Buckle toy

We spent our Thanksgiving last month with my wonderful in-laws. Every time we visit, I feel so blessed to have their example and their support in my life. They are an incredible family.

The less wonderful part, however, was the 11 hour drive to their house. With two kids. By myself.

Oh, the horror.

(Because the boys and I were going earlier and staying longer than their daddy, I drove them up by myself while he flew there and back. Lucky, lucky man.)

It wasn't all bad. I did take the opportunity to listen to some of my guilty pleasures in the absence of a protesting party. Cher...The Archies...Simple Plan...oh, I am so ashamed right now. Please don't think too poorly of me! And, of course, there was lots of Great Big Sea played - but that's no guilty pleasure. That's just awesome music.

Anyway. I needed a plan to keep the boy occupied during the 11 hour drive. Part of said plan involved the dollar store and some wrapping paper. The idea was to get one new "surprise" every hour of the trip.

Yeah. Tell that to the three year old.

What followed our departure was several hours of "can I open another one now??" Eventually I gave up and he went to town, opening all the remaining packages and then covering himself and his baby brother in stickers.

Meh. Whatever got us there with my sanity intact.

One of my pre-trip projects was a buckle toy for the boy. Buckles don't stay unclipped for long in our home, so I figured it was a sure thing for keeping him occupied.

The general idea came from a tutorial at Quirky Momma, though I pretty much just winged it. I was quite happy with how it turned out.



I added a button and loop so it could be rolled up and fastened when not in use.



More than two weeks later, I often find him clipping away on his new toy. I consider this project a success!