Last spring, a ball game was on TV, and my little one got bored by the third inning. I grabbed white paint and a paper plate. One painted palm later, there was a giggle and a very wet handprint on light blue cardstock. Then I drew red stitches on it, and the giggles turned into…
On a quiet December afternoon, my daughter Ella and I sat at the kitchen table with a plate of green paint. She squealed when the cold brush touched her palm. “It tickles!” she said. I spread her fingers wide and pressed her hand down. When she lifted it, we both stared. The print looked just…
On a rainy Tuesday, my daughter Maya and I ran out of ideas. She spotted the blue paint and held up her hand like a stop sign. “Paint it!” she said. I brushed it on, and she pressed it sideways on the paper. Then she lifted it and gasped. “Mom, it’s a fish!” The thumb…
Last October, my daughter came home from a crunchy-leaf walk with pockets full of acorns. She dumped them on the kitchen table and announced we were “feeding the squirrels.” Then she spotted the brown paint. One painted hand later, she pressed it on paper and grinned at the smudgy shape. It looked like a little…
Last winter, my daughter walked in from the cold with red cheeks and a big idea. “Can we make a gnome?” she asked. I grabbed white paint and a sheet of paper. She pressed her hand down, and the paint squished between her fingers. When I lifted the paper, she shrieked with laughter. “He has…
Last spring, I stood in my bedroom in one sock. The other shoe was somewhere in my wardrobe. I dug through a heap of heels, flats, and sneakers. Ten minutes later, I found it under a boot. I was late, and I was annoyed. My wardrobe was only 4 feet (122 cm) wide, so a…
Last winter, I came home with two grocery bags and a dripping umbrella. My foot caught a sneaker. The eggs flew. So did I. Our front door opened into a hallway barely four feet wide, and shoes had taken over every inch. I spent the next few weeks testing fixes. Some flopped. Five held up….
Last winter, I counted twelve pairs of shoes by my front door. Boots leaned on sneakers. One sandal hid under the mat. I tripped over a pair while carrying groceries. My entry is only five feet wide, so I couldn’t add much. I needed storage that fit and hid the mess. I tried seven setups…
Last April, I opened my front door and stepped into a soggy sneaker. Rain had blown in overnight. My shoes sat in a heap, and every pair was soaked. I carried the wet pile inside, and mud followed me down the hall. That morning, I decided to fix my porch for good. Over the next…
Last fall, I came home with two grocery bags and a toddler on my hip. My foot caught a muddy boot. The bags hit the floor. An egg carton cracked open. I stood there, surrounded by shoes, and wanted to cry. My rental has a narrow back door and no mudroom. Two kids and one…
Last winter, I stood in my hallway holding one boot and no place to put it. Shoes were stacked by the stairs like a small mountain. Right above that mess sat a dark, empty nook. I had walked past it for years. Every morning, I stepped over the pile and ignored the answer sitting right…
One morning, I tripped over a pile of shoes and nearly took out the coat rack. My entryway is tiny. There is no closet by the door. Shoes just landed wherever they landed. I stood there holding one shoe and a lot of frustration. Sound familiar? I had a Kallax shelf sitting in the corner….