GIGI'S SEASONINGS
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog

June 29th, 2018

6/29/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Independence Day with the grandkids! And celebrate BIG! I don't know about you, but so much of what I do with my grandchildren is all about recreating and capturing favorite times from my own childhood. And certainly the 4th of July is no exception. My childhood 4th included a picnic to Thompson Park with my mama's fried chicken and potato salad, and ending with homemade ice cream! Night time festivities included fireworks at Dick Bivins Stadium and probably sometime during that day, a delicious, juicy slice of watermelon. My family knew how to do it up BIG!

I hate to tell you, but when my own kids were born, I kind of gave up on some of that. Certainly not the fireworks, but picnics during the day? Not so much. We lived in El Paso, and picnics in 100 degree heat were kind of out of the question. 

In 1984 we moved to Austin, and shortly thereafter our third son was born. I am so grateful to the wonderful babysitter that I had for my youngest. I learned so much from Phyllis, not the least of which was making a celebration out of just about everything in life. Certainly she did the 4th of July up big and proper. Without a doubt, she shared the love of people and the love of life. Even though I'm a teacher, and didn't take my youngest to her in the summer, she called us up one summer day. She said they were having a neighborhood 4th of July parade and that I should bring Travis on his scooter and decorate it for the festival. So we did!
Picture
Scenes from the street parade in front of Phyllis' house.
Picture
Picture
Fast forward to 2007...2008 and holidays with my grandchildren. I never forgot the fun of Phyllis' parades, and wanted to do that with my grands. Alas, we don't do a small neighborhood parade, but we do attend our town's 4th of July parade and it's great! There are bands, and floats, and veterans marching...the whole nine yards. And to capture that fun that we had with Phyllis, we simply decorated our little red wagons and went to the parade. We often met at a cafe for breakfast on the parade route enabling us to get there early to get a good viewing spot for the parade. We decorated our wagons on the parking lot, and then towed the kids over to view the parade.

Picture
Cousins in their decorated wagon.
Picture
Picture
Even though we don't decorate wagons anymore, we still go to the parade of course. If you're going to a parade this year, wear your patriotic best! Besides shirts and hats, there are patriotic tattoos and red, white and blue beads and jeweled stickers for faces! Do it up GRAND!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Don't forget the nighttime fireworks! You can decorate for that as well. Decorate those little red wagons and take the little grandkids to the light show. Going in your pickup truck? Decorate that as well. Just get some of those patriotic pillows from the patio or den and toss those in the back of the truck. And make a visit to your friendly neighborhood party supply store or a big box discount store and grab some decorations. You can't help but be inspired. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
My favorite photo from a nighttime fireworks display:
Picture
Our great nieces in Lubbock. Uncle Alan even let them crawl up on the cab.
But wait! There's more! Don't forget to decorate your house for the holiday......the grandkids always enjoy that. And don't forget to frame some of your favorite pictures from  Independence Days past. You'll enjoy reliving those moments and your grandkids will too!
Picture
Picture
Happy 4th of July everyone! I know just about everyone does this holiday up in a fabulous way! I'm sure you have a lot more ideas than I have posted here. Please share! And maybe I've inspired you to add a new addition to your festivities. 

And thank you, Phyllis, for being a special inspiration to me! This week's blog is for you!

"One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation evermore!" Oliver Wendall Holmes
0 Comments

Here's one Grandmother Checking out for a While. . .

6/20/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm closing down this blog for a while. How can I, in good conscience, write about happy celebrations with grandchildren, when this is going on in our country? My prayers for these children and their families.

Please look up addresses to write your congressmen. And there are marches for families in various cities across the US on June 30th. What more can we do?

​My heart is breaking. . . 
Picture
Various "Families Belong Together" marches on June 30th.
0 Comments

A Recap of Blogs from May and June

6/18/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
May 22nd Blog-Road Trips with the Grands

This blog included ideas for traveling with your grandchildren--specifically road trips. I gave some ideas for places to visit, and encouraged my readers to take a road trip with their young grandchildren even if it was to the next town. Some readers felt a need for tips on how to SURVIVE such a trip. I listed my tips below:

  • Take plenty of Wet Ones/wipes for the car. There are always going to be spills and sticky fingers.
  • Be sure to pack one or two extra outfits for the car. See first tip above. :)
  • Pack a first aid kit. You never know when you might need such a kit. Stopping to check out the scenic view and they run, fall, and skin their knee? Get out the first aid kit. Scraped elbow from the pool when you stop at the hotel in the evening? You've got that first aid kit. 
  • Have plenty of water, drinks, and appropriate snacks for the car. The little guys get hungry.
  • Have a new toy, new stuffed animal, or craft kit for them to work on in the car. 
  • Dust off from your memory bank all those ideas for car games. We like car bingo. I don't like the store bought ones so much, so I made my own bingo of things I knew they were sure to see. And I learned a new game from my 4-year-old granddaughter: "Spot the Flag!" You'd be surprised how many flags are flying along the highways and byways--US flags as well as flags used for advertisements.
  • Bring their favorite pillows and blankets. If they're some of the few of today's generation who don't have such a thing, bring plenty of your own pillows and blankets for the car.
  • Check with their parents (and the kid too) about their food likes and dislikes. Adhere to that.
  • Get a copy of the child's schedule. You may not be able to observe it precisely, but grandparents should try. It's just always good to know--you can often avoid a tantrum or meltdown when you know that it's nap time or meal time.
  • And don't forget their lovey. Most kids have a favorite stuffed animal or blankie. 
Picture
My granddaughter made that crown in the car. It was a press-and-stick mosaic kit that I purchased for the car. No mess, no fuss.
Picture
Granddaughter with her sweet bear; she carried her everywhere.
Picture
We were warned about sugar. Wished we'd listened.
Picture
My version of car bingo. You can use wax markers to mark out the ones you see; or you can buy non-toxic dry erase markers for the same purpose. Use my contact page to request a copy of the bingo card.
May 31st blog--Fun Questionnaire for Father's Day

A teacher friend shared the questionnaire, and I thought it would be great for Father's Day. I used it to interview my grands and then I used their answers and favorite family photos to make their dad a book. But you realize the questionnaire can be used for ANYONE--fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, and other family members. A friend even suggested doing it like a Family Feud game. Read out the questions and everyone writes their response privately. Give them a few seconds to respond, and then everyone shows their answer--even Dad. Perhaps you could get two points if you matched Dad and one point for matching someone else in the group. 

Here's that questionnaire again. And don't forget you can write me for a copy. Just use my contact page. 
Picture
June 8th blog-Gardening with the Grandkids

My husband wrote this blog. He's an avid gardener. Some of my readers may not be so aggressive in that pursuit. A friend shared that she had started "straw bale" gardening. Much easier (I'm guessing) than regular, full-blown gardening. 

Here's a website about it: www.gardeners.com/how-to/straw-bale-gardens/8882.html
Picture
Our grandkids love Poppa's garden. Oldest grandson still checks the garden for bell peppers and eats them raw--like an apple! He's done that since he was small.
June 12th blog-Balloon Surprise for Dad (or Granddad)

This was a good one from a young friend. She and her siblings had done if for her father. Yesterday was Father's Day, and my family did it for their Poppa.

Just a reminder that this balloon fun can be for anyone--mothers, grandmothers, dads and grandfathers, friends and family. And not just for Father's Day or Mother's Day, but birthdays and anniversaries as well. How fun for a young couple celebrating their 25th for one of them to have 25 balloons with a memory inside for their wife or husband. I think it's a very fun idea, and want to thank Lizzy once again for sharing. 
Picture
Checking each memory or sweet thought in every balloon. Great anniversary idea too!
So that's a recap of the past few weeks. I like to do that occasionally as my readers add their ideas, or else need clarification. And don't forget the Fourth of July holiday happening in a couple of weeks. Would love to hear your ideas on how you celebrate the day. Also share any crafts you do with your grands, and recipes that are family favorites. 

​Until next week. . . 


​Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds. Regina Brett


1 Comment

Fun Father's Day Idea

6/12/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Looking for a fun Father's Day idea? One that doesn't involve a lot of time and effort? But one that is exceedingly meaningful? Then look no further.

I get ideas for my blog from many sources--often from friends posting celebrations on Facebook or Instagram. This one came from Instagram. I have a dear childhood friend--for goodness' sake, we've been friends for over 60 years! So of course I've come to know her children and grandchildren. My friend has a zest for new adventures, never meets a stranger, and is always up for celebrating life! And her children and grandchildren got that gene. So when I saw this idea posted by her granddaughter, I knew I had to share it on my blog. And this one's for ANYONE--children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, young and old, and everyone in between. It involves sweet memories, balloons, daddies, granddads, and balloons--did I say that already?

Here--I'll let Lizzy tell you:

​I know everyone thinks they have the coolest dad, and I’m sure they do,  but none compare to mine! A couple of years ago my siblings and I decided we wanted to do something unique for our dad for Father’s Day. We did some brainstorming and came up with this balloon idea! My brother, sister and I all came up with 5-10 memories and quotes about our dad. We put them inside the balloons and blew them up! We surprised him with a room full of balloons, We gathered around while he popped and read the contents. My dad still to this day talks about this Father’s Day, and how much he enjoyed popping the balloons and reading the memories with all of us.
Picture
Happy family celebrating the day.
Picture
Dad's really in the zone reading those memories.

Now come on, readers! Isn't that the cutest idea ever? And I'm sure they wrote down memories and thoughts that they might not otherwise have shared with their dad. I had to write about it in my blog.
Picture
I'm sure you get the idea. Get together with those kids or grandkids and get started. You've got time before Father's Day. And save this idea. You can use it for Mother's Day too, and anyone's birthday. 
Picture
Write your memory or thanks on a slip of paper.
Picture
Place the note in the balloon before you inflate it.
Picture
Picture
I loved this idea. Thank you, Lizzy, for sharing with us. And if any of my readers have other ideas of things you've done for Father's Day, we'd love to hear. Just write me on my contact page. 

We're only a couple of weeks from another big holiday. One that all of America celebrates. Can't wait to write about that. And if you have ideas or recipes about Independence Day, please write. Until then. . . 
1 Comment

In Poppa's Garden

6/8/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Do you garden? Planning to start a garden so you can grow your own organic vegetables? Then please! Include those grandkids!

My husband is the gardener in our family. He loves it, and I love to reap the benefits. On any given day, you can often find me tripping out to the garden to pick my breakfast--that is to say, to get some wonderful, healthy greens for my morning smoothie. But I'm not the only one who enjoys it--our grands do too. And not just for the fruits and veggies--it's a magical place and great for hiding. 

We've had a garden most of our married life. My husband was raised by a wonderful father who always planted a garden for their family--and it was enough to supply them most of the year. So I think it was in his blood--for sure it was only natural for him to always find a space in our yard to grow a garden. And to give his kids and grandkids the experience.
Picture
My father-in-law in his garden with our youngest son. It truly is a family tradition.

​But I really should let him tell it. Here's Alan~

​"When our three grandchildren come over to our house, one of the first things they do is check out the garden. I don’t have to go with them—I trust them in knowing what vegetables can be picked and which veggies are not ready for harvesting. They know exactly how to scratch the surface of the ground to see if a carrot is ready or look carefully at a strawberry to check its redness. This was not always the case. When younger, one grandkid pulled most of the carrots out of the ground looking for one that could be eaten—there were none. Another pulled several large radishes out of the ground, but was not going to eat them. But not so today—they know exactly how to determine when a vegetable is ready. And they know exactly what do with the parts not eaten—put them in the compost bin. One of my greatest joys was teaching my grandkids how to grow a garden. I wanted to introduce them to the “fun” of working in the garden and growing vegetables and seeing where some of their food is grown. Many kids only see vegetables in the grocery store or when they sit down and eat. In the garden, there are many lessons that can be taught.
Picture
Picture
They eventually learned the technique for checking for readiness to be picked. These carrots were delicious.
Beginning the garden~

When the kids were much younger, I would invite them over to help with planting the garden. My oldest grandson got in on the ground level (no pun intended) and helped me when I first laid out the garden. As more grandkids were added to our family, I would invite them over to help with planting the garden. First, we would decide where we were going to plant seeds and set out young plants. We would add compost to the raised beds while I explained the importance of good ingredients needed in the garden soil. This was a good biology lesson in how organic matter breaks down into needed food for the plants. We then tilled the soil and smoothed it out and then determined the length of the rows for the seeds. We checked the seed packages for planting depth and distance between the seeds. In transplanting young plants, they learned how to dig the holes and carefully set the plant. And of course, what a treat it was to get their hands dirty!
Picture
The beginnings of Poppa's garden.
Picture
Be sure to check seed packets for recommendations, and have a tape measure at the ready. So much hands-on math and science for a kid to learn.
Picture
I'm telling you--this is one cool gardener!

As the garden plants began to grow, the kids were taught how to recognize weeds from the vegetable plants, and the importance of removing the weeds, so they would not take away needed water and nutrition from the vegetables. As the plants matured, the kids were taught how to determine when the vegetables were ready, how to harvest them, and how to utilize the compost bin to toss parts of the vegetable not used. As your grandkids tend the garden, and watch it grow, they will see firsthand how their efforts lead to vegetables they like to eat. Children develop new skills and learn about science and nature from growing their own food.
Picture
All hands on deck! It's harvest time!!
Picture
A Southerner's favorites from the garden--black-eyed peas and okra!
Picture
Our youngest picked green tomatoes--yep, we had fried green tomatoes.
More lessons~

They eventually learned to pick only what they would actually eat. And they seemed to enjoy washing the vegetables outside under the garden hose (less mess in the kitchen). They also wanted to know why I planted marigolds in the garden--they stated and rightly so, you can't eat marigolds. They learned a valuable lesson on how some plants, such as marigolds, can deter insects. And they learned about composting~-even when my wife is cooking with veggies from the store, if our grandkids are in the kitchen, they will ask if they can take the raw scraps to the compost pile!
Picture
We often have veggies from our garden at our Thanksgiving table. Or winter greens for our Christmas salad. I love telling my grandchildren when something we are sharing came from Poppa's garden.
Picture
Yes, grandson. These marigolds deter garden pests.
Picture
One of our first harvests of strawberries. And one of my favorite photos.

Final words~

Gardening can seem like magic to children--planting seeds, watching them grow and then harvesting what they planted. Obviously, patience must be taught. Gardening also teaches responsibility. Working in a garden, a child can experience the satisfaction that comes from caring for something over time. And the greatest blessing of all? Involving them in planting, composting, weeding, and watering offers a wonderful opportunity to spend time together. And isn't that what life is all about?
Picture
Enchanted garden? Yes. I love our garden, and I love my husband for sharing his gardening experience in my blog this week. It really is an enchanted place. It's like a secret garden for our grandkids. I've watched them when they were little run and hide in there. It's just a small plot behind our garage, but I can imagine to younger kids, it seems pretty big. Just another wonderful custom and experience to share with our grandkids. If you don't have a garden, perhaps this will be inspiration to start one. And please share any gardening experiences you have. Even if it's just going to your grandparents' home in the country in those days of yore. Wonderful memories!
Picture
Our youngest grandson trying to jump from garden brick to garden brick. The garden is a sweet playground too!
Picture
Trying to get a running start in a game of chase!
Picture
Picture
I wasn't kidding about picking greens from the garden in the morning. Here I am in our winter garden when spinach, kale and other greens do their best. 
Picture
The rusty sign on Poppa's garden gate. I wouldn't get a new one for anything. . .

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul." --Alfred Austin
1 Comment

    Author

    Retired school teacher and now full time grandmother sharing ideas and looking for new ones about grandparenting!

    Archives

    December 2023
    August 2023
    June 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017

    Categories

    All
    Ancestor Stories
    Back To School
    Carepackages
    Charity Work
    Christmas
    Costume Box
    Crafts
    Fun Boxes
    Games For The Grands
    Hobbies
    Making Books
    Mindfulness For Kids
    Nature Walk
    Reading Connections
    Road Trips
    Scrapbooking
    Sharing Your Hobby
    Tea Parties

    RSS Feed


© 2020 Gigi's Seasonings blog

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog