What to do with all that paper.

I despise clutter. And being a military family, we move quite a bit. We try not to hang on to things since it creates hardships while moving.  As a relatively new parent, I am slowly beginning to realize all of the paper a kid accumulates from doing crafts, doodles, and projects. My children are only two and four and I had to come up with something.

One idea that popped in my head is to take a picture of your child's projects and put it in a special file. Whether you keep it on a flash drive or a private photo album online, devote that file to pictures of your children's creations.

While this is adorable, what am I going to do with it after we switch out artwork?

Keep a file or flash drive for each child.

Periodically, over the years take a picture of each creation. Put it in the place you have set aside for those pictures. Only keep the creations that are special, and throw the rest of art work away. You could even put those special pieces in a box such as this one: Papercoterie.

(This idea might also work for trophies, and medals that the kids have received. I don't know what I would do, since my kids are not old enough to have participated in anything to receive medals/trophies. I do know that I hate clutter. I hate dusting. So I do not want to dust all that useless clutter. Most people end up throwing them in boxes anyway. 

yay! You played soccer!!

 Most likely, I would keep a first place one or so, but a participation one or something would go to Goodwill or something. I don't know.) 

Moving on.

When it feels to be an appropriate time, take all those pictures and make a photobook of your children's art (or achievements). Make a copy for you and your child. Give them a copy of the book and the keepsakes in the memory box. I think it would make a perfect graduation or wedding gift for your child.

This could also work for cards that have a special meaning or all the cards from a baby shower or wedding?

- Gail.

The Roach Story.

This is about my son, who is 2.5 years old. It happened a couple of weeks ago. He had asked me for a snack, so I got a bowl and poured some raisins in and went back to whatever I was doing. Probably browsing Pinterest or something.

An hour later it was dinner time. My son gets excited and runs towards me, and proceeds to fall.

He starts screaming his lungs out, because he has rug burn. As I go to comfort him I notice this thing popping out of his nose.

Holy Shit. It's a roach! My son has an effin' roach. IN HIS NOSE!

I tell my daughter to grab the tweezers out of the end table drawer.

The roach keeps popping in and out of his nose as he is crying. I am trying to grab it with my fingers, but I am freaking out. Every time I almost grab it, he sucks it back up his nose.

My daughter is nearly in tears because she is unable to find the tweezers, and I am yelling at her that her brother has a bug in his nose.

My husband, of course, was at work.

So I run over, grab the tweezers out of the drawer and notice my son has stopped crying. I look up his nose and see nothing. I then become a little worried because there is nothing in his nose. What if the roach is loose in my kitchen?

Then I notice a small raisin, on my brown rug. Thank you god. No roach.

Just a raisin.

Thanks for scaring the crap out of me kid. I pray you never stick anything up your nose. Ever again.