only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
You cannot go to a toy store without a child. Okay, you can. And if you’re a mom (or dad) you’re probably thinking that I’m crazy. Why would anyone want to go to a toy store with a kid? That’s just madness!
No, when you’re a grandma, it isn’t madness. It’s getting a second chance to slow down and enjoy the magic of a toy store through a child’s eyes. And that’s just what Boomer and I did with Kendyll.
Steven (my “new” grandson) is turning two while I’m in Florida so I wanted to be sure to have his birthday gifts ready for him. We were supposed to have the party before my trip but the poor baby got a stomach virus so that was canceled. Nevertheless, Boomer, Kendyll and I had a great time shopping at Toys R Us.
Back in the day, I never would have allowed an almost-3 year old to run loose in a toy store. My kids would have been buckled into the buggy. But I’m a grandma and part of my joy is seeing Kendyll’s joy in discovering a huge store filled with everything she could possibly want. Except that she didn’t want everything. She wanted one thing.
Oh, sure, she was fascinated with the dollhouses and even convinced Nana (me) to buy her a new baby doll that coos and giggles. The doll was a consolation gift, though. Kendyll’s heart was set on the almost $400 John Deere Gator and nothing Boomer and I said or did could convince Kendyll to get off of that thing.
I know little girls are supposed to love Barbie and pink, but Kendyll is her father’s daughter. She went for the biggest and best with the most power. Almost 45 minutes later, she finally realized that the John Deere wasn’t going to move from it’s spot on the display no matter how hard she pushed on the pedal. She finally climbed out and proceeded to examine the dolls.
Sometime before Christmas, I intend to take Kendyll back to Toys R Us for another fun afternoon. I’m hoping to get a better idea of which toys she’ll like under the Christmas tree. Hopefully, she won’t fixate on the Riding toys this time. Maybe she’ll even show an interest in Nana’s favorite toys - the Legos!
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It won’t be long before HDTV is here in our little hole-in-the-wall town. I think the magic date is February 2009. That gives us less than half a year to replace our TVs with HDTVs.
I really want a TV to hang on my family room wall. The wall is long and would be perfect with a new modular couch surrounding it. The kitchen isn’t that big of a deal since it has it’s own TV ledge and we mostly watch the news in there.
The real challenge will be my bedroom. Right now, the TV is way up high on a chest of drawers. I hate it there. If we get a nice LCD for the bedroom, I’d really like to get a tv lift cabinet, too. If I move the furniture around a little, maybe get rid of one of the chairs, I think it would fit in nicely.
I have a few months to plan this, though. And to save up for the transition
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You may notice that I’ve spent less time online lately. I notice it, too. In fact, every day I deal with blog posts in my head. Unfortunately, I’m never near my computer when these ideas spring to the front of my mind. That’s because the real world has taken a terrible toll on my cyberlife.
Right this minute, in fact, I’m typing on my laptop surrounded by moving boxes filled with kids’ clothes that no longer fit anyone in this house. We go through this every season - packing up the things that don’t fit, reassigning clothes to others, tossing anything can’t be repaired with a 10 minute stitch job.
Oh, I mentioned that I’m typing on my laptop, right? Well, that’s a big deal in itself. You see, Levi moved the laptop from the second floor to the first floor of the house, closing the lid for the short trip. Bad idea. The little knob/slider/whatever that you move to open the laptop is broken so I never close it all the way. I’ve tried for 4 days to open this thing and finally managed it with a finger nail file.
I’m not sure how the next few days will play out, if I’ll find time to finally post the video from my anniversary dinner (just the kids playing, but sweet), Chris and Leah’s wedding or any of the pictures I’ve taken over the past month or so. I’ll try. Just stay tuned. Those ideas are swimming in my head and making their way to my fingers. I just have to find time to put my fingers on the keyboard.
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I’m hoping I can get a little advice here.
My skin is looking really tired. It’s dull and discolored. I use a Glycolic lotion and a retinol product now as well as a night cream with peptides. It’s just not enough, though.
I’m thinking of scheduling a facial but I’m concerned that I could break out from it. I’ve heard that can happen sometimes. I’m looking for a service that includes blackhead removal since those are a problem on my nose.
Is there anything I should ask for when scheduling a facial? A special procedure, maybe? Or specific products? Anyone know?
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Details (and pictures) are coming but for now, I’ll just let everyone know that my oldest son Chris married his fiance Leah on August 16. The wedding was absolutely beautiful.
Chris and Leah have been together since 2005, after Chris’s divorce. They’re really perfect for each other. And just between us, they’re about to make me a grandma again. Is that not just wonderful???
Leah is showing now and I just love looking at her little belly. That’s my new grandbaby growing in her.
Chris and Leah had been renting a small apartment on the third floor of a huge house near here but recently moved. They didn’t need to hire moving companies, though, since they just moved from the top floor to the first floor of the same house. Very convenient, huh?
Anyway, the move came at a perfect time. They didn’t know they were expecting when they moved. I just hope they realize that grandma - or Nana, as Kendyll has named me - is going to need her own rocking chair in the living room. I plan to spend a lot of time with the newest munchkin.
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Busy. Busy. Busy.
I think I’m finally going to have the opportunity to sit and breathe a little. This past month has been beyond hectic.
On the plus side, I have loads of things to blog about over the next few weeks. On the down side, I haven’t blogged as often as I like to this past month. I think this is called Real Life Getting In The Way of Cyber Life. Or something like that.
Yes, there are still things that are keeping me busy. The kids are starting to school and I have a trip to plan next month. Luckily, it’s a domestic trip so I won’t be needing a passport but I still need to book my flight soon. Like yesterday.
Just don’t give up on me. I have some great pictures and even a video or two to post here. I promise, I’ll get to it. Soon.
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One of my sons asked me today about going into business for himself. I cringed.
I know a lot of successful business people. I also know from experience that it takes a very special kind of person to make a business work. It doesn’t matter if you do the whole thing on your own or if you look into franchise opportunities, the hard work and dedication needed for a successful business is mind boggling. Most of the time you’ll be putting in long hours for little, if any, pay for at least the first few years.
My son is young, though, and full of energy. He may have what it takes to make a go of it. He has the skills and he’s very bright. So right now, I’m just going to be very careful not to discourage him even though the prospect of starting a business does not appeal to me at all.
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Two of my sons, my daughter and I all have phones that accommodate a micro sd card. I have a card; they don’t. I know they don’t have these cards. They know I know.
So who swiped my card and thought I wouldn’t notice? Of course, no one will admit to taking it. I’ve looked everywhere it could possibly be and it’s just gone.
I don’t want to buy another card right now and honestly, I don’t really need one. I guess I’m just upset that the one I had is now gone. How do these inanimate objects just walk away from my house?
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I love my home. Really, I do. It started out as my grandmother’s house but after much remodeling, it is truly our home. I designed it and my husband built it. It’s big and roomy.
And yet I’d give it up if I could find a way to live near my mom. If we sold our house we’d be lucky to afford half the square footage in my mom’s neighborhood. I’d still want to do it, though. I want to live near my mom.
I know it’s a buyer’s market right now. I don’t need to talk to a real estate agent or mortgage lenders to know that. Just a quick look at the real estate section of the classified ads each week point to falling housing prices and a real buyer’s market.
I guess I know in my heart that I’m in my house to stay. I won’t be leaving my house or my neighborhood anytime soon. My heart just isn’t there anymore.
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My mom was finally discharged from the hospital. I picked her up yesterday, loaded her luggage and walker into the car and delivered her to my dad. He was ecstatic.
I’ve loved tending to my dad this past week or so. He’s still aware enough to be able to do many things for himself but is at that age (and stage of Alzheimer’s) where he really couldn’t care for himself for an entire week without help. I know he doesn’t remember every detail of the past week but he does realize that I’ve been here taking care of him. And he still has that wonderful sense of humor, too.
Once we got my mom settled into her recliner in the living room, she asked my dad how his week was. He said it was good to have his wife home instead of his mother. Then he looked at me with that sheepish grin and we all just laughed. I know he didn’t always want to eat when I fed him and he got irritated when I tried to help him walk, but as along as he saw my caring for him as “mothering” then it’s all good.
I know my mom was anxious to get home. My dad was even more anxious. No matter how well I cared for him, it just wasn’t the same. After 51 years together, I guess no one can fill my mom’s shoes in my dad’s mind. She’s one in a million.
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