Parting is NOT "sweet" sorrow!!

Well, things have really changed in my life overnight. I am not sure if I mentioned that two of the grandchildren I care for daily are being adopted and are currently not legally "grandchildren", just of the heart. One of them, the two year old, Zach, is actually not my daughter's charge either, but that of a close family friend. Due to reasons beyond my ability to fathom, his "mom" has moved on and left the family. Overnight. Just like that. I am not sure whether I will see him again or not, but for now I am told not to count on it. He was a handful and often created an atmosphere of chaos, but gosh, he is only two! He is smart and clever and funny too. I shall miss those characteristics.

Though I do know some of the details of her decision and see that it may in fact be a good move, it changes the dynamics of my daily life quite drastically. It has caused hurt and confusion among the other children as well. And the adults. But, perhaps for them, it is the best move. Frequent misunderstandings and untruthfulness only widen the relational gaps. Sometimes sudden departures and moving on are the only ways to deal with "stuff", I guess. At least she thought so.

So, it has been a quiet day. We went to the park, the three of us, and played with computers and watched a movie and made lunch, etc. Sort of the usual stuff. And gathered Zach's things into a pile to be picked up later by another friend. Bye, sweetie Zach. God bless you! Love, Grandma

Its Monday...and it over!!!

Wow! I should know by now not to expect much productivity on MOnday. The boys are adjusting to Grandma's authority once again and to knuckling down to do something like learning...

It started off well with my idea of painting with paint rollers (a favorite of Ty's) on a huge easel. They were so cute in their paint shirts and looked like little workmen painting away. The pictures have texture and color blends and swirls...And now cover the walls in the classroom....

But. it didn't take long to go from angelic looking little workmen, to monster boys fighting over toys. Even if I buy identical toys and mark them with their names there will inevitably be at least one argument over the items!! (That does help, however,,,) And it does help the little ones learn their names and letters...

It isn't so bad except for Zach's screaming when he doesn't get his way. Caleb tries that once in awhile too...and now little baby girl has taken up the habit as well. Oh well, at least I am not listening to dementia patients looking for their mother...neither know better I guess, but at least the kids will learn some day!

Speaking of screaming...I have been telling the boys that screaming is just for outside and we must use INSIDE voices in the house. Hence, I am cooking lunch and hear a terrible scream outside! I quickly put down all the "fixin's" and rushed to see what was the matter. Innocently, Caleb, the producer of the said wail, says "Nothing is wrong, Grandma...you said we could scream outside, so I did!" To which I replied, "Fine, but I am not coming out to check out every scream. If something really IS wrong, one of you will have to come get me." Shortly after, they came back inside...oh well...it is Monday...and it is OVER!!

Boys and their toys...several months ago now...

It was a Monday… It started with Tyler becoming very sassy, and anticipating he was about to be disciplined, he chose to hide in a closet. As I reached in to “assist” him out, he began to scream and held out his hand with blood on it. I knew I had not touched him and wondered what in the world had happened. He didn’t seem to know either. And then we saw the tooth lying on the floor. Apparently he had shut the door hard enough to cause his loose tooth to become disengaged. He ceased crying when he saw the prized tooth. I went downstairs to get a paper towel and a baggie to put the tooth in for the tooth fairy. I instructed him to just wait for me. BUT his already ornery mood led him to try to wash the tooth and down the drain it went! Hence, more crying and screaming… Fortunately, a friend who had once lived there with the family, was there and knew how to take apart the drain pipe, and successfully retrieved the tooth! BUT…the adventure did not stop there….

We had a scheduled science experiment involving a volcano. To make the eruption required baking soda and vinegar, along with some food coloring to make the lava look more real. Caleb and Zach were involved in this project as well. Since we had participated in finger painting the week before, Caleb, who is very creative, decided to paint food coloring all over his hands while my back was turned momentarily. Of course, it was RED…try to get THAT out!! And try to keep 3 yr old hands off things in the meantime!

And still the day grew stranger…

The boys had gotten inside/outside scooters for Christmas and we had an established route laid out with specific rules. Tyler breached one of the rules and was required to get off his scooter for 10 minutes. But, as stated before, he was NOT in an obedient mood and proceeded to argue a bit about the sentence. This resulted in his taking off on his scooter really fast in an attempt to get one more thrill on his way to parking it for the time out period. Unfortunately, he lost control and slammed into a wall, making a large hole in it. He was absolutely concerned about the potential consequences of that one, which, actually weren't so bad. Dad had lots of little chores available anyway..

And so the day continued and was blessed by coming to an end….
As will this entry into my blog….

Char

From about two weeks ago...Excitement

This week was interesting….Thursday we almost had a significant fire in the dining room of my daughter’s home. Apparently on Wednesday evening, my daughter and her husband had made a special dinner, accompanied by candlelight. So, Tyler, Mr. Inquisitive Himself, wanted to have candlelight for lunch on Thursday as well. Against my better judgment, I allowed him to light one candle safely snuggled inside a proper candle cup. His 3 yr old brother, Caleb, wanted to have one too. I agreed under the same circumstances.
All was well, until Zach, the 2 yr. old, decided to put his napkin on top of Caleb’s candle, (imitating Tyler having put a LID on his to put it out!) Obviously, the candle ignited the napkin and Caleb, trying to help, grabbed the burning napkin and flopped it on the table. Fortunately, the papers in the center did not ignite! I grabbed a potholder and smacked out the flames. All the boys began to cry and then became very somber. I lectured all of us, including myself, for poor judgment and it became a lesson for all involved.

The Joys of Boys!

I call myself "grannypro7" because I am a grandmother (please don't REALLY call me "granny") and a nanny (and homeschool teacher) professionally now and I have 7 grandchildren. (I only care daily for 4 of them...that's MORE than enough!) Of those seven, SIX, yes, SIX are BOYS! and I mean ALL-BOY boys!! The six-year-old, Tyler, who is the main subject of my home-schooling, has Cystic Fibrosis. CF is a life-shortening disease with its cure yet to be discovered. He is subjected to daily treatments of several medications via an SVN machine and another machine called "The Vest" which beats his little chest for at least a half hour at a time, at least twice a day. This, plus inhalers and pills and enzymes with everything he eats. Needless to say, homeschooling provides privacy and much needed 1:1 focus. He comes with a three-year-old brother, Caleb, and a two-year-old "cousin-brother" (a long story of adoption)and a baby sister (also being adopted) who just turned one.

Prior to this, I was enjoying a career as an Activity Professional in a geriatric health care setting. I loved my job and was on the State board and nationally certified. So, it was a sacrifice to take this on. One that is definitely rewarding but extremely challenging as well. There are days when I wonder what I was thinking when I said yes to my daughter! I am going to cut and paste some excerpts of my journal as the days go, to show you what I mean. I would like to share ideas for homeschooling, info on CF and hints for dealing with preschool boys. Bye for now...you can call me Char...