All Is Well...

I left for Muncie at about 2:00 this afternoon to pick up my grandchildren for the weekend. The further north I got, the foggier it was. There is still some snow on the ground up there, which accounted for most of it, I guess. I had a BIG cookie and a bottle of water for each of them in the car for their after-school snack...and even though both children went to the bathroom before we left their house, we still had to make a potty stop in Anderson for Ryan. Some things never change!

Apparently Ryan has been grounded from his Nintendo DS and his Gameboy...for lying. I haven't heard the full story, but it seems that he was playing it in his room when he was supposed to be sleeping, then lied about it. He is upset because it was his step-sister's idea to play it. He thinks SHE should be punished instead of him. Now he is in even bigger trouble because his stepmother caught him trying to sneak the DS out of the house in some other things he was bringing to Grandma's. Oh, well!

When I know the children will be here, I plan meals that I know they will like. "Walking tacos" is almost always on the list. (Tacos made with corn chips instead of taco shells.) We had that tonight. A couple of times, I have had corned beef and cabbage because Robin loves it. This time, for tomorrow's meal we are having beef Stroganoff, something Ryan has asked for a couple of times but hasn't had yet. Okay...so I spoil them! I also made some little mini-cheesecakes that are super-easy. Both children declared them a success. Good Grandma!

Before we even left Muncie for Plainfield, Robin wanted me to help her remember the name of a movie she wanted to watch. "It has dancing mushrooms." Oh...Fantasia. "Yeah, that's it!" the child has good taste! We got to Plainfield just after 5:30, ate our walking tacos, and left for Hollywood Video to pick up Fantasia and a couple of other movies. The kids talked to their mother on Skype, then we retired to the living room for the TV. Well! I had quite forgotten how long Fantasia is! At 10:00, the movie was over and both weary children retired to their chosen bed--in the living room--Ryan on the couch and Robin on the futon-chair. Both were asleep in moments. Grandma, however, is still up.

Why am I still up? I washed their jackets. Children's jackets really take a beating. The one Robin came in has already seen two winters and is permanently dirty; Ryan's was just soiled (which can happen in no time at all). I could have waited until tomorrow to wash them, but I knew there would be things to do...so I am using the coatwashing time as my excuse to write here and have a few moments to myself before hitting the sack.

I love having the children here. The house is already half-trashed, but that's because it is so small. I worried that I didn't have my bedroom clean for their arrival--but then remembered that they wouldn't recognize it if it were! I am proposing a room rearrangement to Robin. Her only questions were about losing her favorite blanket if she got a bigger bed in her room...and "Will this be the LAST move?" The main question for me is what to do with her old furniture. (Used to be Megan's.) It's in pretty sad shape...too sad to donate and too impossible to fix up. We'll see...

Took a nice long hot bath this morning. It's amazing how much better my skin feels when I actually pay attention to it! Time for the sack. Nightie-night.