Bartering for the Properly Tied Tennis Shoe

Shoe laces….




They were Winston’s nemisis most of the school year….mine too really because I was the one who had to keep his shoelaces tied!! Every morning it was always an enormously painful part of the getting ready for school process…his tennis shoes were starting to get too small so all the twisting and the pushing and the loosening of the laces was just the beginning of the torture….then it was trying to keep those nasty dirt-stained laces tied only to see them dragging the ground before we even got onto the sidewalk in front of our house!!

So I did what any responsible parent would do…I took the easy way out and bought the boy some velcro style New Balances. Clearly I addressed the deficiency head on didn’t I?? Instead of continuing the battle and actually helping him to LEARN how to tie them himself – I removed the obstacle….BRILLIANT I say!!

Hold the thought about the shoelace thing…. there's a point coming I promise.

So, the other night the random topic of Root Beer Floats came up….I was trying to explain them to Winston as he was not familiar with the traditional 1950’s soda pop treat. Personally I am not a fan but I remember my parents enjoyed them and would make them sometimes. My Mom preferred to make hers with Coke instead of Root Beer and unfortunately as much as I WANTED to like them, I just didn’t - the Coke Floats or the Root Beer Floats - just not my thing. So back to the story...Winston loves root beer and on rare occasions has a root beer if we’re out to dinner as a special treat. He was completely enamored with the concept of ice cream floating in a glass of root beer...2 of his favorite things served together…again... BRILLIANT! His next question…”Will you make me one tomorrow?”

My reply….”I tell you what Winston – I will buy the ice cream and the root beer and make you a BUNCH of root beer floats as soon as you learn to properly tie tennis shoes.”.



Well you can imagine my surprise when he ran and got my tennis shoes (you recall, the poor boy doesn’t have a pair of his own shoes with laces) and proceeded to tie those laces PERFECTLY!! I even made Joe watch the second shoe as a witness.

So I bet you’ll never guess what Winston’s latest dessert request is??

Even with generic brand ingredients....Winston says....Root Beer Floats.....BRILLIANT!! (Lilly doesn't seem to mind either!)

Science Camp....it was definitely Scientific!

We've had a busy few weeks since the last post...then we had some bloggy home improvement going on, thanks to the techy guy I married so I have a minor version of "catch up" on the horizon...it promises to be riveting subject matter people....root beer floats, tomato sandwiches and a big ole Cousin Reunion happening here on Marshside.

Okay so back to the Science....


Winston went to his first camp...EVER! He spent a week at Camp Invention - we chose the session that was held at his school so it was an easy 5 minute walk each day and he learned alot, interacted with some great teachers and met some new peeps. They had several different modules each day....they built Viking Ships, made their own super heroes and took apart an "appliance" they brought in from home and used the parts to create a whole new invention. He had bad hair day, wacky dress day, daily water balloon battles and lots of other neat stuff going on.
He built a superhero and named him Super Jake. He has a body made of clay and hair made of toothpicks. His special powers are his "Super Sniffer" nose and his supersonic hearing abilities. While Winston didn't write about this in his comic book, I dare say Jake had some power with that hairdo Winston gave him!

His favorite part of camp was the reinvention project. He took an old boom box in and began to take it apart the first day. It proved to be quite a challenge -- he and one of the camp instructors, Mrs Ingram bonded the whole week trying to get the screws out so he could get inside of it. Once they got into it, Winston found all sorts of cool stuff to use for his new invention and with major amounts of handy dandy duct tape, he managed to build a robot that now sits proudly in our bedroom. Mrs Ingram said she had a special place in her heart for his creation after all the work they did together!


The camp held an Inventor's Showcase the last day of camp; Joe, Lilly and I got to attend and see all the cool stuff he'd been up to all week. Winston is made so much like his Daddy that all the sciencey, techy stuff just came naturally to him. A few teachers stopped me and said they were looking forward to hopefully having Winston in their classrooms someday - I figure this can't be a bad thing!

So I'd say our first experience with camp was good....and very, very Scientific!

Please Pardon the Mess

The handy dandy Grant Family blog is currently undergoing construction....sorry for the mess!!

A Little Shout Out to the Glam Rock Era

Lilly's having a girl's day with her pal, Sarah. We've been at the water park, had ice cream, played baby dolls, you know - all things "girl" and it's still in progress...Sarah is spending the night - things are still in full swing over here.

But the highlight was definitely a little pre-dinner makeover session. From the eavesdropping I was doing, they were pretending to be rock stars getting ready for a show...

It seems Winston might have a future in makeup artistry; well only if David Bowie decides to bring back his Ziggy Stardust routine....check it out....

The girls don't subscribe to the "less is more" approach where glamour is concerned.

You should have seen the hot pink ring around our tub after the scrubbing took place. The girls still have a pink and purple hue about them. Good times....and hopefully not the LAST of the good times...once Kathy sees her daughter, "Sarah sleepovers" might be a thing of the past!! (Sorry Mama Brabham - they were having too much fun; I wasn't about to put an end to it!)

Adam Ant is washed up....we might be bringing Glam Rock back!!

Folly Fishing Follies

In addition to Winston's love of all things sports (except swimming, I think that has already been established), the boy loves to fish. When we were in VA a few weeks ago, Joe took Winston to his old stomping grounds and they fished in the pond where Joe grew up fishing with his Dad. It was a nostalgic afternoon for Joe and we were all sad that Joe didn't take the camera that day.

Ever since we got our Gold Pass to the County parks and Winston perused the coupon book of freebies, he's been begging to redeem the coupon for a free 1/2 day fishing pass at the Folly Beach pier. We've had something to do almost every weekend so Saturday was the day - those boys were up and on the road before 7am that morning headed for the pier and a day of fishing.

A day of fishing it was....they boys arrived home with a cooler of 8 fish. They caught a few baby sharks too but they had to go be thrown back in. This was after one of the babies bit down fairly hard on Joe's finger...Daddy might have improved his cool factor with the war wound...Daddy was bitten by a shark! RADICAL DUDE!

Joe said Winston was in heaven pulling his catch in and watching other fishermen reel theirs in too. They got home and commenced with the grossness...cutting off heads and preparing their catch for dinner. Lilly watched in horror as Joe sliced and diced; Winston was finding enjoyment in all the carnage...no surprise there.

Joe and Winston had a good old fashioned fish fry Saturday tonight. I must admit, I am not a huge fried fish fan and don't love picking through bones but not bad, not bad at all for a day at the pier. And I'd say catching and preparing your own dinner is sure cause for a red plate meal don't you agree? (Don't mind the one rogue zucchini on his plate...he wanted to try one and decided after checking it out, he'd stick with the fish and mashed potatoes thank you very much).

I hope Winston will look back someday and smile remembering his days of fishing with Daddy. I think his Daddy sure smiles alot thinking about it even now.

Move over Michael Phelps....

Winston is naturally athletic. He's small and lean; he's quick on his feet and seems to have a keen interest in most sports. He's intensely competitive....with pretty much anything which can make for some dicey moments around here or on the football field.

The exception to his love of all things sports....swimming. The kids loves to PLAY in the water - beach, pool, water park - wherever, if he can PLAY on his own terms - he's good to go. You ask that kiddo to SWIM....people, it ain't pretty. He gets panicky, gulps down water and starts sinking like he's got weights in his pockets -- he comes up gasping and gulping and flailing...poor fellow.

I grew up with a pool in the backyard and have been swimming for as long as I can remember. I love the water and I love to swim - clearly Winston did not get the swim gene from me. We've tried several lessons in the past and until this summer, none of have been a good investment of our time and money. Until....this year. Praise God for Coach Tori is all I can really say!!

We signed up for a session of private lessons with Tori and it was worth every single penny and every single minute we spent at the pool with her. We arrived to the pool on the first day and the first rule...facemasks and floaties are a thing of the past -- they are no longer allowed (gulp). Winston would now wear eye goggles and learn to blow bubbles slowly. Coach Tori informed Winston that masks and floaties were nothing but a crutch and wouldn't help him learn to swim. He was not so pleased to hear this news but he took it like a big boy and did what she asked. I thought we were in for a loooong 2 weeks.

Here we are, two weeks later and the boy is starting to show movement in the water that get this...actually resembles SWIMMING! He puts his face in the water, blows out of his nose, kicks his feet and propels himself through the water. He started diving and worked a tiny bit on the backstroke too. Coach Tori was fantastic...she was so patient, so encouraging and so quick to see what Winston needed to do differently.

Tori could easily see Winston's inclination to panic...she was so great with calming him back down so he could succeed. She said her favorite thing about Winston was that he gave her 110% effort in everything he did. And really, isn't that all one can ask of another person? I believe so.

We have quite a ways to go before we reserve a hotel room for the Chicago 2016 Summer Games but people, we have progress....MAJOR progress.

A Daunting Game of Catch-Up

When Julie suggested I start a family blog, I liked the idea but worried about the maintenance...how often to blog, what to blog about, and the unthinkable...how to catch up if I missed large chunks of time??

Ya see....I am a text book Type A personality. If I am not running at least 5 minutes AHEAD of schedule, I feel nervous and stressed. Everything has a place...neat and organized and orderly - it's just how I roll....and for my family - because I run this show here at home....it's how my family rolls too!!

So back to the unthinkable....it happened....I blogged the first of June and have been MIA since then...that's 5 weeks people....5 weeks of stuff that's simply OUT OF ORDER, almost like it never happened, oh my, the horror of that....it will not do!!

So please, humor me and allow me to play catch up so that I can begin anew with this here blog of ours. We have been so insanely busy since Spring rolled in that I feel like if I don't chronicle some of our happenings, I will forget them myself when I get to this chapter of our life in our family scrapbooks.

So...our spring/early summer in review...and yes, there's a slide show that will serve as proof....or additional boredom depending on your perspective!

slide show

Five Friends
I spent a wonderful weekend with my college girls at the Shoji Japanese Spa in beautiful Asheville NC.- this was in honor and celebration of our 40th birthdays. We hadn't all been together in 5 years and it was as if not a minute had passed since that time. The five of us have been connected in such a beautiful and meaningful way; we have cheered each other on in the best of times and held each other up in times of unspeakable pain and sorrow. We've cried tears of joy when we shared our wedding days together and shed tears of grief when we buried spouses and children- our history is rich indeed and I wouldn't trade a thing for what I have in those 4 girls. So while it was my intention to dedicate a blog post to our weekend together, I realized that one long arduous post wouldn't do it justice anyway. I'll just honor it by saying....

Wendy, Kel, Danielle and Julie - You four are gold to me...you know how I feel about you and how thankful I am for our Shoji time together. Can't wait til Maui in 9 more years!!

Another School Year Comes to a Close
For both Grant kids....Lilly wrapped up her first year of preschool. One more year at Bethany remains and frankly, I can't even begin to think about leaving that wonderful place that has meant so much to our family these past few years. We enjoyed another closing picnic on the playground and said our goodbyes to teachers and friends - at least until it all begins again in mid-August. Winston finished his kindergarten year with flying colors, another excellent report card and strep....not exactly in that order but you get the picture. That precious boy had a great last few weeks of school with Field Day, Messy Art Day, and a little graduation ceremony that warmed our hearts. He had several individual speaking parts in their closing program and we were so proud of our boy -- he had a fever of 103 during the whole thing and still performed like a champ. I seriously cannot believe I have a soon-to-be first grader....good grief.

Reunited...and it felt so good!
The Monahan gals returned home for a week....a glorious week of fun. Lilly was so happy to have her best friend back home. We had dates at Chick Fil A, mornings together at the Y and a sleepover too. The Bethanys celebrated my birthday at Oscar's and it was just dreamy to be with those gals again. It was oh so sweet but oh so short....we'll continue to keep in touch through bloggy updates, emails, phone calls and such...and wait patiently until they return again.

Camp E.D.G.E.
Vacation Bible School...always an adventure and this year was no exception. I taught the 3 year-olds again and was blessed with 18 of them. I would be lying if I said I didn't have a mini panic attack when I saw my little Rainbow Trout roster and noted 18 children - 12 of them B-O-Y-S but it was a week filled with blessings and cuteness. My friend Linda donned her Superwoman cape and flew in to the rescue the Sunday before it started - she stayed in the classroom with Kathy and I until after 7pm that evening helping us create a CAMP scene in our room that would have won a prize for the best decorations. Our Camp Edge looked fantastic if I do say so myself. It was a great week, a busy week and a blessing-filled week. We had 18 precious little people....busy little people...but precious for sure. Winston and Lilly had a great week too and I was so proud watching my kiddos on the stage singing of God's love and grace. As I always do, I ended the week having an even higher appreciation for those special people in the world who answer God's call to TEACH. God Bless you teachers....I do not know how you do it every day but I am so thankful you do.

Virginia Trip
We left immediately following closing programs for VBS and headed to VA/NC for our usual summer tour.It was a shorter and busier trip than usual but still nice to get home. We spent several days in Dry Fork celebrating Papa's 80th birthday with the Dean/Grant cousins. Always fun stuff happening there. We ate Grandma's fried chicken, for which there is NO rival anywhere on this earth. Seriously folks - it's not a bit good for you but it's worth the splurge every now and again. We spent some time with Grammy and Granddaddy too and stayed around the house this trip - we didn't see any of my hometown friends this time; we already had a packed schedule. We finished up our travels in Raleigh for a few days with our beloved Kindts. This was our first trip back since their downstairs construction project was completed and my, oh my....it is a beauty. John has what I will call the "Ultimate Man Room" complete with a custom-built English pub style bar, a stage for his drum set, a pool table and a Mrs PacMan arcade game. Highly addictive that thing is (Ms PacMan that is)...for me AND for Winston. Kelly has a craft room that made me feel tingly just a little bit...oh the cutting and cropping that will be done in that fancy schmancy room. It was a beauty....for sure. We had some pool time, some BBQ time and some chattin' time....all of it added up to a GREAT time.

Happy Independence Day
We returned just in time for July 4th. By the time suitcases were put away and laundry was caught up, it was time for some fireworks. We started our July 4th weekend at Kiawah with doughnuts for breakfast - a beach tradition. We had a great day at the beach - the boys brought the fishing seine and caught the teeniest, tiniest little fish but it certainly added to the excitement of our beach day. We spent July 4th with the Yoders. Brian has become quite the Grill Master this summer and we have certainly reaped the benefits of his new obsession...he is fully equipped with a gas grill, a smoker and now a charcoal grill....and he's not a bit afraid to use them!! We had a lovely and festive dinner; celebrated Katie's upcoming birthday with her favorite dessert and some presents too. We piled in the cars for a quick trip to The Ponds for some fireworks. Great holiday with great food and great friends.

And so you'll be happy to know -- this here bloggity blog is now caught up now and my heart rate is back to a healthy pace. We've been busy with swim lessons these last few weeks and Winston's effort and progress deserves a post all its own. So stay tuned for that....and a post about Folly Beach Fish....I know it's hard but try to contain your excitement.

It's hard to believe we are down to 5 weeks until school starts...the summer is flying...we have Science Camp for Winston next week and the Dean girls coming for a visit after that. Lots to blog about....I am just hoping to stay current this time!!

Suspend All Search and Rescue Efforts

We are here....alive and well. We have been pretty well up to our ears in all sorts of stuff since mid-May really and well, it's been a challenge to keep up with the day to day goings on around here. Blogging has not been on the top of our lists lately.

Hope to play catch up soon and will return to the bloggy world with a new look to the blog and some slide shows too....

Happy Summer everybody!