Terrific Tot Tuesday

A little back ago I mentioned I wanted to try this art activity with Kman; you can find the link for it here. Here is the end result! Super easy, no mess and very inexpensive! Try it out! Here's how:


First, I just poured some acrylic paints onto a paper plate and watered them down.



Then I dipped the sponge I already cut into shapes, into the paint.



Then place the sponges into the Ziploc bag and sealed.



Let the "painting" begin!

The final product!

Thanks for reading!

Spring Cleaning

I was inspired by the blog over at Clover Lane called 40 Bags Update. I don't imagine I will be as thorough as the author Sarah, but I still hope to put a dent into our house by getting rid of things we are not using and donating them. I'm on day four so far and here's what I've tackled:

1. Master Closet
2. Linen Closet
3. 5 Kitchen drawer/ cupboards
4. Upstairs nook drawers
5. Kid's bathroom

In those small areas alone I have three garbage bags full of clothes and linens to donate. I also have a box full of kitchen gadgets that we never use that I'll donate. The clean as you go though is key. Making sure I have the vacuum, and the Lysol towelettes on hand has been helpful. I'm now debating between tackling the spare room closet (a disaster zone) or the laundry room. The good thing out of this process is I'm making a mental note of the little things I would like to get to organize everything. For instance, I'd like to get small containers from the Dollar Store or Walmart to make compartments certain objects. Happy cleaning!

Friday's Dream

I think every parent dreams and hopes for a healthy child. We have had a couple of scares with Kman. The picture below is one of my favourites as it's when our little man started to feel better after one of his scares. Sometimes scary situations can put things into perspective for you, and you appreciate what you have that much more. Today we had a routine visit to Sick Kids. We are soooo lucky to have such a state of the art hospital in such close proximity. We found out today that Kman will most likely under go a routine, day surgery in the months to come. As we were leaving, we saw two kids entering the hospital in wheel chairs. Every time my husband and I visit that hospital we always remind ourselves how friggin lucky we are! Hug your little ones - they are the most precious, amazing gift you can receive!!!!!

DIY Soother Clips

Back when I was expecting my Kman, a friend of mine had made me two soother clips using colourful ribbon, a button and a clip. Well, I finally got around to making some of my own. It was so easy. I got some ribbon from Michael's using my 40% off coupon, then got the clip form Fabricland and the velcro from Walmart. So for under $6 I had enough materials to make four of these babies - no pun intended - and I still have tons of velcro and and ribbon left over when I get more clips. Check it out!

The orange clip is the one made by a friend with a button to attach the soother.

Here's how:

1. Measure the length of the ribbon you want. Remember 2 important things: First, you want to ensure the ribbon isn't long to avoid any choking hazard. Secondly, you are sewing the bottom and top so leave yourself enough ribbon to do so.
2. I then took the clip part and wrapped the ribbon around and sewed in place.
3. For the top, I looped the ribbon around the soother to know where I wanted the velcro located. I then sewed them in their place.

And that's it - three easy steps!

Living Room Transformation: The Reveal

Back in January I posted pictures of our Living Room's "Before" shots. You can see them again here. And here are the "Afters"! (I'm very proud!) For under $400 I was able to create the living room I wanted. Here's how:

1. I posted an ad on Kijiji for our old couch and loveseat (they actually weren't that old, maybe 4 years old). We sold them for $400. I looked on Kijiji to replace our sofa and loveseat. There was an ad from RentWOW, a Homestaging business that sells some of there furniture to keep their inventory up to date. I got a more contemporary sofa and loveseat for $600, and by using the $400 I got for selling our old set, it only cost $200 out of pocket! Sweet!

2. The art, well yours truly did those. The two square canvasses I painted while in labour with my first babe - to take my mind off of the contraction pains! The rectangle canvas I did recently. I wanted to arrange the grouping so you got a sense of the ceiling height. The cost of the rectangle canvas, $30.

3. I had to get another "piece" for the coffee table. Again on Kijiji, I found the matching Ikea Klubbo table for sale at $35.

4. I got a side chair from Urban Barn with gift cards I was given for Christmas. The side chair was discontinued so it was on sale for 1/2 price. Even better!

5. While I was at Urban Barn, I saw the grey bowl. Well, you have to accessorize, and it went with the scheme of the room. It was on sale for $10!

6. Lastly, the cowhide, an eBay purchase! My husband and I had looked for one for a long time. We found this one on sale for $118. Not bad!

And that's it! What do you think?????

Terrific Tot Tuesday: March Madness

As I mentioned before I decided to focus on a green themed bin for Kman for the month of March in celebration of St. Patty's Day. As promised here is a pic. Yours truly made the green bean bags in the white bowl. From Walmart I bought green fabric that's meant for quiltting for $2, the bag of dried navy beans for under $2, and the iron on numbers from Fabricland. The numbers were about $2 each, but well worth it when you're trying to teach your little one their numbers and counting.

March

It's March already, can you believe it? This week my goal is to make a St. Patty's Day inspired bin for Kman. Everything in the bin will be green: green cups, green cars, green bean bags, you name it! Stay tuned for some pics to see what the green bin will contain!