When the first of our 14 future grand babies were born, I made the mistake of establishing myself as the 'fun' Nana; the grandma who spent hours thinking up and shopping for fun activities to keep the little ones entertained. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have opted for the job of the Nana who plops the kiddos in front of the television with snacks and drinks and calls it a day. Oh, well, what's done is done.
When I started my journey as the 'fun' Nana, I had a lot more energy. A LOT more! I didn't need a nap after I fixed the grandkids' breakfast which usually consists of cereal in a disposable bowl and plastic utensils so there's no dishwashing required. (Lazy or smart? You decide.)
When our first two granddaughters came along while they napped, I'd make all sorts of things like Christmas stockings with their names embroidered on the cuff. I'm proud to say they still use them and they're 20 and 19 now. (Frankly, I'm mildly surprised they are still holding up.) Did I mention that over the last 20 years, I've made a dozen more plus a replacement stocking for one of our grandsons? All we can figure out is it got tossed in the trash with the wrapping paper and boxes in a frenzy of clean-up.
Over the years, the grandkids and I have made picture frames and catch-all boxes out of popsicle sticks, hats made from string glued to a balloon (the fun part of this project is popping the balloon), play dough, tiedyed T-shirts, bowls made from stiffened doilies, and the latest project–macrame plant hangers. Well, you get the picture and that's just the inedible crafts. I've also taught them how to bake cookies and decorate cakes. Their newly acquired talent has benefitted me greatly as the girls now make me a gorgeous cake every year for my birthday. They have learned well.
The boys have gotten old enough to start putting in their two cents as to how they want their cakes to look. And let me tell you, they are getting more and more elaborate. They also want to 'help' with baking and decorating which is fun. Kinda. Sorta. We never know how it will come out; all we do know is it will be edible.
We have an 11-year-old grandson who has big ideas–very big ideas. Just because he's in a wheelchair means nothing. He plays baseball and video games like nobody's business. He's also the one who talks about his birthday for months and months. The heck with Christmas. Next year on his birthday he wants a cake with a brownie on top. No, he says, make it inside the cake so it'll hold the decorations. I'm afraid to find out what all he wants to use for the decorations. He may be physically the smallest in size but he has the grandest ideas for what he wants in the way of gifts and let me say this; he has champagne tastes and I have a beer budget. Ha! Ha!
This week two of our five grandsons, ages four and 13, will be spending the night and I've been trying to come up with a craft that both boys can do that won't be too complicated for the four-year-old. So far I've decided we can make planes out of popsicle sticks and clothespins; whip up a batch of homemade play dough (which I'm afraid will be too messy), or I can con them into coloring on the driveway with chalk. I fear that would not hold either ones' attention for long and it's still too hot. (Are you listening, Mother Nature? It's September, for crying out loud. Get those hot flashes under control.)
One thing we all agreed we wanted to do was bake cookies. The older boy likes to bake which does not bode well for my waistline. Oh, the sacrifices we grandparents make for our babies. Their visits are always an adventure and a test of my patience. The four-year-old is bossy and the 13-year-old is like a much younger boy but he tries very hard to please.
I spent the next several hours (okay, maybe one hour) digging in my craft closet looking for popsicle sticks before I gave up finding the ones I'd purchased several years ago with the idea of doing something with the granddaughters.
We made both airplanes that can't fly and a crooked catch-all box out of the popsicle sticks. I may need to write a stern letter to the company that made the ones I bought at a local craft store. At least half were too warped to use. To soothe our irritation we baked chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate fixes everything.