Grandma's Briefs is for grandmothers and others. Bits onthe good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent to adult children, wife and writer. Features include lifestyle articles, reviews, recipes, grandma profiles, and more.
Just in time for the holiday, a version of What Are You Doing New Year's Eve performed by Zooey Deschanel/Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become quite popular on the internet. It's simple fun by two adorable celebrities. I must say, however, that I'm especially partial to the following version of the song, performed by a young non-celebrity gal from Branson named Madeline Huerta. (Chalk it up to the grandma in me, I suppose.)
I'm not really one to make resolutions but I do have many good intentions—a kinder, gentler word with less guilt attached for not following through. A cop out before getting started? Maybe. Not likely, though, when it comes to the grandma-related intentions I have for the coming new year because I fully intend to:
• Be more active—with my grandchildren, for my grandchildren.
• Print and display more of the thousands of photos I'm likely to take in the coming year (plus some of those from past years that sit in digital limbo).
• Seek out opportunities, activities, experiences to encourage compassion, gratitude, grace in my grandchildren.
• Regularly mail homemade goodies to my grandchildren so they get to know the wonders and love that comes from Gramma’s oven despite the hundreds of miles between my home and theirs.
• Stop expecting immediate feedback, thanks, and notification of receipt for those gifts and goodies I send.
• Stifle—possibly even eradicate—envy of my grandsons' other grandmas.
• Dedicate more time to outdoor pursuits with my grandsons to balance out the amount of time we spend on indoor activities such as reading, watching movies, playing games, cooking, and making crafts.
• Stop lamenting the miles that separate us and make the most of the high-saturation moments we do have together.
• Actively pursue activities, hobbies, opportunities that have absolutely nothing to do with being a grandma—which makes for a better, more interesting grandma.
Today's question:
What are some of your good intentions for the new year?
Some of you may recall a certain post from a few days before Christmas in which I ever so subtly mentioned that I really, really, really wanted a DSLR camera. I never seriously thought I'd get one for Christmas—or for any other occasion any time soon, for that matter.
Yet, a very generous Santa in search of one last special gift took that post to heart and granted me my Christmas wish.
That is the good news. The downright-so-awesome-it-made-me-cry-when-I-opened-it news.
The bad news: I've not yet had the time or inclination to learn even the smallest of wonders the magical camera has in store for those who know which bells to ring and whistles to blow. Because—and this is good news—my adorable and ever-so-photogenic grandsons and their mommy and daddy have been visiting since the day I opened that unexpected DSLR.
More good news, though—in addition to my grandsons still being here—is that I don't have to know much of anything to get great photos from my new toy because it has a nifty auto feature intended to save ignorant newbies like me. As proof, here are two photos taken using that awesome auto feature during our family visit to the aquarium yesterday—photos that never would have turned out as well (if at all) with my old camera, photos straight out of the camera with no editing at all:
I love those photos! I love my new camera! (And I love the subjects of those photos taken with my new camera a fair smidgen, too!)
There is one teensy bit more bad news, though: Now that I finally have exactly what I've been wishing for I can no longer blame any crappy photos on this blog on my camera. The onus is on the operator.
Which can be turned into good news, I think—once I take the time to figure out all the bells and whistles that make for super awesome shots.
Or once I commit to forever going forward leaving the camera set to the automatic-super-awesome-without-knowing-a-thing feature.
(Having that option is pretty much the very best news of all.)
Today's question:
Describe one of your favorite recent photos taken by you or someone else.
I have only daughters. My daughter Megan has only sons. I'm learning through Megan of all the joys I missed out on having raised only girls, the least of which being the solemnity with which holiday traditions are observed.
To wit, Megan's Christmas Eve Facebook status:
I hope your Christmas was merry and bright!
Disclosure: I did photo edit (and not all that well) to replace my grandson's real name with the name I use for him on this blog. He does indeed have a normal name to go with his normal boy antics.
Today's question:
What most warmed your heart—or most made you groan—about your holiday celebrations?
Not long after being laid off from the newspaper in 2008, I started a freelance gig I called Five Buck Bits. It was a source of news briefs (briefs being my theme for some time now) for regional parenting publications, bits they could purchase from my website for $5 per bit to add to their publications, online or in print.
One of the bits I wrote regarded the appropriateness of taking youngsters to 3-D movies. In part, here is the advice from that brief:
Parents planning on taking their children to see one of the season’s popular 3-D films need to know how to determine if the kids can see 3-D, then prepare them for what will happen during a 3-D movie if they have never seen one before.
Dr. Brad Habermehl, President of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, says many children may miss out on all the excitement if they can’t see 3-D. “Unfortunately, most parents have no idea how their children see their world, and children don’t complain if they can’t see 3-D.”
Consider the signs. Your child may not be able to see 3-D if he or she: • is clumsy—spills milk when going down stairs, climbing play structures or avoids them all together; • has difficulty hitting or catching pouring, trips while walking, bumps into things; • is scared of escalators, a ball.
<snipped to shorten for this post>
If your child can see 3-D, it’s still best when a child has never seen a 3-D movie before to prepare him beforehand for what he will see. Explain to your child how with most movies the picture stays on the movie screen. But in 3-D movies, the picture will look as if it is filling the whole theater and viewers may feel like they can reach out and touch the characters. Also be sure to tell your child ahead of time that if he doesn’t like what he sees or he feels uncomfortable, he can close his eyes until he feels comfortable opening them again.
During the 3-D movie, keep an eye on your child, watching for any signs of a headache, nausea or dizziness during or shortly afterwards. ...
Because of that little brief written more than a year ago, I've been hesitant about taking Bubby to see a 3-D movie.
During his Thanksgiving visit to his paternal grandparents, though, Bubby was treated to the newest Happy Feet movie. In 3-D. And he did just fine! No headache, no nausea, no dizziness. (Although Megan did tell me that, for some reason, he decided to wear his 3-D glasses upside down the entire time.)
With the success of Bubby's first venture into 3-D, I now feel safe in taking my grandson—along with the rest of the family—to a 3-D movie while everyone is together for the Christmas holiday. This is what I'm planning for us to see:
Maybe we'll all wear our 3-D glasses upside down for the duration of the film, just to add yet another dimension to the adventure. (Except for Baby Mac, of course, whose eyes I'll likely be shielding for safety's sake.)
Today's question:
What is the first 3-D film you recall seeing?
Grandma's Briefs
Grandma's Briefs is for grandmothers and others. Bits onlife's second act and the empty nest: the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent to adult children, wife and writer. Features include lifestyle articles, movie reviews, recipes, product reviews, auto test drives, grandma profiles, and more.
Thank you for visiting Grandma's Briefs, where I share my snippets, er, briefs on the good, bad, humorous, and heartwarming of being a grandmother, baby boomer, parent to adult children, wife, and writer. Learn more about me here. And email me any time at lisa@grandmasbriefs.com.
SEARCH GRANDMA’S BRIEFS
MEET THE FAMILY
Jim (aka PawDad) and Lisa (me)
Brianna (oldest daughter) and hubby Patrick with Benjamin, Robert, and James
Megan (middle daughter) with hubby Preston and Declan, Camden, and Brayden
Andrea (youngest daughter) with me at a recent concert
I do not share personal information with third parties nor do I store information I collect about your visit to Grandma's Briefs for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at any time by modifying your Internet browser's settings. I am not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.
