Nona Nita's Grandparenting Blog

Nona Wants to Make it The Green House

2008-10-02T19:57:19Z

Rating **

In my travels on the Internet Highway, looking for ways to make a difference in the world that our grandchildren will inherit, I came across this delightful idea. See if you think it's as interesting as I do.

An organic garden on the White House lawn would send the powerful message to the American people and to the rest of the world, that the president is invested in the future. It would promote local, organic gardening. Eating locally produced, organic food, goes a long way toward erasing some of our footprint. Fossil fuels are saved by not using chemical fertilizer, and by eliminating the gasoline necessary to transport produce a long way. Eating healthy, organic, whole foods makes for a healthier populace, which could cut down on the increasing need for pharmaceuticals, that eventually contaminate our ground water. When people are close to their food source, they tend to appreciate mother earth to a greater extent and they tend to become more aware of the need for stewardship. That's worth three smiling grandchildren!

Click here for more information about an Organic White house Garden

** Nona's Smiling Grandchild Rating

reduces footprint in one area of concern
reduces footprint in two areas of concern
reduces footprint in multiple areas of concern

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Making My Mailbox Eco-Friendly

2008-10-05T09:32:29Z

Rating **

I just came in from wading through my mailbox. Since junk mail is not forwarded, living in a rental has always meant putting up with catalogues, advertisements, etc. addressed to the former tenant. Adding this to my own junk mail, I find myself drowning in it. I used to just grin and bear it, dumping it all right from the mailbox into the recycle bin, but lately I have found it really offensive. It seems that, once your name is on a mailing list, you live on at that address, through perpetuity. It's absolutely frightening, not to mention rediculous. On any one day I can peruse a catalogue for designer dog clothes, firefighter memorabilia, and every tool a man could possibly want. I never order anything from these catalogues, but they keep on coming... some every month. (Is firefighter memorabilia seasonal?) I get coupons for everything from Preparation H to Pampers, and the political campaign ads are particularly annoying.
Well, I finally decided that enough is enough. Considering the wasted resources spent on these nuisances, and the availability of online catalogues for anyone so inclined, I have declared my own personal campaign against printed waste that finds its way into my box. Considering the fact that junk mail in the United States accounts for one-third of all the mail delivered in the world, and that 44% of that mail goes to landfills unopened, and since we spend 8 months of our lives dealing with it all, and it consumes over 100 million trees a year to support it, I figured that there must be an internet site or a telephone number to contact to remove a name from the junk mail lists. It surprised me to find out that there is not. Just as the Do Not Call Registry freed Americans from telemarketers, a Do Not Mail Registry would give us the choice to stop junk mailers from violating our privacy, wasting our time and damaging the environment. If you agree you might want to visit
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/281/t/5980/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=941
sponsored by an organization called ForestEthics, which offers you an opportunity to sign a petition asking congress to sponsor just such a bill. While you're there, you can use their tool to cut down on the junk mail you are receiving until our lawmakers sponsor and then pass this very needed legislation. Just one more gift you can give your grandchildren!

** Nona's Smiling Grandchild Rating

reduces footprint in one area of concern
reduces footprint in two areas of concern
reduces footprint in multiple areas of concern

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Greening Grandma's Lunchbox

2008-09-24T20:23:20Z

Rating **

Eliminating petroleum products from my every day living is more of a challenge than I expected. Add to it, my recent desire to live "green", and I have a full time job ahead of me. I decided to start by spending one day consciously observing my everyday habits and investigating the origins of the items that I use daily. I vowed to question how using those items might affect my granddaughter's generation. I have to admit, I was surprised at what an ecological hog I had become. My morning routine of getting off to work and packing my lunch box alone showed my gluttonous addiction to advertised convenience products.

Sandwich - wrapped in one plastic baggy

Grapes - wrapped inone plastic baggy

One slice of cheese - individually wrapped in plastic

4 crackers - wrapped in one plastic baggy

Water - in one plastic bottle

Iced tea - in one plastic bottle

Hot tea - poured into one styrofoam cup with plastic sip top

2 paper sugar packs

wooden stirrer

    Not only did 7 of those items use petroleum products to produce, all seven of them were not biodegradable. Although the plastic bottles could be recycled, there was no hope for the Styrofoam cup with the plastic top. It would be around for the next 100 years or more. I briefly considered writing, "I'm sorry" on it, so that someone in the future who picked it up would feel a little better about not being able to breathe easily. The paper products and wooden stirrer were a bit less offensive, but still impacted global warming by causing another tree to be cut down simply because I had become too lazy to dig my teaspoon into a canister to measure out two teaspoons of sugar, and then stir with the same spoon. I won't even go into the fact that the lunchbox itself was plastic lined to make it easier to clean. Of course, it never needed to be cleaned since the food was all individually wrapped and therefore, no food ever actually touched the lunchbox!

     I laughed when I realized that my lunchbox looked like detective Monk had packed it. When had I decided that it was a crime for my food choices to touch each other? It was clear where I had to start. Today I packed my lunch in the following way:

Sandwich (which could feasibly fall apart all over the other food if not wrapped in something) wrapped in wax paper (still impacting trees, but definitely less offensive than all those plastic bags).

4 slices of bulk cheese and crackers placed on top of the above sandwich and wrapped with the same wrap

Grapes - placed directly in the lunch box, unwrapped ( I noticed that nature wraps them in skin)

Homemade iced tea stored in glass bottle

Tap water carried in glass bottle

Tea in large pottery mug with

2 teaspoons of bulk sugar measured, and then stirred into the tea with the teaspoon

I'm feeling so proud of myself as I imagine some beautiful tree saved by my efforts. I feel absolutely gleeful that foregoing plastic bags will remove a fraction of the country's dependence on oil (albeit a very small fraction). I pat myself on the back saying, "Not bad for 5 minutes' work!" For this foray into conscious living I gave myself a rating of two smiling grandchildren!

** Nona's Smiling Grandchild Rating

reduces footprint in one area of concern
reduces footprint in two areas of concern
reduces footprint in multiple areas of concern

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Taking Our Power Back

2008-09-23T17:55:07Z

     When I was a child, the Middle East was a far off place that one read about in stories like 1001 Arabian Nights. Thinking about that part of the world conjured up visions of sultry tents, harems, camels, and sand storms. One heard about wealthy sultans, but they never impacted anyone's lives here. Now, fifty years later, every day holds a reminder of how important the volatile Middle East is to our economy and overall sense of security.
     There is no doubt that many Americans feel powerless to change this situation. I have felt that way myself, but I truly believe that nobody takes your power away without your consent. We, in the US, have traded in our power over our lives for comfort on the road and a barrage of convenience products that make our lives easier. Let's face it. If nobody bought the oil from the Middle East, they would have no basis for their wealth, and they would be stripped of the power that we have so foolishly given them. I mean, seriously, what else do they have to sell...sand? Of course, with the present state of affairs, doing without oil would leave us paralyzed. Very few of us could carry on our lives without oil. We heat our homes with it, we depend on transportation that guzzles it, and we consume piles and piles of products that are made from it. So how do we get our power back? By choosing to live our lives as free of petroleum products as possible, and by electing leaders who vow to seriously work to get our country off this insidious dependence on oil.
     A commitment to sacrifice comfort and perceived necessities is tough to make, but like dumping all that tea into Boston Harbor, and like food rationing during WWII, it has been shown not only to be possible, but also effective. So, I have decided to make that commitment, not only for the sake of the next generation, but also for my own self-esteem. Living a long time is supposed to make one wise and one pearl of wisdom that I have learned is that when I give my power away, I lose that self-esteem. I'll keep you posted on this challenging journey. Maybe I will be able to share some insights into how to make the commitment easier.

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

"Annie Get Your Gun" in The White House?

2008-09-19T19:39:25Z

Well, my classroom is set up, classes are underway, and I am ready to blog again. Sorry for any inconvenience to my subscribers. I'm ready, but I'm also worried. Many things have happened in the past few weeks that have pushed me to utter frustration. I sit at the computer to write and I just don't know where to start. For example, I have waited many years to see a woman candidate be nominated for this country's highest offices. I anxiously awaited the day, because I always thought that peace would be closer at hand if a woman were making the life or death decisions. I figured once the "macho" thing with all of its inherent testosterone was taken out of the equation, intelligent problem solving to settle differences would follow. Never in a million years however, did I expect that the first woman to reach this height would be a woman who felt comfortable leaning out of a helicopter with an automatic rifle in her arms shooting a wild animal who had to rely on its legs to get away.

Some people view this kind of thing as equality, but being equal to men was never the point for me. I think a woman leader shouldn't strive to be equal, but rather, to be better than the men who held the position before her. Of course, Sarah Palin is not running for President, but anyone who uses that to reassure themselves need only look at her and Senator Mc Cain together. She looks like his granddaughter and he looks like he's ready for the nearest rocking chair. Fact is, I don't want anyone to be a heartbeat away from the presidency who feels comfortable shooting anything, even if it is eaten afterwards, and if Palin and her running mate are elected (by the grace of the people, Sarah) she would be only a weak heartbeat away from that office. So... I worry. I worry about how many more young men and women will be sent by old men to far away places to give up their lives. I worry when I hear leaders refuse to even consider talking before sending troops to settle disputes. I worry that our selfish dependence on oil will drive us to ignore what really needs to be done to ensure a better world, or for that matter, any world, for our grandchildren. She refers to this war as "God's mission". What is this, the Middle Ages? She's sending her son off to war, and I am the one worrying. What's wrong with this picture?

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

A Change of Pace

2008-08-26T20:22:23Z

I have had a really hard time posting an entry in the past week and a half or so. My mind was drawing a blank and when I forced myself to the computer to write, I ended up allowing myself to get preoccupied with ebay or reading other people's blogs. Truth is, I am finding the theme of my blog confining. Yes, I am a proud grandmother, but I am so much more, and I have so much more to share. The result is that I feel frustrated trying to relate all posts to a delightful role that means so much to me, but constitutes only part of my life. In my life I wear many hats, which I suspect, is the case with most people my age. Mother, Teacher, Daughter, Friend, Colleague, Volunteer, Entrepreneur, Reiki Master/Teacher, Single Woman, Senior Citizen, Tenant, Concerned Citizen, Mentor... all are roles that engage me and make me the person I am. I would like to blog about issues that affect these different roles, since this is what modern grandparents are. We don the hat of grandparent without relinquishing our other roles. The front porch with the rocking chair is gone and we would probably kick it off the porch anyway if it were still there. We're younger, healthier and more educated than many grandparents of past generations and since we enjoy a longer life expectancy than the last generation, we continue to grow and develop interests well into our senior years. So, don't be surprised if some of my future entries don't seem to directly relate to grandchildren or grandparenting. I can promise you only that my posts will resonate with modern, enlightened grandparents in all aspects of their lives.

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Preparing for the First Day at School - Grandparents Can Help

2008-08-26T20:21:34Z

Back to school is just around the corner. I am convinced that most students are really thrilled when September rolls around. I have had many students from 1st grade up to 12th secretly admit to me that they missed their friends and are glad to be back. The ones who might be a bit hesitant, though, are the little ones going off to preschool for the first time, or the kindergarteners that either didn't go to preschool, or just got used to being home over the summer. It's really important to emotionally prepare them for the new experience ahead.
You might be wondering how you, as a grandparent, can help with this. Of course, buying a special backpack, outfit, crayons, etc. sets the tone of the adventure to come, and grandparents could help with purchasing these items. Another, and more memorable way to help out, would be to give a gift of a very special book called The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This is a wonderful gift for both your grandchild and his or her parents. More often than not, the child is not the only one who experiences the separation anxiety inherent in a little one going off to school. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I followed the Kindergarten bus to school and back for the whole first week of Kindergarten for both of my children, even though they had already gone to preschool. That big bus, the officialness of it all, the nagging fear that the teacher wouldn't "understand" or be patient enough with my children, or worse yet, not recognize how special my children were, all made the event bittersweet. The Kissing Hand validates and honors the feelings of both the child and the parents. In the story Chester the Raccoon and his mother find a way to carry each other's love with them throughout the day, even when they are apart, and it works to comfort and empower both of them. Giving this gift to your grandchild and his/her parents, affords them the opportunity to create their own "kissing hands" and they will thank you for it. Maybe the parents will even let you follow the bus with them!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Let's Make Peanut Butter Balls!

2008-08-11T14:41:02Z

Cooking with grandma should be fun, not complicated. Recipes with opportunities for the child to measure, pour, mix and generally dig right in are the best and the ones that your grandchild will ask to make with you time and time again. Cooking with Grandma can also be an opportunity to introduce a child to snacks with healthy ingredients. This recipe fills the bill on all counts. It is a nutritious treat that even a preschooler can put together without much help. It doesn't require any cooking, it's filled with healthy ingredients, and children of all ages love to make it and eat it

Nona's Peanut Butter Balls Ingredients :

1/2 cup of creamy style peanut butter
1/2 cup of powdered milk
1/2 cup of honey
3/4 cup of wheat germ

First combine the peanut butter, wheat germ, powdered milk and honey in a bowl.
Pull off walnut sized pieces, roll them into balls, and put onto waxed paper.
Refrigerate until firm.
(Makes about one dozen balls)

Try making them with different nut butters or different flavors of honey for a little variation. These snacks are also great to pop into a lunch box, but should be refrigerated for long term storage. Mangia!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Watch what you say, Nona!

2008-08-08T19:43:29Z

The thunder cracked and I found myself just blurting it out. What the heck is it that makes these silly, completely unscientific, often times moronic, and many times self-esteem damaging phrases just pop out of my mouth as if they had a life of their own? "There's nothing to be afraid of,honey", I blurted out as she flew over to grasp my leg. "It's just the angels bowling". Angels bowling...geez...I didn't believe it when I was a kid and it certainly never made me feel less afraid. Hugs and songs got my granddaughter through the storm, but I am really more concerned with the fact that the cliché just flew out of me, without a censor. Although we have many fine family traditions I most certainly want to pass along to the next generation, there are many things that were said to me when I was a child that I definitely don't want to. "Well, you better marry a rich man so you won't have to...(fill in the blank)" , " It's more important to be pretty on the inside", and the proverbial "because I said so, that's why!" are small, but perfect examples of what I mean. My guard was up against them when my kids were little but I can see that I need to drag that censor out again. Besides, with computers, video games, i-pods and all the other state of the art technology, do children even know what bowling is anymore?

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

Ten things a two year old can do while her Nona is busy having a yard sale:

2008-08-06T22:57:27Z

1. Run up to Nona with arms outstretched upon arrival to completely make Nona's day.
2. Take a ride in the wagon Nona is using to move things from the house to the driveway.
3. Play with all the collectible dolls that are carefully displayed on the sale table.
4. Sit on the plastic potty that Nona is selling and ask for an M&M (guess who's in training?!)
5. Pretend to try to take a nap in the little tent Nona set up for just such an occasion.
6. Find and point to every ant within 5 feet of the tent and be afraid of every one of them.
7. Eat loads of Teddy Puffs and slurp down a juice box or two.
8. Announce the name of every vehicle passing by (correctly, I might add!)
9. Fall off the Dora folding chair requiring lots of hugs and reassurance that the world is really a safe place even though folding chairs tip over.
10. Look absolutely adorable while doing all of the previously mentioned activities.

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

My "Furry Grandchild"

2008-07-31T19:18:25Z

Over the years I have come to believe in reincarnation. My first inkling that the nuns' explanation of life after death (sitting in heaven, forever gazing at God) didn't resonate with me was when I touched a dead pet and wondered where the "life" had gone. My epiphany was when I gave birth and wondered from where the "life" came. Spirit changing forms seemed a sensible explanation to me, as it does for millions who follow some Eastern religions. The one part I always had trouble with, however, was the belief that a human could come back in the next life as an animal . . . that is until four years ago, when my daughter came over with a little ball of black fur they named "Jackson." At the time, Sarah was just a twinkle in her daddy's eye, and so, Jackson became my "grandchild" and has remained my "furry grandchild" ever since. My attraction to Jackson was instantaneous. It was love at first sight. But who could blame me? King Charles Spaniels are all adorable, and Jackson wasn't any exception. But don't be fooled, it's more than that. If this dog isn't a human spirit reincarnated, I'll eat my hat! First of all, he understands everything anyone says. For example, he won't get upset when he hears the word bath, but if the conversation includes him possibly taking a bath, he's out of there. Or take the time my daughter and her husband skyped me from Europe when I was babysitting Jackson for a month. The first week they were away, he sat near me and watched them on the computer screen, listening to their voice with interest, but the second week, when they come on the screen, he got up, turned his back on them and sat down, completely ignoring their pleas to acknowledge them. He was angry that they were gone so long, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Just as I do for my grandchild, I scour the yard sales for "Grandma equipment" to make Jackson's visits more comfortable. An example of this is the stairs I picked up so that he could more easily jump up onto my high bed to snuggle with me at night when I watch him. I'm not embarrassed to say that I've been known to refer to myself as his grandma in sentences like "If grandma slips you any more scraps under the table, your mom will get mad at me!", and "Grandma missed you". When I know he is coming, I buy him special treats, and yes, I even read the labels to make sure that they are "natural" and preservative free. Jackson more than pays me back by being absolutely delighted every time he sees me, by instantly forgiving me every time I accidentally step on his tail, and by giving me unconditional love all the time. Jackson is very important to my daughter and her husband and that would be reason enough to make him very important to me, but even if he weren't their pride and joy, he would still be special to me. I'm not sure who he was in a past life, but he certainly has my deceased dad's disposition and he likes me to scratch his back, just like my dad did.... Who knows?

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living.

5 Steps to a FREE $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

2008-07-24T17:16:36Z

Here's my list for this week and it could mean a few bucks for you to spend on a little something for yourself!

Decide to enter Nona's latest contest.
Subscribe via e mail to Nona's Blog (look on the sidebar).
E-mail a copy of the subscription confirmation you receive to me, at nonanitasnook@aol.com (if you are already a subscriber, e-mail me a copy of this blog entry that you have received through your e-mail).
Check back on August 1st to see if your entry was picked in the drawing.
Jump up and down with your $25 gift certificate to Amazon if you win!

The winner really could be you but you can't win it if you're not in it!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Happy Gorgeous Grandma Day!

2008-07-23T07:40:07Z

I didn't know if 1-2-3-Cards made this up or not, but apparently today is Gorgeous Grandma Day. When this fact was brought to my attention by some clever e-mail marketing, I considered the idea and decided, heck, why not? Growing up with Barbie as a model, I have twisted, starved, cinched, and creamed, my whole life in an attempt to be gorgeous, so if somebody wants to invent a day to call me that just because I'm a grandma...what's not to like? My curiousity spiked, I researched this dubious holiday, however, and found out that Gorgeous Grandma Day was not as simplistic or superficial as it seemed at first glance. Actually, the designation was started by a woman over 50 who defined a "Gorgeous Grandma" more or less, in this way: A "Gorgeous Grandma" is every woman over 50 who believes she has her whole life ahead of her, not her whole life behind her. She wants to get the most out of every day of her life, in order to thrive, not just survive. She cares for her mind and her body, and remains adaptable to life’s bittersweet as well as sweet. A "Gorgeous Grandma" cherishes herself as much as she cherishes her loved ones. She refuses to remain static and is always open to learning, to new ideas, to new challenges, and to new experiences. In short, she loves life - and lets everyone know it!
I know women like that and I aspire to walk in their footsteps. And so, to all the "gorgeous grandmas" who read my blog, here's my greeting to you. And for those of my readers who are not grandmas, I'll bet you know someone who deserves being sent this card today!

Send this eCard !

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Who Says You Shouldn't Play With Your Food?

2008-07-20T20:41:21Z

In my little cottage, cabinet space is at a premium, so I purchased a stand-alone cupboard. It's tall and narrow with lots of shelves, and a door that is easily opened at any level. This is where I keep the "snacks" and ever since Sarah was old enough to toddle, it is the first place she goes to when she visits. Not having the expense of feeding a family anymore, I have the luxury of buying those expensive organic snacks, which are fine with her, as long as there are some Sesame Street characters on the box. Alas, lately she has become a bit bored with these snacks, so I have decided to stretch my memory back to my Food Co-op/Playgroup in the Basement Days, and resurrect some oldies but goodies.

Nona's Make-a Snack Activity #1

This snack is a hit and can be made by children 2 and up. It is wonderful because it is a snack that becomes a play activity. Little ones practice eye/hand coordination as they eat, and big kids just marvel at how cool it is and "what is that brown stuff anyway?"

Gather a package of thin pretzel sticks, one banana, and a half a cup of toasted wheat germ.
Cut the banana up into slices about 3/4 inch thick, then quarter each slice.
Put each item in a separate bowl and line them up in order.
Show the child how to spear a banana piece with a pretzel stick, and then dip it into the wheat germ to coat it, and then pop it into his or her mouth.
Banana eaten? Now eat the pretzel and start all over again!

By the way, you don't have to tell them it's healthy unless you want to!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Coloring, a Time Honored Kid Meditation

2008-07-18T21:30:45Z

Entertaining the older grandchild, between the ages of 8 and 12, is often a challenge. I would like to suggest that you don't overlook the allure of coloring. Coloring is an activity that all adults who supervise children fall back on occasionally to "keep them busy". Although it is not terribly creative, it does hone small motor skills, and serves the purpose of being an easy activity to begin and stop doing on a moment's notice. An added benefit to this activity is that the repetitiveness of coloring seems to soothe kids. Like in meditation, coloring puts one "in the moment" and, as a result, is very relaxing. Family restaurants caught on to this effect long ago, and often have a jar of crayons and a place mat to color on the table. I have even, on occasion, set my high school ESL kids to coloring materials for language activities (gasp!) and I find that coloring calms even the wildest, for at least a while. The problem is to find something that an older child can color which is sophisticated enough so that the child doesn't feel foolish in the process. The answer is close at hand. Carlton Hibbert, a U.K. illustrator, has shared a portion of his gift by creating a blog with free designs to color. This is just the kind of coloring material that would engage an older grandchild, and Carlton makes it even more interesting by challenging the reader to send him finished products for possible display on this blog. I suspect that many adults use his designs for a coloring meditation on occasion. You can access Mr. Hibbert's blog by clicking here. Enjoy!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Grandma Vows to Use Bullets

2008-07-16T20:45:49Z

My 30 something children have encouraged me to write concisely online. To be fair, even my teachers used to tell me that I am a bit wordy. Bullets and lists, the kids tell me, are the secret to success on the Internet, and I have noticed that many blogs are filled with this style of entry. I keep reminding these helpful readers that I am from the generation that was forced to put all writing in a full sentence. I have to admit that even when I make a Power Point for my classroom, I have a hard time trying to figure out if or where I should put punctuation. So, never being one to shy away from the current way of doing things, I present to you a new entry category called " Nona's Lists". Here is my first:

Five Things I Learned The First Time My 2 Year Old Granddaughter Spent the Night

Don't expect a child to take a nap half an hour after they arrive at your house even if it is nap time.
Make sure that any DVD you pick up at a yard sale that has "Sesame Street" in the title, has a segment called "Elmo's World", or it just won't pass for the real Sesame Street.
Make sure you bring the special "Dora Bath Towel" into the bathroom before you put the child into the tub (can you say "wet"?).
Once she finally gets to sleep, never check on the child so many times that you wake her up!
Make sure you get lots of sleep the night before, just in case you screw up on number four.

Well that was painless. Think I'll try writing a list entry once a week!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting, visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Grandma's Reverie or Close Encounters with The Giving Tree

2008-07-15T11:16:11Z

As I've written in the past, I always enjoy reading with my granddaughter, but reading with her takes on a whole new glow when I am reading one of the classic early childhood picture books that I once read to my own two children. This became crystal clear the other day as I tried, quite unsuccessfully, to get through The Giving Tree
without tears welling up in my eyes. Suddenly, at right about the place where the boy carries off the tree's branches to build a house, it started, and although I struggled with my voice, by the time I got to the part where the boy cuts down the tree's trunk for his boat, the cat was out of the bag. My granddaughter looked up at me from my lap, pointed at my face and said "Tears". I was caught! I was caught in a reverie that the child could not even begin to understand. How could she know how it felt to hold your child's child on your lap? How can one even begin to describe the overwhelming awe one feels when the realization hits them that their baby has a baby? How could the child comprehend that I was the tree, and that although, like the tree in the book, I had given willingly and was very happy for the successes and happiness of the boy, the fact remains that time is marching on and the proof of it was sitting, all comfy and cozy, in my lap? Yes, there she was with a hint of her father's expression dancing on her face. It jolted me back to the present. This bright, intelligent, beautiful little girl was worth all the apples, and branches, and yes, even the trunk, that her Nona had invested in her father over the years. How proud I felt, in that moment, that he had grown into such a good man, caring husband, and loving father. Yes, this tree was definitely happy. So I gulped and continued on until I finished the book. Then we went and had some applesauce.

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Nona's Tongue-in-Cheek, Eco-Friendly, Green Idea

2008-07-12T18:52:14Z

In order for the Green Movement to succeed, we are going to have to take into consideration human nature. Take, for example, the movement to use canvas bags in lieu of plastic or paper. I've heard my friends say that they really want to use them, but they usually forget them at home, or in the car, and sometimes they just don't want the inconvenience of one more thing to remember doing. If supermarkets were really interested in their baby boomer customers using those eco-friendly canvas bags, they could make it happen overnight. All they would have to do is get one of those iron-on machines, a computer and scanner, and pay a few employees to iron on the grandchildren's pictures onto the bags for free. Imagine, a legitimate reason to show off a picture of the grandkids without being asked! What upstanding, bona-fide grandparent could resist? Not only would the grandparents use them for shopping in the supermarket, they would probably carry them to every store they go to. Forgetting them at home would never be a problem, since I strongly suspect that the bags would be prominently displayed on the counter at home, or on the car's dashboard when not in use. Let's face it. No grandparent can resist the urge to show off a picture of his or her grandchild... it's one of the reasons why Grandchildren are so much fun!

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

Nona's New Contest

2008-07-10T11:52:24Z

I first envisioned this blog and the accompanying web site, with only grandparents in mind, but have quickly found out that my readers are from all ages and all walks of life. I really should not have been surprised, since most people have had a grandparent or two (or six or seven, in this world of step families) that influenced their lives to some extent. My guess is that the fond memory of these relationships make people curious enough to wonder what an old goat like me has to say. In light of this fact, my next contest is going to give away something a bit more universal. In lieu of a great book on grandparenting, the winner of my new contest will be sent a $25 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com. To enter, just subscribe to this blog via e-mail and stay subscribed until the drawing. When you have done that, forward a copy of the confirmation e-mail that is sent to you, with the subscription response words"You are now subscribed to this blog" cut and pasted into it, to nonanitasnook@aol.com. I will then add your e-mail address into my drawing, which will take place at midnight August 6th 2008. If your name is drawn, you win. If you are already a subscriber, you can enter by referring a friend. Just make sure that the friend adds a note on the forward that you have referred them, and adds your e-mail address in the body of the e-mail. Then I will put both of your e-mail addresses into the drawing. My last contest winner was cloudsters. Will the next contest winner be you?

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .

The Computer Swallowed Granny

2008-07-15T15:59:20Z

Nona has outgrown her blog template. My attempts to network have exposed me to many wonderful blogs with their neat widgets and rss feeds and such. Not content to be an old fuddy-duddy, I want them as well, and although I love the wonderful tech support people at Go Daddy.com, and will definitely park my new website and blog in their garage, lately my "how to" questions have been met more often than not with a " You can't do that with your web site builder." So I'm on the move. I've decided to take the challenge and build it better. Problem is, the free downloads I've tried are too simple for my needs, and my inability to navigate Adobe Photo Shop shies me away from Dream Weaver or any of the other professional programs. Any suggestions for a moderately priced, user-friendly program that would give me room for some affiliate widgets on the blog, and the ability to forward a nonagram from my website, would be really appreciated. In the meantime, I came across the following, which pretty much sums up the way I feel about the hours I will have to put in to accomplish this monumental task that lies ahead of me.

The Computer Swallowed Granny

For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .