How many have their grandkids for spring break

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

I am getting 3 grand kids spring break 13 years, 9 years, and 4 years old. They are coming 3-15-08 for the whole week, and I am already stressing. It is a BIG difference for me to go from complete silence around here. We are out in the country, just my husband and myself and of course our animal family. My husband works nights, so it is a challenge to keep them quiet during the day. The older ones are fine around the minis but I have to watch the 4 year old. But even the animals start getting a little stressed

Oldest one helps clean the barns and paddocks but younger 2 get bored with that, actually think it's more work than they care to do. As I posted earlier, I have puppies for them to play with and they get to pick one out.

They want to paint the house (for money of course

) that could be good or a disaster!

And food! Lordie! They expect grandma to have all kinds of goodies

I don't know where they got that

How do grandma's do it?

 

[Buckskin gal]

So funny, yes today I have my 6 yr. old grandaughter because she is on spring break....and it isn't even spring! She is fairly good about entertaining herself...loves to paint pictures, write letters to all her loved ones, likes to pay cards with Grampa, she brought a movei to watch, and she helped me sew. She was thrilled with being able to push the buttons on the sewing machine to see all the fancy stitches and I let her push the button to cut the thread. She likes to take her own needle and thread and sew scraps of material together too. It was cold, windy and snowing today so she didn't go outside but she usually enjoys going with grampa to feed the horses and clean the barn. Most kids love to be of help so just get them envolved for part of the day helping you with the laundry....let them put the clothers in the washer and then the drier and then have them help fold the dry clothes....of course you will supervise them. My grandaughter also loves helping with cooking or baking. She cracks the eggs, stirs, etc. then there is always t.v. to watch!! Goof luck and have fun with the kids...relax and enjoy them! Mary

 

[Marty]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Ok let's see, if you are a grandma, that means you were once a mommy so you really know the score, but maybe need a little reminder??????hehehehehe They are not going to keep quiet! You cannot keep kids quiet! They are noisy. They are chatter boxes and never shut up. Yak, yak, yak, and sing, dance, blast music........remember any of that yet?

I'm not a grandma (THANK YOU DANIEL) but just inherited an extended family and that includes FOUR, YES FOUR ages 8 to 14. Well let's see, the horse helping thing got old within 20 minutes for three of them. They are city kids and have no use for hiking or trails, dirt and animals and freaked when one broke a fingernail. I heard about that stupid fingernail for a dad blasted week. All they do is that four letter word: M.A.L.L. .......and I don't do malls! And I am not the designated entertainment committee either. Or they want to lay around and watch cartoons and trash the place and have me run up and down the roads with them wasting my gas to every store they can find. So.......I just don't do it. I take the oldest who is into horses in a big way who loves to hang in the barn with me and leave the rest. Simple! Works for me!

And oh, I'd really keep them out of paint!

Good luck!

 

[Basketmiss]

My friend says " I wish I was a grandma 1st" ! Cause she spoils them so much and doesnt make them mind and such then sends them home!

I would tell them if they want special treats then they need to help grandma outside with the horses, etc while grandpa sleeps... Then DO soemthing special for them, like bake cookies, that they can help...

Good Luck and remember a week goes by pretty quick then you will have peace again! LOL

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

Yeah Marty, finally someone like me! I keep thinking why can't I be like my grandma....the patience of a saint!

Yes, they all 3 want to be in the kitchen when I am cooking, all wanting to help, all talking at once. Fighting over who sits the table and who sits where OH! Till I lose it cause I cannot remember what I am doing, cannot think and send them out with long faces, still fighting over who's fought it was that grandma lost it.

Difference with raising my own kids, is I don't discipline them as I did with my own. They really have to push me, like the 4 yr old grandson, he gets time out........but grandma lays down with him in time out

Last time when his mom picked him up, he back talked her and grandpa took him by the arm to the bedroom and I was so upset because that boy thinks grandpa is the best thing since the inventions of tractors. Grandpa threaten to take me the the bedroom

I agree about the paint....their grandpa put that ideal in their head.

I love them with all my heart and I am so happy to see them, and just about as happy to see them go. I am a terrible grandma. I keep reminding my daughter, when she was a teenager, she use to say I am never having you keep my kids because you are so strict. Now she threatens to send the teenager to live with us, because she thinks we would be good for her OH!

Oh, and the love to ride ole Duke my full size gelding.......he HATES it! He keeps coming back to me saying get em off, I would send him off and he is like ok one more circle but that's it!

Thanks everyone! Love the input! I think I will run to Walmart and the dollar store and try to pick something out for each day, bring out a new thing each day...should be worth a couple of hours a day. LOL I thought about buying a tetherball if the weather permits......I loved that when I was kid, of course they will probably look at me like I'm a dork.LOL Don't think I even know how to spell Dork

 

[Marty]

The problem I've usually had was keeping the boys attention span on one thing long enough to accomplish something.

Ok, let me suggest you grow a garden together. Plow up a couple of spots. Use one for right now and let the other one sit. Get a couple of thouse kiddie rakes at Walmart that comes in loud colors (I have two) they are metal and actually really work good. Let each kid pick one out and what flower or veggie they would like to grow.

At Dollar Store there are little signs to stick in the ground that says what you planted in that spot and they could add their names to that, and then decorate it with some little cheap garden art.

Take them somewhere to collect flatrocks and have them paint them. Then decorate the garden with those too. Now the other garden spot you have sitting is for later on for when they come back to grow their own pumpkins for Halloween.

How's that?

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

That would be great if I had a plow or a rototiller. I need a garden......when my husband bought me a tractor last year we debated buying the rototiller attachment. Sure wish we had! I would love some fresh veggies.

 

[Sterling]

Not a grandma here...but have had my share of nieces and nephew over for days to weeks at a time. I've raised many puppies and trained them and used pretty much the same theory....."A tired puppy is a good puppy" (insert kid where the word puppy is!

)

Up and at 'em eeerrrrrr-ly in the morning...just because it's spring break does not mean they get get to sleep in till the cows come home!!

There are chores to do and critters to feed and then when it's all said and done then it's play time! Then in the evening keeping them busy yet again with chores and animals to feed, our dinner and then something fun to do and to wind down with.....let me tell you those kids were ready for bed by 10:00!! Oh no ....but we can stay up and watch dvd's.....hee hee heee...usually they were so tuckered out by that time they were all nodding off and dozing......

 

[D&M Gemstone Appys]

Well good luck with the grandkids. I have 5 and the four younger ones like to come when they are of school for Christmas , Spring Break and during the summer.

It seems the first two days go by fine but then the fighting starts.

We live by a river so we go hiking along the river and go to the mall, go to a movie, out to eat.

this last time they were here I took them to a 50's resturant. They thought that was great. They had never seen music selection boxes in your booth, and the old time soda fountian, they even all ate their meals.

We went to a thrift shop and bought them all roller blades, that went really well for an afternoon until one fell and hurt her knee.

Everyone always says I bet your grandkids love the minis, well they do but only for about 20 minutes at a time, then they are off to doing something else.

I don't remember my grandma playing with us when we stayed at her house. The chidren of today need to be entertained all the time. For us older people it is exausting.

Don't get me wrong I love them all dearly.

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

Well good luck with the grandkids. I have 5 and the four younger ones like to come when they are of school for Christmas , Spring Break and during the summer.

It seems the first two days go by fine but then the fighting starts.

We live by a river so we go hiking along the river and go to the mall, go to a movie, out to eat.

this last time they were here I took them to a 50's resturant. They thought that was great. They had never seen music selection boxes in your booth, and the old time soda fountian, they even all ate their meals.

We went to a thrift shop and bought them all roller blades, that went really well for an afternoon until one fell and hurt her knee.

Everyone always says I bet your grandkids love the minis, well they do but only for about 20 minutes at a time, then they are off to doing something else.

I don't remember my grandma playing with us when we stayed at her house. The chidren of today need to be entertained all the time. For us older people it is exausting.

Don't get me wrong I love them all dearly.

I totally agree....whats up with that. By the second day I am hearing.....I'm bored. They have nothing but rollings hills as far as the eye can see to rome. But not unless I go......they won't hardly go outside unless I go. But still they want to come every school break....but I thought you where bored last time? I guess they just want constant quality time with grandma and grandpa

My grandma only saw us at dinner time, we loved playing outside at her farm.