Play Wit Me Nana!

Calming

2008-10-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Brody swaddling in the arms of his aunt, Kenz's mom

The day is fast approaching when my daughter-in-law will be going back to work and beautiful baby Brody will begin spending a few mornings a week with Nana Connie. My son, by the way, would prefer his son to call me grandma instead of Nana, like cousin Kenz does. We'll have to wait and see what name Brody picks for me. I can't make any promises. But grandma, granny, grandmother..... they'll all fine by me.

After Brody was born.... (a month ago!! already!!) the nurses at the hospital told us about a video called the Happiest Baby On The Block. You may have seen the demonstrations on the TV programs, the gentle pediatrician Harvey Karp swaddling and calming crying babies. According to Karp there is a technique to illicit the calming reflex that with a little practice can be learned by parents (and grandparents).

A few days after Brody was home with his mom and dad, I found the video at our public library and borrowed it for them to watch. My daughter-in- law told me a couple of times that it was "really good."

Tonight, a month later (everything takes me a month to get around to these days) I watched the video The Happiest Baby On The Block. I am one of those sensitive people who cry when they watch the Brady Bunch, so after only a few minutes into the short documentary I was choking back tears, watching as the darling little babies stopped their wailing and relaxed in the jigglin motion the doctor teaches. So cool!

Some babies according to Karp need to be swaddled until they are three months old. They might need to be held on their sides while wrapped up like a present, if swaddling alone doesn't calm them. And they might need to be shhhhhhhhhished.... with a sound near their ear, that mimics the noise they heard in the womb. In addition, some babies need a pacifier to suck while swaddled and shhhished.

I haven't babysat for a baby in six years! Some of these new tricks will come in handy and they might even help to calm Nana, as the new adventure begins!

There's more information at the website. http://www.happiestbaby.com/

Dressing Up

2008-10-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Tinkerbell and Peter Pan

I only have a few weeks to decide what I'm going to be for Halloween. Nope, Kenz didn't say this, I did. Nana needs a costume.

I'm a little surprised that I even want to--- dress up. Since leaving the costume stage behind somewhere around ten years old, I can count on one hand the times I have donned a get-up for the October tradition. Some people never give up the dress up day, but I had, long ago. When I trick or treated with my children, when they were small, I only dressed up once. I was an injured jogger. I tied a piece of a ripped up sheet with red marker stains around my forehead. (Hard to believe.) Since Kenz has been celebrating Halloween, I've already dressed up twice, once as Peter Pan and once as a plump pumpkin. This year I want to dress up again! This is crazy. With my busy schedule, I can hardly get myself dressed and out of the house for work. (Hmmm, maybe I should be a Nurse.)

This is a phenomena of being a grandparent; a desire to want to be young again. Young defined as somewhere in the three to ten range, not the twenties or thirties. The desire part comes from participating in the craziness of childhood, being a pal with your grandchild and sharing in the experience of the FUN they are having.

This year Kenz frightened me with her possible costume choice. She wants to be a Dracula. She got the idea from a face painting book I picked up at a library sale. It's an easy costume and cheap.... face paint, black clothes, fangs and a cape. In reality, I think she wants to scare herself to try to get over being scared by scary things. Even though she insisted we go to the big big big Halloween store, she clung to my leg every time she saw a creepy creature. I keep reminding her that it's all pretend, but for children the line between pretend and real can be---thin. She may reevaluate her choice in the next few weeks. We shall see.

In the meantime, I am thinking of maybe being a princess, a Hannah or a cheerleader. I won't have to buy anything. I can borrow from Kenz ---a crown, pom poms, or her Hannah wig.

If you see a blonde grandma and a little Vampire at your door this Halloween, don't be afraid, it's only Nana and Kenz! (Nana will probably scare you the most.)

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Below is a post from my Grandparents.com blog. I wrote it last year. There were some good comments that followed. You can read them at the site.

Scary Fun?

Anything that is too scary is not fun.

A couple of Halloween's ago, Kenz and I and her mommy trick or treated in a neighborhood where the houses are close together. The front yards were heavily displayed with graves and skeletons and spider webs. The doors were opend by mean warty witches and monsters with green eyes who were frowning. Pretty soon we were avoiding the houses that looked like they might be too scary. To be a little scared is fun, it's a surprise; to be bewildered is not.

Halloween is fun, but anything that is too scary is not fun. Some of this stuff is too scary for little children and sometimes they don't admit it. They need grown-up sensitivity to help them sort out the real from the fake.

Even the Halloween aisle at the drugstore has those machines which talk in very low voices, saying "Where are going? Hey, where are going?" when you walk by. These are scary to little ones who don't understand batteries.

There is so much fun to be had on Halloween; costumes, candy, pumpkins and friends. But, anything that is too scary is not fun, even if it is make-believe.

Happy Halloween

Wake up!

2008-09-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Brody....

Hey little guy

wake up....

Tommorrow is October
and Halloween is near,
beautiful wonderful baby boy
pumpkin time is here.

You'll see lots of spooky faces
red noses and a clown,
toothy grins and princesses
they all will be in town!

Wake up sweet little
precious face,
there's excitement in
the air.
Open your eyes
our brand new babe
the jack-o -lanterns
cheer!

Grandma Connie

http://www.babycenter.com/

David Geller, pediatrician
The average newborn sleeps about 16 hours a day, but some need much less sleep and some much more.Also, it's not uncommon for a newborn's sleep pattern to change from day to day; he may sleep substantially less than usual one day and then "catch up" by sleeping more the following day. Let your newborn sleep as much as he likes as long as he wakes up to feed, and is eating adequately and wetting at least eight diapers a day. And let him sleep as little as he wants as long as he is not becoming overtired. But you'll probably find that he sleeps for a large part of the day, waking primarily to feed and then falling back to sleep soon after. This pattern will change over his first few months as he gradually spends more time awake and alert.

Sweet Texts From A New Mom

2008-09-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

We just left the doctor and he is awesome...the cutest boy ever is doing amazing! (9/15)

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Let us know if you want to drop by later and see him or if u would like us to bring him over to see you later (9/16)

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He did really good with his circumcision, they said he barely cried and he is smiling in the car right now, she also said he shouldn't be in pain afterward either. (9/17)

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Brody had a great night! he slept all night in his bassinet and only was up to eat, burp and get a clean diaper. yay a good night's sleep! (9/22)

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he is soooooooo happy every morning-you will have so much fun with him! would you like to come see him tomorrow or can we bring him to see you? (9/23)

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Its really going good-Brody's umbilical cord fell off- I swear he gets bigger everyday and we had another full nights sleep aside from nursing and diaper changes. (9/23)

Brody is Kenz's cousin

Everything E

2008-09-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

In our world it's not only September 19th, but it's the last day of E week. The alphabet is flying by and soaring overhead.

I love the concept of letter of the week. The notion of focusing on a single letter each week seems to bring an excellent simplicity to the busyness of the days.

In little books Kenz brings home exits, eagles, eels, elephants, eleven, Eskimos and eggs.

She prints capital E's and small e's, and then does them in cursive! (Montessori teaches cursive at the same time as printing.)

After eight hours of doing my Nursing job, I picked Kenz up from school a few times this week. She shared with me her concern. Nana, it's going to be challenging to find a Show n Tell that starts with E.

Ahhhhhhh childhood! After an eight hour shift of administering medications with names like Enoxaparin and Escitalopram, plus dealing with effluent, electrolytes, emboli, epitaxis, exudates and excretions, to ponder E, apart from these things is exceptionally--- relaxing.

You could bring earrings, I told her.

No Nana, they will get lost in the Show n Tell basket.

You could bring an egg.

No Nana, it might break.

How bout Ernie or Elmo?

Those are for babies, Nana!

Today is Friday, Show and Tell. I just called my daughter. "Do you have something for E?" I asked without saying hello or good morning.

"Yeah, Easter Basket," she answered emphatically.

Excellent , I thought, and entertaining. Now I can get on with enjoying my day off!

A baby boy, as cute as can be!

2008-09-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a wonderful weekend. My grandson Brody was born. My daughter-in-law and the baby are both doing great. Dad is recovering.

I was privileged to be able to attend the labor and the birth. It's the CLOSET I've ever been to seeing a baby enter the world. During Kenz's birth, I was at the head of my daughter's bed. (Giving birth to my children, I was also at the head of the bed.) This time I was assisting, holding one of my daughter-in-laws legs, while she pushed. My son was holding her other leg. We hadn't planned it to be this way. One of the delivery nurses had come in the birthing room to help start the pushing process by stretching the perineum. She was going to hold a leg and my son was going to hold the other. Jody suggested that I hold one leg, so the nurse could have both hands free.

I was soon face to face with the OB doctor. She was wonderful, explaining everything she did. Every time she saw a contraction starting she would tell us to get in position, pick up her legs. Jodi would go chin to chest and with all her might bear down. Jodi borned the baby, no doubt about it. Labor is very hard work. Even with an epidural, it was Jodi who brought the boy into the world. My son was an excellent coach, he coached her to push, then encouraged her to rest, then push. It was teamwork.

When Brody came out I burst into tears. OMG he is so cute! was my first thought. I probably should have been checking to make sure he had all his fingers and toes, but he just looked so darling. I wasn't expecting him to be so perfect, especially after his long journey down the birth canal.

He was born in the middle of the night, about two in the morning. It was dawn by the time my head hit my pillow. The next day I wasn't tired, just excited and ready to visit the new family at the hospital.

Giving birth is like taking your lower lip and forcing it over your head.

Carol Burnett.

Treasure Island

2008-09-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

A grandparent's home can be an oasis for a child. Even if they have a 'good home' with their parents, a grandparent has the unique situation to provide that extra something special. Long distance grannies and gramps can provide relationship through emails, video cams, letters and visits.

I wrote this when my daughter was born. Her close relationship with her Grandma Kay had got me thinking of early memories with my mom's mom, Granny Peg.

The speckled black linoleum floor in Peg’s bedroom creaked when you walked on it. Her fluffy bed was low to the chilly floor, fixed neatly but appearing soft and inviting. Her dressing table had a crackled mirror finish and was a display of treasures to be examined, crystal bottles with rubber ball pumps, bright red lipsticks in gold cases and beige face powder. Her whole room smelled faintly of what she did--- Elizabeth Arden face powder mixed with Estee Lauder Youth Dew.

Off her bedroom was an enclosed porch. When you opened the door leading out to it, the bitter cold Chicago air would bite as the noisy Venetian blinds on the door's window clattered, like wooden wind chimes. There was a mushy blanketed bed out there too, but I don’t remember anyone ever sleeping on it, probably because the room wasn’t heated. I do remember jumping on that fluffy bed for fun and to keep my feet warm, while my grandma, in her furry slippers, explored the many treasures she had in cabinets and boxes.

Overnights at Peg’s were always ritualistic preparations and relaxation, getting ready, for the next day’s jaunt---a trip on the city bus or the train to downtown Chicago and upscale Michigan Avenue. Nivea in the blue jar and clean white linens would wipe the dirt from our then ivory countenances and look--- we could see the dirt on the cloth, no soap or water on our faces.

After getting us ready for bed, Peg would 'prop us up' in front of the ‘tube’ for the evening --- with a box (a whole box) of Fannie May Mint Meltaways or Assorteds. She would then make sure we were as comfortable as human creatures could be, making several trips to the kitchen, shuffling through the house in her chenille robe and furry slippers, coming back each time with a new goody. Granny Peg hated television commercials. “Oh, I can’t’ bear to look she would say. Close your eyes and think of something else.” One in particular that was most offensive to her was kids stuffing bunches of Fig Bars into their mouths. Jean and I thought this was terrifically funny, that is our grandma’s reactions to the commercial breaks.

What I remember most about these times with Peg is that she made a big deal over us.

Such A September!

2008-09-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have always loved September, the month of new beginnings.

This September is packing a wallop! (Where did I get that expression?) Yep, this September is a doozy! Here's my list.

1) I am back to work as an RN, after not working for several years.
2) Kenz is in Kindergarten at Montessori.
3) My second grandchild is going to be born this month!

It goes without saying that I am making a few mid-life adjustments.

I love both the challenge of my Nursing job, and the honor of being able to be involved in my grandchildren's growing. I also love my hobbies: blogging, writing, reading, exercising, eating my husband's good cooking and resting. (Resting is an awesome hobby.)

From what I've read, a common theme with us fifty-something (and plus) grandparents is that many, many ,many of us have several lives going on at the same time. (Not to mention layers.)

I was talking to my sister Neci about all this, telling her about my job at the hospital and how I have to work smarter, not harder, how I can't let the time get away from me. She wisely reminded me that this will be true at home now, too. Yep, with two grandchildren, my time with each of them becomes even more precious.

Kenz, of course, is ready to help. Nana, you change the diapers and I will play with the baby.

September is bringing her some big changes, too!

I posted the September Newsletter from Kenz's school. It's so rich, full of the joy of learning.

Tomorrow is Show and Tell something that begins with the letter C. Kenz is bringing a calculator. It's amazing that she already knows how to use it to add and subtract.

The September Newsletter

Wow! Summer is “officially” over. That was fast. The countdown for cool weather begins now.
Our summer was filled with creative endeavors. We spent June learning about famous conductors, musical instruments, and the orchestra families – Woodwinds, Strings, Brass and Percussion. The children definitely loved the percussion instruments. As we entered July, Art became our focus. Michelangelo started us off. Everyone was amazed that it took him 4 years to paint the Sistine Chapel, and that he painted the ceiling. We followed Michelangelo with Cezanne ‘Still Life’, Van Gogh’s use of color and heavy strokes, and finally Picasso and abstract art. The children were very amused to see how Picasso’s portraits had misplaced facial features. Their efforts to replicate his art were quite inspiring and comical.
August began with art, and came to a close with the Letter/Sound of the Week. Thank you for the wonderful ‘Show & Tell’ participation that included our letters. We could see the pride each child felt in bringing things that started with the Letter of the Week. As we begin September, ‘C’ is next on the list. We are excited about this next step in the children’s learning process.

For our Pre-Kinder and Kindergarten children, September begins our foray into the children keeping their own progress sheets. At the end of each week, a copy of each sheet will be sent home showing each area of work that they have been challenged in. They really enjoy being responsible for, and involved in, their own choice of challenging, academic work. We encourage parents to acknowledge their children’s accomplished work ,but tread lightly when speaking about work that appears to have “mistakes”. Overcorrecting a child during this phase in their development can cause a decline in their interest and motivation to learn. The materials and lessons given show each child how to achieve the correct answer, but the process of doing each job is just as important. And don’t worry; it is normal to write letters and numbers backwards at this stage in learning. This will naturally correct itself. We do work on this in class regularly and will notify parents if we are concerned about a child’s progress. One of the main objectives at this level of learning in Montessori is to fuel each child’s natural desire to learn new things and also to be confident in doing those things.

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BTW, Thanks to all my commentors. Reading your feedback and thoughts is another one of my favorite hobbies.

Delicious Layers

2008-09-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today Kenz took a sick day. It worked out well because today was a day off from my job at the hospital.

It wasn't another Labors day though. I worked hard, got alot done and got most of it done before Kenz arrived in the mid-morning. I had moved tons of stuff around, vacuumed under beds, dusted and cleaned like a nut. OMGoodness, maybe I am Nana-nesting, getting ready for the new baby.

By the time Kenz and I plopped in the playroom, I was zonked and could hardly move. First we colored a picture. I colored the Cinderella Nurse. She colored me the picture of the bed.

Then onto the fun part, reading books. Kenz chose:

Put Me In The Zoo (It's a Cheetah Nana)

Burt and Ernie Spring Cleaning (I picked it cause you were cleaning Nana)

Redheaded Robbies Christmas Story ( It's OK that it's not Christmas Nana, in two more months it's my birthday!)

George and Martha Tons of Fun (Nana, you love this one)

My exceptionally smart five-year old granddaughter is so right. I love George and Martha. The little stories by James Marshall are my kind of funny--- dry humor. There are others in the series of George and Martha that I plan to hunt up, one of these days.

This is what it says on the back cover of our book.

Jame's Marshall's five stories about two great friends are really five mini farces in which the dignity and the bulk of the hippos are in contrast with the ludicrousness of their situation... The secret of Mr. Marshall's success lies not just in the freshness of his sense of the ridiculous but in the carefulness of his control and editorial judgement. New York Times

I posted one of the pages showing George raiding the fridge. Martha is trying to help him lose weight so on the next page she lights up a cigar, to harm her health. She threatens George with smoking if he doesn't quit eating. It's all good. Kenz and I both laugh at the hilarious hippos, even if we might be processing the humor on different levels.

Oh yes, life has many delicious layers, doesn't it?

Happy Labors Day

2008-09-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Nana, do you know what Monday is?

This was the first thing Kenz asked when I picked her up from Montessori on Friday.
Before I had a chance to answer, she blurted out, Nana, it's Labors day!

"Labors day?"

Yes Nana, it's a holiday when people don't work and I don't go to school. It's Labors day!

Labors. It sounds so cute. I hope, at least for this year, she won't stand corrected.

In celebration of Labors Day, I am doing no labor. I didn't even make my bed, which for me is a big departure from the norm. I am not cooking (not that I do too much of that sort of labor) and I am not child caring. Unfortunately, today Kenz and her mom are sick with something upper respiratory. ( I visited to read a story, but they are better off resting, so I left them to commiserate together.) The new baby is not born yet, any day now.

Today, I am doing nothing in the work category. It's not like me to not be doing something that produces something as a result, i.e. laundry=clean clothes, vacuuming=clean rug, wiping off surfaces=less germs, Swiftering= less dog hair. (Oops, forgot, I did Swifter my daughter's house. I'm on automatic when it comes to the cloths which collect dog hair.)

As a matter of fact, after I finish this post, I will go back to my couch, to my book and to the Weather Channel. I might even fall asleep.

Tomorrow may we all be rested people because today was Labors Day.

Sound Practice

2008-08-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday of this week, Kenz decided she wanted to read me all of Set 1 of the BOB books. I was elated, but contained my excitement, treating the event as if it were not a big deal.

For months I had been gently nudging Kenz to read me some of the BOB books.

I don't want to do that Nana, she would say, then follow her statement with some excuse like I want to color, or I'm too tired.

After awhile I forgot about them.

I don't know for sure what brought the winds of change, but without any discussion she got the blue box of the 12 small books off the bookcase and cuddled up next to me on the couch. Then she read them all, out loud, non-stop.

For me, time stopped. (Maybe thirty minutes went by.) She was determined to read them all. This part didn't surprise me, because when she puts her mind to something, she gets it done. (She may have got this trait from Nana.) And not only did she put her mind to it, her mouth worked overtime, sounding out each word, blowing them out like stubborn candles on a cake. Once she recognized a word, she simply READ it. Kenz had started the process of learning to read months ago, then there was a holding pattern where she didn't want attempt more than a few words at a time. (At least not with me.) But now---Look Out. She's well on her way. I am going to order the next two sets of BOB books for her. I think they are a great confidence builder.

I first learned of the BOB books from Montessori. These little books are delightful, as are the illustrations. From Meet the Maslens:

As the mother of four children, Bobby Lynn, was involved in cooperative preschools for nine years where she discovered her love of teaching young children. She became a teacher at an independent pre- through high school. Her work with young children involved constant invention in art, math games, physical growth activities, and reading materials. It was there that she created the Bob Books when she didn’t find books that she felt were interesting enough for the young children she taught.

Her interest in innovation and sensitivity to children are trademarks of the Bob Books. "I loved being a parent and a teacher, and now a grandmother", says Bobby.

The Web site for the BOB books is http://www.bobbooks.com/bobbooks.html

Collections

2008-08-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

Collections of the way life used to be...

One thing about being a grandma is that it involves many things.

Kenz has little groupings of items all over her house and all over my house.

Her latest favorite collection contains those little sponge animals that pop out of a capsule when they are put in hot water. (My mom has a whole zip-loc bag of them, Nana!)

Then there are the Perlers, which are brightening just about every corner of both our houses. Nana, you can use them for coasters, so your furniture doesn't get spots. We are coasting to the max in the colorful plastic discs.

Markers and crayons and pens and pencils... a person can never have enough of these. We have shoeboxes of them. (Daba says he wishes he had just one shoebox full of hundred dollar bills.) Bursting on the scene again, are the Barbie dolls and her friends, lots of Hannahs. They have a motor home and a combination disco/airplane. At Kenz's house, she owns a Barbie townhome, furnished. All of them come with thousands of tiny plastic pieces of food, glasses and travel accessories. Accessories also abound in the wardobe department. In yesterday's episode, Kenz's Fairy collection descended on the Barbie's and taught them how to fly, the ones who were sitting quietly with their hand raised. Speaking of Barbie, this week at Montessori, the spotlight is on the letter B. Kenz was so excited to show me her B collection of words.... bat, bee, bear, basket, bananas, bunny, bug, and balloons, which we are adding to the pile of papers containing A words....Africa, ant, alligator, apple, avocado, airplane, antelope, aardvark and anemone.

Let talk books; you need more of these than crayons. Let's just say we have a wonderful assortment, and we're saving every last one of them for the new baby to enjoy. We also have a stack from our bi-monthly trip to the public library. Once I lost a library book, so I am constantly trying to keep this collection in one spot, for fear of paying the replacement fee.

In the playroom closet I have three large baskets with collections of glue sticks, construction paper, Popsicle sticks, foamies, glitter, paint, play-doh and bubbles. I just checked to see what else is up there, and I found a Zip-loc full of the Polly Pockets with the magnets that were recalled. Oh, the stash of children's videos and DVDs is in the closet, too!

I think it could be said that a child's collections are indeed....... endless....

I remember the days when my son had tons of Legos and my daughter had lots of plastic jewels and stickers. There were seasons of collections, different ones for different ages, but there was always continuous collections of objects for both of them.

As long as they have their spots to BE.... collections are OK wit me!

Friday is Old Picture Day

2008-08-22T11:00:00.001-07:00

Our family is counting down the weeks till our new member arrives. A definite discovery I've made as a grandma is that the little baby that will be laying in the crib is going to grow and grow quickly.

I knew this is as a mom, but I know this as a Grandma. Maybe this is because as I get older, time speeds up. Kenz's birth, almost six years ago, came during a nice segment of lifetime. She and I were born together, she into babyhood and me into my second adolescence. Here's some reflections I wrote in the last chapter of my book Play Wit Me Nana!

I have eaten my lunch. I have written my book. The meat is down on the paper. I have moved along through the centers, the segmented lessons of these primary years as a Nana. These final thoughts of this writing find me playing in the sunlight of the playground. The teacher is not here telling me to color, paste, get in the circle, line up or hush up. I am free to dig, slide or run. In this blissful state, I am realizing something profound. I am getting it. I am the one who has been playing. I have been schooled in letting go and letting life happen. In the past few months while my book has been stewing, simmering and being edited by my sister Denise, I have been roasting and baking. My explorations of grandmahood are not done and probably won’t ever be, but I now know something I didn't know while I was ‘cooking’ my story. While Mackenzie has been coaxing me into playing, into participating, into games, into amusement and and into imagination; I have been the one who has learned to play. It’s been good, but what’s been happening over the last two months might be even better. She is spending greater parts of our days together playing alone. She is drawing from her well of ‘inner resources.’
Along with playing alone, she is playing with friends. A whole new part of her personality is blooming this spring, this springtime of four and a half and I might add it’s absolutely beautiful. Yesterday, she practically asked me to go in my room and find something to do, “Nana, your room is messy."

In celebration of the New Pictures I will soon be posting, I have posted some early pictures of Kenz.

Mysteries Revealed

2008-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

More Clouds In My Camera

I took this picture at sunset.

Nana, where do the books go when I put them in?

They go back in the library, Kenz.

They do? They go back on the shelf?

No, they go in a box or something, then the librarian checks them back in and puts them away.

I know Nana, but where do they go?

We must investigate. We cannot let this remain a mystery. Where does the metal box deliver the books? What lies behind that thick stone wall? How many books are in there? What are the books doing?

All our questions were answered. In the children's section is a door, a regular looking door.

It was unlocked. I opened it half-way. Inside was a tiny dark room.

Nana, the library ladies are looking at us.

The clerks chuckled and looked at each other.

I gave them a smile, waved and said, It's for my blog. They went back to their computers.

Whew! We weren't in trouble for going in the secret room. I fumbled through my purse for my camera. Kenz held my arm and peered into the darkness.

Nana, look! Our books!

Our books were the only ones in there, lying on a big piece of white sponge rubber, in a messy pile, just like they are at home after we read them. We had borrowed two videos and they weren't next to the books! They must fly in because they are much lighter. It's grand to know how things work!

Puffy Stuff

2008-08-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Clouds and Pillows

This past week my eyes have been drawn to the clouds. They have been gorgeous! It could be that the rainy season is beginning to exit, leaving the large and alluring whites floating in a sea of blue, soaking up sunlight, forgetting to pour, skipping their storms.

Maybe it's my new birthday camera from my husband that has made the clouds particularly attractive. I have a sense though, that it's related to my getting (a little) older and a certain song that comes to mind.

Below are some puffy thoughts that floated through my head while perusing the lyrics of one of my favorites about clouds, Both Sides Now.

It definitely could be a grandma song. We have seen both sides of our offspring, first as babies, then as a parents. And in the drama of the days, the conclusion oftentimes is...as the song goes..... I really don't know clouds at all. We have our illusions of perfection, we have our disappointments. We've had enough moons and Junes to realize that everyday is a gift, a fresh chance to learn something and absorb a bit more of life. Getting older and being Nana is teaching me that tears and fears will never disappear, life has painful days and happy days. It has circus rides and lost friendships. Love, like a cloud is something we never get a complete grasp on, sometimes because of our innate selfishness, and our pride. Life, like a cloud can show a dark side, one that might bring rain even on a bright day. Wouldn't life be missing something without those beautiful white clouds that bring moisture to the earth? (end of puffy thoughts)

Both Sides Now

Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun they rain and snow on everyone

So many things I would have done, but clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It's cloud's illusions I recall

I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels the dizzy dancing way you feel

As every fairy tale comes real, I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show, you leave 'em laughin when you go

And if you care don't let them know, don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now

From give and take and still somehow

It's love's illusions I recallI really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud, to say, "I love you" right out loud

Dreams and schemes and circus crowds, I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange they shake their heads, they say I've changed

But something's lost but something's gained in living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now

From win and lose and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recallI really don't know life at all

(Written by Joni Mitchell)

I LOVE MY NEW PILLOW

My creative quilting sister Mar made me a pillow for my birthday. She knows I love Mary Engelbreit She's made me small pillows before, but this is my favorite. I love everything about it. A pillow is a great gift. I know you'll enjoy looking at the pictures of it, as much as I love having it under my head each evening. I love the softness of my new pillow and I love ... both sides of it. Thanks Fifth Sister.

Personal Best

2008-08-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

THE SEVEN CHINESE SISTERS by Kathy Tucker is a storybook written in the spirit of the Olympics. Each sister excels in something different, although each sister has 'shining black hair and sparkling eyes. Each stood straight and tall, except for Seventh sister, who was just a baby.'

I love the illustrations by Grace Lin. The story's setting is China, where 'far away, across the bridge, through a forest, and up a mountain lived a terrible dragon.'

The talents of each sister save the baby from being eaten by the nasty dragon, who in the end is befriended by the sisters. (Hint: 'Sixth sister could cook the most delicious soup in the world.' )

I know you are wondering what the other girls could do. 'First sister could ride a scooter fast as the wind. Second Sister knew karate --- kick, chop, hi-yah! Third Sister could count --- to five hundred and beyond. Fourth Sister could talk to dogs. Fifth Sister could catch any ball, no matter how fast and high it was thrown. (Sixth Sister could cook the most delicious noodle soup in the world.) And Seventh Sister? No one was really sure yet what she could do, as she was so little she had never spoke.'

There's lots of surprises in this book. Kenz and I both enjoyed it enough to read it several times. Now she knows it by heart. I also like this book because I have four sisters, counting me there's five of us. And we all shine in our own way. BTW, this is my birthday week and the gifts I've received from them reflect their uniqueness. (More on my sisters in tomorrow's post.)

I stayed up late last night watching men's gymnastics in Beijing. Something the commentators kept emphasizing was that although these guys are all super athletes, there is usually one or maybe two events within the sport where they are the best. One Chinese fellow was strong on the horse and weak on the floor work, nonetheless he won.

This goes to show, even if you excel in an area, you might not be excellent in all parts of it. Still you do your best at it, because it comes with the game, it's part of the territory.

When it comes to my Nursing career, this holds true. Some of the challenges of the job come gracefully and in other tasks where I am less talented, well, I do my best. This way I keep going for the gold.

How can you apply this to you life? Where do you excel?

Hello Quiet My Old Friend

2008-08-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Good morning. Do you notice the quiet? I took the music player off my page. When I downloaded it some months ago, the plan was to keep it on for a season. I'm ready to go back to the sounds of silence. (I love that song!)

Quiet is nice. I was reminded of this yesterday when Kenz and I were making meatloaf. We were in the kitchen chatting away. She became intent on stirring the eggs, while I studied the ingredients on the bread crumbs. The refrigerator stopped its humming and the air conditioner went off.

I wonder if the electricity went off, I said to Kenz. Nope, the preheat red light is on for the oven.

Let's listen to the quiet, I told her.

It was really nice. A big slice of no sound, a rest in the ears, a still massage. I could actually feel tension running off my neck muscles.

I don't think we realize how much noise permeates our brains, on an hourly basis. Generally, I don't like TV noise on in the background or even music. The music player on my page was beginning to be background, although I loved listening to all the songs.

It seems everywhere we go, there is extraneous sound. I've been really noticing it lately, in restaurants, sometimes it's obnoxious, the music that is. Even sitting here blogging, I hear my computer stirring up stuff in the motor.

I was first to break the quiet spell and asked Kenz, Do you ever get this kind of real quiet at school?

Yes Nana, everyday, when it's Nap time. We have to whisper like this, she said, showing me.

The toddlers would wake up if we talk like this, she then demonstrated ---in her LOUD voice.

The phone rang, the air conditioner came on and Cody barked. Quiet time in the kitchen was finished, but at least we had a nice visit with it and were reminded of the beauty/rest that waits there, somewhere, if we listen for it.

Room To Play

2008-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Even though Kenz takes gymnastics once a week, she's not interested in watching it on TV, and that's OK. Just because she likes to attempt cartwheels and hand stands, it doesn't mean she wants to watch the big girls who have made it to the Olympics.

I was visiting her last night, when the girl gymnasts were doing their routines. Kenz wanted to play restaurant, so we got out the plastic food. The coffee table was the restaurant, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was the menu. A few baby dolls joined us, after having had a long stint in the closet. I waitressed, the Olympics was on the big screen for the customers. While serving fruit plates and vegetable platters, I occasionally glanced at the strong bodies clad in red, then red white and blue. Nana, Nana, Kaylee wants to order dessert. Nana, we need our check. Nana, did you hear me, we want to pay!

My daughter, Kenz's mom, was in the restaurant, at another table. Mom, how do they do that? How do they flip backwards in the air like that? I love the questions my daughter asks. She has that gift of being super observant. She was trying to break it down, figure it out. I sort of take it for granted that they flip backwards. Shell's genuine awe in the execution of the flips made me sit down to really appreciate the bodies in incredible motion.

Kenz must have understood my need to watch gymnastics. She got busy with her dolls, reading them stories and putting them to bed. As a matter of fact, she went 'to town' playing with her dolls. When I was kissing her good-bye, she was still in the game, hushing me, telling me that I was going to wake up the babies. She was absorbed in her play world, a wonderful place for a child to be.

The Van Gough picture she colored reminds me of the importance of having that space to play, a place to perform art in your imagination, room to move.

Last night Kenz was in play momentum and she was doing back flips!

Our Uncle Mi Mi

2008-08-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

Big brown eyes!

Fire engine overalls. Notice the white telephone wire. Can you believe we stood next to a wall.... to talk on the phone? Unless of course we were lucky enough to get one of those super duper long telephone cords.

Toe head in the sandbox. I can hear your little motor saying brrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Nowadays, Mike is a Natural Body Builder Champion. We are so proud of him. Since this picture was taken he has won several awards in state contests. I was trying to hang a sheet up for background effect, but while taking the shot, it slipped down. Kenz is flexing her three-year old muscles. She named Mike Uncle Mi Mi.

Mike and his wife Jodi are having a baby next month! (I like to write those words!)

Me, My Time, and My Grandchildren

2008-08-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

The other day at Jodi's Baby Shower (always capitalize events) one of my neighbor friends asked me how old my daughter was?

"She's thirty," I told her.

"What?" she exclaimed. "We're thirty!"

"You might be thirty, Pat," I said, "but I'm about 25!"

We were laughing our heads off.

(I think Pat forgot she just signed up for Social Security.)

Figuratively speaking, I feel somewhere around 25, on most days anyhow. I was twenty three when I had my first daughter, and almost 28 when my son was born.

This past week I have been reading the book My Time, Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life by Abigail Trafford.

I'm loving it, it's a 'study' about the bonus years, the second adolescent and the jolts (her frequently used term) of the years between 50 and 75 (plus). It's about the what's next in our lives.

You know I love her words about grandmothers.

In the chapter entitled Redefining Family, she writes:

Years later, I wondered why my grandparents wanted to spent so much time with me. They gave me so much. What was in it for them? Now I know. Empathy with a grandchild brings back the best of your own forgotten childhood and catapults you into the future.

A few paragraphs later:

Discovery is a two-way street. As a grandparent, you get to see a whole new life unfold. You are above the fray of the intense, hands-on parent-child relationship. Says one grandfather, "It's all the love without the baggage."

Then in the next few paragraphs she reminds us about the sometimes very difficult positions longevity brings about. One of them is having to raise the grandchildren. I am not in this position thankfully, but I do help out with daily child care so I have an idea how difficult it could be for a person in 'second adolescence' to have to raise a child. (Even though we feel 25, we ain't!)

About 3.7 million grandparents are helping to raise nearly 4 million grandchildren in the United States, report the National Academy on Aging Society. More than 1.3 million children are being raised soley by their grandparents, according to a 1998 Census Bureau report. More than 80 percent of these parenting grandparents are under 65, most are married couples and more of them live in the suburbs than in central cites.

To all of us that are in these bonus years, the author writes, In Second Adolescence, you need to dream again. You need to open up and experiment with different scenarios the way you did as a teenager. One day you take piano lessons, the next day you visit Civil war battlefields, another day you sign up to study the classics, or babysit the grandchildren or volunteer for your local hospice. Or just sit in the garden. You don't know which scenario will become your next "career" You don't care. It's nice to hang out for awhile. Schools out, midlife is done. Get in the RV and go.

The sign that you're getting out of Second Adolescence is when you settle down and figure out your priorities for the bonus decades. Life empowerment gives you the strength to break away and the talents to build anew. Dreaming wakes you up to a future and shakes you out of the rut of middle age. You need both in order to get a life in My Time.

...............................My Reflections.....................

I think maybe I am starting to settle down (a bit.) My thirty-year marriage continues, I'm working part-time as an RN (extremely part-time as a Realtor), and making sure that I have time to be with my grandchild (soon to be grandchildren.) Nothing stays exactly the same forever, but one thing for is for darn sure....I will never stop dreaming and having goals for the future.

How about you? Are you having a Second Adolescence?

Visit Abigail Traffords website http://www.abigailtrafford.com/

Girl on a Ledge

2008-08-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

Kenz and I went to the library after school yesterday. She carried along a Perler girl that she had made at school. We got busy looking for books, selected some good ones, checked them out and paid (yuck) late fees on our last batch. In the heat of the afternoon we made our way back to the car and buckled up.

"Where's your girl?" I asked Kenz.
"I don't know Nana. Do you have her?"
I dug through my purse. "Nope, she's not in here. Did you stick her in a book?"
"No, Nana, she's not here."

We got out of the car and ran back to the library. As we passed the window we saw her. She was standing on the ledge, calling to us. I'm in the children's section, don't forget me. Kenz had set her down next to the window and we both forgot about her. Very funny!

It Keeps Pouring

2008-08-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last hour searching through my photos (non-digital ones) for pictures of the Baby Shower my mother-in-law gave me for Shelley (Kenz's mom) thirty years ago. I had one or two black and white's from a Polaroid, but I can't seem to find them. It doesn't really matter though, because I have them in a neat little folder in my memory. My hair was a much darker shade of blond than it is now and it was in ringlets. I remember spending that morning in curlers, the mint green plastic ones that had a piece that slipped over them to keep them in place. In one picture, I look huge, leaning over my big belly to survey a stack of presents which included a car seat with a big (it was yellow) bow on it. My MIL (mother-in-law) is standing next to me and she's smiling.

Yesterday afternoon I had a baby shower for my daughter-in-law Jodi. She is getting ready to meet her first baby in about six weeks. Thankfully, Jodi is having a super healthy pregnancy. She arrived to the shower with her long platinum blond hair straightened to perfection, as usual. Her friends came bearing gifts and stories about their baby showers, their in-laws, nursery's, etc. Jodi text messaged me last night after she was home with all the presents... We love the new stroller, thank you so much for the shower. Everything was perfect. My son had spoken to my husband earlier in the evening. We're taking inventory, he had told him.

When Kenz was eight months in utero, I had a baby shower for my daughter. That day Shelley's friends came and loaded her up with just about everything she had listed on the baby registry. Little did any of us know (or even guess) that a mere six years later Kenz would be attending a Baby Shower for a cousin to be. Happy helper, center-stage Kenz had ringlets in her golden blond hair. My daughter had spent part of the morning performing magic with a spiral curling iron.

Even though baby showers can be traditional and predictable (yes, we played measure mommy's belly and guess the number of blue M&M's in the bottle) they are still one of life's most memorable occasions. They are a delicious piece of the birthing experience, a colorful link in the transition from pre-baby me to parenthood. The parents-to-be have all this brand new stuff for a brand new person they have never met. Finally, it's coming down to the finish line, reality is setting in, life is going to change. (Like they could never have imagined.)

A baby shower is an outpouring of love and a forecast for the showers of love to come. And we're not talking sprinkles... we're talkin floods

Perlers LIVE

2008-08-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

I posted this video yesterday, then I had an Internet Access problem, so I deleted it. It seems to be fixed now, so I hope I don't break it again by reloading this.

This is my first of many video uploads to follow. How fun!

www.perlerbeads.com is where you want to go to learn all about perlering.