Maxi doesn’t turn 4 until next week, but the past few weeks I have gotten a taste of what people mean when they say 4-year-olds ask a ton of questions. Every other word is, “Why?” and she peppers in a few, “How’s?” while she is at it. I joked with Paul my coffee must be hot and my mind must be sharp from the second she wakes up because half the time she stumps me.

“Well, honey, I don’t really know why trees have limbs. We can find out together.“

All of that to say, I used to be able to hand her a coloring book while I answered e-mails and she sang a tune to Frozen and colored her next Picasso for the fridge. Now, I try to answer an e-mail and in between explain how some people get twin babies in their stomach. I kid you not, she asked me how to draw twins yesterday. I drew two babies and she said, “No, in the mommy’s tummy. Like the picture you had of Harry in your belly. How do people get twins in their belly? Also, what is a Zebra?“

I can FEEL all the mamas reading this and nodding, “Amen.” Forget “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” my mind has been stretched by an almost 4-year-old daughter. And with that, I’ve had to get a little more creative in the time she helps me work. 😉 Enter, an Ikea Hack. Another “Amen” moment, you know.

I have blogged the importance of an art cart and have sung the praises of a busy cabinet, now we must bring out the Preschooler’s version of a briefcase with the Ikea Lustigt arts and crafts caddy. Bless it, because for $17 your child can think they are sending a monthly reporting package to investors…or just putting stickers all over their notepad. Same thing.

How is this different than any other craft caddy? Well….it has dividers, and compartments, and lids. It keeps them busy. I put equal parts office supplies {post-it notes, Detectable Pens, and tape} with equal parts preschooler {hello kitty stickers anyone?}. It goes on top of her art cart and when H is sleeping and mama HAS to get .2 seconds of work done, we whip the caddy out and get to very serious business. I ask her to help me write drafts for work, send e-mails, the whole thing. She feels important, I answer questions about work… “Mommy, how are their girls on your phone that you talk to for work?” and most importantly, we have fun. She has decorated my laptop, planner, and desk with post-it notes that I will keep forever.

But because I have to be the extra mom that I roll my own eyes at, we had to spray paint the whole thing and add personalization. Decorate for the job you want, not the job you have. Something like that?

I spray painted the caddy cotton candy pink {this color to be exact} and added a fun Barbie-esque decal with her name. The decal is from Peony and Confetti Co. and they are offering COF readers 20% off with code KATEY20 at checkout.

While I may never be able to figure out the right schedule with working from home or turn your meetings into e-mails, I hope this trick brings you a little help as you juggle life with little ones. It may not get your inbox to zero, but it is a fun little project to do together that lets their little minds have fun!

If you make this caddy, be sure to tag me on Instagram as I would love to see all your creative ideas! @kateymcfarlan

Thank you so much for reading!