DIY Toy Storage - No-Sew Canvas Bins

Christmas has left us with an abundance of toys and a shortage on storage space. We have a small house that quickly feels claustrophobic with clutter. And I like things to be tidy and organized. I went to Walmart yesterday to see if they had any baskets or totes that would work. The cheapest one was $20 and didn't look so great. So it was off to the interwebs to see if a more frugal solution could be found.

I found several tutorials for making canvas bins out of diaper boxes. Perfect! We have a million diaper boxes hanging out in the garage, and I actually had a canvas drop cloth out there too. I waited for DD to take a nap and then I got started. I read through several tutorials to get an idea of the process, and then changed things a bit. Mainly because I didn't want to get out the sewing machine to sew a basket liner. So my baskets are completely canvas covered.

No-Sew Canvas Bins

Materials:
Diaper boxes
Hot glue
Canvas drop cloth - or another sturdy fabric, approx 1 yard.
Tape measure
Scissors
Box knife
Iron

I started out with an empty box. Using the box knife I carefully cut off the top flaps and set them aside to use later.

Next I glued the short flaps inside the bottom to cover the gaps. One piece had to be trimmed to fit on my box.

Note: At this point I thought I might decoupage the outside of the box so I first covered it in white copy paper. Then I got impatient and decided to cover it with the canvas instead. So from this point on my boxes are covered in white paper but its a completely unnecessary step!

Now its time to measure the fabric. Here's where my tutorial starts to differ from the others. I didn't want to sew a fabric liner so I needed to have the fabric cover the outside and the inside. I thought the easiest way to do this would be to have two large strips - one to run length-wise (approx 11' x 52 '') and one to run width-wise (approx 18'' x 44'').

I set my box down on the canvas and measured allowing .5'' room on the sides to overlap. Once my strips were cut I ironed them smooth.

Then I began to wrap the box, starting length-wise. I turned the box over and started on the bottom. Centering the fabric, I began on one side and glued down the fabric, stretching it tight and pressing firmly into the glue.

 

I glued the bottom first, then each of the sides on the outside. Lastly I finished up by tucking the fabric inside and gluing it down. Don't worry about making it meet the bottom edge exactly. You want a bit of fabric left on the bottom of the box. It will be covered in the end.

Then I went back and glued down the sides, being careful to cut and tuck the corners to get them as smooth as possible.

For the next piece, I folded over the edges to get a nice, smooth seam and ironed it to keep the strip straight and uniform.

Again starting on the bottom in the middle, I began gluing down the fabric. Run the glue all the way to the edge and press firmly for a nice, tight seam.

Glue the bottom, outside walls, and then the inside. 

Almost there! This is what the box should look like once it's fully wrapped

 For the bottom, I used the two long flaps to make an insert. You could tape them together, but I was too impatient to go find the tape. It works fine without taping. Measure a piece of fabric to cover the flaps.

Glue down the fabric, stretching tight to get a smooth finish.

Now tuck the insert into the bottom of the box. It should be a snug fit. Press down well in all corners to secure it.

And that's it! This would work with almost any kind of fabric. A great way to reuse those diaper boxes (or paper boxes, or any other kind of box you may run across). DD has a bookshelf in her room that is just waiting to get some new bins! For now, I am thrilled to have the toys contained in the living room :)

I just made two more bins for DD's room during nap time. This may be one of my future baby-shower gifts. Buy a box of diapers, make a fun tote out of the box to match the new nursery, and then fill with the diapers from the box :)

Abundance of Gifts and Ungratefulness

These posts (here and here) really put into words what I have been thinking about for awhile.

I want to be intentional about the values I pass on to my daughter. But that means I need to live the example I want her to see. ouch

We are blessed to live in a place where we have religious freedom to practice as we see fit. We are blessed with jobs that provide for ALL of our needs and a good measure of our wants. I am blessed to have a husband that is truly a partner with me and we enjoy each others' company. 

My daughter is growing up in a home where she has more toys that she could possibly play with in a single day. She has a warm, clean bed to sleep in and an abundance of clothes in her dresser. There is always food in the house to fill her chubby tummy. She has two parents that love her more than anything.

Simply put - she's not going to grow up knowing what true need and desperation is. Not if I can help it.

But part of me feels like I am hindering her in some way. No, I am not going to make a toddler start earning her keep or making her own food. But how can one really know what a need is like until you experience it?

Christmas to our family is a time to focus on the greatest gift the world was given: Jesus Christ. But if it a celebration of Jesus, then why should we get gifts? I want my children to know the excitement of the season - the anticipation in waiting for the King to be born. I don't want that anticipation to be built around what they are going to personally gain from it. I want my children to learn to focus on others first.

And for Jesus' Birthday, he should be the one to get the gifts. Gifts of Kindness. Compassion. Generosity. Love.

Matthew 25:40

The Message (MSG)

^37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

But to teach it to my child, its going to need to be a principle that I live. Everyday.  And that is pretty convicting.

I've been talking to DH about only giving gifts on birthdays (a celebration of that person) or anniversaries (a celebration of that couple). For the other holidays, especially religious holidays, we will focus our resources towards helping others. There's nothing wrong with having an Easter basket, but if I could give that $10 to fill a child's tummy, then wouldn't that be a better use and a better lesson for my kids?

Now I just have to figure out how to implement this consistently while still helping my children to enjoy the holidays.

Christmas

The holiday has come and gone, and now our house looks like a disaster zone. Baby girl was thoroughly spoiled this year by all of us.

Nana spent a month making an amazing tablecloth playhouse. I had seen these on etsy and told my mom that I wanted one to go over our table or a card table since our house is small and we don't have room for a house to be out all the time. My mom was able to look at the pictures, download some patterns, and made an elaborate playhouse for DD. Inside there's a kitchen, table and chairs, and a bedroom area. WOW! DD thinks its the greatest thing ever :)

Yesterday I spent time making bins out of diaper boxes to hold all of the new toys. I still need to make some more for DD's room. She's getting old enough to play in there and I would much rather have the toys live in her room instead of all over the living room.

We didn't really do Santa gifts or make a big deal out of Santa for DD. She would point to the ornaments on the tree or the doll on the fireplace and she knew who he was, but that's it. Still undecided as to what we will do in the future. But the more I look at it, the more I think its unnecessary (more on that to come later).

Christmas is coming!

We got a new tree this year during the Black Friday sales. It now feels like Christmas in here :) This is the first year DH and I have had a tree since we got married. It is nice to finally display all of the ornaments we have been collecting for years. DD is loving the tree - the lights, the ornaments, so many fun things to look at.

I made some stockings for us and we decorated the fireplace. As we were setting out the greenery and figurines, I pulled out the stuffed Santa and our Herbie elf and set them on the hearth. DD loves Herbie! She carries him around the house, pressing his hand and listening to him say "I want to be a Dentist!"

However, DD is a bit confused with Santa. I pointed to him and told her his name was Santa. She shook her said, said "No, Papa!" She apparently thinks Santa is my grandfather! Hahaha :) So much for that dilemma about whether or not to play up the tradition of Santa. I am not too worried about denying her some special tradition, especially since most of the world does not believe in Santa. Now I just have to worry about her being the kid that ruins it for others!

To Santa or Not To Santa?

With everyone gearing up for Christmas, DH and I are wondering what to do about Santa. Do we tell DD about Santa? Or do we not mention it? I don't know if its really worth the trouble or not.

As a Christian family, I kind of struggle with making Christmas about Santa and elves instead of the remembrance of Christ's birth. But as a kid we believed in Santa and it was so much fun :) Not sure which is worse - denying my kid those memories, or having to tell her later that we lied to her and then try to break her from focusing on presents and magical elves to focusing on the Nativity.

Happy Halloween!

And don't forget to brush your teeth after all that sugar ;)

Mom's Weekend Away!

This weekend my best friend had her surprise 30th birthday party! DH kept baby so I was able to go and enjoy myself :) It was the first time I had been away by myself since she was born! I was a bit sad as I packed my bags to leave but once I was on the road I knew it was going to be a fun time :)

We had dinner at sunset with this view of the lake:

Then back to the house to surprise the Birthday Girl with more friends, food, and fun gifts*. And then we headed out to continue the party at the local hangout:

It was way too cold to hang out on the beach, but inside there was a great band playing and, of course, a costume contest.

For 24 hours I got to just be Sam again. Not mom, not wife, just Sam. No one asking me for dinner, no one whining and needing a diaper change, no schedule to adhere to. It was a blast!

This morning I woke up in time to catch the rest of the sunrise with the fog burning off the lake. GORGEOUS! Someday I hope to live on the water so I can see this every morning:

But I was anxious to make the drive back home to see DH and my little pumpkin. I missed waking up and seeing her cute little face smiling at me:

A Chapter Is Closed

DD is completely done nursing as of this last week. Six months ago I was just longing for this day when I could finally have my body back all to myself. No small child pawing at my chest in public, no retreating to a quiet place to nurse or struggling with a nursing cover and a wriggly baby, no more pain from being 30 minutes late to my pumping break. No more leaking, no more planning a wardrobe around which tops would be the quickest and easiest to remove (poor DH - I think he liked that part HAHA!). But now that it is here I am kind of sad. She's 14 months this week and growing up so fast. We still have 60 oz or so in the freezer that she will get over the next couple of weeks, but then its all whole milk and grown-up food from here on out.

I am so thankful that I was able to nurse DD for this long. Other than a little bit of trouble in the first three weeks, we both figured out what to do and I was able to supply all she needed (and then some). I am thankful my employer allowed me plenty of time to pump and provided a private place for me (before they technically had to). I am thankful our daycare providers had no issues handling the frozen milk and preparing bottles for DD.

These days her milk comes in a sippy cup. More often than not its whole milk. And she no longer wakes up in the middle of the night to nurse and cuddle with me. If she does happen to wake, its because she launched her binky out of the crib and screams for a replacement - once it arrives she happily cuddles with her baby dolls and drifts back off to sleep. My sweet, little, independent girl.

On the plus side, I am getting more done at work with an extra hour added back into my day. I do miss the breaks though ;)

Amusement Park Fun!

We took DD to the local amusement park this weekend. She's too little for most rides but we did find a few she could enjoy. The ride operators kept making us put her down to see if she could walk first (I guess to show she had enough balance?). Poor peanut - I have a feeling those height restrictions will keep her from riding all of the cool rides until she's almost a teen!

She did get to ride the carousel and we even got to move up to a horse once we proved she could walk (too bad we couldn't get a pic of that). Here's mommy & A getting ready to ride:

 She was way too happy to be on the ride with all the big kids :)

Adventures in Couponing

Today I headed out to CVS to cash in on a few deals. For $30.76 total out of pocket I was able to score some great deals! Here's what I did:

Transaction #1:
Pampers Diapers - $25.00
Used $2 CVS coupon, $3 manufacturer coupon, and a $4/20 purchase coupon
Total was $17.25

Transaction #2:
CVS wipes 3-pk - $6.79
6 Degree men's deodorants - $15.00
Used $1 CVS wipes coupon, $4/20 purchase coupon, and $10.75 in Extra Bucks from previous deals
Total was 6.57

From this transaction I earned $10 Extra Bucks for buying $30 worth of baby items, and $5 Extra Bucks for buying $15 in Degree products.

Transaction #3:
8 Suave Naturals family sized shampoos - $12.00
Gillette disposable razors - $7.99
Chips Ahoy - $3.49
Used $3 Gillette manufacturer coupon, $10 in Extra Bucks from previous deals and $4/20 purchase coupon
Total was $6.94

From this transaction I earned $4 Extra Bucks from Suave and $3 Extra Bucks from Gillette.


Fun fact: We actually use the shampoo as body wash and to refill our hand soap dispensers. For some reason there are usually great deals on shampoo but not always on the other items. I figure soap is soap, right?

Family Fun Day!

Saturdays are our Family Fun Days. Its usually the only day of the week that we can all be together and just do whatever we want :)

This morning DD slept in until 8 and woke up in a great mood! We had a mommy-daughter date for breakfast while daddy went to work out. We joined some ladies at church for a nice breakfast at IHOP. Note to mommy - bring more toys and snacks next time! The restaurant knew we were coming but they were not really prepared for us. By the time the food came out DD was not happy. Thankfully some pancakes and melon made everything better.

After DD's morning nap we headed out to the pumpkin patch to play and explore. I got a Groupon deal yesterday for a family season pass - $5 cheaper than single-admissions would have been for our family. DD loved the petting zoo (especially the baby goats) and had a blast running around following the other kids. She lasted about an hour before it was time to pack up and head home for nap time. Can't wait to go back in a few weeks and take a hayride out to the fields to pick out some pumpkins :)

I can't wait for next Saturday! We are taking DD on her first trip to the zoo :)

Redemption

Just when I feel like I am failing at this mom thing, DD goes and does something just to make me smile :) She learned to give kisses this week, or rather, she willingly gives out kisses to us now (before she would only kiss & hug her stuffed animals, not people). She woke up in the middle of the night and I definitely took the opportunity to snuggle up with her for a bit. She kept leaning in and giving me kisses and giggling :) And then she snuggled in next to me and fell back asleep for awhile (she never does this!).

Maybe she will like me afterall ;)

So not Supermom

Sometimes I look at my daughter, and think to myself that I am failing her miserably as a parent. There are times when I feel like I am just going through the motions, just faking my way through the day. I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing with her - and I feel like I am failing miserably.

• She's fed, and she loves to eat, but the child is not gaining as much weight as her Dr. wants. AK eats everything we put in front of her (except for avocados and mac & cheese). Yet she's only gained 3 lbs since she was 6 months old!!! She currently weighs 18 lbs and she's still in 6-9 month clothes (but the 12m outfits are getting closer to fitting).
  
• I still have not scheduled her appointment to have her blood drawn. I was supposed to do that 6 weeks ago.....
  
• I have been putting her to bed in a clean outfit and skipping the PJs since it means fewer clothes to buy and less laundry to do. I am sure this will be mentioned in her future therapy sessions.
  
• She's finally outgrown the MOTN feedings. But instead of enjoying my uninterrupted sleep, I find myself missing those middle-of-the-night snuggles. I clearly remember being pissed one of the last times she woke me up, and as I went into her room when she was crying (holding out her hands and saying "mama!!!") I very sternly said "A K, CUT IT OUT!".  Seriously, who gets mad at a baby for waking up hungry? :(
  
• We don't read 20 books together every day. In fact, my toddler watches a LOT of Nick Jr every day. I always swore before she was born that she wouldn't watch TV until she was 2. I think we made it to 6 months. It captures her attention long enough for me to sneak off to get ready every morning.

 And I could go on. But when I go to pick her up at the end of the day and she comes running to me saying "MAMA!!" and gives me a big smile and a hug, I have hope that maybe she does like me after all.

Confession: How I Actually Do Laundry

Laundry isn't my favorite chore (really - who actually likes to do laundry?). We have come up with a system that works for us even if it is a bit unconventional:

1. A laundry basket is kept in the hall outside the bathroom. As clothes come off, they go straight into the basket. Dirty towels get thrown straight into the basket. Its even close enough for me to launch dirty washcloths and towels from the kitchen into the basket :)

2. When the basket is full, it gets dumped into the washer - no sorting. I drop in a detergent pod and let the washer fill with cold water. Once it has agitated for a couple minutes, I open the lid and let it sit for a few hours (usually I start this process before I leave for work). This lets the stains soak and also prevents wet clothes from just sitting in the washer after the cycle. The clothes don't sour this way.

3. At lunch, or when I get home from work, I shut the washer and let it finish cycling.

4. Clothes are hung to dry on the clothesline I strung up on the deck if the weather allows, or just tossed into the washer if its rainy/cold. (Clothes on the line do get a 5 minute tumble when they come in just to make sure no spiders or leaves are hanging out).

5. The clean clothes sit in a basket at the foot of our bed. We pick out of the clean clothes each day until the dirty basket is full again and the clean basket is close to being empty.

6. As the clean baskets stack up, I keep consolidating them down. I will fold the easy things like the big towels, making more room in the clean baskets :)

7. When I run out of laundry baskets or get sick of tripping over the piles at the end of my bed, I fold the clothes and put them away. Usually this happens once a month or so.

We wash 2-3 loads of laundry per week for three people. And I will also confess - I let DD go to sleep in whatever clothes she was wearing that day (if they are not too dirty), or I will change her into a clean outfit to wear to bed. No jammies :) Less to wash, and it makes our mornings easier.

The end of diapering is in sight!!

DD is only 13 months old. But in about 6 months we will go through potty training. I can't believe its almost here! This is the "method" we will be using with her, which apparently is a pretty common method everywhere except the US.

I found some great training pants at TJ Maxx awhile back for $.99/pack. The old-school Gerber trainers (anyone else remember those??). I remember my mom using those with us! They have a protective outer layer to help contain messes so they will help with those first few outings and any accidents that may happen. And we already have a couple of the Baby Bjorn potty chairs ready to go. Now I just have to hope that she's big enough to wear 18m pants by the time we do this since I can't find any underwear smaller than that. Oh well, they recommend the kids going commando for at least a month anyway :)

What's for dinner??

I really don't enjoy cooking. Its not an activity I particularly enjoyed before DD was born, but now I really despise it. After spending 9 hours at work, picking up baby girl, getting home and managing to get in the door with the baby and five bags, gathering the mail, letting the dog out, and then sitting down to nurse the little one, getting back up to cook dinner is the last thing I want to do.  Its 2012 - haven't they figured out a way to make food magically appear by now?

If it were up to me, we would live off of cereal and sandwiches. It certainly would be cheap, relatively healthy, and really easy to put together every night. And there would be very little cleanup!  I wonder if DH would go for this?  Hmmmmmm......

So in order to keep our routine varied but simple, and involving as little cooking time as possible, I have resorted to using a couple of different tools:

1. EMeals. My sister-in-law turned me on to these last fall and I LOVE them! Weekly meal plans plus a shopping list. I can get in and out of the grocery store in about 20 minutes with everything we need for an entire week. The meals are delicious and even my picky husband enjoys them. It helps us stick to our budget - both the financial budget and the "calorie budget" :) One 7-meal plan will last us two weeks since we have some nights where we use freezer meals or other quick options.

2. Crock pot freezer cooking. This has to be the best invention ever! Take your favorite crock-pot meals and prep the ingredients ahead of time (like on Sunday afternoon when DD is napping :)). Combine the raw ingredients into a gallon-sized freezer bag, label with cooking instructions, and toss into the freezer. On the day you want to cook, cut the bag open & dump the frozen brick straight into the crock-pot, flip it on, and head off to work. Dinner will be ready when you get home! We do these 1-2 times per week.

3. Frozen pizzas or other convenience foods. There are days when I forgot to toss in a crock pot dinner and I just do not want to get up to cook a meal. So 1-2 times per week we resort to a frozen pizza, soup, sandwiches, salads, or spaghetti.

So what works for you?  What are your tips and tricks for getting healthy meals on the table for your family while living on a tight budget?

Diapers....so many diapers!

Oh man, I thought I was doing great before DD was born. I stocked up on so many diapers and thought they would last us FOREVER.

It lasted about 10 months. And we still have several more months (years???) to go until DD is potty trained. Here are some great diaper deals I have found:

• The best every-day price on diapers and wipes is at Aldi. Seriously! Their packs of diapers are $5 and the wipes are $3 for 3 refill packs. I would say these are most comparable to CVS diapers (cheaper version of basic Pampers). They work well for our DD. I was expecting the diapers to be of really low-quality, but was very pleasantly surprised. We have had no leaks with these diaper (as compared to the Walmart diapers....which I HATE!).
• Walgreens diapers. We love these diapers too. I stockpiled so many of these before DD was born. If only I could go back in time and quadruple the amount I purchased then at $1.25/pack.  But every few months they put these diapers on BOGO sale, which makes them about $4.50/pack. Definitely worth stocking up on! These diapers are most comparable to Huggies Snug N Dry.

I wish cloth diapers were a viable option for us. They are so stinkin' cute! And I was raised in a family that used cloth diapers so it seems like second-nature to me. But they really just wouldn't work with our life at the moment and DH was not on-board with the idea. Oh well.  Maybe with the next baby :)

So what has worked for your family?

Un-SuperMom!

I am not a super mom. My DD is 13 months old, and most of the time I have no freaking clue what I am doing. I can't keep up with all the housework, I hate cooking, and I work full-time outside the home (HELLO MOMMY GUILT!!).  I used to be an extreme couponer, but now I am doing good to actually get out of the house to the grocery store.

But, I am trying to do the best that I can. I love my DD so much. I love my husband. I love Jesus and attempt to live a life that honors him and loves others (and yes, I will readily admit that I fail frequently, but thank God for grace and forgiveness!). 

So.. I am Sam - the un-Supermom. This blog is a way for me to chronicle our journey as we figure out our way through life. Feel free to follow along!