Day 14: Organizing School Pics/Papers/Awards

Just joining in?  Read the entire series {HERE}.

Happy Weekend!

I am still in a sea of pictures and random stuff from those white cabinets I showed you a few days ago.  I have working on the contents of them as much as I have been able to...this morning my mission was to tackle the massive mound of photo albums, kid school and sports pics, and school awards and special papers.

Let me explain myself a bit first...I am organized to a degree.    I have always stored all of these things in the same place, but that is what the problem was, they were in the same place.  Mixed together.  With no real assemblance of order.   I could NOT put those things back in my cabinets that way.  I knew it would be a huge task, but one that once was completed, I was would oh-so-happy and feelin' on top of things.

Remember this stash of stuff from the cabinets:

For my three youngest (the oldest is a senior in college and I have her things organized in another place) I purchased 3 zip-around expandable scrapbook paper holders.  I figured these would be great to store the kids' school and sports pics, school awards, and grade cards.   They were only 6 bucks each at Big Lots and they had 3 different colors!  Bonus.  I do display their current school picture in frames and put a copy of their sports pictures in special albums I have for each of them.  (However, these are not current and will be explained in another post...)

First, I had to sort through the mound of pictures, papers, and artwork and organize by kid and type of item or photo.  I made myself quick little cards to make the sorting easier.  I even had a furry helper.

 (Adding photos to each of their albums is a whole other job.....)

I used my handy paper tape that I have used on other projects recently and made labels for each of my kiddos.  My labels were:
-Grade Cards Ele./Jr. High
-Grade Cards High School
-Sports Pics
-Sports Awards
-School Pics Ele./Jr. High
-School Pics High School
-Misc.

Even though my two youngest are only in 2nd and 7th grades, I went ahead and labeled for high school because then I will know exactly where these go when the time comes!  That means no excuses for me.
Now for all of you SUPER organized moms who have kept your kids things chronologically organized by grade, (know that I hate you--kidding!) you might have a divider for each grade.  Since I am just now doing this project, I am simplying it for myself.  (Luckily all of the school or sports pictures have the year printed on them already)  Here are my labels I wrote on paper tape with a Sharpie:

Then I just put the tape strips right over the plastic tabs instead of trying to insert the little paper tabs they give you inside of them.

I love the size of this because even oversized papers or pictures fit inside vertically.

I labeled the front of each portfolio with my kids' names.  This project put a big dent in my mound and I am THRILLED that these things are now organized.  I am covered for every item my kids may ever need to find about themselves.  Need your Perfect Attendance award from kindergarten?  Got it.  Grade Card from 3rd grade, 1st quarter?  That's there too.  Want to see how you have changed through the years and put all of your school pics in a row and giggle?  You can do that.

Here the portfolios are on a shelf in one of the white cabinets.  A full reveal of this cabinet will be soon.....

Going along with my series, this project, while a little overwhelming at first, has made me really feel good about how I have my kids' things organized and that helps with my stress level!   I love these portfolios and am considering other uses for them.

How do you organize all of your kids' awards, pictures, and grade cards?  Did you find any ideas here you might try?

Day 10: Blessed by Stress

Just joining in?  Read the entire series {HERE}.

Oh Happy Day!  It's 9:00 pm and Mama is tired.  I am just now sitting down to write my post for tomorrow after being at school all day, picking up my Dad to bring him to my home for supper, taking my son to football, eating dinner, cleaning up, doing my Dad's bills and checkbook for him (which I am solely responsible for since my Mom passed away last year), taking my Dad to pump gas in his car for him (81 and has never pumped gas!), then picking my son up from football, doing laundry, reading baggie books with my daughter.....

BUT, I am going to practice what I preach.  I could get all whacked out stressed about how busy life can be, or, I can be grateful for the beautiful, blessed life that I have.

I decided to turn my stresses in to a list of blessings:

I get to pick my Dad up to bring him to my home for supper.   I miss my Mom so much I can't put it into words.  Someday I will miss him, too.  He eats dinner most nights alone.  It's a blessing that he can come to my home, play poker with my kids, and eat with us.  I love sending leftovers home with him.  He is the most grateful man I know.

I am blessed to have a son healthy enough to play football.  I love watching him get excited and be part of a team.  All of my children play sports and it makes them happy.  That makes me happy.  Someday they will all be grown and I won't have practices or games to take them to.

We have plenty of food to eat in my home.  We can make dinner and have a nice kitchen to clean up afterwards.  My sweet hubby makes more than half our meals and cleans up most of them.  I am lucky to have him.

I can help my Dad pump gas...it means he can still drive and come and see us.  Being responsible for his finances means I get to do what my Mom always used to do.  I use her same checkbook cover that sat in her purse for years.  I see her handwriting on the ledgers.  I know she would be proud of me.

Laundry, let's see.  A blessing?  Yes.  It means that my family can buy clothes and have our own washer and dryer to keep them clean.  Many people don't.

Reading with my children.  One of my great loves.  I am blessed that my kids don't struggle with reading.  I work with students with reading disabilities.  I see how hard it is for them.  I think about parents of these children and how helping them read can be so frustrating.

I could go on and on.....but want to go kiss my blessings good night.

How can you turn your daily little stresses into blessings?

Day 7: Messes Can Mean Progress

Just joining in?  Read the entire series {HERE}.

Happy Sunday!  Welcome to Day 7!  I started organizing my white cupboards that I posted about yesterday....let's just say I didn't realize how big of a project this would turn out to be.  Has that ever happened to you?

I decided that instead of getting stressed about this whole process, I was going to feel calm, proud, and relieved that several things are going to get organized, sorted, and purged in our home which is a wonderful thing!

Let me show you the progress thus far.  Look at my title of this post:  Messes Can Mean Progress.  So I am about to show you a mess.  It gets worse before it gets better, yes?

My mission to organize my craft supplies and put them into these cupboards has created more missions for me to tackle, including:

1.  Organizing hundreds of loose photos.

2.  Adding to my kiddos photo albums.  I have a small album for each of them for general pictures, and an album for each of them for their sport pictures.  The problem is, I haven't added to these in a couple of years.  Bad mom I know.  But I am tackling this now!!!  Woo Hoo!!!

3.  Sorting through greeting cards.  I save all of my kids' cards they have received for birthdays and other occasions.  I also have all of the cards that they have made or given to my hubby and I.  Do I keep ALL of these?  I am not sure yet.  What is your take on this?  Do you save all of your cards?

4.  Updating my storage boxes that I have for each kiddo that contain special school and artwork.  I actually think I may change how I have this---will update you on that when I get to that little project.  I have a good idea that will be so much easier to maintain and keep current.

5.  Making labels for all of the containers, baskets, and drawers that are housing all of this stuff!  Who doesn't love a pretty label?  They are functional and make things oh-so-easy to find.

This week I will continue to show you progress on my mess and those white cupboards.  I already love what I have done and can't wait show you the finished product!

What about you?  Do you think messes (the right kind, not milk spilled on the floor) mean progress?  What mess are you going to create to progress toward making your nest less stressed?

Making a List...Checkin' It Twice.....

This is going to be a quickie post because 1) I am a teacher and today was our first day for students (and therefore I am ready to drop!) and 2) this is a really simple idea that doesn't take tons of explanation.  Why am I posting about it then?  Because it worked.

Okay, granted, for one day.  But hey, my little Riley is super-grumpikins in the morning.  My hubby would say she gets it from me.  Not true.  Okay, maybe a little.  I knew this school year since I was the one that would be getting her up and ready in the mornings before school, that I needed a plan.  I have read some good ideas about having checklists for kids to follow in the mornings.  So last night I whipped up a little morning checklist.

Wouldn't you know my little Riley loves checklists?  When I told her about it before bed last night, you would have thought it was Christmas Eve.  She couldn't wait to get up to see and do her checklist.

This morning was a dream.  She came into my bathroom and said "Good Morning, Mommy."  Check.  "I'm going to go get dressed." Check.  Woo Hoo!  No yelling, stress, or repeating myself.  She did the whole checklist in order and was so proud of herself.

Tonight I of course made a Bedtime Checklist.  I let her sit on my lap while we typed up what should go on this list.

Yep, worked like a charm.  Have another copy of the Morning Checklist ready for the morning.  I don't know if this will last forever, but I do know that my daughter is just like me, she likes lists, and I like the ease of her not forgetting things and me not having to remind and nag her.  She is learning responsibility and I am saving time and energy!  It's a win-win.   I may laminate the checklists so I don't use tons of paper and she can just use a dry-erase marker to check things off.

Has anyone created checklists for older kids?  My sons, 12 and 16, would totally not go for something like this, but I  would love to think of something that is age-appropriate that they would actually use.  They have school stuff and football gear to take to school and it's a lot to remember.  I would also keep the brushing the teeth on a list for them.  :)

Sharing this project with:
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Six Sisters Stuff

School Practice Binder to Use at Home

You know with me being a teacher and all, I'll have to have some posts about how to organize your child at home to be successful at school.  This idea will work great for elementary and middle-school students I'm sure.  Not so sure about your older kiddos (I have two and they would say, "that's cool" and never use it).

My daughter Riley is going into second grade in my building.  I am lucky that I am a teacher there and know the curriculum of this grade level well.  However, you do not have to be a teacher to make a binder like this!

Here is what you will need to make a practice binder for your child at home:

*A binder:  at least 1 1/2 inches, preferably one that has the "view" plastic sleeve in the front that you can put a paper in it labeling and personalizing the binder

*plastics sleeves, probably 10-12

*tab dividers, 6-8

*contents for your binder will come from your child's teacher unless you have things at home you use to practice that can go in there too

WHY a practice binder?  As a teacher and mom, I know that practicing math facts, spelling words, reading, and vocabulary is overwhelming for parents.  Most teachers have kids, too, and people think that we read two hours a night with each child and practice math facts for an hour.  This is not true, at least not in my house! Of course I practice with her but realistically all households are busy and it is hard to stay organized and on top of things on school nights.  Having flashcards here and her reading book there and spelling paper tacked up on the bulletin board another place drives me crazy.  That is why I wanted a place that she and I could go to where all of the things that she needs to practice are housed.

Here is what is in her binder so far.  I made the front fun and creative so she would be excited about it.  I downloaded a font from Kevin and Amanda's Free Fonts.  I glued the white paper to a piece of scrapbooking paper I had to make it even cuter!  You could even take a white piece of paper and have your child decorate it to use as the cover.

In the pencil pouch (which her brother used last year so I didn't have to buy a new one) we put her math flashcards.  When she gets other flashcards from her teacher this year (could be math, vocabulary or whatever) we will put them in here.  Once she has mastered a skill, they can come out so it doesn't get too crowded.

My tabs are labeled :  MATH FACTS, SPELLING, READING, WORD LISTS, OTHER.  You might label them something different depending on your child's grade and teacher.

Right now the only items I have in here are items I already had at school--word lists for her grade level that I know she will need to know how to read and spell.  However, her teacher, like most teachers, will be giving her spelling lists and other papers that are important to her grade level to know.  These papers will go in the plastic sleeves to have handy to practice.  No more hanging on the fridge or bulletin board or stuffed in a pile of papers on the counter!

Some nights I am sure Riley will have homework and we will be busy and she won't get to use her practice binder.  However, there will be lighter nights where we can practice math facts and word lists for a few minutes.

I hope I have inspired you to get organized for the school year!  Whatever works for you , a binder, box, or container, have a designated place for the items I've mentioned.  It will help you keep your sanity and make your child more successful in school!

Sharing this Project with:

Fireflies and Jellybeans
Katie's Nesting Spot-A Crafty Soiree
House of Hepworth's 
Tutus and Teaparties
The 36th Avenue
Not Just a Housewife
I Heart Organizing