Cinderella Days

Another Cinderella Day Gets Underway!

When my granddaughter’s Makena and Marli come on beautiful Tuesday mornings like yesterday, I try to wait on my front porch to greet them when they arrive.  My daughter, Malia usually gives me a few instructions, then we’ll visit for a minute or two, before she leaves for work.  After the girls wave good-bye, I’ll chat with them a little longer on my porch bench and then they love to help me water my flower pots and work in the garden, just like I did with my grandma!  Often while we work and talk together, I’ll tell them a story about their mom when she was a little girl.  I also like to tell them how lucky they are to have such a good mom, who not only loves them so much, but also works hard to help other people design nice homes for their families, just like she did for them.  I love to tend Makena and Marli, and adore my “Cinderella Days”, but I also want them tomknow that I really love their mom too!

Giving hugs good-bye! 

You can often tell how good a parent you were by observing your children with their children!

  Just hangin’ out with the girls!

Makena said my flowers looked like yummy pink popcorn balls! 

Girls Love To Accessorize!

Besides their usual play activities at grandma’s house, I try to always have a fun project to do together.  Ususally, I have everything we’ll need set up and ready to go on a ittle table I have for Makena and Marli.  I just love to see their excited anticipation as they look to see what we’re going to do each week.  Yesterday it was all about accessorizing with princess necklaces!

Any cereal or gummy fruit with a hole in the middle that you can string works great.  For older kids, a few gems to bling up the broach piece is fun!  I like to use a colored shoe lace instead of yarn because the covered, tapered end piece makes it easy to string cereal, also when the kids eat the cereal/candy off their necklaces, there aren’t any loose, stringy fibers.

Adding a little bling!

Stringing cereal or noodles seems to be a universal love for all children! 

Loving their princess necklaces!  Such a fun morning! 

I try to keep things pretty fuss-free, that way Makena and Marli can do most everything themselves, with just a little bit of help.  Have plenty of cereal and fruit snacks on hand since they will eat as they create!  Also, expect to have some crushed cereal on the floor–in this case, we were out on my patio, but both girls helped sweep up afterward.   I love the look of accomplishment and enjoyment Makena and Marli have on their faces after they’ve finished making something!  Be sure to take pictures for their mom and dad, since this is one accessory that gets nibbled on and eaten before it gets home!  Ha!

It was another fabulous “Cinderella Day”!

What are some easy, fun jewelry crafts you’ve done with your children or grandchildren?  I’m always looking for new ideas!

–Mary

 Cinderella Days!  Grandma Magic!

Tending my granddaughters every Tuesday (and any other day I’m lucky enough to get the chance) is the highlight of my week.  My oldest daughter, Malia, is an interior designer and helps her clients design their homes from the ground up.  She can do the majority of her work from home, but goes into her office every Tuesday.  I first started tending my oldest granddaughter, Makena, when she was just a few months old; she is nearly five years old now and her younger sister, Marli, is almost two.  Oh, what fun I have with these two darling, little girls!  (I think it’s probably natural to wonder what kind of grandparent you’ll be as you watch your own children associate with their grandparents–my parents provided me with a good example of how to be a “great” grandparent!)

Makena and Marli love having story books read to them!  (I admit, I can get a little dramatic and kind of silly–that’s what grandmas do, right.)  One of Makena’s very favorite books is Cinderella–even at a young age, she’d pick that book to read more than any other from our collection of books.  When Makena was about three years old, I pulled out our old VHS version of Disney’s  “Cinderella”, (a rare collector’s item, I’m sure…) and we watched it on a small video/TV combo in our playroom while lounging on her favorite bean bag chair.  It was fun to watch Makena’s animated reaction to the movie!  I knew right away that I’d added a new dimension to Makena’s Cinderella love fest!  It’s safe to say she was hooked at “bippity, boppity, boo”!  Makena has since watched the movie over and over a countless number of times.  Makena’s fascination with this Disney classic story has made our Tuesdays together extra special and once in awhile I’ll refer to them as our “Cinderella Days”–since they are indeed, magical days!  I’m always trying to think up fun and unique activities to do with Makena and Marli, but as I did some research to find out what other grandma’s out there are doing, I found the resources to be rather sparse.  I hope as I try and share weekly some of the fun things I do with my granddaughters, as well as some of the things I’m learning as a fairly new grandma, that you will be inspired to share some of your ideas with me!  Let’s make Grandma Magic!

Makena has heard the Cinderella story often enough that she now shares her version of the tale with Marli.  I often think that if Disney ever does a re-make of the movie, I’ll send them some of Makena’s adaptations…they are hilarious!

Having young granddaughters has reminded me that doing fun and simple things is what really makes children the happiest!  One of Makena and Marli’s favorite things to do is play “house” out on our patio.  (One funny thing to note is that the Cabbage Patch doll Makena is holding was her mom’s favorite doll named, “Peachy”!  Now Makena loves her too!  Grandchildren always seem to be drawn to anything that belonged to their mom or dad!)

On beautiful spring and summer days there is nothing like spending time at the park and having yummy treats after.  On the playground, children are in their “element” and I find this is when they just chatter away and say the funniest things!  (The park we went to last Tuesday, has a fountain and wishing pond.  Since “Uncle Jake” was visiting, he gave each of the girls a bag of pennies and boy did they love flinging them one by one into the water!  I didn’t get any pictures because I was being careful to watch that Makena and Marli didn’t get too close to the edge of the pond!  As a grandma, I think I watch my granddaughters with more vigilance than I did my own children–perhaps that’s as it should be…)

What I’m learning now is…

I love being a grandma!  What I’m learning now is that the satirical writer, Erma Bombeck had it right, “Becoming a grandparent is one of life’s rewards for surviving raising your own children!”. Ha!

What are some of the fun things you do to create “magical” times with your children or grandchildren?

–Mary