Tag: Grandchildren

Daily Thoughts

Grandkids, Grandparents & Guns

Chocolate Castles7 Comments

This weekend our 10 year old grandson, Sevy stayed with us for 4 days. Both Randy and I thought about  when our kids were young, how we would take a sack filled with Matchbox cars, or Barbi’s to grandmas house to entertain the little darlings for the weekend. The grandparents felt fortunate if there was a new Disney movie just coming out that they could take the kids to which would then take up a couple of hours.

We want to be sure that other grandparents out there learn a few new guidelines of how to spend 4 days with a 10 year old, without getting stressed out enough to double up on Geritol (or something stronger) or just “accidentally” leave the kid at Dave & Buster’s.

1. Forget the Barbi’s and Matchbox cars. Just be sure you have enough power strips in the house that will handle all the sweet childs “toys’, so you don’t blow a fuse and end up without any electricity. Be aware that any grandchild over the age of 6 will probably tell you that they can and do try to fix anything on your computer or television that will give them access to more games and cartoons. We are now doing research on how to get our tv and computer back to our settings.

2. If you don’t have the cartoon network; GET IT…even though you might have “SpongeBob Squarepants” song embedded in your brain for the rest of your life, just having it on will give you time to shower and get breakfast ready. And….FYI, luckily for all of us grandparents, you will be glad to know that they are 13 Seasons of SpongeBob, each season having 18 episodes..Ain’t life grand?

3. There is no need to “tuck them in bed and read them a story”. All they want to snuggle with is their Ipad, cell phone and Xbox controllers.

4. They have an uncanny way of finding any chocolate that you have hidden away  for those times when you need just something to tide you over until the next football practice, which will give you 2 whole hours of quiet; but cannot seem to every find the other shoe that will allow you to be on time for their golf lesson,or football game.

5. When you ask them if they might want to play dominoes or cards, they will probably ask you if that is an app on your phone!

6. Accept the fact that you will gain 5 lbs the weekend you have the little angel s in your home, due to the fact that you will be eating fast food the entire time. If it doesn’t come from Chick Fila, McDonalds or Pie 5, they don’t want it.

7. Do not ever believe, I repeat, “DO NOT EVER BELIEVE” the sweet little innocent darlings when they say that they wish you would take them to Academy “just to look” at any thing. They are lying. They know when they look up at you and tell you that you are the best Nana in the world, that you will end up carrying out what ever it was that they came to “just look at”.

8. And last great lesson  for the weekend; be sure that you are in good standing with your neighbors. You don’t want them calling the cops when you are out on the driveway, having target practice with the air rifle that they “just went to look at”. Also be aware that sometimes those pellets ricochet and can hit objects that were not intended to hit…thus the new dent in the car.2015-04-12 09.09.58

9. Be sure that you go to bed by 10. Their day begins about 6 a.m. and they like cartoons on the minute they go downstairs. They do not ever like the house void of background noise, so neither should we. After all, if there is quiet, they might hear you tell them to do a chore.

10. Take lots of pictures of them with your phone. One day you will need some evidence to embarrass them to bribe them to come see you in the nursing home.

So these are the lessons that we learned over the last 4 days. I leave Tuesday to fly to Phoenix to babysit 3 more grandchildren. Will write the new lessons I learn there, when I return.

Daily Thoughts

Warning…Grandkids Are Hazardous to Your Health

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I have been home from Phoenix for 9 days, 6 of which I have been sick. Before landing in Phoenix on the 17th, I was in my own little world thinking that as soon as Jodi met me at the airport, all would be right in the world with my 2 youngest grandsons grinning from ear to ear that Nana had arrived. As soon as Noah (the 3 yr old) saw me at baggage he came running up yelling, “Nana”. Before I could sweep him up in my arms, Jodi tells me that the ride to the airport was longer than Noah could hold going to the bathroom, so I’d best just give him a hug and let him walk. Then on our way to the Yoga Van, she tells me that she didn’t want to alarm me but Caleb had strep throat and Noah had ear infections and well, she hoped that I had brought my vitamins. Quickly, I began to plan the next 5 days; I would be sure to not drink after the kids and to be sure that they didn’t drink from my Dr Pepper (as is always the first thing Noah and Caleb ask for when they see me drinking my morning soda). Instead of having donuts and ice cream and fast food while there, I would be sure and load up on Juice Plus shakes and lots of fresh veggies to keep up my defense. Bring on the Essential Oils and load me up with plenty of juice from Jodi’s new juicer.
Within 48 hours, Jodi and I both were so tired of wiping snotty noses and getting up and down to help Noah every time we heard, “come wipe me” that we got to the point that if we fell asleep facing away from the little darlings as they sneezed on the back of our heads, we felt that was good enough.
By the time my plane took off that Saturday afternoon, I felt that I had escaped all the sickness in the house. There I was headed back to Dallas and I hadn’t sneezed once, or used one Kleenex. I got sassy and just knew that maybe other grandmothers might be old and lacking in the ability to not catch everything that came around from their grandkids, but not me. I was young and vibrant and in very good health. After all, I ate chocolate ever day. I ate butter instead of margarine and yes, I even ate veggies every Sunday after church at Luby’s. It was going to take a lot more germs to get to me than 2 little kids running around with strep throat and ear infections and runny noses to get me down.
It’s been 5 days since I have left my house. My throat has never been so sore and the coughing allows me no more than 3-4 hours sleep a night. Jodi and I talk each day to try to see which one of us sounds worse. We sound just alike and cannot talk for over 5 minutes before both of us start coughing so bad that we hang up and run for cough drops. I told her that when the boys both get in high school, I will come back to visit. I should be healthy enough to come back by then and maybe the hole in my left foot will be healed by then from stepping on the legos that Caleb had dropped on his way to grab my Dr Pepper I left sitting out.
Poor Randy. Because I was gone for 6 days, I think he thought I would feel so guilty for being gone that he would be getting lots of homemade meals. Tonight he finally got one. My first home cooked meal. Is this one lucky guy or what? Nothing says Home Cookin like Kraft 2015-03-02 19.25.57

Daily Thoughts

Bacon It Right

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Yesterday on Face Book, (and of course if it is on FB you know it is true!) I watched a video of the correct way to fry bacon. Since our grandson, Sevy is addicted to bacon and always check to see if we have it on hand before he says he will come over, I want to find the perfect way to cook his favorite food. Who knows, as he grows into his teen years in just a couple of years, the smell of bacon might just keep him coming over to see his Nana and Pops. Well, that and the fact that he knows that there is never a short supply of chocolate in the house. But when we watched the video of how to make the perfect bacon, we paid attention. I don’t remember who the chef making the video was, but he said that when you put the bacon in the skillet, add enough water to almost cover the bacon. Then, over medium heat, fry the bacon until all the water is absorbed. Then when the water is gone, just turn the bacon until it is browned on both sides. So that is how we fried our bacon today for BLT sandwiches. I have to say that the bacon was not dry and tough one bit. It was actually very flavorful and it also has another upside. Grease didn’t splatter all over the store as it fried. Great discovery. Sevy, it’s safe to come over, we went to Costco yesterday and have a fridge full of bacon. And plenty of chocolate…and yes, you can play games on your phone and not talk to us and we will give you money to go to Dave & Buster’s. (OK, I admit, we are beginning to have to bribe him to come see us. He is discovering a world of friends where they might be just a touch more fun that watching Sponge Bob with Nana and Pops).