Our House is a Clutter-Free Home: DIY

Do you feel like you're CONSTANTLY picking up after the kids ALL day in an effort to keep your house clean?! 

Well, how about picking up the house and still holding the kids responsible for putting away their stuff!?

One thing I HATE about a multi-level house is the constant up and down, back and forth while trying to clean. Typically, I round everything up that goes upstairs in a basket and take it with me when it's time to clean that level and visa versa. HOWEVER, this does not hold the kids responsible for picking up their own things. So I came up with a plan :-)

I had two tin baskets I was not using for anything... One day a lightbulb went off after carrying multiple loads up and down the dang stairs. The KIDS should be helping pick up BUT I clean when they are in school. So to solve this problem, I turned the tin baskets into their baskets!

The house gets cleaned and they still have a part in keeping it that way :-)

I painted each basket with white semi-gloss interior paint and used chalkboard paint for their name labels.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Since everything should have a place... I needed a spot to put the baskets. I made a chalkboard sign out of plywood, so that the kids would know where to find their toys that needed put away and where to return their empty baskets. (And still be cute enough to be out in the open!)

THE SIGN...

THE FINISHED PRODUCT...

Super EASY, cute and inexpensive! OH and one less trip up and down the stairs for mom :-). The kids are held responsible and the house stays clean!

Enjoy!

Guest Post: Throwing A Glow In The Dark Slumber Party

I am super excited to share my very first guest post! The ideas for a glow in the dark themed party are great for boys AND girls! I think I have found a few ideas for my little boys' party coming up in January!

Also, be sure to check out the great PJ's to complete the party or any occasion! Thank you Fun Kids Pajamas for sharing these fabulous ideas!

A glow in the dark themed party can be a great way to celebrate birthdays, add a unique element to a sleepover, or just a fun way for your kid and their friends to spend a night.  From learning about stars to games of skill and races, there are plenty of activities your child and their friends can do to have a blast throughout the night.  Since the party will almost entirely be in the dark, guests can bring glow in the dark jewelry, toys, and even glow in the dark Fun Kids Pajamas to change into before bed.

1. About the Stars

Once the sun has set, you can kick off the party by learning about something that glows in the dark on its own – the night’s sky!  For this activity all you need is a clear night and a glow in the dark star chart (a star chart maps out the location of stars in the sky – you may be able to find a glow in the dark one at your library).  

Take the kids outside to an area with an open view of the sky, split them into two teams and gather them around the star chart.  You can explain how the star chart works before moving on tothe competitive part.  Find an easy constellation like the Big Dipper and point it out to the kids in the book.  Then they will have to race to find the real life Big Dipper above them.  The first team to find it gets a point.  As the kids become more familiar with the star chart, you can choose constellations that are more difficult to find.  You can also add bonus points, for example, if a team spots a shooting star, planet or satellite.

2. Glow In The Dark Remote Control Car Race

This one can be a little inconvenient if you don’t already have a remote control car, but it is almost guaranteed to be a blast!  Attach a glow stick or a few strips of glow in the dark tape to a remote control car, then stand up glow sticks to map out a race course in your driveway, garage, or basement.  Each member of each team will complete the race course and have their time logged.    However, for each glow stick they knock down, they get a 5 second penalty.  After everyone has gone, add up the teams times and penalties and the team with the lowest total wins.  If you have two race cars, instead of doing time trials, the two teams can compete head to head on the race track.  This can make it more exciting, but also much more difficult, as they may need to pass each other without knocking down any glow sticks.

3. Glow In The Dark Ring Toss

This activity is great because it is easy for even then youngest children and can be set up in no time.  All you need to do is buy a bunch of glow in the dark necklaces in two different colors and then set up two short poles about a foot away from each other.  After that, tape a glow stick to the top of both the poles so that the kids will be able to see them in the dark.  Next, assign each team one of the colors from the glow in the dark necklaces and give each kid 3 necklaces (if you don’t want to buy that many, each team can share the same 3 necklaces).   Each team will have one pole that they are supposed to throw their necklaces around, and will get a point for every successful throw.  However, because the poles are so close to each other, they will need to be careful – if they throw their necklace around the other teams pole, they will lose two points.  After everyone has thrown theirs, just count the number of right and wrong colored necklaces on each pole to see who wins.  Depending on how old the kids are, you can put them close or far away from the poles.

From learning about stars to racing cars, a glow in the dark party can be a blast for everyone involved.  For everyone to unwind before bed, they can change into a pair of Fun Kids Pajamas and then watch a movie like Tron before dreaming of all the fun they had.

Interested in submitting a guest post of your own? I would love to hear your ideas! Contact me at ourlittlelife13@gmail.com and let's chat about it!

Chalkboard Paint and Picture Coasters

As you probably read last week, my nephews lost their father at the young age of 31. My family is big on sentimental      keepsakes after a death. I wanted to give something to my sister and nephews in memory of my brother in-law but didn't really know what to offer. I decided to go with something I find comfort in, photos. 

I wanted to give them something original and a framed photo seemed much less thoughtful. I wanted this to be a gift I spent time on and put love into rather than throwing a few pictures into frames and calling it good.

I had snapped a few photos a little over a year ago of their family that I thought turned out great. I had them made into 4x4" squares and decided to turn them into coasters. I also wanted to include a quote to go along with them, so I picked up a few extra tiles to paint with chalkboard paint and write the quote in chalk.

It turned out so well that I think I will be giving these as Christmas gifts this year as well. 

They would actually be a great gift for any occasion. So here's what I did.

I used 4.25"x4.25" square tiles I found at Lowe's for $0.16 each. 

I used felt for a nonslip backing. I purchased this at Walmart for $0.23 a sheet. I traced the tile onto the felt, allowing about 1/4" of the tile to hang off as I traced. I did not want the backing to cover the entire surface.

I secured the felt to the tile with four small beads of hot glue in the corners.

Before applying chalkboard paint I lined the outer edges on the face of the tile in painters tape.

I applied a very thick coat of chalkboard paint to the tile. (The paint must dry for 24 hours).

To add the pictures to the tile I used decoupage. Apply an even coat to the back of the picture and press firmly to the tile, holding for several seconds.

Next, apply very even coats of Modge Podge over the entire front surface of the tile and photo. You will need to apply 4-5 coats, allowing each coat to dry between.

Once dry, spray 2-3 coats of clear sealer onto each tile coaster. 

Finally, write on the chalk paint. I chose sentimental, memory quotes for these coaster. I used a very thin chalk pencil to write my quotes. See example.

To complete the gift, I stacked the coasters and tied a ribbon around them. The center coasters hold the memory photos and the top and bottom coasters contain chalkboard quotes.