Start a Memory Box for your Kids

Mother's Day is so fun with young kids.  You always get such cute handmade cards made with love.  It's always a reminder that they won't be little forever!  This makes me want to hang on to every little things so I don't lose these precious memories.  While I know I can't keep every scrap of paper they've ever doodled on, I do like to keep my favorites.  I've created Memory Boxes for each of my kids to keep their important papers.  My Mom did this for me as I was growing up and it is fun to go back and look through these things. 

This is really such an easy project to take on.  All you really need to do is buy a large box to hold your memories.  It can be a large plastic tupperware container or even a decorative square box (like the hat boxes) that they sell at JoAnn's or many other stores.  Each of my girls has a large decorative cardboard box in the top of their closet.  Whenever I get a school report card, an art project, a special assignment or paper from school it just gets dropped in the box.  Other fun things to add are newspapers from birth dates, school pictures, drawings, progress reports, notes from teachers, recital programs, awards, certificates, and medals.  Be sure to write the date or your child's age and grade on the back so that you can remember when they were from. 

My oldest has filled her first box and is on her second.  You do need to be a bit picky on the items you keep.  You don't want to save everything, just your favorites.  Otherwise you will just have a lot of trash to go through and throw away later.  Picking your favorites now will just make it more special in the future. 

If you are going to store your box in the garage or in an attic, you will probably want to use a plastic lidded box for more protection.  The cardboard boxes have worked well for me since I've just kept them in the top of the closets. 

This box will be so fun for you and your kids to look back on to remember all these little things they did as they grew up.  It will be like your own time capsule to build on as they grow.