Organization and entertainment!

Good morning!   How is everyone doing?  Been busy around here, which is why I have missed the last few days.  I will hopefully get back into the swing of things after this weekend!

Today's pins: http://pinterest.com/pin/1196337371142408/ AND http://pinterest.com/pin/1196337370609828/

This travelling lego box originally comes from: http://www.finleyandoliver.com/2012/03/diy-lego-travel-box.html.  I thought it would be perfect for my lego loving boys.  The site has pretty good instructions, but I adapted them to make the project my own. 

First, I ordered the boxes from Hobby Lobby online.  They were $3.99 each but I went to www.retailmenot.com (which I highly suggest you do before making any Internet purchase!) and found a 40% off coupon.  SCORE! 

Instead of the spray paint, I used acrylic paint and foam brushes and let the boys paint their own.  I just did minor touch ups when they were done.

I didn't buy any new legos for this project, I just looked through the massive stash they already have.  I cut a large base plate (heavy duty scissors worked just fine) to fit the top and used tacky glue to stick it on.

So.....do I get bonus points for using TWO pins in one project?!  I think so!!!
http://doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com/2011/09/diy-mod-podge.html showed me how to make my own modge podge! Basically it is equal parts elmer's glue and water.  I printed some ninjago pictures and used the modge podge to glue them on to the bottom and the inside lid.

After that dried, I put my own touches on the sides and the top with normal brushes and acrylic paint. the images I glued on did not stick well.  They wrinkled and creased and peeled up on the ends.  I ended up having to use packing tape (apparently my new best friend!) to keep them on.  I filled them with legos and set them up so the boys could see the final product when they woke up.  They loved them!  We plan on bringing them to grandma's house this weekend :)

Final product:

My final opinion is PIN IT!  If you have boys that love legos this is the PERFECT project to surprise them with or do with them.  I love how they turned out!  And you can tweak the instructions, make it your own :)

As for the modge podge....it depends.  If you are using magazine pictures it might work, but as far as printed pictures, on regular and photo paper, it did not.

First up . . .

Good afternoon readers.  It is all quiet in the Olson household as of now...knock on wood.  I am babysitting my niece and nephew today, so I have 5 kids that are, wait for it.... ALL ASLEEP!  WOOOO HOOO! I am magical.  Moving on...

I had a hard time deciding what to do my first post/review on.  I want to appeal to a broader audience so I didn't want to pick something geared towards kids.  I am trying to diet, and I am starving so that ruled out writing about food right now. That left me with cleaning.  The first pin I am reviewing originally comes from  http://iowagirleats.com/.  I didn't really check out the website in depth because the instructions were on the picture and it was pretty self explanatory (http://pinterest.com/pin/1196337371138144/). Basically, you clean out your fridge and line the shelves with press and seal wrap. When the wrap gets dirty you just peel it off and line it again.  Sounds easy enough and like a really good idea right?  Eh.

I wish I took pictures of the process.  I took a couple of the final product but accidentally deleted them from my phone before uploading them.  First off, do this project when you have at least a good hour to yourself.  I thought I did...till the baby woke up as soon as I got all the food pulled out of the fridge!  So, take out everything, give your shelves a good washing, and get your press and seal ready.  This was the exciting part!  I thought I would breeze through it, get the food back in, have a beautifully clean fridge and be on my way to feed Mr. Brennan.  WRONG.  For some reason, the wrap would not stick to my shelves for anything.  I already got that far and didn't want to give up on the idea completely, so I grabbed some packaging tape and went to town.  The tape held it in place pretty well, it has some minor rips in it and I will probably take it off soon, but it was a nice two weeks of keeping my fridge pretty clean!  I don't know if I will replace the wrap when I take it off.  My official opinion is that it is more trouble than it is worth; and it didn't really look all that great.

Bottom line: If you have an hour to kill, a roll of press and seal to waste, and feel like cleaning you could give it a try, but make sure you have a roll of tape on hand!

Well, I went from 5 kids sleeping to 3 kids crying in the last 10 minutes, so it is time for me to run.  Stay tuned for the next post....likely something craft related :) Have a good day!

Hello

Hello readers. My name is Kelly.  I am a stay at home mom of 4 boys ranging in age from 8 weeks to almost 6 years old.  Yes, you read that right, 4 boys.  Yes, I have my hands full, yes, I am crazy, and YES I love every minute of it.  Ok that's not true . . . some minutes, like the ones where I am cleaning up pee for the third time in one day, or the ones where I find myself repeating something for the millionth time that I never thought I'd hear myself say ("no, you cannot stick a paintbrush in your ear") aren't my favorite, but all in all it's a pretty good gig. The moments like those are actually the ones that keep me going.  Make me think about how I can do something better, or entertain them a little longer.  I want to be one of those stay at home moms that I read about.  You know, the ones with the organized binders.  The ones that have it all together . . . meals planned for a month, most of them already made and stacked up in the freezer; coupons all clipped and organized; activities planned out for every day of the week; AND a clean house and well behaved kids.  How is that possible?!  I do okay with coupons sometimes - when I can find the time to cut them out!  I usually don't know what the heck is for dinner until about 3:00, then I use what I call "power hour" (the hour before my husband comes home that I make dinner and do a quick clean up around the house so it doesn't look like a bomb just went off . . .) to get it done in time.  My kids . . . really good, sweet kids at heart, can definitely use some help in the behavior department, and activities have been lacking lately due to having a newborn around.  So, my goal for this year is to become more organized.  I want to learn how to do new things, teach my kids new things, have fun with them, all while maintaining my home smoothly, peacefully, and happily.  Can it be done?  We will see.

This is where Pinterest comes in.  If you haven't checked out this site you need to ASAP.  It is FULL of wonderful ideas.  Many of them which inspired this 'awakening' in me.  Fun, USEFUL ideas such as recipes, exercises, crafts, hobbies, party ideas, learning activities....you name it, you can find it on Pinterest.  I have many boards, with many many "pins" posted on them - some that are great in theory and some that are truly amazing.  That is what this blog will be about.  I will be completing pins/ideas/projects that I find on the website and reviewing them.  I will challenge myself and readers to complete different tasks - such as 'plan a menu for a week off Pinterest' etc. and blog about how it turns out.  I will be open to ideas and reader's input.  I would be interested in reading reader's reviews on "pins" that they have completed, possibly adding them on this blog as well.  So, now that I have rattled on and on . . . here is the first challenge:

Make a board for the pins you have done.  Mine is called "Completed Pins."  This is where you will move anything you have done from the site so you can see all your accomplishments grouped together.  It's fun.  It makes me happy to look at mine :) By the way, I am Kelly Olson if you would like to follow me on the site.  My profile pic is of hula dancers with the sunset in the background. 

Well, it is time for bed.  Happy pinning!  I will write up a few reviews on some of my completed pins within the next couple days to post.  Goodnight!