#GrandmaProject Rocks My World

Found the dresses at Chic Baby in Houston. Not responsible for the looks. haha

My life has been filled with many adventures. (I define an adventure as a life experience that takes me somewhere new and is a) wonderful, b) hard/uncomfortable, c) taught me something even if it took me a while to figure out what.) Obviously any Big Life Change is an adventure (and sometimes a NUD-venture). Going to college, getting married, becoming a mom…all of these qualify as adventures.

Two adventures that have collided in my life at this time are 1) getting old, and 2) becoming a grandma. If you’ve hung around the blog at all, then you know about my #GrandmaProject. If you haven’t kept up, then the recap is that, after waiting for FOREVER to become a grandma, we scored twins three years ago, then a darling little singleton last fall. (You can see and admire all three in the above photo. Seriously, you should take a minute because they are perfect in every way.)

Three years old and great buddies! LOVE!

So I guess you might be wondering if I have learned anything during my Grandma adventure so far. I think I have. I’ve learned that it is hard to be away from them. I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I love not being accountable for their adorably cute/naughty behavior. Not my job to do anything but enjoy them. (I hide my grins behind a hand, but not able to control the eyes twinkling, so sometimes I have to turn away.)

When I am with the grand kids, the only “danger” is that my heart will explode from sheer joy. I literally turned into a pile of goo the first time they said, “I wuv you, grandma.” (I turn into goo a lot around them.) They fix those big eyes on me, hold out their sweet little hands for my iPad and I hand it over. In fact, I aid and abet this behavior by loading my iPad with kid friendly apps and books. (Note: they LOVE Shawn the Sheep and the Sandra Boynton books.)

When is the party, mom?

Getting a photo  or video from their parents, or having a FaceTime moment with them all turns a tough day magical. My glass goes from draining rapidly to filled to the top and overflowing. (Note to my grown kids: a text or call from you will also refill my inner glass. There is no guilt attached to this note, because that’s how I roll. Haha)

I’ve also learned that, like parenting, love is the most important thing I need to know to be a “successful” grandma. Kids are so wonderfully without guile. They don’t see lines on old faces or judge those extra pounds. They don’t see cool or uncool, or care what your job is.

If you love them, they love you.

An important component of my #GrandmaProject is their parents. I’m grateful to them for making it so easy for me to be a part of the grand kids lives. And extra kudos to them for pretending that my “old wives tales” tips are actually useful. (I feel like I had my kids in another century. Oh, wait. I did.)

So three years out, my #GrandmaProject rocks my world and makes it easier to get older (getting older would totally bite it without the grand kids).

Being a mom was the hardest, most wonderful thing I ever did. Being a grandma is the easiest, most wonderful new adventure to have in my twilight years. So thank you to kids (with and without grand kids) for being a part of my life, for teaching me so much, for not ever giving up on me as mom.

For a long time we weren’t sure we’d be able have kids, so I’d like to also give a shout-out to those who parent differently. All our journeys, all our adventures are our own, driven by who we are, by what we got and didn’t get, by how we deal with the challenges of getting/not getting. So in this month that celebrates LOVE in all its variations, my wish for all of you is to love and be loved.

I hope you’ll take a minute to look back at your adventures and remember the people (and others) who added to the joy of the journey. And if you’d like to post a shout-out to one of them here, please do! You know I love comments so much that I pick a favorite to receive my monthly AnaBanana gift basket ($25 value).  Recipient is announced the first blog post of the new month.

Perilously yours,

Pauline

P.S. Because I am also grateful for all of you who stop by to read my Life Happens burblings, and all of you who read my books, I have put Do Wah Diddy Die on sale, just for this week! If you haven’t read it, now is a great time to grab it for a mere .99 cents! And its not alone. There are 30+ feel-good chick lit and romantic comedies on sale this week! You can find the whole list here.

P.P.S. Did you know that I have a newsletter and that you can a) get free stuff just for signing up; and b) Get access to other goodies and information if you stay signed up?