Grandchildren living with Grandparents

Recently our granddaughter graduated from 5th grade. Next year she will attend another school. She and her dad, our son, has lived with us for six years and we've been there to help care for our granddaughter when our son had to work or was sleeping. We are like "second parents" only older. Recently her mom moved back to town. She had lived quite a distance away and visited every couple of years but kept in touch quite often. Today I feel a huge sense of loneliness and the blues. If you've raised children, you know there's a certain age when they start becoming their own person and are no longer totally dependant on parents or others for guidance. Our granddaughter hit that stage this year. We are so very proud of her. She excels at everything she does. But now, since her mom has arrived back in town, I really feel left out. It is an empty feeling today and shedding lots of tears. This isn't the first grandchild to step out and away. We also raised a grandson - raised him like our son because his mother, our daughter is mentally ill. When he joined the Army, then came home with a girlfriend, he went off to lead his own life. I have no problems with that - - it's what we want. We weren't so selfish thinking they would forever be here, we wouldn't want that, but it's the "ties that are broken" that has affected me today. I feel as tho we have become secondary whereas once we were who they looked to for guidance and knowledge and help. We have another granddaughter who we cared for during her youth. We found out through Facebook that she was having our very first great granddaughter. It was a shock to me to find out that way. She is a precious young woman and I've had so much fun with her when she's been around. And, yes, we have other grandchildren, but we weren't as close to them as we were these three. It is a different lifestyle when your grandchildren live with you - - its a dependance as tho they were your own. We are not able to move as fast or be as energenic as we were when we were raising our own children, but we get the job done. We do what we can because we want to do the best for them we can. Being older and having grandchildren, we know more than we did when we raised our own children, we see more clearly and maybe we have more love to share because we aren't expected to, we just can. But, when they live in your home, there is a bond, and strong bond, at least on our part. I've realized the past day or two since our granddaughter has been with her mother and thinking of my grandson as he is in college and working full time and living with his girlfriend, that it is I who must change now. It is time that I fill my time with things for me and my wonderful husband. I'll still have responsibilities for our granddaughter as long as she lives with us but I must fess up and realize I have to give up my "ties" now that her mom is back. She is a very loving mother, don't get me wrong and our granddaughter loves being with her - as she should. But Grandparents who have grandchildren living with them have a different role. When parents take those grandchildren "away" I know it is a heart tearing experience even tho it may only be temporary. Emptiness and void is how I feel today.

Do you Twitter?

There are so many social network programs to join on the internet today, sometimes it gets confusing or difficult to decide which one is right to join. I joined Twitter a year or so ago. I do like it because of the volume of interests, topics, visions, and opinions available to select to be connected with and also not to mention real celebrities too. Where else in our huge planet earth can we actually have direct contact with notable people and read their thoughts and ideas. Every day I find a new topic and a new person to follow. I can be me on Twitter as opposed to my Facebook page I do have Friends who do not have the same political views so I do not "push" my conservative viewpoint. I do post some conservative articles, rarely, because I do have friends who are right wing too. I am sensitive as are my liberal friends. I only had one situation with a guy I went to grade school with who was a very set liberal. He was also a newspaper man, very well written and excellent at expressing his point of view. He was more astute in his writing than I am and I knew I didn't stand a chance to discuss our difference. His point of view became almost hostile. At that I just unfriended and blocked him. I love Facebook because I have connected with friends I haven't seen or heard from in over 45 years. It's marvelous. But twitter is another side of human nature - a quick quote, a post to an article in the newspaper or magazine, a link to an interesting place to visit. Every day is something new and you can always find comfort in the fact there will be someone who agrees with your viewpoint. I find that refreshing and a bit peaceful. I have enough turmoil in my every day family live. I want to chose what and who I read and what is said. It's just not all political. Recently a jewelry maker accepted my Twitter and when I was alerted to this, I checked her twitter page and found a very talented lady with beautiful jewelry and I am a real fan of beautiful jewelry. So, you never know with twitter - and you can accept who follows you or block them. But you'll never know whether you'll like it until you try it! Hope all is well with you and yours. Have a beautiful day.

Rita Wilson, her new album

Here's Rita Wilson's AM FM new album. Just had to share it!

Another Lazy Sunday afternoon

Enjoying private time in my office, sorting out paperwork that has collected since the first of the year.  Being very sick for several months really took a toil on my filing and organizing.  What a mess!  It's always good to be back here alone.  I can play my music at whatever volume I desire.  My adult son's bedroom is right next to this room so the times I can play my music is rare because he sleeps during the day.

I'm listening to Rita Wilson's new album "AM-FM" - - be sure to get it if you like some of the oldies songs.  She's really fantastic and really brings chills to my bones and gives me the dancing fever. 

Listening to her too has put my blues off the chart and onto a blank page - later to deal with.  Family stuff.  We have a grandson we raised, now he has a girlfriend, to be married next year.  They live a few miles for us but are very busy, college and work and social life............very far removed from our life.  I just told Bob we could move away and they wouldn't miss us.  I know it sounds like a pity party, but it doesn't hurt for him to stop by and say hi! once in a while - - they usually only come by when I fix a dinner.  We like her, she's very nice and they make a good couple.  But, that is the way it is.  Just some of the things of life I wish were different.

Daughter Suz was over yesterday and we watched Part One of the last Harry Potter movie.  I am such a Harry Potter geek, just can't get enough of the books and movies.  Weird for someone as old as I am, I guess!

Since I was so sick, I lost a lot of weight, but not enough, I wasn't eating anything, it was bad.  Now I am trying to get more weight off and it is sure difficult.  I have to watch my salt, gosh almighty, I didn't realize how much salt is in food and just exactly what the limit per day we should have - not very much!!!  Only a teaspoon if you are interested.  If you read the sodium content on boxes of items you purchase it will surprise you! 

It's a windy day here in the Las Vegas valley again with high temperatures of only 104'....earlier this week it was up near 116'.   We're really having odd changeable weather.  Haven't been swimming yet, it takes several consistent days of over 100' for the pool water to warm up enough to be comfortable.

Isn't it something it's June already?  Granddaughter Alex will be out of school this week and she will be a 6th grader.  There's a graduation ceremony this week.  Should be fun.  Her brother (step) Mike will graduate from high school this month too. 

One of our granddaughters graduated from high school yesterday.  She is pregnant with our first great-granddaughter.  She's not going to get married but wants to keep the baby.  She'll be living with the "father's" family.  We love her very much, she's a sweet girl.  We sure do wish her the very best.  She lives far away from us so it will be a long time before we see our new great-grandbaby.

Ending this note with this thought and question, when you get the blues, do you have a solution or something special you do to keep from going off the deep end or crying all the time?  Let me know what works for you.

Take good care and have a wonderful week.  May God bless you and your with abundant blessings.