Gramma Camp

Day One:
We went straight to the park and played a "round" of golf, (with rules adjusted slightly), raced so many races Mogli decided he was "done with races gramma!", scaled all kinds of play ground equipment, and went home so Rafiki could take a nap.

While Rafiki napped, Mogli and I made all kinds of noodle necklaces, played a few games, and watched Stuart Little. Rafiki woke up and Mogli fell directly to sleep!

When everyone woke up we went in search of hot dog buns and bird seed. After baths and family prayer Rafiki went to bed and Mogli and gramma made wild bird feeders.

Today (day two) we got up (6:30!), ate Mickey Mouse pancakes with "French Toast stuff (confectioner's sugar) instead of syrup please", dressed, and made a trip to the car wash, which was closed, grrrr. So off to the fish hatchery! Neither had been there before and let me tell you- they were amazed! We strolled up and down each isle and saw how they grew from tiny baby fish into big grampa fish! Lucky us, we also got to meet the workers as they were in the process of cleaning the "tanks". Interesting at any age; the only problem being that once the machinery had dredged through a "tank" it was very murky and difficult to see the individual fish. Luckily we had seen most of the fish before it got to that stage.

Back home for Rafiki's nap and then back to the park in the afternoon. We hung our bird feeders in the lowest branch we could find (gramma is practically a dwarf, small limbs make it difficult to reach the taller branches). Then we filled a jug with water and set out to make a sand castle! The wind was particularly strong this afternoon, so we plan to try again tomorrow morning. Instead we worked through the equipment again and met some other children who were waiting for a bus transfer. They kids had a blast and ran poor gramma to near extinction!

We coloured pages and pages, made a few other things, and had "yo-grit" at snack time. Read a couple (dozen) books, sang songs and did a bit of dancing. Bath time, phone calls to mommy and daddy, and tomorrow we start it all again.

We've done three loads of laundry in two days and finished off the oatmeals cookies and a fair share of strawberry milk straws. The best thing of the day today? When Mogli sneaked off down the hall to look at the family hand prints. Measuring each one he found a perfect match...his own daddy's! He was so excited they fit and he insisted on a photo moment, which of course we did. So cool.






Bird-feeder Update: We went back to the (freezing) park this morning and the bird feeders resembled a Denny's in Sun City on a Saturday morning! There was actually a small line of birds hanging out at the Giant Claw machine, just waiting for their table to open up. As we left I think I heard a pigeon shout: "Quail, party of three, Quail, party of three..."

...enjoys long walks on the beach, with toddlers...

After reading a post over at Mother of All I am having a terrible craving for salt air and sand in my shorts. I have a small penchant for the smell of a funky lagoon, the wharf and wet nappy hair. That coupled with a bunch of screaming kids makes my heart skip a beat. Throw in a warm smashed PB&J and a hot orange soda and I will elevate to seventh heaven!

Yes, I am talking about summer at the beach. The sting of being sun-kissed and the first gasp as you enter the briny shore take me back to my own childhood. It's funny, but back then it was o.k. to just drop off your kids for the day and pick them up sometime near 9:00 that night. As an adult the thought makes me cringe. Not so much about the child safety issues we deal with now-a-days, but if I were the drop off mom, I would just have to stay and hang out. There would be no getting me back into that car until sundown.

We were taught to swim almost in tandem with walking. We were given secrets such as the water won't keep bashing the tar out of you if you just swim past the breakers, and if you get caught in a rip tide, just swim parallel with the shore and in a very short distance you'll be free again. That and never put a dead jelly fish in your trunk to save for next Monday's Show and Tell.

One of my favorite past times was and still is: Making Sand Castles. While browsing the Deseret Bookstore last week I found a "must have" book for my collection: Sandcastles Made Easy by Lucinda "sandy feet" Wierenga. Not knowing how far I can go without breaking copyright laws I will neglect to post her photos of work...YOWSERS! So cool, so pretty, and so tempting to try.

I read the book in about 20 minutes, and although there are some laws of physics to memorize, it's not rocket science. She gives away her trade secrets and recipes for the perfect castle and sculpting sands. Who knew there was a science to it all? After reading her book I now understand why my attempts have been less than stellar, however well planned and executed. So watch out beach goers! I have knowledge. And knowledge is power! No sand is safe from now on. I am off to stake my foolish man's claim and build me a house on the sand.