Occasionally I have a good idea. Occasionally that good idea backfires on me.

We were down visiting the Iowans again the past week. School was out for spring break and the youngsters age 12 and 8 needed someone at home to supervise their activity and keep them from the brotherly-sisterly love that kids show each other when they have a little impish fun in their minds.

Not wanting them to be bored with Grandpa and Grandma, I had what I considered three good ideas.

The first was a grandmother-granddaughter movie while the grandson and grandfather had one-on-one time. My granddaughter is a very kind soul and agreed to go to an old people’s movie with me. She looked up the premise of the movie, it was supposed to be a PG comedy and agreed it might be fun. I usually go to the kids’ movies with them and one had been planned for the next day so this was her way of paying Grandma back.

We bought our popcorn and entered the movie theater. The show was supposed to start at 7:10. We were subjected to all the commercials I fast forward though on television to get to my program. This happened before the movie. Since when did insurance companies, car companies, etc. advertise at movies. Since it was an old people’s show I was waiting for the Depends commercials.

The lights dimmed and it was time for the movie. Again, we were subjected to commercials — the same commercials we had previously been subjected to before the movie. What ever happened to cartoons? By that time our popcorn was gone. The movie started.

Three-fourths of the way through the movie I noticed my attention span had given the movie all the attention I could muster. My granddaughter never complained. I asked if she wanted to leave and she told me it was OK to stay. Her attention span had left her body too. I did something I have never done before; I told her we were leaving. I have never left a movie early before. Since it was St. Patrick ’s Day we ended our day at McDonald’s sharing a Shamrock Shake, bad idea No. 1 out of the way.

Our plan for the next day at my grandchildren’s request was glowgolf and the laser maze. I had grabbed some good deals on Groupon. I happened to wake up with a migraine the day of glow golf. It was a migraine where I could still function and I had never been to glow golf before. I thought the darkness with little lights glowing, lighting our path and a glowing golf ball would be soothing to my head.

Going glow golfing with a migraine was bad idea No. 2. No one told me there would be lights flashing on the ceiling in the darkness, and occasionally the glowing path would blink. Each hole was a raised bed with raised things that were hard to see but easy to trip on. I didn’t let on that I felt like I was on a bender because the lights and my headache threw off my balance so I was very wobbly. Usually a competitive person when it comes to golf, even mini golf, it wasn’t hard to let my grandkids and husband win fair and square. The hole kept moving and flashing  in my line of sight. I might add that the hole had no lights it was only my eyes flashing.

My third idea of the week was the good idea. My grandson and I found Bulldogs Ceramics studio in Ankeny, Iowa, and decided to have some fun with ceramics and paint. He chose a football helmet that he painted in Vikings colors. I chose a mug to paint because the ceramic studio offers the option to paint a mug for $5. They fire it and donate it to local nursing homes and veterans’ homes. It was a relaxing morning.

I love to spend time with my grandchildren and try new things. My grandkids have learned that Grandma’s ideas don’t always work out. They have learned to adapt to the quirky things that happen and take it with a smile and a laugh.

I have learned to listen to their wisdom, because even at the age they are, wisdom comes out of their mouths. I have learned to show them my weaknesses so they don’t always expect the people in their lives to be perfect, because we are all flawed. I have learned that if one plan doesn’t work out, the next exciting plan might be the winner. I have learned that all the good ideas and bad ideas make memories that will be cherished forever in our hearts.

Yup, even the burned vegetables that I used to make for my kids are burned forever in their hearts and with laughter they pass the story on to their children. Grandma is fabulous but flawed.

 

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at hermionyvidaliabooks@gmail.com. Her Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author.