Have you ever experienced skunk spray up close? If you have, then you know it is the most offensive odor. And, since skunk spray is oil based, it is also the worst to get rid of.

Last week I was upstairs in the office organizing notes for my Algebra 2 students. The night was perfect with a light cool breeze coming in through the open windows. All of a sudden I got a whiff of the neighborhood skunk. I yelled, “Where’s Buddy?” My husband yelled back, “Too late!”

Oh, no! Here we go again. Our dog (Peanut) who we had before Buddy had been sprayed also so we knew what it entailed…lots of continuous bathing with solutions of white vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, etc….and lots of deodorizing.

Only this time, Buddy got away from my husband in the den as he brought him in from the backyard. He rolled around on the carpeting in attempt to remove the pungent odor from his back and face. Luckily, we still had the furniture covered to protect it from our granddaughters’ visit earlier in the afternoon.

Needless to say, the carpeting stunk from the skunk oil. Poppy rented a carpet shampooer from our local supermarket. But to no avail, the odor just wouldn’t come out. The den was the only room where we didn’t have the carpet replaced three years ago so it’s time we replaced it anyway. The den gets a lot of use and has started to show more wear and tear lately mostly because the grandchildren are more active - and therefore, the dog is too. They love the fact that they can run in and out of the back door with Buddy following them. The den is also between the garage and kitchen which can show you just how much daily traffic the carpet gets.

With our busy schedules, it’s difficult to find time to go carpet shopping and besides, we use enough gas as it is. To save time and gas, we’ll make an appointment with Empire Today to take advantage of their in-home flooring sales and next day installation. Poppy and I rarely agree on anything when it comes to decorating, but in this case we’ve decided to choose a Berber carpet installed in the den instead of a plush because my research tells me it endures people and dog traffic which we do have coming and going from the kitchen, backyard, and garage. It will also be easier to vacuum up the dog hair.

When the real estate market picks up, we’ll try selling our house again. This time, we plan on having the bedroom wood floors replaced with laminate flooring which Empire Today also installs. Through the years, with three children of our own (and now Kaitlin and Emily) and several dogs, the wood floors have been terribly scratched. We don’t want to bother with the lengthy refinishing process. Another alternative would be to cover them up with more carpeting, but buyers are looking for attractive flooring instead. When we were looking at houses ourselves, It was really difficult to tell the difference. I had to touch the flooring to know for sure. The best part is that it will withstand scratching from our grandchildren’s toys and our Buddy’s claws when he runs around or jumps on or off the bed. That’s always a good selling point, too.

Before I decided on Empire Today, I visited their website and read what others had to say about Empire’s in-home flooring sales and installation. Follow this link to read what their customers had to say:  Empire Carpet Stories.

Nana’s advice: If you suspect a skunk may be visiting…before you let your dog out at night, turn on bright lights and make loud noises…then give the skunk time to leave your yard.

Recipe for washing:

One quart 3% hydrogen peroxide*
¼ cup baking soda
one teaspoon liquid dish soap

1. Wear vinyl gloves and an apron.
2. Rinse your dog completely down to the skin with water.
3. Wash with the above solution and leave on 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Protect yourself - your pet will try to shake off the water.
5. Rinse off with water.

* White vinegar can be substituted, but it is not as effective
*Use a wash cloth for the face area and do not let it get into your pet’s eyes.
*You may have to wash several times but be careful not to cause irritation.
*The odor will still be there, but only faintly. Over time it will disappear.

The same day I received a poem written by a grandmother in Australia for her new granddaughter, we received a phone call from our granddaughter Kaitlin…

The phone rang. It was Kaitlin, our seven-year-old granddaughter and we could hear her two-and-a-half year old sister next to her. Kaitlin sounded so grown up when she asked for…Poppy!  “Don’t you want to talk to Nana?” Kaitlin said she wanted both of us on the phone, which I thought was very diplomatic of her.

Poppy gets on the other phone, we’re both sitting in the living room on cordless phones now. Poppy says, “Hi, Tinker!” There is silence…and we wait…then we hear, “Do you want another grandchild?” Then there is silence…ours…maybe they’re getting a puppy? So we answer What? Who? (Grandparents can be so dumb sometimes…) She yells, “Mommy!” 

So, Mommy gets on the phone and says, “Beginning of May.”  We say, “Uh, Oh” (after we congratulate eveyone, of course)…her brother’s wedding is the end of May and the next Saturday was when we would be shopping for bridesmaids dresses.  There will be some last minute alterations to be made…

It is amazing how the circle of life goes on. A month after my father-in-law passed away, our first daughter was born. After a dear friend passed, our second daughter was born. A week after my father passed away, our son was born. Now about one month after my mother-in-law has passed, we find we will have a third grandchild in the Spring, a time of rebirth…perhaps on Mother’s Day?

Spring is going to be exciting and crazy around here, and I can’t wait!

Handprint poems, photos, and crafts are very popular gifts to give to grandparents. Grandchildren’s handprints can be the center of fun grandparent and grandchildren fun activities, too.

Last week, Poppy and I took Emily and Kaitlin to the beach for some sun and fun before we all had to go back to school this week (except for Poppy).

This is a digital photo of Emily’s (2 1/2) handprint. Next time I’m going to take a better picture. And, of course, I’ll take one of Kaitlin’s too, one of their hands together, one of Poppy’s and my hands, and one of all our hands in the sand as keepsakes of our fun in the sun at the Jersey shore. I’ll frame each of the 5 photos in a square frame and display them along the stairway hall.

If you have time to get to the beach or have a sandbox, gather the grandchildren and a digital camera and snap away! It will be fun for your grandchildren to compare sizes and differences of the hands in the sand and digital photos.  Let your grandchildren take pictures, too and display them along with your photos.

For more fun, take different objects and press them into the sand, then vary the distance and lighting for added effects. It is also a good lesson in cause and effect besides making comparison.

Enjoy your time together while you can…it goes so fast!  Whenever you are with your grandchildren, it is always a Grandparent and Grandchildren Day…a special day.

With my grandchildren’s great-grandmother passing away this past week, I am concerned about how they will react as time goes on. They attended the viewing and the burial ceremony. Kaitlin, the oldest of the two great-granddaughters placed drawings into the coffin from the two of them for Mom-Mom to take with her to Heaven. The person she saw did not look like her Mom-Mom that she remembered for she had lost too much weight. Perhaps that was a blessing. The casket was then closed before friends and relatives arrived to pay their respect.

I’ve searched for books to help us help Kaitlin and Emily with the questions that may be asked when the realization that they won’t see their great-grandmother again sets in. Here are some that I have found online:

	When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief A practical format for allowing children to understand the concept of death and develop coping skills for life.
	I Miss You: A First Look At Death When a close friend or family member dies, it can be difficult for children to express their feelings. This book helps boys and girls understand that death is a natural complement to life, and that grief and a sense of loss are normal feelings for them to have following a loved one’s death.
	Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies An art therapy and activity book for children coping with death. Sensitive exercises address all the questions children may have during this emotional and troubling crisis.
	Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs Originally published in 1973, this autobiographical picture book was one of the first to introduce very young children to the concept of death.
	Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas (100 Ideas Series) Each page presents a different idea designed to help teens recognize mourning as a natural process connected with loss, reassuring them that they should not be afraid of deep, sometimes uncontrollable emotions, and showing them how to release grief in healthy, positive ways.

Since grief is a very personal emotion, so may be your choice of self-help books. Search Amazon.com further for more selections on grieving. 

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Grandparents and Grandchildren Together: Here is a new fun, interactive website for both grandparents and grandchildren to enjoy together by interacting through the new website no matter how far apart you are…whether in the next room or in another state or country. Read this article about how grandparents and grandchildren can interact together with the new website, Grandparent Games…

Visiting the grandkids: Interactive Web site lets grandparents stay in touch