Toys!

DH and I try not to fill our house with toys that are plastic and made in China. We love wooden toys but they can be pricey. We also would like new toys to be something special.  It's too easy to end up with a lot of junk. How can you make green choices without spending a lot of money?

Remember the three Rs? Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We just mentioned that we reduce the number of toys we purchase. We love reusing, especially now with the more fashionable moniker of "upcycling."

Pinterest is particularly helpful. I did a search for sensory toys and came up with tons of ideas, one of which I was able to implement during nap time. 

Ribbon Pull

Materials:

4 ribbons (more or less), about 12" long. Exact measurements not necessary but they should vary in color and texture if possible. 

Oatmeal or other cardboard canister, with lid

Exacto knife

Optional:

Scrapbook paper

Glue or Modge Podge

Ruler

Instructions:

1. If using scrapbook paper to cover your canister, measure the height of your container. I measured from the bottom to the lip at the top. My paper wasn't quite wide enough to wrap all the way around, so I cut an extra strip to fill in the empty space.

2.  Glue or Modge Podge your paper to the canister, smoothing to avoid bubbles. I like using a foam brush to apply Modge Podge. I MP'ed the outside of the paper too. Hopefully that will keep Abby from being able to peel the paper off. 

3. Trace the lid onto another piece of scrapbook paper. I was able to use the leftover from the sheet that I used to wrap the container. 

4. Apply a thin layer of glue to your lid. If you have an opaque lid, glue to the outside. My lid was translucent, so I glued it on the inside. Press on the paper, smoothing out bubbles. 

5. You can start here if you didn't use paper! Using the knife, carefully cut small holes in the sides of your canister, just big enough for the ribbon. Cut one hole for each ribbon.

6. Thread the ribbons through the holes, tying knots on the ends outside the canister.

7. Cut holes in your lid and thread the ribbon through, again tying a knot on the end. 

8. Give all your ribbons a good tug from each end to make sure the knots won't go through the holes. 

9. Optional: glue on the lid. 

10. Supervise your child while they play, particularly babies.

Unpaper Towels

Every year, Americans use 13 billion pounds of paper towels. Or, 13,000,000,000 pounds, if you prefer.  That means that every day, 51,000 trees are cut down to replace the trees that were cut down to make paper towels.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  Sometimes, at our house, our "green" decisions are as much about saving money as they are about helping the environment. It's nice that so many choices support both goals.  We've been working hard to reduce our use of paper towels, which means less money spent and fewer trees cut down.

In our kitchen, we keep a basket of wash cloths and small hand towels that aren't quite nice enough to put in the bathrooms but aren't quite grubby enough for the rag basket.  There are also some bar towels thrown in there for good measure, and the odd dish rag here and there.  The basket keeps things looking tidy, but it's easy to grab a towel to wipe up messes.  Another smaller basket holds baby washcloths for wiping Abby's face after she eats.  We also have two dish towels: one for drying dishes and one for drying clean hands.  We generally only use paper towels to pat meat dry.

What to do with the dirty or damp towels? I  have a wet bag that hangs in the kitchen. All of our used towels, cloth napkins, and bibs go in there until it's laundry time. (Check the store for some cute kitchen wet bags).

In my sewing basket, I have a prettier solution: a roll of "unpaper" towels that snap together around a roll and can hang on a regular paper towel dispenser.  I picked colors that match our kitchen for a little extra flair.  It cost about $30 to make the roll, however, and I already had cloths that work just as well with no extra money at all.



Join me in a challenge: think of one thing you use paper towels for and use cloth instead. What one thing will you choose?