Function Over Form: My Keepsake Portfolio from Lakeshore Learning

Today I am doing something I rarely do. I am going to advocate bringing something into your life that is not that visually appealing to me but that does a remarkable (dare I say perfect?) job of solving a problem in my life that has gone unsolved for quite some time. I know. Function over form? So unlike me. But trust me, if you too have kids that get sent home with reams (and reams and reams!) of artwork, you too will appreciate the My Keepsake Portfolio from Lakeshore Learning.

So here's the thing. Tate and Ames each create tons of art at pre-school/daycare. And they are attached to it and don't want it thrown away. And it inevitably clutters up my car when I grab it from the cubby during pick-up. And some of it is so adorable, I want to keep it.

But there was just nowhere to keep it.

Until I found the Keepsake Portfolio at Lakeshore Learning. Ok, I admit it. It's a little garish. But it is also totally functional. Durable, heavy-duty cardboard. Large handles. Nine pockets (think accordion-file with nine dividers) so you can keep track of art by year. Perfect size to fit papers big and small. Personalized (with basic stick-on letters, but still) so that I know quickly and easily which one belongs to which boy. And did I mention it is super cheap? As in less than $20? I know, right?

I keep the boys' portfolio's in the trunk of my car so I can toss things in when its convenient (added bonus is that this helps keep my car clean). I also toss things in that I want to keep for posterity- the tickets to the Bronx zoo from Tate's 4th birthday, or stubs from Tate's first movie. It is so handy.

I love that I have a vehicle for easily keeping track of important kid-related documents. Trust me- in this case, function over form is totally worth it.