Christmas Razor

Me and Sam having Krispy Kreme doughnuts for Christmas breakfast.

Mommy, Daddy and I left out brownies for Santa last night. I wrote Santa a note.

Santa liked the brownies!

The Neighborhood

Pretty cool, huh?

I drew this for mommy. I hope she likes it.
It's to help her get into the garage.

My sister and I sat down tonight and made out our Christmas lists. Mallorie said I wanted too much. What do you think?

Sam and I caught a cricket tonight!

Halloween Story

Here's a story I wrote for school. I got a B+ on it because Mrs. Sams said the ending was a little confusing.

This Halloween is going to be the best ever ever because the teachers are going to crash down the school.

When I got off the bus everyone was talking about it. The students were talking about the teachers crashing down the school. I was surprized because I thought teachers like their jobs. One teacher said that she was happy. I don't know why but she did.

One teacher was dressed as a vampire and I heard Michael Jackson's Thriller playing from her costume. That's right. FROM her costume! I was terrified. She turned into a bat. I jumped back. I didn't know what was going on so I just walked away. The Bat/teacher grabbed me by the neck. I didn't know what was going on because she spun me 20 million times. She lifted me up. I heard a bus coming. The bus crashed into the school, knocked the teacher straight out. Then I saw my bus driver, he yelled "HELP".

When I got to the cafetiria it was a herendous sight because tables were crashed all over the place. I walked two steps I tripped then I fell. I was mad because the school was about to callapse!

I was mad!! I was mad because I didn't want anything to go wrong. I looked at the bat/teacher. She looked familiar. It was Mrs. Sams the greatest teacher of all time!

Mrs. Sams broke into a laugh, I was laughing because she tricked me into a haunted house. It turns out Mrs. Sams isn't that bad after all!

I sometimes have to write myself notes so I can remember stuff in the morning. Mommy thought this note I wrote to myself was funny.

Underwater Adventure

I did this in art class. What do you see under the ocean?

Basketball Doodles

First School Assignment

I did this assignment last year too. It's newspaper articles about me.

My Exclusive Story

The first time I went to the drag race I thought it would be really loud, it was loud but we sat in the front so we could hear the loudness of the 8,000 horsepower dragsters going at more then 300 miles an hour. It was September of 2009 at the Z Max Drag Way in Charlotte. I like seeing all the cars and drivers and getting their autographs. It changed me because I know I would like to be a Pro Stock drag car driver when I get older.

Movie Review

Top Gun was so good I want to see it again and again. Those fighter planes were awesome, and that is my favorite movie, because of all the action and sounds.

My Hero: My Daddy

My daddy and I are very close, we do everything together. From spending time at home to going to car shows, races, ball games and airshows. I love my daddy, my hero.

Book Review: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney

Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities and even the awkward changes that come with getting older. All with his friend Rowly.

The Inside Scoop: Fascinating Facts About Yours Truly!

I am 9 years old.

I am in the 4th grade.

Members of my family are daddy, mommy, my sister and my cat, Lizzie.

Some of my friends are Andrew, Steve, Will, Jeff and my girlfriend.

My favorite food is pizza.

My favorite sport is Nascar racing.

My favorite TV show is Top Gear.

My favorite song is Somewhere Only We Know.

My favorite school activity is gym.

When I grow up I want to be a pro stock drag racer.

Bare's New Brother

Daddy and I went to the Mall today and I made a bear at Build-a-Bear-Workshop. I warmed up his heart, stuffed him and helped sew him up. Then I gave him a bath and picked out some cool clothes, including Sketchers and sunglasses.

His name is Cammy and I love him!

Another Story

This one time my mommy was saying to me that she was going to go to her friends house. His name was Mikey. So I had to go with my mommy because my sister was at school and my daddy was a work. My mommy said that I would have a great time. So she suggested I bring a game or some Lego's with me just in case I get bord or I don't know what to do. When we got there I was happy that he had a Play Station 2 in his livingroom. I was so happy because I brought a video game called SLED STORM. So when we each agreed on which track we wanted we started the race and I took the lead for the first 2 laps. Then I let Mikey take the lead for the last 2 laps. Then we got a tie because I came on strong thinking that he was somebody else. We both laughed because we did the scond best lap in the whle game. So that means we almost beat the game. When he went to walk his dogs named Jazmin + Cozy. So I thought it would be a great idea to go with him because I like dogs...., a lot. So when we got the harness on Jazmin and got the leash on Cozy we opened the door and the dogs bursted out and they went straight to the junkyard. I didn't even know there was a junkyard right beside his house. So I got to hold Cozy the dog because she is gentle with the way that she wants to pull.

Card for Mommy

My School Carnival

The most awesomest part of the carnival!

You can click here, for an online version of the article. We're mentioned on page 2.

The Article About My Blog

show & tell
preserving MEMORIES and children's creations
by Emily-Sarah Lineback

CHILDREN'S ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS are made up of imagination, sticky stuff and a hefty dose of love. The end result can often be something near-magical that renders mere mortals (family members, moms especially) captivated beyond reason. That explains why a picture I painted in kindergarten still adorns by parents' laundry room door more than three decades (and two houses) later. When I asked my mom why she'd kept it, her voice held all the emotion as if I'd just completed it last week: "You did an excellent job," she said. "I couldn't part with it." Sentiments prevails, and artwork transforms into something far beyond paint on paper.

Children's artwork, like other objects, can become family props for storytelling, says Carol Eickmeyer, artist and downsizing specialist. "Our family history is tied to tangible items." She cautions that we must "find a middle ground" in choosing what to save, what to share and what to "recycle."

Little hands are prolific at cranking out creations - just a week of art camp at Sawtooth can generate enough for multiple art shows, never mind what one year of elementary school produces.

"Each person has a different organizational style, but it's helpful to find ways to preserve and purge pieces," says Kristi Johnson Marion, mother of two and a teacher at New Philadelphia Moravian Church Preschool. She says part of moms' enthusiasm of children's art is because it "preserves something of their age that is fleeting." For herself, she says her children's art is precious because "it captures their imagination at that moment."

Following are methods from area moms for controlling, displaying and sharing children's creations.

BIND IT

Photo albums and binders work great for smaller, flat artwork. "I preserved some of my daughters' artwork in clear sleeves within a three-ring binder," says Bonnie Leonard Walker, a kindergarten assistant teacher at Boonville Elementary School and mother of two. "I always asked the artist to explain her work to me, and if it touched the very heart of me, I kept it." She says she chose binders because she'd seen a friend with older children do so. Walker's daughters are 27 and 19 now, and she says that originally their creations were "just mementos of the grade they were in, but now that they're both grown women, the artwork is priceless." She says even a million dollars wouldn't be enough money. "I will always treasure the pieces their little hands created with guidance from innovative teachers."

BOX IT

Marion says that a lot of her preschool moms use storage boxes to contain growing artwork collections, and depending on the volume, separate art by the year. Other moms create their own portfolios: "I use empty pizza boxes - clean, of course," says Courtney Ellis Spence, mom to two. She says the boxes are sturdy, can be decorated for each child, "and because they are large, they can hold larger pieces or irregularly sized artwork." Spence also likes that they can stack on shelves, under beds, or be placed behind furniture. "My current collection box is behind my china hutch."

FRAME IT

Framing especially adored paintings or drawings is a popular method. "When my children were young, I had many of their creations professionally framed," says Mona Hanes Templin, mother of two grown children. She says if they didn't sign the print, she had the framer place a small enameled piece on the front with their name and date. "Mainly our walls display the works of art done by our children. I thought they were beautiful at the time, and I still think so."

In addition to permanently framing artwork, you can request removable grommets on frames so that you can rotate like-sized pieces. I did this with some of my son's artwork from last summer's Sawtooth art camps, which allows us to have a running "show" of some of our favorite drawings and paintings.

DIGITIZE IT

Cheryl Ann Roberts uses the web to preserve her son's creations. "I created a blog with my 7-year-old son to record pictures he took with his camera," says Roberts. "Two years later, his blog also includes pictures of his school artwork, at-home drawings, and writings." She says the blog was created to satisfy them both: He gets to save everything while she keeps the house intact.

SHOWCASE IT

Amy Jones redecorated her kitchen with her two young daughters in mind. "My wife redesigned our kitchen with the idea that it would have an art center complete with art supplies drawers and a location to show off our two girls' artwork," says Amy's husband, Chris, who built it and the other kitchen cabinetry. Amy says the old kitchen lacked space for creativity and storage, and shares that they made art a priority because their older daughter enjoyed it more than playing with dolls.

The center literally spotlights the girls' current artwork, and Amy says it's a product of two factors: giving their daughters a special place for their self-expressions, and moving artowrk to its own place of prominence leaves their new stainless steel refrigerator clear. "For now, they are completely in charge of their own creative center," says Amy, "and it has been so functional for our home that when friends arrive for playdates they know right where to go when they want to be artists, too."

SHARE IT

Or as Eickmeyer would say, "thoughtfully redistribute" creations. the moms we talked with do this in numerous ways, from tucking drawings in cards they mail on special occasions to using some pieces as wrapping paper. "We do this with gifts for Grandma, which she loves," says Marion. "And of course she saves it."

Roberts says that her son's blog receives good traffic - mostly from family members and close friends - and making things public digitally has been a fun way for them to share his artistic growth, too. "Cade is sometimes embarrassed to go back and see previous entries. But overall, he's proud of his development, as am I."

REMEMBER IT

In addition to the kindergarten painting I mentioned, my parents also still proudly display a rock with Pilot Mountain painted on it - my masterpiece from second grade. As Eickmeyer says, it is a storytelling trigger that, when my parents and I started talking about it, prompts memories for each of us. They were barely older thank I am now, and I was their little girl.

When I look at things that my 6-year-old son has created, I imagine a future conversation that leads my heart right back to this moment, a time filled with his grand imagination, the belief that all the world is his, and I am at the center of it.

Emily-Sarah Lineback is the editor of Winston-Salem Monthly magazine.

Here I am with two of my birthday presents. A backpack Yoshi from my sister and a DSI case from mom and dad.

(Same picture just with the Cade 'tude. I like this one best.)

Bird Coming Out Of His Hut

(Those are sparks coming out of the front tire! Awesome!)

Rockets

Mom thought this one was some kind of guitar. It's not. It's a rocket like the first one.

Trapped In The Toy Store

Today was a normal day but there was a new toy store near my friends house, his name was Mikey he had two dogs their names were Jasmine + Cosy, they were nice dogs but they always barked at cats well Jasmine did but not Cozy. So Mikey told me to bring my cats over because Jasmine + Cozy did not bark at them. So when me + my mommy got there he said that him and I were going to the new toy store, I said waht about the animals, he said we will bring them with us, I was surprized because nobody brings animals to toy stores but I guess we could if it was all right. My mommy had to go pick my sister up from the house because my sister had to go to the store to get some things for the house. So when mommy left me and Mikey walked over to the store I realized the store let animals go in it was hard because tring to keep my cats together so they would no go off. But finally we got here + it was a cool toy store because they had DSi games they must have had 2 billion of the on the shelf. I was so happy we went here the second I walked through the door. It was awesome they had everything a kid + (adult) would want. But it was about to close up shop because it is new, shifts are over more quickly. They locked the doors and went home. But we were still in there, the lights were still on but where were my cats Lizzie + Buddy? I looked all over I finally found them in the Train Track section, I found Lizzie + Buddy up on the very to shelf, Jazmine + Cozy were in the Car Colector section they were knocking off cars but that was okay because I took the ones I wanted. I saw Mikey looking at the Play Station games because he had a Play Station 2. Then I opened the cars and started to play with them then I found the Remote Control section and found a spy car I opened the box got a few batterys an put them in I got the remote + pushed the on button + pushed the gas pedal and it worked just fine. I had an idea I could drive it around the store to look around on the camera + opened the other box a pulled out anoter spy tank. I gave it to Mikey he got batterys an pushed on and pressed the gas. I told him to look around to but in different places but we would be in the same place. Thagt was the cool thing about spy cars. We explored the store I found the section that they were building it was called the Army Men section so I told Mikey to follow me I found the army men so we took all the boxes and left before anybody could see us. When we left I pulled out the army men and I took the Play Station games + DSi game + put them in boxes, then I found another box and put all the army men in that box. Then I got a few bungy cords + tied 2 boxes to Cozy + Jazmine they each got 1 box then I hooked the leach up on both and found some keys to the door and unlocked the door and got outside then we ran back o the house and I told Mikey that the Toy Store was my friends Toy Store, he looked surprized but I took my DSi and took out New Super Mario Bros. and put in New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe and started playing it. Mikey said to me that he had a good time shoping.

Turtle

Lamborghini

Daddy's birthday is April 8 and mine is the 12th. We both want this!
(Can you tell it's made of Legos?)

Gallon Man