As I sit and watch my grandson at play I can't help but wonder what has happened to my imagination. I believe I had one once. I even had dreams that would keep me going through the rough spots in life. Somehow I have lost them.

So my journey begins to try to recapture those dreams and my imagination. I begin by realizing that I have always wanted to travel. The reality is that Grandma has never really traveled. Oh, I have been to other provinces-Saskatchewan and BC, but I have not been anywhere that would offer a glimpse into a different culture, climate, or views other than the norm.

Grandma has found a site that has helped her capture a spark of excitement for traveling...perhaps to the Caribbean. Take a look at what I have found http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/175347.html

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did.

Do you act with maturity? For a grandmother this seems like a strange question to ask. One would think that maturity would come with age.

Recently I have had an experience which left me thinking that I don't always act with maturity. This was very disturbing to me, so I had to take some time today to find out what it really means to be mature or act with maturity. It does not always follow that because one is mature in age that one would be emotionally mature. An article that I read at Systemic Solutions indicates that emotional immaturity suggest past abuse or trauma. This should be helpful for those who feel they don't always act in a mature manner. Perhaps you are harbouring some issues pertaining to your past. http://www.soulwork.net/sw_articles_eng/emotional_intelligence.htm.

I also found a site that offers 7 Steps to Emotional Maturity http://library.adoption.com/articles/7-steps-to-emotional-maturity.html.

This information should be helpful to anyone who wants to make a change but is not sure how to do it.

As for me, well I know that I probably have some past issues I have to deal with. I have a made a significant number of positive changes in my life already, however; there may still be days when I will not act in the most mature way. I am a human being and I am not perfect, although, I do strive for excellence I may miss the mark occassionally.

So if you find yourself not always acting maturely, take it easy on yourself. You are not the only one who has a bad day now and then.

During my visit with my grandson today I noticed that he is a very imaginative child. My daughter and her husband where getting ready to take AJ to a friends acreage. They have animals there and AJ loves seeing them and petting and playing with them. He was very excited to go. While he was waiting he found his play cell phone and called my husband, aka Pa Pa, at work to tell him he was dressed and ready to go see the animals. I just could not get over the fact that he knew Pa Pa was at work and that he wanted to call and tell him what he was going to do today. He had quite a conversation going for awhile before he said good bye to Pa Pa.

It is a shame that as we get older we lose our sense of imagination. We tend not to dream anymore and things lose their newness. I have learned a great deal from my grandson. The biggest and best lesson may be the one on finding and using my imagination more.

My husband and I went camping this last long weekend and had a visit from my grandson, his mother, and my mother. They were there for a few hours on Sunday. It was nice to spend time at our campsite with AJ there. He seemed to enjoy making grandpa run around after him. After the game of "come find me grandpa" ended, grandpa and my daughter took AJ out on the river in an infatable boat. Everything was going fine until they came to rapids in the river. AJ became a bit scared and was holding on to the ropes along the railing and whimpering. Grandpa asured him that he would not let him fall into the water and then AJ calmed down and enjoyed the rest of the ride. When they got back from the river we had lunch and then it was time for the three of them to go home. After they left I realized how much I had missed not seeing my grandson during the long weekend. We don't usually get to see AJ when we are camping, so it was great that Angela brought him out even for a few hours.

I spent time today outside with AJ. As I am mobility challenged I could not walk around outside with him. I did sit outside while he helped my daughter (his mother) pick up weeds from the garden. My job was to be there if AJ got upset that he could not actually get through the fence to be with his mother. I was to distract him somehow. After helping his mother for awhile AJ decided to come over to me. He had collected a pail of muddy weeds and for some reason he decided it would be great fun to throw a handfull of them at me. I was a little shocked at first but I got over it quickly. I tried to tell him not to throw weeds at me because he would get me dirty. I got a sneaky look from him and another handfull of weeds came at me.

I by that time had really begun to laugh and picked up my own hand full of weeds and threw them back at him. This game lasted for several minutes and had us both laughing. My grandson is such fun to be around and is so expressive. Today was no different. When he laughs his whole face lights up. I am glad that we had this time together today.

When my daughter told me she was expecting a baby I was unprepared for what that really meant for me. I will admit it now I did not believe that I was old enough to be a grandma. How my feelings have changed over the course of the last two years. Every day brings new marvels. My grandson now is starting to come to me when he gets upset with his mom for saying no to something he wants. It gives me a good feeling to know that he values my opinion. At the same time I know not to overturn mommys decision.

I believe that I need to remember that mommy is the decision and rule maker and when AJ comes to me I usually try to find him something else to focus on while reinforcing his moms decision. It is quite comical at times when he will start coming to me and then he will stop and look at me and back at his mom. It is like he is thinking-ah but when I get there I won't get my way either- best to backtrack to mommy and make amends. Maybe, if I just turn on the charm, give mommy the pretty blue eyed look, she will cave in.

Today is Sunday and the beginning of a new week. We are spending the afternoon watching our grandson. He will be two years old on June 28, 2009. As I sat watching him I could not help but notice what a ball of energy he is. Always on the go except for naps and when he is eating. My husband was planning on taking AJ to the park today after his nap but now it is raining and I believe plans may change. So a rainy afternoon at home means finding something fun to play inside. AJ is not much for just sitting, so just plucking him and grandpa in front of the t.v. will not be an option. If it is not raining too hard we may be able to get outside with the grandson for awhile anyway.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Today I wanted to find something funny to post about here on being a grandmother. I found this site which offers cartoons for grandmothers. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/g/grandmothers.asp

Since becoming a grandmother I have found great joy in my grandson. As a grandmother though I need to know when to let my grandson's parents do their job as parents. Too often I believe grandparents get carried away with advice ( I probably have been guilty of this at least once). When we give advice too freely we may run the risk of putting the parents off a bit. The job of being a grandmother should entail being able to spend quality time with the grandchildren, time that we may not have been able to give to our children while they were growing up. There should also be much laughter and joy.

I enjoy each moment with my grandson. He sometimes reminds so much of his mother and yet he is still his own person. He has developed quite a little personality over the last not quite two years.

I have found a wonderful poem written to a grandmother that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

<a href="http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/family/poetry.asp?poem=1666">Grandmas Wings - Grandmother Poetry on Family Friend Poems</a>

I have been trying to find something interesting that is important to me to blog about here. Until today I was finding it quite difficult and then it hit me-I am a grandmother. This is one of the most important roles I play now and so today I wanted to celebrate being a grandmother.

It is so refreshing to see things, possibly something that I have seen many times, through my grandson's eyes. Through AJ's eyes everything is new and important to look at. AJ is 22 months old ( he turns two years old at the end of June) and is a very animated child who will try anything at least once. He loves to climb and rarely sits still (always looking for something more interesting to do or play with).

I am so proud of my daughter and her son, AJ has brought something very special to my life, a joy of being, that I thought I lost sometime ago. So to all grandparents-enjoy your time with your grandchildren and let them bring that something special into your life as well.