Politeness and manners

Our little Andrew is 27 months old and he's learning basic manners. Of course "please" and "thank you" are top on the list. Every time he is given something, the giver says "thank you"....eventually he will learn that this is what is expected and said when given something or someone does something nice to help him.

On Halloween he and his sister went to a Halloween Party at Becca's school. He did his best to say "thank you" when something was put into his bag, but the best he could do was "fu fu"...its a start.

"Please" is another favorite word around our house, "Andrew, please drink your milk" or "please do not brush the dog with grandma's hair brush". As he get older, he will understand that please is a very good word to know.

Our other "must know" is opening a door and holding it open for others, ladies in particular, i.e. not rushing to open a door and then bolting through it, leaving it to slam in the face of whoever is behind him. Or, if someone opens a door or holds it open for him, to use the #1 word, "thank you".

If a person, male or female holds a store door open and allows me to enter first, I always say "thank you"..(my mother was big on manners too)...sometimes, especially with younger folks, they get a look of surprise on their faces and almost always say "you're welcome". And, I'll bet they have a good feeling about themselves for the rest of the day.

When our 16 year old son started dating, one of his many girlfriends remarked to me...."I've never had a boy open and hold the door for me".....well kiddo, Jeffrey had that drummed into him before he was 5 years old.

Although Andrew doesn't pronounce words too well (after all, he's barely over 2) another thing he hears and will soon say on his own is "Love you"...whenever anyone in our household leaves the house on an errand, we say "love you" . Our grandchildren hug us and say "Love you Grandma" or "Love you Grandpa" ... whenever they leave.

Words like "please", "thank you", and "love you" only take a few minutes to say but create a good feeling for both.

Politeness and manners....Please and Thank you....just the beginning !!!!

Memories of my first and only Love

You're listening to the radio when suddenly "that" song comes on. You know the one ....it was "your" song when you were dating that special person. You stop what you're doing and the memories come flooding back.

I am back in high school, walking down the halls of South High School in Omaha, Nebraska. I remember the joy of seeing my special guy and holding hands as we talked on the way to our next class. Somehow I knew that he was the "one".

We dated throughout high school and spent many evenings in his car, parked in "lover's lane" (with about a dozen other cars) and listening to Johnny Mathis, Pat Boone and other crooners of our era.

We will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in April and he is still my one and only and my best friend. This is our special song and it can still bring tears to my eyes.

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The Twelfth of Never by Johnny Mathis

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You ask how much I need you

Must I explain

I need you oh my darling

Like roses need rain

You ask how long I'll love you

I'll tell you true

Until the twelfth of never

I'll still be loving you

Hold me close

Never let me go

Hold me close

Melt my heart like April snow

I'll love you 'till the blue bells forget to bloom

I'll love you 'till the clover has lost its perfume

I'll love you 'till the poets run out of rhyme

Until the twelfth of never

And that's a long long time

Until the twelfth of never

And that's a long long time

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Is there a special song in your life?

Mr. Sandman Bring Me a Dream

“Please Mr. Sandman, Bring me a Dream”…. Remember that old song? So, just who is this Mr. Sandman? The Sandman is a well-known character in many children’s stories and the favorite of mothers of little children everywhere. “Time for the Sandman”…”Oh, oh, Mr. Sandman is on the way”

The Sandman comes at night to sprinkle “sand” or “dust” into the eyes of sleepy children (or adults) and send them off to dreamland.

What! You don’t believe me! Didn't you ever wake up in the morning with gritty eyes with maybe a little grain of “something” in the corners? Yep, its Mr. Sandman at work!

Hmmm, you’re too worldly to believe that aren't you. Actually the "sand" is dried mucus secreted from glands near the eye. The mucus helps the eye retain moisture at night and protects it against foreign particles. When you sleep, the closed eyelids retain the moisture allowing the mucus to gather in the corners of the eye. When you wake, the dried mucus feels like sand in your eyes or a little piece of grit in the corner.

And another myth bites the dust!

Boogers are Yours and Mine

Kids, especially boys, ask such interesting questions. Grandson Hayden is full of them…and thinks grandpa and grandma “know” about everything. “Grandma, whats a booger made of? You know, the ones in my nose”

“Daaaaaah, lets Google it”…my favorite “go to” answer center. Yep, there it was. Boogers are made of mucus, aka snot. It’s the slimy stuff inside your nose that comes from your sinuses….about a quart a day. I knew that when I have a cold, it REALLY seems like a quart. Actually I think most of it runs down the back of your throat and you don't know it's there.

When you breathe, your nose collects tiny particles of dust, germs and whatever else is floating in the air. The mucus and tiny hairs in your nose traps this stuff, keeping it out of the lungs where it could cause infections.

When this stuff clumps together, wham bam, you’ve got boogers!

Telling a grandson this is a waste of time but.."don't pick your nose!" Picking can cause the nose to bleed and could cause an infection. Plus it is NOT attractive.

"But grandma, some are really hard and I can't blow them out"....I don't have an answer for that...but I know EXACTLY what he means!

Christmas Shopping...Bah Humbug!

Yep, its that time again…..presents under the tree, mistletoe and bright colored lights. I enjoy Christmas, but always dread looking for presents for our grandchildren….we have seven, ranging in age from 18 years to age 2….both boys and girls. What on earth do I get the older ones that is up-to-date, trendy and something their friends wouldn’t find at the local mall…...or do I just settle for gift cards? Its a no-brainer this year… its time to visit Ed Hardy .

What! You’ve never heard of Ed Hardy !! Ed Hardy is one of the great clothing lines featured at Zappos, an online store. Ed Hardy’s line has unique clothing, shoes, fragrances, belts, eyewear, hats plus Ed Hardy kid’s shoes. I let my grandkids each pick out one item from the store.

Jenny and Becca usually choose one of Ed Hardy’s colorful, fitted tee shirts or one of the new fragrances, Connor, Mason and Hayden look for sunglasses or the wildest shoes they can find, Austin wavers between shoes and hats.

Our little 2 year old grandson Andrew, isn’t old enough to choose, so Mom gets to pick out his gift. Ed Hardy has some really sharp clothes for the little guys too. And when I buy Ed Hardy items from Zappos, the shipping is FREE!