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C:\Documents and Settings\Barbara\My Doc
Well, it's been 4 months since I last posted on this blog. Emily, we thought, may have had swelling in the optical nerve behind one of her eyes. After many tests and a visit to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, they determined it may have been just a virus...just. Usually her condition is related to a tumor, but thank God, there wasn't one to be found. Her eye straightened itself almost 100%. It's not noticeable at all to us. She is happy and healthy and a funny little girl.
Kaitlin and Emily are excited about their new baby due in the beginning of May. Three weeks later, our son is getting married. Our son-in-law, daughters and granddaughters will be in the wedding...hope the dress fits for the mommy.
Saturdays are reserved, year round, for the grandchildren. It's lunch, play, crafts, shopping, playgrounds, parks, beach, amusement parks, movies, bike rides, kite flying, watching airplanes take off, train rides to Pt Pleasant, and fairs. Then for me it's back to school again. This year is going fast...the baby will be here before we know it.
I've been busy posting on NanasCorner. Its been almost 1 year since I first posted on Nana's Corner. The site has been steadily growing and I thank everyone who has visited. I've received many wonderful emails from visitors. If you are looking for grandparent and grandchildren poems, holiday recipes, and ways to have fun using the Internet, please visit often. I try to post often. Of course, you'll get to see pictures of our granddaughters.
Well, time to watch the Philies win the World Series - hopefully the last night! We are a baseball family and enjoy watching and attending and playing (men folk) baseball. I'll actually miss it when it is over...until Spring when it starts all over. Poppy and our son have a team they manage that plays through August. It gets hectic and things have to be put on hold, but we love it. Go Philies!
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C:\Users\Barbara\Pictures\2008-03-03\084
Our Emily has papilledema, swelling of the optic nerve. No one would know to look at her except that her one eye turns in and she turns her head to look at things because of the double vision. By turning her head, her eyes both go in the same direction which makes it easier for her to focus on whatever she wants to see. Her motor skills and behavior are all normal for her age. Emily has remained very active.
She has been to the pediatrician who sent her to a pediactric optomologist who sent her to the neurologist who sent her to a cardiologist because they also found a heart murmur. The heart murmur is something she will outgrow and not a concern. They needed to be sure becasue she will be sedated when they do an MRI.
A CT scan, for which she had to be sedated, found the swelling so tomorrow she will be having an MRI. If the MRI doesn't show anything, they will do a spinal tap which, according to the top neurologist in NJ, will tell him exactly what is causing it. Anything from a spider bite to a lesion on her brain are among the possibilities. The CT scan has almost ruled out a tumor, but the MRI will tell us for sure. If it is caused by a lesion, they would have to operate. If that is the case, they will take her to Children's Hospital in PA to the top neurologist there for a second opinion.
The doctors have been great in taking her right away for their examinations and tests. The neurologist is not taking new patients at this time, but made an exception for our Emily. There has to be a cause and he's determined to find it.
Please include our Emily in your prayers.
Nana
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C:\Users\Barbara\Pictures\2008-03-03\050
There's a new fun, safe website for children ages 2 - 8 which is being launched this weekend. The website is Ziggity Zoom @ www.ziggityzoom.com. The creators have included original characters, fun activities, printable reward charts and coloring pages, and more. They will be adding animated and music content to their site this Spring and Summer. I've added it to my lists of Safe Websites for Grandchildren on Nana's Corner. Visit Ziggity Zoom and have fun with your grandchildren.
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Our oldest granddaughter is in the first grade. For some reason, a girl in her class last year started picking on her. This year they are in seperate classes but she has continued to bother K during recess and at Y kids after school program, where K attends 3 afternoons a week. Over the past year, the girl has told K she would kill her, raised a fist to her, said things to her to make her feel bad, squeezed and scratched her arm, punched her in the stomach, tried to get her in trouble, followed her around on the playground. Consequences didn't have any affect. Apparently, she also bothers other children in the first grade. K's parents finally had enough and called the school and Y Kids. Y Kids were very receptive to their concerns and have been working with them to resolve the problem.
The principal wasn't as cooperative. First of all, she wanted to bring K and the bully into her office together to try to resolve it. NO! You don't put a bully and the victim togehter...what was she thinking...this isn't a simple conflict resolution problem that might be talked out...it is beyond that. Then she told my daughter that she couldn't do anything unless she heard it from K...couldn't hear it from a 3rd party...3rd party! She is her mother and K is only 6 years old...it is intimidating enough to have to talk to the Principal on a good day. I had her ask for a copy of the bullying policy which every school in NJ must have. It was sent home and it actually said that every report must be taken seriously, no matter who does the reporting!!! I guess that includes "3rd parties." The principal assured K's parents that she will personally watch the girl during recess...why hasn't she noticed before since it is her duty to be out there everyday while the teachers have lunch???
It has been my experience as a teacher that when children act out and pick on others, they are feeling bad themselves. It is what we call the "pecking order." If they make some else miserable, then there is some one who feels worse than they do. This young lady needs to be taught social skills and perhaps counseling and coping skills to find out why whe is acting out.
The No Bullying Policy is a No Tolerance Policy...if you have grandchildren who are being bullied, no matter where they attend school, don't hesitate to speak up (and put it in writing)...every child has the right to a stress-free education...learning can't take place when attention is focused on fear.
I feel better now that I've vented!
Visit me at Nana's Corner.
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Hi, everyone! I haven't been around for several weeks. It has just been busy with one thing or another...Yesterday was a full day of grandparenting and fun. We had terrible rain and wind here but that didn't stop us all.
Our daughter, Lori, dropped Emily off here so that she, Kaitlin, and our daughter, Kari, could go to the circus at the Meadowlands, about an hour away. (Daddy had to work so he missed all the fun.) She had to drive through the worse part of the rain storm, but they made it and had a great time! Imagine, $24 for a toy that lights up and spins. Of course it was a must have for when the lights go out during the show. They really take advantage, don't they! But, now the toy vendor guarantees it for two years. Hope he's still around when it breaks.
With the girls going to the circus it gave me a chance to have some one-on-one time with our two year old grandchild, Emily. She was a pleasure to play with. I pretended there was a bug under the rug and she went right along with it. I was amazed how quickly she caught on. She poured marbles in and out of some pottery (supervised) but when I gave her a plastic bowl, she lost interest - it didn't make noise. We threw a ball into a wicker basket for awhile, then we rolled it back and forth. She did some somersaults very well while I had a heart attack when she turned her head to look at me.
We had been invited to a dinner in celebration of our son, Erik, and Bridget's engagement. We had a conflict because we had accepted and then also later said we would watch Emily. Our hosts were very kind and said to bring Emily, so she went with us to the dinner party. Our granddaughter was the center of attention and loved every minute of it. She didn't fuss and warmed up to all the new people much easier than I had expected. She kept pointing and saying, "Buggy." Our hostess, Linda, was worried there were bugs in her beautiful home. She relaxed onece we explained that Emily was cointinuing a game.
Emily, this past week, just stared going potty at home and somewhat in daycare. Yesterday she stayed dry all day. She is was so proud of herself! It is so much fun watching their excitement of accomplishment.
As children do, she took a nap before we left - a half hour before it was time to leave she fell asleep so I had to let her sleep a little longer and we arrived to the party 45 minutes late. Everyone made us feel very welcome from the start which put us at ease and we were able to relax and enjoy.
The dinner started with a toast to the newly engaged couple. A strawberry was placed in each flute, then filled with champagne. We then entered the dining room and were seated at an elegant table with a romantic theme.
The first course was shrimp cocktail which was followed by cream of asparagus soup. The third course was a mixed greens salad with a strawberry balsamic viniagarette. Between the third and fourth courses, we cleaned our palette with lemon sorbet topped with valentine message hearts. The main entree was boneless pork roast, sweet potatoes with sliced apples, mashed potatoes, and fresh string beans. (Our granddaughter had her macaroni and cheese and a dinner roll.) Dinner eneded with coffee and cake. Later we all enjoyed a sherry cordial while we watched little Emily stack and restack the coasters and then distribute candy hearts to all the guests.
The entire dinner was delicious. I can't say enough about it. I'm definitely not a food critic but I'll tell you, for my husband to try a new dressing and enjoy it, it earns a 5 star rating.
I didn't get the recipe from our hostess, but the one I found on foodnetwork.com courtesy of Rachel Ray seems to be close to it. Not only is it delicious, it is a healthy recipe, too. I've copied it here for you.
2 teaspoons strawberry jam
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint of strawberries sliced
4 to 5 cups of mixed greens of any kind or romaine
optional: chopped walnuts, crumbled blue cheese (our hostess' addition)
Place jam in a medium bowl and whisk in vinegar then extra-virgin olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add the strawberries and greens to bowl and toss to coat evenly in dressing. Add optional ingredients and toss again.
The salad was delicious and complimented the dinner and theme.
Thank you, Linda and Harry, Sue and Pat.
Today we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was sunny but crispy cold. A lot of the sand had washed away over the winter. Imagine, surfers were out there in the icey cold water.
Spring is around the corner. I see tulip and iris leaves rising from the earth. It won't be long now. We had such a mild winter this year. The robins didn't leave until after Christmas and now it is time for them to return. I've lost an hour today and am trying to catch up. Have to go. Enjoy your week.
Visit me at Nana's Corner.
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American Idol is a favorite show for our entire family. My son loves Carrie Underwood. For Erik's birthday, his fiance', Bridget, bought tickets for her concert tonight in Atlantic City. He texted me earlier and said he was only 200 feet away from her! I'm sure he thinks he's gone to heaven.
What's that they say about six degrees of separation? Is that only about Kevin Bacon? Well, I told Erik he's 6 degrees away from Carrie Underwood. For the past ten years I've been researching our family trees. In doing so, I found a son of a cousin of my father's - my second cousin?...well, anyway, his wife is a master photographer in South Carolina who was asked to photograph Chris Dougherty during the day he was honored by his home town...(they sent me a copy of the newspaper)... so since Chris Dougherty now knows Carrie Underwood...you see the connection? Erik > me > cousin > cousin's wife > Chris Dougherty > Carrie Underwood = 6 degrees of separation. It works for Erik. :-)
Visit me at Nana's Corner - my blog has a new look!
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C:\Users\Barbara\Pictures\valentine-blog
Last Saturday we took our 2-year-old granddaughter, Emily, to the toy story to exchange a birthday present. Very quickly she caught on what she was to do. Emily would point at a toy on a shelf, we'd hand her the toy, she'd play with it a little, then hand it back. As she did so, she'd shake her head and say, "Nooo." We must have spent at least an hour repeating this process. Finally, she got very excited over a very large pink ball for just $2.97.
This Saturday, February 16, is our son's 26th birthday. We can't decide what to give him...I think maybe a big blue ball?
Since Erik was a scheduled C-section on the 16th, I asked my doctor if he could be born on Valentine's Day. He told me no since it was on a Sunday in 1982...my Valentine would have to be a couple of days late. Our first born daughter was born four days before Easter and the second arrived a week before St. Patrick's Day.
Since their birthdays are February, March, and April - from youngest to oldest, our oldest, Lori, asked why her sister's and brother's birthdays came before hers when she was born first. She didn't think that was fair at all!
Happy Valentine's Day! I wish you love and friendship everyday.
Visit me at NanasCorner
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Our youngest child, our son, will be turning 26 on Saturday. My baby is a grown man with a good job that he enjoys and will be married to a wonderful young woman in May, 2009. Our youngest grandchild, Emily, turned 2 on Jan 28. Where has the time gone? When I think about the past and how we parented our children, I sometimes wonder if we could have been better parents when they were young. But, I know we can’t go back, we can't repeat the past as Gatsby had hoped to do. I also know we tried our best and didn't give up on ourselves or our children. No one person is without obstacles at one time or another, but it is how they handle what life brings them that is the true measurement of their character. That is one way I measure how successful we have been. By our children's character, I'd say we've been good parents.
What makes grandparenting so special is that we have the benefit of maturity and experience which, even though the eyes might be failing, we tend to have 20/20 hindsight, well - we might believe we do...almost. The problem is that sometimes, grandparents are too eager to share their all knowing experiences...and I've been there, myself.
A colleague of mine gave me excellent advice when I became a grandmother for the first time. The advice was very wise: Don't offer advice, wait until you are asked. That is something I try to follow, but now and then I find it difficult to resist the impulse to offer it. When I give in to temptation, I premise it with: I'd like to share something with you that I've learned - I just ask that you listen - then it's up to you to use it or not....
Here are pieces of advice I might offer now:
Communicate clearly your rules and expectations…and the reasons behind them
Be consistent
Follow through with your promises
Be flexible
Admit when you are wrong
Let them make mistakes, too
Provide emotional stability and positive social skills
Teach by example
Read to them, monitor their homework, give help when needed
Don’t be overbearing, allow them their own space
Do activities with them, inside and outside
Get them involved in a sport or hobby that they are interested in
Don’t live vicariously through them
Remember, you are their parent, not their friend
Stay in control of each situation
Pick your battles wisely
Teach financial responsibility beginning at a young age
Get them involved in community service
Don’t spoil them…too much
Love them unconditionally…forever
What advice might you offer to a new parent?
NanasCorner
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A new report in the Archives of Internal Medicine explains that people who have been active in their leisure time are likely to have cells that are biologically younger than those who tend to be couch potatoes…all the more reason to get up, get moving, and get going.
“A sedentary lifestyle increases the propensity to aging-related disease and premature death,” the authors write. “Inactivity may diminish life expectancy not only by predisposing to aging-related diseases but also because it may influence the aging process itself.”
It appears that aerobic exercise not only jump starts your metabolism but also reaches down deep into the chromosomes of your white blood cells. What happens is that it slows down the aging of those cells, therefore slowing down the aging process overall.
This gives me the added motivation I needed to finally get into the groove and shake my booty. Physicians recommend that just 30 minutes a day will do the trick. Since exercise in itself leads to less aging related illnesses, why not take full advantage of this discovery and start walking faster, dancing more, biking longer, hiking harder and if you’ve been a laptop couch potato like moi,...Read More at Nana's Corner
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Attention grandparents raising grandchildren ages 12 and up! There's a new TV show coming with a great concept. Within a few weeks time, beginning February 18 at 8 pm on NBC, each of 5 couples ages 18 – 20, will participate in a social experiment. The Baby Borrowers provides the young couples with the experience of parenting, even though it is on the fasttrack. The show has the couples caring for babies, toddlers, tweens, teens, and grandparents, too. This grandmother says, Thank you, NBC.
As a high school teacher who is also a parent and grandparent, I believe The Baby Borrowers TV show is finally a program that will actually help reinforce what parents, grandparents, and the high school health curriculum have been teaching for a long time. Teens often....Read more at Nana's Corner
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