The Saturday Post: Rise of the Guardians edition

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Spring may have just sprung, but it's never too early for a movie lover to start making her list of must-see films for the holiday season.

The following trailer hit the Internet just this week, and it's a movie I definitely want to take Bubby to see when it comes out around Thanksgiving. (That is, I must add, as long as the yet-to-be-rated movie ends up PG or tamer; I've mentioned before my cringe-worthy experience with Bubby and a PG-13 movie.)

Movie talk aside, spring has indeed sprung. Cheers to getting outside and enjoying it!

Happy Saturday!

Tried-and-true treats

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I spend a lot of time gathering ideas for activities I can pack into my grandma bag and tote to the desert to entertain my grandsons. I have a Pinterest board filled with elaborate GRAND ideas, and I have a bookshelf packed with even more.

Sometimes, though, falling back on the tried and true is just as much fun. And just as much fun to photograph, too.

I'm speaking specifically about Rice Krispies Treats, which Bubby and I made together last time I got to be grandma-at-the-wheel at his place. It made for a surprisingly simple and sweet time, largely because I had the process down pat.

If it's been a while and you don't recall the recipe for the easy-peasy treats off the top of your head, the ingredients are:

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 10-ounce package regular marshmallows (or 4 cups miniature marshmallows)

• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Because sprinkles—on cookies, ice cream, cakes, you name it—are a favorite of Bubby's, I jazzed up the process by including a shaker of various sprinkles for Bubby to shake on top of the treats.

Megan thought making the treats in mini-muffin cups would create perfectly portioned servings for Bubby. So we washed our hands, I sprayed the muffin pan plus a dish for the remaining (the recipe makes a lot), and we set to work.

First, Bubby dumped the marshmallows into the bowl.

I added the butter and set aside.

Bubby then dumped the Rice Krispies into another bowl.

Together we watched the marshmallows and butter melt in the microwave, stirring occasionally til smooth. Then I stirred together the fixings and quickly pressed it into the muffin molds and dish. Bubby immediately got to work at the shaking and sprinkling.

The final step was one that must never be forgotten when preparing food with a grandchild: licking the spoon...or the beaters...or the bowl. In this case, it was a spatula, and Bubby clearly mastered the step.

Still sticky and sweet, we were ready to share. Voila! Rice Krispies Treats!

Fun to make. Fun to photograph. And especially fun to eat.

Today's question:

When did you last make Rice Krispies Treats?

This post has been linked to WOW Us Wednesday.

Lesson from Grandma: Address earworm

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Last time I visited Bubby, he and Megan shared with me a recent lesson he'd learned.

"What do you do when there's an emergency?" Megan asked my 3.75-year-old grandson.

"Call 911," he proudly responded, showing Gramma exactly what numbers to press on Mommy's cell phone.

I was indeed proud of Bubby. I was concerned, though, when I later asked him what he'd tell the 911 operators if they asked him where he lived and he didn't have an answer.

See, Megan and the family had just moved into a new house mere days before my visit. It was Bubby's third home since being born, and he recalls each as "Old House No. 1," "Old House No. 2," and "New House." While living in Old House Nos. 1 and 2, there was really no need for Bubby to be able to recite his address. With New House, though, he should—for lots of reasons, including the outside chance he may one day need to call 911.

Many folks think a call into the 911 system will automatically log a person's location, so technically there's no longer concerns that a child know how to tell responders his address. That's not necessarily true when it comes to cell phones, as it depends on the cell phone provider, the tower a call goes through and more. Leaving location tracking to a cell phone in an emergency can lead to disastrous results, in some cases. I don't want my grandson—or any of my loved ones—to be one of those cases.

So I set to teaching Bubby his address for New House. By song.

I made up a simple tune to go with the simple words of, "I live at XXXX <full street name>, XXXX <full street name>". Then I sang it to and eventually with Bubby off and on during the time I babysat the boys while Megan and Preston were away. Much to their dismay, I continued singing it now and again once Megan and Preston returned home, too. It became such an invasive earworm that Megan eventually groaned each time I started up.

I'm telling ya, though, I know the tune came in handy not only for Bubby, but for Megan, too. Having just moved to a new home, she didn't know the address off the top of her head. Thanks to my song, though, she had it down in no time.

It also came in handy for Preston. One day while Megan and the boys and I were having lunch at the kitchen table, Preston phoned from work. "What is our new address again?" he asked, needing the new info for something at work. Having heard him myself, I chuckled and started up the song. Megan shot me a don't-even-start-that-again look then easily recited the new address for her husband. Thanks to my little ditty, I'm sure.

When I returned home, I shared that ditty with my other daughters and with Jim. They'll surely need to know it for sending mail to our desert-dwelling family members. I'm pretty sure they'll be singing it next time they address a letter to Megan.

I certainly do. Each time I prepare a package or letter for Bubby or his family, I sing the unforgettable tune—sometimes in my head, sometimes out loud. Then I text Megan to say, "I just put a package in the mail...and guess what's now stuck in my head?" Her response? "Don't even...!"

I like to drive my family nuts by providing ever-so-annoying earworms. More so, though, I like helping my grandsons in concrete ways that make a difference, things that go beyond just having fun together. Teaching Bubby his address for New House covered all bases surprisingly well.

Of course, I don't want that lesson to be tested by Bubby needing to recite it for 911 operators in the event of a real emergency. No, groans from Mommy as Bubby sings out his address for her again and again will be more than enough proof that Gramma's lesson had its intended effect.

Today's fill-in-the-blank:

The last thing I learned or taught through song was _______________.

How Grandma sees it: Changes in parenting from the firstborn to the second

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Bubby, my first grandson, at nine months old:

Baby hair everywhere.

 Baby Mac, my second grandson, at nine months old:

Baby hair buzzed.

 To be continued ... !

Today's question:

When did you last cut someone else's hair and how did it turn out?

Oh so Bubby

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Megan—my daughter and Bubby's mommy—posted this on her Facebook wall yesterday:

So we just recently sponsored a little boy named Bairon from Ecuador through Compassion. At breakfast today I asked B what he thought Bairon was having for breakfast. Shrugging his shoulders he said, "I don't know, Chinese food?" Trying not to laugh I asked why he would be eating Chinese food. He replied back with a 'duh mom' attitude, "Cuz he speaks Spanish!"

Definitely in the running as one of my all-time favorite Bubbyisms.

Tired of me begging and pleading yet? I am! But... If you liked this post—or Grandma's Briefs in general—please vote for Grandma's Briefs in the About.com Favorite Grandparent Blog poll. Vote once per day through March 21. Thank you!

Today's question:

What did you have for breakfast? (Bonus points if it included something Chinese...or Spanish.)

Photo replay: Batman returns

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Ever since being transformed into a super hero, Bubby has been obsessed with all things Batman—despite having never seen a single Batman movie, cartoon, or series episode.

Thursday Megan sent me a text of Bubby posing for Gramma, decked out in his Batman shirt—which Megan says he likes to wear three days at a time—and the Batman mask GG (his paternal great-grandma) cut from a cereal box along with the awesome Batman card he's holding.

The voting continues: If you liked this post—or Grandma's Briefs in general—please vote for Grandma's Briefs in the About.com Favorite Grandparent Blog poll. Vote once per day through March 21. Thank you!

Today's question:

What super powers do you wish you had today and why?