Meagan I loved this so much! The fridge door can totally be a reflection of daily life, and a snapshot into a family. In our old home the entire front of our fridge was covered with photos, artwork, magnets, invitations, the grocery list, a meal plan, etc. We lived in a smaller home, with less wall space-not much room for a whiteboard to organize some of these things. In our current home, we have a dry erase board for a weekly meal plan and a couple magnets, and a couple photos. We have a larger dry erase monthly calendar board in our mudroom area which is where I put invitations, and other items. When we first moved into this home, I was planning on keeping the fridge totally clear of items, but then it felt a little too sterile, so I had to add a few things :) I love your reflection on this household item, and the care you took in rearranging and adding things. And no shame in that meal plan!
Thank you for writing this Meagan! As a stepmom in a blended family the fridge (and the photos on it) have been a sore spot initially in my integration into the family. Baby photos, family magnets I knew were made by the ex, events I wasn't there for were things I could live with, but I felt extremely annoyed at the family christmas card featuring the ex that was displayed on the fridge for years. I know my partner just doesn't notice those things, so the photo was conveniently hid for a while behind some others and has finally (3 years later) just gone in the trash with no one noticing. (Plenty of other family photos of her exist in our home, just not on display)
Oof - that would be a little tough for me to deal with, too! In my case, my guy is really sensitive about his kids feeling shoved out/replaced, which I 1000% understand. On the other hand, they don't live here anymore, and part of me thinks they care a lot less about this stuff than he thinks they might. But again, what do I know? I also think that, like your partner, my husband just got used to things the way they were and wasn't paying much attention to it for a while. So it's that balance between trying to be respectful and not come in and take over, while also realizing that a lot of the way things are are just that way because he never got around to changing them :)
Meagan I loved this so much! The fridge door can totally be a reflection of daily life, and a snapshot into a family. In our old home the entire front of our fridge was covered with photos, artwork, magnets, invitations, the grocery list, a meal plan, etc. We lived in a smaller home, with less wall space-not much room for a whiteboard to organize some of these things. In our current home, we have a dry erase board for a weekly meal plan and a couple magnets, and a couple photos. We have a larger dry erase monthly calendar board in our mudroom area which is where I put invitations, and other items. When we first moved into this home, I was planning on keeping the fridge totally clear of items, but then it felt a little too sterile, so I had to add a few things :) I love your reflection on this household item, and the care you took in rearranging and adding things. And no shame in that meal plan!
Thank you for writing this Meagan! As a stepmom in a blended family the fridge (and the photos on it) have been a sore spot initially in my integration into the family. Baby photos, family magnets I knew were made by the ex, events I wasn't there for were things I could live with, but I felt extremely annoyed at the family christmas card featuring the ex that was displayed on the fridge for years. I know my partner just doesn't notice those things, so the photo was conveniently hid for a while behind some others and has finally (3 years later) just gone in the trash with no one noticing. (Plenty of other family photos of her exist in our home, just not on display)
Oof - that would be a little tough for me to deal with, too! In my case, my guy is really sensitive about his kids feeling shoved out/replaced, which I 1000% understand. On the other hand, they don't live here anymore, and part of me thinks they care a lot less about this stuff than he thinks they might. But again, what do I know? I also think that, like your partner, my husband just got used to things the way they were and wasn't paying much attention to it for a while. So it's that balance between trying to be respectful and not come in and take over, while also realizing that a lot of the way things are are just that way because he never got around to changing them :)