If you’ve got school-aged kids like me, do you dread the Valentine’s Day clutter that comes along with this holiday? Before Valentine’s Day, our dining room table gets overrun with paper scraps, googly eyes and stickers. I feel like we just barely (maybe) get the Valentine craft mess cleaned up when they come home from their school parties. Oh my, hearts and glitter, it’s like a Valentine bomb goes off in my house! Tiny erasers, cards, candy, and all the little bitty goodies seem to end up everywhere!
I love how excited my kids get over the Valentine loot, and it’s definitely fun for them to comb through it. I just don’t love the clutter it creates! I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve to get organized for Valentine’s Day that I’ll share with you today.
Create a Valentine card mini-zone.
Gather all your essential supplies like card stock, Valentine-themed paper, envelopes, glue stick, googly eyes (obviously), scissors, paper punches. (Or, do what I like to do and open the box of pre-made cards from the store.) Next collect pens, markers, stickers, the class list (or your address book), postage stamps, and so on, and corral them into a bucket, bin or tray. Use small drinking cups, pails or pots to keep scissors, pens and markers upright and easily accessible. I’ll give each of my daughters a mini zone so that they can keep their work together. The best part about this is that when we need to stop creating and eat dinner, it’s easy to sweep their work into the mini-zone and move it off the table.
Catch it before it’s clutter.
Before they come home from those class parties, be ready with some clutter-catching strategies. If you’re looking for more crafting opportunities with your kids, there are some really adorable ideas out there for Valentine mailboxes. Or, do what I do and use the same bucket or bin you used for creating cards to catch what comes home. Let them know ahead of time that this is where they can keep the Valentines they receive. I also like to establish a time for how long we will enjoy them. I have one child who is ready to recycle the next day and another who would like to keep every precious card to infinity. It helps if we have a plan beforehand!
Divide and devour.
There is a chance your children may receive a few sweets mixed in with the cards and other loot. 😉 I really prefer pulling edibles out from the other goodies for several reasons. My kids love it way too much and so do our pets, so having candy lying around all over the house is not a good idea for any of them! Have a pretty candy jar or dish ready to receive the sweets they bring home. It’s a cute way to stash the sweets, and it’s better than trying to take chewing gum away from the dog.
I hope I’m not the only one who struggles with a bit of Valentine clutter and chaos. If it happens to you, too, let me know if these tips help defuse the Valentine’s bomb at your house!
Happy organizing,
