Separating a kid from his or her clutter can seem like a never-ending task. The solution? Find creative, fun ways to stash, store, and show off your child's most precious stuff.

See more from CountryLiving.com:

49 Kid-Friendly Family Recipes »

30-Minute Meals for Busy Nights »

Fun Craft Projects to Make With Kids »

33 Kids' Rooms You'll Both Love! »

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

U.S. Army Major Lois Clark and her son, Cameron VanVooren. (courtesy: Stateside)Lois Clark hadn't seen her son, Cameron VanVooren, since July 4, 2012. She wanted to watch him graduate from Illinois State University earlier this month, but as a major in the U.S. Army on active duty in South Korea, seeing him accept his diploma via teleconference was the best she thought she'd be able to do.

Also on Shine: Father-Daughter Soldiers Return Home Safely from Afghanistan

Clark was a single mom when she enlisted in the Army in June 1994, first working as a lab technician, then earning her bachelor's and masters degrees, and eventually becoming a physician assistant. She and her husband, a field artillery technician named Byron Clark, are stationed near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Flickr Slideshow: U.S. Soldiers Returning Home

This is Clark's second tour of duty in South Korea; she'll be transferring to work in the Warrior Transition Unit in For Hood, Texas, in June. So her son understood that getting his mom to Illinois for his graduation was pretty much impossible.

But

Three Drowning Deaths of Autistic Children Highlight Need for More--and Better--Research (via Babble)The autism community is reeling with the news that three autistic children have drowned in just over a week. These tragic deaths highlight the need for more and better research into the issue of autistic wandering, more properly termed "elopement."

Mikaela Lynch, 9, went missing on Mother's Day. Her body was found three days later in a creek near her family's Lake County, California, vacation home. Owen Black, 8, went missing in Perdido, Florida on Friday, May 17. His body was found two days later, in the Gulf of Mexico, a half-mile from where he went missing. On Saturday, May 18, 2-year-old Drew Howell wandered away from his family's cottage. His family found him almost immediately, but it was too late: he had drowned in a nearby creek, about 100 yards away from the cottage.

When autistic kids wander, it's not the same as what most people would call "running away." The word "wandering" also kind of misses the point: autistic wandering isn't just aimless wandering around;

We're now deep into spring, and the April showers have brought plenty of May flowers. The emergence of the sun and warm weather isn't the only reason we have to celebrate though! This week my son turned 6 years old, and so in honor of my May baby, who is no longer a baby really, I thought I'd share some fun facts about babies born in May. From fellow famous May babies, to birth month flowers, here's some pretty interesting and cool facts about those born in May. - By Andrea Howe

millennialsAre you familiar with Millennials? Also known as the ME ME ME Generation? They're the folks who were born between 1980 and 2000. Joel Stein wrote a cover piece about them for Time magazine, and I gotta tell you, he nailed it.

He nailed it when he pointed out the rampant narcissism prevalent within this generation. Seems like all those participation trophies have teamed up with the self-promoting (if not self-aggrandizing) aspects of social media to render a generation of people who are convinced of their greatness.

The circle of life

"But the sun rolling high / Through the sapphire sky / Keeps great and small on the endless round." - The Lion King, Circle of Life

Bee enjoyed a pool day for the first time last weekend, soaking up sunshine and watermelon and happiness. It was a beautiful day - the kind that you experience with all of your senses as you taste the sweet humidity and laugh with the breeze. There were family members and grilled vegetables and sun-dried beach towels, and we snapped a few photos to capture the magic of this perfect summer moment. And it wasn't until we returned home that evening - smelling of chlorine and charcoal - that we realized a familiar photo in the mix…

The right photo, of course, is Bee and Ken. And the left? Ken and his father, captured on a beautiful summer day much like the one we just experienced - over thirty years ago. I'm imagining that there were family members and grilled vegetables and sun-dried beach towels - just like our perfect day - but there was one

When photos of Kim Kardashian's baby-shower invitation hit the web yesterday, we were admittedly a little stunned. Actual jewelry boxes with spinning ballerinas for everyone on the list? Like, seriously? But as it turns out, these babies are just the tip of the ostentatious iceberg when it comes to celebrity-soiree invites, a world in which hosts must choose between leather and Dupioni silk rather than card stock or vellum. Let's take a little romp through the pretentiousness, shall we?--Beth Greenfield, Yahoo! Shine Staff

Digital learning tools inspire kids to learn, share, and flex creative muscles. By Ingrid Simone, Common Sense Media editor

With summer break just around the corner, it's a perfect opportunity to get hands-on and creative, and we've shared some of our favorite creativity tools in our Digital Fun for Creative Kids Guide. In it, you can find apps, games, and websites to help your creative kids shine in their own way.

Many of these tools let kids combine their passions and skills with surprising results. Take my daughter's recent experience. Years ago, she created her first book during a summer break, and it was a masterpiece as far as 5-year-old princess tales go. She's a great writer, so I was surprised when, at 9, she said she doesn't like writing much. She's creative in many ways -- her favorites are origami and making jewelry -- but writing's more a chore for her now.

On a recent two-week break from school, my son had a class writing assignment to complete. My daughter didn't have a similar assignment, but I told her she should do one, too.