Kindergarten Memories

I am not a crafty mom. I am not a creative mom, and before you try to console me, let me tell you about a few #fails.

Halloween costumes come from Amazon or Zulily, because the one time I tried to make an octopus costume, someone asked if I was a rocket ship.

My daughter asks for me to write her notes on her napkins at lunch, and then I get told they weren’t what she was hoping for….she’s 5.  

Birthdays come along, and I make a quick trip to Susie Cakes. I let the experts do their jobs, because when I tried to make a “3” cake for my daughter’s third birthday….let’s just say we weren’t sure it was a number we were eating.

In the world we live in, though, with lives perfectly-pinterested and curated online, you feel as though your kids are somehow missing out on something if their costumes and cakes are not homemade…..silly, I know.

That all being said, I was able to do something I’m pretty proud of for my daughter who just started kindergarten, with a little help from Etsy.

It’s a giant T-shirt that reads on the front “Class of 2030,” the year she’ll graduate high school. (I can’t tell you how many times I had to count that out to make sure I got the right year!) Then on the back of the shirt is the letter “K” and numbers 1-12.  The idea is to put a painted hand print of your child next to each year.  Then take a picture of your child each year wearing the T-shirt, so you can see how she/he grows.

This, too, is not without pitfalls.  I’m pretty sure no matter how much growing food she eats, the T-shirt will never fit her- it’s huge!  Maybe she can use it as a sleeping shirt, when she’s pregnant.  Also, I had to find a special, and obvious place to put it each year so I don’t lose it! And finally, I have to order one now for my son, so 2 years from now he has the same keepsake and adorable photos “perfectly curated” for Facebook.