You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Family’ tag.
“They say genes skip generations. Maybe that’s why grandparents find their grandchildren so likeable.” ~Joan McIntosh
Every year for the past six years I have brought one of my East Coast Grandkids out to the west coast to spend time with family they would not see otherwise. This year was my 13 year old Grandson’s turn. He flew out June 20th, and sadly, today is the day he flies home. We’ve done a lot in the last five weeks including three weeks in Canada (where I live), some time in Oregon, and the last 10 days in California. He’s a wonderful, caring and loving spirit with that 13 year old boyish zest for life. It has been my distinct pleasure to “host” him for the past six weeks. I’m gonna miss you Ty Ty!
197-365
“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” Alex Haley
Sleepover!! We had spent the day at a pool party, and ended up with all six Grandkids for a sleepover. We were all pretty beat . . . so settled down to watch Nemo before bedtime. Awesome memories having the kids (cousins) together like this. These are the opportunities I like to create whenever I can.
This has been processed in Nik Software Polarize. We felt like zombies, so I thought I’d make us look like zombies!
196-365
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” Richard Back, Illusions
We discovered this really neat place to spend time together today . . . the Chabot Space and Science Museum. I had not been here in about 25 years, when I had visited what was then just the Chabot Observatory. They have now built this really fun experiential Museum on site. The kids had a blast climbing in to space capsules, pretending to be an astronaut, looking at the stars and participating in all kinds of hands-on activities. We walked by this exhibit which made it look like we were walking on the moon – so obviously this became my 365 for today. What a very fun day with my kids and grandkids.
195-365
“Taking ‘you’ time is crucial and should be guilt free!” Alice D. Domar, Phd
I arrived at my Daughter’s in the San Francisco Bay Area last night. Temps here are in the high 80’s to mid 90’s. It’s warm! First order of business . . . a pedicure so I can wear my sandals without shame! Seriously overdue, and felt so good to sit back and vegetate for an hour doing nothing. ahhhhhhh!!!!!!
188-365
“A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.” Lois Wyse
One of the most joyful things in my life these days is waking up in the morning with a Little snuggled in to me! I’m at my Son’s in Oregon, and am up first thing this morning to drive 12 hours to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit more grandkids. I didn’t want to get up too early though, and not say goodbye to my Granddaughter. She’s been sleeping with me every night since I arrived in Oregon. So how special was it to wake up and find her snuggled right in to me? I used my iPad to carefully snap this shot . . . so as not to wake her. I might have said this before . . . but I love my life!
187-365
“Broken! Busted! Everybody has something to repair. Before buying new, let Mighty Putty fix it for you.” Billy Mays
My almost brand new front loading washing machine went on the fritz last week. Thank goodness I have a hubby who is really good at taking things apart and figuring out how to repair them. These machines are like cars now-a-days . . . requiring expensive technicians and parts to repair. And of course we didn’t buy an extended warranty. So after much research, and discovering that this model has had LOTS of issues with this exact same problem, he ordered a part for $75 on e-Bay. It came this week, he installed it, and it solved the problem My machine is operational again! Yay for Handyman Husbands! And NO Mighty Putty required! (I processed this in Lightroom and Photoshop. It’s B&W theme this week in the 365 Challenge. I am in the lower left of the photo – my hand and the top of my head.)
103-365
“Though motherhood is the most important of all the professions requiring more knowledge than any other department in human affairs there was no attention given to preparation for this office.” ~Elizabeth Cady Stanton
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a Mom and a Wife. In fact, I never had career aspirations like my sisters. I wanted to get married and have babies. So I did, two weeks after HS Grad. Two years later my baby girl was born, and three years later arrived my son. I have held several different jobs over the years but being a Mother is by far the most rewarding thing I have done in my life. It was a HUGE learning curve though . . . and back in the day we kind of did it by the seat of our pants . . . with a bit of help from our parents, and listening to intuition about what was right and what was wrong. Today, I see new parents in such a tizzy over how to raise the little ones. Information Overload! They are so worried about doing it “right” . . . with the advent of the internet it is so easy to look for the “answers” and there are many, many differing opinions! I would love to see new parents slow down, take a deep breath, and go with the flow. Turn off the information overload and pay attention to what is right in front of you . . . learn to listen and act, not react and panic, or live in fear about what might happen. And let the little ones learn by doing, making mistakes, falling down and getting back up with encouragement to succeed rather than taking care of everything for them. Oh what a wise Mom I would have been if only I’d known then what I know now!
102-365
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.” Leo F. Buscaglia
Well – our fun Easter Weekend had to end at some point! Easter Bunny pictures on Friday, Easter Egg decorating on Saturday morning, Easter Egg Hunt in the yard on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, Campfire and marshmallow roast on Saturday evening, and tons of outdoor playtime and yummy Easter Dinner on Sunday with lots of family. Here we are waiting to say goodbye to my son who is headed back to Oregon with my 4 yr old granddaughter. She said to her Mom and Dad “I don’t want to go home to Oregon. I want to live here with Grandma! You can come visit me anytime!” Bless her beautiful little heart! Meanwhile, the kids were playing street hockey in the driveway while we were “stalling” on saying our goodbyes . . .
87-365
“In the spring, at the end of the day you should smell like dirt.” Margaret Atwood
Not a terribly inspired picture today – but I think it captures the spirit of spring with these two Littles. It was one of the first gorgeous days we’ve had here this spring and the first place they headed was the garden. Dig, Dig, Dig! The ground is still a bit too wet to plant, but that didn’t stop these two from doing what they could to stir things up!
84-365
“Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children.” Princess Diana, Princess of Wales
I was busy cleaning today, getting ready for the onslaught of company coming this weekend for Easter. My son, daughter-in-law and 4 year old Granddaughter arrive today from Oregon. Baby girl was following me around entertaining herself, happy as could be just being in same space as I was. At one point I was cleaning in the Master Bath when I felt a tug at my leg and looked down. There she was wanting “up!”. How could I deny that moment? Luckily my camera was right there as well, so I was able to capture the moment for posterity. I can only say again . . .I am one very lucky and blessed “Ya Ya”!
83-365
Nurture Self 365 