Homeschool Prep

While preparing to officially start homeschooling my soon-to-be 4 year old this year, I bought out the Target Dollar Spot with workbooks, connect the dots, games (like alphabet bingo), small puzzles, two kinds of dry erase boards, crayons, glue, flash cards and more. 
Then I ran into a problem S T O R A G E?!  Large magazine style storage bins are not cheap, so I came up with a crafty idea... recycle...

 1.) Buy a membership to COSTCO so you can re purpose your large boxes in to FREE STORAGE bins (which means they are not free... $50 membership + $18 for products... + scrapbook paper & glue... = not really "free" after all!  But if you've got some large boxes ANYWAY, it feels "free"! lol)

2.) Cut the boxes into the shape you'd like & add clear tape to bottom

3.) Choose your fun scrapbook paper and start pasting!

4.) Add decorative touches or labels to the outside & line the inside with solid paper (if you'd like to)
5.) Fill those bad boys up with workbooks, flash cards, and school supplies!

Options & Details:
On the plaid box, I only cut the paper when I had to and I was aiming for clean lines.  By contrast, on the polk-a-dot box, I cut the paper into lots of pieces first and then started gluing.  If one shape overlaps another by a lot, cut off the extra like you are making a puzzle piece and save that extra piece for an open spot.  After doing the project both ways, I like the 2nd option best.  I had enough paper (I used two sheets of 12x12 per box) and the process went MUCH FASTER because the randomness allowed for less precision.  Plus, if you have an older preschooler (or older child) they could help you cut and paste pieces until the box is covered.  They will enjoy getting messy with the glue or mog pog.  On the polk-a-dot box, I made the white "belt" from the extra paper that I had to cut off (some scrapbook paper has an extra white section for the branding and bar code).  I also plan to add letter stickers to the tag.  The "E" is cut from a fabric sample (because I had it... I am a big fan of use what you have around).  It's a fun little afternoon project and it's useful!

~ AtlantaMama

About AtlantaMama

WELCOME
Welcome to my new blog!  I had an old blog but it would not longer allow me to post photos and things were acting up.  I am excited about my new site because I feel that I am in a whole new season of life.

MY SEASON OF LIFE
I have been married almost 8 years now.  My kids are awesome and I love being a Mom.  While my old blog was very much about the baby days, this blog will most likely be about the phase of life we are in now... toddler and preschool days.  This is my first year of homeschooling, although in a lot of ways it's just a step beyond what we were already trying to do, we are just more official now. 

MORE ABOUT ME
In my me time (wait, when does that happen?  Ok, when it happens occasionally) I like to scrapbook, design, create, photograph, sing, and enjoy being creative.  I find ways to bring creativity to parenting, to exercise, to cooking (87 meals a week), to anything that gets repetitive.  While I enjoy slight creative changes,  I don't like big change until I've had time to process things.  Then, I embrace it (or at least accept it).  Lately, all of the changes in my family's life have been good.  God has literally carried us through the worst U.S. economy's in two generations and he has lifted us up out of the icky stuff that goes along with oppression and difficulty.  It lifted this past February and I praise God for that. I know that God's plans are good.  He is our good Father and because He IS good... He only gives what is good.  He's also ever faithful.  We've had quit a lesson in that.  He cannot not be faithful.  He always was and always will be.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  There is such peace and certainty in that.  Stepping. Off. Soap. Box. Now.  In other areas, I am a big fan of eating what God made instead of (or more than) what man processed.  Eating real and natural and healthy makes sense to me.  We became so aware of toxins and msg when I was pregnant with our first.  We are not 100% natural/organic/not genetically modified yet, but we are making changes as we go.  When I run out of a product, I look for something healthier or safer to replace it.  I am sure I'll blog about this topic from time to time and link to other sites I like.  (And ask you for sites you recommend)  I want to live fully and live well.  I don't believe in diets.  That is such a money making industry in the U.S.  But most of it seems to be one sided and not well rounded.  It all seems like hype to me.  I aim for a lifestyle that looks at a menu and says, "what is the best option here?"  I also want to teach my kids that God made our food and not Publix. lol.  You mean strawberries don't grow in a box?  I am trying to stay active since I just turned 30 in May!! Yikes!  (I started P90x like a crazy lady.  I'll blog about all of that sometime too.)  I feel that my calling right now is to serve and invest in my family and secondly, to serve and invest in other moms and moms-to-be.  As a mom, I have had one non-medicated natural birth and one frank breech c-section.  I've nursed both babies and made home-made baby food.  As my mom would say, I try to do things the hard way.  It's easier to buy that stuff at Target.  But I enjoyed the challenges and I am grateful that God has intrusted my Husband and I with our kids.  It's such an awesome responsibility.  (To read more about the baby years, click my old blog site: www.atlantamamasexpressions.blogspot.com)

JOIN ME
I hope you will FOLLOW me and join me on this journey we call life.
I am looking to connect with other Moms. Encourage each other. Laugh at funny pictures of our kids. And share ideas about parenting, home education, and other fun things to do with and our families.

~ AtlantaMama