Being Grandma

Ebai eat poo!

2010-05-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

For Mother's day, we had brunch at my daughter's home (waffles, deviled eggs, fruit, beets, and mimosas). It was delicious, but we got into a giggle fest as Elliot, who is two, kept repeating "Everybody (ebai) eat the poo!", and variations thereon. He hasn't quite mastered "f" sounds yet, and of course the more we laughed, the more he repeated his comments about the "poo".

Happy Mother's day to all!

New Puppy

2009-06-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

If you've never seen a toddler with a new puppy, you need to find yourself a grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend and experience it. Puppy runs to the end of the room, toddler runs to the end of the room. Puppy runs back, toddler squeals so high you think the windows will break, and runs after puppy. Puppy drops from exhaustion; toddler continues to run squealing in delight from one end of the room to the other. I'll try to get the video to share, but for now, I am just feeling all warm and fuzzy just from watching the pure joy.

One of my 43 things is to find something joyful in each day, and I definitely put today down as a success.

Road Trip

2009-06-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

Although being a grandmother is an adventure of itself, we decided that we needed even more adventure in our life and planned a weekend trip to attend my nephew's wedding. The wedding was being held at a small resort in Arkansas -- so it was ripe for adventure.

Being on a budget, I decided that I could beat the price of staying at the golf resort. (I have a history of searching out mostly successful out of the ordinary places to stay when we travel.) So, I found a lovely cabin at Puddin' Ridge Farm, which was only about 20 minutes from the wedding site. What a treat!!!! The cabin was lovely, and among the other animals, the farm had miniature horses. The whole herd, including two new babies, greeted us at the gate when we arrived. It is nice to get back to my country roots occasionally -- and the sign at the gate reminding us to make sure it closed after us so the horses did not "escape" was a nice reminder of that country trust I grew up with.

The wedding was lovely, the weather was ideal, and the cream puffs for the chocolate fountain were my favorite food. Baby was remarkably well behaved during the 20+ hours he was confined to the carseat for the weekend. Mommy got a little carsick on the twisting, rolling road, but Baby did fine. Did you know that you can amuse a baby for about 15 minutes just opening and closing the coat hanger tabs in a van?

Happy grandmothering to all of you out there. Ya'll come back now, y'hear?

Advantages of Grandmotherhood

2009-04-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

As we age we become concerned particularly about our physical strength -- or lack of it. Keeping a grandchild frequently is a built in workout. You get to start easy (only 6 or 7 pounds, usually), and can work up at a sort of predetermined pace (no choices here!).

So, now that my grandson is 18 months and about 25 pounds, I was delighted to find out that I could easily lift the large bag of MiracleGrow out of the van and haul it up the steps to the side yard. Yea Grandma!

Guess all those flights of stairs with the grandson (playroom is on 3rd floor and nap room is on second floor) have paid off.

Just one more reason to volunteer regularly to be the "relief" sitter so my daughter gets a break.

Smile -- it's spring! Clear out the clutter from the winter, plant some flowers, cook something you can eat outside, and ramp up your Vitamin D with some rays.

A Box of Cheerios

2009-02-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Entertaining a 15-month old is always a challenge. My grandson has a "toy" attention span of about 30 seconds -- so finding something to occupy him that gives me a chance to read a whole paragraph or make a bed is always a challenge.

Yesterday, instead of his normal afternoon snack,I took the top off his play table, and filled the little tub with Cheerios -- thinking that would be good for a few minutes while I finished folding the load of clothes I was working on. What a surprise -- it kept him occupied for over an hour! If you don't have a play table, I'd suggest a baby bathtub or a low-sided storage container. Just add Cheerios, a couple of spoons and cups, and watch the fun.

Oh, and have the vacuum or broom ready -- the spills make great treats for your birds.

Cold Feed, Warm Energy Audits

2009-02-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the spirit of President Obama's recovery program, we decided to do an energy audit on our house.

Today, HomeGreenHome took a look at our energy saving opportunities. There were no big surprises -- add more insulation in the attic (oh, and after we have it rewired to remove the knob and tube wiring, of course) and caulk the windows and doors.

The one thing I like about this company's program is their cost/return focus. Yes, I need new windows, but on an ROI basis, that will be the last thing. I should get the details on all the recommendations in a week or so -- and I'll share anything exciting.

Desired outcome -- a warm enough first floor that Grandson (and Grandma!) does not have to wear his coat in the house any more!

Babyproofing

2009-02-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm keeping my grandson on a regular schedule, I've decided to babyproof the entire house to expand his universe. Now that he is walking/running, I'm thinking that the living room is just not offering the proper exploration opportunities for him.

So, this week we ventured up to the second floor. If you have never introduced a 15-month old to a room that has not been babyproofed -- you really should give it a try. That is, if you have a well developed sense of humor! Within the first 5 minutes, my grandson successfully covered the floor with all of the CD's and cassettes from the shelves, flipped over the coffee table (which had a loose tray top), took possession of 3 remote controls that served as simulation cell phones, and discovered that the recliner if tilted back ever so slightly makes a great slide.

Now that the CD's and cassettes are safely esconced on the higher shelves -- and the lower shelves filled with toys like dominoes, puzzles, and very old remotes -- the second floor is quickly becoming a favored place. When boredom begins to set in, he gives me one of his winning smiles, points upstairs, and raises his arms for a lift.

Next week we'll tackle the third floor -- which should be good fun since it is mostly one big room. I'm thinking riding toys......

See you soon.

Like Merlin...

2008-09-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think that like Merlin I am living backwards -- that I can see the future more clearly than I can remember what I had for breakfast.

On being a grandmother

2008-09-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since I had kids I wanted to be a grandmother -- and some 30-odd years later it finally happened. As I prepare for my grandson's first birthday, I feel the need to look both back and forward to the implications for both of us.

I think the sages said it well -- be careful what you wish for -- not that I feel any reason or desire to be careful at my age. My grandson is -- of course -- "perfect". I could not imagine him any other way than what he is, now that he is here. But I really think this month begins a new role in my life as Elliot moves from infancy to young person-hood. Wish me luck in mastering this role perhaps a bit better than I did the roles of mother or daughter.

For all of you out there that have already done this and done it well -- I will seek words of wisdom from you. For those of you in the midst of figuring it all out, I welcome your company on this new journey together. For those who have not yet joined the ranks of grand-hood, I'll look forward to your envy (or sympathy -- as the case may be).

Not being terribly religious, I none the less feel blessed tonight. So let me close with counting three blessings:

1) Elliot
2) The incredibly mild weather we had this summer
3) My pending early retirement