Sharing Kids' Names

Here's a question for you grandma bloggers, and other bloggers too - how do you decide how much info to share about your kiddos?  I've been sharing pictures, general locations, and use pseudonyms for the grandkids, but I feel a little silly with the pseudonyms.  I've seen some people use made-up nicknames, and some people use first names only.  How do you decide what to reveal?  Do you see any dangers or problems in revealing first names, general locations, etc.?  I'd appreciate your thoughts.  Thanks!

Remember When

I was listening this morning to the Alan Jackson song, "Remember When," which is quite a lovely song, but it made me think of something of a pet peeve I have.  Here are the lyrics I'm talking about:

Remember when
we said when we turned grey
when the children grow up and move away
we won't be sad
we'll be glad
for all the life we've had
and we'll remember when

A lovely sentiment, right?  When you're younger and think about getting old, it seems that you plan to sit around and reminisce about what you did when you were "not old."  Turns out, not so much.  A recent Gallup poll showed that the older people get, the happier they are.  I'm guessing it's not because they're sitting around reminiscing about how happy they used to be.  Nope, it's because older people have more fun.  Now, this is a secret that we used to keep amongst ourselves, but of course, the baby boomers are getting older, and they can't keep their mouths shut, so word's getting out.  Getting older is fun!  The kids moved away, so we get the house to ourselves.  We get to set our own schedules more and more, and some of us have even retired (not us yet, but someday!).  We get to travel more, to places we want to go.  We've also learned a few things, and, one of the most important things, we have grandkids.  Yep, those cute little critters are a key to happiness, in my book.  So, we don't sit around thinking about what fun we had 20 years ago.  Nope, we think about what a great time we had last weekend, and how much fun we're going to have today! 

A Great Birthday Weekend

Baby Loves Her Cake and Went At It Face First

Whew, what a weekend we had this past weekend!  The baby turned 1, and we all trekked to Kansas City for her birthday party.  We picked up the 4-year-old from school, enjoyed an afternoon with her and her superspy stuffed kitty, Cat McMissile, picked up the older one from school, and headed out.  We watched DVDs (everyone except Papa, who was driving), stopped off at Emporia for some Freddy's, and got to KC in time for bed.  Then, we started the whirlwind weekend of partying.

Baby loved her cake, as did the 30 people who also attended.  Her party theme was "Hungry Little Caterpillar" and it was adorable.  She had three baby friends come to play, and they had fun too.

Pretty Cake Her Mom Made

My parents and son also came for the day on Saturday, so it was a full house.  On Sunday, we all got up and went to church, and then trekked back home to Wichita for some rest! 

What a joy to participate in a birthday like this - being a grandparent is really so much fun.

Downton Abbey - or How to Tell if a Show is "Crunchy Gravel"

We interrupt stories about grandkids to bring you this message about my current favorite show, Downton Abbey.  If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it.  Watch it now.  Then come back.

Okay.  Now, I happen to love the entire genre of "crunchy gravel," so called because there are lots of driveways with carriages that drive up and make lots of noise on that wonderful gravel.  It usually means it's a costume drama, set at least 100 years back, but I believe there should be a few more qualifications to be called fully crunchy gravel.  Here they are:

1. Horse-drawn carriages must be the primary mode of transportation.  Downton Abbey has horses, and carriages, but it's now 1916 on the show, and there are a number of "horseless carriages."  Horses being an important part of crunchy gravel for fans, this is a drawback to Downton Abbey.  We crunchy lovers also love horses, so more carriages and fewer cars, please.
2. String quartets supply the primary background music to a proper crunchy gravel.  There can be occasional simple piano accompaniment, with singing by a slightly off-key secondary character, but string quartets are essential.  They provide the appropriate quiet pace that we love so much.  Once again, Downton Abbey doesn't quite match up here, as they have an appalling attachment to full symphonic scores.  A little enthusiastic, Downton.
3. The main character's making a good marriage should be the absolute basis to the show's plot.  Other subplots are allowed, but marital status is of upmost importance to the character.  Wars are ever so slightly interesting, in that they might separate our character from her intended, but, mostly, we want marriages, or at least engagements.  Downton's given us a couple of engagements so far, but we really need more to keep our interest.
4. Colin Firth should be the leading man.  We don't care how old he is, we'll take him.  Downton Abbey: no Colin Firth.  There's definitely a lack there.

All in all, I'd have to say that Downton Abbey needs to work a bit harder if it wants to call itself a true crunchy gravel.  Not to say it's not the best TV you'll see all year.  If only Colin Firth were in it. 

A Sweet Supergrandkid

Today's my birthday, and my little 4-year-old granddaughter called a few minutes ago to wish me a happy birthday.  She's a real sweetheart, always giving hugs and cuddles.  We talked about the ice cream we're going to have on Sunday, and she of course wants her favorite, vanilla.  Vanilla it is.  Thanks, sweetie!

Christmas - A Week Late

We had Christmas a week late around our house, but wow did we have a good time, all the same.  Our biggest granddaughter got a magic set, the 4-year-old got a pretend RV, and the baby got a stroller/walker.  Three great-grandparents and three dogs added to the fun.  It was chaos, and not even controlled chaos!  Our son and his two daughters spent the night on Saturday night, and our daughter, son-in-law, and the baby were here all weekend.  Whew.

I ended up coming down with a virus that the baby had been struggling with, and we thought she was done with, but it was totally worth it.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!