You've Got Mail!

How many of you actually remember that lovely metallic robotic voice telling you someone was thinking about you? I find myself caught off guard by references I make in class - analogies, etc. - that have completely aged out. When I hear crickets, I know I've gone too far back. And with as quickly as technology is advancing, I know most of my kids will not have the infrastructure to understand that reference. Of course, the Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan movie still plays on TBS, so perhaps...

 Anyway, the reason I started on that tangent is that I am quite proud of my most recent art project. This is absolutely nothing compared to what my extremely talented sister is doing, but it is something of which to be proud, nonetheless. Syd has been struggling with the idea of not playing with every mailbox we come across as we take nightly walks around the neighborhood. He got upset the other day when I licked an envelope closed without his help. He wants to put the letters in. He wants to put the flag up. He is fascinated with watching the truck come by daily. (Really - garbage trucks [and "cycables"], mail, school buses - he loves his consistent vehicles...)

So, to ease his mind, I undertook the most fun I've had in a while - I made him a mail box!

1. I took a shoe box, taped it shut (though leaving one side untaped) and then cut the remaining side ends to the one untaped side.
2. Then, I covered everything with white paper (so toddler could add his own decorations).
3. I added the house numbers, just like ours, and bought those brad pin thingys (what are those called?) They were only sold in boxes of 50 or 100, but I figured we'll use them plenty over the next 5 years or so...
4. And added the flag. Heaven forbid a mailbox not have a flag!
5. For the door handle, I took a piece of the side I cut out and folded it in half. Then, I cut a slit in the door.
6. I poked the end of the cardboard through, cut about a 1/4 inch along the crease, and folded the two pieces away from each other.
7. I then taped this down with packing tape with the ends spread so he wouldn't be able to pull the handle out. I repeated this on the other side to make a 3D handle for his mailbox.
8. Last, I took a regular sheet of printer paper and folded the bottom right corner up until it was evenly lined with the left edge. This marked where the square became a rectangle. I cut away the excess paper to make a square.
9. Fold any two opposing corners in to each other and crease.
10. Fold up either of the remaining corners. Tape the three corners down. You have an envelope! Fold over the top corner to make the closing flap.
11. I wrote his name and address in the recipient spot, added one of my own address labels in the sender position, and cut another address label to remove my name and address. The remaining picture from my label I put in the stamp space.
12. Syd has mail!

He love it so much more than I ever expected! He carries it around by the handle. He puts the mail in (the envelope I created as well as a few pieces of junk mail from OUR mail), shuts the door, and waits a few seconds. Then he declares it's "done." He opens, takes it out, and sorts through it. I presume he is copying Daddy and me.

Syd even asks to sleep with it. We have to put it in the corner of the bed, and it must have all his mail in it. He will sit there and play with it after I put him to bed until he falls asleep. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I am really honored he adores it so much. And it cost me - $5? for the glue, brads, and maybe the cost in paper? I know it's not the most durable thing, but what does it matter when the next time, we can do it together?

Here's to summer and art projects! I'll post pictures of what it is we've been doing during the day, soon!