GRAMMAS AND CHILD CARE....

The cold hard truth hit me square between my defective eyes over the past 10 days.

I am not as young as I used to be.

What a dweeby expression. WHO IS?

I went to Winston-Salem to take care of my grandsons while their Mom was in St. Louis with our grandaughter Rainey.(She is having a halo adjusted so that her spine will hopefully become straightened and lengthened.) Back to my duties. For starters I was not used to getting up at 6 a.m. I used to do that - but not for the last 15 years! I couldnt find an alarm clock so I figured out how to set my cell phone alarm. There were three alarm settings. I used them ALL. Packing lunches at night saved on the stress level in the wee hours. I was told that I had to deliver Foster to his carpool no later than 7:05am or else Samuel would miss his 7:15am bus to his magnet school. This would involve a loooong drive so I was determined to be on time to avoid that fate. I confess that on the second day I had to do just that since I had a hard time finding Fosters carpool. The last morning I was there I told Sam that I finally had the street routes figured out. "Now", I said . "your other Gramma Bebe will have to figure this all out". "Oh no" he replied. "You just have to tell her once and she gets it!" Ie. Gramma Susan is clueless!

When the boys were at school my main job was to keep two male cats apart. When together there was major hissing, scratching and rolling around on the floor locked togther in a dance-of-non-neutered-hatred.

After school I would ask them the age-old question "What homework do you have tonight?" and I got the age-old answers "Did it at school" - or "Don't have any". Brought back all those memories! On the last night I was there I nagged at them to get into the shower. Foster indignant, "No Fair! You make us have a shower every night!". When I pointed out to him that temperatures of 89 made them sweaty and so they did needed a shower every night, he responded with "We don't sweat!". Young boys are sooo cute. However I confess that great as it was to spend time with them I was glad to get back to my "old boy" and sleeping til 9!