It's Summer Time... See You In the Fall!

I thought about continuing to blog through the summer; I thought about all the funny, sometimes off-topic, things I could write about, but ultimately, it's summer vacation. Let's live it up, step away from the laptops, and do something adventurous. Or relaxing. Whatever you prefer. 

Hope you all are having a great summer, and if not, I hope it gets better. Here are a few things I'm dealing with/experiencing, or will be dealing with/experiencing...

• coping with cabin fever, which is something you expect to deal with over the winter, but when you're a super white, blonde person with an even whiter, blonder baby AND you live in a part of the country experiencing insane heat and sun, you kind of have to stay inside a lot.
• our first beach trip with the Bug, which occurred on an overcast day, required LOTS of sunblock, sun hats, and a canopy, and overall was a success. We hope to take a few more trips to the beach this summer.
• dealing with pin worm, not that any of us have it... yet, but it's been reported at daycare. I am on worm alert and spending way too much time examining my baby's butt and her diapers.
• technically being unemployed. Yeah, I have yet to be rehired for next year (something new that part-timers must put up with in our county).
• taking our first road trip with the Bug back to the Adirondacks of New York. It'll be a 10-12 hour drive, but we're off to visit family so I guess it's going to be worth it.
• doing some work on the bloggy blog, hopefully. I hope to get to it. I'm craving some change.
• celebrating the Bug's first birthday. I can't believe it's been almost a year already. Where does the time go.
• cleaning and organizing and baby-proofing the house. The Bug is mobile. 'Nuff said.
• reading a few books. I'm trying to branch out from my usual authors (Stephen King, Christopher Moore, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill...). Any suggestions? (and if you say "50 Shades of Grey" or anything relating to the Twilight series and The Hunger Games, I might have to block you from this blog)
• catching up on Netflix. Although I'm kind of disappointed by their lack of options right now.
• lunching with friends. If I can ever pin them down!
• occupying myself while the Bug is at daycare. There's only so much cleaning a person can do before losing their mind.

At any rate, that's my summer. Before I go though, I want to get your opinion on something. I started a post about this, but never finished it, and then my ideas fizzled out, but this business was recently brought to my attention. I have a very strong opinion about it, but I want to hear yours. Check it out, Canvas and Cocktails.

Enjoy your summer! See you in the Fall!

The Bug's Discovery Box

We all know how it goes... you buy your baby cool toys, and all she wants to do is play with the box. After observing the Bug play with cardboard boxes, I noticed that she likes to play with the flaps, find things inside, and empty it. We always have all sorts of boxes from Amazon lying around, so one day I cut a hole and a door in one. I put some of the Bug's toys inside, and I sat back and watched as she amused herself while reaching in and pulling out the different objects. The artist in me decided to take this discovery box one step further and really dress up the box.

The Bug's Discovery Box

The Supplies:
- A cardboard box
- Acrylic paints in white, red, yellow and blue
- Foam brushes
- Scissors and a serrated knife
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Mod Podge
- Pictures of babies from magazines
- Extra cardboard scraps
- Small mirrors
- Various textured materials: fur, felt, duct tape sheets, foam sheets

The How-To Part:

 

I think the assembly is pretty self-explanatory. Start with a cardboard box and paint it white. After painting it, close up the box again and re-seal with the glue gun. Use the serrated knife to cut various holes, a window and a door in the box. Decorate with the other materials. Here's some detailed pictures of what the Bug's discovery box has/does.

[left] color wheel mirror, grab window (the Bug loves reaching in this window to take out the toys inside), furry and foamy texture

[right] discovery door (the Bug loves this peek-a-boo door too), felt strips, foam cut-outs, peek-a-boo holes

[left] baby faces, duct tape, fur and foam textures, mirror, flap opening for the top of the chute (fits small cars, toys and of course, O's!)

[right] more baby faces, more textures spots and the bottom of the chute (the Bug loves watching the O's pop out of here before gobbling them up)

A close-up of the top and bottom of the chute. I made the chute out of some scrap cardboard that comes folded up in sets of new sheets. I used the glue gun to shape it and keep it in place. Obviously this was put in place prior to sealing up the box.

"Hi, baby!"

The Bug really enjoys turning the box to look at all the different sides. She enjoys feeling the different textures. The fur is a real hit, although she tends to pull it until the strands come off and tries to eat them. Probably not the best choice of material. She also enjoys scratching the felt strips and squishing the foam. The mirrors on the sides are kind of freaking her our right now. She normally loves looking in the mirror, but I'm not sure if she realizes that the baby in the little mirrors are her.

In conclusion, this discovery box was a great idea. It took me most of the day to make, but I think we'll get a lot of use out of it. I think as she ages and develops, the Bug will discover different things that she likes about it.

Have you ever made anything like this for your baby to play with?