Artwork! What to do With It?

Dear Moms, 

Do your kids looove to paint or draw? Do they scribble on any scrap of paper they can get their little hands on? Do you find doodles in the margins of books?!

What do you do once you have amassed a ton of your little Picasso's "creations?"

I had this conversation earlier today with a friend of mine on Facebook. She was speaking on how her son's artwork was beginning to kind of 'overrun' their home... you know- he loves to create and you, "don't want to discourage the creativity or stifle their freedom of expression- but the fridge is only so big and we're REALLY not trying to to incorporate the evolution of your artistry into the overall decor of the house" vibe? 🤷🏾‍♀️

So, I commented that I too had gone through this with my four. I used to keep all of their at home drawings, anything they made at school, and  daycare, church, church camp, the birthday party they went to two, five,72 weeks ago... it was becoming an unruly mess no matter how I tried to organize the  hoard. Then, one day my, my mom said I had to stop maintaining my then fire hazard, and do something different. She suggested taking a photo of each item and then I could toss them after. Well, this SOUNDED ideal- but her solution left me with more questions! 

1. When was I supposed to take the 

photos?🤔 

Right after I saw the thing?!🤯

2. When was I supposed to toss it in the trash?🤔 

Right after the photoshoot?!🤯 

C'mon mom! Ya gotta spell things out for me, sheesh!

Smh... this was when I had to settle into my own mommy rhythm and learn what was and what wasn't for me and my little brood. We collectively decided that the photos would be taken at the end of the school year, OR during school breaks if we were running heavy on the works of art. We would date the photo groups with the same scholastic years as they were done in, and of course, they had to be individualized  by child. #Duh 

Once we worked out the deets, I secured housing for all their artwork in my closet to keep it safe after its showing on the fridge or hanging in their rooms, etc. I framed a piece of everyone's  art at least once and continue to have those works on display within my home. We  even had a frame that was a revolving door for their art as certain things came into the house. That way, they had a chance to display it in prominence and were then able to accept its inevitable fate.. The items we could deconstruct and upcycle were used accordingly after being dismantled and put into the arts and crafts cabinet in my kitchen to await their next iteration of creativity. 

The ebb and flow of childhood creations into my home continued into their teen years and has thus remained the system that still stands. Everyone is able to create without fear that their prized creative endeavors will live in glory within the confines of the current school year and will be lovingly laid to rest and kept into perpetuity with tangible objects of remembrance in the form of photos.

Until next time, stay calm and be a CRAZY Mom!