I'm hosting WMFW once more while Kristen is in Kenya. (I hope you're following her amazing posts. You absolutely MUST read this one--be sure to watch the video at the end.)
I'm actually dusting off a very old WFMW of my own to share this week, because it's especially relevant in my house even as we speak. At this very moment, my oldest son (almost 13) is officially as tall as I am. I have absolutely no idea how it happened; hence, this tip...
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When I was a girl, my parents regularly charted my growth by marking my height on my closet door facing. It's a lovely idea, of course, with one big hitch--when my parents moved out of my childhood home a few years ago, my mom was devastated to leave those measurements behind. That prompted me to come up with a more permanent solution for our family.
I bought a long piece of lightweight lumber at Home Depot (about 2 inches wide, and six feet tall--it looks and feels like a very tall yardstick), and divided it into three long columns on the front, using a Sharpie marker. Each boy has his own column, and we mark his height that way. When Corrie entered the picture, we began marking her height on the back (you could easily mark up to six or eight kids on one stick this way). It's portable, stored away in a closet and pulled out every few months. Best of all, I will be able to keep it always, mounting it to the wall in my nursing home someday, when I am old and gray and need to be reminded of the fast-growing little monkeys that lived in my house all these years.
Here's a full-length shot of our growth chart (the mystery stains on the carpet are included simply for your viewing pleasure). You can see where the boys' names are written at the bottom of each column:
This has been such a fun thing to have--very cheap, and a real treasure.
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Fabulous idea!!! I have always said I was going to come up with some kind of measuring stick but never have. I have lost all our measurements from our last house. I meant to write them all down and they got painted over. :( Now I have a spot here and I need to get what you have. Thanks!
Posted by: Melissa | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 10:04 PM
This is good Shannon. I have all 3 kids growth documented with masking tape on the inside of the pantry door. I don't know what I'll do if we ever move. Take the door jamb with us? "Sorry, the sale is contingent on my being able to take this wall with me."
I may head to Home Depot, and do some measuring and copying.
Posted by: Fiddledeedee | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 10:06 PM
A friend shared this system with us a few years ago and strangely, I was thinking about this very thing last night as I was falling asleep!! I kept thinking I needed to get up and write a note to do this.
Posted by: Laura | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 10:37 PM
My parents did the exact same thing for us as we grew up. It moved many, many times with our family and is now marking the heights of the grandchildren! The little ones LOVE seeing their names next to their parents' names and comparing their heights with us, their parents and aunts and uncles.
It's basically a mixture of kids, cousins, grandparents, parents, and grandchildren all on the same measuring board. It's fun to look at now! :)
Posted by: Megan Myers | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 11:06 PM
I love your comment about taking it with you to the nursing home! Sweet memories that we will each take with us...I'm sure bloggers have a lower occurrence of Alzheimers because we're journaling so many memories! (Right?)
Posted by: Rebecca in Colorado | Tuesday, March 09, 2010 at 11:19 PM
Great idea. We have a paper one, but it hasn't shown up after this last move. :(
Posted by: Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 01:21 AM
This is a wonderful idea for military families who move frequently and have to wash the growth chart off the wall before each move.
Posted by: Alea | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 02:22 AM
Brilliant!
Posted by: Rachel R. | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 07:59 AM
What a wonderful tip. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Katia
Posted by: Katia | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Hi, it's dad. You don't know how close we came to taking that door facing out when we moved out of that house! Wish we had been wiser about marking the growth on a movable board like you're doing. :)
Posted by: hogphan | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 10:37 AM
What a great point, Alea. I think anyone who moves frequently would really love this idea--a little thread of continuity!
Posted by: Shannon | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:34 AM
*sniff* I wish you had, Dad!
Posted by: Shannon | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Do it, do it! You will be *so* glad to have it some day.
Posted by: Shannon | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:35 AM
What a great idea! I'd like to do something like that, and maybe decorate it with photos taken at each of the measuring dates, so we can see how my son grows in general :)
BTW, I really like this blog. I'll be following you now :)
Posted by: Debbie | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Oh, that brings back great memories...that's how my parents measured us! There were four of us, so each of us got one side. My dad recently pulled it out and had our kids stand up next to our measurements. Very fun.
Posted by: Heather@WoolandFlax | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 01:13 PM
Oh, wow! We just figured out today that my 13 year-old son is the same height as me! (And he wasn't a couple of weeks ago!)
Posted by: Jaz | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 04:41 PM
Oh that's a GREAT idea!!! We move a lot so this would be perfect!
Posted by: Mandy | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 05:37 PM
We are a military family that has moved many, many times, and this is exactly what we do! I remembered the idea from an episode of "Eight is Enough" that I saw years (and years) ago, of all things. How funny is that!
I keep thinking I'll let the kids decorate/paint on their boards on the opposite side from the markings, but so far it hasn't happened.
Posted by: Jolyn@Budgets are the New Black | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:11 PM