
All. The. Things.
Ever feel inundated? Papers, art projects, cute mementos, sweet baby clothing, awards, favorite toys and more have a way of accumulating as the years go by. Many of these items are sentimental in nature, making it difficult to decide what to keep and what to discard. My very own parents struggled deeply with this same issue. My dad saved everything … every greeting card I received growing up, every grade card, every program to any musical performance I was part of. And now, all these years later, my mom brings these items to me so I can decide what to do with them! Guess where almost all of them go? Yep, right into our recycling container! So how do you decide what to hold on to and what to toss? How do you get and keep it all organized? Let’s look at ways you can tackle this gigantic project that looms!
First, gather all the mementos, projects, notes, whatever and separate by child. This gives you a visual of what you are working with, which in turn will help you decide how much space you need. This might be a good time to consider where in your house you will be storing these mementos, as this will also help determine what space is available. Next, collect whatever containers you are planning to use, which could be anything from shoebox-size boxes, to accordion files, to larger plastic file boxes with lids. In our house, I have a small cardboard memory box in my closet (from IKEA) and a plastic box for each child in our basement. You can use whatever you have or what works for you and your allotted space. Lastly, make sure containers are labeled to make it easy on yourself the next time you need to file a memento!
Your next step is a biggie, so take a deep breath and dive in! Go through all the items you gathered as mementos and determine which ones you really want to preserve. Jessica Roth, Prairie Village mom of four, considers keepers “one-of-a-kind, unique-to-your-child papers and projects.” She asks herself, “‘Does this tell a story about him? Does this show something special about him?’ The key here is to remember that treasures are things we will look at in the future and will remind us of a sweet memory or special aspect of that child. For example, things with their handprints, fingerprints or photos; creative stories where you can hear their ‘voice;’ or drawings/art related to their favorite things or personality.” If you have a hard time throwing away or recycling, you can always give the extra items to Grandma!
Items that you’re keeping should then be organized into the system you have planned. It might be tossing all the mementos into a box labeled with your child’s name, or it might be file folders for each year of school gathered into a file box. Perhaps you’re going all digital and creating a scrapbook of the items or adding the keepsakes to a digital photo frame. Whatever method of organization you choose, set aside time to regularly review and edit. I have found that, in the moment, many items carry weight and have sentimental meaning. However, oftentimes when I go back to review the items I kept, I can let go of a few more because they don’t necessarily hold the same weight anymore.
Now that we have you almost all set, here are a few real-life snippets from local moms living it just like you and me!
*D’Arcy Haeusser, Olathe mom of nine, shares what works in their house. “With nine kids, I gave up pretty early on having a box filled with mementos from each child! I have a small, waterproof tub that I keep in my closet where I store favorite works of art and writings from my children. But I usually only put things in the box a few times throughout the year, so I collect things throughout the school weeks that might become mementos. When it’s time to do a batch, I look through the pieces again to see if they are still precious enough to save, and if so, I write the child’s name and grade on the back. I try to limit myself to a few select pieces because otherwise it becomes overwhelming, and the huge pile just doesn’t seem special. I also have a small handful of particularly meaningful notes my children have written me posted on the back of my closet door where I can look at them every day. I feel that is really important, actually enjoying the things we save.”
*Tara McCall, Overland Park mom of four, says, “In our parenting journey, we’ve discovered various ways to cherish and showcase artwork and awards our children bring home. For our second grader, we annually select one of her art projects to transform into a magnet, which is super easy through the Artsonia website utilized by our school. The seasonal creations have found a special place in our home as part of our holiday decor. The rest of the ‘extra special’ creations are handled with care—they are either photographed and added to our digital photo frame, proudly displayed on their dad’s office wall or filed away in an accordion file. However, with our daughter playing competitive soccer for the first time, I can tell a new organizational system for her soccer medals will soon become a priority!”
*Roth shares her tip for taming the paper chaos: “Make dealing with papers a daily habit. Every day, have kids empty backpacks and place papers in a designated spot. You can quickly sort into categories. Celebrate and recycle: These are papers that should be given attention but recycled after. To-do’s: These need to be dealt with right away, like permission slips or school photo orders. Treasures: As mentioned above, those one-of-a-kind, special papers that are unique to your child.”
No matter how you do it, organizing your children’s mementos can feel like an overwhelming and task but can also be a beautiful journey of celebrating their growth and accomplishments. Once you have a system in place, the task should seem easier to stay on top of and provide you with precious memories for years to come!
Julie Collett is a mom of four who has inspired herself with this article to finally get each child’s box cleaned out and organized!