Recycle, Reuse, put things back to good use!

I have this big thing I like to do; recycle what I find to be pretty cool and reuse them.

I save all of my baby food jars with or without lids... even before Gracie was on solids I had begged a friend or two to save some for me for some crafts!  I make them into things for other people that I seems to think is pretty cool.  This year I crocheted with variegated yarn around some of the baby food jars and made votive holders for small gifts for bus drivers, teachers, and special friends.  This year was also the year that the kids were told not to buy gifts, but rather to make gifts using anything "crafty" around the house.  BIG mistake seeing as how what their rendition of what was crafty actually fell into what I had around the house that I actually "needed" and they found no use in asking before taking.  One thing I did think was pretty cool was that they took some of the jars laying around and made them into banks and decorated them up with beads and paper and all sorts of whatever they could find.  They got to experience using a hot glue gun (and also how to watch out to not get burned in the process).  Anyways, banks, and my favorite; candy dishes with the label on the front stating "MOM's candy NO KIDS ALLOWED"... We will see if this holds true!  :O)

Anyways, I had a brainstorm that solved a bit of a problem for me.  Since nursing was not working out as well as I had hoped, Gracie is now on Similac Sensitive.  We get the big what Similac calls "Simple Pack" when we find it necessary and we have a coupon or two for  five or ten bucks off.  I love these containers that they come in!  They have a spot on the lid so that you have a place to store your measuring scoop that comes in the box.  When I get the smaller containers I always dump the smaller one into these big sturdy containers so it is easier to measure and it seems like I get less all over the place than just taking out of the small circular container.  When I made it through my first Simple pack, I just could not let it go in the trash or into the recycling bin.... I just KNEW there had to be something I could use them for... and after a couple weeks I found it! I ended up taking the labels off that were on the soon to be new idea in the making and this is what it looked like!

Now keep in mind that Gracie is a SPITTER.  She pukes everything up!  The doc suggested putting more cereal in her bottle to keep it down, and we need to make it milkshake thick to accomplish this task, not to mention the Zantac right along with it... which led me to another problem.  The said cereal that needed to be measured out and put into the bottle with the formula was in a BOX... with a little pull out opening that was truly a mess until you poured it from the box and into a bowl or empty bottle or however your imagination can take you to measure it out...

Adding the cereal to the empty Similac can

It led to the wheels chugging and trying to figure out a better way for measuring to exist and not be so messy!  So as you see in the picture above, the connection was made!

Voila!  Easy to measure and use Oatmeal.. New container!

Oh and don't forget to label what is in it!  I also save the box with all of the baby things just in case of a recall... We have been there with Similac and thank goodness I did save the containers or we would not have been able to tell if it was recalled or not.  Thank goodness I did not start doing this until after the recall, but after surviving a formula recall, I just don't want to take the chance at going through another one! 

Also something else I do is either measure out what dry ingredients go into a bottle and pre-measure the water in a baby bottle and that way while I am out and about I don't have to lug everything with me for 1 or 2 bottles.  I take the dry and dump it right into the water, shake and feed.  I used to do this with the baby food jars until I had one of the lids stick on me and no one could get it open.. but now I use the little 5 ounce bottles for this with a seal instead of a nipple and it works like a charm!

Do you have ideas for recycling/re-using/ making life with a baby easier?  Please share!!!