The Greatest Show On Earth

Last year I took Strother to the circus when he was two. Ever since, he has been asking me, on a weekly basis, to take him back to see the animals. I've had to wait a whole year to grant his request.

Now I don't know what it is about little boys and the circus, but they're all over it. The more lions, tigers, and elephants, the better. So when I saw the sign advertising the Shrine Circus I couldn't get to the ticket window fast enough.

Not to worry that I had plans to be on vacation. I only had a one afternoon window to get it in. You can bet I was not going to take a chance on it being sold out.

No worry there. Saturday dawned cold and rainy, but we were not to be daunted. Putting on our jackets and rain gear we sludged our way to the big top. It's not really a big top, it's in the colesium, but we pretend it's a big top. Weighted down with bottles of water for dehydration, purell for protection from the H1N1, a darth vadar sword to turn on when the lights were out, and cotton candy to give us a sugar high, we made our way to the center ring.

This year I outdid myself. My seats were perfect. As the circus parade began I looked around. The stadium was probably half full but the enthusiasm of the children was on full throttle. From an adult's perspective, the costumes were dingy, the animals lacking, and the scarcity of acts and performers appaling. It put a pallor on the whole afternoon.

But from a kid's perspective, it was the greatest show on earth. Strother hooped and he hollered. He laughed and clapped. Turning his darth vadar sword off and on at appropriate times, he "oohed" and "aahed" as each animal passed by. He cheered each performance with the exhuberance of an olympic gold medal run. To him it was a great success.

Big top or small top, colesium or tent, kids like a circus. They don't see what we see. They see what they want to see. Through the eyes of a child, the circus was a great success, truly the greatest show on earth!

A Hodge - Podge Day

Recently I had my 5th sip and see for my 4th grandson. The 5th grandchild to have a party over a ten year period, I had almost run out of steam. After four previous celebrations, ten pounds and ten years, it took a lot more energy to get me motivated.

Note that the operative word here is almost. I gutted up and got moving when I realized that time was running out. At six and a half months, he was already sitting up,thinking about crawling. It was time to bite the bullet. If I didn't get on top of it, he would be leaving for college before I knew it. Lucky for me I got on the case in the nick of time.

Weighing my options I remembered the precious baby announcements my daughter-in-law had given to me to send out to my friends. They were still sitting on my desk. Not one to waste a thing, I concluded that saving money on stamps and envelopes was my first priority. Thus came the brilliant idea of sending out the birth announcements and invitation in one fell swoop. I rationalized that this was a much more personal agenda than the evites that were filling up my inbox.

The theme "a hodge-podge day" came into my mind. The baby was named Hodge because his parents thought it sounded really good with Strother, his brother's name. The real reason, of course, is that pulling the whole thing together in one afternoon felt like a hodge-podge to me. I did print up styrofoam cups in blue that said "A Hodge - Podge Day - anything goes." A great hit with the younger crowd.

Everything came together beautifully in spite of my slow start. Hodge was precious of course, smiling and cooing on cue, enjoying the limelight as he showed off his sitting and hand/knee coordination. I couldn't have been prouder.

Lesson learned. Don't put off today what you can or should have done yesterday. If I had not taken the bull by the horns, little Hodge would have been the only grandchild without a Marme welcome to the world. And that would have been a "hodge-podge" travesty.

Welcome to the world little one. We did it!

Is Three Really A Crowd

You've heard it said that two's company, three's a crowd.

I don't know if three's a crowd, but I do know that recently I sat my three grandkids 10,8, and 5, while their parents were on vacation. Let's just say that "Eight Is Enough" says it all.

Not that three was too much. But three takes a lot more energy than two. Now I know why God created the menapause plan. It's his way of protecting children from us women as we age.

Usually I keep my grandkids one at a time and do really well. Sometimes I keep them in pairs and that works too. But this time I got the big dose of three. Let's just say three triples your pleasure and triples your fun, not to mention triples the workload till it's overflowing. I don't see how mothers do it.

Getting ready for school in the morning is a full time job. Lucky for me that my daughter-in-law is super organized. Filling backpacks, drink glasses, homework folders and more takes a home efficiency expert. Cooking in someone else's house is like moving to a new home yourself. You remember. Wandering around the kitchen looking for where you might have put something -then finding it in the most unexpected place. Why it took me three days to figure out how to run the dishwasher. It's a good thing I'm creative. I discovered that coffee cups are a good substitue for measuring cups, and scrambled eggs cook really well on the pancake griddle. By the grace of God, everyone was dressed, bathed, teeth brushed, homework filled, and made it to school on time with snacks to boot

As for the after school activities. My son who is a whiz at the computer typed up all their activites by date with corresponding maps to follow. By the mirale of technology we made every appointment, soccer practice, soccer game, tumbling practice, birthday party, play date and more. Whew - makes me tired to think about it.

But would I trade these six days for the peace and quiet of my own home? Not on your life. Being an eye witness to the loving home they are growing up in and the lifestyle they live every day is a blessing that can't be counted. And the best of all, for a moment in time I was given a beautiful glimpse into the windows of their heart. Watching 5th grade Jack raise the flag and lead the pledge of allegiance as a patrol boy, experiencing Lily's first skating party, sharing ice cream and praying with James at the end of the day are memories I wouldn't trade for all the tea in China.

Is three a crowd? Not really - It's a page in the memory book of the heart of this very tired, but very grateful grandmother!