Welcome to Camp MaMa Berry!

I discovered a new book, With Love, Grandma XOXO, and bought one for each set of grands.

The story features Grandma Hedgehog, who lives a distance from her little hedgehog. The distance doesn't prevent her from sharing her adventures with her grandson; she does it the old-fashioned way via letters. Each letter reminds him of how much she loves him and the fun they've shared when they have been together. Sometimes she includes little presents; one present is a package of wildflower seeds because she's writing the current letter from a field of wildflowers. The book concludes with the little hedgehog arriving at Camp Grandma.

The book resonates with me for several reasons:

1. I hosted my own Camp Grandma, actually, Camp MaMa Berry, for the boys a few months ago. I didn't invite the baby because I was a bit nervous about having all of them at one time and she was so young. She is almost two, so she is invited to experience the new adventures.

Oh, the adventures we enjoyed! We rode the Merry Point ferry, toured a fire station, fed chickens, and more. The boys had so much fun. I was exhausted at the end of the 5-day adventure, but I think I had more fun than the boys.

2. My children became so excited when they received mail as little ones. That memory has prompted me to start sending my little ones letters, beginning today. I cannot believe I haven't been doing this all along; and

3. I have been writing picture books for my grandchildren and giving the books to them for Christmas. The 2018 book is a compilation of more than 20 places I want us to visit within the next 10 years. I have visited some of the places, including the Enchanted Forest and the Hershey Chocolate Factor, and others I want to visit, including the Chincoteague Pony Swim and Diggerland USA.

The Christmas 2018 book, Adventures with MaMa Berry, is bigger than the others; I included extra pages for pictures and space for them to write their thoughts about each adventure. I tucked the 2017 book into special pillows I made for them. Each pillow had a pocket to hold the book. This year I will make a small trunk for each of them that will hold the book and the mementos they collect along the way. Time capsules of shared travel adventures! When I am a memory, I hope they will enjoy reminiscing about our adventures as they rummage through those trunks. 

I am excited about the upcoming adventures with the kiddos!

The Wonky Donkey

I always have been a voracious reader. I remember as a child my mother taking me to the library in Upper Marlboro, MD, several times a week. The library had a strict, three-book checkout limit, and I would devour those three books within a couple of days; off to the library we would go! I never remember my mother complaining about having to drive me into town to exchange my treasures, but, eventually, the librarian acquiesced. I remember the first time she told me I could check out as many books as I wanted. I left the library that day with an ARMFUL of books and a HUGE grin on my face. I am pretty sure my mother was as delighted as I was. I wonder if my mother had a hand in that policy change, or if the librarian took pity on my mother’s having to make so many trips.

One of my fondest Christmas memories is receiving a fairly large, heavy box from my Aunt Betty. I probably was 7 or 8 years old. I offhandedly asked, “What’s in here…bricks?” She chortled, “Yes.” Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to find three Nancy Drew mysteries and a set of bookends Aunt Betty had made from...BRICKS! She had covered them with fabric to look like little girls with long braids. Best. Present. Ever!

Those events happened almost 60 years ago and I remember then vividly.

Nancy Drew mysteries were my favorite. I amassed quite the collection. I also read the Hardy Boys and the Bobbsey Twins, but I WAS Nancy Drew. After all, the author, Carolyne Keene, and I ALMOST shared a name. I studied each clue as if my life depended upon solving the mystery, and I tried my darndest to do so before Nancy did. Most often, I didn’t, but I did become pretty savvy. To this day, mysteries, especially murder mysteries, remain my favorite genre. One day, I plan to write one.

I never am without a book. Long lines never bother me…I just take out my book and read as I inch forward. Nowadays, I read digital books while waiting. Digital books have their place (long lines), but nothing EVER will replace the pleasure of holding a REAL book and playing with the pages as I read.

I passed along my love of reading to my three children. I read to them nightly and often during the day when they were little. Books were (are) important in our house and were (are) stashed in every corner. I now am the proud grandmother of five precocious little ones, and I read to them as often as I can. I buy books for them, and I write books for them.   

The most recent book I gave them is the Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith, a New Zealander. It's a cute little paperback about a donkey who has unique characteristics and a few peculiarities. Smith’s inspiration for the book was a song he had written in 2005 after hearing a joke about a wonky donkey. The joke led to the song that led to the book a few years later. The song and the book were hits in Smith’s backyard, but they remained obscure elsewhere. That changed August 2018 when a Scottish Granny living in Australia became a hit sensation.

Fiona Clark happened upon a copy of the Wonky Donkey in a used book store and bought it for mere pennies. She then caught on videotape her mother, Janice Clark, laughing uncontrollably as she read the book to Fiona’s then 4-month-old son, Archer. The video went viral and publishers on several continents went into high gear to meet the demand. I, along with 1 million others, bought the book. Actually, I bought four copies – one copy for each of my children to read to my beloved grandchildren and one copy for me to read to them at my house. Although none of us find the book as hysterical as the Scottish Granny, we enjoy the rhymes and hearing the little ones say, “Hee Haw!”

Have you read the story? Have you heard the song? Have you watched the Scottish Granny read to Archer?

Why not put a little hilarity under this year’s Christmas tree? 

I hope you and your little ones enjoy reading as much as we do!

I love adventures

I love being a mother. I love being a grandmother. I have three awesome adult children and five adorable grandchildren. I love to travel. I love adventures.

I have traveled with my family to the Bahamas, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, St. Thomas, and throughout the United States. We have visited the touristy sights and the neighborhood streets. We have tasted cuisines different from ours and observed cultures different from ours. We have learned people throughout the world often are different from us in how they talk, dress, worship, and live, but we also have learned most people are kind, hospitable, and are delightful to know. Our adventures are ongoing; we still have lots of learning and exploring to do!