Arts and Crafts

What do other parents do with all of the arts and crafts that come home from school over the years?  At first it's so nice.  A couple of random colours streaked across a page resembling graffiti on the picture that was supposed to have contained the crayola residue inside its lines. Right up on the fridge. I am not certain as to where my wife and I have collected the magnets that pin these masterpieces to the stainless steel door that was so important to have in that color. I don't remember purchasing even one, but the front and sides of my refrigerator are riddled with these magic clamps.  

It's impossible to keep all of these creations.  Let's put it in their baby book! Yeah, that lasts for awhile, then you buy a rubbermaid tote from Walmart.  Why? Well you can't possibly throw that away...they made it for us.  What's that? You want to make me a picture? Oh that's nice...why don't you make one for Grandma instead.  She would love that.  And Grandma does, but Grandma has been through all of this before.  She will keep the token one or two.  The rest...somehow she can't remember where they would have gone.  You'll have to make me a new one honey. Genius. 

Eventually, seemingly right before one gets nominated for an episode of hoarders, both parents come to the same mindset where enough is enough.  We can't keep all of this stuff.  Do not under any circumstances let the child help you clean it out.  It's worse than going through an old toy box.  I was looking for that!!! You haven't played with this for years.  I''m going to play with it now!!  Of course you are.

I bought a shredder.  It may sound harsh, but it was for the good of our neighbourhood. Should an errant spark have found its way to the wrong tote then our house would have ignited more frail old paper than the Vatican vault. We now have a small collection of reminders of how our children's fine motor skills developed over the years, along with a copy of every report card that they had ever received.. which are underneath the odd swimming badge and stickers from the dentist. 

It is interesting to go through the things we keep.  Stuff we haven't looked at for an eternity.  University text books were one of those things.  The ones that you got stuck with at the end of the year, or perhaps one that you knew you would use for the rest of your career.  Yep, those sat in a box marked "Heavy" for years.  Recycling day is a favourite at our house.  Blue bags make you feel that you are really doing a wonder for the environment by contributing all of these things each week.  That reminds me...it's recycling day today and I am pretty sure my wife just walked by with my old scratch and sniff sticker books, and my minor hockey trophy collection.... I can't get rid of those. 

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