Tag: Grandchildren

Children, Families, Family Life, Fashion, Grandchildren, Grandparents, Kids Clothes, London, Memories, Shopping, Sons, Toddlers

Celebrating The Small Things:Week Three

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Three

Im a little bit late with this entry as life has got in the way and things have been sidelined. Last week was full of mundane tasks but I certainly have a few special moments to record.

Isla’s First Haircut: Being a grandparent is a completely new ball game to being a parent and one thing that I have found hard is bitting my tongue when Alice does things differently to I would. I have to hold myself back and remember all those times I got annoyed with my own mother for voicing her opinion so I told myself I wouldn’t be that fussing, interfering mother.
For months Isla’s hair has been growing out of control and I have wanted to take the scissors to it for so long.
Finally this week they decided it was time to be taken for her first haircut and I was so please to have been able to take her along for this experience.

Eyesight Improvement For Frankie: Last year Frankie was prescribed glasses and the vision in the right eye was a lot poorer than his left. The glasses alone hadn’t made any improvement so just over a month ago he was given a patch to wear for four hours everyday.
To be honest I thought we were going to have more trouble getting him to wear it then we have and apart from a few strops he’s been pretty good with it. This has paid off and he had improved by two lines on his sight test last week which was a big win for us.

Shopping With The Boys: Walking round the shops is somewhat of a distant memory for me since having children…well actually it’s only the last two that have put me off shopping with children for life.
All my shopping is done online and it wasn’t until we had a walk down Carnaby Street at the weekend that I realised now the boys are older they actually loved being able to walk around picking out things they like and trying the on.
They both certainly have and know their own minds when it comes to their style and Frankie was over the moon to be able to choose his first pair of ‘real’ trainers.

Children, Families, Family Life, Grandchildren, Grandparents, Large Families

I’m Going To Be A Nanny!

by thejoyoffive29 Comments on I’m Going To Be A Nanny!

Yes and not a Nanny of the childcare kind…a real life Grandma in my late thirties!

When someone says Nan or Grandma the immediate image that is conjured up in my mind is a grey hair lady with fluffy slippers on and a set of knitting needles in hand.

Of course I know that this is far from the truth these days and probably a small minority fit this stereotype, but I for one didn’t feel ready to become part of this category.

When my eldest came for dinner with her partner a few months ago my heart told me that the news of the pregnancy was coming.

Those glances to each other, egging one another to break the news was apparent before they had even muttered a word.

The mixture of worry of my reaction and the excitement of their impending arrival was written all over their faces and although for a good few hours before they broke the news I knew what was coming.

Although Alice is only 19, having her own family has been on her mind for a while now even if she had never admitted it to me. 

She has proved me wrong over the past few years by going it alone and creating a life with her partner that I thought would fall at the first hurdle but they have worked hard and created a home together and for them this was the obvious next step.

I was a young Mum myself and know only to well the troubles, isolation and unimaginable life change a new baby can bring.

That said youth does give you that carefree optimism and fresh outlook at everything that is sadly taken away with age.

So many things have been wirling  through my mind for the past few months and having my daughter’s baby shower at the weekend made everything that little bit more real.

All those worries are still in my head about how she will cope and what is she going to miss out on by having a baby so young; but selfishly I wondered where it left me.

With my youngest bearly out of nappies and my life still revoving around mums and toddler groups and school runs I didn’t feel ready to move onto that next phase in my life.

I am quite content with being a mum of young children and had hoped that as mine grew and that empty nest feeling began to set in I would then be able to sit back and enjoy my grandchildren, not whist I’m very much in the preschool phase of my life.

All this said I know this is the right thing for her and once my first grandchild is born I will not look back and will be there to love and support them every step of the way.

I am however still trying to find a slightly cooler name than Nan as this is still not sitting well with me!