How much of your kids stuff do you save?

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I am VERY sentimental and have a hard time throwing out anything. Including those little schnibles of paper that say I love you or hearts drawn on them. As you can imagine, my home is very cluttered. Trying to get out from underneath that, but have a hard time tossing stuff. How much do you keep and how do you store it?

 

[shep]

I take all of Mandy's drawing and hang them on my locker at work and then when the next pic comes along I date them and store them in my locker...quite a collection..

 

[doxdogy]

My DH has a pillow that our daughter made him when she was seven years old. She is now 24. She had also made him a drawing on a small piece of paper around the same time and asked him to carry it in his wallet. The drawing is still in his wallet.

 

[JESW]

I have storage bins up in the attic for each (2) child for each year. In goes all the school papers, projects and whatever else. Some of the smaller works of art gets put into their scrapbooks. And now at their ages (almost 4 & 8) they draw on some scrapbook pages as I do them. I am also sentimental, but DH & I re both packrats and it was all starting to overwhelm us so we are TRYING to de-clutter a bit..

DS 8 loves to draw and our kitchen is wallpapered with his LARGE drawings. Not to be out-done, DD3 draws her own pictures and tapes them up herself. Our kitchen cabinets have many pictures of princesses on them. Our family room still has the almost life-sized drawing of a Christmas tree DD did in school hanging on the wall. They are only young once so I don't mind my house looking like this now - I'm sure others would think it was messy. Oh well...

Jill

 

[Keli]

I now save all the little things that my dd gives me but now it's programs for plays she's in or concerts she's performing in and stuff like that. I kept about a 10th of the drawings and stuff she made when she was younger but now I wish I had kept them all.

 

[JAP]

Too much and DH keeps threatening to throw everything away!!

 

[believe]

I try not to be a pack rat. All DD#1s drawings go in the hutch. During the summer I go through all the drawings and pick out the few I want to make sure I keep. Then I lump them (puppets, mobiles, paintings, drawings). I then put them on my kitchen floor or counter and take pictures of them. I seen this in a magazine and decided to do it. It has been great. Once she gets older I will keep more because she will actually be writing and that is difficult to see in a photo, but for now this works.

 

[Beanie]

I am terrible about this! I save everything! Now since Andrew has started Kindergarten, every paper he brings home goes on the fridge first and then in the Hope Chest...It is getting full too, so I really need to start cutting back! I just can't bear to throw anything away, especially those cute little drawings he does in school!

 

[Pembo]

I save too much too! I have trash bags in the attic for all of their work from school. I cant' decide what to do with ds's papers from 1st grade. I will admit that ds, age 6, makes a lot of paper things, people, animals etc. I have thrown many of them out. He gets a little carried away. shh...don't tell him though! LOL

 

[Charleneluvsdisney]

I too am a pack rat, but when the art work comes home everything is displayed on a door, refridgerator etc. When the next batch comes in, I hold onto 1 piece from the group and the rest goes. I still have a ton of stuff!

 

[Mogs30]

I have often wondered too, and then when I do throw something away guilt overwhelms me into thinking I'm a terrible mom. But then I stop and think. Why am I keeping EVERYTHING!!???. My mom gave me a bunch of stuff when I moved out and I threw it away thinking she was crazy to keep it! So I just keep reminding myself of that. 12 years of school stuff is alot. Luckily I only have 1 child to tend with. We don't love or care any less if we toss a few things here and there. I keep a box for each year she is in school, and I think that is plenty. Report cards, accomplishments, concerts, etc. are what I keep now. Everyone have a magical day.

 

[Dream]

Yikes! I save EVERYTHING!! I am the world's worst pack rat!! Where do I store it all....in bins in the attic where dh can't see it and have a hissy!!! He is at the opposite pole from pack rat!!! I have gotten brave and started throwing away all of those little rows of "s's" and "T's"....welllll maybe not ALL of them....

 

[Nutsy]

My two are 13 & 14 & I have a cupboard full of stuff from Kindy & Pre-school days plus all the stuff from Primary school. I just can't bear to throw it out, but I need the cupboard for other stuff too, so I'm going to have to do something about something one of these days.

 

[glo]

OK, do not laugh at me..I save most of there school work, in rubbermaid boxes by the year. I save their clothes also in Rubbermaid containers, Thos little "I LOVE YOU" notes and cards all go in my nightstand. I save everything to my DH dismay...but I have some awesome memories and treasures