I have been working hard behind the scenes, of more reasons than 1! You will get a sneak peek at the main reason if you choose to download this new Tot Pack! I am redoing my website, in a big fancy way and it is taking TONS, I mean TONS of time.

When 1+1+1=1 began, it was a blog for just a few people…like most blogs are when they begin! This past year has been one of substantial growth, with over 1500 subscribers now and even more that read daily. The numbers astonish me to be honest. With this kind of growth, it became time to host an official website, instead of me just throwing things I make “out there” like I have been.

Now, it will take me awhile to get the entire site redone, but I am not going to put any new stuff on the old site, so in order to share my new Monster Tot Pack, I had to get a portion of the new site ready for you! When you get there you will see the top navigation is missing, that’s because none of the other pages are done yet! I promise I will be making a huge announcement here when it is all ready to go! Any new stuff will come out a page at a time, until the old stuff is all prettied up and transferred to the new site. When it’s all done, the old link will auto redirect, and the new domain www.1plus1plus1equals.com goes to the old site, until I make the final change!

Now, for the new Monster Tot Pack…

I began making the Tot Packs in place of the smaller Tot Books back when I was pregnant, but honestly I haven’t even used the ones I made much, as I was making them for readers! BUT, the monster one is made for Krash so I put a ton of trial into it all.

It took me the longest to come up with a storage method I liked, as the Tot Books were no longer working for us. K wasn’t able to go back to them easily, as they were a bit too flimsy. I also wanted something, simple, inexpensive and Tot-proof to a degree (meaning he wouldn’t dump everything out or destroy it in a second).

Here’s what I came up with…

I took a simple clasp folder and a gallon size freezer Ziploc bag. I folded the bag to the right size, so I could 3-hole punch it on the folded part to hook into the clasps, like this…

I then got little Ziploc bags, whatever size was right for the item, and placed each individual item in a baggie by itself, with the cover image facing out so K could easily dig through them if he wanted to. I still need to open and shut the baggies for him, but he can easily sift through the folder without destroying it now.

I added the file folder game I made to the front pocket, as well as the mini book, “Monster Eyes.” The mini book could easily go into a baggie too, I just kept it out for now. The pockets are also great for storing projects that we are partially done with, so I don’t forget about them (if there’s coloring involved or something like that).

When it’s ready for storage, I store the tiny baggies into the bigger bag and seal it. Close the folder and it’s done! Compact, sturdy, cheap, easy. Also, with a storage folder like this, you can easily add other activities you may find on the web. It’s just a great way to store everything for a tot for a particular theme. AND, I like that I can easily take this with us if I want to-like to church, a doc appt, etc. Since it’s all separated, I can grab a folder and go, with pre-made games inside to play with!

If you’d like to make your own Monster Tot Pack, you’ll find all of the printables here on the new site. You’ll also see Pac Man’s monster’s as a part of the Tot Pack! This was also my first time “drawing” my own clip art…I made the monsters myself in Publisher, it was fun!

Remember, if you make this and blog about it, please email me your post link and I will add it to the web page!