How Children Perceive Their Grandparents

One of my friends sent this to me and I so appreciate it.  Number 1 and 4 are just my favorites.  Hope you enjoy them.  I enjoy sharing them with you..................

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said. "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child.

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.

 

10 Things Your Dad Never Said

10. Well, how about that! I'm lost. Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.

9. You know, Lisa, now that you're thirteen, you'll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?

8. Don't worry, I can pick out a car for you now that you are sixteen.  Come on, it will only take an hour or two and you'll be driving your first car. 

7. Here's $50 bucks Mike. Go crazy!

6. What do you mean you want to be different than your friends?  You have to do the same things that they do, son.  So if they jump off a bridge I want you to jump right after them.

5. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend Jenny. You might want to consider throwing a party.

4. You know now that you are a teenager you can stay out as late as you want.  Curfews are not necessary for you kids.

3. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now, quit your belly aching and let's go to the mall.

2. Why do you want to go and get a job? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

1. Father's Day? Ah, don't worry about that. It's no big deal!

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
- Theodore Hesburgh

Mothers

All of you out there know what it is like to cause your Mother to worry.  Mom's worry about just everything.  It seems once you have your first child someone out there pushes the worry button for you and once the button is pushed there is no off switch.  Even when your children are grown adults you still worry about them.  I guess it is part of our nature.  We always want the best for our kids and want them to grow up to be happy, healthy adults.  Mothers are a strange breed in that we think we can save our offspring from just about everything.  We ultimately know that that is not really going to happen, but we pray that if we wish it so - it will be.

We are full of advice for our kids.  Do they listen?  Are you kidding me?  It's like talking to the toaster or better yet, it's like sticking a knife in the toaster while it is still plugged in.  "Shock and awe" you every time. 
Mothers only offer advice on two occasions: when you want it and when you don't.

From my many years of experience at being a Mother and Grandmother I have learned the following:

Your mother is the only person that knows more about you than you know about yourself.

Any time you are unable to solve a problem, ask your mother. She probably won't know either, but she will fake it.

The nicer a mother is, the greater the probability that her kids are rotten.

Never lie to your mother. And if you do, never think you got away with it.

The older you are, the more you feel like a child around your mother

All mother's have a "How To" manual. That's because they wrote the book.

Mother's way is best. If you don't believe it, ask her.

No matter how wrong you are, your mother will not hold it against you. She may remind you a number of times, but she will not hold it against you.

 MOTHERS WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!

What Woman doesn't Love Shoes

I just bought a new pair of sandals today and they are so cute.  I love shoes, to my hubby's dismay.  I probably own close to 40 pairs, maybe more or maybe a few less.  I have never had the courage to really count them.  I know that there are some that I may only wear once a year, but honestly, I really do need them.  And it is just heartbreaking to say goodbye to them.  Cleaning out my closet of shoes is always a volition I could do without.  I know that there are some that I haven't had on in several years, like my snow boots.  But then again you just never know when I will need 'em.  Living in Florida and not going to cold country but once in a blue moon, it is probably safe to say that they are only worn every 4 or five years.  And maybe having 2 pairs of snow boots is a real stretch, but remember, they are "so cute!".

I used to buy high heels, but since the age of 60 I pretty much stick to flats.  I still have a few spectator heels and some "have to have" black heels.  I normally wear daily either sandals or sneakers in the Summer and my loafers in the Fall and Winter.  Right now I am in the sandal mode and have come across some sweet looking ones.  I am not crazy about the between the toes ones but if they are attractive enough they're worth purchasing.

I guess I am very fortunate that I have the extra dough to spend on frivolous shoes.  Man, what if I didn't?  Have you heard this one?...................

Your Mama is so poor when I saw her wobbling down the street with one shoe, I hollered- "lost a shoe?", and she said-"Nope... just found one..."     LOL!  

I was shopping on line for a new pair of sneakers when I came across these heels below.  Now, are they sumpin' or what????   .

   

  

The Ferrari Shoes are just too, too CUTE! 

If you have a choice of selling shoes to ladies or giving birth to a flaming porcupine... look into that second, less painful career.
- Richard Jeni, 1957 - 2007

Our Little Family Toddler Got a BooBoo Today!

The phone call that always scares the pants off of you begins:  "Mama, I need you to come over, the baby is hurt".  Yep, he's a climber and had climbed onto one of the dining room chairs, stood up, and then fell forward, chair and all, onto a tile floor!  Oh my heavens!  Jenny said he bled profusely from his little mouth. 

Well after a trip to the doctors, he was diagnosed as ripping his vestible (the skin that runs between your lip and gums).  He also has a very fat lip.  Poor lil' dumplin'.  He will be all right and it will heal, but it has got to hurt like crazy!  God bless him!

He has quite a BOOBOO!

Oh yeah, little boys can really make your heart beat faster.  Especially toddlers, when they are in to everything and it seems you can't take your eyes off of them.  David and his older brother (who just had his 3rd Birthday celebration) are pretty much a handful.  I think I mentioned this a couple of days ago.  Well, here is a good breakdown of what and how this age thinks:

If it's mine it's mine,
if it's yours it's mine,
if I like it is mine,
if I can take it from you it is mine,
if I am playing with something ALL of the pieces are mine,
if I think it is mine it is,
if I saw it first it's mine,
if I had it then put it down it is still mine,
if you had it then you put it down it is now mine,
if it looks like the one I have at home it is mine,
if it is broken it is yours.

Yes, my daughter is now experiencing motherhood in all its glory.  As she aptly put it the other day -  The hardest job you will ever love!



And just so you Moms out there know I have been there, done that, here are a few more Motherhood laws that all of you will learn:

The more preparation time for the meal the less likely a child is to eat it.

and

As soon as the child is in the car and the car has left the driveway the child will have to use the bathroom.

May God Bless all Moms!

My favorite New Items

Being in the senior group, I tend to go back to the past and memories of what used to be, but I thought I would just like to mention just a few things that make my life so much easier in today's world.  Things that I enjoy right now.  Things that have really made my day.  Oh, and there are many.  Sometimes I think "what would I do without them?".  But then, a lot of them are just conveniences.  New technology is just great.  Sure, they make for a stress-free time, but more than that, they are just fun.

I guess first on my list is the computer.  Wow, what a difference it has made in my life.  The very first thing I do in the morning is get up and drink a cup of coffee and sit down at the computer.  No more newspapers for me.  I can get up to date with the news and check my e-mails.  No more letter writing. Then a quick trip to Facebook, Pinterest, and my Blog.  Hmmm! I got up at 7 and it is now 9.  Time flies when you are having fun.  Ahhhh! RETIREMENT!  I just love it.

Now it's time to check my i-phone (SUPER COOL!) and my google calendar to plan my day.  The google calendar is about the neatest thing I've come across lately.  I can check it out or add a note just about anywhere.  Just how neat is that?

And looking around the den I can see it is time to run the roomba.  Heh, Heh!  Just sit on my fat bums and watch Toby, our long haired dachsund run for the hills.  It does a pretty good job on picking up most of the dog hair and a few crumbs.  To be honest with you though, a once a week dyson vacuum is always a good idea.  That is when I literally have to stand up and walk around the room.  Well, a girl has to get some exercise, doesn't she?





A person can't go a day without using the microwave or the automatic dishwasher.  And how about the icemaker in the door of the refrigerator?  Yeah, our Grandmothers would faint if they could see us now.  Frozen dinners, ready made soups, granola bars and yogurts - do we ever have to cook a meal from the start again? 

And lastly, my all time fave - my DVR.  I can set up to record all my shows and watch them at my leisure (in which I have a lot).  No commercials!  Life is Good! 

Wait a minute.......I forgot to get out of my PJ's today.  Yeah, I know, now if I could only find some new device to help me remember that just because I'm retired I still have to get dressed every day.  HMMMM!  OR DO I?



    

Great Celebration on Mother's Day

Hope everyone had as nice a Mother's Day yesterday as I had.  Lisa and the boys sent me a delish tin of cookies and Jenny and her gang showed up at the beach condo for afternoon of fun, fun, fun.  Those little rascals really wear me out.  After they left about 7pm I was showered and in bed by 9pm.  LOL!  They are a lot of fun, but are non-stop.  We went to the pool and wore them out a little bit, at least the 6 and 7 year old girls could sit still and watch a Disney movie in the late afternoon.  The boys, 1 and 2, are a different story.  Boy did I ever get on the list with the 1 year old, David.  When he reached for a glass plate and Gramma yelled "No, No!" he sure did not like it.  I was told by my granddaughter, 6 year old Clara, "Gramma, he doesn't like the N word".  Heh!  The N WORD.  Can you believe it? It now has its own initials.... 

I can see why.  Everyone in the family spoils the little tyke.  You really can't help it.  He is so darn cute.  Sophie and Clara (his sisters) think he can do no wrong.  Here's an example of his handy work:

No, it's not what it looks like.  He found one of the girls red markers and just went to town marking himself.  What can you do but hide your face from him and laugh your face off!

So, heavens to Betsy don't say the N WORD.  He might just throw a little fitsky!  All in all it was a fun Mother's Day and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Hubby bought me flowers, the grandkids brought me flowers and we had a great take out bar-b-q dinner from Bono's.  What more could a Grandma want??      I can't think of a thing.

A Tribute to Mama

Are you wearing a red or a white carnation today?  This is an old custom that goes back over 100 years.  On the first official Mother's Day red or white carnations were passed out at churches across the nation signifying whether your Mother had passed or was still alive.  Red for the living and white for the dead.  Just a small remembrance to honor all mothers.

I will be wearing a white carnation for the 8th year and miss my Mama more than these words could every say.  She was my friend, my confidante, my mother.  I, not having any sisters, was closer to her than any other woman.  We shared our thoughts, our laughs, our long talks, and most of all our love for each other.  It was amazing how she could be a best friend, but when it came time to be a parent she was always there for me.

Mama, Herminia Maria Josefa Sofia Fernandez, was born and raised in Miami, Florida.  Her parents came from Spain in the early 1900's and her Father died at the early age of 35.  Her Mother, Mama Jo raised 5 children on her own.  It is amazing to me that she was able to care for these children on her own, taught herself to speak, read and write English but then again times were different back then and many immigrants did the same.  Mama was born at home at the hands of her Father in 1916, the 4th child of 5.  It was said that she was so small that Mama Jo had to carry her on a pillow for several months.  I think Mama must have been born quite a fighter.  She remained a tiny person for the rest of her life, just under 5 feet.  Her older sister, Ophelia was considered the beauty in the family and being the oldest girl received the new clothes.  My Mama, Mary received the cast downs.

Mama met my Dad at Miami High and they were married when they were 18.  They then raised my 2 brothers and myself.  I, being in the middle of my 2 brothers.  Mama stayed at home and catered to her family.  Her favorite past time was sewing and I reaped the rewards of having the best wardrobe that any little girl could have wanted.

One of my pleasant and cherished memories from when I was a child was the books she read to us.  When "To Kill a Mockingbird" first came out in the 60's and although I was well into my teens, she read it to my younger brother and I.  She put great emphasis on learning and as we learned, she shared in the knowledge.

"With tears and with my loving thoughts of you - I miss you, Mama!"    

  

"She gave me love as well as life;

so whatever goodness I may bring to Earth

 began with the gift of my Mother's heart."

 

 

Love my Roses!

Jenny, Geoff, and the grandkids gave me my first Knock-Out rose bush for my Birthday.  I hope it does as well as my next door neighbors' bush.  His is just huge and so beautiful.  I have had a slew of rose bushes in my day and have had some make it and some kick the bucket within a couple of weeks.  I have the perfect spot for them, so I think.  I just keep losing them because of forgetting to water and fertilize regularly.  I do have a couple faves that have made it through my uncaring.  My Don Juans and my Lady Banks always give me a thrill. They are at least 20 years in the ground.  Lady Banks blooms only once a year, but the Don Juan rose vine just keeps blooming and blooming.  Hope you enjoy the photo I took below when they were both in bloom.

My MamaJo (Grandmother) and my Mama loved roses too.  I guess most women do.  The beauty of nature is in a rose.  The fragrance, the color, the intense pleasure is all there for the taking.  My Lady Banks is a thornless climbing rose that explodes in yellow clusters of small blossoms.  Although it only blooms usually in March and into April it is a sight worth seeing.  The Don Juan rose fragrance is by all means the richest of my roses.

The Rose

A single rose
Given by one to another
A single rose
Be it a friend, sister, or lover

A single rose
So good and pure
A single rose
May be the cure

A single rose
May dry the tears
A single rose
Wipes away the fears

A single rose
Represents many things
A single rose
To a memory, it clings

And if, by chance, that memory is bad
A single rose
Can seem so sad

But if, with luck, the memory is good
The rose stands proud
As it should.

Calysta Rose Anderson

  

High School

Today I decided to join my old high school classmates on their new Facebook.  I graduated in 1963 from Fort Myers High School.  I could not believe how old everyone had become.  These people are really "old codgers" (I started to say "old farts", but decided against it!).  I really don't know what happened to them, but I hardly recognized any of 'em.  I mean they were really, really old.  My only response is that they must have all led hard lives.  They all looked like my Grandmother or Grandfather.  Could it be they fastforwarded in some time machine?  Heh!  Thank goodness that didn't happen to me.  Just to show you my results after 49 years look below:

           

1963 to 2012

O.K., so my hair has turned white and I am wearing glasses now, but really these people looked OLD!    By the way the glasses are just for cosmetic purposes and I always wanted to be a platinum blonde.  LOL!        It's all in the mind, all in the mind.  And you are as old as you feel.........And la, la, la!

I will say this "Time flies when you are having fun!"  And I've certainly had my share of that.  You know to be straight with ya', I would not give a hoot to be back there at 18 years old.  Yeah, I have a Grandson, Nick who will be there shortly.  And my advice to him would be to enjoy every minute of high school and college.  It will be fun to look back on those days, but know that the best is yet to come.  When you are 18, usually your inhibitions outweigh your confidences and it takes a few years more of living until you will really feel comfortable in your own skin.

It is great looking up old friends and seeing what they have been up to since we last saw each other.  It is interesting to hear what paths they each took and where they are now.  Listening to some of their stories makes me feel very lucky with the path that I chose.  How most of us have made it thus far is an interesting story in and of itself and the memories are still intact of those from the class of '63 who are no longer with us.  God has blessed the Ft. Myers High class of '63.

May Day

So today is May 1st and the celebration of Spring.  I remember in elementary school celebrating with a dance around the May Pole.  I guess they just don't do that anymore.  I used to really look forward to the pastel ribbons and weaving in and out with the other children to make the ribbons wrap around the pole.  Quaint fun that probably would not excite this generation.

I received an article from a friend today which highly enlightened me and after a little research found her info to be very true.  Way to spoil some sweet memories of my childhood.  It seems that some believe the May Pole originated way back with the Romans as a phallic symbol to greet the new Spring crops and make them plentiful.  Oh boy!  I would like to just think of it as a fun way for children to greet the coming of Spring.

The month of May is always a favorite time for me.  I love the weather and the flowering of so many of my back yard plants.  My gardenia bush that I brought from our first home in Jacksonville (Francis Drake Drive) is now over 6 feet tall and in high bloom.  I remember my younger brother helping me plant it again almost 20 years ago.  The most wonderful thing about it is it does not involve any care and every year it blooms like crazy.  I like to think it has something to do with Edgar helping me plant it.

I remember when we made gardenia corsages for Mother's Day.  The fragrance was spectacular. 

Here are a few other flowers from the back yard taken with my iPhone.

Uh oh!  A Senior moment.  The flowers on the left are Plumbagos and on the right is an Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) per my friend Cindy.  Thanks Cindy, I just had another senior moment on that one.

     

Monday is Wash Day

Monday, Monday, ......., So good to me.......

Well, it's washday and have to do it!  Getting ready for a couple of days at the beach.  The weather is perfect for some lounging and watching the tide roll in. 

Speaking of washday, it reminds me of how easy we have it nowadays.  I remember Grandma had a wash house behind her home and actually spent all day out in the heat rolling clothes through her old rickety wash tub.  Yeah, it had an electric agitator but she had to manually send the clothes through a ringer to get all the water out of 'em.  Then she had to hang 'em on the line.  Gads!, what a chore.  She starched all of grandpa's shirts and they would almost stand up by themselves.  After taking them down from the line she would have a coke bottle filled with water and a cork stopper to sprinkle them with, roll them up and then would start the ironing process.  What she could not finish in one day, she would stick the remainder in the refrigerator for the next day.  WOW!  do we have it easy today.

Can you believe she really said that????  And why does she look so happy????
Although I did see a kid at church yesterday who looked like he had slept in his clothes. lol!  Most Moms today don't believe in ironing anything.  Yepper, times have really changed.  I don't mean to sound so old but "I AM".  And to be honest with you, I don't iron much of anything these days.  I have been known to just stick a shirt back in the dryer with a wet washcloth to see if I can vanish some of the wrinkles.  Laziness =  a lack of desire to expend effort.  And although cotton may be more comfortable, I always look for the tag marked 50/50.

Well, there goes the buzzer (Another thing Grandma didn't have!) have to get busy folding and hanging.  Wish me luck with my wrinkles (on Clothes and myself....). 

Welcome

"Beso del Sol"

Welcome to our new blog.  We have named it Beso del Sol after our beach condo.  For those of you not familiar with Spanish, "Beso del Sol" means "Kiss of the Sun".  As Chuck and I approach the Winter of our lives, what better way to explain our time on this earth than that we have both been "Kissed by the Sun".  This August we will be celebrating our 46th Wedding Anniversary!  We have certainly had a delicious life together and have really enjoyed this beautiful earth and all the pleasures it has given us.

Like everyone, we have had our ups and downs.  As you know, living is always full of surprizes.  We are just grateful to be here together to enjoy each day as it comes our way.  The whole idea of creating this site is so that our family and friends can share some of our experiences from the past as well as what lies ahead in the future for us.  We hope that you will drop by often and enjoy some of our stories.  You might just find them entertaining enough to make the "Beso del Sol" blog a frequented oasis and that we can share our "Kiss of the Sun".

To start off with our "Heaven away from Home" we would love to share with you our beach condo.  We bought it back in April 2004 and have pretty much remodeled the whole interior.  When we retired at the end of 2003, Chuck said to me "If you want that place on the ocean, this is the time to get it".  And on my 59th Birthday we signed the papers to "Beso del Sol".  What a joy it has been and continues to be.  There is nothing like getting away to the Atlantic Ocean for a few days no matter what the Season! Our beach condo website is http://www.besodelsol.com and below is our YouTube video that you might enjoy.