Monday, August 29, 2011

5 things I'm learning from my Grandmother, 13 years later


Find a picture that makes you happy. Look at it every day!
 I grew up living with my mom (my parents split up when I was 6), my brother and 2 sisters. As a single mom, my mom was (and still is) a hard worker. I have some memories of breakfasts she made us, activities we did together, places we went. I do not have many memories of watching her do things. Eating breakfast, getting ready for work, things like that.

We also lived with my Grandma for years.

There were lots of "weird" things I witnessed living with her, and I categorized those things in the "old people do that" file in my brain. She was not old by any means. She was a young mother, and a young grandmother. She was 55 when she died. As I am nearing 30, and my husband is closer to 40, 55 is still very young!

Since becoming a mom, I have been remembering little things I saw my grandmother do, which makes sense to me now.

1. Eat a good breakfast. Not a low calorie, fat free breakfast, but a good, healthy breakfast. I remember my grandma always eating an egg sandwich on whole wheat toast, with a touch of mayonnaise. This breakfast is packed with fiber, protein and nutrients. I introduced egg sandwiches to my son last week, and he loves them!

2. Natural toothpaste is best. I thought it was so weird that my grandma brushed her teeth with baking soda and peroxide. I have recently been looking into natural toothpastes, and came upon a natural toothpaste recipe...of baking soda and peroxide!

3. Health benefits of salt. When I graduated high school and moved out, I removed salt from my diet and my shopping list. When I got married, our salt free diet continued. I woke up a few months ago with a very, very sore throat, and remembered my grandma practically forcing us to gargle with salt water. I went out and bought sea salt that day, and use it every time I get a sore throat. Whenever I use it, I can picture my grandma behind me, watching to make sure I gargle the full cup of warmed salt water.

4. Make your bed. I remember being very young, watching my grandma get ready for work, doing her hair and makeup. We would turn on her music box and dance around her room, until she was ready for the fun part...making her bed! Before she left her room for the day, she always made her bed. It's amazing how tidy a room can be after simple making the bed.

5. Laugh on purpose. We have a home video of one of my very first dance recitals. I was 5 or 6. I missed a few counts of the dance, and ended up going all the way across the stage, by myself, trying to catch up to the rest of the dancers. They were making a huge circle around the stage, in a line, so I literally ran in a big circle, alone, to catch them. On stage. In front of a whole audience. My grandma loved watching that video, because it make her laugh more than anything she'd ever seen. I don't know when the last time I put a show or a movie on, simply because it made me laugh.

1 comment:

  1. Sabrina, thank you so much for your sweet encouragement on my blog! Glad to have found your online space, this is an awesome blog! Excited to begin reading and catching up :)

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