Boys and their bikes: Mac masters the motorcycle

/

The boasting sharing tales of my grandsons and their bike skills continues. This time, it's all about Mac.

While Bubby worked on perfecting his bicycling skills, Mac more than mastered the (mini) motorcycle Santa brought him for Christmas.

Serious skills require serious attention.

A seriously awesome job by Gramma's little pip-squeak.

Today's question:

How would you rate your motorcycle skills?

Park and ride

/

The weather was cruddy during the majority of my visit to see my grandsons, bordering on monsoon conditions at times. Add to that the fact that Bubby and Mac were sick most of the time—Bubby recuperating from the flu and Mac flirting with the flu while dealing with full-blown bronchiolitis, as well—and it's clear why Gramma didn't get to play outside with her grandsons much in the past week.

My last full day there, though, the weather warmed up nicely and the boys felt better than they had since my arrival. We seized the opportunity to relieve our cabin fever by heading to the park just down the street—with Bubby leading the way on his first ride there without training wheels on his bike.

I was a little nervous at first, allowing my four-year-old grandson to ride his bike on the sidewalk. A sidewalk right next to the street. A street on which vehicles drive. And a street we needed to cross in order to get to the park.

Bubby did fantastic, though. He experienced nary a wobble along the way, and once at the park, my grandson relished the freedom—and pride in oneself—that only a training wheel-less bike can provide.

I'm so impressed with Bubby's riding skills. He is four years old, turning five in June. I don't remember exactly when my daughters learned to ride a bike, but I'm positive it wasn't at four. (I don't think they even had a bike at four!)

As Bubby said at the end of the video above: "This video is great!" It is exactly that, because he's such a great bicyclist.

Adding to the greatness is Mac's little voice saying "Gramma" in the background. You heard that, right? And Mac's achievement for the day: He went down the twirly slide all by himself for the very first time while we were there. And the second time, third time, and fourth time, too.

I'm telling ya, my grandsons are athletic superstars—even when not on their A-game and still recovering from the flu.

Today's question:

Who taught you to ride a bicycle?

Friday fun: Keep Your Heart Young

/

I heard this song—this artist, actually—for the very first time yesterday. Where have I been?

I really enjoy this song and thought you might, too. Just a little something sweet and simple for Friday.

Keep Your Heart Young — Brandi Carlile

My grandpa gave me a wheat penny and I kept it in my pocket

Had big plans in my backyard to build me a space rocket

Talked to my brother on a fake CB that I made from a tic-tac box

Packed my snowballs nice and tight and in the middle I put rocks


Don't trade in your tic-tac box for a ball on the end of the chain

And don't go spending grandpa's pennies buying into the game

You gotta keep your heart young

Don't go growin' old before your time has come

You can't take back what you have done

You gotta keep your heart young

 

Dad took the wheels off of my bike and he pushed me down a hill

But speed got the best of me and I took my first spill

That was back when alcohol was only used on cuts

Stung like hell so I shook my leg and mama said it would give me guts

 

Don't trade in your tic-tac box for a ball on the end of the chain

And don't go spending grandpa's pennies buying into the game

You gotta keep your heart young

Don't go growing old before your time has come

You can't take back what you have done

You gotta keep your heart young

 

So take a picture of the one you love and put it in a locket

Go dig up your time capsule and the blueprints for your rocket

Keep in touch on a fake CB and that same old tic-tac box

Pack your snowballs a little less tight but in the middle still put rocks

 

And keep your heart young

Don't go growing old before your time has come

You can't take back what you have done

You gotta keep your heart young


You gotta keep your heart young

Sometimes you don't die quick

Just like you wished you'd done

The love is a loaded gun

You've gotta keep your heart young

You can't take back what you have done

You gotta keep your heart young

# # #

Today's question:

What's one of your treasured memories of your grandfather?

Merry melee making

/

If you refrained from chasing shopping deals this morning, you—like I—surely missed out on merry making similar to these scenes from last year's Black Friday celebration:

If you didn't refrain and awoke early to elbow your way among the crowds, I tip my hat to you. You're a far braver shopper than I.

Curious minds want to know, though: Those of you who indulged in Black Friday shopping, did you encounter scenes like those in the video? Or did the Thanksgiving Day/Evening store openings put a dent in the Black Friday morning crowds?

Cheers—I think—to the official opening of the holiday shopping season!

Today's question:

What percentage of your holiday gift list have you completed, whether buying or making the gifts?

The Saturday Post: Women Vote - 'Night of Terror' edition

/

It's far too easy to take for granted that women have a voice and a hard-earned right, thanks to what those brave and persistent women before us endured.

Make your voice heard. Exercise your right. Vote!

Find more on women's suffrage on Snopes and Wikipedia.

Enjoy your Saturday — and shout Hooray! for it being the last Saturday we have to endure political commercials!

Collaboration is key plus the GRAND Social grandparent linky — October 29

/

The GRAND Social has always been a collaboration of sorts. People add links and people read links to create an enjoyable experience for all. Without those posting, there'd be no GRAND Social. Without those reading, there'd be no GRAND Social, at least not as it's meant to be—a collaboration.

Here is another sort of collaboration, one in which commuters in the United Kingdom add notes here and there to create something beautiful, something worth sharing. A collaboration.

 

Thank you for collaborating with me today on the GRAND Social. I appreciate those who link, as well as those who read. Together we, too, are creating something beautiful, something worth sharing.

How it works:

  • All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog specifically about grandparenting, but you must be a grandparent who blogs.
  • Posts shared can be an old one or a recent one, your choice. I like to link up to older posts that current readers likely haven't seen.
  • To link up, copy the direct link to the specific post you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue "Click here to enter" text below and follow the directions to add your post to the list.
  • You can add up to three posts, but no duplicates, please, and none you have promoted on a previous GRAND Social linky.
  • No contests, giveaways, or Etsy sites.
  • Adding a mention at the bottom of your linked posts, such as This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky, is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button using the following code:

Grandma’sBriefs.com

<a href="/" target="_blank"><img src="http://grandmasbriefs.squarespace.com/storage/GRANDsocialbutton.jpg " alt="Grandma’sBriefs.com" width="125" height="125" /></a>

 

  • The GRAND Social linky is open for new posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.
  • If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. All bloggers who link up would be honored to have you click, visit, read and comment.

READERS and PARTICIPATING BLOGGERS: Please visit the posts others have linked to by clicking on the thumbnail photos. Comments are always appreciated by the bloggers whose links you visit, even if it's simply "Hey, stopping by from GRAND Social."

Thank you for participating in the GRAND Social grandparent linky!