Tribute Journal

Cinderella Days! Free Spirits!

Cinderella Days! Free Spirits!

My granddaughters greeted me this past Tuesday morning with their usual exuberance, and after their mom gave me a couple of quick instructions before leaving for an early morning meeting, Makena couldn’t wait to tell me that she was going to be trying out a new gymnastics class the next day! (Makena’s pronunciation of the word is more like “gi-NAS-tics”! I can’t help but laugh every time she said it! It’s too cute!) It’s been so exciting to watch Makena anticipate all the fun, new changes in her little five-year old life! I know it’s bittersweet for her parents, but Makena’s absolute delight in being able to go participate in these activities is a joy to watch and it makes me wish I could be more courageous in trying new things!

Makena knew her request to practice her summer-salts and hand-stands could be easily accommodated on this particular “Cinderella Day”, since one of hers and Marli’s favorite things to do lately came about by sheer coincidence! After my husband had attended a scout camp one weekend earlier this summer, he left his sleeping bag and foam pad in our garage to air out for a few days before putting them away. When Makena and Marli came to be tended a day or two later, they quickly spied the big foam pad and were both very eager to try their “gi-NAS-tic” skills out on it! Thus, began the love affair these two, cute girls have with this free-spirited activity! More often than not, items found around our homes that are inexpensive and very simple, are the things that end up providing children with many hours of pure, unadulterated bliss!

At this age, their “free spirits” seem to defy gravity! My camera tried hard to keep up!

Each time she started down the mat, Makena would say, “Watch me, grandma! I can do this so good! Why is it, I wonder, that we sometimes lose this ability to really believe in ourselves?

It truly seems to be a state of pure, free-spirited bliss!

Free spirited, Marli! www.mytributejournal.com

I think we might all feel better if we explored our inner “free spirits” more!

What simple, ordinary things do your kids or grandchildren find fun to play with?

Also…

Congratulations to Makena, who started her first official day of kindergarten today! As you can see by the huge smile on her face, she was so excited!

Seems like yesterday when I was taking her mom to kindergarten!

Knowing that Makena would be starting kindergarten this week, my son-in-law, Cole, sent me this link to a funny YouTube clip on how children responded to questions about their first day of kindergarten…I asked Makena a few of the same questions:

What did you do in kindergarten today?

“Ummmm, I played on the new playground…and oh, I learned stuff and got to put my book bag in a cubby!”

Did you make any friends?

“Well, I played with a lot of kids on the playground!” After some prompting from my daughter, she said, “Uhhh, I have a new friend at my table named, Claire!”

Are you excited to go again tomorrow?

“Yes, but I have to help my mom do a lot of papers by tomorrow!” (My daughter can definitely vouch for that! Ha!)

Hope it’s a great school year for everyone!

–Mary

Back In The Saddle Again!

“Back In The Saddle Again”! A New School Year Anthem!

Do you recall the Staples advertisement where a dad joyfully gathers school supplies, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” plays as background music, and his two forlorn children seem to be less than amused? My father would wake us early on the first day of school to the smell of eggs, bacon and hash browns, as well as a rousing rendition of Herb Alpert’s “Spanish Flea”! (Also known as the “Dating Game Show” theme song to my generation!) In fairness, my dad didn’t do this because he was glad to see us gone and out of the house, (at least I never believed that was the case) he was simply a college professor with a penchant for higher learning, who loved to teach!

When our three children started school, a new anthem marked the dawning of another school year! Have I mentioned before that my husband loves country music? Come the first day of school, the cassette tape of Gene Autry’s “Back In The Saddle Again” was played loud enough on our old Marantz sound system, that our house seemed to shake a little! At the time, our kids would bemoan this tradition, but now, they often remember it with fondness! (“Back In The Saddle Again” is also song #6 on the “Sleepless in Seattle” soundtrack.)

Malia-6th grade, Jake-4th grade, Mandi-1st grade. The last year all three would attend the same school together.

Celebrate A New School Year With Fun Traditions…

Just like I did with my granddaughter, Makena, I had fun school shopping trips with my children. The girls would come home and play “fashion show” and model their new clothes for their dad. Good times!
Breakfast was usually “Mush Cake” made by my husband, while I helped the kids get ready. Obviously, all this happened to the strains of “Back In The Saddle Again!”

Mush Cake!

A Wilding Family Classic!

I was a little leery of this recipe when I was first introduced to it, since I didn’t like hot mush cereal growing up–but this warm, spicy cake served with fresh bottled peaches and milk is the perfect breakfast to send your kids out the door to a new school year!

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups dry Cream of Wheat Cereal

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 c. applesauce

Combine dry ingredients. Cream together shortening, eggs, sugar and milk. Add dry ingredients. Stir until smooth then add applesauce. Bake in 9×13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with milk and peaches on top.

You can add milk or have it with just the peaches. It’s so good!

We have a tradition of using a “You Are Special Today” red plate for fun days like birthdays, etc. After school, I would have some of my kid’s favorite snacks waiting for them on this plate–then I’d just sit back and listen while they chatted about the events of their first big day at school! (Usually, I went for more healthy snacks after school, but on the first day after school, I’d splurge.)

For a long time now, we have had a neighborhood BBQ that we attend after the first day of school. It’s sort of the last “Hoorah” where we all enjoy each other’s company one last time before homework projects, sports practices and cooler weather.
My kids usually ate school lunch, so I didn’t send any of the clever sack lunch notes that you hear so much about now–I’m not so sure they would have loved them anyway…I mean a note from mom, that’s a little embarrassing, right! I did however, try to leave a few surprise reminders in their bedrooms during the school year to let them know I was impressed with their efforts in school! (There are a lot of fancy ideas online now for these type of things too, either way, your kids just want to know you are thinking of them!)

When I saw this new brand of gum at the store, I had to laugh–if my dad were to make me a candy poster today, this would probably be his message!

In his autobiography, my dad shares a story about how he and a few high school friends would skip class on occasion to go fishing in a nearby river. My dad also relates that when his father became aware of what he was doing, he said to him, “Roy, I know you’ve been missing some of your classes. It’s very important that you graduate from high school. I didn’t graduate and I know what I’ve missed. If you can’t see why you should attend class for your own sake, then do it for me.” My dad then records that since his father was such a good man, he started attending class regularly for him, “…but as time went on, I got a clearer vision of things and started going for myself!”

What I’m learning now is…

When I was young, I used to think it was kind of corny that my dad celebrated the first day of school almost like it was Christmas! But like I’ve said so many times before, as I’ve gotten older and a little wiser, I now see the wisdom in the things my parents did! I have come to know that like so many other days in our lives, the first day of school is very much worth celebrating! What I’m learning now is that often the family traditions we celebrate can’t help but impress upon our children the importance of these special occasions to us. Initially, our kids may go through the motions, so to speak, simply out of respect for us as their parents, but in watching my own children as they’ve excelled in school and other areas of their lives, I realize that before long, they develop their own strong convictions that motivate them to do well and succeed!

I’d love you to share how you celebrate starting a new school year, and what you do to help the enthusiasm last throughout the year?

–Mary

Cinderella Days! Young Entrepreneurs!

Cinderella Days! Young Entrepreneurs!

When my granddaughters and I ended our patriotic scavenger hunt with snow cones last month, I couldn’t help but notice the intrigue on Makena’s face as she watched the young girl working inside the small trailer, making the icy treats and handing out change to customers from a small cash register that sat on a shelf by an assortment of colorful flavoring bottles. Ever since then, Makena has wanted to make some sort of little stand where she and Marli could sell drinks and treats to the kids in my neighborhood. Considering that everyone is going back to school next week, I decided I’d better try and fulfill Makena’s entrepreneurial wishes for this week’s “Cinderella Day”! I’ve helped my own children run a few lemonade stands before, and once they even sold mini ice cream cones! I recognize however, that times have changed, and individually wrapped candy novelties and small-sized, sealed drinks were a better investment for Makena and Marli’s first business venture!

I’ll pretty much let the pictures tell the story of our fun day!

Young Entrpreneurs! www.mytributejournal.com

Young Entrepreneurs! www.mytributejournal.com

It requires some work and preparation to be young entrepreneurs! Makena and Marli were happy and willing participants!

Getting set up and discussing the best sales approach! It tickled me how dedicated these two cute girls were to this activity!

They even did a practice run!

Marli conducted a product taste test!

Marli also figured that any sales tactic was worth a shot! I almost collapsed with laughter on the grass when I turned and saw Marli doing this! Makena wasn’t impressed however, and just shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes–like big sisters do!

Soon the customers started coming–including Makena and Marli’s dad! Like any good parent, he reminded the girls to smile at the customers and thank them when they paid their money! In being true to the accountant that he is, he also told the girls he’d figure the taxes they’d owe on their earnings–not catching his humor, Makena again, just rolled her eyes.

Grandpa came and got in on the action too, while Marli honed her sales skills even further by trying to sell some candy to a customer who just bought drinks!

Young Entrepreneurs! www.mytributejournal.com

The girls divided the tasks well and ran their little stand like pros! Marli handed out drinks, while Makena let the kids pick the flavor of treat they wanted and put the money in the cash register drawer.

Grandpahelped them count their earnings! Makena loved separating out the various coins into piles! The girls are saving the money for an upcoming Disneyland trip!

Nothing like relaxing with friends and having an ice cream cone after a big day as young entrepreneurs!

Thanks to good friends and neighbors who supported this little business venture and made it such a fabulous success for these two cute, young entrepreneurs! Truly, you live by the advice H. Jackson Brown gave in his booklet, “Live And Learn And Pass It On”!

–Mary

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