BACK TO SCHOOL: 6:00 am Artwork

My mom used to write little notes on my napkins and tuck them into my lunch. I would read them while squeezing peanut butter through the holes in my saltine cracker sandwich.

From the time my son started kindergarten (he’s in 8th grade now), I doodled and wrote little napkin notes to him and later, his sisters, once they hit elementary school. I would fold and tuck them under their sandwich. I was never very consistent, but the kids loved them enough to always bring them home, a little soiled, but that’s why they’re napkins! I kept stuffing the returned napkins into a zip-lock bag and came across them the other day. What a journal! Tooth fairy visits, birthdays, first days of school, special person days, field trips, holidays, new happenings in their lives, and some just plain silliness. My artwork, like my handwriting in general, changed from napkin to napkin. Keep in mind that my morning coffee probably hadn’t even finished brewing when I was drawing most of these.
Click on photos to enlarge.
After drawing, I would sign my name with a heart until the day my son let me know that wasn’t cool. So I started hiding a heart somewhere in the doodle on every napkin for the kids to find, and so as not to embarrass my son. Their friends at lunch would look for the hearts too.

We found several in the pile that the kids had drawn themselves and snuck into one anothers lunch boxes, so cute!

I haven’t done napkins in a while and since my kids helped me go through this pile today, well, it looks like I’m commited to another year of getting up just a little earlier.

By the way, you DON’T have to be an artist to remind your kid how much you love them when they’re away. Happy faces and hearts are really just as special.