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When I was growing up, my best friend’s mom worked for an airline. As a result, my friend got to travel around the world. Before high school, she had been to China, Dubai, South Africa, Australia, and Israel. Hearing about her trips inspired my own travel dreams.
We’ve been fortunate to travel with our own kids. In the Before Times, we traveled with our oldest across oceans and to domestic destinations coast to coast. However, in the After Times, the farthest my youngest has gone is Baltimore.
Until we can travel freely again, this Travel Play Dress from Annie the Brave will keep those travel dreams going. This dress for exploring is made from 100% soft cotton and has a fun, travel-themed print. Annie the Brave features STEM-inspired clothing (other prints include space, scientists, dinosaurs, etc.) for girls who dream big.
The dress is $35 and available in sizes 2T to 11/12.
P.S. Happy Mother’s Day!
Sales of note for 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – 50% off entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
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- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anonymous says
Can we end Mother’s Day? I really don’t need another fake holiday that creates work for moms and unrealistic expectations everyone else. Pay me for my work, give me better child care options, and put pockets in all clothes made for women. Take this fake holiday and shove it. Sorry, not sorry for the rant.
Anonymous says
I am 100% on board. Mother’s Day isn’t for me to enjoy. It’s a day of extra emotional labor for me, faking enjoyment of whatever lame celebration my husband and kids come up with, spending time with them to avoid hurting their feelings when I’d rather relax alone, and making my own mother and MIL happy.
Anon says
This. Grumpy selfish confession: I hate that I am a mother, but I spend time shuttling the kids to my mother and MIL instead of relaxing. They already had their mothers days, can’t I send them a card and flowers and then NOT spend two hours fighting to pack up the kids from a brunch so we can make it to an afternoon tea?
I know, I know, I’m super grateful to both of them. But I hate that they’re so rigid in “their” celebration that I don’t get any time for my own celebration. How do I say “sorry MIL but no brunch with your own kids this year, I’m making DH and kids take me out ALONE instead.”?
anon says
I don’t have the answer, but I want to validate that your feelings are completely valid.
EP-er says
My MIL says the Mother’s Day should be for those actively parenting. She doesn’t want much and doesn’t care if we get together or not. (This year she is bringing bagels over Sunday AM, but not too early! My DH is getting her… something?) I love this and will be adopting this philosophy for my adult kids.
My mother…needs her Mother’s Day, at her house, with a thoughtful, showy present. At this point, I appreciate the cards from the kids, but have changed my expectations on what the day means to me. And I find that going in with the appropriate expectations is key to being happy with many things in life!
anne-on says
You use your words and say exactly that (maybe slightly nicer of course). I have emotional vampires for family members but I use my words, ignore adult pouting/sulking/tantrums, and set reasonable limits. If that makes me the ‘bad’ DIL/daughter (which, heck, I know they think I am) that’s on them, not me.
Alternate option – suck it up and cater to MIL/your mom on mother’s day and then designate another weekend as ‘your’ day and do whatever you please then! Bonus – less crowded, food is likely to be better on another day!
anne-on says
I put my foot down when my son was about 2 and got a card from daycare and nothing else. I lost it, told my husband I was a mother too and he darn well better celebrate the mother of his child if he wanted to remain happily married. I also flat out stopped doing anything for his mother – if she wanted to see him that would happen the day before or another weekend. I sent my mom flowers and a card, and then told everyone I was NOT traveling anywhere, and outlined exactly what I wanted to happen – this breakfast take out, this activity, and this amount of alone time – I was also NOT to be in charge of laundry, groceries, or dinner on mother’s day. Period. End of story.
Was I annoyed that I had to do that? 100% Do I now get exactly what I want for mother’s day? Also yes. And if my spouse had the nerve to pout about any of that we’d be in therapy with a quickness.
SC says
After a series of horrendous Mothers Days, my solution was for DH to take Kiddo to visit his mother while I stayed home, and then bring back a smoked salmon bagel from my favorite deli, which happens to be near his mother’s house. I get relief from morning activities, some peace and quiet, and my favorite breakfast. MIL gets time with her son and grandson.
Anon says
I’ll take any holiday that is offered which requires my husband to take care of (most) everything all day and where I also get a nice gift.
Anonymous says
Same. Opt out of the work! I have my kids decorate a card for my mom and my husband is in charge of his mom (he calls her, but that’s it). As the current mom in the thick of it, I made it clear this is my day to enjoy.
Anonymous says
Agree. I used to try and do the most for Mother’s Day but now we have a routine. DH gets up whenever kids wake up. Kids/DH bring me a coffee/croissant around 8:30 and I open any kid gifts. DH gets me flowers and earrings. I hate ‘stuff’. Then they go downstairs and facetime DH’s mom. Then he takes them to the playground, out for lunch (usually picnic at playground and grocery shopping for dinner). My parents come over for dinner, DH usually makes something simple like BBQ and my Dad brings (usually store bought) salad and dessert. My mom has lunch with my sister earlier in the day.
He orders flowers for his mom (she’s not local). Part of my mother’s day gift is that he confirms that he has ordered the flowers at least a week or so in advance. Then I don’t stress about him forgetting (one year he forgot and she got nothing).
Anonymous says
I’d like to petition to move Mother’s Day. It is always the coldest day of the spring in my neck of the woods. Meanwhile, Father’s Day is in June and so nice. Can we at least have a good weather holiday? All I want for Mother’s Day is to sleep in. All my daughter wants to give me for Mother’s Day is Starbucks at 7 a.m.
GCA says
Ah, but there you are incorrect! The coldest day of spring is whatever day my kid’s planned outdoor birthday activity falls on! Every year!
All I want for Mother’s Day is to hang out with my family and do fun things without any mental or emotional labor. (Bonus if Mother’s Day features both coffee and ice cream.)
anon says
Just checked the forecast for Sunday. 55 degrees and rainy. FML.
Anon says
Early May is gorgeous in my part of the Midwest. Late June is too hot!
blueberries says
I agree, let’s also end teacher appreciation week while we’re at it. I don’t like that extra stuff is put on mothers’ plates because we don’t otherwise do enough for teachers. Let’s compensate and treat teachers better and stop with the cutesy daily things for moms to manage during this week.
anon says
YEP, +100. It results in everyone being disappointed.
Anon says
Maybe it’s low expectations for me, but I enjoy it. All I want is flowers (which I tell DH and he orders) and for us to go out to eat for the weekend at a place I pick and extra preschooler cuddles (those are less dependable). I usually order flowers or a plant for my mom and if he hasn’t gotten to it yet his mom a few weeks in advance, and everything is all set. We call our respective mothers on the day, but otherwise it is just a day where I don’t cook unless I want to (some years it is takeout all three meals; other years I indulge in a fancy cooking project) and we focus more on family time (which is what I want more of) and everyone is extra nice to me.
NYCer says
I’m with you! This sums up our day too.
Spirograph says
I can get behind this! Although I do love the cute crafts the kids make.
Anon says
Yes, all of these minor “holidays” are becoming over the top. Say no to all the extras. We do not give my mom/MIL anything unless we are seeing them (we don’t visit just for Mother’s Day, but sometimes there are related family events that we’ll travel for), and as for me I buy myself something and act lazy for the day. For Father’s Day my husband goes golfing and I let him sleep in. Done.
Anon says
I love it, but it doesn’t create work for me. I tell DH what I want (usually some combo of flowers, brunch or a trip) and he does it. I get a cute card from daycare. I send my own mom flowers but don’t feel obligated to celebrate anyone else.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yeah, all I want for Mother’s Day is for this country to actually acknowledge and value caregiving. This has nothing to do with brunch or flowers or anything like that. It’s about recognizing that all of this unpaid labor, that still mostly falls on moms, is valuable and important.
SC says
Ha. Mother’s Day is always a mess of competing events in our family. DH’s parents are divorced, so he often tries to do something with/for his mother and his step-mother as well as me. It’s also often on or near my husband’s birthday, and he hates having his birthday mixed in with Mother’s Day more than just not celebrating it. Now, my 3-year-old niece’s birthday is also in the mix (and in fact, her birthday party is at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday).
This year, my Mother’s Day is on Saturday. DH is going to be in charge of Kiddo in the morning while I read/chill. For Saturday afternoon, I signed us up for a virtual cheese and dessert tasting, and DH is picking up the cheese and dessert this afternoon, which is a bit of a logistical hurdle.
please help me remember how to be social says
Is it normal to invite a parent at my child’s school over for a distanced outside drink post-kid bedtime (around 8)?
“A drink” is understood as “come hang with me” and can be herbal tea, wine, whatever, right? Or do I need to specify that?
I’m in Silicon Valley and my sense of social norma is gone—I was just emerging from having young children (oldest in kinder) when the pandemic hit.
Anonymous says
I would take “a drink” to mean something alcoholic. I’d specify the beverage.
Anonymous says
I agree, but I also think that as long as you’ll have both available, you don’t really need to specify. Just offer the options when the person arrives. The only exception might be if you have reason to believe the person will want to make sure there is a non-alcoholic option, you might mention it. Or you could just ask in the invitation if they have a beverage of choice that you can stock.
Audrey III says
I’m in DC, but yup! Totally normal. I’d love getting an invitation like that.
Anonymous says
I do “come hang out by the fire pit/on the patio”
Please help me remember how to be social says
Thanks, all!
fallen says
People with basements – would you recommend building a home gym there? We are moving soon to a house with a large basement and I am torn putting my peloton/yoga mat/weights there vs. in our bedroom (which is failry large). If it matters, kids playroom will also be in the basement (but the basement has sort of two separate rooms – with no door between them). I typically do peloton/SWEAT/peloton barre/peloton yoga for workouts so nothing crazy.
Anonymous says
This is a no-brainer–basement for sure!
Anonymous says
+1 for me. But people can really differ on where they prefer to work out. OP, wherever you think you’ll use it all most is where it should go. All things being equal, I vote basement.
anonymommy says
Another thought- We have our yoga mat and weights in the kids play room area (not a peloton, that sounds unsafe???). They have 1lb weights too. They mimic us working out. If you are trying to work out WITH the kids around, it’s a decent way to go. They can play, join in some of the time, and you can get a short workout in. I get that some people would hate this, but it works for the amount of exercising I do.
Anonymous says
We have ours in the basement. Helpful if your sleep schedules are not 100% consistent and if you sometimes work out early/late when the other person might be sleeping. I was wiped yesterday and went to bed at 10pm and DH went on the treadmill for a half hour then came to bed. On Sunday mornings, it’s my turn to get up with the kids and I usually do some yoga while they play in the basement playroom.
anon says
I cannot stand working out in basements. I hate the lack of natural light so this would be an easy decision for me. But, whatever you decide, I’d definitely recommend putting the peloton in your room at the very least. As someone else mentioned, it doesn’t seem safe to put it next to an area the kids may be in at least partially unsupervised. You could compromise and do some light weights and a yoga mat downstairs to work out while the kids are playing, and the heavier weights and the peloton upstairs for your more intense workouts.
Spirograph says
I also do not enjoy lack of natural light in a basement. The (finished) basement in our house is the video game/TV cave. Workout equipment shares with my bright “corner office” that has windows on two walls. I have the peloton out of the zoom video frame and a cute sideboard to store other equipment. Bonus, there is no reason for the kids to be in this room unattended, ever.
anon a mouse says
Basement absolutely. That way you can work out if someone else is in the bedroom. Do check the ceiling height, ours is 7′ and it’s a tight fit for DH on the Peloton when out of the saddle. If kids are going to be down there unsupervised, you need to be diligent about keeping the Peloton as safe as possible — I’ve seen recs to unplug each time and to twist the resistance all the way up so that kids can’t cycle on it or move pedals.
Anonymous says
+ a million to considering the ceiling height. I can put my hands flat on my basement ceiling, which makes it awkward for yoga, anything that involves jumping, and probably would be close riding a bike out if the saddle.
Anon. says
Our Peloton lives in the basement in a corner of the large family room. We’ve got a big baby gate/fence around it so the toddler can’t mess with it. Bonus of working out in the basement is that it’s easily 10 degrees cooler down there than the rest of the house. I often workout first thing in the morning and I would feel bad about waking up spouse if Peloton lived in our bedroom. And I like the idea that the kids do sometimes see us working out.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Following up on yesterday’s discussion on adults and vaccines and kids without – for those planning playdates in the near future: are you asking all the parents about their vaccine status? Is this a fair game question now? I’m in a state with a high vaccination rate so I’m sort of assuming most of the daycare parents have gotten it/will get it, but am I supposed to ask now? Of course I feel awkward.
Anonymous says
So maybe I’m just less social generally, but pretty much the only kids my kiddo has playdates with (in Covid or not) are with kids whose parents are our friends. So it has already come up in coversation.
NYCer says
+1.
And if circumstances were to arise that my kids were having a playdate with a kid whose parents I am not friends with, I personally would not ask about their vaccination status. Like someone else mentioned below, I don’t have a hard rule about my kids only interacting with people who are vaccinated.
anon says
+2 My kids’ only friends are the children of my friends (from our newborn parenting group long ago) so I know all their vax statuses in detail because we were all sharing appointment successes, etc.
anne-on says
This. We’re in a state with a very high vaccination rate, and everyone we’d have playdate with has already been vaccinated (social media posts) or in the process of being OR I know they cannot due to medical conditions.
I’d raise it though with a new family the same way I do for all new family playdates – ‘we’re happy to host – do your kiddos have any food allergies I should be aware of? We’ve got a large friendly dog and a cat just in case there are pet allergies. We don’t have any guns in the house, and parent x (or both) will be home to supervise – I’d tack on ‘we’re both vaccinated but if you’d like the kids to only play outside that’s fine of course’. This usually triggers the ‘thanks for mentioning it, no pet/food allergies, no guns in the home for us either’ response.
Frankly – learning to work the ‘guns in the house’ line into my script felt way more awkward than the vaccine line will.
anonymommy says
I have been asking or already know. But, that said, we still see unvaccinated family (ugh) so it’s not a hard rule for me. I also think there’s a kind of social pressure benefit if someone is on the fence. Still, awkward and no easy answers here.
Anonymous says
Oh yeah I volunteer that I’m vaccinated to like every person I see and have zero qualms about asking if others are.
Anonymous says
Same. I appreciated it when one parent asked for a playdate and volunteered that info, so I do as well. You’re not asking for private health info, it’s information you need to make sure your kids are safe and evaluate risk. I feel the same way about asking people if they have guns in their home.
anne-on says
This. I had a kid with a food allergy requiring an epi-pen (he grew out of it) so I was already the parent talking about safe/unsafe foods, so this seems like an extension of my usual health and safety spiel.
TheElms says
My plan is to volunteer the information and hope the other party reciprocates. So something like now The Elms and Mr. The Elms are vaccinated we were thinking of starting up playdates with other vaccinated families. I know everyone has different risk tolerances, would you be interested?
GCA says
We’re still doing just outdoor playdates (playgrounds/ hiking) right now, but the playdate kids fall into two categories: a) the parents are our friends so we’ve already chatted about vaccination, or b) we have a decent excuse to make small talk, being new to the area, so it will probably come up in conversation – I’ll probably volunteer (‘my second shot is next week! have you got yours yet? how did you feel afterwards?’)
Anon says
We haven’t done any play dates yet, but this isn’t something I’m comfortable asking personally. I’d rather just keep things outside.
Anonymous says
In my social circle, most people are volunteering the information or it comes up as part of chitchat–one person says they are having vaccine side effects, and everyone else shares their own side effect stories.
Anonymous says
Everyone volunteers this information where I live. Especially the very few people who have chosen not to get vaxxed.
Yes says
I would absolutely ask and I have volunteered this information when trying to get together with acquaintances who have kids (mine isn’t in daycare or school yet, so he doesn’t really encounter any other kids unless we already know the parents). I am in an area where the vast majority of people want to be vaccinated, but appointments just opened up for the general population a few weeks ago.
Used car shopping says
Any good websites or resources you use to research used cars? After 16 years I think I’ve convinced my husband it’s time to replace our Acura SUV, but it’s been so long since we’ve car shopped I almost don’t know where to start these days. Would like something comparable – SUV, smallish, probably “higher end” but we aren’t luxury brand people.
Hmm says
Be prepared for the fact that you may need to pay the list price or close to it right now. There is a used (and new) car shortage, so inventory is low. If you can wait a bit you might be better off.
Anon says
I found the car mom on YouTube and Instagram to be helpful.
Anon says
Research cars in general and narrow down the brand and/or model you want, then look online at nearby dealerships to see what they have in stock used. We’ve bought both our used cars from Honda dealerships and it’s been very smooth. They usually throw in a year’s worth of oil changes and possibly other maintenance.
anon says
My 7-year-old son is climbing everything! He is typically the kind of kid who behaves well in school but sometimes pushes boundaries at home. We have been talking to him about impulse control and trying to stop and think about whether he is making a good choice, but it’s like his brain short-circuits when he has an opportunity to climb something: huge trees, door frames, our garage roof somehow! This morning he tried to scale our refrigerator which naturally just broke the handles on the fridge! My standard talking about choices + applying consequences is going nowhere. Any advice?
Anonymous says
Rock climbing lessons? Pre-covid our kids had an indoor rock climbing class on Monday afternoons after school. DH’s job is flexible enough that he could take a late lunch, drop them to class and I picked them up after work.
Anonymous says
+1 for rock climbing, ninja, parkour, or gymnastics.
Spirograph says
Yeah. Or gymnastics if he can get into that. My climber loves gymnastics. There’s a rebrand for elementary boys at the gym we go to: “ninja class” and they do obstacle course/parkour skills.
I am flashing back to college where there was one guy who just…climbed things. He would walk away mid conversation and just start climbing one of the old stone buildings.
Anonymous says
If you get him into gymnastics, he will likely divert the climbing energy into doing mushroom circles on those giant red concrete balls outside Target.
Anon says
More outside time, especially in the woods or doing heavy work? I just finished the book Balanced and Barefoot – it was a quick read and might be helpful for you
anonymommy says
Re the travel play dress — any good clothing brands/sites for boys with traditionally “girly” things? My son wanted a butterfly shirt and I can’t believe there are not many options for boys like there are now for girls with trucks etc. (did find a “unisex” gap tshirt for him, but that was only one that wasn’t all pink/floral).
Anonymous says
H&M maybe?
Leatty says
Check out Princess Awesome/Boy Wonder. They have a butterfly Henley shirt.
Anonymous says
Gap has a black shirt with monarch butterflies on it in their National Geographic line.
One of my twins like boy clothes with less traditional colors/images (think purple T with rainbows), and I’ve had good luck at Svaha (purple prism shirt), Boden, H+M, Old Navy (gender neutral tie dye range), and Boy Wonder.
Anonymous says
Not the OP but helpful – thank you!
Anon says
I haven’t seen anything with butterflies but sometimes Target has boy clothing that have “girly” things on them. They have a t-shirt now that is a dinosaur made of flowers.
Anonymous says
I like some of the Target options. Also Boy Wonder for the higher price point.
anon says
Help please! My 5 year old has always been hard to get to bed. She always fights it. We’ve had the same bedtime routine since she was 6 months old, pjs, teeth, potty, books, bed. Most of the time she would protest but still accept her fate and go to sleep. Lately, she has been getting out of bed after we tuck her in for a variety of reasons–she forgot to tell us something, she has a question, etc. She’s done this occasionally in the past but lately it’s gotten worse. She’s getting out of bed 3-4 times, and of course, the more she does this, the less patient we are about it and the more worked up she gets. By the last time, she is having a meltdown and we are all stressed, making for a very unpleasant evening. We’ve tried giving her a flashlight and telling her she can stay up and look at books or whatever she wants, as long as she stays in her room, but that seems to have made it worse. She wakes up between 6:15-6:45am, doesn’t nap at school, and bedtime is 8pm (which we are very consistent about). What can we do to keep this kid in bed and prevent all of us from having nightly meltdowns?!
Anon says
I sit in my son’s room till he’s asleep (he’s 5). this is probably bad advice, but it usually takes 15 minutes, no fighting, and I can get on with my evening. works for me?
Anonymous says
We also do this and have done since age 3 (now 6). The key is to make sure bedtime is at a time where kiddo is actually tired so we are only there 15-20 min. For us when there was no school that means going jogging together, on a multi-mile walk, or a long bike ride to be tired enough to sleep at a reasonable time. School makes it easier because there is a lot of running for 6 year old boys at recess. Me personally, I wouldn’t try melatonin without first upping exercise.
octagon says
We play a relaxation podcast for kiddo followed by lullaby music. If he is too restless or getting up, we threaten once that the music goes away. He really loves listening to music as he falls asleep so that usually works.
Anonymous says
How much outside time is she getting? My kids are impossible to get to bed unless they get 30-60 minutes of running around outside. We usually split this up between walking to school (15 mins) and playing outside after dinner for a half hour. DH and I alternate who goes outside in the garden with them so the other person gets a blissful half hour to themselves.
Anon says
+1 This makes all the difference for my 5 and 7 year olds. We walk to/ from school, and after dinner we make a point to play outside if the weather is nice or do something active inside if not. Our school is in-person, but with cohorts and social distancing they’re not getting as much run-around time as they normally would. We have to supplement their physical activity if we want any hope of on-time bedtime for them. And us.
A says
We have dealt with this off and on with my six year old for years. I finally called the pediatrician, who recommended melatonin, which has worked like a charm. It’s not a long-term solution, but it can help reinforce the habit of getting into bed and going to sleep. We cut a 1 mg melatonin gummy in half–who knows if it’s the placebo effect or what, but it’s made our evenings much less stressful.
ifiknew says
My 23 month old son LOVES pulling my daughters hair. It’s gotten worse recently. We are consistent with removing him to a different spot everytime he does it, but clearly I’m doing something wrong. He also occasionally bites and hits. i don’t recall any of this with my daughter around other kids. i do recall it happening with her sub 18 months but not one month away from turning 2. Is this normal? When does this end?
anonymommy says
Normal. My son is almost exactly 2 years older, and 2-2.5 was the worst with the impulsive pushing. It got better with better impulse control.
Anonymous says
Light topic for this morning: how do you store kids’ drawing paper?? We have a mix of loose paper (re-using things printed on one side and also just printer paper), pads of paper, and a roll of paper, and it never seems to work. The loose paper is the easiest for the kids to use (preschool/early elementary) but if it’s in a box it just gets filled up with other junk or wrinkled or the drawings end up back in there… this should be easy, right??? But six years in I still can’t figure out how to have self-serve drawing paper available ?
Anonymous says
We have a rolling cart from IKEA that has all the kids’ art supplies in it. It does get dusty/random junk put in it, but we clean it out periodically.
AnotherAnon says
+1.
AwayEmily says
This is not exactly what you asked but a few months ago I started cutting all our paper in half. The kids like it better (maybe less overwhelming amount of space to fill?) and it wastes less paper. I keep a small pile of half-sheets (both printer and construction paper) in the middle of the table, and then the rest I store in a magazine file on their art shelf.
Anonymous says
You need both a place for paper and a separate place for drawings to go. Roll of paper gets stored with gift wrap rolls and only hauled out on weekends. Printer sized paper goes in a shoe box sized plastic container with a lid. Nothing else goes in there. I check it most evenings and take out anything else. Drawings go on the bulletin boards above their desks. When the bulletin boards are full, they pick what to keep.
Anonymous says
If it’s 8.5 x 11″, you can get boxes exactly that size.
anon says
We store loose paper in a desk drawer. The kids can open it to get a piece but because it’s not in a box that sitting out all the time it’s less tempting to shove random other stuff in there.
Rolls of paper are not self-serve; those require a grownup.
Anon says
We have two rolling “art carts” in the kitchen, as the kitchen table is her crafting space. One is a heavy duty three metal basket type things and we keep construction paper in the bottom and other paper in the middle. The top has an optional wooden lid that I added and things I want used less frequently (out of sight out of mind) are in there (stickers and popsicle sticks mostly). Then we have one with a lot of skinny drawers and we divide up by type, one has coloring books, one has pencils and markers, one has watercolor paints and paintbrushes, one has scissors and glue and glue sticks and pom poms and pipe cleaners and one has aprons. Crayons are in a shoebox size plastic box that lives on top. They both live in front of the basement door (unfinished) and we just roll them out of the way when we need to go down there. I toss scraps back into the construction paper pile and “drawings” get trashed after kiddo goes to bed after hanging out in the kitchen or taped up on the basement door for a few days.
Anonymous says
OP here- thanks for entertaining this question! This is helpful. We have an open kitchen plus dining area (“dining room”) that’s all visible in the living room, and the dining table is currently the place the kids do art and really the only option until the preschooler can be trusted with art supplies unsupervised. And space is at a premium plus we want it to look presentable (but… no one has come over in more than a year…) So we have things on shelves and can’t really do a cart, but this has give me some ideas!
AnotherAnon says
I stuff the cart in a coat closet when we have company under two who might be tempted to pull things out (which has been exactly once). But another idea: we have an ikea kallax unit in my son’s room with one bin dedicated entirely to art. I just take it off the fridge and dump it in there weekly. I go through it once a year and throw away anything that’s completely unsentimental.
anon says
We have a magazine wall file near the kids’ drawing table that sort of looks like this. One slot holds blank paper and the other holds coloring books.
https://images.app.goo.gl/w4Hm7ZqsGRQc7PGb8
CHL says
We use magazine storage boxes on a shelf.
Mary Moo Cow says
Us, too. For my daughter, being able to see the array of colors because the paper is standing up has really helped on the clutter/detrius/damaged paper. When it was stacked flat (as if I just removed the plastic wrap from a pack of mixed colored paper and plunked it on a shelf, so much paper got crumpled and lost and strewn around the room.
Anonymous says
We have a kitchen drawer (closest to the dining room where the art happens) dedicated to paper and basic art supplies. We also have a much larger box of crayons that is on top of the cupboards… that originated because we wanted positive control of crayons to prevent wall-coloring, but we could probably re-home it somewhere kid height now.