Meet Pattianne Van Wy, our February Everyday Mom

Pattianne Van Wy is an “everyday mom,” but she's far from ordinary. She has two daughters and two grandsons. She describes herself as "the ringleader in a three-ring circus." Maybe you can relate. Here's what Pattianne says about her roles a mom and grandmother:

How many grandkids do you have and what are their ages?

Alexander is 29 months old and Braxton is 15 months old. They were both born with red hair, but Alex's hair has gotten more blonde. Their mom and dad each have red hair, as well as my youngest daughter, too. I love red-hair babies!

What is the best part of being a grandmother? There are so many things, but the best is that they give the most awesome hugs and slobbery kisses. I like sneaking them cookies, too!

Spending time with your grandkids has got to be special. What are the top three things you love to do with your grandkids? In the summertime, we spend a lot of time in the backyard. We still have the swingset we put up for our girls and my husband put up a new bucket swing for Brax and a new seat for Alex. That swingset has made our hearts stop more than once, especially when the boys learned to climb the slide. Alex did the steps while Brax went up the sliding board. Those little monkeys show no fear! They also love bubbles. I’m a bubble blower from way back and love that they love the bubbles too. Sidewalk chalk is another favorite of the boys. It doesn’t matter if they are drawing with it (and it doesn’t matter if it is the sidewalk or the dog…) or using it to teeth on!

Do you spoil your grandkids? I really don’t know if we are spoiling them, but are just lavishing love on them.

What do you look forward to the most with your grandkids? I don’t really know. It seems each visit is unlike any other. I know when they get bigger, I’m looking forward to taking one or the other out for a day with Grandma. (I don’t know if I’ll be brave enough to take both at the same time.) I hope by then, that there will be more G-rated movies in the theatres and we can splurge on popcorn and soda. They are too young for that now, so we make do with playing with my animated dancing dolls and things that roll.

What is a funny memory of your grandkids? Brax is a climber, more so than Alex. When they visit us, we are in a certain part of the house, and have a gate up, separating us from the front room. If Brax can’t go under, he’ll try to climb the gate. Many times he and the gate have come down. His little fingers and toes still caught in the gate, and he’s laying flat on his back with the look of “How did that happen?” He doesn’t cry, and doesn’t let go, but just kinda looks too cute for words.

Alex is a thinker. In the summer, when we have the tiny wading pool set up, he’ll go turn the hose on so he can have more water. It usually involves hosing someone off who has a lot of clothes on … if he’s wet he sees no harm in sharing that! He shares some of the most delicious hugs while dripping wet!

Maybe because with my first child, I went back to work at six weeks, I know I missed a lot with Kim. I’ve gotten to relive parts through them. I enjoy discovering new teeth in Braxton's mouth and seeing Alex drink out of a cup that has no sippy lid. We love to tickle and giggle and act silly together. One of the first words I heard Alex say was "snack." It makes my heart grow when he says it because that was a word I taught him! Brax loves to play peek-a-boo, and squeeze the kitty. Our long-haired cat, Smokey, is too curious to stay out of his way, and Brax loves to hug him.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment and why? That one is easy. It is being a wife for over 25 years to the same man. He looks at me with the same love in his eyes that he had when we first met when I was 17. He makes me feel like I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.

What is your favorite advice for others? Never give up hope.

How about advice for moms? I agree with Phyllis Diller: "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing." After witnessing my grandsons’ quick destruction of their room, I have to agree.

Do you have any siblings? Where did you grow up? I am the youngest of three children, Earl and Mary Lou. I grew up in the high desert of southern California. Lancaster is a suburb of Los Angeles now. While many may think the desert boring and drab, I invite everyone to witness the awakening the desert goes through after a soaking rain. The cactus and flowers are gorgeous. In the spring the hills in the valley I grew up in, are covered with orange poppies. It looks like someone splashed orange paint for miles.

Where do you live now? We have lived in Fayetteville for almost 16 years this time. We spent two years here in the mid-1980s, and returned after a long tour in Germany.

Tell us about your children: I have two daughters. Kim, 23, has blessed me with two grandsons. Cat is 19 and attends FTCC.

What do you enjoy doing most with your kids? I love to cook and create with my girls. They don’t clean up their cooking messes too well, but we have fun. Kim is an old-fashioned make-it-from-scratch cook, and Cat does awesome crochet work.

What household chores do you dislike? I totally dislike doing housework. Dusting and floors take a back seat to dishes and laundry.

What are your hobbies? I am a constant reader; the library is a great place to go! There is a whole world in there waiting for us!

What's a typical day like for you? All of my days are different right now. I try to be up early, so that I can sit outside and watch the area wake up. I love to watch the birds, and delight in the antics of the squirrels. Once winter is leaving us, I will be in the garden getting it ready for flowers.

What advice do you have for new moms? Two parts: (1) If you are tired, and the baby is sleeping, then go to sleep. You aren’t worth much when you are exhausted! (2) Keep some noise in the house at all times, especially when the baby is sleeping. I was able to vacuum the carpets and roll the playpen out of the way with a sleeping baby in it. Worked well for us! I found they slept better at night if they took naps in a different place than their night time sleep.

Do you have any time-saving tips to share with other moms? A time-saving tip for me involves all those dishes that pile up. While cooking meals, I’ll soak what may have shown up, and wash them after eating with those that I just used. A clean sink greeting me in the morning makes me very happy!

How about a quick recipe idea? A meal I always have on hand is chicken ala king. Canned or leftover chicken, cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup, a can of peas (drained), some diced pimentos, milk, salt and pepper make a hearty meal when spooned over drop biscuits, made with biscuit mix that doubles for pancakes and waffles, too.

Tell us about memorable moments with your children: I have many awesome memorable moments both with my girls and my grandsons. Maybe the most special is I was able to cut the umbilical cord with Alex. I think he will be my favorite … but I can’t promise!

What are the most challenging and rewarding ages? The teen years were most challenging. Many prayers said during those years, ya know? Most rewarding is that my girls are also my friends.

What character are you most like? I am the ringleader in a three-ring circus. Some days there were more than three rings going at the same time in our house, but we made it through. What three words would your children say best describe you? My daughter Kim says, "Tyrant, meticulate, opinionated, caring." She says to toss out "tyrant." She still loves me. Cat says I'm "caring, tricky and cautious." I’m not sure about those seven words. Gonna have to digest them.

Have you ever tasted store-bought baby food? That's something I’d rather not relive. Is it any wonder that when babies get to taste table food, they don’t want the jar food any more?

What is your favorite children's book? "Winnie the Pooh," by A.A. Milne. There are so many personalities in those stories.