Bucket List?

I don't have a real bucket list. More of a do-over list. I know it's never good to look backwards at mistakes, so I won't go there. My Catholic upbringing has provided me with endless hours of guilt ridden pain. But here are some things I wish I had done before it was too late to do them:

1. Gone to more concerts before these people died. I would love to have seen Elvis in concert or Michael Jackson, or the Beatles, or Frank Sinatra.  There aren't too many celebs I'd pay to see, but I'd have paid to see these. PS, if I ever get a chance to see Bette Midler, I'm in!
2. Played more with my children. As a grandmother, I am experiencing that pleasure with my grandchildren. How sad that I didn't know it was so much fun to play with a child when I was a young mother. Too much time worrying about what I thought were more important issues, I guess.
3. Danced with my father. I've posted about that before. I had very few opportunities to do that, but missed the moment to dance with him at our 8th grade dance. I was too embarrassed to let my classmates see me dance with him and have regretted that moment forever. He died too soon and I never had another chance. The song Dance With My Father brings me to my knees. Every. Single. Time.
4. Gone to college. Surprising that it's 4th on my list? Not to me. To be truthful, I'm not sure what direction I would have taken, but I wish I could say "I have a degree in...". I was smart enough to go, but poor enough not to.
5. Learned French. I took Spanish starting in elementary school through high school. After 40 years, I've lost most of that, but can understand some words. I have always loved french and wish I had taken courses, and would love to be fluent.
6. Rethought my 20's. No explanations, just sayin'.

2012 is looking like a good year, and I hope I can keep my promise to myself to be a better person, love more, laugh more, and stress less.

Partreena Chinka Pear Tree

I was reminded of my daughter's childhood recently when I took my grandsons to see Santa. When she was in kindergarten they were learning songs for a Christmas play at school. Back when you could call it a Christmas play. She would sing the songs at home, my first clue that they were learning them. She belted out the 12 Days of Christmas, only her version of the first day was not "partridge in a pear tree" it was Partreena Chinka Pear Tree. The first time I heard it, my head spun around... "Say that again for me honey." She repeated it in her version. I told her "no, it's partridge in a pear tree" saying each word slowly because I knew she had never heard the word "partridge" before. Of course, mama was wrong, and she was right, so she sang it that way until someone wiser told her otherwise. Probably a classmate. She was and is a stubborn thing and has been blessed with a child who has the same tendencies.

My son was a huge Sesame Street toddler. Loved every episode. I believe he learned his letters from it when he was 18 months old (I swear). He was very articulate, but had a few words he struggled with. He could say "cookie" and he could say "monster", but put them together and he came out with "Coochers".  Big Bird was "Beeboo" and Oscar was "Ockers".

I picked up my grandsons from daycare recently and they knew full well that we were going to see Santa that night. Little Braydon announced he learned a new song in class and wanted to sing it for me. (I love these boys with all my heart) I turned my car radio off so I could savor every word. "Go ahead, sweetie." Mind you, both my boys have a lisp when they talk so sometimes I am amused in a way that only another grandmother would understand. "I have a friend who hath a beard and Thanta ith hith name-o... Eth-A-N-T-A! Eth-A-N-T-A! Eth-A-N-T-A! and Thanta ith hith name-o." Proud as a peacock, that boy was. He smiled at me in my rear view mirror and I smiled back at him. Did I correct him at that moment? No, I didn't. Oh, we practice the S sound a lot, but in that moment, I just couldn't burst his proud little bubble.

So Merry Christmas to all of you and may you have the absolute pleasure of enjoying your family for what they are. It makes me smile out loud and brings back sweet memories of my own children's early years.