Saturday, December 30, 2006

SOMEONE ELSES GRANDCHILD

A woman told this story to me the other day about her grand daughter.

She had given her grand daughter $10.00 and taken her to the dollar store to buy gifts for her family.

On the way home, the little girl started to cry because she had forgotten to buy the most Important gift of all, she said.

The grandmother asked her what gift she forget to buy? The little girl replied, big fuzzy, warm boots.

Big boots, the grandmother said as they turned around to go back to the dollar store!

Why in the world would you want to buy big boots and who are they for?

The little girl said; Grandma, every time I see Jesus in a picture, he has on sandals.

I want to get him big warm fuzzy boots for his birthday so his feet won't get cold. 

      It's mighty cold in December!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

CHRISTMAS

The Grand children will all be here for Christmas!

They will arrive on the 27th and our Christmas will be the 30th.

I learned early that Christmas didn't have to be on the 25th of December.

Christmas is when everyone can be together.

All 7 Grandchildren will be home!

I'm looking forward to their excitement, paper flying and laughter.

Bama   AKA   Mary Louise

Sunday, November 19, 2006

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM LAUREN ( 8 YEARS )

Mom… Lauren brought this home from school on Friday…  The assignment was to write about someone they wanted everyone in the school to know about!  Lauren chose you! 

Melissa

 

 
 
What a wonderful gift!!!! THANK YOU, LAUREN
BAMA   AKA   MARY LOUISE

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

THANKSGIVING

We will have 4 of our grand children coming here for Thanksgiving.

I wish they could all be here but they will all be home for Christmas.

We had such a good time on our family cruise in October. Everyone wants to do it again!

My focus is now on Thanksgiving dinner and getting ready.

I love the holidays even though they are a lot of work for me.

Thanksgiving is very special to me because "The Real " Santa comes to town at the end of the Thanksgiving parade in New York City. I still feel like a kid when I see Santa arrive.

The sight of Santa signals that it is time to get ready for Christmas!

I do have one gripe though.

What happened to his sleigh?

The big Swan just doesn't do it for me.

Now, it is time for Thanksgiving and I do give thanks for my wonderful family!

Bama

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Monday, November 6, 2006

BIRTH TODAy HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIEANNA!

Just talked to my sister a little while ago. She is at the hospital with her daughter and her family.

Her daughter is having a baby today. Brieanna should be here before dinner time tonight.

Brieanna is a month early and the pregnancy has been a very difficult one. It has been a high risk pregnancy. 

Please say a prayer today for Beth as she delivers and for little  Brieanna who is barely 5 pounds.

ML

 

 

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

WEE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Saturday, we saw grandson, Cameron play football.

It was so cute.

He followed the coaches up and down the side lines in hopes of being put into the game.

He is 8 years old and played the game with as much purpose as a college player.

He looked so much bigger in all of his football gear.

Wasn't it yesterday when he was born????

Bama

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

GRANDSON, CALEB HAS BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT STARTING KINDERGARTEN.

TODAY WAS HIS FIRST DAY.

I TALKED TO MY DAUGHTER TODAY AND SHE SAID THAT WHEN CALEB CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL, HE DROPPED HIS BOOK BAG AND SAID,

WELL, ANOTHER HARD DAY OF WORK IS DONE!

BAMA

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN? I HAD TO PASS THIS ALONG!

What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?"


"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8


"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.

You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4 (I love this one)


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving
cologne and they go out and smell each other."

Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your
French fries without making them give you any of theirs.


Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes
a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.


>Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired

of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.

My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss".
Emily - age 8


"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
 


"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with

a friend who you hate,"


Nikka - age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
_

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears
it everyday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are
still friends even after they know each other so well.

Tommy - age 6


"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says
he is handsomer than Robert Redford."


Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left

him alone all day."

>
Mary Ann - age 4


"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her

old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."


Lauren - age 6

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little
stars come out of you." (what an image)

Karen - age 7


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't

think it's gross."


Mark - age 6


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But
if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.


Jessica - age 8


And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked

about a contest he was asked to judge.

The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.



The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was
an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.


Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's

yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little

boy said,

"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

Monday, August 28, 2006

THE BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN

I thought this article was ...right on!

Enjoy,

Bama

BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN
1st baby:
You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy. 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby:
Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_____________________________________________________
Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby:
You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby:
You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't' t do a thing.
3rd baby
: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
______________________________________________________
The Layette
:
1st baby:
You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby:
You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby:
Boys can wear pink, can't they?
______________________________________________________
Worries:
1st baby:
At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby:
You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby:
You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
______________________________________________________
Pacifier:
1st baby:
If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby:
When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby:
You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________
Diapering:
1st baby:
You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby:
You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby:
You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it  sagging to their knees.
_______________________________________________________

Activities:
1st baby:
You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby:
You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby:
You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
______________________________________________________
Going Out:
1st baby:
The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby:
Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby:
You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
______________________________________________________
At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby:
You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby:
You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
______________________________________________________
Swallowing Coins (a favorite):
1st child:
When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child:
When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child:
When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!
______________________________________________________

Pass this on to everyone you know who has children . . . or everyone who KNOWS someone who has had children . . (The older the mother, the funnier this is!)

GRANDCHILDREN:


God's reward for allowing your children to live!

 

Saturday, August 26, 2006

THE MONSTER MACHINE AND BAMA

I am the envy of all of my grand children today!

I had the priviledge of riding in a monster earth moving machine yesterday!

We went to Indian Lake to check on the building of our lake house.

We stood out of the way of the big machines as they passed.

One monster stopped and a nice guy walked over to my husband and me and asked if I would like a ride!

I climbed the 6 steps into the cab, high above the ground and watched as the sleigh being pulled behind the machine scraped up the earth for a water canal.

What a thrill...

As the Grand-children would say...

It was awesome!

It was totally Sweet!!!!!

Bama

Thursday, August 24, 2006

THE OLD DAY'S

UNFORTUNATELY...WE LIVE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD TODAY!  BAMA
 
 TO ALL THE KIDS

WHO SURVIVED the

1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!



First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.


Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.


We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.



Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.



We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.



We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and

NO ONE actually died from this.


We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because .

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING
!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when the street lights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day.


And we were O.K.




We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.


We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games
at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms.......
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!


We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no

lawsuits from these accidents.


We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.


We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,


made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.


We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and kno<SPAN class=spell id=sp-5 title="Click here to replace with: caked, deck, cocked, kicked, necked, pecked" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://sdk.webmail.aol.com/sdk/20050527/images/bg_spellingErr.gif); PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: black; PADDING-TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x; BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow" _backupTitle="null"> on the door or rang

the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!


Little League had try outs and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!


The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.


They actually sided with the law!


These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!


The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.


We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned


HOW TO

DEAL WITH IT ALL!


If YOU are one of them . . .
CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as
kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives

for our own good


And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.


Monday, August 14, 2006

FOOTBALL TIME

GRANDSON, CAMERON!

IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN OHIO!

 

BAMA

Friday, August 11, 2006

FUN WITH DAD!

MIKE, MICHAEL, LAUREN

Thursday, August 10, 2006

OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES!


     My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, "62."     He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, Did you start at 1?
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. At last she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, Who was THAT?
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods."
 The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`` 
   
 My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?"
            I mentally polished my halo while I asked, No, how are we alike?

You're both old," he replied. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      
      A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story.
 
       "What's it about?" he asked.
 "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`


        I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself 
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
           A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off thy neighbor's wife."
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Our five-year-old grandson couldn't wait to tell his grandfather about the movie we had watched on television, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The scenes with the submarine and the giant octopus had kept him wide-eyed. In the middle of the telling, my husband interrupted Mark, "What caused the submarine to sink?"
        
     With a look of incredulity Mark replied, "Grampa, it was the 20,000 leaks!!"
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
      
      When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
           When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure."
        Look in your underwear, Grandma," he advised. "Mine says I'm four to six.
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today."
     The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "How do you make babies?"
     "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'I and add 'es'    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher.
 
      
     The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant."

     The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked.
     Sure, said the young boy confidently. It means carrying a child.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster.
 
           No, said another, "he's just for good luck.


      A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs", she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrant."
 
 
 
      

Saturday, August 5, 2006

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

A WARNING FROM MOM

My daughter giving a warning to the boy's.

 One of them pushed the other into the pool.

Bama  AKA  Mary Louise

Saturday, July 22, 2006

SUMMER FUN

Three of our grandchildren having fun in our pool!

 

Bama

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

WHY GOD CREATED CHILDREN...AND GRANDCHILDREN

WHY GOD CREATED CHILDREN  (AND IN THE PROCESS GRANDCHILDREN)

To those of us who have children in our lives,
whether they are our own,

grandchildren,

nieces,

nephews,

or students...

here is something to make you chuckle.


Whenever your children are out of control,

you can take comfort from the thought that

even God's omnipotence did not extend

to His own children.


After creating heaven and earth,

God created Adam and Eve.


And the first thing he said was

"DON'T
! "

"Don't what ? "
Adam replied.

 
"Don't eat the forbidden fruit."
God said.

"Forbidden fruit ?
We have forbidden fruit
?
Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit
! "
No Way ! "


"Yes way
! "
"Do NOT eat the fruit ! "
said God.



"Why ? "

  "Because I am your Father and I said so ! "

God replied,
wondering why He hadn't stopped
creation after making the elephants.

A few minutes later,

God saw His children having an apple break
and He was ticked
!

"Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit
? "
God asked.



"Uh huh,"
Adam replied.

"Then why did you ? "
said the Father.


"I don't know,"
said Eve.


"She started it
! "
Adam said.

"Did not ! "
"Did too ! "

"DID NOT
! "
Having had it with the two of them,
God's punishment was that Adam and Eve
should have children of their own.

Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.


BUT THERE IS REASSURANCE IN THE STORY !

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it,
don't be hard on yourself.

If God had trouble raising children,
what makes you think it would be
a piece of cake for you
?
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT !

1. You spend the first two years of their life
teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend
the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.


 
2. Grandchildren are God's reward
for not killing your own children.

3. Mothers of teens now know why
some animals eat their young.

4. Children seldom misquote you.

In fact,
they usually repeat word for word
what you shouldn't have said.

5. The main purpose of holding children's parties
is to remind yourself that there are children
more awful than your own.
  (I love this one!  Barbara)

6. We childproofed our homes,
but they are still getting in.


ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids.
They will choose your
nursing home one day.

AND FI N ALLY:
IF YOU ! HAVE A LOT OF TENSION
AND YOU GET A HEADACHE,
DO WHAT IT SAYS
ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE:







"TAKE TWO ASPIRIN"
AND "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN"!!!!!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

SOMEONE ELSES GRANDCHILD

I was in Sam's club today.

I went to the rest room behind a grand mother and her grand daughter who looked about 4 years old.

They were in the next stall and I heard the little girl say,

Maw Maw, do you have a biginia

Maw Maw answered yes.

Then the little girl began to sing at the top of her lungs........

Maw Maw has a Biginia, Maw maw  has a Biginia.

The grand mother was trying to get her to stop singing because everyone in the rest room was laughing.

She continued to sing even louder.

I left as did everyone else but I guess Maw Maw stayed in the stall because I never saw her come out of the rest room and she was nowhere to be seen in Sam's club!

Bama   aka  Mary Louise

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

WHO TO MARRY...WRITTEN BY CHILDREN

 How to decide who to marry - Written by kids......

 

SCROLL DOWN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?

 

1. You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you

like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep

the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10

 

2. No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to

marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later

who you're stuck with. -- Kristen, age 10

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

 

1. Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. -- Camille, age 10

 

2. No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get

married. -- Freddie, age 6

 

 

 

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

 

1. You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling

at the same kids. -- Derrick, age 8

 

 

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

 

1. Both don't want any more kids. -- Lori, age 8

 

 

 

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

 

1. Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know

each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long

enough. --

Lynnette, age 8

 

2. On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that Usually

gets them interested enough to go for a second date. -- Martin, age

10

 

 

 

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

 

1. I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the

newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.

--

Craig, age 9

 

 

 

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

 

1. When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7

 

2. The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess

with that - - Curt, age 7

 

3. The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry

them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do. -- Howard,

age 8

 

 

 

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

 

1. It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need

someone to clean up after them. -- Anita, age 9

 

 

 

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

 

1. There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? --

Kelvin, age 8

 

 

 

And the #1 Favorite is........

 

 

 

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

 

1. Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a

truck. -- Ricky, age 10

 

Monday, May 15, 2006

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Four of my grandchildren came by yesterday with my daughter and son in law.

We all went out to dinner and when we got back home, the children each gave me a hand made card.

Instead of Happy Mother's Day, Caleb's card said...

Happy Bama Day!

Bama aka Mary Louise

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

BIRTH ORDER

I am a middle child. I have always felt that it was a great place to grow up. I was the baby to the oldest two and the boss to the youngest two!  

Bama  aka  Mary Louise

 

Here's a look at what impact your birth-order may have on you:

First Borns:
More conscientious, ambitious and aggressive than their younger siblings, first borns are over-represented at Harvard and Yale as well as disciplines requiring higher education such as medicine, engineering or law. Every astronaut to go into space has been either the oldest child in his or her family or the eldest boy. And throughout history -- even when large families were the norm -- more than half of all Nobel Prize winners and U.S. presidents have been birst born. Famous eldest children include: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, J.K. Rowling and Winston Churchill. And macho movie stars are First Born, too, including Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and all the actors who have played James Bond.

Middles:
Middle children are more easy going and peer-oriented. Since they can get lost in the shuffle of their own families, they learn to build bridges to other sources of support and therefore tend to have excellent people skills. Middle children often take on the role of mediator and peacemaker. Famous middle children include: Bill Gates, J.F.K., Madonna and Princess Diana.

Youngest:
The youngest child tends to be the most creative and can be very charming -- even manipulative. Because they often identify with the underdog, they tend to champion egalitarian causes. (Youngest siblings were the earliest backers of the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment.) Successful in journalism, advertising, sales and the arts, famous youngest children include Cameron Diaz, Jim Carrey, Drew Carey, Rosie O'Donnell, Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal.

Only Children:
Only children have similar characteristics to first borns and are frequently burdened with high parental expectations. Research shows they are more confident, articulate and likely to use their imagination than other children. They also expect a lot from others, hate criticism, can be inflexible and are likely to be perfectionists. Well-known only children include Rudy Guiliani, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Alan Greenspan, Tiger Woods, tennis' teen queen Maria Sharapova and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Twins:
Because they hold equal status and are treated so similarly, twins turn out similarly in most cases. Consider advice columnists "Dear Abby" and "Ann Landers" (Abigail and Esther Friedman), and Harold and Bernard Shapiro, who became presidents of Princeton University and Canada's McGill University respectively.

Dr. Frank Sulloway, a behavioral scientist and visiting professor at the Institute of Personality and Social Research at University of California, Berkeley and author of the book, "Born To Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics and Creative Lives," says first borns are more similar in personality to first borns in other families than they are to their own younger siblings and that youngest children are often more similar to the youngest child in another family than his or her own elder siblings. He says this is because the family is not as much a "shared environment" as a set of niches that provide siblings with different outlooks.

Conley agrees, but stresses that these are just general trends -- and that the whole birth-order theory can be turned on its head depending on the child's personality, the age gap between siblings and the family circumstances each child experiences during his or her formative years.


Saturday, April 22, 2006

PAUL HARVEY WRITES

Paul Harvey Writes:

 

 
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

 
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

 

 
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

 
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

 
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

 

 
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

 

 
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

 

 
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

 

 
When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

 
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

 

 
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

 

 
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

 
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

 

 
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

 

 
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

 

 
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

 

 
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

 

 
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

 

 
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

 

 
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

 

 
These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
 
Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Friday, April 21, 2006

FEELING GREAT

THE REALLY GREAT PERSON IS THE ONE WHO MAKES EVERYONE  FEEL GREAT!   G. K. Chesterson

My Children and Grand-children make me feel great.

They think that I know everything or can figure it out.

Their hugs are warm and genuine.

They make me feel great and very special.

Bama  aka Mary Louise and Mom

Saturday, April 15, 2006

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING


Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or friend) influence the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today? 

 Hey, Mom, WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING:


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."
=

Wednesday, April 5, 2006

DONATIONS

Spring is the time for donations.

Jordan called to say her school was taking donations to meals on Wheels and would I donate.

Of course,  I sent a check to her to take to school.

One grandchild down with donations and....

6 to go! Ha.

Bama

Thursday, March 30, 2006

HUGS

I was away for the most of the month of March.

Four of my grandchildren came by the other night and gave me the biggest hugs.

I forgot how nice an unconditional hug can feel!

Bama  aka  Mary Louise

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

HOW TO BE A BEAUTIFUL MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER

.. and all she wants to do is dance, dance...... 

 



Did you know that it's Beautiful Women Month? 

 Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn
wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips
, speak words of kindness.. For lovely eyes, seek
out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the
hungry.

For beautiful hair
, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a
day.

For poise
, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.. People,
even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed,
and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a

helpinghand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older,
you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the
other for helping others.


If you share this with another woman, something good will happen . . ...

You will boost another woman's self esteem, and she will know that you care about her.




 

 

 

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

A GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDSON

An elderly woman and her little grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws.

"You've got so many freckles, there's no place to  paint!" a girl in the line said  to the little fella.  Embarrassed, the little boy dropped his  head.

His grandmother knelt  down next to him "I love your freckles.  When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles, she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful!"

The boy looked up, "Really?"

"Of  course," said the grandmother. "Why, just name me one thing that's prettier than  freckles."

The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma's face, and softly  whispered, "Wrinkles."

Saturday, February 11, 2006

A MOTHER SPEAKS

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good."

Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.


Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices.


Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.


Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.


Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.


Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.

Somebody doesn't have five children.


Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books ........


Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.


Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery ...

Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.
or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back .......


Somebody never organized four giggling Brownies to sell cookies.


Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married ....
  Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done whenher last child leaves home ... .

Somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her .......
Somebody isn't a mother.