Ready For Christmas

Today was my last shopping trip for Christmas. We were excused from work early....at 3:30..... the roads were already packed with vehicles speeding, tailgating and changing lanes to get ahead by one car or beating everyone to the red light. Many drivers ignored the red lights and sailed into intersections that were totally dead locked by vehicles caught in the light changes.
I was so happy to get in and out of the store quickly and took back roads home with only one vehicle trying to occupy the same space my vehicle was in. Apparently the driver knows nothing about physics.

All the gifts are wrapped. Cards in the mail. Somewhere I forgot something that I will discover at sometime next year. It never fails.

Peace & Love to All

Another Time

The list of Boomer's toys and activities-No Batteries-No Electricity needed

Slinky (made of real metal)
Jump rope (piece of old laundry clothes line)
Board games (manual exertion required)
Scooters(no motors!)
Bicycles with big fat tires (no gears)
Pick up Sticks
Mouse Trap
Card games
Red Rover
Swing sets/Tree swings/tire swings (built on site by family)
Barbie, GI Joe, and baby dolls
Hula Hoops
Roller Skates(metal) with keys to adjust to shoes
Doll houses/Play houses (built by parents or other family members)
Kick ball/dodge ball/catch
Tag
Hide and seek
Jacks
Four Square (chalk, a ball and a couple of bottle caps)
Hop Scotch
Reading(yes libraries did exist)
Lincoln Logs
Tinker Toys
Boxes..big and small Oh so many things could be created from a box with some scissors, crayons, tape, and some string
Steady Eddie
Tops
YoYos
Stick Horses
Horse shoes

Today

Almost everything needs batteries, electrical connections,

or chargers. I have a whole drawer full of every type of battery,

chargers, and cords to a plethora of items that require one of the above frequently in order to stay in touch, take photographs, play games, and find my way when I am lost.

Black Friday

It's been years since I ventured out on Black Friday.. the rush of shoppers, the rage, the pushing, and shoving just wasn't worth the stress to save a few dollars. The sales generally continued up to Christmas Eve with a few special door busters (always with limited amounts) and I felt no urgency to join the ruckus.
My daughter and I joined the crowd of early shoppers this year. Not at midnight or 4 am but at the more reasonable hour of 6 am. We had searched all the ads in Thursday's paper and created an itinerary and shopping list for Friday morning. Best Buy and all similar stores were a no no...people had been camping at their doors since Wednesday to get one of the limited sale items. The parking lots of the shopping center where Toys R Us resides were totally full at 5 am. We did go there later in the day and were successful in finding the items we wanted. The mall....well it was hopeless to find a parking space.

Most of the stores we visited had plenty of the sale items advertized. There was no rush to snatch up items; the check out lines were controlled and moved quickly.
There were lots of people to talk with while hunting for our items and we exchanged information on other stores.
Of course as my granddaughter grows, so do the size of the toys and it is not as easy to hide them. Toy assembly will follow in a few weeks.

Will I go again next year?
Probably Maybe - I have a year to consider it. Happy Shopping!

Seeking Safety for All

For many months toys have been disappearing from the shelves of the popular stores such as Wal Mart, K Mart, and Toys R US.
Many of the toys were related to the popular television shows for children under six years old and removed due to their lead content.

In the next few weeks I will be searching through stores for alternate toys for my granddaughter. Luckily there is a plethora of 'Princess" related items that are available.
There are also some new company names emerging on the shelves.

With the rising recalls of toys, other recalls such as food and drugs, have appeared daily in newspapers and on the Internet.

Who and Where are the people that are supposed to watch over imported items and our own manufacturers? Is somebody watching over E Bay to ensure none of these recalled items are being offered for sale?

Yes I will be out in shopping land the day after Thankgiving

The Little Things That Count

It had been a long time since I held a baby when my granddaughter was born. Many family members and friends waited happily for her birth. As grandma I was one of the first to hold her..warm cuddly and HUNGRY! Since that time I have had the pleasure to care for her for short times, and often several days. On the longer times she arrives with several bags of clothes, toys, food, comfort items such as pacifiers and Teddy. Soon her room at my home became filled with toys, a swing, a mini kitchen, a desk, a playyard/bed, now a toddler bed, a wagon, and the doll highchair that was given to me on my second Christmas. Outside there is a small pool with all the water toys,T ball, and a slide.I had forgotten the simple joy of splashing water and blowing bubbles.
Chasing a toddler chasing a big brightly colored ball is priceless.
Her hugs and kisses bring tears to my eyes. Nothing can compare to the love of a child.
There are 525,600 minutes in a year.Use them wisely for time lost can never be regained. Throw the ball, color, sing the same song again, splash!

Salute to Grandparents raising grandchildren

I admire the grandparents (and I personally know several) who have taken on a second generation to raise. When their children fell into bad situations and could not or would no longer be responsible parents, these people, many preparing for retirement, have taken on total responsibility for one or several little lives.
While sons and daughters are in rehabilitation programs for various reasons, or perhaps incarcerated, grandparents have provided a home for their grandchildren. Some grandchildren are eventually reunited with their parents, others remain with their grandparents.

Grandparents Day has taken on a new meaning over the last few years. Grandparents are not rocking on the porch. They are going to school functions, sports events, and keeping the family together.
God Bless these Grandparents!

Notes to self

-Never underestimate how fast a two year old can run

-Do not lose their favourite stuffed animal

The 5 second rule of food
-----Go ahead..try to beat a two year old to the cookie they just dropped on the floor while offering an alternate cookie to distract them

They know when something has 'disappeared'

The Alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same music

I have forgotten some of the verses for "There's a Hole in the Bucket" (search for them)

Response to a tag game

According to the directions here are 8 little known facts about me
This is for you Maya!

1-I don't like to come in out of the rain Rain water makes hair soft and I always got in trouble for lugging containers of rain water through the house to save for later

2-I live in Florida I HATE THE BEACH (and I can't swim)

3-I am a klutz. I have fallen down stairs several times, tripped over grass runners, fallen up stairs, ballet needs more coordination than I can muster

4-I like noise, I have a set of drums

5-I am a magnet for static electricity.....the fountain, the printers, metal doors, shopping carts, other people, my car, my dryer.....my first record player (until it caught on fire), the toaster
..I feel the electricity and often see sparks

6-I wanted to be a painter...middle school art class was a disaster..the india ink spilled, my trees didn't look like...well a tree Stick people are stupid unless you are reading a Nancy Drew novel or a Sherlock Holmes mystery

7-I want to hug a white bengal tiger ..unfortunately Seigfried and Roy have dibs on the majority of the species

8-I want to see Grand Central Station, I hear it looks better than it did in the 60's
And visit Central Park as long as I am there

Who am I?

I am not the grandmother from the last century

I don't bake cookies

I don't sew, knit or crochet

My home does not look like House Beautiful

I don't dust

I don't wax floors

Cooking is on a need to do only



Instead...

I make shapes with clay

Let the microwave do the cooking

Keep at least one clear path to navigate through the house

Pull a wagon full of grandchild and teddy bear through the yard

And allow splashing in the bath tub