DIY Light table and sensory table

So excited to share this DIY with you!!

(Go ahead and skip to the pictures if you want to miss all the fluff =D)

I am currently redoing my sons bed room to make a "big kid" room for him since he is going to be 3 and all. =D I knew that I wanted to make a lot more room for learning activities for him as well as my daughter. I scoured the Internet to come up with ideas and I found all sorts of amazing things. Busy bags, sensory bins, crafts, learning activities etc. But one thing I absolutely LOVED was this light table that I saw on this website.

There are all sorts of really great DIY's out there for a cheap and easy light table like this and this and this OR you could just go out and buy one like this or this. Now, I don't know about you, but I can't exactly afford a $375 light table.

My house is amazing, but the kids' rooms are relatively small (I am sure there are smaller out there!). So when I started thinking about E's room redo my main objective was space saving. Which leads us to the light table AND sensory table all in one!

I sat in Lowe's for about an hour scheming up this little number. As I sat there all I could think about was my grandpa and how he would have loved to jump at the opportunity to help me (which I definitely needed!). I sat on some planks of wood and drew out ideas and scratched them out and wrote down numbers and scratched them out, until I finally came up with my idea. I am NOT going to upload the picture of my awesome drawing because it is comparable to a 4 year old! =D

So without further ado, the light table.

Materials:
*1x3x8 premium furring strip (x2)= $2.90
*1x8x10 (maybe 12? sorry)= $9 (something) HAH I'm not so great at this pricing thing.
*Table legs (mine were 6 in) (x4)= $8 (a little less but I can't remember the exact amount, man I probably should write this down next time!)
*Plastic top (not sure if this is plexiglass or not, Lowe's brand is Optix here) I got the 24x18 and it was 2.2 thick. I had originally bought, I think, 0.8 thickness, but it was too flimsy for my liking (sadly, because that one was only like $9!) = $17.98
*frosting spray paint= $4.97 (lowes, may be cheaper elsewhere. You could probably get it at a craft store and use a 40% off coupon!)
*spray paint (if you want it) =$3.97 (walmart)

TOTAL=$47.30 (give or take)

Now, when I originally started I was aiming for super cheap. But as I started going i knew I needed something super sturdy, something that will last and something that could also double as a sensory table.

The Tutorial!

1) Cut your wood to the length you desire. I chose to cut mine the length of the plastic top, so 19 (to leave room for the ends) by 24 in---I had mine cut at Lowe's
*I chose to have a slatted bottom because it was cheaper HAH but you can certainly chose to do a solid base---my slats were 24in (x6) out of the 1x3x8*

2) Get your hubby =D Just kidding, if you are handy props to you. I can do some things, but I needed his help a tad on this.

make a basic 4 sided box

(please ignore my husbands sexy legs in the background =D)

3) He then took one of the leftover 1x3x8 pieces and put them on the edge of the bottom of the box so that it is creating a ledge for the slats to sit in to (and also a place for the legs to go in to)

4) Then we flipped the box over and attached the slats...I ended up measuring them wrong and didn't have enough of the 1x3x8 board, but thankfully the leftover from the 1x8x10 fit JUST perfect in the base.

5) next we added the legs

hubby just drilled a hole into the bottom and screwed the legs on





6) Then I took it outside and spray painted it black

7) I took the frosting spray paint and sprayed one side of the plastic top (the sprayed side will go towards the light, the side that you do NOT play on) this helps keep the light from being right in your face

8) Now insert the light and you are ready to go!

9) Now it's done! I originally wanted to be able to lay my top inside so that it was flesh up again but it's not cut perfect so it just lays on top, which is just fine with me!

Here are my little beings enjoying their new light table!



SENSORY TABLE

All you have to do is take off the plastic, take out the light and you have a perfect table to play rice, beans, noodles or whatever else you want to do!

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for my next post, I am sharing my first ever IKEA HACK, hacked into a perfect size desk for my 3 year old! So excited about this one!

Bethani

PS sorry for the horrible pictures, I can't find my card reader for my camera at the moment :-/

It's been a while!

I know that it has been quite some time!

I am currently in the process of redoing our sons room, redoing the kitchen, gearing up for hubby and I to go back to school, starting preschool with our oldest, doing youth, life group and nursery curriculum at our church AND I have started a new business...WHEW!!!

Needless to say I feel like my life is WAY unorganized! SO, I am working on a few things that will help me (and hopefully you too) figure out how to get everything sorted.

In my head everything seems to have a place and my life is organized, but just take one look at my house and you will see that this is SO not true. I am a huge list maker and task setter, but for some reason I have become LAZY and I am having a hard time seeing those through!

So, here is what needs to be worked out:

-a devoted God time (as well as continued throughout the day, but you get my point)
-exercise
-oral hygiene (i know, I'm 26 and should have this sorted but, well, I'm not the best at it lol)
-eating right/actually cooking
-getting the kids in a routine again (i was doing well for so long!)
-and a whole lot more that I just don't remember right now (nor do I want to waste any more of my nap time...I have projects to create! HAH!)

Anyway, I share all of this because I think I have come up with a fairly decent schedule and system...not saying that this will work for everyone, or maybe no one else, but it is going to work for me, I just know it!

Stay tuned because I have a lot of really awesome tutorials and thoughts for you!

Bethani

NEXT UP....a DIY light box for kids! (my current new obsession!)

GROWTH!!!!

Okay, I am SUPER excited right now!! I went out to check my garden yesterday and I saw this!!

BEAUTIFUL!!

These are the cucumbers trying to sprout up right now =D There are also a few others that I can see poking through the dirt, but this one is the biggest!

Just had to share a quick update! BYE!!

YOU? A garden?!

It's true! I am starting a garden!! I know, crazy. But I am SUPER excited!!  I have never planted and grown anything and the last plants I had I killed them within two weeks. So here's to hoping this turns out better!!

I picked up a book one day on a trip to Lowe's with the Hubs called All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It is a really easy read with lots of good pictures (perfect for me because I 
only look at pics
 read thoroughly). It tells you how to make a garden in a raised garden bed that is generally a 4x4. it can be bigger or smaller if you want but we ended up doing a 4x4. It's really great because with this method you can basically garden anywhere and ever since my journey into gardening I have become quite interested in urban homesteading. I would LOVE to have a huge plot of land and a farm and animals, but right now we live smack dab in the middle of the city in what I am convinced is the hottest place EVER...Texas. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, I'm sure it's only the second hottest place on earth.

So, here's what we did.

1)We loaded up the kids and headed out to Lowe's

2) Bought two 2x8x8 boards and had the guy at Lowe's but them both in half

3) Bought 2 bags of organic compost, 1 bag of organic peat moss and 1 bag of organic garden soil

4) We had to buy all of our gardening supplies and what not since we have never had a garden

5) Hubby put the box together and put some sort of weed thing on the bottom of it (can't remember the name)

p;6) then he dug out a plot where we put the SFG (square foot garden)

7) Then we mixed the pete moss, compst, original dirt and the garden soil all together and filled the box!

(these are my amazing helpers!!)

TAH DAH!!! My garden is ready for planting!!

Here is a list of what will make it's way into the SFG!

*watermelon
*tomatoes
*peas
*beans
*corn
*sunflowers
*cucumbers
*pepper
*broccoli
*garlic
*onion
*carrots
*lettuce
*spinach
*and the last spot will be filled with Ethan's little corner (which will be carrots too =D)

16 total squares of fruits and veggies!!

My next couple projects will be coming soon! I am going to make an herb garden and a potting bench! Stay tuned for step by step instructions for both!!

Where my mama's at?!

I just wanted to share something that has been on my mind the past few weeks. I especially feel like it is for my stay at home mama's, but definitely not limited to!

I have really been struggling with my role in life at the current moment. I know what God has called me and my family to as far as long term, but today I was reading a book and it asked a question, "what does God want you to do right now?"

Now, I don't know about you, but I just kind of sat there for a minute. Um.....does God even want anything from me right now? I mean really, I get up change the kids, make breakfast, play with the kids, watch the kids, clean the house, make lunch, put the kids to nap, get them up, play some more, do some more cleaning, make a snack and watch the kids and make dinner and get them baths and dressed and in to bed and some how in there I find just enough time to feel like I didn't get ANYTHING accomplished and that I was lazy all day! WHEW that tires me out just reading that! =D

Anyway, when we are doing pretty much the same thing every day it is hard to continue to be gung ho all the time! I'll be honest, there are days where I just want to lock myself in the closet and let the kids fend for themselves! But it is in those moments I am reminded of what it is that God wants from me. 

So, what is God calling me to do right now? God is calling me to nurture, to love, to share the truth of His word with the most precious of human beings. My role may not be the most glamorous, the most dangerous or even the most challenging, but it is my role and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am a mom.  

Now, this doesn't mean that God won't call on me to do other things as well, but this, this is the reason for where I am right now. And as I embrace this role and do the best I possibly can, God gives me more. I know for me personally this has given me a greater ability to speak. For those of you that know me know that I am not the most outgoing, bold or boisterous person in the world. But I have been praying for God to give me boldness and understanding and a lot of other things lol and I have noticed that just by daily praying with my children and reading them verses and teaching them about God, He is providing for me an opportunity to learn to speak. My grandma once told me that when she started preaching she would go out into the woods and practice preaching to the trees. HAH I love that woman! But it is a great point, I have the perfect audience right here! (sorry, this paragraph is kind of a side note hehe =D)

Ladies, you were created for this very reason. You are in the place you are in because that is what God has called you to do at this moment. Own it. Do it. Enjoy it. Live it, because your children need you more than you could possibly ever know! 

Anyway, I know this is long, but if you made it this far (or just skipped to the end *tsk tsk*) just know that your role in life is invaluable. You were created for this and you are doing exactly what God is asking of you in this moment. 

Have an incredibly blessed day, hug your kids a little longer and make them laugh a little louder. And now I have to run because nap time is already over! 

*Bethani

Welcome one and all!!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my little corner of cyber space! Pull up a chair, a pillow, a bean bag, whatever it is you sit on and enjoy!!

My name is Bethani and I am a stay at home mom! I am married to my bestest friend Matt...he is currently a student AND a full time paramedic in an ER and a closet nerd (HAH literally, because his computer is in our closet!) and I love everything about him!! I have two amazing children, Ethan, 30 months old (wait WHAT?!?) and Emmalynn, 11 months old.

I LOVE sewing and crafting and playing with my kids. I have a ridiculous obsession with diaper bags and cloth diapers. I am trying to be more green this year. I love the outdoors, hiking, camping, canoeing, rock climbing etc. although Texas doesn't really supply us with a whole lot of options for any of that :-/

I will be posting fun how to's, ideas, reviews, tutorials, stories, thoughts, pictures, recipes (these may not be very frequent haha), and anything else i can think of!! feel free to leave me comments (they make me feel special!)!!

Can't wait to get started on some fun posts!!

until next time...

*Bethani