Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Entries from June 1, 2009 - July 1, 2009

Entries from June 1, 2009 - July 1, 2009

Wednesday
Jul012009

Parenting Semi- Adults: Genetically Directionally Challenged

Princess and I share blue eyes and we are both female. We tend to favor one another or rather she favors my side of the family more than her dad’s. We are not much alike otherwise except we both are directionally challenged. We always get lost and we always eventually wind up where we need to be. It didn’t surprise me it took Princess 5 hours to find her hotel when she flew to NYC recently. I got us all turned around when we visited that city 2 years ago and our hotel was just 3 blocks from Grand Central.

Even with directions we will head out the wrong direction. “Turn north” has no meaning for us unless the sign says Turn North HERE Right NOW.

We jokingly decided it would be fun to take a cross country trip together. We would point the car west towards California. The odds of us actually winding up in California are not good.

We had better pack our passports just in case.

Monday
Jun292009

The Grandkids Are Coming: Invest in Memories

There is nothing wrong with spending money on your grandkids. Just make sure your kindness to the kids is not causing problems with their parents. When I was a MOPS mentor, one of the biggest complaints parents had was too much stuff from the grandparents. The kids were being spoiled and the house cluttered with more things than the children could use or appreciate. Remember spoiled grandchildren grow up to be snotty, rude teens that sneer at the people who spoiled them.

Invest your money in a 529 for your grandkids, a digital camera and experiences. Take them bowling, teach them what you love: fishing, chess, cooking, baseball. Buy stuff that is attached to experiences. A baseball from the ball game. Postcards for the art hunt at the museum. Go to Build A Bear together rather than buying another stuffed animal at the store (even if it is soft and cuddly does your grandkid really need 47 stuffed animals?) Go to the movies and send them home with gift certificates so they can go with their parent or friends. Go to the bead store or the craft shop, pick out the beads and make the necklaces together rather then buying a kit. Go to the farmers market and pick out something interesting to cook together. (Just don’t be disappointed if your grandchild doesn’t eat the vegetable even after you prepare it together. Memories are not about the final destination but the journey). Buy a piece of music together and offer to help pay for ongoing piano, guitar or whatever lesson as part of a birthday or Christmas gift (if that is okay with the parents.)

Unless it was a long yearned for, hoped for, dreamed of toy kids don’t remember who bought them what. They do remember who did what with them. Taking pictures and looking at them together also helps cement memories, hence the digital camera.

I have heard tell that it is easy to send pictures over the internet.

Saturday
Jun272009

Blogs Worth A Click: Summer Reading Addition

I sent out a call for reading suggestions and these bloggers and readers responded!!!

Thanks you to:

Karen at Zemek's Updates This is a great post to look for that next book to read.

Roxanne at Musings of A Work at Home Mom suggested James Patterson's The Maximun Ride Series.

Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series (I admit one of my favorites) and Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series were books recommended by Susanne at West Of Mars.

Kitten at KraftyKitten enjoyed the President's book Audacity of Hope. Dreams of My Father is next on her list.

Lynn at The Sewing Mom has suggested an book I had not heard of (always fun to find new to me authors!)The Mighty Queens of Freeville, a memoir by Amy Dickinson.

Margaret at My Reading Nook has a review for the latest Diane Mott Davison book Fatally Flaky posted on her blog right now. I love her books. The perfect summer reading with recipes!!

I am off to the library! Happy Summer Reading Everyone!!

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Friday
Jun262009

The Grand Kids Are Coming: Pen and Paper Games

You could go out and buy Battle Ship or Connect Four (game systems versions are now available) or you could just play them and host of other games with your grandkids using just pencils and paper. It is sort of like discovering that pancakes can be made without a mix! Who knew!

Paper and Pencil games

The advantage of these games is you get stuck waiting somewhere for some reson you can keep the kids amused and perhaps even patient.

Another rainy day sanity saver suggestion brought to you by A Second Cup.

Wednesday
Jun242009

The Grandkids Are Coming: Introduce Them To The Games You Played As A Kid

I saw some jacks at the dollar store and bought them for the fun of it. Tech Princess was about 10 at the time and she had never see jacks before! I taught her to play and she loved it. There are so many games we played as kids that kids today don’t even know about.

Consider introducing you grandkids to jacks, jump rope with the rhymes, marbles, mancala and with a group kickball, double Dutch, Chinese jump rope.

Anyone want to add to the list?

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