New Activitiy Tubs and Preserving Memories

Some of you may remember that when Crystal posted about her Quiet Time Activity Tubs for her 4 year old daughter, I copied the idea and made some up for my daughter too. Only, I couldn't squeeze buying plastic tubs into the budget then because of our temporary scarcity so I just put some pretty paper on the front of cardboard boxes.

I was able to score a great deal on tubs at Target this week and excitedly filled up these neat and orderly plastic tubs. They are a little small and don't fit puzzles, and I have to slightly bend coloring books, but they hold most of the odds and ends I have to fill them with and the price was right at $1 a box. I put the puzzle pieces in the box and then have the puzzle board resting on top of the lid of the box they coordinate with. We have a variety of things in them: magnetic paper princess doll and clothes, beads, lacing cards, foam beads and foam crafts, giant dice, fancy markers and notebook, books on tape for kids, flashcards, small toys, etc.

I also snagged 3 bigger-size tubs for keepsake boxes for the kids. I don't want to go overboard saving everything for my kids, but I think it's special that my mom saved a few of our favorite baby outfits/toys/things for our kids to look at. I have been looking for about a year for vintage metal boxes or chests that would work for this, but I came to the conclusion that tubs will keep the dust out, will stack neatly, and will work fine, though they aren't fancy.

Ali's box holds her "macaroni" doll that has Ali embroidered on it's foot (we found this in a grocery store in Utah!) and her favorite lamb "Baby" from her infancy. It holds the curtain skirt I made her that she nearly wore to rags and a couple of her favorite t-shirts from toddlerhood. Also a thumbprint book that Grammy made with her and her favorite songbook containing her favorite song from age one "I Must Tell Jesus All of My Trials."

Justus' box holds some darling overalls he wore all the time, his wooden baby block, first paci, newborn diaper, and newborn shoes. Jeremiah's box (didn't get a pic of his) holds some favorite baby outfits, leather shoes I made for him that he wore constantly, a plaster handprint from when he was 3 weeks old, and his favorite story from age one "Oh Where Oh Where Has my Little Bear Gone?"

As they grow I will add more to the boxes, special papers, projects, their Duckie blankies (if they ever stop sleeping with them) and little odds and ends. I may also save a bag of a few of the special hand-crocheted, hand-made quilts that they have as family heirlooms. I also hope to learn to make videos of their pictures and put these in. I have a baby scrapbook for each of them for the first year of their lives and regular albums to hold pics after age one. I'm thinking that a DVD or CD set to music of their baby/toddler/preschool age pics might be more fun and more easy to do than having to remember to print off photos a few times a year to fill their album with. What do you think? Any tips on how to make these?