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Surprise! It’s a…
Published on 2011-11-06 17:52:24
I was sworn to secrecy… until today. As my daughter nears the end of her pregnancy (their baby boy is due to arrive in late December), my son and daughter-in-law recently informed us that they are expecting their second child (gender TBD) in May! (I tell you sibling rivalry never ends: For those of you... > read more
Halloween Redux
Published on 2011-10-31 21:43:17
I love Halloween. But since 1999 when we first moved into this house we’ve felt, well, let’s just say, “Halloween Challenged.” Because our neighborhood has no sidewalks and our house has about a 150 foot walk up to our front door, NO ONE wants to bother to make the trek – not even our own... > read more
Survival of the Youngest
Published on 2011-10-23 21:10:33
Early this week, when a four month old infant died in his sleep at a local daycare center, I cried. I cried for the infant, for the family, and yes, for the woman who owned the business for 14 years without incident. Her photo was front and center on the first page of the paper.... > read more
Scary Medicine
Published on 2011-10-16 09:30:11
This was NOT the topic I had in mind for today, but I just had to rant. Of late I have been bothered with annoying back pain, which is all the more annoying since it prevents me from sitting down at my computer for long periods. But all of that is not as annoying as... > read more
Dining Out with Toddlers: Top 10 Things You Need to Know
Published on 2011-10-08 13:04:02
Face it. Americans love to eat out. I think the economy would have tanked long, long ago if it weren’t for the restaurant industry. That’s why we owe it to our children, the future of our country, to encourage the support of our eating establishments. Thus the suggestions below which were gleaned from years of... > read more
Diapering: The Top 10 Things You Need to Know
Published on 2011-10-02 14:27:36
My two grandsons have lots in common. At 20 months they pose a myriad of challenges as we try to get them to dress, dine and sleep. For those parents and caretakers not already indoctrinated, here are the top ten things you need to know about diapering a toddler (the next two installments will cover... > read more
Starting Early
Published on 2011-09-27 10:35:44
The appeal of my mattress has recently trumped the lure of my keyboard – just in case you were wondering where I’ve been. I usually don’t let 2 weeks elapse between blog posts, but my back has been acting up and it’s painful to sit. I believe I injured it when trying to do my... > read more
Making Things Better – Thoughts on 9/11
Published on 2011-09-11 18:34:02
In the midst of the Vietnam War, a fictional young couple had a decision to make: Should they start a family and bring an innocent life into a world that seemed corrupt with violence? The dilemma of Mike and Gloria was a recurring theme of the early 70′s TV show, “All in the Family.” In 1974... > read more
Camping, anyone?
Published on 2011-09-04 10:13:18
One week after Irene, the lights are on and the streets are cleared. We were lucky. No one we know of was hurt, our house is intact and no trees were lost. Thankfully, our children and grandchildren are safe and sound as well. Unfortunately, there are still a few without power and with fallen trees... > read more
Before the Power Goes Out
Published on 2011-08-27 20:12:44
It seems that Long Island and NYC are no longer immune to the capriciousness of Mother Nature. Earlier this week as my chandelier swayed above me and the floor shook beneath, I somehow correctly guessed I was experiencing an earthquake. Remembering past advisories, I calmly stood in the doorway of my bedroom thinking it was... > read more
Time Out
Published on 2011-07-05 22:24:25
No, this is not about the “time out” kids endure when they (and their parents) need a vacation from their mischief – rather, it’s about our “time out” while everyone else is on vacation. Ryan is on Long Beach I > read more
Distinctive Features
Published on 2011-06-28 22:16:45
Both of my grandsons are 17+ months old now and both are toddling around, taking in the world from their own miniature perspective. Ryan is the more worldly of the two – a natural result of his daycare experience. Charlie is just beginning to > read more
Overcoming Obstacles
Published on 2011-06-21 14:21:26
This year my 64th birthday fell on Father’s Day – a double celebration that happens every few years. So what did we do? What we always do: ensure that the double celebration equals double the work. We invited the kids and grandkids over f > read more
Chocolate and the Explorer
Published on 2011-06-17 14:45:48
Whenever my mom would talk about my childhood, she would refer to me as “the wild one.” She would describe how she had to run after me all the time in order to keep me out of trouble. Despite her best efforts I remember two incidents that > read more
Mommy’s World
Published on 2011-06-11 09:16:05
Although the Spanish phrase, “Mi Casa es Su Casa” sounds melodious and is nice in theory, I now realize it is not a philosophy I would recommend to the faint of heart. My daughter’s air conditioner system broke down this week > read more
Tech-No-logy
Published on 2011-06-04 10:59:59
There was a video gone viral the other day about a father who smashed his child’s cell phone to bits and pieces when he found she was sexting. Reactions ranged from nominations for “Father of the Year” to condemnations for exhibitin > read more
Flying off the Shelves
Published on 2011-05-29 16:29:49
Once a week for the past few weeks, my husband and I have been bringing Charlie to story time at Barnes and Noble. (Yes, it takes two of us to get his unwilling body in and out of the car seat.) At sixteen months, I believe he is one of the younge > read more
What? A Vacation? You’re Kidding!
Published on 2011-05-24 14:18:11
At the slightest sign of spring greenery I get antsy for a vacation. I start to think of my childhood and the carefree “last week in July, first week in August,” motor trips that my father planned every year. He worked long hours at a v > read more
Hiding the Truth
Published on 2011-05-20 21:22:09
As I take a walk with my grandson, Charlie, I marvel at how observant he is – how he watches everything from every angle while held back by the straps of his stroller – how he strains to look backward to see the car that just passed, or h > read more
Drill, Baby, Drill
Published on 2011-05-18 18:12:34
This Sunday’s NY Times illuminated the growing trend in early learning. Kumon is a Japanese import in the form of a tutoring franchise which has, of late, focused its attention on reading and math skills for pre-kindergarteners from ages 2 to > read more
How to Spoil Dinner
Published on 2011-05-14 19:19:32
Yesterday the grandchildren were in safe keeping with their parents and my husband had no commitments so we decided to get a few things done around the yard, do a few errands, then head out for dinner and a movie. In keeping with my so-called diet, I > read more
“The Times They Are A-Changin’…”
Published on 2011-05-10 12:03:06
As the weather gets warmer and the daylight hours lengthen, it seems the grandkids’ circadian rhythms have begun to exhibit signs of unpredictability. But of course we have become more unpredictable as well – the renewal of nature and alo > read more
Mother’s Day 101
Published on 2011-05-07 21:27:33
Today, in honor of Mother’s Day, I did a bit of research on its origin and meaning. Here is what I found out: Mother’s Day was set aside for the appreciation of mothers, motherhood, and maternal bonds in general, but neither the history o > read more
Exit Strategy
Published on 2011-05-04 19:34:47
I have the habit of writing misleading titles so I feel compelled to quickly confess. No, this is not a political post about getting out of the wars in the Middle East without leaving an unnerving situation; rather, it’s a family-friendly post > read more
Exercising with the Boss
Published on 2011-04-30 12:58:40
At fifteen months, Charlie is getting us to do things that we physically might not ordinarily do. We do it to see the smile on his face and to hear his belly laugh – even if it might be to our own detriment. But it seems that our grandson is > read more
Whose Mother’s Day is it?
Published on 2011-04-26 23:11:27
I don’t look forward to Mother’s Day the way I used to because I now feel it presents a few dilemmas – not the least of which is the dilemma of the greeting card. Here are my Mother’s Day greeting card questions and commen > read more
A Place to Hang Your Hat
Published on 2011-04-22 20:57:07
My husband and I recently bought one of those folksy, old-fashioned signs to put on a shelf in the kitchen. Even though our grandsons are only 15 months old, we’re totally optimistic about their reading ability: Aside from representing our ha > read more
The New Normal
Published on 2011-04-21 00:05:02
Every day that I watch Charlie, I keep my cell phone as well as my daughter’s land line nearby. The cell phone is important because I am the “answering service” for my son’s satellite dental office. The land line is for family > read more
Doctor, Heal Thyself
Published on 2011-04-16 10:56:56
After reading a recent article from Motherlode, I feel a need to vent. How can physicians, supposedly intelligent, educated adults, be so stupid? I’ll answer that myself: it has little to do with intelligence or education; it comes down to th > read more
Frenemies
Published on 2011-04-14 13:16:09
I’m really happy that both of my children have given me grandsons – but not because I wouldn’t want granddaughters. I would surely love them just as fiercely (while secretly looking forward to having more shopping partners). It is a > read more
Rushing it
Published on 2011-04-11 20:23:45
Time passes slowly when you are young and waiting to grow up. For those in the AARP group, time can’t pass slowly enough. That’s why I believe parents should relax and enjoy their children’s milestones as they are reached, rathe > read more
OMG! I can spell! RU sure?
Published on 2011-04-06 22:10:17
I believe teaching is a natural parental (and grand-parental) instinct; I can’t imagine ceding any part of that instinct to a machine. And neither can I imagine our school system ceding its human face to a screen and keyboard. That saidR > read more
Glassless in the Morning
Published on 2011-04-04 18:14:40
In keeping with my last post on fashion, I thought I’d broaden the conversation a bit since there was an interesting post for us older folks in the NY Times today. Basically it discussed options for the far-sighted (a condition afflicting peopl > read more
Fashion No-Sense
Published on 2011-03-31 21:15:15
Awhile back, I wrote an article for grandparents.about.com, Susan Adcox’s fabulous column. Specifically, I was answering the questions that she posed about fashion. At the request of my daughter, who would love for me to get a makeover, I a > read more
The Rub
Published on 2011-03-29 19:57:40
Something occurred to me as Charlie and I were reviewing his alphabet foam letters. Aside from realizing that I should remove them from his mouth, I was thinking about how easy it is to teach when your class size is one! Unfortunately, this led to > read more
Who Needs Photoshop?
Published on 2011-03-27 19:31:25
When our children were born, for the sake of family peace, we had to keep the two sets of grandparents apart. I don’t believe our children ever saw them together except at certain religious rites of passage (and even then, they barely allowed > read more
The Bully at the Play Date
Published on 2011-03-26 13:53:45
If you believe that temperament and character are pretty much determined by the time we are born (give or take some environmental influences), then is it possible that bullies or potential bullies could show up at toddler play dates? You betcha. As > read more
You’ve Got to be Kidding!
Published on 2011-03-22 15:30:53
Awhile ago a friend related a story that disturbed me a bit. She told me that her children were always competing and that her son asked her which grandchild she thought was smarter. Her response to him: “You’ve got to be kidding!̶ > read more
Grandma-speak
Published on 2011-03-18 16:10:53
As the two grandchildren are getting ever closer to actual verbal communication, I’ve noticed a bit of frustration as they try to get their ideas across. Here’s a typical conversation with Charlie. Charlie: KSXKSXKSXKSXKSXKSXKSXKSXKSXKS > read more
The Weight of Words
Published on 2011-03-16 08:38:28
I love Erma Bombeck and I miss her. I will be sad when I can’t find any more of her quotes to use in my sidebar. The one I just posted brought me to tears as I remembered the more trying years of my motherhood: “Good kids are like sunsets > read more
Payment enough?
Published on 2011-03-13 16:15:01
Just read an article in the NY Times that struck a chord but was not at all surprising. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development working paper entitled “Cooking, Caring and Volunteering: Unpaid Work Around the World ” found th > read more
The Enforcers
Published on 2011-03-10 23:52:52
How far should grandparents go in disciplining their grandchildren? This was the topic that was recently discussed on grandparents.com and that was inspired by an episode of ”Parenthood” on NBC (which, unfortunately, I missed). Since o > read more
The Disciplinarian
Published on 2011-03-10 23:52:52
How far should grandparents go in disciplining their grandchildren? This was the topic that was recently discussed on grandparents.com and that was inspired by an episode of ”Parenthood” on NBC (which, unfortunately, I missed). Since o > read more
Baby Somersaults
Published on 2011-03-08 17:22:08
A few weeks ago I did something really silly! I was bemoaning the fact that my hip, knee and back were acting up, so I decided to test my agility by doing a somersault on my bed. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. I was rebelling against old age. > read more
Granny-Nanny Weighs In
Published on 2011-03-04 17:21:51
I know I’ve mentioned my weight a few times on this blog, but I’m trying to figure out why I haven’t lost any. It is especially disheartening since both of my grandchildren have become much more mobile. Chasing Charlie upstairs se > read more
Here, there… and everywhere?
Published on 2011-03-03 11:06:08
I came upon an important post recently on the blog, raising grandchildren. It is written by Sally Kabak, a New Zealander who uprooted herself and her American husband to move to New Zealand to raise their granddaughter. The subject was the poor qua > read more
Talking points
Published on 2011-03-01 21:09:21
It’s both interesting and awesome to watch the verbal progression of my two grandsons. There is some new accomplishment almost every day. I’m sure it was just as interesting to watch my own children at this stage, but I’m not so s > read more
Keeping secrets
Published on 2011-02-28 18:49:52
After recently reading about the creative ways in which pregnancies are announced, I was reminded of an incident that really should have been posted when I first started this blog. Our daughter, hard-pressed to keep anything to herself, let us know > read more
What’s up with Mommy blogs?
Published on 2011-02-24 12:21:53
I know this is a bit off topic but I’m not on granny-nanny duty today, and I just read an interesting piece in Motherlode, the NY Times blog by Lisa Belkin. In it she asks readers to comment on what they see as the value of mommy blogs (is it > read more
A Second Chance
Published on 2011-02-22 21:34:13
Now at 13 months my two grandsons are becoming little people. I find it amazing to watch and often wonder why I don’t remember the precious details about my own two children. Is it just my memory that fails me? Maybe. Was I too busy or too ti > read more
Going to Grandma’s
Published on 2011-02-20 10:42:06
My daughter has been having back and neck pain, and her son is not a lightweight! On days when she is home alone with Charlie she often drives out to see me for some “back-pain relief.” Believe or not, at 63, I am less fragile. Now I lo > read more
What goes around…
Published on 2011-02-17 21:46:59
I remember our son having four different rather intense interests during his early childhood. Since he was our first child, it took us awhile to learn how to handle things. At the age of one, he loved plastic croquet mallets! We actually lined them > read more
The Good Mom
Published on 2011-02-16 18:50:56
This is not the first time I’m addressing this issue because I know it must be a very common one. My grandson Charlie was all smiles when I told him mommy was home. He quickly crawled to the door of his bedroom, and I picked him up to carry him > read more
The Best Nanny
Published on 2011-02-14 21:45:43
Today I tweeted about a disturbing article in a local paper. A nanny hired this past January (who had been working as a nanny for ten years) was charged with felony assault after she admitted sedating a four month old girl with diphenhydramine hyd > read more
The Baby and the Monitor
Published on 2011-02-13 16:44:34
Baby monitor recall emphasizes the importance of vigilance > read more
How we learned to talk!
Published on 2011-02-12 22:29:49
How a baby used positive reinforcement to get his point across > read more
…and what’s for lunch?
Published on 2011-02-12 15:55:43
School lunch programs will be changing for the better - hopefully! > read more
What’s for dinner?
Published on 2011-02-10 15:37:45
What we can do about junk food ruining our children's IQ. > read more
You know the drill
Published on 2011-02-08 21:38:08
Today I tweeted about a news report from CBS news radio 88 on baby and toddler dental health (February is National Children’s Dental Health Month). This article struck a particularly sensitive nerve (no pun intended) since not only do I have tw > read more
Discipline and cuteness
Published on 2011-02-07 22:12:11
What parents should be asking themselves when their children are just too cute! > read more
How to turn on the TV
Published on 2011-02-03 10:25:55
What a baby can learn from educational programming on TV > read more