How to Really Love Your Grandchild…in an Ever-Changing World: book Review

We are entering the weekend to celebrate our Grandparents. I dearly miss my grandparents. I am so thankful that my kids have their grandparents!

I was given the book by Dr. D. Ross Campbell called 'How to Really Love Your Grandchild…in an Ever-Changing World' and I couldn't read it yet, because my mom swiped it from me. I told her she can read it, but I wanted her to tell me what it was all about, and what her thoughts were on the book. I also wanted her to have it done in time for this weekend. (I really wasn't asking too much, and she was happy to do it). I just spoke with her this evening, and she said it was a wonderful book. She said she thinks that all parents should read this, too, not just grandparents. She said the book had some great points, and offered a lot of teaching. She said there are 10 (smaller) chapters, so it is easy reading. Each chapter is focused on a different topic. Here is what she said about some of the topics covered in the book:

*Health issues of children/grandchildren (ADHD, eating disorders, depression, etc.)

*Adult Anger

*Things that happened to grandparents~products of their upbringing

*Kids now days have so many distractions that our parents/grandparents didn't have (I Pod, MP3 player, video games, etc.)

She also mentioned that there is a story of a grandma becoming more savvy on the computer, taking classes and learning the computer way, so she can e-mail and connect with her grandson. She found out where his site was, and found some bad things on his site. Then she struggled with confronting him about it. Instead, she decided to not say anything, and let him come to her about it. In the end, he did confess some things to her, and he said he wasn't going to go back.

Grandparents are informed that they can have better relationships with their grand kids (and kids) if they let the parents parent. To not be a "parent" for the parent, but allowing the parent to parent. My mom said that the book really emphasized on the love chapter in the Bible~ 1 Corinthians 13. How to love your grandchild with unconditional love. Loving and accepting their grand kids as they are, no limits, so that the grandchild can feel they have someone they can turn to. The book has study lessons in the back so this book can be used in a study group. Again, my Mom recommends this book a must-read for all parents and grandparents.

You can purchase this book at LifeWay Christian store for $19.99.

Last night~ and Caleb is funny!

Last night, we went to a great concert at a church. A wonderfully musical, and very talented family was there using their God-given gifts to minister to us, and bless us! The family is called Simple Grace! They were very entertaining to watch, and I was amazed at the love they displayed. They have 8 children, and 8 in heaven! WOW~ and the mom, Kathy, is a very dedicated home schooling mom! They travel on the road 33 weeks a year doing ministry. I really enjoyed seeing them use their amazing talents to glorify God! They play so many instruments: banjo, guitar, bass guitar, key board, penny whistle, mandolin, cello, fiddles, harmonicas and more! It was a fun evening! My parents, my aunt and uncle, and my other aunt and uncle (here visiting from CO) were there, so it was fun to see relatives, too.

Anyway...Caleb and Nathaniel were running around in the gym afterward during the fellowship time (sweets and coffee break). They were having a blast having races. When we were getting in the van, Caleb had this conversation with Terry:
Caleb: I am tired!
Dad: Yes, it is late, did you have fun?
Caleb: Yes, it was fun running with Nathaniel. Dad, Nathaniel is a fast runner! He was chasing me!
Dad: Yes, he is fast.
Caleb: I need training lessons, so I can run as fast as Nathaniel.

**Isn't that a hoot? Hee hee...

Off to Grandma's house

Thursday night the kids went to Grandma's house for the weekend. This will be the longest Madelyn is away from me. She is completely done nursing, so I know she will be fine. It will be nice to have a break, but I miss them, and I look forward to their return.

We met half way to drop the kids off. We met at McDonald's and had some ice cream. Madelyn did her first sentence in signing...More Ice Cream, please. It was great! She is learning signing like you wouldn't believe. I am so happy that I have discovered sign language for the kids, and they are learning it. It is a great second language.

After we dropped the kids off, we went to visit my parents. It was a nice visit, and my Dad recruited Terry to help him bring a few items to the dumpster yard. While they were gone, my Mom and I looked for an old record I wanted to have. It was one that my sister and I listened to all the time. I remember we used to switch the speed of the record player to 45 and hear the singer change from a normal voice to a chipmunk. It was just hilarious!! I miss those days sometimes. I also borrowed a book from my Mom that was my great aunt's. It is a book about the Sunbonnet babies. I adore the book, and it was one that my great aunt used to read to us all the time. It has special meaning to me. I look forward to reading it to the kids. My Mom wasn't excited about loaning it to me, but I told her that it is just collecting dust on her shelf, so she should just let me borrow it. I told her I would protect it with my life.

We headed back home, and decided that we were going to go sing a few songs karaoke, since we were kid-free. Terry had to work early (get up at 4:30) a.m., and I had to work after an early Dr. appt., but we still wanted to go. It was a good time, and we each sang 2 songs. Terry and I love singing karaoke. It was a good night, even though we shorted ourselves on sleep.

Going away for the weekend

Well, we are heading out for a weekend trip up to see Terry's Mom, Grandma, Brother, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins....etc. Terry's Grandma is having a Surprise 80th birthday party tomorrow. It will be fun to celebrate her and her life. So, I just wanted to let you all know, I won't be blogging this weekend. I will be back on here Sunday night, or Monday. I hope you all have a super weekend!!

M.I.A.~

Sorry I have been "away from" the computer for a few days. We have been busy in our household!! Wednesday night, my Mother-in-Law came down for an extended weekend visit. It was great to see her, spend time with her, and watch her enjoying her grand kids. The kids just love their Grandma! On Thursday, she went with Nathaniel to his "Picnic Day" at school. They had outside games, and a big inflatable toy to play in. She surprised Nathaniel with Dairy Queen for lunch. He had forgotten his lunch at home, so she said she wanted to pick up D.Q. for him and Caleb. I had to bring Maddie to the Dr. appointment, so it worked out great! Caleb had fun being at the school too, until I came to pick him up. He wanted to stay there all day. Friday, I got to have a day with Nathaniel. It was his last day of school, and we went to a big Community Center. We got to go swimming and there was a big slide there. Nathaniel and I had a great time. There was another boy with us that I was chaperone of. He was very quiet, and looked at me funny when I tried to spark up a conversation with him. Kids like that kind of intimidate me. I really tried to get him to converse with me, and maybe squeeze a smile out of him. But to no avail, he with held. Oh well. At least Nathaniel and I had a really fun time. I didn't go down the slide, just because I am prego and I really don't want to do anything that may hurt the baby. I am not sure if it really would have done anything, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I did get into a game of tossing the ball with some boys. It started out with just Nathaniel and 2 of his friends. I threw it to one of them, and they threw it back to me. It was fun to watch them try to be the one to catch it. Pretty soon more boys came. I think there was about 10 boys playing after awhile. What was really funny was a couple of girls tried to get in the game, and if they got the ball...they started swimming away. All the boys went after her to get the ball back. It was quite comical. It was great to have one on one time with Nathaniel. We don't get that time enough, so I really appreciated my day out with him. Thanks Cheryl! You rock!!

When I got home on Friday afternoon, Caleb had to show me what he got. Caleb, Maddie and Grandma went to garage sales during the day. Caleb is a garage sale'aholic! He would go everyday if he could. He was so excited! He got a huge collection of Thomas the Train sets, cars, and track. He also got a Thomas the train bag/suitcase. Grandma hit the jackpot with this sale! She got such a great deal! Thomas stuff is so expensive! She got this huge box of items for $20! Terry and I couldn't believe it! She is such a bargain shopper and finds the best deals at garage sales! Thanks so much for your generosity, Cheryl! Thanks for all the maternity clothes, too! :)

Friday night, Terry and I brought Nathaniel to meet his Dad. Afterward, we went to watch trains. This is a highlight most times with our traveling to bring Nathaniel to meet his Dad. This time we went, we went up on a bridge and looked down on the trains and train yard. It was really neat to see the new views. Those cars are huge and really look so different from the top angle. While we were gone, Cheryl and Caleb took out all our tiles in our kitchen and dining room. Caleb had a great time taking out the tiles. He told Grandma that Dad will be really happy when he gets home. He wanted to start in on putting down the new flooring. I will see if I can get the pictures Grandma took of him uploaded on here.
When we got home, we tried out our new Mario Kart game for the Wii. It was super fun! I really love this new game! There are so many games and things to learn on it! It will really be a big hit this fall/winter when we are indoors more.

Saturday morning, we started our floors in our kitchen/dining room. We worked on them Sunday, too! We decided to get new flooring because our tiles were really bad. So, we put in real hardwood flooring. It isn't done quite yet, but it is so beautiful! I really love the new look! We really want to start painting, too, so we did buy one gallon of paint to start with behind the refrigerator, since it is pulled out. I hope we have enough paint to get the parts painted that we want that color. I was talking to my sister on the phone Sunday night, and she told me they are doing the same colors we are for their kitchen/dining rooms. I guess great minds think alike!!

Sunday afternoon, Caleb went to his friend's birthday party. It was a great party. The invitation said to come and dig in dirt! Be prepared to get dirty, and if you must, throw your clothes away. It was super! Caleb got really dirty. I will post pictures on here soon for that, too. There were 6 little kids there to dig in the big pile of dirt, and they really had a blast!

So, there is my long weekend. Sorry my blog has been mute for a bit. I will try to be good about posting a lot this week. This pregnancy is making me so tired. I am happy to say Maddie and Caleb are healthy. I am glad we are on vitamins, too.

Weekend

This weekend we will be going to my Mother-in-Law's and Terry's Grandma's to celebrate a (belated) Easter. We weren't able to make it up there for Easter because of Madelyn and Caleb being sick. I am really looking forward to spending time with family and just getting away. It will be fun to color eggs with the kids, and letting play with their cousins and Grandmas. I probably won't be online after 5 PM Friday-Sunday night. I may sneak on here to write a post or two, since I have a bit of an addiction...but we will see. I may just want to be on time out.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Weekend trip

I have been gone since Friday evening. Terry, the kids, Lena and I went to my husband's side of the family for our (belated) Christmas gathering. It was a full house. Friday night, on our way up, Terry, the kids and I stopped for supper. We went to Perkins. We had some coupons, and thought it sounded yummy. Caleb really wanted to have the rainbow pancakes. When we ordered, we specified that Caleb is extremely allergic to eggs. We asked that the pancakes be made specially (away from the eggs) on the griddle. Our waitress assured us she would let the chef know, and that he is a great chef, so there should not be an issue. Well, 10 minutes later, the waitress brought us our food. She informed us that as she was grabbing the pancakes, the chef told her that the batter has eggs in it. With all our food sitting in front of us Caleb nearly starving to death she asked if he would like to have something different. I am thinking I would like to give her a swift kick in the booty for waiting until our food was done to tell us there is eggs in the batter I politely told her that he will have a cheeseburger instead. So, Caleb had to sit there watching us eat as he waited. Terry and I gave him bacon and potato wedges. I wasn't all too happy with our waitress or that "great" chef. You would think he would know about the eggs and tell her when she put the order in....HELLO??!!
We got to Terry's Mom and Grandma's around 9. We just settled in for the evening. Saturday, we opened gifts and our stockings. It was a fun morning. We snacked on food all day and I really wasn't super careful with my points allowed each day with Weight Watchers. I will have to do some extra exercising this week and really watch the food choices. We opened gifts with Terry's Grandma and the rest of the clan in the afternoon. Caleb was opening one gift that someone wrapped in a Velveeta box. When Caleb saw the box he said, "I got Macaroni and Cheese!"
We took the kids sledding at a nearby hill Saturday afternoon. Caleb had just woke up from a nap, and he really wasn't ready to go sledding. As we were getting out of the van (at the sledding hill) Caleb said, "Dad, I am not really excited about sledding!" It was so funny. Nathaniel and Terry had a blast. I didn't go sledding down the ice hill, because I prefer the snowy hills. It was fun to watch, though....except this stray dog was there doing as Terry calls, "the Humpty Dumpty." It was nasty....yes, it all started with Nathaniel. He was sliding down on his jacket (laying on his stomach) when the dog went over to him and hopped on to ...ahem....ride him. It was so gross!! Then the stupid dog went over to Terry's little cousin and got on her head!! It was so nasty! We got after that dog, but it just didn't get it!
Saturday night, Terry's brother and his wife, Terry's cousin and his girlfriend, and Terry and I went out for a few hours. It was fun to go out on a date, and be kid-free for awhile. We had a fun time. Sunday morning, we all got up and got ready for church. After church we relaxed for awhile. Then, we had lunch and posed for a few pictures. By 3:00 we were all loaded up and on our way back home. It was a fun weekend, but it is so wonderful to be back home.

I have a few reviews and a few contests this week! I am so excited about so many products out there! Stay tuned! Don't forget to sign up for my Kaboost giveaway! It ends this Thursday!

13 Things to look forward to~

1. January is almost over: which means, the longest month of winter is almost over. This means super, butt-nipping cold is almost gone.
2. The days are starting to get longer: which means, the daylight hours will be longer=happier people.
3. My babysitting/nanny job is going to be starting into full swing by next week. This will mean my life will get a lot more busy, but I think all in all this will be so good in so many ways.
4. Nathaniel does NOT have school on Friday: which means some great time with my oldest son! I like when he doesn't have to go to school. (I miss having him home during the days).
5. We are going to my husband's side of the family for a Christmas (belated) gathering. It has been awhile since we have been up to Grandma's and I know it will be fun for visiting. Terry's brother's family moved up there recently, so we will get to see their new home, too. Grandma's house is remodeled, too, so it will be fun to see the (much needed) update.
6. I have some super products coming my way to review, and I think you all are in for some treats...HINT, HINT....yes, that means some SUPER contests will be coming your way very soon!
7. I am planning a girl's night sleep-over to happen in February. I loved hosting it last year, and I am SO looking forward to a night with my special girly friends...for laughing, munching, giggling (yes, laughing and giggling are different)...yakking, and maybe sleeping. OK, I know I can't handle staying up all night anymore, so I will be sleeping.
8. Madelyn is starting to say more things, and I am really looking forward to when she is talking. I love this stage she is in, and it just amazes me how much they really know.
9. Speaking of Maddie, she has her first birthday coming up in a month and a half! WOW! I can't believe she was born almost a year ago! Time goes so quickly!
10. In March, my parent's will celebrate 50 years of marriage! That is so wonderful and inspiring! I am so happy for them! It truly is a blessing! Congratulations to my parents!
11. LADIES NIGHT OUT in February. This is such a great night with my girlfriends at our home church. Game night, laughing, yakking, giggling to the point of: (1) tears, (2) rolling on the floor, (3) walking funny all the way to the bathroom before an accident, or (4) spitting a beverage out of your mouth. It is so much fun, and I hope we all can make it!
12. SNOW MELTING!! Need I say more?
13. Spring! Ditto...need I say more?

Weekend happenings and a few thoughts

Madelyn has been sick this weekend. Her moods have been pretty good, considering, but she is a little sick kiddo. Her breathing and coughing got really bad late last night. Her coughing really scared me. She did end up throwing up from it. Terry is an EMT so he has a stethoscope, and he listened to her lungs. He said they don't sound like there is liquid in there, but that it is more in her upper chest/throat area. I think we will just keep an eye on her today to see how things go.

My mom just got out of the hospital (Saturday). She had surgery and it will take awhile to recover. Terry, Maddie and I went over there last night to visit. I brought them a meal, and Terry was going to help Dad with burning brush. (Terry is also a firefighter) I didn't know that 2 of my brothers were going to come, 2 of my nieces, one of my nephews, and my brother's girlfriend. I only made one pan of Tator Tot hotdish, so I was a bit concerned about it feeding everyone. It did feed enough, so all is well. I think the guys had fun burning the brush. The wind was a bit strong, though, so it was a bit risky. It was great to see my family.

Today, I think Terry and I will stay home with Maddie. Her cough is terrible, and I really don't want to bring her to church to spread the love around. Tonight, we will pick up Nathaniel. He was visiting his dad for the weekend. He doesn't know we got the Wii, yet, so he will be really excited about that! I didn't want to tell him on Friday (when it came) because he wouldn't have been able to play it.

I really miss the boys, and I will be happy when they get home. Terry will be picking up Caleb tomorrow night. He is with Grandma right now. I bet he is having a great time.

I really didn't get much done on my Thursday's Thirteen, but I will still make progress on that list. I need to get it all done this week. I will be starting a job next week. I get to "nanny" a little girl who is 5 days older than Madelyn. I will drive to their home daily. The hours will be 5-6 hours a day. I think it will be a good thing. I will make extra income, and still be an at home mom (just not my home). I love children, so it will be fun to play with the kids. I am looking forward to this opportunity.

Christmas Cheer~ and funny times!

We had a fun last couple of days. Terry's Mom came down on Sunday afternoon. It was a very snowy day, and I was a little concerned about the roads. I know the visibility was decreasing, too. She did make it, and she was safe. Monday morning, Caleb, Grandma, Maddie and I were up. We were in the main floor playing on the floor and Lena (our dog) was playing, too. Well, since Terry was still in bed, I thought it was time for him to get up. So, I said, "Lena, go get Dad!" I was kidding with her, and I didn't really think she would do it, or understand. But, she bolted upstairs. Later, when Terry came downstairs, he asked me if I knew what Lena did. I said no. Then he said that she jumped up on our bed (which she never does, nor is allowed to) and walked across Terry's chest. Then, she stood on his nightstand! Can you believe it? What a smart dog! She is so funny! She knew I said to get Dad, and darn-tootin' she was on a mission! Oh, it was so funny. Well, the funnies didn't stop there. At Lunch, Caleb said the funniest thing to his grandma (just out of the blue). Let me re-cap:

Caleb: "Grandma?"
Grandma: "Yes, Caleb?"
Caleb: "You look like Chewbacca!"

It was so funny, and we have no idea where he got it from, or why he said it! Boy did it give us the giggles!
Terry and I got to go shopping (BY OURSELVES) and finish up the last few gifts. Terry's Dad sent us some Christmas money to buy some things for the kids. It was fun picking out some things. We had dinner at Denny's and the food was super. It was so good to eat REAL Ranch dressing with my salad. It has been so long since I had real ranch. (I started Weight Watchers in September). Then, we were off to get Nathaniel back from his visit with his Dad.
When we picked up Nathaniel that night we told him what Caleb said. His response was, "Well, that wasn't very nice. Not nice at all. At least he didn't say Yoda. Great Grandma looks like Yoda with all her wrinkles!"

Oh my goodness~ Kids are so super funny!!

After we got home from picking up Nathaniel, we had the kids go downstairs so Terry could get the Train in the house. Then, we played with the kids awhile before bedtime. Terry wanted me to play some Christmas music on the piano. It was fun, but it reminded me that I really need to brush up on my practicing. After the kids were in bed we wrapped all the gifts and put them under the tree. I filled the stockings. We don't "do" Santa, the gifts in there are from us, but I think the stocking filling is fun. Terry put the train around the tree, and it looked great. Finally, at almost 1 AM, I made it to bed.

Christmas morning was fun and special. Caleb, Maddie and Nathaniel loved to see the train. Maddie kept wanting to touch it. We had the kids open their gifts, and all was appreciated. Caleb only wanted a Rocket Fishing Pole for Christmas, so when he opened that gift, he pulled it out and said, "A shooting fishing pole~ I GOT IT!" I really wish I had that on camera. Where is that camcorder when you need it. It was so funny!

After gifts we had breakfast, then we headed over to my brother and sister-n-law's house for my side of the family. It was great to see everyone again. Our family doesn't get together enough. My sister and family was here from IL, and I haven't seen them since Easter, and that time was a brief visit. My other sister (who is a single mom of 4) didn't come. I was really upset about that, and I will post that in another post later. All in all, it was a great day. I will try to get a picture of all 18 Grandchildren up maybe tomorrow.

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

"Holiday Concert"

My son's third grade class had their "Holiday Concert" last night. I remember when I was little it was called a Christmas concert. I guess it would be "politically incorrect" or a "religious racism" to classify it as such. Anyway, it was a great concert!! Nathaniel got to play the drums for the evening concert. He was so proud, and he was so excited! It is an amazing feeling that goes through a mom when her baby is up front performing. I was really beaming, I am sure. The music teacher did an amazing concert with the kids. She involved as many students as she could. Some had singing parts, some played musical instruments, some had dancing parts, and one little guy was the "announcer" for each song. That little boy reminded me of "The Peanuts Christmas" when Linus was up front reciting the scripture from the book of Luke. It was very cute. It was a fun event. They had a concert during the day, which my parents came to that one with me and the kiddos. In the evening, my Mom-in-law came, Terry, Me and the kiddos. I got Nathaniel to giggle on the last song "Feliz Navidad". He has such a great smile. It was so great to see him smiling and having a great time.