Worth The Effort

I may have whined complained b*tched quite a bit during the 473 hours it took me to complete 40 busy bags. And then I got my box of goodies in the mail. G, you outdid yourself! There is no way in holy heck I could have pulled all of that together while 11 months pregnant. Just.no.way!

First up was the Fish Bowl. I had a dentist appointment and Grandma Grandma came over to watch the kids. My dentist is a rock star and I was home in less than half an hour so they hadn't even finished dinner let alone started on their busy bag project. They were too pumped about doing it for me to try to save them until there was a "need", so we did them anyhow:

What? Your kids don't do everything without shirts? You're lucky they're wearing pants! (Sidenote: we had pasta for dinner. Uniforms + pasta sauce = no shirts at dinner).

The finished product was pretty neat and the only thing to nitpick was that if I had just grabbed the bag "to go", I would have been crabby because it required scissors and glue. Luckily, I've learned from the first attempt and now read the instructions before grabbing and going:

While this one was fun, the next one? BOUGHT ME AN HOUR OF PEACE AND QUIET DURING BASKETBALL PRACTICE! (Yes, that required all caps). It's called the "Tennis Ball Puke Monster" and they STILL play with them. A lot. I had to hide them so that the fun won't wear off before our next scheduled practice!

The only other problem I've encountered so far is that I am craft illiterate. And some of the projects are lacking instructions. I'm a little skerred to try and do them using my own craftiness because, well, I'm not even sure what they're supposed to be! So, if you participated in beanski's busy bag swap and you didn't include instructions, please help me!

Next up, picture frames! Youngest Boy has been begging - begging - to do those, so I can't wait!

Veins, Running, and Busy Bags

Next week I am having my varicose veins "fixed" (meaning, I hope they can no longer reproduce). For me, it's not as much cosmetic - although they are ugly as sin - as it is medically necessary. They hurt. They're uncomfortable. And based on family history, they're only going to get worse.

BUT, I'm a big chicken. They are doing the two worst with laser treatment and the rest with injections. According to the doctor and the website I should be able to resume normal every day activities immediately. However, I can't do any "strenuous aerobic exercise" for at least a week. Even the way I run, it would still be considered "strenuous aerobic exercise". {SIGH} This means no running. :( I did manage to schedule the procedure after the Great Pumpkin Race - the 5K for the boys' school that got me started running in the first place. I had really, really wanted to run in it last year but, since I had never even run a full mile before, I didn't. But that started the wheels turning and the ball rolling and the treadmill spinning and now here I am - able to easily complete a 5K and consider running further. Maybe.

Luckily, my niece-in-law (Shut up! It is TOO a relation!) organized this little busy bag swap. In theory, the idea is BRILLIANT! In reality, I don't know yet. We haven't completed the swap part. I have managed to spend an inordinate amount of time the last few days cutting construction paper and tissue paper and generally convincing my two-year-old that no, she CANNOT use my big girl scissors (she gets the Play-Doh ones). The kids have all helped in some way and that has been more than worth the effort. When I'm all done I'll probably post directions for my stained glass shapes - an idea sparked by a craft from Baby Girl's Pre-K. I am pretty excited - the idea of having a ton of little projects that will keep the kiddos busy and quiet for even 5 minutes in the doctor's office waiting room (which I will be in approximately 1, 493 times over the next couple of months) sounds like heaven!