Wonderful Padded Children's Stool!

This is such a cute idea!

 

My mother in law made this fabulous stool for my daughter, who absolutely loves it. It's such a cute idea and a really practical way to reuse those large buckets. I think this is the first one she's completed, and it turned out so great I wanted to share it here.  She's making a reversible style for another one of her grandchildren, and it already looks adorable too.

She saw an inspiration design somewhere and decided that she could make this project herself. She didn't work off of a pattern (which is amazing in and of itself) and based the dimensions of the cover off of the bucket she had available.

She used a corn syrup bucket, but any similar sized bucket would work fine. The cover has long slits in the side so that the handle can come through. This gives the cover a nice stream-lined fit and leaves it with a nice, functional handle.

 

 

 

The slits close up with cute novelty buttons and elastic loops, so when my daughter climbs onto it or pulls on the cover it has plenty of give and nothing tears. It's also really simple to take the cover off and put it back on, so it's easy to wash when needed.  

The bucket is empty and is very light. I imagine I could use it for storage, but for now it's nice that my daughter has no problem carrying it around the house by herself.

Dinosaur stickers FTW!

My mother in law decorated it with cute little applique flowers and sewed a 

nice large pocket onto the front for carrying around art supplies. 

 

This was one of the cutest home-made gifts I'd ever seen and I'm amazed that my mother in law was basically able to freehand the whole design. My daughter loves having a special seat, and I think that the potential for other designs and uses is limited only by imagination. She's a very talented sewer and I'm really excited to get to share this craft.

Trying Out the Original Dish Drying Mat

I received the Original Dish Drying Mat from Influenster to test and review. I was especially excited to receive this, because not everyone who qualified for the box received one.

I initially thought this would be another space-hogging kitchen gadget, but I've ended up using it on a regular basis and am very impressed with it. I have a fair amount of counter space that I can use for drying, and I definitely plan on picking up another Original Drying Mat, especially since the price point is only $4.99. I'm also planning on picking some up for gift giving. They're much more sanitary than using a plastic rack, and they're also able to either hang up by their loop or fold and go into a drawer.

I hand wash all of my dishes and basically just use my dishwasher as a giant, glorified drying rack. The only problem is that large bowls or pots and pans take up almost the entire bottom rack. Now, instead of hand drying the larger items, I lay them on the Original Dish Drying Mat and let them air dry on the counter.
The mat is huge and easily holds plenty of smaller items or a few very large ones. It's also very thick, absorbent, and quick-drying. At first, I was concerned that it would stay damp and mildew on the counter, but it's always dry by the time the dishes are. It's also machine washable, so I don't have to worry about funky smells building up in it either.



This is one of the most practical and useful products I've ever tested out and can definitely recommend it. I also went to the Original website and plan on checking out the Cookware Guards and the Fruit and Veggie Drying Mat next time I'm at Bed Bath & Beyond, where these are sold exclusively.

Birthday Fun!

 
This past weekend was my daughter's 3rd birthday! We had a small party here at home and it ended up turning out wonderfully. I did all the decorating myself (mostly preschooler-dictated crepe paper) but I was really pleased with how my 'Happy Birthday' banner turned out.


I picked up some Spongebob phonics cards from the dollar store, hole punched and then stringed them together. I made a bunch of individual loops instead of one continuous string and it hung beautifully. I centered a bench under it, and it turned out to be a great place for everyone to sit and take pictures. 

Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies

 

As part of my Mom VoxBox through Influenster, I received a Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookie to try. The cookie barely made it out of the box before it was split between the family. I My daughter absolutely loved the cookie and my husband and I were impressed with it also.

My daughter loving her cookie!

The cookies are large and really soft and taste great. I still prefer home-made cookies, but since they're individually packaged, these are great for an on-the-go snack. They're also pretty healthy as far as cookies go, so they make a better treat than most packaged cookies.

When I next went grocery shopping I picked up a full box to have at home. I'll definitely buy these as an occasional treat for the family. 

 

The Many Uses of Ivory

 I mentioned yesterday that I received a Mom VoxBox from Influenster recently. One of the complimentary products was Ivory bar soap. I've personally used Ivory soap for years, since childhood actually, and always loved it. Ivory's a great quality soap and is quite inexpensive, so I don't mind using it for experiments or carving.

Through the Influenster campaign I learned from other members that Ivory can also be used for a fun kid's science experiment, so my daughter and I decided to try it out this morning!

 


I read online that an entire bar is too large for most microwaves, so I quartered the bar. I'm really glad I did because just the one piece was fluffing off of the plate towards the end!






 

 


I put the quarter on a microwave safe plate and cooked it for about 50 seconds. My daughter was so excited with how huge and fluffy it looked.

 



We had a blast breaking it apart. It felt soft and kind of crunchy at the same time. I guess this is a pretty common children's experiment, but I had never done it, so I was just as amused as my daughter. 

We ended up making a huge mess and my daughter spent a half hour playing with the flakes. I was impressed that it was able to keep her attention for so long! 



 

 




I wasn't going to throw away perfectly good soap, so after she was done playing, we scooped up all the flakes and poured them into an empty mason jar.

I'll be using the flakes for laundry, and letting my daughter crumble the soap was much easier than using a grater on the bar. I ended up with about a cup of flakes, which is great for only a quarter bar of soap!








Cleanup was also very easy. I ran a vacuum over the floor to pick up all the crumblies then ran a damp towel over the table and chair. That's it! There was no residue or stickiness left anywhere and we ended up with nice, clean hands.

This was a great project and I found two new uses for Ivory soap! Thanks to Ivory and Influenster for making it possible.

I found this great video on Youtube explaining the science behind the fun.

The Swing of Things

I realize now that it probably wasn't the most prudent idea to start a blog right before moving and getting ready for a new baby. I've never had a blog before this and don't quite know how to get started.

Thanks to being ridiculously pregnant now and mostly hanging out at home, I should have more time to work on my blog. I have a few fun things currently happening.

Firstly, I received a Mom VoxBox from Influenster, a really great product testing company, so I'll have some reviews to share there.

I've also been working on a couple projects around the house, including an open closet for my daughter's dress up clothes (very exciting).

 Finally, (and most exciting) we're finally organized enough in the new house for me to bring out my jewelry making supplies! I've only had them out for 2 days and have already made a few things; including a ribbon bracelet that my daughter is in love with.

Hopefully I'll be posting plenty of new content in the next few weeks and getting comfortable with blogging!