I’ve been on a recycling kick recently where I recycle absolutely everything possible. However, this means that my recycling drawers (the two biggest drawers in my kitchen cupboards) get full pretty fast.

My little two year old discovered the contents of these drawers a couple weeks ago and ever since I’ve had yogurt, margarine, and fruit cup containers all over the house. At first I was annoyed that I had these plastic containers laying around but then I realized how great they are.

Both my son and daughter have been playing with them non-stop. All those expensive toys they’ve been given over the years have been untouched. Instead, they’re building “castles” by stacking the containers, counting them, pretending they’re all sorts of things.

Then, at the end of the day, cleanup is a snap since they all stack together and take up little space.

If you’ve been throwing these kinds of things away, or shipping them out to recycling bins, consider using them for toys instead. Obviously you don’t need to keep every single one, but they’re extremely versatile as toys.

Here are a few ideas:

• Bath toys – The kids love to fill them up with water and pour them out over and over again.
• Toy storage – They’re great for storing smaller items like puzzle pieces, legos, etc., especially if you keep the lids.
• Games – You know the game where you put three cups face down and one has a ball underneath? Then you move them around and someone has to guess which one the ball is under? Kids LOVE that!
• Counting – I get my 4 year-old daughter to count the containers all the time. She never gets tired of it. My 2 year-old is learning to count now as well.
• Crafts – You can paint them, glue things onto them, stick them together – all kinds of possibilities.

At the end of the day, when the containers get wrecked or the kids grow tired of them, just chuck them in the recycling bin. Easy as pie and free of charge.

A few weeks ago I took my 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter to a local restaurant.

Normally, the thought of taking them to public places scares me because my son throws tantrums 100% of the time. However, I thought it would be good for them to get out and get used to being in public more.

I chose the local diner because it’s a family owned restaurant with a very laid-back atmosphere.

When we first arrived, things were going really well until my son decided he wanted to sit where my daughter was sitting. All hell broke loose from then on.

Thankfully, the restaurant owner had a pail full of toys stowed away for cases like this. My son was enthralled with all these new things to play with, and before he even had a chance to get bored of them, the owner had brought out a plate of cake for each of my kids.

I was able to finish my meal in peace and my kids had fun playing (even though they didn’t eat even half of their meals).

Even so, I realized that I should have planned our little outing a lot more carefully. Next time, i will make sure to do the following:

• Bring a few toys to keep them entertained until the food comes
• Bring sippy cups with water
• Choose a family-oriented restaurant where they won’t mind noisy kids
• Bring some crayons and scrap paper
• Have an idea of what I want to order beforehand to minimize the waiting time
• Ask the host to seat you me in an area that isn’t quite as crowded (if possible)
• Don’t go during a time when my kids are normally cranky (nap time, when they’re really hungry, etc.)
• Bring a small bag of snacks to tide the kids over, like carrot sticks, crackers, etc.