Today’s post is just something I was thinking about over the weekend…
I was thinking about our new appliances and how our fridge is going to have a “built-in look” which means we won’t be able to put magnets on it. Normally, that wouldn’t even phase me because I’ve always been the type of person who likes a perfectly clear fridge — no pictures, no recipes, no cards, not even any magnets.
I suppose it’s because of my love for clutter-free… or maybe it’s because my mom’s fridge is literally covered with pictures and cards from top to bottom 🙂
However, the past couple of months — basically since Nora has been crawling, we’ve noticed that she has a crazy infatuation with our refrigerator (seriously, she’s obsessed with it!)
So we put a bunch of magnets at the bottom of our fridge — ones that were big enough so she couldn’t choke on them but small enough that she could grab them with one hand. Now, we can pretty much let her sit by our fridge (which is right next to my desk in the office) and play with these magnets for quite a long time!
And after I got some of the magnets out, I noticed that I had a few pictures lying around… so I decided to display those on the top of the fridge.
Then, I posted my to-do list on the fridge, along with an extra pad of paper. Then I added a couple sticky notes, a coupon, a card… and before I knew it, the front of my fridge was covered!
It’s still pretty organized — just more cluttered than I’d normally let it be. And oddly enough, I’m OK with that. I like looking at the pictures and the cards. I like having a convenient place for my to-do list and a running list of groceries I need to buy… and I LOVE having a place where Nora will sit and occupy herself for more than 4 minutes!
So we’ll enjoy our “decorated” fridge for the next few weeks until our kitchen is finished and our new fridge arrives. Then we’ll go back to clean and clutter-free!
However, I might have to put a magnetic board somewhere in my office to occupy Nora again 🙂
So what’s ON your fridge?
Is is totally clear, just a few photos, or completely covered?
Lis says
I can’t stand a cluttered fridge so I have nothing on mine. The rest of the house is another story. I also don’t like my kids underfoot while I am cooking in my small kitchen. So I put up a white board from Costco in their playroom. It is also magnetic. They can draw, or use magnets. They also have Frgits they use to create their own marble runs.
Kimberly says
I can’t stand a cluttered frig…..it makes me CrAzY!!! So I was really glad when our stainless steal frig won’t allow magnets. But on the side I can put a few special things…..its a perfect space between the top of the counter top and the top of the frig.
Diana says
My fridge used to be covered top to bottom with pictures of missionaries that we know from all over the world. I even put a picture of it on facebook last year and all those missionaries posted where their picture was located! I went through a minimalist faze a few months ago and cleared everybody off. Not a week later we had guests and the first thing they did was come into the kitchen to see the “famous” fridge, only to find it empty. After a few months of emptiness, and not having a picture to go with the comments to the kids about who we talked about at church, I’ve started adding the pictures back. As usual they are taped (magnets got messy) in perfect order along with my “if you need it, you’d better write it down or it’s not going to be purchased from the store” list. My life isn’t perfect, but it’s nice to see all those smiling faces when I reach for my convenient groceries and I say a prayer for those less fortunate and those willing to go to help. Good luck with finding your special place to organize and remember!
Erica says
Found this thorugh the Modern Alternative Mama blog site. Something simple to create so Nora can still play with her magnets. Fabric covered magnetic board: http://creativechristianmama.com/fun-things-friday-fabric-covered-magnetic-board/
Christina says
I had a refrigerator that was covered for years — latest artwork, photos, important what not’s and magnets, including alphabet letters to chew on. I have four girls 21 -10. When our fridge went out 8 years ago we went went stainless and I didn’t miss all that clutter one bit! (They wanted a place to hang the latest artwork still.) I think that’s when my OCD started realizing that some things can compromise and some need to be a certain way for me. Now it only has fingerprints continually. LOL
lei says
Our refrig is now filled with a menu planning calendar, chore list, invitations and drawings from my children. I have been trying to organize myself as well as my family! I just recently started blogging my journey through it all. I hope that you will have a chance to stop on by once I get more posts up.
Thanks for sharing
Lei
Kristin says
Our’s is way too cluttered, the top and the front. And no matter what I do, it keeps getting cluttered. Maybe I’ll fix that this evening. But a cheap and easy fun “craft” you can do is to cover a cheap cookie sheet with fabric and she can stick magnets to that!
C Munson says
Ours is totally clear because it is stainless and non-magnetic.
Rocio @ Floraesthetics says
I have pictures, a couple bills that are coming up, but my favorite is my dry-erase board. I write ideas, dinner recipes, shopping lists and anything else that inspires me. It’s made me more creative, productive and ORGANIZED!
Ashli says
Like you, I have a mom with a covered fridge so I like the clutter free look! I keep one snapshot on our fridge and only one, held up with one magnet. I also keep the kids’ school lunch menu on the side but that may move in the near future! 🙂
At our old house the door leading to the garage was right off the kitchen, and we used to keep all the magnets on there since those are typically magnetic. It was a great way to keep some extra stuff on display without cluttering up the fridge, plus the kids playing on the fridge usually meant that they were a bit in the way when I was cooking. That way they could play without me having to move them to get in the fridge every two minutes!
Victoria@Snailpacetransformations says
Mine has a family picture. A few inspirational running quotes, our menu, my grocery list, and a list of emergency numbers for the kids. Oh and large cookie sheets make excellent magnet boards for little ones, and my first leap company makes great alphabet magnets for little ones too.
Meredith says
I’m a grandma of 2. I have gone from artwork to magnetic buttons of the sporting events to just a simple shopping list..the fridge will always be a location for these things. And that’s ok. I have gone backwards now from a simple shopping list to magnetic letters for the grandkids to learn their ABC’s. So, the collections start over again!
sarah says
Ours has a big calendar at the top so we can all see who is doing what on any given day, babysitters coming and going etc. Underneath is a printed kid weekday schedule for anyone other than me who is keeping up with the kids to know what is next. A chores for $$$ list and the kids each have a clip with papers, invitations, classroom info, school lunches and money for those lunches and anything else that is relevant to them in the next week. Plus we have one side of the fridge exposed and that is reserved for special artwork from school/church and over the summer camp. I maintain what is up there weekly but often it slips to every other week.
Our fridge is definetly a command central for our family but nexxessary!
Abbie Burch says
Yes, my fridge is covered with pictures. I change them out occasionally. It makes a nice ice breaker for guests and allows them to “meet” our extended family.
JoDi says
The front of our fridge looks a lot like yours. I like to have pictures up, some funny quotes, and a pad for lists, and I like it neatly arranged. 🙂
If Nora likes playing with things on the fridge, she’ll probably love this! I bought it for my nephew, and he loves it:
http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Fridge-Phonics-Magnetic-Alphabet/dp/B000096QNK
Christine says
(The clips might not be a good idea.. Might get pinched- don’t want to be presumptuous, just a thought!)
Krista says
Our fridge is covered in magnets and pictures of our friend’s children. So far we’re the only couple without kids, so we have kid stuff everywhere.
Natalie H. says
My fridge used to be clean of anything but a few artistic magnets, but then we had children and like you they enjoyed playing with things on the fridge or looking at pictures. Then we added some Leapfrog alpha magnets, farm animals and trucks….now it is still fairly neat, but we do have a few photos of friends, kiddo toys at the bottom and doctor phone numbers on the side that sticks out a little. I still like it nice and bare, but with kids every thing changes!
carol jane says
If your daughter likes to play with stuff on the fridge, leap frog makes some cute learning toys for the fridge. My grand daughter has the one where she can learn her letters. Plays music too. She loves it! The only downside is that you will be picking up those letters all the time!
KimH says
Mines cluttered. Lots of advertising magnets, some from family with a note that says something like “Worlds Best Brother” from M’honeys sister who pass on about a year ago. Other things like that.. a magnet his mom gave him before she passed 5 years ago.. Other things like that..
Coupons…
At the bottom of my frig, I have a lot of alphabet magnets that I got for my sorta grands.
I did have a Fisher Price Barn with animals & another of the same sort but I gave them to my great nephew instead of keeping them. I sent one to my granddaughter who lives 1200 miles away as well. All the little kiddies love them.
Yes, I clean it up every once i a while, but even then, there is still a lot of “stuff” on it.
Karla says
My fridge is stainless steel, but it is magnetic. However, it is very easily scratched so we don’t keep anything on it. Around Christmas we display all the photo cards from our friends on the ledge of our piano, but they only stay there for 2 weeks. I
Jennifer says
Mine is covered front and a little on both sides. We have magnets from when our kids were little, some are from businesses, some are awards (USBC-United States Bowling Congress now gives out magnets instead of patches for achivements) and some are words to make sentences. We started cleaning some off but we still leave some for the neices to play with when they visit. I have a few on my dishwasher too. I think my fridge would be naked with out them because it has been covered for the last 23 years.
Barbara F. says
Mine is totally cler. I do miss putting up some really cute hand made magnets for the seasons and holidays that I had collected over the years.
Alana @ Domestic Bliss Diaries says
I have a magnetic white board on my fridge which is my list-making BFF. Anytime we run out of something or I want to be sure to remember something, I write it on my white board. I also put up invitations and other fliers we get, but I’m good about removing events/activities that have passed. Oh, yeah, and the bottom of my fridge is covered in alphabet magnets for my almost four year old, which allow me to work with him on identifying the letters while I cook dinner. Works well…
So, yes, my fridge is also “decorated”, but everything has a purpose and I keep it looking neat. 😉
Demaroge says
I have seen some really cute magnetic boards made of inexpensive (dollar store?) painted cookie sheets (on Pinterest.)
Michelle H. says
My fridge is a big display board! Sometimes I wish it wasn’t magnetic so I could clear it off! Now that school is in session I have papers, schedules & reminders all over. I just pulled out a 3-ring binder and I’m planning on putting the school stuff in there (except for artwork of course!) My sister-in-law has her kids play with their magnetic toys on her washing machine instead of her fridge b/c her fridge isn’t magnetic either. I thought that was a great idea if you have an accessible washing machine.
Andrea says
Thanks for the washing machine idea Michelle! Our laundry room is right off the kitchen and I LOVE this idea!
Deb says
Our fridge has a cling on sticker with the days of the week that I put menus on and a dry erase board, but not on the front, on the side, and that is where I write any notes for family members that are still sleeping, or not home or whatever. I have a large magnetic dry erase board in our office and that is where the clutter is as we do school in there and have the desktop computer in there.
Amy says
Stacey….how smart are you?!?! I love that idea! I’m going to pick some magnets up next time I’m out!
Amy says
Nothing on our fridge- its stainless so magnets don’t stick well. I do have 2 long magnetic strips in our mudroom with little clothespin style magnets to hold kids artwork. And we have a magnetic chalkboard door on the pantry so I like to write a bible verse on there and then post a few selected items including a chore chart and weekly schedules. It works well for us!
Stacey says
Our fridge is not magnetic, so it is clear and clutter free. We do have a magnetic board in our kitchen, however. I am quite intentional about what gets put on it and work at keeping the clutter low.
If you need a quick, portable magnetic surface for Nora, try a cookie sheet! They work great in the car for kids who are old enough to hold them on their lap, too. In the house it it easy to move it around, like on the floor near where you are working.
Andrea says
Such a good idea Stacey! I actually have a couple smaller cookie sheets that I don’t like and was thinking of donating. I guess I’ll save them and let Nora use them 🙂
Kristia says
We use our fridge as command central. One side holds our calendar and restaurant coupons. The front holds an ongoing grocery list, the school lunch menu, my half-marathon training plan, a few pics, and some of the kids’ artwork. I like to call it organized chaos. I clear it off regularly to clean and discard of anything that has become outdated.
When my kids were little, we had the leapfrog fridge magnet alphabet set. I found it at a yard sale and the kds loved playing with it. I won’t lie, it’s a noisy toy and I was happy to give it away when they outgrew it, but they sure did enjoy playing with it.
Sasha says
Before we remodeled our kitchen last year, the fridge was covered – front and side, top to bottom. Now it’s completely empty on the front, except for one small magnet with sentimental value that lives unobtrusively in one corner. In our new layout, the fridge is at the end of a run of cabinets, and we use the side “wall” for a message center that is a bit busier but includes only essentials. Out of sight, but not out of mind! (I’m not sure if pictures are allowed, but I’d be glad to post before and after pics that our contractor took…)
Jen says
I HATE a cluttered fridge. However…we have kids. So we have our daughter’s chore chart on there, as well as a few pretty magnets made by a friend of mine. Since it’s not clear anyway, we’ve taken to tacking up reminders (car taxes due, voter cards, etc.) because we pass the fridge every day and will actually see them. And finally, we have a small dry erase board for jotting down grocery items as we run out.
I hate the cluttered look, but it’s a battle I’ve chosen not to pick. Better a cluttered fridge face than a cluttered…well, whatever. Other thing. IDK. 🙂
JD says
I live mine empty since I can’t stand clutter.
Rebecca says
My fridge is pretty well covered. We have magnetic animal toys along the bottom for the grandchild to play with, and lots of pictures on the top. I bought a big set of assorted acrylic magnetic frames and put pictures in them, which helps keep the fridge a bit neater, plus I like having all the different sizes. We have high school kids and college kids over a lot, and I always notice them looking through the pictures on the fridge (especially the college kids who miss their families), so I think they serve a geniune purpose! The pictures run the gamut from toddler to current, wedding pix, graduation pix, etc. Story of our life almost! I also sometimes put a notice or flyer or postcard up there for something I really don’t want to lose track of, but those are removed when they are no longer relevant. So, I do have a cluttered fridge (but I don’t have to wipe it down very often!)