Manners, or Lack Thereof

I’m not sure what the deal is, but my youngest granddaughter sometimes refuses to say hello or goodbye to people, even to those of whom she is very fond. When I dropped of some clean dishtowels at the church this morning, she had a big smile for Mr. Dick and Ms. Christy, but would not talk. When we left, she would not say goodbye and totally ignored their words of farewell. I think it a control issue (it runs in the family). On the way to the car, I explained to her that it is bad manners to ignore people when they talk to you. Her explanation, “I don’t have manners, Grandma.” You got that right! I think I’ll change my strategy and not make a big deal out of it. Sigh. I feel so inadequate when it comes to disciplining my grandchildren. I had to yell at my grandson this morning to get him to get ready for school. I think he enjoyed staying home for the last two days and wanted to try for another day. Now I have a knot in my stomach because he was crying after I yelled at him. Sigh, again.

I do have to keep the toddler away from other kids today because she still had fever last night. She has tonsillitis and is now on antibiotics, again. I am very frustrated with the gym. I had to cancel my appointment with my trainer on Monday and this morning because of my fever infested household. I didn’t let them know 24 hours in advance so they charged me anyway! Yes, it’s in the long contract someplace but I have no control over fevers and when they decide to show up. So I am so finished with the trainer thing. I have my last pre-paid session on Monday and they will not get another penny out of me after that. I don’t want to even go on Monday but I’ll not cut off my nose to spite my face. I have already decided that I will not do squats and crunches but will insist that I be shown how to use the equipment correctly, which is why I signed up with a trainer to begin with. Sigh, one more time. Okay, I feel better now that I have vented a little.

How to Embarrass a Middle School Girl

While dropping off my granddaughter at her school yesterday morning, I was a little amused at something we witnessed. A carpool mom, dropping off a couple of girls, must have committed a traffic violation. A police officer flipped on his cruiser’s blaring, red and blue lights to pull her over. She quickly complied but did so in the school parking lot. The girls in the passenger seats jumped out and rushed away from the car, mortified. I’m sure it wasn’t worth the ticket, but what a great way to embarrass a middle school child! I’m sure the mom was too irritated and busy to enjoy their red faces, and may have been a bit embarrassed herself, but I thought it was priceless. I can hear it now, “Oh. My. Gosh. Do you know what my mom did? I thought I would die!” I'm just glad it wasn't me.

I’m waiting for the toddler to wake up so I can take her to the doctor. I think, no, I know she has an ear infection. Our house is full of sick people. Come to think of it, the whole community if full of sick people. I almost hate to take her to the doctor, since it’s a good possibility there will be someone there who is contagious. The grandson is on his second day off from school but is doing much better. He’s feeling so much better that I’m making him clean out the turtle tank. If he can play with his Legos, he can clean the turtle tank. He’s not complaining as it’s a chore he enjoys. He just has to be reminded to do it. Come to think of it, he has to be reminded of a lot of things.

Love Is In the Air

How do you like the new look? With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I might focus a little on love.

I’m also sporting a new “do” so I thought I’d update my picture. I finally gave in and allowed my silver hair to grow out. The color and highlights are gone except on the tips (see profile picture). This was as short as I was willing to go. I’ve had a lot of compliments on the color and cut but sometimes I wonder if people are just noticing the drastic change and are saying they like it because, hey, what else does one say (besides nothing). At any rate, I’m hoping it doesn’t make me look too much older. I may be a bit vain, but this was a big step for me. Now my hair will match my aging knees. On the bright side, it's much easier to manage.

What Boys and Girls Are Made Of!

“Oh where, oh where is my little iPod, oh where, oh where can it be?” I found myself singing this to the tune of (you guessed it) “Where, oh where, has my little dog gone?” The toddler has a CD set that she plays over and over and over again. They have 150 nursery rhyme songs on them. I didn’t even know there WHERE that many nursery rhymes! I finally found the iPod under a pile of papers on my desk and headed for the gym to work out to my favorite and more mature music. The weather is so beautiful that after my workout, I decided to take the little one to a neighborhood park toting a picnic lunch from Subway. We ate on the little boardwalk along the river. I commented on the beautiful day, the sunshine, and the fresh air. “Yeah, the fresh wind, too,” she replied seriously. I don’t think she has learned how to be sarcastic yet. It was a bit breezy and we had a hard time keeping the paper napkins from blowing away. After hiking back through the woods (the forest, she called it) we headed for the playground. As she played I noticed another milestone. I don’t have to help her climb on the equipment anymore. And she can swing herself, although she likes to be pushed high. I joined her on the next swing and rather enjoyed going as high as I could. I went down a slide, too! It was fabulous, spontaneous fun with my youngest granddaughter. The only down side was when a friendly golden retriever bounced wildly about her and finally on her. Although the dog didn’t knock her down or hurt her, she started crying. It happened in a split second and I couldn’t get to her fast enough to keep the dog off. It has been playing fetch in the river with its owner and was running all over the place; wet, sandy, and very excited. Thinking she was afraid, I kneeled down beside her and asked her if she was okay. “No, I’m all dirty,” was her only complaint. I should have known she wasn’t afraid. Her favorite dog in the world is a golden retriever my friend owns. But she doesn’t like dirt. I brushed her off and she skipped off to her next adventure.

Here are some pictures of the grandson taken at his Cub Scout pack meeting last evening.

Clint, the Snake Guy was there with a few of his friends. Yes, that is a boa constrictor wrapped around my precious grandson’s neck. What fun. (I know all about sarcasm). I’m so glad Hubby takes him to these meetings and outings. I’m just not good at guy stuff (nor care to be). Oh, and this little boy rescued his older sister from a spider yesterday. It was in the bathtub and she wanted to take a shower. She freaked, he very calmly removed it for her. “Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, that’s what little boys are made of!” Now where have I heard that recently?

I'm Not Ditzy, But...

This weekend, in my attempt to become more current on current events, I sat down to read last Sunday’s newspaper. I am embarrassed to say that the first thing I picked up was a sales ad. I don’t plan on shopping anytime soon but it is important to know what’s on sale, right? Realizing quickly that I wasn’t accomplishing my goal, I next picked up the social part of the paper, interested by what was going on at the theater and around town. The rodeo is back in town soon and, low and behold, the Jonas Brothers will be featured at one of the shows! I have no clue what they sing but I know they are on the Disney Channel and my twelve year old granddaughter loves them. Noticing that online tickets went on sale that day, I wondered if I could purchase some good seats and drive her down to the city to see them. I promptly left the newspaper and went right to my computer to order a couple of tickets. They had only been on sale for an hour and had ‘standing room only’ as their best available ‘seats.’ Seems my granddaughter isn’t the only one crazy about this boy band. My excitement over being able to surprise her with tickets was soon deflated. I glanced over at the newspaper and decided to put it in the recycle bin, minus the valuable coupons, of course. If only (a phrase I try not to use anymore) I had read the paper earlier that day! So much for current events! I have tried to watch the news a couple of times with Hubby but he insists on watching the news programs where a panel of so-called “newspersons” argue their opinions about murdered little girls, wayward sports figures and corrupt politicians. I can’t stand it! So, I don’t really care if I’m not up on the latest news. I may be in denial, but at least I’m not sad over things of which I have little or no control. I don't believe I'm ditzy but don't ask my older brother.

I did watch the inauguration and was quite moved by it. I thought Obama’s speech was encouraging and I am quite hopeful that he is not the evil person some make him out to be (okay, darling daughter and sister-in-law, and probably my nephew, don’t hate me!). I have to admit, my favorite part was Pastor Rick Warren’s bold prayer mentioning Jesus Christ in whom he prayed for our nation and ending with the Lord’s Prayer. You go, dude! I also thought the special musical selection by composer, John Williams, and performed by different races and gender was awesome. I searched for the quartet on the internet and I’m writing this down on my blog for my own information (I’m hoping to download it on my iPod). The musical artists were Itzhak Perlman (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano), and Anthony McGill (clarinet). It was a historical day and I’m glad I was able to watch it from the comfort of my family room. I’m extremely glad not to be in Washington, D.C. today. Did you see the crowds?!

I love the Bush family and I am saddened by the harsh criticism and down right hatred our ex-president has endured, especially this past year. I respect him and bid him well. Thank you for serving our nation! Now I'm back to the television to watch the rest of the inauguration day events. Later...

Where Have I Been?

We’ve joined a gym and have started working out again, rather, I have started working out. Hubby hasn’t felt well this week (he has head congestion and all the crud that comes with it). This evening I used the I Pod that he gave me as a Christmas gift. Don’t laugh, but what a fantastic little invention! I am so behind the times. I really enjoyed my own music but I had to turn the volume up to drown out the video music that was being piped out over the load speaker. I hope I didn’t damage my eardrums. Instead of watching the video that didn’t match my music, I started reading the closed captions on the news. It was the first time I heard about the Hudson River plane crash! I really need to pay more attention to the outside world! I can’t remember when I watched the news last, not even the weather! We get a Sunday paper, but just because I want to clip the coupons and Hubby and the grandson want to read the comics (they both watch the news). So, in addition to trying to develop muscle tone, I may try to develop my mind a little more. I really don’t like watching the news or reading the newspapers because I don’t trust the reporters. Nor do I want to hear about the horrible stuff that goes on all over the world and in my own city. But, I think I’ll get my head out of the sand and at least make an effort to stretch my knowledge on current events a little bit better.

We are childless this weekend and I plan to work on my kitchen walls. I need to go back over them and make sure I have all the old wallpaper paste off before we start filling, sanding, priming and painting. This is going to be a long project, especially if I don’t work on it more than once every few weeks! The person responsible for me starting this project will be back visiting in March for the toddler’s birthday. At this rate, maybe she will be able to help finish what she started! Seriously, though, I hope I can finish it before she comes back. My eldest daughter is a great motivator when it comes to remodeling. I think the comment that finally did it was, “If you would just take those lace curtains down, it would make a world of difference.” So, I’m on my way to modernizing my kitchen and breakfast room. Time, time, time! I need more time!

She Keeps Me Smiling

As we drove home from dance class this morning, the toddler complained most of the way about how unfair it was that she had to stand on the green spot instead of the purple one. “I’m not pretty when I stand on the green one!” Oh, to be three and not have anything more serious to complain about than the color of your spot. And the pretty thing, ugh! I hope she doesn’t base her worth on prettiness.

A few evenings ago, she was diligently working on writing her name and drawing pictures. She was on the floor, working on about twenty sheets of paper (a terrible waste but who wants to stifle a budding artist/writer). She was sitting with her legs crossed, facing away from Hubby and me. Each time she bent over her work, a crack peeked out from over the top of her pants. I nudged him and we silently chuckled. Hubby pulled out his phone and snapped this picture. If she was worried about not looking pretty on a green dance spot, I wonder what she’ll think of this someday.

Cracking Us Up!

Our normal routine after dance class is to drop by a local fast food restaurant for lunch. After eating her favorite food, chicken nuggets, my sweet little granddaughter asked to play the game that came with her meal. Since I was only half way through my salad, I agreed (have you ever noticed how long it takes to chew lettuce and swallow it?). The cute game involved launching paper coins with a mouse trap shaped launcher onto a game board. Of course several coins were launched clear off the table. As she reached for one of them head first, she got stuck up-side-down. “A little help here!” she exclaimed. “Where did she learn that?” I wondered. Her mind is like a little sponge, absorbing everything around her. It is fascinating for me to watch her developing from a baby, to a toddler, and very soon into a little girl. It’s a shame I didn’t take more time to observe and enjoy my own children in that way. I was too busy trying to be a perfect wife and mother while working outside my home that I think we all lost out on some of the joy. No regrets, I’m just saying… Where, oh where, did the time fly?

One last recent quote I found amusing: “I think I’ll measure my feet,” she said as she stepped on the scale. “My feet are 44, Grandma.”

A Ride Home

Imagine you are a nine-year old kid who just wrecked his bike, hitting the concrete hard. You have two large gashes in your ankle, which you can see through the huge hole in your sock. Additionally, your elbow hurts. Your leg hurts. Your side hurts. You are lying in the street, trying not to cry and you can’t get up. A nice man wearing scrubs happens to see you fall and gets out of his vehicle to help you. The man tells you that he works at a hospital and takes a look at your injuries. He reassures you that you will be okay and offers you a ride home. Although you have a cell phone in your backpack, you feel it will be okay to get into the car with this nice man, even though you do not know him. The man puts your bike in the back of his vehicle and drives you home. He asks to speak to your grandma so he can tell her what happened. He is truly a nice man. After your ankle is properly cleaned and bandaged, your grandma reminds you of the reason you are allowed to carry a cell phone to school. You think you are in trouble because you are not supposed to get into a car with strangers. “He works in a hospital and he was really nice and he just put my bike in the car and I thought it would be okay because I was hurt.” Your grandma reassures you that you are not in trouble and that she understands why you got in the car; however, she explains that it would have been a better choice to call home for help. Your mother echoes the same advice. And now you are bummed because you left your bike helmet in his car and you don’t know where he lives. At least your sore ankle allowed you to sit out of PE the next day.

Picture yourself a grandmother or a mother (some of you are). You are very grateful for the aid rendered to your grandson or son by a kind person. At the same time, you are concerned that the child got into a stranger’s vehicle. You are relieved he is okay, in more ways than one. You try not to wrinkle your face as you clean up the blood and gently bandage the injury. You use this opportunity to show how much you care about your only grandson by not throwing up. Instead, you smile, you hug, and you reassure him that all is well. And it is.

Giggling Girls

I sat around the table with six giggling 6th grade girls. It was my turn to help the leader at my granddaughter’s Girl Scout meeting. The girls have earned their bronze award and are now starting to work on their silver award. The first four requirements call upon them to build their skills, explore career possibilities, increase their leadership skills, and make a commitment to improve their selves. Yesterday evening, they went through an exercise called “What Matters Most” in which they named qualities they think matter most in a person. They then named qualities about themselves. If there was a quality the girl admired that wasn’t on her list, she was to choose one of those qualities to start developing. They also completed a worksheet about their strengths and talents. I am very proud of some of my granddaughter’s answers and would like to share.

The qualities she admires the most about people are honesty, intelligence, open-mindedness, being fun-loving, and trustworthy. She described herself as tough, fun-loving, brave, friendly, and funny (I agree). I thought it was interesting that she said she wanted to be more trustworthy. I always thought she was very trustworthy. Hmm. Okay, I won’t read anything into that. She couldn’t think of anything that made her special (oh my gosh!) but she had some help from her friends on that one. One of her proudest achievements was that she brought her Re-La (Reading/Language Arts) grade up 16 points (to an A). This exercise was to help the girls build up self-esteem, something every pre-teen girl needs. One of the things I learned at this meeting was that the girls in her troop are very kind to one another but a little modest about their selves. It is a great group of girls and I am so glad she likes girl scouts. It’s a family tradition! By the way, if you’d like to buy some cookies to support the troop, please let me know. We are hoping to earn credits to defer some of the cost of activities.

Hostsesses at Senior Villiage Christmas Party, Dec. 08

A Sad Day

I watched and offered comfort to my grandson as he went through several stages of grief in a short amount of time. Denial - “Are you sure? Did you poke holes in the box in case he’s still breathing? Maybe he just passed out.” Anger - “Stupid cat! He should have watched where he was going! He should have stayed inside.” Sadness – crying with his older sister as they actually hugged each other. Acceptance – “Can we put a cross on the grave?”

Milo, my daughter’s cat, whom we have all grown to love, was hit by a car (possibly a bus this morning). She and her roommate found him on their way to work. A good friend went with me to get him so he could be buried in our back yard (and to get him off the street). She put him in the bag and then into the box I’d brought. I couldn’t do it. I have really good friends!

Hubby dug Milo’s grave and buried him as soon as he arrived home from work. I didn’t even suggest he change his good clothes and shoes as I watched them get muddy.

We will have a little ceremony for him when my daughter and her roommate can make it to our house. They already have a cross. I’ve never been to a cat funeral but it seems appropriate for some reason.

Milo

Happy New Year, Happy New Day!

And…Happy “belated” Birthday, Shelby!

As I reflected upon my New Year’s Resolutions yesterday (the normal stuff – loose weight, exercise more, read my Bible more, start riding again) I realized that although the beginning of the year is a good time for a fresh start, every single day is a good day to start anything good. If I look at the year in terms of 365 days, it seems to have a negative influence on me. Either I think I have plenty of time to get bad habits under control or I get discouraged thinking about the daunting tasks ahead. As the year goes on, I feel like a failure and I give up too easily! Not only that, each day that comes may be my last on this earth and I want to live my life that way. So I hope to make a “new day” resolution every morning I wake up. First, I will give my day to God and rely on his power to help me prioritize what is most important for that day. I can do just about anything for 24 hours. Not original, but a good reminder.

We spent the last day of 2009 with our grandchildren and some friends. We went to a popular pizza entertainment place. The kids rode go-carts, played miniature golf, bowled, and played video games for several hours. That was sandwiched between lunch and dessert. We had fun and it got us out of the house. I was ready to experience something other than stripping wallpaper. The younger two grandchildren then went to visit their dad and other grandparents and the eldest granddaughter went to a friend’s house to bring in the New Year with a sleep over. Hubby and I watched television while I worked on a Thomas Kinkade jigsaw puzzle that I got for Christmas. We normally go to a New Year’s Eve party that some friends invite us to every year but we were too wiped out to go anywhere. Needless to say, it was a quiet evening. I have to admit that we were asleep when the New Year arrived in Texas. But we awoke refreshed. I started on my “new day” resolution and walked with a friend for almost an hour in the brisk morning air. It was wonderful. With the exception of a few people walking their dogs, most of the neighborhood seemed to still be asleep (even though it was 8:30am when we started). It might have been those who kept the firecrackers going half the night.

Anyway, Happy New Year and Happy New Day to all!

Bumper Cars!

Time out for a picture!
Acting Silly!
Fun with Friends!A good way to end the year!