Tag Archives: granddaughter

A cruise plus a visit with our granddaughter equals perfection

Posted on by

2

SD_1On the second day of our cruise, we ate breakfast while watching our ship pull into San Diego. This was the day for which I was most excited. What’s so great about San Diego, you ask? That’s where my number one granddaughter lives!

No shore excursion could match our itinerary. Our daughter and granddaughter were meeting us mid-morning, we’d go play at a park, eat lunch, then go play some more until our granddaughter’s nap time. If you have grandchildren, you completely understand my excitement. If not, well, I’m sorry – there’s no way to explain it, but trust me, this was the highlight of the cruise!

SD_2

Our daughter called to let us know she was on her way to the ship. We left our cabin, maneuvering past the photographers wanting to take souvenir photos so they could charge us an arm and a leg for these “treasured memories” of our cruise. Once off the ship, we were unsure of where our daughter would be able to meet us. We asked a port official where vehicles were allowed to pick up passengers and she told us anywhere along a certain area. We began to walk away, when she said, “I think this might be who you’re waiting for,” and she pointed to our granddaughter who was running toward us.

SD_3I wanted it noted that she ran straight into MY arms. I got the first hug! This is important because the rest of the day (as it is when we Skype) it was “Poppa, Poppa, Poppa!” The husband has always been a charmer.

SD_4

That’s our ship, the Sapphire Princess, in the background.

We walked along the pier, which is quite picturesque, visiting with our daughter and granddaughter, stopping to take photos and generally relishing the fact that we were face-to-face with no computer screen in between.

Our daughter is in the Navy, so she took us to a park where the USS Midway Museum is located. If we’d been there without the girls, we’d have definitely gone on the museum tour. The husband loves WWII history and would have enjoyed exploring the ship. There’s a HUGE statue of the famous photograph taken at the end of WWII in Times Square, so of course we posed for a picture.

SD_5A few steps away is A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military. Set up on a plaza are 15 life-sized bronze statues. One is of Bob Hope in front of a mic, and the rest of the statues represent military from different wars or conflicts. They are arranged as if attending a Bob Hope show, and excerpt of his shows are played. We thought it was great, but our granddaughter thought the statues were “scawey,” so we didn’t linger. “Thanks for the memories!”

We headed to the more child-friendly location and end up at a really nice park in Liberty Station. Swings, climbing structures and lots of sand kept Poppa and Izabel busy, while my daughter and I enjoyed the sun and some catching up.

When it was time for lunch, our daughter thought we might enjoy Slater’s 50/50. Who can say no to a burger made with 50 percent ground bacon and 50 percent ground beef? These burgers were good, but HUGE! In hindsight, the husband and I should have split one. If you live in Southern California, or plan to visit, they have several locations. Check ‘em out!

We went back to the park after lunch, somewhat surprised that Izabel hadn’t hit her grumpy, “I need a nap” point, yet. We were able to play/visit for about another hour and a half before we knew she’d had enough. We headed back to the ship and within five minutes our little sweetie was fast asleep in her car seat. Even kissing her goodbye didn’t cause her to stir. She was completely worn out. I have to admit we were a little worn out ourselves. It’s tough saying goodbye to your kids, not knowing exactly when you’ll see them again. Tight hugs, a kiss and a wave goodbye and don’t look back or you’ll cry.

We got back to our cabin and made reservations for dinner in the Santa Fe dining room. We weren’t hungry, but perhaps we would be in a couple of hours. Nope, we weren’t hungry, but went to dinner anyway. Hey, you’ve paid for the food, so you kind of feel obligated to eat, which is probably the reason people gain weight on a cruise.

I have to say the piña colada soup was amazing. Non-alcoholic, not overly sweet, it was the best part of my meal, and I probably should have ended it right there.  The specialty of the Santa Fe dining room is fajitas, so naturally I had to try them. I left the tortillas to the side and just ate the chicken and veggies. Still so full from lunch.

SD_6Back in our cabin, we watched our ship pull out of port from our balcony. If our cruise had ended the next day, I would have been satisfied. It had been a lovely day making memories with our granddaughter, and I went to sleep with the thought of her little arms wrapped lovingly around my neck.

(Next: Who cares about Ensenda? I’m watching football on a jumbo screen, poolside, in JANUARY!)

Shopping frugally with finesse

Posted on by

4

I was asked recently if I was a tightwad. I tend to think a tightwad is a miserly person, holding onto their money with an iron fits. That’s not me – just ask my husband! I’ a very generous person, but also very frugal, and that’s why I LOVE Thredup. (I blogged about my first shopping experience earlier this year)

thredupThredup is an online children’s consignment site (they’ve recently added women’s clothing, as well). You can shop by size, item, brand and condition, and the selection is HUGE! On my first visit to the site, I had more than $300 worth of clothing in my cart. All the items were new with tag (new, never worn item) and so cute, but I had to do some serious editing.  There was no way I could convince my husband I needed to buy that much, even if I was saving a ton of money!

Their everyday prices are great, so when I got an email announcing their semi-annual sale, I had to see what was available. As providence would have it, my granddaughters have birthdays within a few weeks, so the hunt was on for gifts!

I found a LOT of nice things, so I had to edit my cart before checking out (that’s par for the course!), but the end result is some pretty great bargains.

For my granddaughter, who will be two in July, I ordered the following:thredup_2

Gymboree pink jumper (original price $36.95/Thredup price $11.99)
Kobe purple sweater (original price $28/Thredup price $4.99)
Gymboree denim skirt (original price $25/Thredup price $4.99)
Hartstrings cream-colored sweater (original price $64.95/Thredup price $4.99)

For my granddaughter, who will celebrate her FIRST birthday, I ordered the following:

Thredup_1

OshKosh B’gosh pink winter jacket (original price $60/Thredup price $11.49
Hello Kitty pink fleece jacket (original price $26/Thredup price $4.99)
Disney pullover hoodie (original price $32/Thredup price $4.99)
Carter’s polka-dot leggings (original price $12/Thredup price $3.49)

I purchased $284.90 worth of new kids clothing for a grand total of $51.92 for a savings of more than 80 percent! AND, the shipping was free because I spent more than $50. That beats thrift stores any day of the week! I also saved on fuel since all the shopping was done from the comfort of my couch.

If you’ve never shopped Thredup, use this link to get a $10 credit on your first purchase. In the interest of full disclosure, I receive a $10 credit on my future purchases for each referral, but I’d share the information regardless. I love shopping for the grandbabies, and even more when I can spend the same amount and get so much more! Now that’s shopping with *finesse!!

My shopping finesse level:
Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert

What’s your shopping finesse level?

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)

Why I’m not “grandma”

Posted on by

5

I overheard a middle-aged man ask somewhat rhetorically, “Why don’t women want to be called grandma anymore?” I don’t know where he’s been hanging out, but I know plenty of women who love being called grandma. While, I love being a grandma, it’s not the name my grandchildren use, so I’ll answer his question.

First of all, it’s not about pride. I don’t think people look at me and think “grandma,” but they’re also not surprised to learn I am one. I’m certainly within the age range, and I’m content with that fact. I readily admit to being a grandma so I can talk to you about my granddaughters until your eyes roll. I proudly carry their photos and am ready to whip them out at the slightest mention. Consider yourself warned!

It is, however, a matter of practicality. Babies cannot say grandma. As they approach their first birthday, they can say simple syllables such as da, ma, ha (translated “hi”) and ba (translated “bye”). Between the ages of one and two, they add more words to their vocabulary, like mine and everyone’s favorite, NO!

We make it easy for these little budding linguists to say grandpa, by shortening it to “papa.” However, you can’t shorten “grandma” in the same manner. Babies have ONE “mama” and that’s a sacred relationship.

So, being the practical person that I am, I went in search of a name my grandchildren could pronounce – something simple. I know a few grandmas who are referred to as Mimi. Cute, simple and easy to pronounce, but that’s what my son called me as he was transitioning from saying mama to mommy. Somehow that didn’t seem right, and it’s also the name my son’s mother-in-law chose to use.

With my usual *finesse, I searched the internet and found a site that provides the word for grandma in other languages. I’m the first to admit that I’m pretty much a mixture of anything and everything Northern European. I’m Irish, English, German and Flemish with a tad-bit of Cherokee thrown in. In other words, I’m a mutt. However, since my Irish heritage is strongest, I looked up the Gaelic word for grandma. I found the following translation and definition: seanmháthair, literally meaning “old mother.” Children would not be likely to address a grandmother by this term. They would use instead Maimeó or Móraí.

It’s self-evident that I’m an “old mother,” so I chose not to have my grandchildren announce that fact every time they called my name. Besides, seanmháthair is even tougher to pronounce than grandma. I clicked the on the pronunciation of maimeó and heard, maw-moh. Okay, we have a winner!

My husband and I are Poppa and Mamo, respectively, and our almost two-year-old granddaughter has no problem saying either name. She actually demonstrated this for the congregation at church as her mother was taking her to the nursery midway through the sermon. As they were leaving the sanctuary we heard her strong, sweet voice saying, “Buh-bye, Poppa! Buh-bye, Mamo!” Her mother may have been slightly embarrassed, but it was one of the proudest moments of my life.

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)

Outrun the flu

Posted on by

0

Last week we were inundated with news of the flu. Every night it seemed the lead story on the national news was about the flu. Facebook friends related the misery of dealing with flu symptoms. Clearly I needed to outrun this evil virus, so I turned to the internet and found FLUF.A.C.T.S (F.A.C.T.S stands for the five symptoms of the flu; Fever, Aches, Chills, Tiredness, and Sudden onset).

wash handsNumber one on the list of prevention is hand washing. According to the website, the influenza virus can live for two to eight hours on surfaces. How many things do you touch that are touched by numerous others who may be infected? Elevator buttons, handrails on stairs and escalators, the appliance handles in your lunch room at work, menus in restaurants and the remote you share with your family are just a few of the things that come to mind. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with SOAP and water. When soap and water aren’t convenient, use hand sanitizer to kill those germs. I always carry a small bottle in my purse.

Second, cover your sneezes and cough, but not with your hand. Use a tissue, or as one of my favorite little people reminded me, use your “wing” (inner elbow). If you use a tissue, throw it away. They aren’t expensive, and they were invented to be disposable.

K_face covered

My youngest granddaughter likes to sleep with her face covered.

And then there’s the flu vaccine. I’m a weenie when it comes to shots, possibly because I have to occasionally give myself injections for relief from migraines, so I try to avoid being poked by additional needles. However, I did get the vaccine this year, and for one very good reason – my granddaughter! I don’t want to be sick and miss interacting with this precious little girl, and I certainly don’t want to unknowingly pass the virus to her.

Maintaining ones health on a daily basis is the best way to not only outrun the flu, but stay well in general. Provide your body with the proper rest, exercise and nutrition it requires. I’m also a big believer in taking Vitamin C, as mentioned in a previous post.

Stay well, my friends!

My flu fighting *finesse level:  Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert

What’s your flu fighting finesse level?

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)