Babysitting the grandkids July 2016 Days 1 and 2: Monday/Tuesday

It's with great joy that we had the grandkids for a week! Well, more like the weekdays, Monday to Friday. It's a tradition. I know I get a good feeling when I see that other grandparents have had their grandies for a period of time, as well. We share projects and activities, and I always get some good ideas! Where ever we have taken them this week, we've seen other grandies with their grandfolks!

The secret plan was that they were dressing identically every day. First day, t-shirt and Bahama shorts! Jos confessed the first night!

Day 1 Monday

Mid-morning Mommy arrived. We had lunch, transferred the car seats, and she was gone, having to do some work, even though Monday is her usual day off!
I am now having to ask permission to take and post the grandies photos! Fair enough...
Jos' ball had a special visitor. It sat there for a bit, while we played plasticene on the back deck
I think this is a bombyliidae, bee fly.


Window crayons were great! So far, so good.


Jos is learning this rap...

Daniel Radcliffe Raps Blackalicious' "Alphabet Aerobics"

Iz had a dip in the kiddy pool, but it was too cold. Jos read. We put on our clothes (long sleeves for the bugs)  and went into the forest. We walked all the way down to the point.




Iz then insisted we go back to where all the rocks are. I didn't know where she meant. She said, "Follow me, I know where it is!" We went through the meadow...
Sure enough, beside the Barred owl nesting cavity, where we'd first heard the owls in April. BARRED OWL 2016

She climbed like a trooper. She hugged a maple tree and said, "I'm hugging a tree. A Canada tree!"



Night of the Museum – Part 3 was our afternoon treat, then Hip Hop dancing. Mummy borrowed some videos from the library.
Then there were more crafts.

Dinner: fajitas (by request)! Dessert: chocolate ice cream.

Bedtime story tonight: The Secret Life of Squirrels! We giggled. Thx. @NancyRose38 #grandsitting pic.twitter.com/XYUHqjFnrz

— Jennifer Jilks (@jennjilks) July 19, 2016

Followed by a 'Gramma Story.'
I went back into Izzy's bedroom at 9:30 p.m., and realized Iz was still wearing her glasses! Whoops.
Jos didn't want to stop reading. She's a chip off the old block!

Day 2 Tuesday

Early morning.
  Grampa made Izzy her toast: half PB and half toe jam! Then, Grampa took off to dispatch and deliver Meals on Wheels. I cancelled my client to devote some time to the kiddies.
Jos slept in, Izzy and I watched The Good Dinosaur (Pixar, 2015). It's so sweet! Comforting words to her gramma, "No one else is gonna die!"

I like looking up the voice actors. I heard a funny story about an actor showing up to voice a character in Finding Dory, and he was told to just use his own voice! It must be a knack to select the voices.

Jos was reading. Iz and I decided to fix the broken board on the middle deck. First, we removed the old board. Then we measured the new one. She drew the line where I had to cut it. We found a 2 x 4, she held it whilst I cut it. The only glitch was the fact that the other boards are 1 x 4's.


Plasticene, crafts, and snack. Bohemian Rhapsody, both versions, whilst crafting!

I fetched some nuts and dried fruits. Jos fetched some orange juice for us.


Curious Critters (I reviewed this book! FitzSimmons, David; Curious Critters, Salamander Dance)
Jos said, "I like how they write from the animal's and insect's perspective!" This was on the back deck.
We acted out the turtle coming out of its shell, and watched a Blue jay in the back yard.


Then there is Dr. Seuss. This one is timeless, The Bippolo Seed. All of the stories were published in newspapers from 1948 to the early fifties. Republished in 2011. I explained that the stories were written before Grampa was born! Awesome!

Movie:  Dinotopia I (2002–2003)


Next, outside to feed the goldfish, and harvest some veggies. The snow peas are 3' tall. Also, a few tomatoes and zuccinni.
"I don't like these, gramma!"
We picked peas from the garden, despite the deerflies!

By the afternoon, Grampa had to go into town for a prescription refill. Izzy went. They went to the library to return the DVDs, and the librarian suggested Harry Potter.

Day 2 the girls wore Harry Potter outfits

Mommy says they've read all the books and see all the movies, but what-the-heck. Turns out, the DVD was too scratched to watch it. We watched Horton Hears a Who, instead.
After both girls got up, we finished watching our post-dessert video: Horton Hears a Who. It was fun. I so love Dr. Seuss.

I invented a new 'Gramma Story.' We went back to the beginning of when Nebuchanedzar was first encountered by their mommy!

Nebuchadnezzar have been our t
raditional made-up bedtime stories.