This is what BgK came up with when I asked him to occupy the kiddos while I got dinner together. To his credit, the kids had a blast, and he kept them busy for a full 45 minutes (it took several takes). I’m just thinking that we’ll have to get those toilet seat locks now. Maybe I’m paranoid….
Fall Break Wrap Up…
I am sitting here, listening to RAIN pour down in central Indiana, something I haven’t heard for any amount of time in ages. Oh wait…it’s over. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.
We had two of our five days of fall break disrupted by vomit, but overall, we were able to have a lot of fall fun these past few days. Wednesday we visited the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, including Skeletown, their haunted house (during friendly ,lights-on hours), which the kids loved. Actually, Junior was excited to “see halloween!”, MaM was more confused as to why we’d want to see all of the skeletons and gore and what not. But they gave out just enough candy that she stopped asking questions and rolled with it.
Thursday was disrupted by Junior having a mild stomach bug. Bah.
Friday we packed up and heading down to Brown County State Park for a day of outdoor fun. We had a great family day of hiking and exploring and just being together. To mix it up, instead of coming home, we spent the night a few miles down the road. I’m pretty sure the hotel lost money on us — the kids watched all kinds of cable tv, we visited the breakfast buffet multiple times, the kids had multiple baths, and we went swimming and tubbing all between the hours of about 6:30am and 11:30am Saturday morning.
We then packed up and headed to Columbus, Indiana, home to Kids Commons, a fun hands-on museum for kids. There are three levels of fun for kids of all ages. The four of us played for three hours — climbing, exploring, rolling balls, shooting baskets, playing with the interactive light board and, get this –rock climbing. MaM was geeked to try the climbing wall and she climbed up the wall and rang the bell at the top THREE times. It was awesome to watch her be so confident and excited in herself.
The kids (and grownups) were exhausted, and our ride home was a quiet one. It was funny to think that we were only about 70 miles away from home. It was a great escape.
Today is the last day of MaM’s official fall break, but she’s getting a “bonus” day — it’s her turn for the stomach virus. She’s finally keeping food down, but wasn’t earlier today, so she’s taking her first sick day of the year. She’s bummed about being sick — she’s missing a birthday party, and a trunk or treat event today. And, as she pointed out, her school friends will now have to wait until Tuesday to see……..that she got glasses over fall break!
P.S. There’s still time to enter my 1800Flowers giveaway — see the previous post to enter!
97 Years Young
**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Congrats to Jennifer…info on your savings pass to come. Thanks for 1-800 Flowers for this opportunity, and for everyone who commented. Flowers do make the world a better place!**
My Grandma turned 97 on Sunday.
No, I didn’t transpose the numbers, she really is 97 years young. She’s already planning her 100th birthday party, and my parents have moved said party from their back yard to a local reception hall. Because pretty much, if you’ve met her, you are cordially invited.
This past weekend the Indiana portion of her family gathered to celebrate, because, well, she’s 97. Before the party started, we were talking and I once again, realized what an amazing, kind and caring person my grandmother really is. My grandma is still mobile and independent. She still beats me at Scrabble, enjoys playing bridge and is hip to the assisted living center’s dining room politics. She loves fresh flowers, songs she can sing along to, and Everybody Loves Raymond.
She worries though, about her friends at the assisted living center who are becoming, as she puts it “very forgetful”. The friends who sometimes forget when to come to dinner, or forget her name, or don’t remember what day it is.
Last week, when she noticed her friend (who never has visitors and never leaves the center, she tells me) wasn’t at BINGO, Grandma went up to the front desk and asked them to call her friend Mary down for BINGO. The receptionist told her that they couldn’t do that, or else they’d have to call everybody for every activity. My grandma then proceeded to walk back to her own room to call Mary and remind her that it was BINGO day. Mary was surprised and thrilled, because she had, in fact, forgotten it was BINGO day. (according to Grandma, Mary kind of lives for BINGO)
The next morning, my grandma stopped by the manager’s office and complained about the receptionist’s response. After all, isn’t that the point of being in the assisted living center? To get assistance? She gave the manager a short list of her friends who are, in her opinion, becoming a bit “forgetful” and needed a phone call now and then as a reminder.
She then told me that her conversation must have gotten them to thinking, because now that staff is knocking on doors at activity time when the regulars aren’t around.
And I thought to myself, I can only hope to be so thoughtful when I am 97. I mean really, who does that? (Walking back to her room to call her friend probably took her 10 minutes. She’s mobile, but she moves slowly.)
My grandmother, that’s who!!
So when 1-800 Flowers offered me the chance to send flowers this month as part of their Deliver Birthday Smiles Campaign, I had them sent to her. She was tickled pink, and marveled how they were in the shape of a birthday cake. She brought them to the dining room to show to all her friends. Then she put them on the shelf outside her room, which typically holds holiday decorations.
Want to win a $40 savings pass to 1-800 Flowers to send a treat to someone you love?? Just leave a comment below — to whom would you send flowers and why? The comments are open through Tuesday, October 26th. Good luck!
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(Disclosure: I wrote two posts this month for 1-800-Flowers.com in exchange for these flowers being sent to Grandma. My grandma’s awesomeness? Is all her own.)
P.S. I had a totally different post ready to go, all about how things have changed since 1913. Then I had such a nice conversation with her on Sunday, I couldn’t not write about that. I’ll have to run the 1913 post next year for her birthday. You know, when she turns 98!