The Art Avalanche

Domestic Issue:
Your kids are geniuses. They are creative, wonderful little humans with amazing minds and talents that produce some of the most amazing, terrific, colorful art and "homework" that you have ever seen.

They bring something home just about every day, beaming with pride. You are proud too, after all, your little prodigy is showing signs of real promise, even if grandma's portrait still resembles Skeletor and you're not sure if the image you saw today was a vase with fruit, or your family portrait.

Still, you want to preserve these memories because they will, too quickly, be just that - memories. Eventually, your offspring will only bring home limited things that they want to show you and their art may begin to resemble cryptic scrawl that might be better suited for the point of a tattoo pen.

However, lately you have been caught with art in the trash bin or turned upside down, under newspapers in the recyclables. As you cry, "stop digging through the trash!" or gasp, as my sister-in-law does, "How did that get in there!? Get it out! Quick! Quick! Darn fairies are up to naughty-ness again!" As she quickly wipes off the yogurt and dabs a paper towel over the squished grape remains now dotting a folded rendition of the teddy bear picnic fashioned out of hand prints.

But honestly, sometimes, the pile of art in your house can be considered nothing more than a fire hazard. What do you do?

Corporate Solution:
The corporate strategy for keeping massive volumes of paper, data and other "stuff" is to build an archival solution. An archive is a collection of historical records, as well as the place they are located.[1]

Many corporations design archives as a way to protect themselves legally and preserve their history. While we know of some organizations, (ah-hem Arthur Anderson) who saw their archives as something that could lead to major legal issues for themselves, most companies and groups find value in preserving their past for reference, reflection and growth.

An archive should be organized in a way that is relevant to your needs. Some groups go so far as to have massive catalogs and searchable databases. These are awesome when you are looking for every document that lists someones name - but it may not be helpful for you to spend the time to go this far.

Instead, opt for a storage solution that fits your family's traditions, time and space constraints and plans for the future. Even as little Sally heads off to Kindergarten, it's not too early to think about how you're going to humiliate or otherwise honor her at her graduation party.

Domestic Bliss:
Archiving can be done in a couple of ways, but the following two examples are probably the best way to combat the Art Avalanche in your home:

• A structured library of physical storage (think volumes, bins, boxes, etc) that are organized either alphabetically or chronologically (and sometimes both!)
• Digital storage - items are scanned or otherwise converted to electronic form so that they can be stored digitally in ways that are organized and recoverable.

A structured library of physical storage:

I started out my children's art collection in binders. However, after the first one filled in less than two months of pre-school activities, I knew I needed another option.

So, I moved onto the bin. I now have a bin for each child that is continuously filled as the art comes in. A large, plastic tote can be stored in your kitchen, the garage, a closet and accessed on a daily/weekly basis to deposit the art.

BLISS NOTE: As you deposit the art, write the date and child's name on it (if you have more than one) so you can weed through it at some point. Don't bet that it's all going to stay in nice chronological order. It won't. Especially if Sally gets her tiny mitts in there and "rediscovers" her past.

BLISS NOTE II: Don't keep anything that is made of food or other disintegratable materials (shaving cream art is a good example - seriously, it dries into a really funky, fuzzy mass on paper, but that doesn't last too long).

But how much should you keep?

Well, we currently deposit everything. Then, every now and then, we (my husband and I - NOT the kids - I repeat - NOT the kids), go through and pick out our favorite things and the items that show development across time. We let this fill until the end of the school year and then move the survivors into Master Storage for each child and I usually rubber band or otherwise cordon off the section from a year. This way, next year can be sequestered separately.

This process still requires disposal, of some kind, and I highly recommend that you do this after bedtime and remove the offending opaque garbage bag from the premises immediately before you retire. Otherwise, you are sure to cause massive devastation when little Julie finds her puff-ball ants-on-a-log lodged next to the orange juice carton with the rest of last night's chili-mac casserole.

Another option is Digital Storage:

Some parents take a photo or scan every piece of art and store it electronically on their home computer. They then consider the art for display or disposal, knowing that the image and date of material is stored into perpetuity. They assure little Timmy that everything is saved.

Many parents who do this then convert the art to a slide show that further honors little Sally's contribution to the artistic education of her parents. It can also be easily shared with eager Grandparent or Auntie Jo.

BLISS NOTE: Make sure you back up your files on your computer so you don't lose all of Tommy's pre-school stick men. You'd be devastated and he would too!

While this is a great option for those with limited storage, there is something unique about actually touching the construction paper basket woven for the 1st Grade Thanksgiving Feast and matching your hand to the little hand prints of orange paint that made the flames on a campfire portrait over summer break.

Final Word:

The Art Avalanche may still exist now and then, but you just need to find a way to manage it. A strategy for archiving and a little stealth disposal may save you a lot of time, effort and painful tears.

Either way you decide to manage the flow of talent in your household, remember that it is short term and memories are important. Some day, you might end up shuttling the bin off to your daughter when she has an attic of her own and her little ones will enjoy seeing their mom's version of the turkey made out of a hand print. Timeless.

1. ^ "Glossary of Library and Internet Terms". University of South Dakota Library. http://www.usd.edu/library/instruction/glossary.shtml Retrieved 2007-04-30.

Strategic Planning at Home - Getting on the same page.

Domestic Issue:
You don't have a plan. You're not on the same page. Your decisions aren't guided by anything. In other words - you're coasting through life, reacting, rather than pro-acting. You face disagreements and frustrations with a sense of hopelessness and anger. You can't make big decisions easily because you don't know what the end goal is. You flounder around and nothing seems to flow together.

Corporate Strategy:
Companies spend significant time and energy in strategic planning every year to avoid floundering. Even if the 30 page document sits on a shelf after it's written, it was still written. Some thought has gone into the future, and that can make a huge difference.

The most successful companies have an underlying strategy, upon which most decisions and steps are taken. Whether it's to be the #1 performer in thier market or the best employer around, a company will take purposeful steps toward this goal or base the steps they must take on whether it will achieve the goal.

Strategic planning can run the gambit of day-long corporate retreats or living goals that are discussed during every weekly update. It really depends on how focused the company needs to be to reach thier goals.

Goals are huge. How can a company, usually made up of a diverse group of people, achieve anything if they don't know why they are there?

Domestic Bliss:
If we have a personal strategy and goals for ourselves, and our families, we will feel more secure in the steps we take and the decisions we make. It is important for the entire family to get in on the strategic plan - just as it is corporately.

Sit down with your spouse (Executive Leadership) and talk about where you see your family in the next year, 5 years, 10 years, when the kids have moved out and you're on your own again.

Talk about your vision for your lives. Do you want to be in different jobs? A different house? Do you want to buy that RV/cottage/4-wheeler? Do you want to be able to take more vacations? Do you want to spend more time at church? Volunteering? Does one of you want to start a business, shift careers? Do you want to grow the next Tiger Woods? Do you need to invest more time in your kids? Do you want to institute family dinners and a weekly family movie night? What do you want life to look like?

Get on the same page.

Now, what would you have to do to achieve these things? Are they realistic? Can you accomplish your goals? If you don't know - what do you need to learn, research, analyze to do it? What kinds of professional resources do you need to find? Who, in your family, needs to be involved?

Once you set your goals and talk about some strategies, take it to your company.

Sit down with your kids and extended family, if necesary, and discuss your goals. Get everyone on the same page. If you want to grow closer as a family and set some time aside each week to do that, talk about it.

Establish buy-in from all levels of your family organization.

If you want to start saving for the cottage and that means moving out of your current house and into something smaller, talk about it and get on the same page. It will mean more to everyone if there is buy-in, not just directive.

If you want to start your own business, but know it's going to take a couple of hours in the evening every week and that means you can't attend every ball game...talk about it. Make the decision together and discuss the potential outcomes.

If you want your children to learn the value of giving to others, talk about setting a monthly appointment to volunteer somewhere together.

If you want to spend more time relaxing on weekends, set some chores and goals for each family member to take up some slack so the entire family can take advantage of it. Rather than announcing a chore list, this establishes buy-in and gives everyone a reason to participate without grief (ok, maybe there will be a little grief) but at least you've told them why.

When everyone is on the same page - and sharing a long-term vision - it can change all reactions and responses for the long-term. You also might be building some pretty good leadership skills along the way.

Getting on the same page can be very simple.

Here is an example: I live in Wisconsin. Summer is short. My husband and I have decided that summer is meant to be enjoyed and lived in and if that means that we regularly find underwear from a laundry basket rather than a drawer or forego washing the kitchen floor for a visit to the shore of Lake Michigan - then we do that. We're on the same page.

No one in my family complains about the pile of fishing poles in the corner of the foyer or the stack of beach towels that is placed in the back of my car directly from the dryer. No one gripes about going straight to bed with lake-washed hair rather than a shower-clean rinse every now and then. We have decided, together, that summer is too short and we can clean out closets, put laundry away and scrub the floors in October when the wind starts to blow.

A longer term example helps me through a lot of tough times. My husband and I work hard. We both work full-time, and he is a Funeral Director. Funeral Direction is one of the oldest small-business industries in the world. It is full-time+ and he is on call all of the time! I am on-duty most of the time and am sometimes as close to being a single-mom as I can be while being married!

But we know that when he retires, we're going to be in great shape financially. We also know that when our children are grown (since they are a super-handful right now) that it's just going to be us!

So, here is our page: When our children are grown and we retire, we're going to buy an RV and drive motorcycles all over the country. We'll be home for holidays and maintain our traditions (that's another post), but we're going to share the things that we love and love about each other.

Having this long term goal - and knowing that we're in it together - sure sees us through some hard times. It also makes it worthwhile to turn down expensive purchases, be a little more frugal or stay away from properties and ideas that would strap us down in the long run.

It also reminds me why I married and love this man. It is a consistent thing that we can both look toward, dream about together and plan for. It is something that has been there since we met and before the kids took over the house. But it's still there - and that's important.

Final Word:
Set some goals. Design a mission and a vision for your family. Strategize big decisions and plan for them.

DO get everyone on the same page. You'd be amazed how everyone will work on and toward the goals on that page when they know about it.

DO set up roles for every "associate" to achieve goals. (That's another post too).

DO dream.

DON'T limit yourself by living only in the moment - though that's important.

DON'T only react. Be pro-active. Take purposeful steps based on something. Feel how good that feels!

Bills, Bills, Bills.

Domestic Issue:
We all have household bills...lots of them...that never seem to end and take way too much time to pay, manage or otherwise deal with. If you are still sorting mail, writing checks and using a ledger, you need help. Serious help.

Corporate Strategy:
Businesses have bills...lots of them...that never end and take entire people and/or departments to pay, manage or otherwise deal with. Most businesses do not use paper to manage expenses anymore and the days of handwritten checks are long gone. When we process invoices at work, we have a grand computer program (some of us SAPers are grander than others) and we move money around without ever touching it. We can keep awesome records of transactions, track payments and receipts with ease and otherwise pay everything on time. Rarely does a US Postal Service stamp touch our fingers!

Domestic Bliss: If you are still sorting paper bills and writing paper checks and sending said checks through the US Mail with a stamp (you didn't lick it, did you?) then you need to BRING WORK HOME!

Here are your options:
1. Electronic Bill Pay - nearly every bank in American allows you to pay bills online. It is so simple that if you haven't looked into it - you're nuts. Electronic Bill Pay allows you to set up all of the entities to whom you pay bills. If they have electronic transfer options - the Electronic Bill Pay system takes care of that for you. If they don't - many banks will cut a paper check and send it out for free!

All you do is log into your account and decide how much you need to pay each entity, set a payment date and ojala! You can do this monthly at your whim - or you can set up an automatic payment for a specific amount each month!

To pay 20 bills (phones, cable, day care, etc.,) it takes me all of 2 minutes (with distractions mixed in) to get it done!

Not only is it easy - but my online bill pay keeps a record of my payments to each biller! So, if I'm wondering whether I paid the Cable bill or not - I can go online and see when the next one went out. And trust me - it's far more reliable than my notes in a ledger...which rarely was correct or used at all!

Bonus Benefit - I can also log in after I open the mail every day - when I get a bill - and set up a future payment for it based on the balance.

Now, this is assuming that you don't already have...

2. Automatic Deductions - if you're not a control freak like me, you might be comfortable letting a company automatically deduct your payments for a bill from your account. I'm most comfortable doing this for something that is the same price, month after month, and something that gives me a discount if I do it - like my Weight Watchers monthly pass.

Having Automatic Deductions cuts down on the number of bills you get in the mail, assuming that you aren't getting them as....

3. E-Bills - many companies will send you household bills electronically, via email. WOW. No more mail! I have done this with a couple of bills - and it's nice, until they end up in a spam filter or I miss them because I was scanning my inbox for the next coupon for Texas Roadhouse, not the bill from AT&T.

But it doesn't get much greener than this! If you get your e-bill and then pay it electronically and then your bank jsut transfers the money to the biller...you've just done it all without lifting a pen, stuffing an envelop or licking a stamp (which I don't think you can actually do anymore...)

Final Word:
If you are still writing checks for most of your bills, you need to stop.

It's nuts to spend that much time and energy on something like this! Sure, it might give you a deep-seated sense of control and responsibility, but wouldn't you rather be watching all of the inflections in Gordon Ramsey's angry tirades on Top Chef while you're drinking your nightly glass of wine, instead of catching snipets of it as you examine, write, stuff and stamp? I can think of better ways to use $.44 these days!

DO - check out Bill Payment options on your bank's website.

DO - sign up for e-bills or automatic deductions, if you are comfortable with that.

DO - pay bills online as you get them - no more mail pile - or late charges!

DON'T - write checks anymore - unless you have to. My checkbook is only used for two purposes: Checks to my mother (reimbursements for things and whatever) and random school fundraisers. However, I can always use my debit card to pay for these too!

DON'T - get rid of your checks completely. You never know...for now.

DO - use your online bill payment stuff to monitor and keep a record of your payments. Gone are the days of hand-written ledgers.