Thursday, August 7, 2014

...and even more "busy"

I got back from my Texas trip ... and my husband wanted to take a road-trip himself, before the construction starts and he feels anchored to the work.  So i quickly laundered and re-packed my modern-day clothes, we put the car-top carrier on and filled it with things for "Cowboy Town" and the kids' place, loaded the dog and the canary, and we headed out again.

The long road-trip with someone else driving is an entirely different experience to doing the trip by myself.  We stopped overnight to drop off firewood and a rack for it at the first location, and then moved along to Houston.  Again.  :-)

Fortunately, our daughter's house is a very comfortable place to visit -- we have our own guest-room, and the kitchen is pretty well equipped.  The kids enjoy whistling to Pip to encourage him to sing, and they know Spense "has a sharp end" so they don't try to pet him.  The day after we arrived, we went to visit a local farm which sells raw dairy products, grass-finished meats, and pastured eggs, which L had spotted some time before but never took time to visit.  It was a good place!  I'm actually going to have some fresh whey to work with again!

But a few days later, J was eager to get home again, to keep progress going on the Big Project.  We loaded up our stuff but not the dog and bird -- we brought the kids with us instead.

Now, when dealing with grandchildren of seven and eleven years. you do things a little differently than you did with your OWN.  You're more lenient about MAKING them eat the way you would prefer.  I don't know if it's harder or easier to have hard-line parents to deal with; our daughter and SIL are laid-back and practical, and i know i won't get in trouble for letting them eat "junk" but of course i know they should be limited with it.  A malnourished child is going to be more unhappy and uncomfortable than a properly-nourished one, but it's hard enough to find good meals on the highway and on-the-go for adults who are TRYING to do just that -- with kids it's far more tricky.

So when we hit the grocery store yesterday, we bought more carbage in one day than we had in the entire previous YEAR.  Kids burn off a lot of energy, of course, and these lean little people don't have a lot of body-fat to fall back on, like J and i do.  Their stomachs are small, and they need feeding often;  i was actually impressed on the highway that they weren't clamoring for snacks.  Of course, i didn't TELL them i'd packed some, but i was prepared.  ;-)  The power of not knowing snacks are available -- out of sight, out of mind -- my Dear Readers will grasp that Imagination can be the enemy of Willpower....

We had a number of ideas for outings, but the forecast is predicting quite a bit of rain for the next week, so plans will surely have to evolve.  Today, which was overcast and wet when we awoke, will feature a visit to the Butterfly House, a VERY well-executed place belonging to the Missouri Botanical Garden "family" of sites.  After that...

10 comments:

  1. Yeah, it's tough, re grandkids and what we give them to eat. I get it. :)

    Glad you are making great memories. :)

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    1. i'm sure all the other Grammys are on the same page with me! :-) ...but I think there SHOULD be some home-made cookies in our schedule this week!

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  2. It looks like you are going to be busy and happy for a while with your little guests! I am sure you will enjoy their stay!
    I hate to sound like a dull nutcase, especially on your blog, Tess, but the idea of feeding kids often is a very late addition to human practices of dealing with children. Sure it is a pleasure to feed your child or a grandchild something tasty which will create a good memories and will contribute to the joy of their stay at your house, but no , they don't NEED to be fed often, just food has to be substantial and not bulky at meal times. I am saying it mainly to take pressure from you not to feel guilty when or if you fail to fulfill their requests all the time.
    I am going back to US at the end of next week. My husband is about to rebell from my recently frequent trips to Russia , and I feel being torn apart. There is no perfect solution to my problem of having aging mother so far away.

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    1. i'm sorry to hear about your husband/mother dilemma! that's got to be difficult!

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    2. There are people who would be happy if their mother-in-law lived in another country. But I'm sorry it's a difficult situation for you.

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    3. Hey Gal,

      My English friend from student days is married to a Muscovite - Olga.
      Olga has spent much of this year dealing with her Mother (91) & Father (90), who have dismissed 3 teams of carers since January.

      With the Kievan "emergency" air travel with British visas has become more expensive and problematic.

      I know how their situation is difficult, just like yours.

      Sláinte

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    4. Thanks, Leon!

      The situation is getting more difficult, and Russia is in a process of rebuilding another iron curtain now.

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  3. I love visiting Butterfly Houses with the grandchildren ...they just love it, especially if the weather isn't too brilliant.

    Our weathermen are warning us about the remnants of Hurricane Bertha hitting the UK on Sunday - we'll have to wait and see.

    Have a good weekend

    All the best Jan

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    1. hope you have a great weekend too, and that the storm doesn't blow you around too much! :-)

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