Thank you
to Capital One for sponsoring this post.
It finally
happened, y’all. Both of my kids are now at the same school and I no longer
have to navigate a double drop-off. This means I can confidently take my
favorite detour to the coffee shop drive-through (which is only 1.75 miles out of the way) and still make it on time. I’m not
saying that my desire for being caffeinated without leaving my car has ever
jeopardized my children’s education. I mean, what says “I’m ready to learn”
like walking into class fashionably late with a cake pop that your mother
bribed you with so you’d finally put your shoes back on? Just kidding, I’m well
aware that a kid with a sugar-high only leads to more parent-teacher
conferences. I’ll pass.
With that said, do you know what having two kids in elementary school at the same time also means? A NEVER-ENDING CYCLE OF PROJECTS. No, not the ones they complete at school and bring home with them (which are never-ending in their own right and often breach my strict no-glitter policy), I’m talking about the ones that they have to do at home.
rule #1: prepare ahead of time
Sure, I’m all about visual learning, but not about the fact that if I don’t keep a steady supply of pom-poms, pipe cleaners, glue sticks, googly eyes, yarn, and every *class-approved* marker, crayon, and paint in my home, then once again I’ll be that exhausted mom who waits until the last minute and ends up pleading with a store employee to not just point her in the direction of the craft aisle, but personally escort her.
It’s pretty simple: Be prepared, shop online so you don’t have to leave the house, and make sure that if you are spending your hard-earned money on a variety pack of pom-poms and pipe cleaners, you are at least getting something in return for it.
The Capital One Quicksilver card is a great option because it allows you to earn unlimited 1.5% cashback on every purchase, everywhere. If your house is anything like mine at this time of year, having one less thing to worry about, like knowing I’m earning cash back no matter what I’m buying, is a huge win...especially since I’m buying a lot!
rule #2: help them to help you
In addition to my role as Craft Services, I’m also the Project Manager. I find it’s always better to err on the side of caution because as they say, “When you give a kid a pair of scissors, she may try to cut her brother’s hair.” Kids are notorious for making messes, in addition to not being able to find something even when it’s right in front of them. The best thing you can do is to create a functional system with storage solutions that allow kids to access the items they need and make clean-up less of a chore.
Use canisters and light bins to store supplies in separate categories, which makes it easy to remove only what you need from a shelf or cabinet and return it when they are done. This will help you stay on top of the mess by organizing as you go in small steps.
If you have kids, let alone a house, you need turntables in your life. They provide easy access to small items and since art supplies can be sorted in ROYGBIV, we are huge supporters of letting a turntable live its best life on a tabletop. It helps to include cups or jars in a turntable for items like crayons to keep them upright, making it easier to see every color.
And when all else fails, pour yourself a glass of champagne (or if you’re Joanna, some candy), remember you got 1.5% cashback on all of this (thanks, Capital One), and hit the spa.
xo, clea
*Capital One does not provide, endorse or guarantee any third-party product, service, information or recommendation listed above. The third parties listed are not affiliated with Capital One and are solely responsible for their products and services. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Thoughts welcome!