My Grandma is the Gretchen Weiners of the Elderly set

I went to visit my grandma at her assisted living home this afternoon. She is very excited at the moment because tomorrow she is traveling to Pennsylvania to the annual family gathering. She is the eldest of ten children and loves her role as the family matriarch. She will be a queen on the throne among the 200 or so various cousins, aunts, and uncles assembled for the reunion. At her apartment in Texas though it is a very different life.

As my mom and I were double checking her suitcases there came a sharp knock at her door and a woman stood there in her walker and sharply told my grandma, "Edna! Its time to go play dominoes and you are sitting by me today." My mom and I politely told the woman that she would be along in a few minutes and we would be leaving soon. We were just getting her all packed for her trip. This made the woman a bit frantic..."Trip? where is she going?" My mother explained what was happening over the weekend and instead of being happy for my grandma the lady looked accusing at her as if my grandmas plans were any of her business at all. She huffed and continued in her walker towards the game room.

Then my grandma became distressed about the situation and told us she really needed to get to dominoes because her friend and two other ladies needed her to occupy the chair before a woman they did not like took the spot. Apparently there is some poor woman trying to horn on on their foursome and the huffy woman was having none of that.She needed my grandma to take her usual seat so they could purposely leave out this other poor woman.

The realization hit me...grandma is a mean girl....not the Regina George of the group...but definitely not wanting to rock the balance of the hierarchy of assisted living cliques. The NY Times recently had a piece about this same thing in the  OP/ED section written by one of my favorite writers...and of course the illustration they used I loved! Hence I am using it here....

A Retro Shark Week Spoof

Years ago when Shark Week first became "a thing" on Discovery Channel, Becca and her friend Kayla thought they were on the leading edge with their own take on the pool shark. Mind you these two young ladies are now 17 years old and would not dream of being this silly these days. I love the reminiscing of how simple and fun things were.

What would be hilarious is if I could get them to do a reenactment video!

Packing Strategies

We leave on family vacation later this week and our family personality types always seem to dictate each individual packing strategy. Yesterday I asked John Mark to pull down the suitcases from the attic and he just looked at me and said "but honey, we don't leave for six days!" After I gave him an exasperated glare complete with a huff for emphasis, he pulled down the attic door and went to collect the suitcases.

Today I wiped down all four and made note of any scratches or issues the suitcases might have. Then I fully packed Regan's suitcase using  my packing list. I love this list I bought a few years ago at Pier 1 imports, and can be found at knockknockstuff.com. My reasoning behind packing Regan is I know what I can make sure she doesn't need all week long. We are not planning on swimming or going anywhere that requires dressing up this week so that all of that stuff can be packed. Also because Regan is the lightest packer, the snorkeling gear gets stowed in her suitcase so that no one carries extra amount of weight.


Later today I can start packing myself as well. I know that my life is pretty low key for the rest of the week so nice items, and beach stuff can easily be planned for. I can guarantee  that two suitcases will be sitting by the door for most of the week and I will feel accomplished at checking that off the list.

Then on the opposite side of the spectrum is Becca and John Mark who will literally pack Saturday morning and want half of their stuff washed because they didn't realize they needed it. Actually Becca is the better of the two although she tends to dramatically overpack with "just in case" outfit scenarios. John Mark will insist he just needs a few shorts and t-shirts and then it never fails we go out to eat for nice dinners and he has to go shop for clothes. We have bought more of his wardrobe on vacations then souvenirs.

I can hope that my handing packing lists to everyone early on this week will gently remind them that last minute and underpacking are not the best options for anyone!

Behind the Scenes at Camp Waldemar

Last year we had a Hilltopper (a final year camper in waldy-speak) in the guise of Tinkerbelle, and we thouroughly enjoyed our five days in Kerrville.  This year on Saturday I pick up our CIT (Counselor In Training) and get to hear all about camp from a different perspective. Becca goes from being a tribal leader (Hi-Senior Leader for the Comanche tribe) to being a low man on the totem pole this year. 

When she checked into camp two weeks ago for her CIT term she was filled with exuberance to be reunited with all of her best friends that she has spent eight summers with. She chatted with me on how fun it was to see everyone, go to the pep rally and field day as a spectator not a participant. The hardest part of the day was watching the war canoe race and not being in the canoe and a part of that team. Other than that she was just fine... then the next morning she settled into the Nest and started work.

What was her first job as a CIT? Well, oddly enough,  it was sorting and mailing teeth. That is not a typo....when she checked in for work they had her go to the post office and mail teeth  and write letters from the camp for campers who had lost teeth so far that term. That is not something I had ever contemplated being  job at camp. I guess I never thought about the girls who lost teeth while at camp. Certainly though Becca has played Tinkerbelle...she is no tooth fairy.

Throughout the last two weeks I have been entertained with short texts and phone calls of behind he scenes at camp. She is happy to be at her home away from home, and I am thrilled that the stories from behind the scenes are just as entertaining as the ones from when she was a camper

Review: Crest Pro-Health HD

Recently I have dabbled in getting back into the review blogger genre after a noticeable absence. This has been because between life, kids, and transitions there has been no time. When Bzz Agent sent me this two step tooth paste I had such strong passion for what it is doing for my teeth that I felt compelled to share.

Now I seriously love a good teeth cleaning. At our house we make sure everyone goes at least once a year to have the full mouth check up and make sure we are orally fabulous. The great thing about leaving y dentist's office is that I am constantly running my tongue all over my mouth to feel that shiny surface that can only be the cause of all the plaque being gone. Your teeth just feel incredible and so smooth.

Now this is a two-step system, so the first step clean your teeth with step one. This is a really great cleaner and helps dissolve plaque. After you have scrubbed for one minute spit the toothpaste out, but do not rinse! next apply step two to your brush and scrub for one more minute. this is the whitening part of the process. Then spit and rinse....and of course run your tongue over the plaque-free smoothness of it all.

In my opinion the whitening is a little slower in revealing itself, but I am gine with that not being an instant process.I have no expectations to have instantly whiter teeth. After two weeks of using the system, I have noticed my teeth are whiter and they have never felt so clean.

I have not looked in stores to  see locally where I could purchase it when I run out, but no worries it is at Amazon for your convenience. This is a highly recommenced that will change your brushing world.