After spending a ridiculous amount of money at Walgreens on hair restorers, growth promising gels, creams, and potions, plus vitamins promising lustrous hair and nails (tag team?); I realized that I could wear a very attractive head scarf and no one would be the wiser.  So there.  

So instead of the worry, I interviewed granddaughters L and E today and I asked them, “What are the attributes of a good grandmother?”  (Attributes - you know, what qualities??)

Here are their answers:

1. Nice

2. Crafty

3. Wants to spend time with grandchildren

4. Understanding

And the perfect grandmother would be one who would take them to Paris…

Cue big eyes with fluttering eyelashes …

Oh my - the bar is too high, maybe… I must check with Katerina and find out how many points I could be awarded if I did this?????

Yesterday two of the soon to be eight grandchildren came over to play and hang out.  I did my best: sorted through the buckets of legos to find all of the coveted pieces - men, horses, helmets, shields, spears and other weaponry; gave them drinks of fresh made lemonade;  dished out the gourmet mac n’ cheese and other goodies; and got down on my hands and knees and played “toys” forever.  But the best part was the hugs and cuddles and tickles.  These boys are so precious and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have them in my life.  Sigh.

After a long day and a trip to the book store to find a couple new books, I was treated to a loving critique when Joe hugged me and said, “Grandma, you have a spot on your head.”  ”A spot,” I laughed, “what do you mean?”  ”Right there, he pointed to my scalp, there is no hair right there.”  

Oh no, am I losing my hair now?  How can I be Super Babushka with a balding head?  I ran to the mirror, took a picture with my iPhone and gasped.  Why hasn’t my hairdresser brought this to my attention?  Why is my hair falling out?  This can not be happening.  I am already going through the decision making process of dye-or-not-to-dye the “gray” anymore and pretty soon I won’t need to worry, I guess.  Geez.

To make myself feel a bit better I had a manicure and attended a Body Transformation gym class.  At least I will look good from the eyebrows down.  Striving, one day at a time.  

My son just married a lovely young women from Russia and she shared with me a great story about a contest in Moscow called Super Babushka.  What? I said.   It is a contest where the contestants compete in many categories:  best cook, best worker, most hobbies, and of course, best grandmother.  I instantly thought, “This is what I want to be.”

I want to be a Super Babushka. Maybe I won’t compete in Moscow, but hopefully, my family will notice and crown me someday.   So I am going to work toward that goal every day and this blog will sort of follow my journey.  

Before I begin you must know that I recently retired from a major manufacturing company that had become so toxic that I became physically and somewhat mentally ill.  I can’t believe that people around me didn’t notice that I was screaming in my head all day long.  I expected to be sad when I left, but I was flooded with relief. No more demeaning boss or boss’s boss or boss’s boss’s boss.  No more ridiculous business word babble that made me laugh out loud in a meeting and of course, get immediately reprimanded.  I am happy and nearly normal again.  

So, we begin - I am married (42) years (major Babushka points); 3 children, 7 grandchildren (soon to be 8) (points are racking up); and decorated worker (exceeds expectations 8 years in a row - until the evil empire took over).  My job took me all over the world so I missed a bit a the smothering grandmother stuff I needed to do.  I will make up for it today.  Children coming over - gourmet Mac n Cheese; gummy butterflies; lemonade and homemade cookies.  Bring it on.