Words for Wednesday: blessed

One of the best days of my life occurred when I became a grandmother. 

As a mother, your heart fills with love with the birth of each of your children, but you don’t even realize how much more love can be poured into that vessel when you’re gifted with a grandchild.

Our first grand arrived several years ago. And just when I thought I couldn’t love any other child like I loved her, another grandchild arrived. And then another. Three adorable little beings – girls that fill my heart with so much joy.

One of our grandchildren lives nearby and we are so fortunate that we have the blessing of being with her often. But we don’t get a lot of opportunities to spend time with our other two grandgirls because they live in another state.

However, when we’re together with our family and all three of our little ones, this Nana and Papa are so very happy. Their excitement to see us and their hugs and snuggles are precious to us.

Last month, we were blessed with even more joy. Our first grandson was born to our son and daughter-in-love.

Our entire family, consisting of our two grown children, their spouses, and our first grandchild, all traveled to the state next door to meet our newest family member.

And he certainly captured every one of our hearts. We all took turns holding and cuddling him, marveling at his newborn downy head and tiny fingers and toes.

“Ten little fingers, ten perfect toes, fill our hearts with love that overflows.” ~ unknown

He’s such a welcome addition to our family and we all were thrilled with his arrival. But I didn’t expect to see our firstborn grandchild fall so head over heels in love with this new baby, her cousin.

“Nana,” she told me, “I just LOVE babies.” And it was evident she loved THIS baby because she held him as often as she could and when he was out of her arms, she hovered nearby with a huge smile on her face while embracing the miracle of his new little life. And that gave me even greater joy.

Our weekend with all four of our grandchildren was truly a blessing. And as our two far-away grand girls followed us out into their yard, continuing to hug us and wave goodbye while we left, this came to my mind, “A day with your grandchildren restores your soul.”

This Nana is immensely blessed and even though all of my grandchildren can’t always be with me, they will always have a huge piece of my heart.

“Even when my grandchildren are not in my arms, on my lap, or in my home, they are in my heart and will stay there forever.” ~ unknown

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2024

Tuesday Tour: summer learning fun

School adjourned for the summer in our neck of the woods. Even though it’s been decades since I shouted hooray for the last day of school for myself or my children, I still ponder on how we’ll pass summer days.

Why? Because when you’re a Nana to young grandchildren as I am, you’re always searching for fun activities and places to enjoy together, and if there’s an educational factor to it, that’s an even bigger plus.

And when you’re grandparents who provide childcare for one of those grandchildren, you make a list with her of activities you hope to accomplish during the summer. 

Our oldest grand loves school and recently informed me how sad she was the school year was over because she likes learning every day.

So of course, I want to find plenty of activities and excursions that float her boat and teach her something new. On today’s Tuesday Tour, I’m sharing one educational experience we found one hot summer day last year.  

We set off on a day road trip with her and traveled to the mid-sized city, Altoona, in the central part of Pennsylvania. There we spent hours in a Victorian-styled, three-story mansion housing Quaint Corner Children’s Museum and Discovery Center, which provided fun and learning all rolled into one.

What a find it was! Our granddaughter absolutely loved every minute of the interactive exhibits on all three levels of the historic house built in 1893 by prominent Altoona contractor Daniel O’Rorke.  

Turning it into a children’s museum seems appropriate since he and his wife raised 11 children in that home, which still showcases some lovely Victorian architecture elements.

We began our experience from the top down checking out the third floor first. In addition to the usual “art room” where children can use materials to form all sorts of creations, what a surprise it was to find a “grocery store” room.

Complete with shelves of realistic food, cans, and boxes, there was also a working old fashioned cash register, grocery carts, and in one section of the room a play kitchen and “café.”

Next we found an animal hospital room where our little gal donned a veterinarian’s coat and “treated” many of the stuffed animals. Papa and Nana were the animal owners who brought their sick or injured pets to get x-rays, shots, and medicine.

From there we enjoyed the science room with neat hands-on displays to conduct scientific “research” and lab coats and goggles to wear while experimenting.

A construction room using all kinds of building materials was another source of learning and fun. Another big highlight was a small room where Papa and Little One took turns pedaling a stationary bicycle to create enough energy to light up one of the walls in the darkened area.

Our granddaughter got to be on stage in the theater and music room using costumes, musical instruments, and a great assortment of props while her doting grandparents sat in the audience watching her many performances.

On the first level of the museum there was a small gift shop, a room with historic aspects of the home depicted, and shelves of children’s books, a puppet theater, and an interesting sand sculpture that responded to the heat of her hands as she made hills and valleys.

But the biggest surprise of all was in the basement! Animal murals were painted on one wall and there was a word wall with magnetic words to form sentences. But that wasn’t the most exciting part.

There was a pirate ship to “board” and pretend to sail.

And a desert island complete with a “beach” – the entire floor was covered in sand with lots of sand toys.

Another big surprise was a rock-climbing wall on the desert island.

We were so glad we found this little gem of a place, and our granddaughter wants to go back there this summer with her Mommy along.

Quaint Corner Children’s Museum and Discovery Center is located at 2000 Union Ave, Altoona, PA. When we visited last summer, it was only open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, although it is open for birthday party bookings at other times.

For only $5 per person, it was an inexpensive way for our little one to learn a lot while having a great and memorable time. From what I could ascertain, this children’s museum is a non-profit organization and is run by volunteers.

“Adding fun to learning creates the best educational experience possible.” ~ Tamara L. Chilver

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2023

Words for Wednesday: magical birthday

How did our first grandchild get to be eight years old already?? Grandchildren are like flowers, you never get tired of watching them grow but…they grow up too quickly!

“There’s nothing like a grandchild to put a smile on your face, a lump in your throat and a warm feeling in your heart.” ~ unknown

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2023

Words for Wednesday: simple moments

Every September, my thoughts go back. Back to school. As the days remain warm but daylight winds down earlier and evenings become much cooler, I remember that September, for many, is back to school month.

When I was school-aged, going back to school was exciting, not a drudgery like so many make it out to be. And when Papa’s and my children were off to school, I was excited for them. Learning something new was interesting, getting to be with school friends great, and there were plenty of fun activities to attend as well.

This year, Papa and I watched as our oldest grandchild climbed aboard the big yellow school bus and headed off to second grade. Then we smiled as we received, by text messages, first day of school photos of our other two grandchildren, who live far away from us. They went to kindergarten and pre-school for the first time. Already?!

Their happy and excited faces told the story. Going to school is fun!

But before our oldest and nearby grandchild began her first day of school, Papa and I planned some activities for those last few days of summer vacation. Since we are her caregivers while her Mommy works, we often have entire days to spend with her.

Usually when Little One’s school year ends, she and I compose a list of fun things to do during summer. The list items vary from picking vegetables or fruit in the garden to romping at a playground to making crafts or a project to day trips somewhere enjoyable.

This past summer, we added having a tea party to that list and she didn’t forget that. So, one morning the week before school began, she wanted to hold our little tea party for lunch.

After a short discussion of what a tea party entails, I allowed her to set the menu and she prepared the food, with a little help from Nana. She also arranged the goodies on a three-tiered fancy glass party plate.

For our first course, she decided we would have fresh strawberries, green grapes, and sliced oranges. Next were small peanut butter sandwiches cut into triangles and bagel-style crackers with cheddar cheese slices. Our last tier included fudge stripe cookies and graham cracker sandwiches filled with marshmallow crème.

We ventured to my china cabinet so she could gather the “good” silverware, china plates, and a small silver tray for the tea bags. Brewing tea from tea leaves will be learned at our next party.

She set the table herself, rolled up cloth napkins and inserted them into rings, and chose (from Nana’s collection) teacups and saucers each of us would use (we invited Papa to our tea party too), and which of Nana’s teapots to hold our hot water.

She then searched for an assortment of different flavors of tea bags and placed them on the tray.

Delighted with her choices, she could hardly contain her excitement when we sat down to enjoy our party and discussed good table manners and etiquette. Our tea party wasn’t elaborate, just a simple one my grandchild orchestrated mostly by herself.

Such a simple little pleasure that only took a short amount of time to make her happy. I hope she remembers all these special moments she enjoys with her Nana and Papa.

I know, for certain, we will.

“Simple moments with your grandchildren often become the most priceless memories.” ~ unknown

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2022

Words for Wednesday: happiness

While writing yesterday’s blog post, the sun was shining outside my windows. And that prompted me to remember an old John Denver song, Sunshine on My Shoulders, that found its way into the post’s title.

Of course, the music rolodex in my mind rolled up the lyrics to that old 70’s tune. “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy…sunshine almost all the time makes me high.”  

It’s true. Sunshine makes me very happy. My mood is uplifted to the highest heights when that golden orb in the sky makes its appearance.

And that made me ponder about the emotion of happiness. I read somewhere that happiness could be defined thusly: experiencing joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.

What makes you happy?

Good question, isn’t it? As I’ve matured in age and wisdom (I hope), I’ve come to realize that another person does not have the power to make someone happy. Unfortunately, so many of us expect our spouses, our children, our families, our friends, our government, you name whatever the relationship is, to make us happy.

But when it comes right down to it, human beings will let us down, disappoint us, make us unhappy even. Why? Because others are not responsible for our happiness. Only we are ourselves. It’s a choice really.

Some famous folks in history knew that:

“Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” ~ Helen Keller

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” ~ Marcus Aurelius Antonius

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

A couple of weeks ago, our oldest grandchild spent a weekend with us. Since we are her caretakers often while her mommy works, Papa and I decided to make that Saturday with her something special, not the usual, not the norm.

We told her we would embark on a little trip after awakening that morning. Of course, she wanted to know where we were going, but we declared it a surprise, which made her even more excited.

After gathering fun items to occupy her time in the car, she helped me pack a picnic-style lunch, and we set out on our little venture. It was a chilly day and the sun didn’t shine much, but I still found my heart happy.

As soon as we arrived at our destination, she recognized it since it’s somewhere she’s been before. Kraynak’s is a nursery and garden center with a gigantic store full of seasonal décor, giftware, and most importantly to a child – toys and games!

But more than that, a special section of the store is devoted to holiday displays that delight children and adults alike. Our grandchild has seen the Christmas season display a few times and visited Santa there as well.

Prior to Easter though, the store features an Easter Bunny Lane with delightful scenes depicting spring and the Christian holiday of Easter. And that’s what we came to experience.

Her face lit up with excitement when we explained why we were there. She loved the displays and took time to discover every little aspect of them. Then we roamed the store looking at décor, plants and flowers, and inspecting the many aisles of toys and games.

It took quite some time for her to decide which toy she would like Nana and Papa to purchase for her but finally opted for an inexpensive pop-it fidget toy (if you are unfamiliar with these, click here).

We located a very nice park in a nearby town and ate our lunch there. Since we were a couple hours north of us, the weather was still very chilly, so we had what our little one calls a “car picnic.”

Then on we went to our next stop – a chocolate candy shop called Daffin’s Candies. There our sweet girl got to choose her own sweets – candy from the pick-a-mix bins and a little bit of chocolate too. Sounds like a child’s dream, doesn’t it?

As soon as we stepped inside, we inhaled the delectable aroma of chocolate, and couldn’t fail to notice a huge chocolate tree displayed in the center of the store with Easter decorations surrounding it.  At the rear of the store, we observed Chocolate Kingdom – animals, trains, castles, and houses made of chocolate, some weighing 100 pounds or more.

But our day wasn’t complete yet. We drove even farther north, stopping on the way at a covered bridge Papa and I hadn’t visited before, and our girl willingly ran around and skipped through the old wooden bridge with Nana following behind.

Our next stop was Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula that juts out into one of our nation’s Great Lakes, Lake Erie, to explore a bit. Visiting the Tom Ridge Environmental Center there, we learned about how the peninsula was formed and about the animals and habitats with interactive exhibits.

She liked going to the top of a 75-foot viewing tower so much, we had to do so twice, and didn’t mind the cold wind making us shiver.

Just inside the educational center, which is free to visit, she got a kick out of playing with three tall glass towers encasing little wooden scenes inside that move when you make a wheel spin.

We also stopped at one of Lake Erie’s lighthouses – a sight our little one had not experienced before. She was intrigued by it and really liked tramping through the snow and sand at the lake’s edge on the grounds there.

While exploring, we examined the ice at the water’s edge but then it truly surprised her to see the water completely frozen over in an area where people actually were walking out onto it. Then we spied little huts on the frozen surface and I explained to her that folks were ice fishing.

To end our day, we ate dinner at one of our grand girl’s favorite restaurants and then headed home to Nana and Papa’s house. A very full day. Very full of fun. And very full of happiness.

How do I know that our activities and time we three spent together brought our grandchild joy that day? The next day I found this evidence that she had drawn on a piece of paper in the car during our day-long excursion.

And that made me happy. It’s true that the way to be happy is to make others happy. That’s a choice I want to make every single day.

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2022

Words for Wednesday: someone had a birthday!

 How can it be possible that our first grandchild just recently turned seven? Seven!?!

Just the other day, it seems, I held her in my arms right after her birth and she captured my heart forever. Not to mention how she’s wrapped her PaPa (grandfather) right around her little finger.

How thankful I am to spend so much time with this dear child who so often curls up in my lap, wraps her arms around my neck, and whispers in my ear, “I love you, Nana.”

May each moment together remain preserved in my treasured memory bank as I watch her grow up way too quickly and may God grant us many more opportunities to help her celebrate her birthdays.

“Growing up too fast and I do recall wishin’ time would stop right in its tracks.” ~ Kenny Chesney

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2022

Words for Wednesday: first day

It’s in the air. I can smell it, I can feel it.

The days are still filled with bright sunshine and warm temperatures tricking us into believing summer is still hanging on till the bitter end, but after the sun sets in the west, the evening produces a bit of a chill.

And in the early mornings? Oh, it’s so very prevalent.

I’m talking about the change of season which signifies another kind of change. It’s back to school time.

Do you remember your very first day of school ever? I truly do not. Since I first hopped onto a big yellow school bus for the first time to attend public school 60 years ago (can THAT be right??!?), I don’t recall my first day at all. But I think it’s safe to say I was probably terrified.

My school didn’t offer kindergarten classes back then and preschool existed only in the cities where children went to “nursery school.”  So first grade was my first experience at school. I do have a few recollections of first grade but mostly they aren’t positive ones.

I was shy and timid and my gray-haired, somber teacher was also the school’s principal, so she was a strict disciplinarian. To me she loomed large over us with her very stern appearance and her unbending rules. Frankly, she scared me and most of the time, I was afraid to even open my mouth.

Once I became an adult, my mother shared a story about my first few days of school with me. As we were adjusting to school and schedules and rules, my classmates and I tended to cry during the day. Obviously, we sobbed because we were frightened or we just wanted to go home or we missed our mothers, who were mostly stay-at-home moms at that time.

So every school day for the first few days or so after I arrived home, my mother would ask me which of my friends cried that day. I didn’t like to admit that I shed tears as well because I really didn’t want her to know that. You know, put on a brave face so mom wouldn’t worry and would believe I truly was a brave, big girl.

One day, Mother asked me that question again and I promptly gave up the wailing culprits’ names. Of course, she suspected I wept as well, so she inquired once more, “Didn’t you cry too?”

My answer was, “Well, I wheened a little.” Apparently I knew the word whined and what it meant, but didn’t know how to properly pronounce it. Obviously, my mother thought it was funny enough to remember it and tell me the story decades later.

That memory came back to me just the other day – the first day of school in our local district. A lot of preparation and anxious discussion preceded it due to covid-19 concerns, but after advisement from area medical personnel and listening to parents give their thoughts and opinions via a video conferencing school board meeting, the district announced school would resume in person for those who wanted their children to attend. For others not comfortable with that, online learning would continue to take place as it had during the months of lockdowns.

Tons of safety precautions and procedures later, those big yellow school buses roared down our roads, picking up students, whose smiles or frowns were hidden by masks. Children must have their temperatures checked at home before they board, practice social distancing on the bus, and undergo another temperature check upon arrival at school.

It’s enough to make your head spin but I know one school student who happily complies. I can hardly believe it, but our grandchild – our oldest one, the first one, the one who loves to stay at Nana and Papa’s while her mommy works – trotted off to kindergarten just the other day.

She couldn’t wait. She was so excited to ride the school bus. She shared that she was eager to make new friends at school and confessed that she was a little nervous because it was a “big school, not like my preschool.” 

Papa and I arrived at her house several minutes before the bus was due to pick her up, we snapped photos, and she looked so big and grown up in her dress carrying her lunch box and her pencil case. She didn’t appear nervous or scared or any of the emotions I’m pretty sure I experienced the first day of my school career.

Instead, it was her Mama and her Nana who were nervous and apprehensive for her – but we didn’t let on to her that we were feeling that way. You know, put on a brave, happy face so she wouldn’t see us cry.

The big yellow school bus stopped in front of her house, she held her Mama’s hand and waited for Mr. School Bus Driver to motion that it was safe to cross the road, and she boarded that bus all by herself. Miss Independent. And at the end of the day, when she jumped off the bus, we could tell that she had a great, fun first day of ‘real’ school.

Even with her mask on, her eyes were smiling. As she removed it, she gushed about all the excitement of the day and she couldn’t wait to go back to school the next day.

A great start to a new season of learning. A new season of experiences. A new season of growing up. A change of life just as the season is changing.

I don’t remember my own first day of school all of those years ago, but I remember other first days. Wasn’t it just the other day that I was sending my own first child to school for the first time? Wasn’t it just yesterday that the other two eventually followed her onto that big, yellow school bus?

I remember those first days when my own children were filled with the same eager excitement that my grandchild experienced. I also remember feeling a little sad and teary-eyed but happy for them at the same time as they began a new phase of life.

And as long as my memory serves, I will remember my grandchild’s first day going off to school as well.

“You’re off to great places. Today is your first day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” ~ Dr. Seuss

©2020 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Words for Wednesday: closer look

Sometimes the teacher is really the student.

Papa and I spend a lot of time with our oldest grandchild since we provide childcare for our daughter while she works.

When our grandchild is with us, we do a lot of game playing, enacting the roles she provides with her active imagination, and doing outside activities as well like gardening, vegetable picking, flower tending.

So much of the time we do educate her. Papa shows her how to fix something; Nana helps her practice writing her letters and numbers, doing simple math, talking about shapes, sizes, and patterns, learning how to sound out words in the books we read together.

She learns how to make certain crafts from us, how much water it takes to keep her fairy garden growing, and so much more.

I believe we also teach her about faith in God, about the world around us, and about life in general.  But you know what? She teaches us a lot too.

She shows us how vivid an imagination can be and she demonstrates how we should view this world we live in, how to see wonder in the smallest aspects of life from a child’s perspective.

During one of our country drives, Little One gave us a commentary from her back seat car seat each time we came upon a new scene out the vehicle windows.

“Oh, Nana!” she exclaimed as we drove along a long, winding road finally reaching the pinnacle where the view around was pretty amazing, “It’s SO beautiful!”

And you know what? It truly was a beautiful view which may not have even registered as so for us. She notices small things that wouldn’t even cross Nana and Papa’s radar screen like the day she found a praying mantis slowly walking along in the mulch around our shrubs.

We had walked right past it and never saw it. But not Little One. She spied it right away, caused us to stop when she asked what kind of bug it was, and she spent a good bit of time watching it as it made its way up onto the boxwood shrub.  

All of it delighted her. And when she’s delighted, so are we. Grandchildren teach us to slow down, notice what might have been unseen, and take a closer look so we don’t miss a wonderful moment in life.

And that’s a lesson we all need to learn no matter what our age.

“Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.” ~ A.R. Ammons, American poet

©2020 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Words for Wednesday: make your own fun

Summer. Hot temperatures. Little rain. Humidity climbing up the ladder of mugginess.

Add covid-19 restrictions to that. No amusement parks. No summer baseball games. No fun at a playground. No public swimming pools.

No fun outings. No trips to a children’s museum. No trips to the zoo. No carnivals or county fairs. No festivals.

No trips to the library. No cooling off at the movie theater.

No Vacation Bible School at church.

Only drive-through trips to get an ice cream cone which you must eat in the car.

What’s a child to do on a hot, steamy day at Nana and Papa’s house when summer fun is restricted?

Make your own fun by engaging in a water blaster fight with Papa. And hope it helps water the dry, crunchy grass.

She makes us determined to make her childhood enjoyable no matter what!

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.” ~ George R.R. Martin

©2020 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Words for Wednesday: Party!

The birthday celebration was grand. The My Little Pony theme proved to be a big hit with the younger set and the adults enjoyed a great time of friendship and fellowship as well.

Little One (our first grandchild) turned five. (How can that be???) The children played pin the tail on the pony (Nana made the pony tails and Mommy made the pony), had pony races, got pony cutie marks (washable tattoos), designed their own bookmarks,  made rainbow edible jewelry with Froot Loops cereal,  and smacked the head off a My Little Pony pinata to gather up candy.

Keeping with the My Little Pony theme by using some of the characters’ names, food served included Twilight Sparkle hay bales (Rice Krispie treats), Spike’s spikes (Bugles snacks), Rarity’s crystals (rock candy), Apple Jack’s applesauce, Rainbow Dash’s fruit salad, and Fluttershy’s bunny food (raw veggies and dip).

And now that Little One is five, she now says she wants to be six! Don’t grow up too fast, my sweet grandchild. Remember that F I V E is Fantastic, Incredible, Vivid, and Energetic and enjoy every moment as you grow and learn this year. 

“Grandkids bring you into a sweeter, slower present. They show you the future at a time when a lot of your friends are thinking about the past. And they take you back to childhood–theirs, the parents’, your own: a three-time admittance to wonderland.” ~ Adair Lara

©2020 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com