Back Seat Organization

As the kids have gotten older, one of the things that we always struggled with was keeping the back seat of the car organized when we take trips (even the short ones where we don't go but an hour from home!) I wanted to make sure that they have a variety of activities at their fingertips, but don't want the stuff to be floating everywhere and getting stepped on.

A couple of years ago, as we were preparing to head out for a 16 hour drive to Walt Disney World, I knew that I had to find a solution. I decided that the best thing would be some of box that could work like a file box. It took me a while, but I found the perfect file box that fit between the two back seats and best of all, it had a lid! It is made at Sterlite and I found it at an office store.

The file box has been a great solution for us. We are able to keep a variety of coloring books, activity books, spiral notebooks, Sudoku books, dry erase boards, a box for pens and pencils, a box of crayons and dry erase crayons and more in the box. The kids will set their remotes or headphones on top of the box when they aren't in use.

And, I can easily clip the lid back on and move it out of the way.

It isn't fancy, but it works for us!

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Busy Bag DIY

Recently, I saw a pin of this really cute busy bag and decided that it would be perfect for my daughter. She is always one to enjoy coloring and writing on the go, but it always seems like she is losing her crayons or dropping her pencils and when we go to clean out the van, we find them all. Plus, it is portable and we can easily take it in if I have to take her to a meeting or a book club, where she needs to entertain herself.

It is a really straight-forward project, you don't need much from an 'equipment' perspective, a tape measure, scissors, an iron and a sewing machine.

We were able to pick up all of our supplies at Walmart. We bought 1/2 yard each of two fabrics, you could probably use less if you went with one fabric, but she wanted two. We got 1/4 yard of fusible fleece, because we could only find it on the bolt. If you can find a package, just make sure that it is at least 8" x 19". We also got 21" of webbing - they had a lot of colors according to their shelf tags, but we got white because it was the only one that they had in stock. We already had Velcro at home, but you will need 2" x 1/2" piece. You will also want 4 - 6 Quart size bags. I would recommend not using the one with the slide, in case that would break. We went with 4 bags for our busy bag.

1/2 yard of two coordinating fabrics
1/4 yard of fusible fleece
21" webbing
2" Velcro (1/2" wide)
4-6 Quart size zipper bags

Cut out a piece from your outside fabric that is 8 1/2" x 20" and two pieces that are 8 1/2" by 10 1/4" from your inside fabric. Cut your fusible fleece to 8" x 19". Cut your webbing into three pieces - 2 that are 9" and 1 that is 3".

Using an iron, adhered the fusible fleece to the wrong side of your fabric according to the directions on the fleece.

Fuse one end of your 3" webbing with a lighter to seal it. The other end will be inside the project and does not need to be fused. Sew one side of your Velcro to the 3" piece of webbing.

On your outside fabric with the right side up, measure in 2" from the side and pin the end of your webbing handle to align with the edge of the fabric. Do this four times. Pin your 3" strap in the middle on one of the ends. On the other end, pin the other side of the Velcro to the fabric. Using a 1/4" allowance, baste all five connections and sew around the Velcro.

Sandwich the quart bags between the inside fabric, with the right side of the fabric towards the bags. Using a 3/8" seam allowance, sew the fabric and bags together.

With right sides together, align the inside and the outside fabric pieces, pinning in place. Sew most of the way around, leaving yourself a small opening to flip the bag right side out. Sew the opening shut.

I only sewed the 2" opening I had left, but for a consistent finish, you could sew a 1/4" seam around the entire bag.

The finished project:

The bag stocked for use:

My daughter was pretty excited to see the fabrics she chose turned into a bag that she can use on the go to tote her crayons, pencils, tablets and more.

Toy State's New Car Collection

Toy cars are a timeless classic. It seems that every child enjoys toy cars. From the simple to those with lights and sound, there is just something appealing about a car and the way that it moves.

Toy State has a new set of cars that will appeal to children of all ages - including grown ups - check out the 007 cars, what fan wouldn't want to add one to their collection?

CAT® Mini Take-a-Part Trucks: Pull-back driving action and engaging Take-a-part play with classic Cat machines.

Styles include: Dump Truck, Wheel Loader and Skid Steer. (Suggested retail $9.99 available on Amazon.com)

Road Rippers® Hatchbacks: Free-wheeling rides with a unique rotating speaker bed feature on the new Road Rippers Hatchbacks! Perfect for the ages 3+, take the car for a spin, pop the hate and enjoy cool tunes matched with each of the 3 unique speaker bed designs.

Styles include: Ford Fiesta and Mini Countryman WRC. (Suggested Retail: $9.99, available on Amazon.com)

DUB® Garage Blazers: Lights, lights and more lights-hit the music and watch the new Blazerz design glow! Signature DUB Edition styles with motorized driving action, custom music, lights and sound. Perfect for ages 6+ its lights and sound action make Blazerz stand out from the crowd.

Styles include: DUB Edition DH5 (Sports Car), DUB Edition D17 (Muscle Car) and DUB Edition Dz8 (SUV). (Suggested Retail $24.99, available on Amazon.com)

007™ Secret Agent Cars: Motorized driving action complete with working head and tail lights on all the 007™ models, realistic vehicle sounds and the classic James Bond Theme music. Perfect for ages 6+.

Styles include: Aston Martin DBS (Quantum of Solace), Aston Martin DB5 (Casino Royale) and Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me). (Suggested Retail $9.99)

We recently received the Aston Martin DBS (Quantum of Solace) car. The box has a brief synopsis of the show and a 007 Secret Fun Fact. The car uses 3 AAA batteries, but fortunately it comes with a set of batteries for immediate play. With the push of a button, you can hear the car lock, hear the theme song or hear the car start and watch it race away. For added fun, the push of each button is accompanied by lights.

These cars are all currently available and would make a great Christmas present for the kids (or kid at heart) in your life. In fact, I'm thinking of getting one of the 007 Secret Agent Cars for my youngest brother - he is a big Bond fan and I think his son would enjoy playing with the car too.

No compensation was received for this post. Information for this post and a complimentary 007 Secret Agent Car was provided for my family to experience. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.