Spring Concerts, Graduations, and Picture Books

The other day I saw two robins looking for worms in my front lawn.  Spring is coming! 

Before I get ahead of myself and start thinking about all the fun travel with my grandchildren, I had better come back to earth and remember school is not over yet. This time of year brings the spring school concerts and graduations.  I had both this last week and almost didn't make them.  I had not planned ahead for the concert for my 3rd grade granddaughter and grandson.  I was exhausted and did not look forward to driving home after the concerts since it was out of town.  "I'm sorry," I shared. " I will not be able to attend." My granddaughter had her aunt, uncle, grandmother and great-grandmother, her mom and my son coming so knew she wouldn't miss me.  My grandson, new to her family, would enjoy them staying for his concert as well.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that thinking was pretty flawed.  I called up my son and told him to save me a spot.  I would probably not make it for my granddaughter due to commitments I could not break at home. I would get there just as soon as I could.  I walked in the door and my grandson, already on stage, spotted me the moment I walked in.  Usually not one for showing emotions, he got the biggest smile on his face as he looked right at me.  I waved, he waved quickly too and I knew I would never miss another concert if at all possible.  My granddaughter looked at me and said, "You missed my concert!"  I apologized several times and realized you can never have too many quests at your concert when you are in the third grade (or ever)!

Graduation.  I wasn't sure we would make it for my granddaughter's graduation.  We were expecting a pretty bad spring storm and with my son's broken ankle, we did not want to risk driving for several hours in bad weather.  We both watched the weather carefully and he let his daughter know we would try if we could.  She understood and said it didn't matter to her.  It was not going to be anything special.  Our prayers were answered and the storm moved to bypass us and it looked like our road would be clear up and back. We headed out.  My son called his daughter when we got to town so she would know we were on our way.  There were nine in her Esthetics's class and her graduation was very special.  There were sixteen graduating all together and I'm so happy I was able to attend.   We were so proud of her and her hard work and told her many times that night.  Her smile lit up the entire room and she and her friends congratulated each other, cheering as each teacher was introduced and each graduate went up on stage.  We got to meet her best friend at school and I took lots of pictures.  She's working now, getting a job before graduation.  The only downside, my youngest son and family couldn't attend due to his in-laws coming to town for a long awaited visit, all ten of them, which couldn't be changed after the school changed the graduation date.  He was as disappointed as we were although they had a wonderful time with my daughter-in-law's family.

All of us like to be recognized for our hard work no matter if we are 8 or 20 or over 60; don't miss those concerts and graduations.   Those good memories will last a lifetime for the performer and the audience. 

Found a new website today: Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them! I had  never thought of using a picture book with no words to help children express themselves with words.  The book she chose to review, Octopus Soup by Mercer Mayer, looks perfect for both of my third graders, as well as my second grader.  Since I'm at the home of my third graders, a trip to the library seems in order.  Not only will they be able to enjoy the book, they are able to make their own choice as to which page they want to write about, and can do their homework independently.  "Now what should I write, grandma? I can't think of anything." Those statements are frustrating for me and for them, this will make that process easier.  

Do you have a favorite picture book without words that we should try? Be sure to check out Margo's blog.  I'm going back later to review some books for my older girls.

Talking With Your Children

The other day my granddaughter and I had the opportunity to sit down and have a nice long conversation.  She was recuperating and her mom and dad were off at her sister's concert. Many of us would probably say, "Of course I talk with my children."  After reading Stephanie's blog at Stephanie's Corner, dated February 15th,  I decided to be a little more intentional about my conversations with my grandchildren.  I ask my grandchildren about school on the drive home, or when they walk in the door.  They are usually in a hurry to begin homework, play, or relax and watch TV so the conversation isn't as meaningful as it could be.  Or I'll will ask about something that they've done, what they did over the weekend, or lessons they've taken.  This time,  I took Stephanie's advise and decided to be more intentional.  I asked her what she wanted to do, since she was stuck in bed and I was on a couch nearby.  "What can I do?" she asked.  "Anything you want that will keep you resting here in the bedroom,"  I answered.  "You can read, you can watch a movie, we can play a game.  What would you like to do? "  "Let's play Barbie beauty shop," she said.  That hadn't even crossed my radar.  Even though I played Barbie as a child, I really do not enjoy "playing Barbie" with the girls.  I just don't think I'm creative enough, although I've attempted a few times and they've enjoyed it. 

We had the best time!  She brought in two Barbies with long hair and got all of the hair things that "were small enough for a Barbie," she explained, and we started brushing Barbie's hair.  She made several crazy pony tails sticking out all over her head.  I tried a french braid.  It was pretty crooked but she kept saying over and over again how much she loved the braid and what a good job I did.  I complimented her as well and we sat on the couch together talking about many different things that I would not share here.  I was really disappointed when I heard her parents come home.  We were together on the couch, the TV was off, it was just the two of us and the cell phone was far enough away that I couldn't even glance at it when it pinged that I had a message.   The minute she heard the garage door open she was off the couch to make pancakes with her mom and didn't give the Barbies or me a second thought.  That is how it should be, but I don't want to make that the last night we have to talk.   She has not mentioned our conversation since, but I know that she felt very special and so did I.

 With my sons it was always the trip to the store. I always wanted to take just one boy so we could talk when they were growing up.  With my oldest granddaughters it was going to a movie without her sister.  Now with my younger grandchildren it's playing a WII game or video game with just one, or spending time in the kitchen making something special for mom or dad.  With my newest granddaughter, we played a board game that didn't take much thought and allowed us to talk.  WII and video games are fun, but I need to make sure I have that intentional talk time while they are eager to share their lives. What are you doing to take aside your child to make them feel like they are special, while actually listening to what they have to say? 

We haven't done much traveling lately, with school during the week and Mom and Dad fun on the weekends.  I'm going to keep my posts to every Wednesday for a while, until we are able to do more traveling.  Join me every Wednesday for activities, new websites to review, or books to share with your grandchildren and children. 

Another Special Friday Night

Another special Friday night at my house and this time it was Ritz cracker pizzas.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Ritz Cracker pizza, it's pretty simple.  Put 1/2 a teaspoon pizza sauce on top of a Ritz Cracker and then put whatever topping you want.  We chose a simple cheese and pepperoni.  To make it easier for me to keep track,  each child had his or her own pie tin to put their individual pizzas on.  One chose just to add cheese; another cheese then pepperoni, then cheese; one chose to cover half of the crackers with cheese, the other half with pepperoni; one chose cheese and then pepperoni; and the last one chose pepperoni and then cheese.  The ideas were as varied as the children.  The most important part was that it was of their own making.  The only rule was to try not to get too much of the cheese on the bare pan since it just ended up burning before the cheese on the crackers was melted.  I just put them in the oven at 325degrees for 10 minutes and checked them from there until the cheese was melted. You can melt the cheese in the microwave too.  I chose the oven because a couple of the tins were metal.

The other fun part of making your own pizza was putting on the pepperoni, which is very precise as follows:  Put one piece on cracker, put one piece in your mouth, put one piece on cracker, put one piece in your mouth. If you follow these directions, you won't need to use as many crackers.  We ended up using all the crackers because I was eating as many Ritz crackers as I was making pizzas. Fortunately, we had enough pepperoni and crackers that everyone was able to get their fill.

One hour later, popcorn!  Since it was movie night there had to be popcorn.  Surprisingly, they each ate a good portion popcorn, too.  Do you ever put M&Ms on your popcorn?  My daughter-in-law taught me that trick when I moved to Iowa.  Best added while the popcorn is warm.  Cookies finished off the night.

We've tried French bread pizza, English muffin pizza, and the ever popular Ritz Cracker pizza when the boys were growing up.  Shrimp is another delicious topping.  I think I'm ready to make another pizza.

While I was looking through the Kids National Geographic for some games, I found a snow leopard jigsaw puzzle.  You can create your puzzle in 12 pieces or choose a higher number.  I ended up choosing 78.  I like jigsaw puzzles and had fun seeing how quickly I could complete the puzzle.  Took me 24 minutes 32 seconds.  So you might think, "That is 25 minutes she will never get back."  That's true, but sometimes we need to waste a few minutes and relax.  I could try it again with another puzzle to see if I can beat my time, but I don't think it is about the time.  It was watching the puzzle come together and the satisfaction of hearing the click each time a piece fit.  As soon as you grab a piece, it orientates so you know the direction it goes in.  That makes it easier then a paper puzzle you do on a table.   Next time the grandchildren come over, I'll introduce them to this site.  Looks like that will be tomorrow since there is no school.

I'm making the list for tomorrow.  I asked the girls what they would like to do.  I have two tomorrow.  My 9-year-old granddaughter said, "I just have to ask the question, grandma.  Is rock climbing out of the question?"  "Yes, rock climbing is out of the question."  She's been missing visits to Colorado now that I have moved to Iowa.  With a rainy day expected, we will have plenty to do without rock climbing.

Any other ideas for individual pizza?

Christmas 2011

Christmas is over for this year.  While many parents return to work, more and more parents are making arrangements to stay home for an extra day or two.  My grandchildren were fortunate enough to have a wonderful Christmas and they are with their parents today.  With my oldest son working on Christmas morning, his children went to him and after opening gifts spent several hours swimming at the hotel pool.  Not a typical Christmas, although they will remember this as one of the best ever!  The toys my grandchildren enjoyed the most, were the ones which included a parent.....a race track that needed to be set up, dolls to make, books that could be purchased with a parent's help and then read right away...baking, finger knitting, and the ever popular Lego's.  I was given the gift of another granddaughter this year, ready-made at age 8.  My grandson would have preferred a brother, but since he is the same age as his new sister, they still can play together sometimes.

I just sat at my youngest son's home watching, smiling, and taking pictures for two days.  The whole family were together Christmas eve and that memory is my favorite Christmas gift. Growing up my parents always gave my sister and I at least one gift we could use or play with.  Don and I did the same with our sons and grandchildren.  All my grandchildren (with the exception of my 8-year-old granddaughter who already owned one) were given cameras.  My 11-year-old granddaughter was busy taking pictures and my 8-year-old grandson was taking movies while the rest of the presents were opened.  They will have hours of fun and I'm hoping this is the start of a new hobby for all of them. More of their photography fun to follow.

I received two gifts to play with, a sewing kit and a mixer with baking pans and oodles of cookie cutters for every holiday.  I was pretty excited about both, so spent the rest of the time looking through my daughter-in-law's cookbooks, now that I have a mixer that works.  I will finally get that mending done I've been trying to complete for months.  I received other gifts that were just as wonderful and I loved each and every gift.

Have you been thinking about your New Years Resolutions?  I don't wait for January 1, I begin on December 26.  So far, at least for one day I've been right on track.  Enjoy the rest of 2011.  2012 is just around the corner and I expect it will be a year filled with many of God's blessings for each one of you. 

Awana

Last night was the opening night for Awana.  Awana stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed from the Bible verse: "Study to show yourself Approved unto God, Workmen, who Are Not Ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. Children learn to understand God's word and memorize Bible verses. They play games and earn awards with a group of their peers.  Awana meetings are held at churches all over the world.

All of my four youngest grandchildren are joining Awana this year and I'm volunteering alternate nights at each church.  Last night I worked with a small group of first, second, and third graders.  As my grandchildren are growing up (two already living in a different state) I'm really going to miss "Grandma, can you help me?"  Many of you are going through the same emotions and some of you are waiting to hear those words from great grandchildren.  The reason I'm bringing this up, is the fun you have have enjoyed with children in your own family can continue by volunteering to work with children outside your family.

There are so many places that need your help.  The first that come to mind are those I've volunteered for in the past:  Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the schools.  Most don't take much preparation time and the benefits for you and the children you help can be countless.  I'm sure you can find areas that you've seen with your children that can use your help. 

Last night my grandson, age 8, and granddaughter, age 11, went to his and her class and I went looking for my volunteer spot.  That first night is such fun and filled with the electricity of smiling children as they walk hand in hand with their parents to their new classes or stop to hug a leader they had last year.  It's just like the wall to wall children you get to experience when you visit schools.  Since my grandson is now in 3rd grade and turned eight on Sunday, he has graduated from Sparks to T&T (Truth and Training). 

I haven't taken my training yet, so am a helper and not a leader with my own group.  The group I'm helping with consists of seven children eager and ready for the fun and learning ahead.  While the leader was working with a couple of children on their first Bible verse, I checked on a couple of girls, one working on a zig saw puzzle and the other a word hunt while waiting for their turn. 

I lost count of the number of times I heard, "Can you help me?"  Kindergarten, first, and second graders seem to enjoy whatever project they are involved in.  I'm not involved in the games this year, so was with the group getting the classes sorted out while the children played their games.  After study time we went in for singing and story time.  I'd forgotten how much fun the songs with hand and body movements are for the children and the adults around them.  We were all laughing pretty hard at the end.  Story time included questions about the Bible such as how many books in the Bible, how many in the New Testament and how many in the Old Testament.  I must admit I didn't know the answer, but I do now.  My knowledge was put to shame by the second grader who raised her hand and proudly said, "27" when asked how many books are in the New Testament. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the little ones and look forward to meeting my new group next week at my second church home with granddaughters age 9 and 7.  What are your ideas for volunteering to help children in your community?

RAGBRAI

Summer means RAGBRAI for many Iowa bicyclists.  My oldest son has talked about riding in it before, but it wasn't until I moved here that I really saw the impact of thousands of bicyclists riding for the sheer enjoyment.  My youngest son decided to join in for the first time this year and the minute it ended they began  preparing for next year.  They rode for one day this year, 56.1 miles on the day they chose.  They aren't the only ones getting ready for next year.  Check out the website for RAGBRAI and you can find the countdown until next year's ride broken down to the second. 

My daughter-in-law and I each took a car to pick up one of my son's and his bicycle.  The kids all rode with her until we got to the guys and we left with one parent and his two children.  Riding through a group of bicycles always makes me nervous because I have found they don't always watch the cars, but I wasn't near as nervous riding through the group of RAGBRAI riders.  Even though they were in huge groups and took over the roads, they still paid attention to what was going on around them.  The intersections were a little tough to maneuver because there were so many of them and they kept coming and coming and coming, but we made it in and out of town without a hitch.  When I saw Michele Bachmann's's bus drive past, I felt pretty lucky to be driving only my little Toyota Sienna. 

My sons enjoyed meeting the people as much as they enjoyed the ride.  One son invited a busload of folks to park at his house and use his shower and air conditioning. Both commented what great house guests they were, even with wall to wall people sleeping on the floor in the air conditioning.  Both boys had stories of how nice the groups of people they met were.  They also commented on the fact that the entire day, they could count on one hand the number of discarded water bottles they saw laying alongside the road.  This is definitely one event that they are proud to have participated in.

What struck me most about the day, as a proud mother, was my son's conversation with his children on the way home.  The only thing he talked about for most of the ride is how he is going to help his children prepare for a part of next year's ride.  They joined in the fun and are looking forward to the ride as well.  They both got new bicycles a few weeks before and were already building up their distance taking rides with their dad.  My two other granddaughters had not learned how to ride their bikes at the time of RAGBRAI and have since not only learned to ride, but are taking long bike rides with the entire family.  It has definitely been a bike riding summer.  By next spring I'll have sold my snowmobile and trailer and replaced them with a trailer for my recumbent bike and I'm on my way to join in the fun. 

Have you taken any long distance bicycle rides?  What is your favorite route?  Think about joining us next year at .RAGBRAI.

It's Too Hot to Play Outside

With several days of dangerous heat levels, it's been too hot to participate in our usual summer activities.  Now what do we do?

For granddaughters age 7 and 9, there have been plenty of things to do.  When you run out of the typical activities that usually keep kids busy, TV (not the best for an all day activity), Barbies (it's fun but for only so long)....look at those skills you can hand down to them.

I found a package of cookie dough in the cupboard.  They were really excited to bake cookies.  So they added water, an egg and took turns stirring the peanut butter cookie dough.  Something went wrong (clearly not my skill level) and the burnt cookies were not everyone's favorite.  Unfortunately, I like burnt cookies and I'm almost finished with them. 

Knitting doesn't sound like a summer sport, but with air conditioning, granddaughter age 7 and I are busy making a blanket for Laura (her pioneer doll from Living History Farms). 

Photographer for the day is still a favorite and a short walk to a wildflower field near their home gave us many subjects.  We not only found flowers, but bugs, homes with beautiful statues, doors with fun wall hangings, and the perfect color for their uncle to paint his new home.  Granddaughter age 7 is learning composition, how to set the focus on the camera, and how far she needs to stand back to get the best picture. 

They are finishing up their velvet pictures from last year.  They had been packed away for so long, it was a brand new exciting activity they had forgotten about.

Writing books is another fun activity and one that hopefully will entertain them for many years to come.  The books are homemade and the stories as well.  They are eager to share as each page progresses.

Don't forget board games.  They never tire of UNO.  We found an old PacMan board game with marbles that they have so much fun with.  Too much to do, too little time.

What skills do you have that you can share with your children or grandchildren?