So I am really into group deal sites, especially when I can get a deal on something that I would normally pay full price for, like eating out for instance. However, sometimes I catch myself wanting to buy something that I wouldn't normally buy at all just because it is a "good" deal.
For example, I found myself succumbing to this yesterday when I found a PlumDistrict deal for a company called Kiwi Crate. Basically, this company sends you a box every month with the supplies needed to put together several crafts/games.
I know I like getting mail, so I thought this would be really fun for Austin. The subscription is usually $20/month, but I have some Plum Credits burning a hole in my pocket ($20 worth that I paid $10 for), so I could get a three month subscription for $17 (less than $6/month. I almost bought the deal, but then it occurred to me I could make my own "A Box" for free ("A" for Austin) using supplies from our activity closet.
Since Austin is in school all week, Saturdays can get a little wild around here with the boys running around playing. It's nice if they can get busy with a quiet activity for part of the day instead of me having to turn on the TV.
Well, I thought I would try making an A-Box and a D-Box this morning, and my idea worked out perfectly! For some of you crafty people, you probably already do this kind of thing. However, I'm not very crafty, so it takes intentional effort for me to do activities like this with my kids.
Here's what I did step by step:
1. Found two medium sized boxes that I had laying around the house.
2. Filled them with age appropriate stuff- one box for each of the boys*. (see side story at the end)
D BOX----- David's box had a bag of plastic frogs, a bag of small wooden letter blocks, some stickers, some alphabet cards and a coloring book.
A BOX----- Austin's box had a 48 piece Cars puzzle, some stickers, a small notebook, some animal flash cards, a box of crayons and some coloring pages.
3. I closed the boxes, wrote an "A" on one and a "D" on the other. Then I stuck them outside our front door just like the mailman would do.
4. I knocked on the door like the mailman does when we have a package. (My kids are little, so they were humored by this.) Then, I opened the door and sent Austin out to get their packages. He was thrilled.
5. The boys acted like it was Christmas when they opened their boxes, and they played with their stuff for over an hour. It was great! The best part is that it was absolutely free. Even if I had purchased a few small things from the dollar spot at Target, it would have been cheaper than ordering a Kiwi Crate subscription.
Maybe next time I make an A Box, I will be a little more adventurous and prepare a special craft or something. But, I thought I would start out simple this time.
*I didn't want to interrupt the blog post to tell a story, so I will share it here. It's funny, so keep reading... While I was digging through the closet looking for things to put in the boys' boxes, I heard Joseph say these dreaded words.... "Ewww... Emily come here quick!"
I figured David had a dirty diaper or something, but it was worse... much worse.... Let me just say that the only thing worse than having a poopy diaper breach onto the floor is not knowing about a poopy diaper breach until the next day and finding poop in the toy box. (Austin had a messy diaper yesterday, but he had pants on, so I didn't realize he had left a treasure in his toy box. Yuck!)
Needless to say, my A Box and D Box creations had to be placed on hold for a few minutes while I did some deep cleaning in the boys' bedroom. It was super gross. I think it may have even been more gross than cleaning up throw-up, and that's saying a lot.
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