRAWINGSWhy are "storage" and "school papers" words that immediately make me cringe and give me extreme anxiety? My walls are full of children art drawings. Ever since my oldest son learned how to use the tape, he has been single-handedly displaying all of his beautiful art creations all over my walls. I know it's only a finite time that my son will be this little and will proudly be displaying his art work. I know it's actually really cute and no one who comes to our house really cares that there are scribbles hanging on every wall. However, the artwork EVERYWHERE is very difficult to handle for this type A mama. It gives off a clutter vibe that I just am not ready to embrace. I don't think it would bother me AS MUCH if it was confined to one room of the house, but the drawings are literally in every room of the house quite practically everywhere you look. It's just a little much stimulation for an already over-stimulated mama. On top of the artwork he creates at home, his preschool sends home every artwork and paper that he does in class. It's great and I love being a part of it, but again, it's A LOT of paperwork that he is very proud of. I kept thinking that there had to be a better way to store these. I started keeping some of their keepsake things in random paper boxes and reusable bags. I tried my best to keep up with the dates on the back of the papers to keep them straight, but the papers started to overwhelm the storage spots just like they have overwhelmed the walls. Also, the problem here is that there wasn't an easy way for my son to access his papers. He loves to remember and see the work he's done. Still, there had to be something better, right? I stumbled across these boxes from a Facebook mom's group I'm in and decided that I could definitely create something similar for a fraction of the cost that they were asking for them. Thanks to Amazon, I found all the supplies and didn't even have to leave the house. Here is my solution to the overwhelming art-work walls. It's a hanging folder storage box to keep their precious papers safe. Each child has his own box. The hanging folders are separated by year of age. You could also separate by grade level if your child is older and you're wanting to save school papers. The hanging folders can be a single folder or an accordion style folder if you are needing to save quite a few items (that's us!). I got some stick-on letters since I don't have a Cricut machine myself, but you could always just draw or print out a fancy looking label too. The best part of this storage solution is that my son can access his own papers and STORE IS OWN PAPERS. My mind was blown when he started taking his favorite creations off the wall and putting them into the box to "keep them safe." Here are all the materials I used and the links. Let me know if you have other ways to manage kids' storage and school papers! Here are the links:
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Secret for How to Get Dressed Quickly for Work with KidsFor the quick version, check out my Instagram video here. When we have kids and a job and a routine that we need to keep up, we don't have the luxury anymore to take our time getting ready. We have to get ready for the day quickly...including, we have to get dressed quickly for work. Sometime I am envious of jobs that wear a uniform, because you already know what you have to wear. In the corporate world, we have to look put together despite all the chaos going on behind the scenes in the life of a mom. When I am getting dressed I like to keep functionality at the forefront of my game plan. Usually I am going from work to some function for my kids. I usually opt for work pants when I can. I own many work skirts and work dresses, but my schedule for the day has to be right for me to want to pull out one of these. If I am going to pick a skirt or dress, I usually grab the dress because I don't have to pair it with another item of clothing. I put on the dress and I am good to go. However, if I am grabbing for my work pants, I still have to think through outfit coordination while I am getting dressed. And I always have to think through how I am feeling that day when I'm grabbing pants. What do I mean? I can't be the only one who chooses pants based upon how bloated they are feeling that day. The more bloated, the more limited my choices. That being said, I found the perfect pants for bloating and non-bloating days that help you get dressed quickly for work with kids. Enter the Jamie Pant from J. Crew Factory. Oh my gosh, this is the holy grail of work pants. I'm not even kidding. These pants are the absolute perfect length for petite girls like me. I'm 5' 1" and don't have to get the regular length hemmed at all when I am wearing with a slight wedge. (talking kitten wedge here) They also pair amazingly well with so many different types of shirts because of the flat fronted waist band. The waist line is elastic which helps with the pant's versatility. However, the flat front of the waistband is where the magic happens because you can tuck basically any shirt into these pants and get a cute lay. J Crew Factory makes the Jamie Pant in many different colors and prints. You have to time the search just right because, often times, the prints are seasonal. If you do see a seasonal print in the Jamie Pant, I'd wait it out. Usually these pants migrate over to the clearance section with most of the sizes still available. If you are going with a print in the Jamie Pant, then go for a neutral, single block of color on the top. If you are going neutral on the bottom with the Jamie Pant, then you can go neutral also or printed on the top. Finally, if you are waiting for the solid-colored Jamie Pants to go on clearance, they never will. If you are a Bargain Hunter like me, your best bet is to snag the solid-colored Jamie Pants during on of their full-price merchandise sales. Buy now and thank me later! You'll be getting dressed quickly with kids in time with these pants! Find the Jamie Pant at J Crew Factory here. |