The month of March in the King house can be summed up in one word...or sound..."aaaah-choo!" Ah yes, it is spring again, the time of year we always consider moving back to Oregon to get away from this pollen. To spare you all of that gooeyness, I'll jump ahead to last week when my Mom (but more importantly, Sydney and Jade's Grandma) came for a visit.
Since we live 2,000 miles away from both sets of Grandparents, any time spent with one of the Grands is a special treat. This was an equally special occasion for Grandma, because she did not have to share any attention with Bapaw :) My poor Mom is barely noticed by Sydney when Bapaw is in the room. We joke that growing up I was able to manipulate my Dad more than either of my brothers or sister. Perhaps because I was the youngest or because of my big blue eyes, all I had to do was bat my eyelashes and smile and he'd just melt. I, of course, never abused this power :) Now poor Bapaw has a granddaughter that looks exactly like me, and who also considers Bapaw to be her favorite person in the world. There's no hope for him. He's doomed to be always controlled by a little blond headed, bright eyed girl. But this week was Grandma's week, and boy did she make the most of it.
My Mom has recently stooped to buying presents for the girls, and telling them that the present is only from Grandma, not Bapaw. And the girls loved Grandma's Easter presents (Calico Critters). Sydney, who is a major stasher, found homes for the animals all over the house (we continue to discover these prizes in our pillowcases, in pots and pans, on top of shelves, in between couch cushions, and I'll let you know where else when I discover them). Jade walked around making "hoo-hoo's" "woof woof's" and "Grrrrs" to make her animals talk.
And, of course, the girls did lots of baking with Grandma, who let them lick the spoon at any and every step in the process (even when it was only sweetened condensed milk)! But what makes her a great Grandma is that she still ate the finished treats with the girls even after seeing all the double dipping fingers, drool (and who knows what else), and half eaten M&Ms blended into the final product.
Ode to Grandmas
These special times with a Grand make me feel so blessed. They also make my heart ache that the girls don't get more opportunities to enjoy and learn from their grandparents, especially Grandpa Mel and Grandma Robyn who we get to see only once or twice a year :( Sadly our culture tends to dismiss our elders as old school and outdated. How quickly we throw away this treasure. I pray my children will not so easily dismiss their Grands (and Great Grands)! We waste hours and hours scouring the internet, following blogs, and pinning...well...everything in order to get and give a million kinds of advice on life. Wouldn't it be nice to know someone who's had 70, 80, or 90 years of life experience in this tough world who will share their victories and defeats, tips and tricks with us. Oh, wait... :) I pray my girls will know the treasure of the words, instruction, and advice of their elders.
First, let me say that I love pinterest. But let me also say, all of those recipes have nothing on Grandma Marlene's homemade treats (trust me, you cannot leave her house without feeling wonderfully loved and overly bloated). The money saving pins have nothing on Grandma Fayrene's 250 plastic butter containers, washed and reused aluminum foil, and letter writing know-how so that not a millimeter of paper goes unused. I dare a pin or etsy store to share clothes better than those sewn or knitted by Gram or Mama Nolan. No Meme (I'm still really not sure what that even means, so excuse me if it's completely out of place here) can elicit more laughter than Great Aunt Montean.
Disclaimer: I'm not naive enough to think that Grandparents are our only source of wisdom, just an often overlooked one. Please don't read this blog and then go to your 70 year old Grandma for driving tips. You'll end up driving 20mph under the speed limit with your left-turn blinker flashing the whole journey :) But also consider, you may look equally dumb by relying on all the trending internet articles for life advice.
Despite the length of this post, I can't end a conversation on this topic without giving a shout out to my Aunt Holly. I've shared some thoughts based only upon my experience and worldview. If you want a more educated opinion on this topic, particularly on the spiritual dynamic, my aunt is a great resource. Check out her recent publication Intergenerational Christian Formation.
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| Where you'll find Sydney when Bapaw's near |
My Mom has recently stooped to buying presents for the girls, and telling them that the present is only from Grandma, not Bapaw. And the girls loved Grandma's Easter presents (Calico Critters). Sydney, who is a major stasher, found homes for the animals all over the house (we continue to discover these prizes in our pillowcases, in pots and pans, on top of shelves, in between couch cushions, and I'll let you know where else when I discover them). Jade walked around making "hoo-hoo's" "woof woof's" and "Grrrrs" to make her animals talk.
And, of course, the girls did lots of baking with Grandma, who let them lick the spoon at any and every step in the process (even when it was only sweetened condensed milk)! But what makes her a great Grandma is that she still ate the finished treats with the girls even after seeing all the double dipping fingers, drool (and who knows what else), and half eaten M&Ms blended into the final product.
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| M&M cookies with Grandma |
These special times with a Grand make me feel so blessed. They also make my heart ache that the girls don't get more opportunities to enjoy and learn from their grandparents, especially Grandpa Mel and Grandma Robyn who we get to see only once or twice a year :( Sadly our culture tends to dismiss our elders as old school and outdated. How quickly we throw away this treasure. I pray my children will not so easily dismiss their Grands (and Great Grands)! We waste hours and hours scouring the internet, following blogs, and pinning...well...everything in order to get and give a million kinds of advice on life. Wouldn't it be nice to know someone who's had 70, 80, or 90 years of life experience in this tough world who will share their victories and defeats, tips and tricks with us. Oh, wait... :) I pray my girls will know the treasure of the words, instruction, and advice of their elders.
First, let me say that I love pinterest. But let me also say, all of those recipes have nothing on Grandma Marlene's homemade treats (trust me, you cannot leave her house without feeling wonderfully loved and overly bloated). The money saving pins have nothing on Grandma Fayrene's 250 plastic butter containers, washed and reused aluminum foil, and letter writing know-how so that not a millimeter of paper goes unused. I dare a pin or etsy store to share clothes better than those sewn or knitted by Gram or Mama Nolan. No Meme (I'm still really not sure what that even means, so excuse me if it's completely out of place here) can elicit more laughter than Great Aunt Montean.
Disclaimer: I'm not naive enough to think that Grandparents are our only source of wisdom, just an often overlooked one. Please don't read this blog and then go to your 70 year old Grandma for driving tips. You'll end up driving 20mph under the speed limit with your left-turn blinker flashing the whole journey :) But also consider, you may look equally dumb by relying on all the trending internet articles for life advice.
Despite the length of this post, I can't end a conversation on this topic without giving a shout out to my Aunt Holly. I've shared some thoughts based only upon my experience and worldview. If you want a more educated opinion on this topic, particularly on the spiritual dynamic, my aunt is a great resource. Check out her recent publication Intergenerational Christian Formation.
Great blog babe! And as Seinfeld has said about old people driving...leaving the left turn blinker on is called, "an eventual left!"
ReplyDeleteI want to reiterate the value of Aunt Holly's work on Intergenerational Christian formation. She has put out some of the best work on this issue I have found. Often we look at children who grow up in the church only to leave, burned or having no regard for church or anything spiritual. This, in large part, is due to the lack of intergenerational experiences children have growing up. Read Holly Allen's stuff on this and it will bless you tremendously.
As I gain more years of experience myself, I have find myself treasuring those moments I had with my greats and grands. When my great grandmother passed away years ago, I was setting up my first house. I was able to use many of her kitchen items in my house, some of which are still being used. I often think of her when I use those items. As the years go by since my grandmother passed away, I find myself missing her more. Where I live and in my church community, I miss interacting with older generations. I like to hear their stories and learn from them.
ReplyDeleteIn our transient society, keeping strong ties with family can be difficult. One tool I use to keep in touch with some extended family is Skype. I like how Skype can bring about face-to-face time with my extended family, though I must admit, that making cookies with a person on Skype is a *tad* difficult. Licking a virtual spoon is not as tasty. So, do your children enjoy skyping? Mine take over. How about we skype soon, cousin?
Yes, we love skyping! We're pretty bad at keeping up with people, but we do have a weekly skype meeting with Katie. It's so neat to talk face to face between continents! We're definitely up to Skyping sometime. Sydney goes back and forth between loving it and being super shy when we Skype (which is totally not her). Jade just likes to stick her face right up front and center while pushing any and all buttons she can get her hands on :)
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