Mexico-the land of variety!

I had not been to Mexico since I was in college. That is too many years ago to state. It was not how I remembered it. Not worse, not necessarily better. Perhpas part of the problem is that I have not been there is soooo many years, and have actually NEVER been to this particular part. The new border crossing rules made our visit a bit of a rush the first time, as we had used metered parking with a two hour limit. We thought we would go over for a couple of hours and come back. The problem was that it took 58 minutes exactly to get back across the border. I am sure this is a temporary problem and that the powers that be will figure out a more convient way to scan IDs.

The Mexican people I encountered were very friendly. The men, especially, were loud and flirtatious and very convincing in their quest to sell me their wares. They adorned me with jewelry, smiling and saying how lovely it looked on me. They chased me down the lanes, swinging necklaces and bracelets in my face and inquiring how much I would give for them. I finally did buy a silver necklace. For $11.00. I thought, mistakenly, that wearing it would show that I had already bought jewelry and that they should pursue another tourist. However, it meant, to them, that I like jewelry. Everyone began to shout that they had a matching bracelet for a good deal. I finally hid the necklace in my purse. But, they were all jovial and good-natured with each other, jesting among themselves as to who REALLY had the best deal.

The "store" owners were a bit less assertive, although they shouted "Come in, Come in and see what I have!" They were willing to bargain, but wanted a "tip" on top of the final deal. One got me to buy Baby Girl a little leather purse. Steve got a silly T-shirt for a good price.

The lady vendors were much quieter, though they jumped up to show their goods and immediately quoted prices and demonstrated anything that moved. The talked excitedly and rapidly, but in respectful tones. Unfortunately, due to the very long line to re-enter the US, we had to cut our shopping time short. The line wrapped around many little shops and independent vendors. Some candy sellers follwed the line, trying to convince us we needed something to munch while we waited.

I was amazed at the myriad of people. Visitors from all over. Natives in traditional attire. Locals in regular clothes. Some looked more business-dignified than others. Some were beggars on the street, literally. One beggar sang off-key to attract attention. He appeared to be blind as he held is baseball cap out with one hand for donations. Another little elderly lady sat in a wheelchair with an umbrella hat on her head. She was not begging. She was selling candy. Flies swarmed all over her and the candy (which was wrapped) and her crippled hands barely
managed the money. No one stood beside her to help. But no one tried to rob her either.

The police drove all kinds of vehicles and the Border Patrol, on both sides, rode bicycles up and down the streets. There were few crosswalks and we had to take our chances on whether or not the traffic would stop as we crossed. But, we witnessed no accidents either time. (We went twice, once for shopping and once for dinner with my husband's company). We did, however, witness two arrests and a possible drug bust. And the rain poured down heavily on ALL of us!

The Mexican people seemed to welcome the visitors. They smiled as we passed. Even the beggars. IF they bumped into us, they apologized. Wow! People rarely do that at any malls here! The apologizing, I mean. The bumping into you...that is common.

Even those who could not speak English seemed to try to express friendliness. The only grumpy people I encountered were the Border Patrol guards. I am not sure if they were over-whelmed at the amount of humanity wanting to cross the border, or if they were bored at the routine of "check the IDs, birth certificates, or passports," or had drank the water...but we did get across!

I like the land of Mexico. I shall go there again. But I shall NOT park with a meter needing feeding, and I shall give the Border Guards an extra smile, since they seemed to have lost theirs. A nice variety of humanity. A nice variety of culture. And very good experience over-all!

PS- The Mexican food at the dinner was excellent. And we had a band serenade us throughout dinner. Very nice entertainment.

Robots and Rainbows

The family still had their friends visiting the last time I was over there. Hunky emerges from the downstairs play closet and hands the Papa a large calculator.. The kind that you can get at the dollar store. "Here," he says' "This is a remote control for the robot...You take it...Yikes!" as he runs off. Papa Friend just looks at the calculator and continues talking to the adults. I, meanwhile, find myself convulsing with laughter. Because I know. I know the "yikes" was an invitation to BECOME that robot and chase Hunky through the house. I know that his next hiding place was to fool the robot. I know that if the holder of the remote chooses NOT to BECOME the robot, he is to FIND the robot monster and direct him to chase the boys. But Papa Friend did not take the hints. So, Hunky and Handsome and the two little Friends proceed to squeal and race through the house...looking for the robot, until it was time to go to the movies with their dads to see "Space Chimps". THAT ought to ge their imaginations roaring!

We had a b'day party for Mama-daughter on Thursday night...because that WAS her actual birthday! She pulled out a present FOR Hunky and Handsome, that she was saving for their b'days which are two weeks and five weeks away, respectively. so all could enjoy. It was a dance game with those pads you dance on while you try to follow the arrows on the computer screen. I didn't even attempt it. Coordination in NOT my best attribute. Actually, I think it is NO attribute at all for me! It was far more fun for me to take pix of the others; especially Baby Girl and Baby Friend. They were hysterically funny.

I took TDH and Jomo to the resort pool that we are members of on Friday. They had a blast, but the water was very warm and made us all sleepy, rather than rejuvinated. Just as well, because later GRandpa and I set out on a journey to another resort...one which his boss is paying for, new the border of Mexico, called Rio Rico. We are actually there now, and are getting ready to go to Mexico to shop for a while. then we shall come back and enjoy the ammenities here, and then prepare to go to dinner with the gang from his work...back into Mexico.

And then home tomorrow to pick up the gang, Handsome, Hunky, and Baby Girl to have 24/7 through Wednesday while mom and dad are away in Coronado. The Friends will be gone and I will get the privilege of bringing the gang back to "normal". Enough said! Wish me luck and say a prayer too!

PS--about the rainbows...we saw a double rainbow on the way here. Simply beautiful! Last year, on this same trip, I saw a complete rainbow, from one side to the other. This must be THE place for rainbows! Rainbows are the upside of storms! On the other side of the highway from the rainbow, this trip, was a dark foreboding cloud cover, with a single, brilliant ray of light peeking through the top! Yes, there is light in the darkest of times! And if we keep on heading down the road, we shall encounter rainbows!

PSS...the photo is of all four boys, with TDH being the "victim" of his cousins and brother! You can see, life is not dull!

Creating more from less!

I don't know if the title actually fits all that I want to blog today. Let's start with the creating part...the guests mentioned in yesterday's blog had to visit their grandma today and help daddy and mommy create some much-needed repairs at her house.

We had noticed that our mommy had purchased lots of fruit, but some of it was turning brownish due to lack of interest in its consumption. No child is excited about eating a peach or nectarine with a soft spot in it, much less a brownish banana. Some adults wouldn't either. And the plums...well, lets just say they had lost their appeal, even to ME and I like plums! And I have a difficult time throwing away food if there is even the smallest possibility of it still being edible. My grandsons love to use the blender! So, we peeled and squished and put all those browning fruit into the blender and whirred away. We added a cup of sugar to the mixture and whirred some more. It came out very tasty...however, the boys knew just what was IN the "smoothie". To fix their hesitation to try it, we made it into popsicles. Boy are they yummy! We found that applesauce makes good popsicles too. They do melt quickly, but one can always add either flavored or unflavored gelatin to it. (Strawberry tastes pretty yummy!) Healthier popsiciles and not wasting food work together for me!

I actually found a way to get the boys to use napkins instead of their shirts or the backs of the chairs...You MUST have napkins with figures on them. Superman or Diego work well, but even flowers worked for me. All I do is tell them to make sure they get goop on the flower stem, or Superman's arm, or Diego's backpack, etc. They make sure every crumb or goo lands precisely on the napkin as close to the target as possible. Sure saves the sleeves!

The weather is continuing to be creative here. The metorologists daily change their predictions as to when we shall get soaked again. Yesterday it was possibly today or Thursday, now it is Saturday. I shall be in Mexico on Saturday. My husband's company sends qualifying salesmen and families to a resort on the border near Nogales. Then on Saturday eve, the boss treats us to a great dinner in Mexico. We plan to go shopping there Saturday afternoon as well. I am looking forward to this weekend. Last year, it conflicted with the homeschool convention and I only got to spend Saturday eve with my honey.

Oh yes, speaking of creative...from now on I shall try to use the kids' nicknames. Part of the reason is that the boys really do go by those names with their parents, and for new blog-readers, I can more anonymously tell of their antics. Also, I have hesitated to use their pictures with their names, so eventually, I will post pictures of the cute things they do. From now on Ty will be referred to as "Handsome", Caleb as "Hunky" and I will still use Baby Girl for the girl. Jonathan goes by "Jomo" anyway. And Andrew will be TDH (for Tall, Dark, and Handsome) (His suggestion!) I told you they were creative!

So, the adventures of Handsome, Hunky, Baby Girl, Jomo, and TDH begin...

PS- During his reading flash cards last year Ty (the last time I shall use his real name) looked at the flash card of his name and said that spelled "Handsome"...with a big impish grin on his face!

PSS- Little Elijah doesn't yet have a nickname from mommy and daddy (or anyone else that I know of). So, for purposes of this blog, he shall become "Big Boy"!

Excitement in the Air!

Today was exciting for two of my grandchildren. They waited anxiously for their friends who moved away to Texas last winter, to arrive for a visit. All THREE kids were up and dressed before 9:00 AM and Ty's treatments were finished by 10:00. THAT, in itself borders on the miraculous! To continue on the miraculous thought, they also were extra careful not to mess up the clean house, and to clean up anything that Daddy discovered needed more attention! Wow! They were REALLY excited! I had to leave early for a doctor's appointment, and so did not get to welcome the anticipated guests. But I shall greet them warmly tomorrow!

I myself, have been having some excitement as well. The Homeschool Convention was in Phoenix this last weekend. Not only was reconnecting with friends rarely seen exciting, but we found some great ideas and curriculum also. I spent a good deal of today (both at their house AND at the doctor's office) perusing through said curriculum. And I have to say, I AM excited! We purchased 2 science programs, as Ty is quite into that topic. The Apologia program is suitable for all elementary grades. Though the teacher, (that would be ME), has to sort through what is appropriate at their own student's age, I think Ty will be delighted with it. I went through the entire book and planned (in pencil) which portions we would do and tenatively when. I did the same with the other science: Exploration Education. That is more physical science with hands-on craftsy sort of experiments. The other is zoology book one...flying creatures. (Even bats and dinosaurs!) Sounds cool to me!

I also read through the new reading program we bought. It is soooo cool and fun! It is called "Scaredy Cat REading System" and is the coolest way to teach phonics and spelling and words and grammar that I have ever seen! Ty needs to have media-centered work, which all of the above feature, and workbooks for focus time AND hands-on activities at least resembling crafts. These fit those needs very well.

I haven't gotten the math material yet. That is not my strength. Thank goodness, it IS my husband's forte. And Tyler finds math concepts easy to retain. Whew! But we have chosen the program and it sounds exciting as well. I also spent the rest of the weekend and this week putting together a social studies/history program and Bible lessons, all coordinating around special days and holidays and what the public schools are learning (the history part).

We got some fun curriculum for Caleb as well. He is getting a first writing program that teaches one to make the proper curves and lines in preparation for writing letters and numbers...all to music. But also, the music is to sounds...a little hard to explain, but it is wonderful...by the same company as the reading program. He will enjoy the beginning part of the reading as well.

Well, that is about all the excitement I can handle...oh yeah! The monsoons are still playing "guess when we're coming" here in my town. And the last one was Saturday night and ripped off the seal around our A/C unit and caused a leak in the vent system into the house! What excitement!...yes, we STILL have the old on-the-roof A/C system! Oh well. Thank God we have satillo tile and the water was confined to a small area.

NOW that IS all the excitement I can handle for today. I am sorry if I am not too funny today...I think I am just worn out with all the excitement!

They're ALL on a ROLL!

Baby Girl was on the "roll" first. She discovered that balls will roll off the top of the table. She found it both fasinating and frustrating apparently, as she experimented over and over. Finally, in what seemed to be a bit of exasperation, she tossed the ball into the sink and walked away. She did display a bit of a triumphant attitude as the ball did not fall back to her. Her next "roll" was in the bathroom...you know, that stuff that comes in a roll...and is lots of fun to UN-roll...you get the picture. She can tear off the little sheets, now, too...one-by-one...yes, THAT was quite a "roll"!

The boys discovered a new "roll" as well. Their pastor had been given a cart, similar to the vehicle on the Flinstones cartoon, (as a joke) that he has passed on to Tyler. It is quite the contraption, with wooden wheels, and a canopy of pvc pipe, etc. They spent a good portion of the morning trying to make all four wheels roll at the same time and then pushing each other across the patio in the cart.

The next roll was in a st"roll"er, as the four of us went to the park across the street. This park has a water fountain play area where the water shoots up and the kids can run and splash. We spent about 45 minutes getting wet. Baby Girl laughed and laughed as I spun with her under the fountains. At 108 degrees, a little water feels good!

And then Caleb got on a roll with his alphabet letter puzzle. He did quite well and seemed to want to focus for a change.

And then, there's the phrase "on a roll" that has not quite so good of a meaning... Yes, the boys found that one as well. It is so hard to calm down after such a rolling good day! The good news is, however, that ALL of us are STILL capable of rolling, and we are all intact without any injuries! What a day! And my "role" as Grandma and nanny is still intact as well!

Ice Cubes and Popsicles make a day cool!

Baby Girl loves ice cubes! I find them scary myself, with a concern that should she swallow one too big, I would have to pour hot water quickly down her throat to melt it before she suffocated. Perhaps this has never occurred, but I do not want to be the first. So, I gave her a cup of crushed ice, noting that there were still a few pieces too large for her mouth. She dumped the cup on the tray and a few on the floor. She watched me wipe up the floor with a towel. This activity kept her busy for almost an hour, even after she was released from the high chair. She finally dumped her cup on the indoor trampoline and then grabbed a tea towel and began to mop up as she had seen me do. Observing her throughout that hour, she did ease my concerns about the ice cube swallowing ordeal. Even though she is female, she can spit a cube back into the cup, OR across the room as good as any boy!!

Speaking of boys...they are munching on popsicles. The grape ones. Except that there was only one grape left. It took a bit of doing, but Ty managed to convince Caleb that deep red is the same as the purple of grape. It seems to have worked or else Caleb decided he likes cherry better but will never concede to his brother.

Ice is a big deal at our house. It fixes bumps, bruises and scrapes. It cools down soup and hot cocoa. It soothes teething babies. It is the main attraction for the Icee Maker Machine. AND it is fun to put down the shirts of your siblings...or grandmother. Well, it IS July in the desert!


YEs, between the marshmellow shooters, the Icee Maker, the Smoothie Maker, and good old regular ice cubes, we have had a very "cool" day.

"M" IS FOR....

MARSHMELLOW SHOOTERS!
Yes, Grandpa Steve and I saw some cool marshmellow shooters made from pvc pipe at the art show on Sunday. They were $5.00 each. So, Grandpa examined them carefully and went to Home Depot yesterday and made 4 (one for each boy, Andrew, Jonathan, Ty, and Caleb) for just about the price of one there. So, today I just have Ty and Caleb because the other two are on a two-week trip with their other grandma. Anyway, Ty and Caleb had a ball shooting marshmellows at a plate...well, theoretically...actually, they aimed more for me than the plate. But this is a great game for Ty as he has to exercise his lungs as much as possible. The game kind of ends itself, for after awhile the shooters get moist and make the marshmellows sticky. Oh boy, "ain't" that fun!!!

MUD PUDDLE POOLS...
It was supposed to be an experiment to see if a plastic bowl would float in a small "bowl" of muddy water in the flower bed. A few minutes of non-supervision (AKA Potty Break) and it turned into a grand mud puddle pool, complete with two boys sitting, covered in muddy water. I had said "No, MUD!" according to Tyler, and this was in fact, WATER..albeit, muddy water, but WATER none-the-less. And it was their POOL. OKAY! You boys have a point. I shall deliberately and carefully explain ALL rules and any forms thereof...

MESSES...
After the mud puddle pool ordeal, came the bath tub messy time. They decided to impersonate a dishwasher with water flailing all over the walls and floor. I kid you not when I say this took less than one minute to accomplish. I was only a foot away getting out fresh towels. Fortunately for them, one foot was far enough to avoid the line of fire. But the floor did not fair so well. The boys, however, quickly turned that into a new "skating rink" slipping and sliding from the tub to the towels. Try catching two naked little fiends who are in THAT kind of a mood! Yes, it took a while!

MONSOONS...
And part of the problem is caused by another M..monsoon weather. It is HOT and HUMID and overcast. They can only play outside briefly during the day. And there are only so many active games to play inside without tearing the house down. So far, we have tried an obstacle course with chairs, trampoline, boxes, tents,etc., gymnastics, shooting marshmellows and plastic flies...(don't ask about that one!) and hide-and-seek.

MADNESS...
Some days are like this. And with all the madness and the mania of mischievious little men, I manage to get a break while they sit on the couch in time-out. And I ponder the day and know that really, I would not trade this madness for anything! (And it isn't even Monday!)

Connecting the Past and the Future

Today was a special day. My husband and I went to Prescott to meet up with a friend of mine from high school. We had not seen each other in 37 years! Wow! That makes me feel old! But, we acted like two teenagers again, chatting away, nearly oblivious to those around us. Fortunately, our husbands hit it off well and found things to talk about as well. And there was a Fine Arts and Crafts Show going on in the town center, which gave everyone something to do while we blabbed.


We reminisced some about the old days and "caught up" on who knows where who is, etc. We shared about the paths of life that we each have walked down, and found similarities. We discovered that we both had become strong independent women regardless of how we had felt about ourselves in high school.

Tonight I heard a quote on a movie..."The best way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans." That could have been a story line for my life. He defiinitely led me different directions than I anticipated when I was that all-knowing teen. BUT the END of the story is what counts,and I must say, both Katie and I will have a fantastic finale for the end of our stories...with lots of mystery and adventure in between. As for me, I know I will continue to live life to its fullest and "funnest" that I can each and every day.

For example, after we parted from Katie and Hubby, we decided to go back to the craft show to check out a few more booths, and got caught in a monsoon down pour. After assisting an elderly gentleman with a walker, out of the rain and under a canopy, I got to trudge through about 2 feet of puddle backed up in the storm drain next to our car. I took off my sandals and did a dance while laughing at the water trickling down my glasses and off my nose. Might as well make a fun time of the storms we have to weather!

But the rain helped put out a raging fire as well, so that is a good thing for sure!

So, I must come now, to the Valley of the Sun, called Phoenix, and remember that I am, in fact, a grandmother and NOT a teenager. But I AM a very young grandmother, and with the help of an even greater connection to my friend, Katie, I shall have a fun future...tomorrow, albeit a Monday...and every day, as long as I can...

I decided that God gives us high school days to help us remember the follies of youth, but also to give us confidence that we have grown up, more or less, and have connected the past to the future via lessons and memories passed on...

Jiminy Cricket! And Jeremiah too!

I DID see Jiminy Cricket today. And a host of the Cricket family, all cuddled together under a large piece of wood. They were minding their own business, hiding from the scorching heat, and training their little "Jimineys". I hope they were training them to be the consciences of little boys, like the famed "Jiminy" was for Pinnochio. I fear, though, that THESE crickets may have needed emergency services after their discovery by MY boys!

Jiminy helped Pinnochio by being his conscience. He tried to teach him to be honest and make good choices and accept responsibility for what choices he did make. Sometimes he succeeded and sometimes he did not. But in the end, the Disney character had more successes than failures and Pinnochio achieved his dream of becoming a REAL boy. He could not successfully accomplish this without his "Jiminy".

I never before realized what a challenge lay before Jiminy Cricket, to make a REAL person out of a copy-cat puppety little creature. I can relate now to that challenge. Little boys are in need of some help in making choices. They need a conscience to remind them that REAL boys are men-to-be with character and wisdom and integrity. And choices are made every day. And it is never too young to learn to make good ones. They need guidance not to copy their friends or be manipulated by others, but to stand for what is right even when others do not.

Little boys by nature are explorers, destroyers, and builders all in one! They take things apart and sometimes get them back together again. They experiment with all kinds of liquids and powders. They make piles of sticks, branches, cans, rocks, blocks, nests, pots, and whatever is within their reaches, to make forts and houses and hideouts. They scare crickets and lizards and flies and bullfrogs too. (Hop, Jeremiah, hop!) They catch such critters and then release them while screaming that the "monster" they captured got away and thus the quest and the noise must continue...

And then they look up with their big innocent eyes, glance at one another, and giggle, in hopes that their "Prince Charming" approach will lessen the impact of the messes they have created. And sometimes it works. Sometimes I recognize that little cricket on their shoulder and know that they have listened in spite of their adventures. And I know that sometimes I AM that little cricket leaning on their shoulders. But I know that it will be worth it as I see REAL boys becoming REAL men with clear consciences and good choices more often than not. In the meantime, I smile and remember Jiminy's patience and understanding. And I know I am glad I am not a REAL cricket under that board today!