Worth the time?

  PLUS    EQUALS 

We're all busy, we're all trying to fit 26 hours of activity into the allotted 24. And in that flurry of fun are lots of things we do -- or at least that I do -- that I really don't think are worth the time it takes to do them.

Making coffee? So worth the time. Making the bed? Not so much. (Luckily bed-making is Jim's job, not mine.)

The ultimate example of something that I consider not worth the time it takes to do it is the Thanksgiving meal. I enjoy cooking. I like making yummy stuff for my family, immediate and extended. But gee whiz! You spend weeks planning and shopping for it, days cooking for it, hours getting it on the table and POOF! It's over in less than one hour, sometimes even quicker than that.

So not worth the time.

Fortunately life is not a total waste of time; we're not forking out minutes without racking up emotional payoff. Indeed, there are a few things in life that, despite the hassle, despite the time investment, prove to be totally worth it.

Tuesdays at 6 p.m. is our standing Skype time with Bubby. I had purchased four picture books to be shipped from Amazon to him and four of the same books shipped to myself so I could read a book to him while Skyping. This past Tuesday was the designated day for Bubby to open the boxes and choose the first for us to share.

But Tuesday evening was crazy busy. Jim had lots to share when he got home from work, then we had even more to discuss after his telephone conversation with his out-of-state brother. Then my boss from the literacy center called with a request that caused a bit of consternation (and guilt) on my part and when I hung up with her, it was after 6 p.m.

Then the phone rang again.

It was Megan. "Umm, it's after 6 p.m. and you're not online? What's up? I'm sitting here explaining to my crying son exactly what it means to be stood up."

"Cuss!" I replied, explaining why I was running behind.

She was just kidding about Bubby crying and about making him think Grandma's a screw-up, of course, and she said we could just do it another time. For a split second I was tempted to take her up on the offer. Skyping does take up some time, which I was short on, and it is a bit of a hassle because I have to unplug my laptop from the big monitor, keyboard and mouse and move to the dining room with it so Jim can participate, as it's too crowded at my desk for the two of us.

But I had said we would Skype, that we would open the books, that we would share a story. And this grandma doesn't go back on what she says she'll do.

So we Skyped. Jim and I watched as Bubby eagerly -- but patiently -- awaited the opening of the Amazon box with the surprise goodies inside. His eyes grew bigger and bigger ... then his face lit up, his smile became a grin and he exclaimed, "Books!" All the while goosebumps covered my arms and my heart grew not just three but ten sizes that day.

I showed Bubby that Grandma has the very same books, holding each up to the webcam. He immediately selected "I Love Trucks" and off we went, sharing a story across the 819 miles between us. I read, he turned pages, Megan and Jim listened. We all laughed about cows and bunnies and trucks.

Bubby loved it. I loved it. Megan and Jim loved it, too.

Was it worth it? You bet your bippy, it was! For that, my friends, is one of the very few things in life that was, is and always will be so worth the time that it takes.

(Disclaimer: Astute regular visitors may think these Skype photos are from a previous session and you are correct! I was too busy reading -- and grinning -- to take photos of the session of which I write.)

Today's question:

What is one thing you think is definitely worth the time it takes?

Open the door

See that door to the right? That's my front door. The front door that's been driving me buggy the past few weeks. The door is from the late 1800s and it's made of wood ... wood that swells more and more as the humidity rises.

Well, it's been humid lately and my door is swelling.

Last year that door swelled so much it was impossible to open for a few days. Impossible. Luckily there was no fire requiring us to run out the front door, as Jim and I surely would have perished. (Luckily there was no fire requiring us to run out the back door, either, but at least that would have been feasible.)

So my door is swollen, which really isn't that big of a deal. There are far worse things in the world -- even in just daily living -- to be concerned about.

But the weird thing is that this door underscores a bizarre theme I've noticed running through my life for the past month or so. A completely unintentional theme. A theme of doors.

In years past, I didn't think too much about doors. Except, of course, when the girls liked to slam doors as a show of force when they didn't get their way. Or when those slammed doors were removed from the hinges to punish the girls for slamming them -- or because they lost the privilege of having doors and the privacy they provide, privacy that made it impossible to know what questionable things the girls were doing behind those closed doors. Or when I would march into the bathroom and slam and lock the door to keep myself in and Jim out when he really cussed me off. (Boy, I really know how to show him!)

Other than those far-too-common times, though, doors weren't much of an issue. Now, for some unknown reason, they figure prominently on my to-do list, in my conversations, in various facets of my life. And I'm not talking just about the swollen door that makes it difficult for me to go out front to pick up my daily newspaper or my mail.

On my to-do list is "put door on Craigslist," for we have this wonderful glass sliding door in perfect condition that someone surely would love to install in their home. But I don't feel like dealing with the Craigslist crowd right now, so that door hangs over my head. (Figuratively, of course. It's actually leaning against a wall in the garage.)

Then there's Bubby and doors -- more specifically, his discovery of the power of a closed door. Megan called recently to say that Bubby has taken to rounding up Roxy, taking her to his room and shutting the door to play hours-long games of make-believe with his buddy. When Megan opens the door to check on him, he cries, "No, Mommy, shut door!" Which she does, for Bubby's just innocently exercising his imagination, not torturing poor Roxy behind the closed door; Megan's sure of that, as the baby monitor now comes in handy to keep tabs on his daily doings, not just those of the night.

Another odd door thing is that, with no intention whatsoever, Jim and I recently watched "When You're Strange," the 2009 rockumentary about none other than, you guessed it, The Doors. Then Jim watched "Classic Albums: The Doors." (He's more into The Doors than I am.)

Then there's the bizarre phrase Jim keeps uttering; not like a crazy person or anything, just when the time seems right ... to him. Maybe he got it from the recent documentaries; maybe he made it up. I'm not sure, but it's about doors. "The door has been provided ... all you have to do is walk through it," he keeps saying.

What the cuss is that all about? When I worry about new challenges, he says it. When the girls complain about unhappy situations, he says it. When the dogs want to come in at night, he says it. Again and again, Jim waxes philosophical about doors and walking on through them.

(Okay, so I made that up about the dogs. But he has said it -- and continues to say it -- to the rest of us, in a variety of situations.)

I don't know what it means. I don't know why doors are figuring so prominently in my life right now,  and I don't know why Jim -- after nearly 30 years together and never saying it before -- has started telling me to walk through one.

So maybe the answer, the resolution, the clarity will come once I find that door of which Jim speaks, the door that all these other doors are directing me to. Maybe good things await on the other side of that door ... if only I open it and walk on through.

My only hope? That when I find that cuss door, it's not one made of wood. Because with all the humidity we've had lately, that certainly would not bode well for my journey.

One final, minor note (hence the smaller font): All the door photos here are of doors in my house. See? My life is nothing but doors, doors, doors. Well, that and stairs, stairs, and more stairs.

Today's question:

What door have you recently walked through, a door to something exciting, challenging, foreboding or fun?

Grandma on the grill

Marilyn is this week's Grilled Grandma and you'll definitely want to check out her grilling to find the answers to these three questions:

1. What are Marilyn's "broken ones" that one of her granddaughters thinks are oh-so beautiful. (Hint: It has nothing to do with home decor or china.)

2. How does Barnes & Noble figure into the "most special thing" Marilyn owns?

3. Where are the pipes that thrill and chill Marilyn's grandkids?

But wait -- there's more! With six grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 29, Marilyn has lots of experience with the role and she doesn't hesitate in answering the questions I proposed with honesty and humility.

Whether you're a new grandma, a long-time grandma or not even a grandma at all, you'll learn a thing or two about unconditional love -- and the power of a proper tea party -- by reading Grilled Grandma: Marilyn.

Today's question:

If you could do anything you wanted today, what would it be?

9 grandparenting ideas from 9 grandmas

I've met such fantastic grandmas through blogging, all with abundant wisdom and more to share.

Here are nine of my favorite -- most useful! -- posts from nine of my favorite grandmas around the web:

1. Grandma Susan, guide for About.com: Grandparents, offers up Baby Supplies for Grandparents. If the little ones will be visiting your house on a regular basis (lucky you!) or even just occasionally, Susan's list is a great starting point for stocking up.

2. All grandmas want to be Super Grandma, to be the provider of mega-memories for our grandkids. Donne of GaGa Sisterhood shares a hard-learned lesson on taming unrealistic expectations of yourself in Super Grandma Vacation Advice: Pace Yourself.

3. Scrambling for toys to entertain the grandkids? Grandma Ronda Kay of GrandGifting shares the giggle-and-grin inducing Unconventional Playthings in Unexpected Places.

4. Reading picture books together is a given, when it comes to grandmas and their grandchildren. Consider taking it a step further -- extending the time engrossed in the story as well as the enjoyment of each others' company -- with this Story Wheel activity from Grandma Lizzie of Grandma Lizzie's House.

5. Being a long-distance grandparent is much harder than it looks -- on the heart, the pocketbook, the relationship between Grandma and grandbaby. Grandma Sue of GrandLoving offers up a super collection of ideas for Long-distance Love and staying in touch across the miles.

6. Button, button, are you a grandma with lots of buttons? Oma of Travelin' Oma shares her ideas for keeping grandkids entertained by pulling out the button box -- or tin or jar -- and making the very most of Button, Button.

7. If you have grandsons to entertain, Grandma Shelley of Grandma's Little Pearls has the absolute coolest idea for the guys. She even calls it The Perfect Outing for Little Boys. Regardless of the title, though, I'm pretty sure little girls would consider it the coolest of cool, too.

8. Grandma Nina of Grandma Ideas has so many nifty ideas for activities with grandkids you likely won't even know where to begin. But as the older kids are often a little more difficult to entertain -- and impress -- you can't go wrong by checking out Nina's Video Fun with Teen-aged Grandchildren.

9. One of the quickest and yummiest ways I found to impress the grandkids -- and their dads ... and everyone else -- is with the Fried Egg Treats from Grandma Judy of Bible Gal. They don't involve eggs or frying, but you'll just have to click on the link to see what they really are, as I'm not at liberty to divulge the secret here. Click on the link then scroll down the page and you can't miss them. I bet you'll be impressed, too.

The greatest thing about the advice and ideas from these grandmas? You don't have to be a grandma to put them to good use -- they work just as dandy for moms, grandpas, aunts and more!

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Today's question:

If you could live in any children's book, which one would you choose?

My answer: "The Secret Garden" would be the place for me.

A thank you and a beer

We're a pretty communicative family, no doubt about it. Not only do my girls e-mail and text and call on the phone with chitter-chatter and pseudo tweets, they also mail me goodies. Real mail, snail mail, via the United States Postal Service.

Just last week I received a couple postcards -- not something I typically find in my mailbox.

First up was a precious thank-you card from Bubby. Megan's teaching the boy right and made him put pen to paper to thank Gramma and PawDad for his recent birthday gifts.

Bubby decorated the front of the card with stickers and special words. Megan translated, with Bubby's best comment of all -- for whatever reason -- being "Big banana. Eat it."

The back of the card was Megan's words because although at two-years-old Bubby obviously has the motivation, he's not yet mastered the fine art of thank-you-card protocol.

Coming in from the opposite end of the grandparenting/parenting spectrum was the postcard I received from Andrea last week. I'll let it speak for itself.

Front:

And back:

In her defense, Andrea did send a Thank You card last week, too, expressing her gratitude for the birthday gifts we gave her.

But it's the beer tour postcard that made me smile most because, c'mon, how many 25-year-olds share their drinking adventures with their parents? And think of dear ol' Mom and Dad while downing a pint or two at the pub? And actually fill out a postcard for them while there?

Like I said, we're a pretty communicative family.

Today's question:

When did you last send a postcard? Where did you send it from and to whom?

My answer: I actually sent a postcard just last week. It was part of my friend Amber's campaign to end breed-specific legislation in Denver (the legislation that bans pit bulls, like my Mickey).