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My girls are constantly bringing home new junk - I'm talking everything from birthday party goody bags, to happy meal toys to school work. I guess that's to be expected with kids but I'm not so good at tossing things out. It's so bad that I now have my kids junk stashed all over my house. It makes me crazy! How do you manage the traffic flow of junk in your house?
4 Responses to “Getting Rid of Kids Junk…Are You a Pack Rat?”
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I started taking pictures with my digital camera of all the artwork I get from school and I store it by my child’s name and age in a file on my computer. I have used snapgfish to make books for ages 1-5 with picures and some of the artwork they have done during the year and sent them to grandma. This way, I always have it, and I can throw away all the paper!!!! Voila….decrease in clutter.
As a professional organizer and mother of two young boys, I feel your pain on the junk front. My eldest son is the king of collections. For years he has brought home “treasures” and has cherished them, until the next item comes in. I ask for his help in clearing out, but have also learned that when the items are revisited they are often re-loved all over again! I have created a two week bag, in which I hide the items from him for about two weeks. If he does not look for, ask for or inquires about any of the items, I go ahead and toss or donate. If he does ask, I tell him I will look for it while he is at school (or playing…) and bring the item back out. Never have I had him look for anything after about two weeks. He has since moved onto new treasures!
As for kids art you can also try http://www.souvenartebooks.com/, http://forkeepsbook.com/ or http://www.artimusart.com/. All create beautiful books of your children’s art.
I leave my kids art on a designated magnetic board. Each have their own board and we display new art on it as it comes in. When something new comes in, they know they have to remove something to make way for something new. They help make the decision of what is the next to go.
I save only work that shows progress. If they started the year making a stick figure of themselves and now they draw a form that looks more like a body, I will save it to show how far they have come. Beware of the art that says “I Love You Mommy”. These will tug at your heart strings and you will feel guilty tossing the items. Know in your heart you will receive more of these and that tossing it does not mean you love your child less!
For more information on children’s art check out my blog post at http://ow.ly/Slr5.
Best of luck. If you need any help on taming the clutter, just let me know!
Those were great suggestions by Gail and Maria.
I am a complete pack rat and my house is so full of junk… but I can’t blame it all on the kids. I hate cleaning and sorting stuff. Ugh.
Susan, I know great organizing tips from viewers! Unfortunately, the thought of purging and getting organized makes me break out in hives. I’m always so jealous when I meet someone who claims to be OCD and can’t stop cleaning or organzing.