To Everything There Is A Season

A Time For Every Purpose Under Heaven

A blog about raising a young family and keeping Christ at the center of it.



The Cyrs

The Cyrs
Photo Credit: Rachel Dewhurst

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A Time to Get Creative


Free from the dump!
I don't know how the black flies are at your house but at our house it's awful! The kids last about 20 minutes out there before they're begging to come in because they are being eaten alive. This morning was particularly bad so after being outside for a little they wanted to come in. I felt bad because they have these really cool metal dump trucks to play with in the dirt. This spot keeps my boys busy for a long time, they love it. My friend has been doing this thing on her blog where one day a week she takes $5 to the Goodwill to see what she can get. I love this because Ben and I love thrift shopping, but even more than that...DUMP shopping! This is an activity that was passed down to my husband from his dad. I'll admit the first time my husband came home with something off the side of the road (which is basically like getting it at the dump) my pride wanted nothing to do with it. It was a wooden clothes drying rack in perfect condition. After years of warming up to the idea and realizing that ones mans trash really can be another mans treasure I'm much less resistant to the idea. The metal trucks that you see in the picture are the perfect toy for boys and all of these we got free at the dump. A couple of weeks ago we acquired two more because someone was giving them away...along with a hose reel that I have been wanting for about 4 years now. Every Mother's Day I would ask for one but my husband thought that for the price he'd rather get me something else. FINALLY I have one and it was free! 


Because the the boys wanted to come inside I decided that I would get creative so they could still play with construction vehicles but not have to deal with all the all the flies. I took two old cookie sheets and covered them in dried beans. I gave each of them a pan and they got to push around the beans, load them in the truck, on the trailers, etc. They had so much fun doing this and the clean up was really easy and not messy. It sure beat getting eaten alive although I am hoping after nap time to get out there again and enjoy this beautiful day! 



Posted by Lissa at 9:33 AM
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 25, 2011

    What a creative solution! I used bean bins with the autistic toddlers so made one for Sam . . . Kate gets too crazy with it, as you can imagine, so mostly it's put away these days. I want to check out that Goodwill $5 thing . . . our SalVals around here are not so good. I think it's the area.

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  2. pdeschaineMay 25, 2011

    Melissa...'dump' or 'side of the road' shopping is a side-line hobby of my husband's also! Must be a 'French' or 'Valley' thing!! There's many an item in my house that was picked up in someone's garbage as he went by on his way home from work...I actually have a few pots and pans that came from the 'dump' in Frenchville way back when they used to separate the metal out and pile it up in a small field...those were the good old days!! haha! But why not?! It's just another form of recycling which is good for the earth and our budgets, too. Great idea for the boys to play inside with their trucks in the 'bean' quarries! The black flies are not out up here yet...too chilly...but the moose are everywhere! I think the flies are the safer of the two pests! I read that if you spray listerine (or equivalent) around where you sit or play, it repels mosquitoes, so maybe it would work for the gnats, too! Have a nice summer! Love, Paula Deschaine (Karen's mom)

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  3. Our Life in PixelsMay 26, 2011

    Awesome idea!! We grew up going to the dump and my mom use to pick for coupons of all things. Sometimes we would find cool things. So glad you got your hose reel!!

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