NANA SAYS THE HUGE TRANSITION IS ON -BACK TO SCHOOL IS NOW

Summer is almost over. Still to the middle of September but school starts next week. The big transition, the readjustment. For some, the same school. For some, a new school. Wearing the first day back to school outfit. From day care to Junior Kindergarten! The new teacher or teachers. The routine, the lunches, the lessons. Well the transition is the gearing up again for all the busy times.
How to adjust as a parent takes time too!
So organization is huge. Plan, calendar, everything ready- then sit back and try to relish the excitement that the children have. The fears! The happiness to see friends! The disappointment not in every friend's class! New learning! The homework!
As a parent, there can be your own fears. Your anxiety about the stress of it all. Breath. Take a step back. One day at a time. The readjustment will be there. You have done it previously. You can do it.
Transitions are not easy for anyone.
For those going away to college or university for the first time, a big adjustment for the whole family.
As the grandparent, I am here to help as best can be expected. Those PA will come along and I may be needed.
Transitions are hard for grandparents too. Seeing those little grandchildren growing up just too quickly. Enjoy the first weeks of school!
#school#backtoschool#firstday#grandparents#parents#fears#newschool#transition

LAST WEEK OF AUGUST-STILL TIME FOR SUMMER FUN

Even as we all prepare for school and fall activities, don't waste the last days of summer. Still time to take in lots of fun. Splash pads, Day trips. Picnics, Parties and Pontificating! Reading, writing, drawing. Of course, all the photo opportunities abound everywhere. Those last summer flowers in the garden before the trees turn colours. Walking, riding, running!

Or finding a lake with a beach!
For me, finished 7 books, almost down with number 8. Okay I wanted to read 10 like last year. Garden cleanup- wanted to put out 4 yard waste bags today but managed 8.- Yeah a good stab at the rain forest in my backyard.
Thinking and planning for fall activities. Meetings, babysitting and the proverbial Christmas list book and yes already purchased some Christmas items- are well under way. Trying to finish some crafts before starting new ones.
But August, not done with you yet, still some days to be out there in the summer heat.!
How about you? What August thrills do you have in Mind?

DO YOU HAVE A COLOURFUL LIFE?

Do you have a colourful life? What does it really mean? Adding colour to clothes and decor! Doing things that are outside the norm! Having fun! Maybe criminal but that's not what I meant! Colour, lots of it in our lives bring more joy. For example, I rarely wear black- perhaps pants or a skirt with colour added in the other clothes! And yes year round! Winter months need some colour too! Food made with a variety of items make a colourful plate. A garden with many different flowers is a joy to see. So is your life colourful? Give me your thoughts or comments#doyouhaveacolourfullife#quiltsforcolour#reflectivethoughtsbybarbara#barbaradimambro

I WANT A MIRACLE! BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!

Hoping for the best. Wanting life to be good. But sometimes wanting a miracle for an adverse situation may not give the results you want. Years ago, I knew someone whose loved one almost died from a fall and became brain injured. The loved one prayed and hoped for life. The person lived but did not remember anyone, became totally dependent and eventually needed to go live in a Chronic Care Hospital. The loved one did not ask for that kind of life. So let's not just hope for the best. It is important to prepare for the worst too! It is okay!Be clear when praying. Be clear when asking. What do you want? Be careful what you ask for. You may want  a new boss, for example. But the new one could be worse than the last one. You many want a new job, but remember it may not be better than the last one. Faith and miracles are part of living but be careful and clear what you are wanting. Being positive helps us all! But a little reality helps too.

NANA SAYS THE ECLIPSE WAS AN AMAZING SCIENCE LESSON

Watching everyone, especially little children and teenagers looking up with their glasses on instead of looking down at the cell phones was refreshing. As a Nana I am very concerned about the effect of carrying a phone and constantly looking down. Posture, lack of real social interaction, disconnecting from reality. The Eclipse! What a reality! What a historical event.! For those that witnessed it, the memory will last a lifetime. Science is part of our lives. Taking part in it every day is a good thing. I remember one granddaughter when the raspberries in the garden were not ripe yet. There were lots of bees so I informed her how the bees pollinate, etc. So when the raspberries were finally ripe and she had some, it was wonderful what she said. "Thank you bees!" She remembered our little science lesson. So find those moments and lessons every day! It will be worth it in the long run!

AUGUST FLOWERS IN ONTARIO GARDENS

The cone flowers are so pretty against the green.

They even invite some treasured butterflies.

Some white ones- do you know the name?

The Sun Flower- Gira al Sole!

The colours brighten up any garden. The taller the better!

Found everywhere!

Lovely bushes in a neighbour's front yard!

Embellishes a famous fountain at the Canadian National Exhibition!

#flowers#sunflowers#CanadianNationalExhibition#Ontario#coneflowers#beautiful#August

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017

Get your glasses. Save your eyes! I'll be at work and probably watch on TV- safely. Or like the kids, make a pin hole then show it on another piece of paper. Safety first everywhere. Of course there will be lots of footage and pictures taken by professionals. Don't use your average smart phone because you will fry it- like your eyes! I have wonderful posters from an eclipse in Winnipeg years ago. Trying to get a good picture with famous landmarks is always a photographer's dream.

5 REASONS TO HAVE A BUCKET LIST

Dreams, goals ambitions.
Why bother to have a bucket list?

1. A bucket list means one needs to write a list!

2. Thinking of dreams, ideas, places to visit takes some thought.

3. Having an imagination to write the bucket list. Imagine!

4. Finding a way to achieve the dreams in life. Saving. Doing. Taking time to achieve it by setting goals.Goals in life means that more can get done.

5. The wonderful feeling when items are checked off the list. It is the best reason to have a bucket list. This blog was part of my bucket  list. I wanted to write and share my ideas.

So why are you waiting.Write your list. Be willing to reach for that bucket.

LIFE'S REFLECTIONS COME IN MANY SHAPES

Looking in a mirror! What a reflection it gives of us! A picture with wrinkles, warts and all can be very revealing. Hearing your child use your angry voice! Tells a lot about us! Debriefing after a life event- the good, the bad and the ugly! Sharing the good memories at a sad event. Making an eulogy a celebration of the person! In many professions, we are often asked to reflect on our practice. Change our bad habits! Change our ways! Reflect,reflection, reflecting!

LIFE IS LIKE A GOOD HARVEST

Farmers are always a fine example of hard work. Harvest time shows the fruit of their labour. Life is a series of events that lead to our harvest times along the way. Different phases and stages bring mini harvests for us. Important events give us time to reflect and benefit from the work done to make our lives good. What does your harvest look like for you?
#life#harvest#hardwork#reflection

#53 BARB'S REFLECTIVE 150- THE BEAVER

Depicted here on a quilt, the beaver is so Canadian. It is on our nickle- the 5 cent piece. Important part of our history with the beaver pelt trade centuries ago. There was even an event called The Beaver wars. Look it up. An industrious animal that coexists with people today. Likes to cut down and eat new growth trees. Hibernates during the winter.
#beaver#150#canada#beaverwars#canadianhistory

AUGUST FULL OF TOMATOES AND RED PEPPERS

Seasonal vegetables abound everywhere. Sure the supermarkets have them. But a trip to a farmer's market has lots to offer. Those markets also have baked goods and some crafts if you are lucky. So can't you just taste the fresh tomatoes picked off the vine! Oh, for the lover of red peppers, eat your heart out!

Reflective Thoughts by Barbara: 5 REASONS TO EMBRACE MONDAY

Reflective Thoughts by Barbara: 5 REASONS TO EMBRACE MONDAY: Monday always comes after a weekend. For most of us the weekend is never long enough. No matter what there it is- Monday. So what and how to...

5 REASONS TO EMBRACE MONDAY

Monday always comes after a weekend. For most of us the weekend is never long enough. No matter what there it is- Monday. So what and how to embrace Monday.

1. Be thankful to have another week of work. If unemployed, Monday is the most stressful. Everyone else is going off to work and you are not. Blessed, lucky, fortunate or whatever- earning a living beats collecting unemployment benefits.

2. A good day to set goals for the week at home and at work. Even plans for the next weekend.

3. After a weekend, a good time to check in on the health aspects of life. Exercise. Diet. Sleep. Meal planning.

4. Catch up on emails, correspondence, bills. What needs to be done and what can wait.

5. Since it is just another day, this too shall pass. So embrace it, enjoy it, put some bounce in your step, greet others like you really care and guess what the day will pass. Remember once that happens, yes one day closer to the next weekend! Or you could sing the Mama and Papas song- Monday, Monday.

#monday#work#blessings#mamaandpapas#life#unemployment#work#goals#weekend

ARE YOU A PEACH? ON THE SUMMER FRUIT

Summer months bring lots of local fruit and vegetables. August of course has lots of peaches and corn. Good eating for all.
Local markets support the farmers. Have you been to one lately? If not try one or two.

Along with the fresh food, baking and even wine can be found! Oh the the summer markets!
#markets#peaches#corn#vegetables#newmarketfarmersmarket

FIVE THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY

Life can get away from us. So setting some simple daily goals is a good idea.

1. Get a good night's sleep. Wake up and stretch. Greet the day with joy and say I want to do......... today! Say a little thank you prayer to God for having another day.

2. A good breakfast. Your coffee. Your tea. Your favourite beverage. Put some fuel in your body for energy. Take your vitamins. Take your medications.

3. Read. The paper. The Internet. A book. Do the Sudoku. Do the crossword. Read your bills. Learn a new word every day. If talented with another language, learn another word in that language. I keep a running list of new words not only in English but French, Spanish and Italian. Even on my facebook, I have friends that speak and write Italian and French. A good way to tease the brain and learn. No not fluent but keep plugging away at languages.

4. Get washed. Get dressed. Do your hair. If female, some make up. If male, shave or trim your beard. Do the nails. Wear pretty or handsome clothes that flatter your skin tone. Feel good about how you look. Check your posture and stand and sit up straight. No leaning forward, hunched. Put your head back.

5. Do at least one kind thing every day. No matter how small. Think kind. Be kind. Avoid unkind people if they affect your mood. Walk with a brisk step, greet people with kindness. Be the kind of person you want to see in the world. Start with kindness to yourself. Your partner/spouse. Your family/friends. Colleagues. Strangers.

By doing just these five things, you might venture to more activites in your day. Life starts with having a purpose every day. What is your purpose? Look around you and what do you find?

#52 BARB'S REFLECTIVE 150- INUKSHUK-IMAGE OF MAN

The Inuit Inukshuk is a Northern Canadian symbol. Piles of rock slabs and stone are built to depict the shape of a person with arms stretching out. The rocks and slabs are placed to balance on each other by this balance there is strength through unity. These structures were markers for hunters and others travelling in the North. Even during the 2010 Olympics, the Vancouver logo LLANAAQ were based on the Inuit Inukshuk. they are now found in many places across Canada. Jewellery, small household statues, art depict this item. There are many improvised versions along many highways such as Highway 69 to Parry Sound- atop the rock ledges- big and small. In Toronto, during World Youth Day, 2002, a nine metre high Inukshuk was erected in Battery Park along the shore of Lake Ontario. The Toronto International Airport has several Inukshuks outside one of its terminals. What a Canadian tradition to take an object form one setting-the north- and place it in as many venues with the same meaning! What a bonding of different cultures! If you were to build your own Inukshuk, where would you put it? Would it be big for others to see? Would you create a small one just for your viewing? What direction would it be pointing?

(Originally printed Ocober 15, 2010- Reflective Thoughts by Barbara)
#innukshuk#imageofman#north#Canadian#Canada#150#2010Olympics#Inuit#TorontoInternationalAirport#rocks#unity

AUGUST CIVIC WEEKEND

Thank you Lord Simcoe for letting us have this long weekend. Actually he was integral in helping to end slavery in the British Empire. Look up our history to learn more about him. Back to the weekend. A chance in the busy summer to take some time to chill at home, go to the cottage, staycation or start the long waited summer vacation somewhere. Being away from work for an extra day is so welcome. Then the 4 day week-yeah! So plans are simple, good eating, some babysitting, some household activities as tolerated and well chilling at home. Promised myself, less is more this summer to try to regroup and plan for the next steps in life.
How about you? What are you doing this long weekend?
#civicholiday#august#summer#fun

LIFE IS LIKE A PIECED QUILT

One patch or one item does not give the whole picture of our lives. We can be different characters at different times. Put all together it is a life.

Sometimes we need to keep clear boundaries.

Sometimes we tell the story.

Sometimes our lives are just so colourful.

What would your quilt be like? What would it say about you? What would you include?

#quilts#life#stories#patchwork#applique#blackcreekpioneervillage#summer

NANA SAYS SHARE YOUR GENEALOGY WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN

As the family genealogist for over 33 years, I compiled lots of information. Back many centuries on some lines. Binders of stories that eventually will be weeded, and digitized- the modern thing to do. How much does an average grandchild really want to know? So rather than large charts of generations of ancestors, I decided to start with the present- us, our parents, our grandparents. Writing up the stories in 2-5 pages of more interesting reading with a small chart for now. Connecting to the regions of the world so geography fits in there. Grandchildren with a particular interest will have an interest in an ancestor with that interest. During one sleepover, one of my sweet grandsons asked his grandpa what was it like in Italy as a child. The answer was brief so Nana pulled out the family album for him and showed the house in Italy, the region and some childhood pictures of grandpa. Be aware in the moment of the opportunities to share information but not too much as it can become apparent when the child's eyes glaze over. One of the dilemmas for all family genealogists is what will happen to all our research and information once we are gone. It is not like on TV when a button is pressed and centuries of information pops up. So starting with short stories on a family member or a family group that the children will have some connection then go backwards. Always cite your sources in your written information. For my mother, I have her birth, marriage and death information to put with the story of May Ellis. Since DNA genealogy is the way to verify lines, my DNA was done a year ago. Now to do my husband's so the lines will be easier for this modern generation to follow. What if you have not done any genealogy? No time like the present. Get some family charts from Ontario Genealogy Society or look online for frees charts and pedigree charts. Simply write done everything you know about you and your family. Talk to all your relatives especially the older ones.Get dates, places etc. If you are smart, video tape, record or ask them for documents and information to photocopy. If you need advice on how to organize it, well just ask Nana, I know!

                                         Oh the family trees with its beautiful flowers!
#genealogy#familyhistory#pedigreechart#familygroupchart#grandparents#grandchildren

FIVE BEST BLESSINGS OF LIFE

Too often we can focus on all that is wrong with our lives. Busy, bills, not enough time, grief. But considering our blessings can turn around those negative feelings. So some blessings to consider.

1. Health- physical and mental . Even with some health problems are you blessed with ways to manage them.

2. Family/Friends- good or bad or indifferent, being related to people brings a sense of community. Knowing you are part of a larger system.

3. Job or pension. It's an income. So having money to support life and eat and live is a true blessing.

4. Home- a house, apartment, condo, living with family. A place to call home and wake up every day is a great blessing. Yes some live in 10,000 sq. ft. mansion but do we all need that to call home.

5.. Interests- reading, crafts, travel, exercise programs,culinary excursions, talents, skills. Blessing to do something that brings meaning to life.

Counting our blessings takes courage during the hard, emotional times. During grief, remembering the blessing of having had the person at all. And being blessed that grief can remind us of the love and memories to be cherished.  If a health issue, glad to get the care and love and support from family and health care professionals. Have the tenacity not to compare your life with another. Continue to have bucket list of dreams even if they might seem unreachable. Worth trying anyway!

A blessing means keeping the faith, whatever your faith may be. Being positive attracts positive behaviour and energy. Yes it can be difficult, but you are blessed and can do it.

Life loves me, loves me not! Go for it!

#life#bucketlife#blessings#family#job#income#pension#interests