I was trying to think of why being a grandparent is so much more joyful than being a parent was. It’s not that I don’t have hopes, dreams and aspirations for my grandchildren, it’s just that there isn’t as much attachment to the outcome as when I was a parent. With our own children, there’s so much invested in their upbringing- from trying to improve on our own experiences growing up, to trying to accomplish feats and accomplishments (through our children) we may not have realized- that it’s a very complicated relationship. It’s also one fraught with constant fear.

They say when you have a child, it’s like having your heart existing outside of your body. With grandchildren, it’s kind of like their heart is part of your own heart, so there’s less separation and anxiety. It’s just a much sweeter, purer and less complicated love. Honestly, I can’t explain it adequately. It just needs to be experienced.

I’m watching The Last Movie Stars on HBO Max and Joanne Woodward explained having grandchildren as, when you have grandchildren, you know the only thing you have to do that day is to listen to them, because there won’t be endless opportunities. As a mother, I often felt I was abandoning my ambition and career opportunity by staying home with the kids. And, when I worked, there was always the fear of missing milestones in their lives. You are constantly told as a parent: “they’re only young once”, so any time spent away from them seems like a sin. There is always guilt, one way or the other, and with grandchildren, there’s just sweet surrender. And indulgence.

The Last Movies Stars was great, by the way. I highly recommend it. I am reading Bittersweet for my Book Club. It’s interesting, written by Susan Cain, the author of Quiet (about introverts), but a little heavy reading for the Summer. We are meeting at the end of the month for a meeting at my house. I am already contemplating what Bittersweet Foods to serve.

We returned from Hawaii and I was immediately thrown into “Gigi” mode, as Christopher and Liam were at our house. He and his wife Courtney moved from Steamboat Springs to Tallahassee and they were in Miami to pick up stuff they had left in storage (and at my house). So, I got to babysit Liam for about a half a day, while they picked up the U-Haul in Vero Beach.

Liam and I did a modified Gigi Camp. We played, swam in the pool, I gave him a bath, dressed him in his Hawaiian shirt and we listened to Hawaiian music. I also let him color and when the crayon hit the paper and made a mark, he squealed in delight. I think he may be a budding artist! Alas, they’re gone now but I’m planning a trip to Tallahassee in the Fall, when it’s cooler.

Wyatt and I also did Gigi Camp, starting the next Monday. The Shark Week Shirt and Hawaiian shirt I got him in Hawaii were both too small. He’s six, but wearing size eight! Of course our theme was Hawaii. I showed him a map of the Hawaiian Islands and the four islands Zeke and I had visited. We learned Hawaiian words, listened to Hawaiian songs, watched Hawaiian movies and, of course, made Hawaiian food.

The first word I taught Wyatt was the most Hawaiian of words- Aloha, which means Hello, Goodbye and Love. It literally translates to “Breath of Life”; it means living in the present and treating each other, and nature, with love and respect. Aloha means living in harmony and they talked a lot about the “Aloha Spirit” in Hawaii and how they treat everyone as Ohana (family). Our bus driver Denis, on the Big Island, greeted us each morning with “Hello cousins, brudah, sister, antie, uncles.” It’s hard to argue with a culture whose philosophy is “Hang Loose” (with pinkie and thumb extended). Quite different than Miami!

I started Wyatt off with Pancakes, served with Coconut Syrup and Ube spread, two breakfast items we encountered in Hawaii. He loved this and had it every day for breakfast for the rest of Gigi Camp. We made a mold for a volcano kit I’d bought and I told him how Bop and I visited the Volcano National Park in Hawaii, where there’s still an active volcano (Kilauea). The first night we made Loco Moco (normally a breakfast item) for dinner and it was actually a clue that night on Jeopardy. I got it!

Tuesday was a rainy day so we went to the library, to the movies and Wyatt painted his volcano. Dinner was a Pupu Platter, which I figured any six-year old would appreciate, if for no other reason the name. While Pupu (appetizer) Platters normally consist of Egg Rolls, Spareribs and other (often fried) items, our had Grilled Chicken Sausage and Pineapple Skewers, Grilled Shishito Peppers, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings and Meatballs with Teriyaki. It was all delicious and Wyatt loved it. I taught him two new words- Ono for delicious and Ohana for family. We wore tags identifying ourself as Tutu (Grandma) and Keike (Child).

Wednesday was a big day because Wyatt’s cousin Gracie (only 2 weeks older) was coming over. We went for a walk, collected plumeria flowers and made a lei to give Gracie as an honorary member of Gigi Camp. Gracie came over, got a tattoo, and went swimming. As the grand finale, they erupted the volcano (apparently a disappointment to Wyatt) and made their own pizza for dinner. I made a Hawaiian Pizza– pineapple and ham- which they bravely tried but didn’t like. They did enjoy their own, plain cheese pizzas.

The last day of Gigi Camp went out with a bang! We had a picnic at Matheson Hammock (Chicken Salad Sandwich for me, leftover Pizza for Wyatt), Wyatt climbed trees, we then visited Fairchild Tropical Garden and the Lego exhibit. We came home, went swimming, where Wyatt insisted I get my hair wet (I’m not sure why, but he said it was more fun) and then we met Zeke, Emma and Gui for dinner. Wyatt ordered a Shirley Temple with extra cherries and got a California Roll. His Mom picked him up and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was only four days, so I owe Wyatt a couple more.

The first year I attempted Gigi Camp, Wyatt was about three and I agreed to take him for a whole week. I way overestimated my patience and stamina for that age! After that, his Mom and I decided I would take him for one day, per years he was. Whenever I got tired during this Gigi Camp, I reminded myself he’s only six once and I’m not getting any younger. I’m also sure when he’s 14, he’s probably not going to want to spend two weeks with his Gigi, so I have to take advantage while he’s still excited to be with me.

In Hawaii, they have a beautiful tradition when someone dies of scattering the ashes at sea and then laying flower leis into the water, that float away. We saw this happen on our way to the North Shore in Oahu. I’m now re-thinking my plans for being buried vs. cremated. On the plus side, it’s cheaper and I would take up less space. On the minus side, there would be no place my family could come visit me. Not that I care, but they might. Maybe scatter my ashes in the water and plant a tree? Ashes to ashes…

Life is fleeting, it is beautiful and it’s bittersweet. And they’re only young once (I guess there is some kind of Grandma Guilt!), so we need to savor these moments while we can.

Last night in my dreams, I saw your face again, We were there in the sun, On a white, sandy beach of Hawaii.

White Sandy Beach of Hawaii by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (Iz)

Up Next: Turkey Burger with a Bang

“And the songbird is singing like she knows the score…”

Gigi camp has just concluded and Gigi is… exhausted!

The first Gigi camp occured when Wyatt was only 3 years old and I took him down for the Keys for what was to be a week-long camp. I quickly realized a full week with a three-year-old was way too ambitious and decided the new rule of thumb should be one day for each year of my grandson’s life. Thus, Gigi camp this year should have been only five days long, but I went the Full Monty and played camp counselor for a week!

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a lot to handle, but as it turns out, I hurt my knee and caught a cold, so I was not in my prime Super Gigi condition! But I soldiered through and had Wyatt from Sunday- where I had the family over for Spaghetti Sunday- through the following Sunday.

Gigi Camp is sacred. A period of time devoted soley to my grandson, with activities, field trips, art projects, French lessons and science experiments scheduled. During this week- my life as I know it- is put on hold. That means: no meetings, tennis matches, meditating, yoga, work-outs, long walks, happy hours, answering e-mails, reading the paper, Instagramming, writing reviews for Yelp, talking on the phone, journaling, blogging, writing or watching murder mysteries for me. I did watch Jeopardy with Wyatt, but I consider this educational, right?

If there was one activity we did more than any other, during this version of Gigi camp, it would have to be swimming. As any parent (or grandparent knows) this is the perfect activity for wearing an active child out, so they go sleep early and sleep well. We swam in my backyard pool, at Riviera’s pool (with lunch with Courtney and Liam), at the pool at the Sanctuary down in Key Largo and (most fun of all! ) out on the boat, in the bay. With noodles and water guns.

Field trips included: Pinecrest Gardens playground, the Library to get new books, Riviera Country Club for swimming with Liam and lunch and to Target, where Wyatt and I got t-shirts to tie-dye. Wyatt also got to pick out a toy, actually two- a voice changer and a Super Soaker water gun. The tie dye was my favorite art activity and Wyatt was totally hands-on. He picked the colors, designs and squirted the dye onto the t-shirts himself. At one point, he had a plastic dye tube in each hand and was free form squirting the dye over the shirt- very Jackson Pollack! After this, I put the t-shirts in a plastic container and into the microwave to “cook”. That’s right! These tie-dye shirts didn’t need to go into the washing machine, but set in the microwave. Kind of ingenious and a lot quicker than the washing machine method.

On Wednesday, I exchanged Wyatt for his little brother Phoenix (3 months old), so his parents could have a day alone with him. On that day, I made a Black Pepper Tofu dish from the cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, NYT food writer and Vegetable guru. I’ve been trying to eat more plant-based meals and this one was delicious, but after frying tofu in oil and sauteeing it in butter, it didn’t seem like the HEALTHIEST meal. When Wyatt walked into my living room at 8 pm that night eating an ice cream Sundae, I asked his parents to take him for the night, as I didn’t want to deal with the sugar crash. I needed a good night’s sleep.

Because sleeping with Wyatt does not translate into restful slumber He sleeps between Zeke and I and, while he starts out vertical, he ends up horizontal, forming a cross bar to our vertical H. Zeke gets kicked in the head, I get squeezed to the edge of the bed, hanging on for dear life. It is not fun! Also, Wyatt is like a heat-seeking missile, so, by the morning, he has attached himself to me for snuggling. And, like Great Garbo- “I vant to be alone” when I sleep, I like to sleep unencombered by another life form. It should just be me and my weighted blanket, for prime snoozing. Serenity now!

Our meals were whatever was easy and quick. Every morning Wyatt had the same menu of Apple Juice and Milk in a sippy cup (I know it sounds disgusting, but he loves it) and Chocolate Chip pancakes with syrup, served on a breakfast tray in my bedroom. Yes, he is spoiled by his Gigi! Dinner was sushi one night, Spaghettios often and, my favorite meal of the week, grilled shrimp. Zeke found a recipe for a marinade in a magazine called Table from the Florida Keys and it was delicious. The marinade, shown below, hit all the right notes- sweet, salty and spicy- and you could really taste it on the skewered shrimp. I served it with rice, the Black Pepper tofu and sliced watermelon. Delicious!

Wyatt and I drove down to the Keys Friday around lunchtime and, both of us exhausted, were couch potatoes, coloring and watching T.V. Zeke came later and we went to dinner at nearby Skipper’s (they have a great kid’s menu) and then back home to watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. A.J. and Phoenix came down Saturday to join us for their first time out on our boat- ‘Bout Time. We had lunch at Bayside Grille and took a little joy ride out in the bay afterwards. Unfortunately, Wyatt wanted to go “Faster, faster!” on the boat and with sweet, little Phoenix, we needed to go slower, slower.

Gigi Camp went out with a bang on Sunday, as we took the boat out for one last spin. We anchored, floated on noodles and went swimming in Buttonwood Bay. Wyatt brought all his water guns and we had a water gun fight, while listening to Sweet Home Alabama on the boat radio. We dried off, then we headed back to our unit, where Wyatt got his wish to go “Faster, faster!” Then, we drove back home from the Keys, where Wyatt fell asleep in the car (yea!). Shortly afterward (although none too soon) his Mom came to pick him up and Gigi camp came to an end. Wyatt gave me a little hug goodbye. A.J. gave me a BIG hug. “Thank you Mom!” she said.

I have to say, this is the best Gigi Camp ever.

Wyatt

Said one night before bed. When I asked him his favorite part of Gigi camp, he said “The apple juice and milk and the TV watching.”

“Really? What about the boat? And swimming in the ocean?” I asked.

“Oh yes. Totally the boat!” he answered.

And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before.

Fleetwood Mac

Spicy Cilantro Lime Marinade

Recipe by SergioCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calorieskcal

For Seafood and Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup lime juice

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

• 2 minced garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup cilantro

• 3 TBL brown sugar

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 TBL red pepper flakes

• 1/4 tsp cumin

Directions

• Mix all ingredients, then process in the blender or food processor for uniform consistency.
• Place shrimp, seafood or chicken and marinate 15 minutes to 1 hour. For seafood, less time because the lime juice may “cook” it prematurely.
• Grill according to the protein.
• Serve with lime wedges.

Notes

• If cilantro is not your thing, simply omit and create a spicy, lime, garlic marinade instead.