The family team motto, Part II (and a few random tips)

Today’s post has three takeaway tips:

1. Writing a family team motto can help your kids behave better.
2. The best treasures at estate sales are always in the same three places.
3. Command Strips can spare you from driving nails where you don’t want to.

You might remember a year ago, I wrote about our family team motto. Lonnie and I say it with the big boys on the way to school, and now the twins are learning it too. We use the motto to remind our kids what kind of behavior we expect.

I wanted to display the motto in just the right spot where my kids would see it daily but guests at the front door won’t be bombarded with TMI. And I didn’t want to cut the words out of vinyl and stick them to the wall. So I waited on this project, and now it’s finally done.

First, I unearthed this fabulous, huge frame in a shed at an estate sale (I always make a beeline for the basement, garage, and sheds) and scooped it up for $2. Our kitchen seemed like a good place to hang the motto, so after we remodeled, I decided it would go on the fridge box where our kids would see it coming and going every day.

This project wasn’t expensive. I opted to have the motto printed as a poster at Office Max because the paper would be heavier and nicer than an engineer print. I also paid for a sheet of glass, which cost around $10.

I was afraid to drive a nail into the fridge box because I was worried about the wood splitting (if it’s even real wood, but I’m guessing it’s MDF or something). So I found the heaviest-duty Command strips and used them to mount the frame. These babies can hold up to 16 pounds. So far, so good!

I love having a visual reminder of our motto every day, and I love big art, so this is a win-win for me.

Tell me, do you have a family motto or phrase your family likes to repeat? We also like to say, “Do good, be good,” which we picked up from President John Adams. And where do you find your best second-hand treasures? •