Where did May go?

I can't believe that May slipped by!

It sort of went by in a whirl. There was a family outing to the Colorado River, where we relaxed, enjoyed the river, tried our hand at waterskiing, wake boarding, riding in the "doughnut", or driving the boat, according to our varying ages, skills and abilities...  We stayed at the Needles Marina; very pleasant, with clean restrooms, a clean swimming pool, grassy areas, trees, and easy river access. If you are familiar with the desert heat of the Needles area, you'll know how much we appreciated all of that.

We camped, cooked on the camp stove, and tried to keep cool during the hot days.  One evening, I stayed with the grandkids in their tent, once they went to sleep, so that Mom and Dad could get away for an evening to themselves.

Four days of pleasant interaction and relaxing recreation.  I never had it so good growing up myself; we all loved each other in my family, but we didn't know how to be together for more than a few hours without someone picking a fight.  So it is especially sweet to me to see my own family able to spend quality time together in peace and harmony.  It makes me feel like I did something right, that I helped make the world a little better place than what I found when I came to it.

With best wishes for a happy, healthy family,

California Dottie

Never Miss a Chance to Party!

This weekend, the family split into two groups.  Three, actually, because the youngest daughter backed out of the weekend excursions because she just had too much schoolwork to do to be able to get away to the remote places the rest of us were going.

So Daughter #3, with her husband, the two little boys, and visiting Grandma Sara all headed off to Yosemite National Park.  Hubby and I headed to Mammoth Mountain for a final weekend of skiing/snowboarding before the season ends, along with Dughter #2 and one of Hubby's business associates.  And Youngest Daughter stayed home, to work on her school projects and papers.  (Two more years of studies, and she'll be free to take off on weekends with us!)

We all enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. Grandma Sara got to see Yosemite in all its spring glory, with the waterfalls thundering and the air cool and crisp.  Youngest Daughter managed to get in a 10-K race Sunday morning, besides all her studying.   As for us, Mammoth Mountain without little ones along means we can ski/snowboard all day long non-stop.... if our Grandma/Grandpa joints and muscles can take it!  No excuse of switching off to care for a non-skiing little boy this time!  Oh, was I ever exhausted by the end of each day!

We rented a condo, because that is the way to go at Mammoth if you're staying more than one night or need more than one room.  We had two bedrooms, two baths, a full kitchen, a living/dining room with a fireplace and firewood, and a beautiful Jacuzzi/Sauna area just a few steps away.  So we had breakfast in the condo, off to the slopes all morning, lunch at the McCoy Station at the foot of Chair 3, a little rest and then skiing/snowboarding again until our legs absolutely gave out about 3:30 or 4:00.  To the Jacuzzi then, warming and soothing tired muscles, a shower and dressing to go out, and then dinner at one or another of the many fabulous dining options at Mammoth Lakes.  In the evening, a stroll around town, or a movie at the Minaret Cinema or relaxing in the condo with games, books or a good movie on TV.

Driving back home towards southern California on Sunday, we stopped at the Visitor's Center at Manzanar.  Did you know that after the attack on Pearl Harbor, all the people of Japanese descent living in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona, CITIZENS OR NOT, were yanked out of their homes/businesses/daily lives and transferred to a series of "Relocation Centers" which amounted to Concentration Camps, until the war was over?  A lot of people have never heard of this chapter of American History.  I was never told about it at school.  It is an eye-opener and gives much food for thought.  If you get a chance, visit one of these centers (there were 10 different centers, in remote locations), and learn what we are capable of when we are frightened...

But, back to the party!  Sunday was Daughter #4's birthday, so we coordinated with the Yosemite group to meet at a local restaurant to celebrate.  I wondered if they would be up to it, after a long weekend in the woods with Grandma Sara and the two little guys....  But once again, Daughter #3 came through for us, reminding me of the beauty of a real zest for life!  Of course they were up for partying!  They drove straight to the restaurant, where the rest of us had already gotten a table, and we had a wonderful evening of celebrating, eating, catching up on everyone's weekend, and enjoying each other's company.  Our girls are a constant reminder to us to keep a youthful spirit, and Never Miss a Chance to Party!

With best wishes for a happy, healthy family,

California Dottie

Two Grandmas Are Better Than One!

Most of the time I have my grandsons to myself, as their other grandma lives a long ways off, in Argentina, to be specific. Last week she arrived in California for an extended visit, and I was wondering how things would go for us while she was here. What I discovered is that two grandmas are better than one!

Sunday was the older grandson's birthday party--turning 6!  My daughter and her husband are very sociable and love having friends over, so they invited all their friends with 5-7 year olds over for a morning-long brunch.  Another little girl from the same kindergarten class was having a party that same morning, so they knew not everyone would arrive at the same time.  It was just open brunching and partying from 10 a.m. until about 3 p.m.


Things got a little more complicated because the birthday boy woke up with stomach cramps and vomiting, and was curled up in his bed miserable when party time came.  But the guests all knew each other, the kids are all friends, and there's a big backyard with a trampoline in it.  There was an average of one adult per kid, so supervision wasn't a problem, and there were other fun activities such as cupcake decorating and a bubble machine. Lots of good food and lots of good friendship carried the day.

The whole family worked towards getting things set up, but once the guests started arriving, my co-grandma and I were in charge of the kitchen:  making Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger waffles/pancakes to order, replenishing dishes with fresh hash-browns and scrambled eggs, whisking away used plates and washing up or wiping  up whatever needed it.  And it was so cool to have an extra pair of hands for the job!!!!  Grandma Sara and I had only met once before, at our kids' wedding, 13 years ago (though that was a one month visit).  Everything was much different now than back then, but we fell into a comfortable camaraderie, working together to help make the grandson's birthday party as nice as possible.

By the way, about 2 p.m., the birthday boy woke up, sat up, and then ran out to jump on the trampoline with his friends!  Wow!  How can kids literally bounce back from a bout of misery like that?  There was even time to open the gifts and play for a while before guests started saying good-bye.  It was a pretty great day, and the extra pair of grandma-hands sure helped!

With best wishes for a happy, healthy family,

California Dottie

Not Always Perfect

In spite of my best intentions, I'm not always the Perfect Grandma, believe me!

Take the other day--I had agreed to watch my grandsons "until late", without bothering to inquire how late was late :)  The first while was fine.  I picked up the three-year-old about 10 a.m. and took him to the nearby county museum--one of his favorite hangouts. We petted the bunny and the snake and the exotic cockroaches(ugh)and rode up and down the elevator to the different floors of the museum (maybe his favorite part of the excursion). It was a short day at school, and I was picking up a 10-year-old niece along with my kindergartner at noon, so there was a lot of energy flying around the house for the next several hours.  We had lunch, played outside, had snacks, played hide-and-go-seek in the house, had snacks...

My brother-in-law was finally able to pick up my niece about 6 p.m., and I casually got on the phone to see what time to expect a parent to come pick up the two younger boys.  Sometime between 8 and 9 p.m.  Hmmmm....  two or three more hours left, and I had run plumb out of energy already!

Supper was in order, and after that a bath.   How brilliant of me!  The boys love their bathtime; I have Thomas the Engine bathtoys, and that would be a perfect way of entertaining them for a half hour or so.  I ran the water, and the boys happily shed their clothes and jumped in.

Of course, Grandpa was home by then, tired after his long work day and his two-hour commute each way.  A tall glass of juice and slippers for Grandpa, and I sat beside him so he could tell me about his day. He likes me to sit by him in the evening while he relaxes. I could hear the boys splashing happily in the tub upstairs. Then things got a little too quiet, so I ran up the stairs to see what was up.  There were my two angelic-faced boys, smiling at me from the tub.  The fabric shower curtain had been pulled into the tub, and there was about a half-inch of water on the floor throughout the bathroom area! "He did it," shouted the five-year-old...  Right!

I managed to reign in my temper as I grabbed towels to soak up the water, and I immediately pulled the plug on the bath and dried and dressed first one wiggly little boy and then the other.  So far, so good, but I have to admit my model grandparenting was done for the day.

I am no believer in using the TV to entertain children, but that evening I did.  I wrapped each boy in a warm blanket, set them on the living room sofa, provided them with healthy snacks, and put on a children's movie for them.  I was DONE, just going on automatic and trying to keep up the appearance of being a good Grandma.  I retreated to the family room with my hubby, only getting up to check on the kids during the commercials in OUR program...  9 p.m. came and Daddy arrived to take the little ones home.

I love my grandkids, but I know there's a reason the Good Lord gives us children to raise when we are young enough to keep up with them 24/7!

With best wishes for a happy, healthy family,

California Dottie

The Disney Marathon--any day of the week!

It was a great day for Disneyland and California Adventure.  Sunny, but not too hot.  It was fairly crowded, but not the worst I've seen, by a long shot.  My Little Guys are still small enough that they get a big kick out of all the Little Kiddie attractions, so we did several of those.  They LOVE riding on Heimlich the Caterpillar, slowly winding our way through a carrot, an apple, a giant slice of watermelon, and a box of animal crackers. They always want to ride again and again.  If lines are short, I humor them, but today the line was pretty long, so we just went once!

And so the day wore on.  My 3-year-old was tall enough to ride Soaring Over California for the first time, so that was a big thrill for him!  We visited Monstropolis and Play House Disney, chatted with Crush the Sea Turtle and got our voices stolen by the bad witch from the Mermaid. We listened to street singers and we spent a long time playing in the National Park area of California Adventure.  We moved over to the Disneyland side and went through Tarzan's tree house a couple of times, then followed the Rabbit down to Alice's Wonderland.  We spent a while in the Tomorrowland Carousel of Progress, checking out all the marvels of the super-tech "home" and listening to animated tales of Peter Pan.  We wound up the day watching and participating in the pulsing "Block Party" on Main Street, much to the delight of the Little Ones.  They got to see some of their favorite characters, they got to dance with them in the street, and play the tambourine along with the rest of the music.  You could see their little-boy eyes sparkling and shining!

Finally, as it was getting dark, I loaded the kids up and headed out of the park.  They were bone tired, and so was I!!!  That was when those two miles back to the parking lot seemed really, really long.  It was getting chilly so I took off my sweatshirt to cover the boys a little better in the stroller.  We walked and walked... I had actually jogged from the parking lot to the theme park entrance in the morning, but by now it was just a matter of making it back to that far-away car, and it took us a full half-hour. 

Warm jammies for the boys, a last sandwich, a last carton of chocolate milk, and they were strapped in their car seats ready to sleep.  I made it home.   The boys were staying overnight with me, so I bedded them down and finally plopped down on the sofa beside my loving hubby.  I felt exhausted, but very, very happy!  What a privilege is mine, to enjoy time this way with my grandsons!

A Test of Endurance

A couple of days ago, I completed a Test of Endurance, compliments of Walt Disney Resorts. I haven't told you about it until now, because I had to spend all day yesterday recuperating from my efforts.

First of all, I would like to say that Annual Passes for amusement parks and theme parks are some of Grandma's dearest friends. They are a little painful at the time of purchase, but a wonderful invention if you look at them over the long run. This year, the grandsons and I have annual passes to Disneyland (again), courtesy of Great Aunt Susie. (Thank you, Sis!). This was her gift to the grandnephews.

It's very convenient for me. Any time the kids need an extra treat, or their school break doesn't coincide with the local black-out dates (because we tend to go for the more economically priced passes, some of which do have black-out dates), or their parents need some extra time to take care of things on their crowded agendas, Grandma can play Fairy Godmother and take the kids to the Magical Kingdom for the day.

The result?  Lots of Brownie Points for Grandma, lots of fun for the grandsons, and a day of peace for Mom and Dad, knowing their little ones are having a great time and are in the best of hands (mine, of course).

But what about that endurance test?  Oh, that! Well, Disneyland/California Adventure has a new parking lot that I didn't know about. When I saw the signs redirecting traffic down Harbour Blvd., I thought there might be roadwork on the regular route, so I obediently followed the flashing arrows to "Theme Park Parking". It turned out to be an entirely new parking lot which is being used in addition to the older "Mickey and Friends" parking structure. My guess is that this new parking lot is about two miles down the road.

It's true that there is a shuttle, but...  in order to do Disneyland by myself with the two little ones, I know from experience that I need a double stroller.  (Picture me carrying a worn-out three-year-old across the park in my arms while pushing the one-year-old in his stroller with one hand.  Or picture both toddlers piled on top of each other in a single stroller.  No.  It doesn't work.  I've tried both.)  And the double stroller we have is a jogging stroller, which does not fold up easily.  The wheels can be taken off to fit it into the car, but I mentally went through the process of carrying the stroller, the wheels, the bag of warm clothes for the evening, the water bottles, and the bag of snacks, all while trying to hang on to two toddlers who are sheer balls of energy in perpetual motion--or alternatively too sleepy to stand up, once we leave the park-- and at the same time, attempting to get on and off the shuttle...   I decided to walk it.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you how the adventure ended. :)   Right now, I feel another nap coming on!

The Joy of Buying Shoes and Socks

That wasn't actually what I went into the store for. I had been folding and putting away clean clothes at my daughter's house, when I noticed that our Little Skiier had managed to fray the cuffs on his new ski suit. That was our fault, of course! We had wanted the suit to be big enough for the rest of this season plus all of next season... so it was a bit long, and I guess the hems dragged and got frayed. Thus the trip to the nearest shopping center, to get some trim to sew around the hems of the pantlegs and make it all new again.

And of course, right next to the sewing notions store (Jo-Ann's), there was a Marshall's, so I thought I'd take a peek and see what they had.

Of course, the fact that the grandkids' feet grow like weeds and they grow out of shoes faster than they can wear them out, was in the back of my mind. And of course, they outgrow the socks, too. (Right now the 5-year-old's sock draw is full of socks which probably fit little brother better than they do him.) So... it was a couple of pairs of new shoes and a dozen or so pairs of socks for Big Brother (after all, you get really good buys at Marshall's!)

But you really aren't going to get Big Brother something without getting Little Brother something, too. So, there was a pair of new shoes for Little Brother and a few pairs of socks for him, too. Not that he needs them, because he will inherit Big Brother's entire sock drawer now, but little brothers need to know that they matter as much as big brothers, and besides, they had some really cute socks in his size!!

Hopefully they will both enjoy opening the packages (I plan to wrap them up as Un-Birthday presents, because kids enjoy opening presents), and hopefully, too, Little Brother won't be counting the number of items in each package... :)

As for Grandma, a lot of Joy. The Joy of having little ones still in my life. The anticipated Joy of seeing the excited look on their faces as they open their packages. The remembered Joy of New Shoes from when I was a little girl, hoping my grandchildren will still experience the same feeling. The Joy of being able to provide something needed, something useful, something nice for my little guys. The memories of when my own kids were small and I would sometimes place new clothes on their beds as a surprise for them when they came home from school. The sweetness of small, sturdy shoes and bright, comfy socks. So much Joy from those little Shoes and Socks. And all because I'm lucky enough to be a Grandma!!!!