-----travel, treasure, and tiaras: MY TREASURE

"Cherish your family for they are your treasure,

a storehouse of riches, wealth beyond measure."

2-1-2012 WHERE DO WE PUT ALL THESE KIDS ?

This framed sign hangs in the bedroom the grand kids use when they all come to visit. My son and daughter try hard to make sure we get "the cousins" together 2 or 3 times a year for an extended time. It means travel and schedules adjusted but the rewards are great.... sometimes it's up north, and others down south. We're making memories and forging relationships that will last, hopefully, throughout their lives.

Summers at Nana and Paka's mean fireworks, big family cookouts, lots of pool time (they're all good swimmers), lemonade on the porch swing, reading on the back deck, roasting marshmallows outdoors after dark, make your own sundaes, and fun at the ocean. Winter means lots of snow for sledding and snowmen, baking desserts, playing dress-up, movies, crafts, Kinect or Wii, bedtime stories, and brisk walks singing Christmas Carols.

What is a "Paka", I'm sure you're wondering...

My husband was to be Grandpa but our first grandchildren were twin girls (Avery and Brielle). When making their first attempts at our names, Brielle reversed the first sounds of each syllable and "grandpa" became Paka "parka". It never changed and we all love it....

8 beautiful grandchildren, including 2 sets of twins!

Neve, Finley, Brielle, Danae, Ella, Elliot, Avery, and Celine.

"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children."
-- Alex Hale

...and we enjoy every minute of it

As the family grew, it became a challenge to accommodate everyone during extended visits. We went through a period where we actually had 3 cribs set up, diaper stacks in every room, and 2 highchairs at every meal! We then added cots and blow up mattresses to the mix. It was functional, but the night-time "setting up" became tedious and crowded. Once the cribs weren't needed anymore I started brainstorming, there had to be a better way.

Thank you IKEA

We purchased and set up 2 of their bunk beds with trundles. We now fit all 8 comfortably in one bedroom with room to spare. Each offers a twin over a double with a pull out twin trundle. I purchased the IKEA mattresses and bedding so things fit well and I have to admit are very comfortable. (I've slept on them myself). This is how they look in the room. The trundles are not shown pulled out in this pic.... they're on wheels and glide out easily even though the floor is carpeted.

Luckily, the room also has a walk-in closet. The little ones know that the top bunks are not for them (off limits) and we now call this room, the barracks! I know we'll need other arrangements at some point but it's working out just fine for now.

Thank goodness for a large eat-in kitchen area where I have a super sturdy table that expands with 2 large leaves to seat 10 comfortably and more if "squeezed" in.

The counter bar opposite seats 4 on stools which the smallest ones seem to prefer.

Here's a mural I put up on the wall by the beds. On another I've hung candid shots of them at different times throughout the years. I keep adding to this; it's a timeline of their shared adventures.

I create a photo book after visits together using one of the many online sites. This reinforces family memories for the little ones and acts as a sort of group history for this next generation. Even the youngest can enjoy turning pages to "read" the picture story of their cousins, grandparents, uncles, and aunts being together whether it be for an hour at the playground, doing cartwheels on the grass, or gathering around the table at Thanksgiving.

My favorite online sites for these are Mixbook and Shutterfly. Groupons for these sites are offered regularly. They save me at least 50% of the cost.
The secret to this is to always keep a camera handy. I keep a small Canon digital in a place easily accessible so anyone can capture a special moment. It travels with us in a pocket, even if we're just going down the road for an ice cream cone. Most of our favorite pics are those unplanned, non posed shots.

young readers of Consumer's Reports magazine?, checkers on a corner of the front porch, and using every swing at the park

mid day crafts

everyone has their favorite flavor

2010
Our favorite dessert is a version of the old "icebox cake" that the kids have renamed ZEBRA CAKE because of its black and white striped look when dished out. Nabisco's thin chocolate wafers get covered with freshly whipped cream then are stacked in a dish. We smooth extra whipped cream over the top, cover it, and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. The hardest part is the wait.... the cookies soak up the moisture from the cream becoming soft and cake-like. YUM! We need two boxes to feed this big group but one will feed most families of 4-8. Nothing could be easier or more fun for them to do. Everybody wants to help.... of course being able to sample any leftover cream helps get volunteers...

looks like the beginning of "follow the leader"

Another popular idea with the children and adults is our "family tablecloth". I use a white tablecloth at special meals and everyone gets to write (or draw) something using indelible markers. We get to read past recordings and then add a current one. There are outlines of tiny hands, some first attempts at letters and numbers, creative artwork, sports' predictions, prayers of thanks, and amusing prose (all dated, of course).