HELLO, Thank you for stopping by. Please know you are invited and welcome to come and visit often. Take a few deep breaths to relax for a minute. We can never get enough of those. Grab a water bottle to get a bit of "hydration" and plan to read just a little bit or a lot. I will always put place keepers throughout so you are able to remember where you left off (if you are like me and like to go from start to finish). If you like to flip through for a few ideas, I hope you will also like the format.(~a.-Markers will be a lowercase letter of the alphabet and a number will follow as this blog grows)
I plan to share my ideas for Gramma Camp here. My name is Sandi. This is a photo of me, my beautiful mom Rose and my new grandson.
Yes,
I am a new grandma!!! I have joined a club that I had no idea would feel like this. I think I figured out why being a grandma is such a great feeling. I have been blessed to have raised a son, Aaron, 28 (who is the new father) and a daughter, Natalie, 25. I love being a mom and spending time with those two while they grew up was such a wonderful time in my life. I had no idea when they were born that raising them was going to be so much fun. The birth of our first grandchild enlightened me. I look at that little face and I have a glimmer of what the future might bring for him. Things I could not even dream of when his dad was born now are moments of anticipation. Rolling over for the first time was not a surprise, it was anticipated. I like the feeling of anticipation so for me this is an amazing new experience filled with anticipation.
Gramma Camp was an idea I read about a long time ago. It can take on many shapes. The ideas are only as limited as the mind. Anything you can dream of can become a part of your Gramma Camp. I will start with some of the ideas I have in mind for the time when we will be able to start this tradition for our family. Until then, you are welcome to use them to develop your own style of Gramma Camp. If you want to share them with me, I will look forward to hearing from you. For now let me tell you that one of the suggestions for Gramma Camp is to have it be a time when it is Gramma, and your precious Grandchildren. (Grandpa is welcome to help but Moms and Dads are not. This is so the children are able to become cousins without any parents around. They will learn about their moms and dads from you. This will eliminate any of the chances grown siblings might be able to influence the way these cousins get to interact. It develops a "neutral ground". It may be helpful to have Great Aunts involved if more eyes and hands are needed to keep order. The cousins will simply develop a friendship that will be different then it would be with moms and dads around. (~b.)
Gramma Camp can last for hours, day camp, overnight camp, weekend camp, part of a week camp or as long as you and your grandchildren are comfortable being together and having fun. If all the cousins can't come one time, make the time special with whoever is able to be with you. Traditions and memories can be fun and rewarding for both you and your grandchildren. You will help to develop a way to be a part of their lives that will carry on for the rest of their lives. You will also be developing time with them that they will be able to share with their parents through story telling later. You may influence their friends through those stories also as we know children love to share their experiences with others. This will become the "Pay it Forward" part of Gramma Camp. You have an opportunity to influence an upcoming generation with a deliberate plan through the time you designate to spend with your own grandchildren during Gramma Camp. A few words come to mind, "The domino effect", and "Reverberation". Occasionally, when something is discussed here that may have a significant effect I will identify it as a "Pay it Forward", "The domino effect" and "Reverberation". This way, if it is something you especially want to highlight, you will know that it might be worthwhile repeating at another time together, or not to be missed with anyone that was unable to attend.
Gramma Camp will not only allow you to have fun, but to also bring lessons, values and your own family traditions along for the ride. You may already be doing this daily when you are sharing time with your grandchildren, but you will have an opportunity to develop a way to be sure to include some of those things you don't want to forget and they grow. We DO know how quickly the days, weeks, months, years and birthdays go by. We understand the meaning of, "Enjoy every minute" while they are growing up. We lived through the many trials and demands of being a mom and how often those minutes seem to take forever to pass, but so many of us look back on the day of high school graduation and it feels like a swift blur! This is our second chance to, "Enjoy every minute" since we know we can not afford to waste even one precious moment.(~c.)
A bit about me. I am a wife, mom, grandma, daughter, sister-in-law, dental hygienist, educator, researcher, author, volunteer and marketer. I love to spend time with my family, attend church and bible study, read, make things with fabric, beads, yarn, smocking pleated fabric, rubber stamping and paint. I also love to swim, walk, and be outdoors. Bye for now, take another deep breath, and drink a bit more from that water bottle.
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