Bowling, Anyone?

Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a small plastic bowling set at Wal-Mart for just $5. It's perfect for kids four and under. Pops and I just happen to know and love quite a few little ones who fit into that category.

Our almost two-year-old grandson loves the new bowling set. Now when he comes to see Nana and Pops, he walks up to me with outstretched arms, looks up with his big blue eyes, and pleads, "Bowl?" It's easy to say "yes," because all I have to do is put up a baby gate to keep the ball in a narrow hallway turned bowling alley. Someone taught our little grandson to sit down when he bowls, and that makes it even better. He and I line up the pins and he sits down and rolls the ball. When they fall down he is overjoyed.

Years ago, Pops and I didn't have a plastic bowling set, and the kids used plastic bottles and a plastic ball for a homemade version. It worked great!

If you have older grands, you may want to take them to an actual bowling alley and enjoy a game or two with them. What about our long-distance grands? We could mail them some money for some special time "in the alley." We might even want to go bowling in our hometown at the same time that they'll do this where they live. Wouldn't it would be fun to call one another by cell phone when we are actually bowling!

Do you have any special memories about bowling with your grandkids? Any bowling tips?

Hope to see you "in the alley!"

Have a great weekend
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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Photo Credit:© by Mary May Larmoyeux.

© by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Is God Listening?

Tuesday's Grand Connection Thought
by Mary May Larmoyeux

Not too long ago, one of our grands was unsuccessfully trying to stop sucking her thumb. “Did you ask God to help you?” I said.

“Yes,” she replied, “But He must have been sleeping.”

A smile crept from my lips as I recognized a perfect opportunity to help a little girl apply life to God’s Word.

"Let's see what God says about sleeping," I said and looked up "sleep" in the index of my Bible. I turned to Psalm 121:3 and read out loud: “He who watches over you will not slumber [sleep].”

“Honey, does God sleep?” I asked.

“No,” she said and paused for about a half of a second. “I guess I wasn’t listening.”

I wasn’t listening. Somehow her words struck me as quite profound. I wondered about the times when I thought God wasn't speaking to me.

Psalm 81:13a (NIV) says, “If my people would but listen to me. The Message, a Bible paraphrase, words this same verse a little differently: "Oh, dear people, will you listen to me now?"

Today, I'm gong to make an effort to be still ... and listen ... and hear what God has to say.

Have a great weekend
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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Photo Credit:© Photographer: Lukasz Fus; Agency: Dreamstime.com

© Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

A Day with Great-Granddad

Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

I read a neat article in an old issue of Family Fun (September 2008) by Shelley Abreu. Her father died when her oldest child was about three. Shelley grieved that her kids would never know this grandfather.

The article tells how she created “A Day with Grampy Rick.” She wrote down favorite memories on cardstock (such as blank index cards) and pasted descriptive pictures on the cards. For example, she says: “I scrawled ‘Tickle Torture’ and pasted on a picture of my dad tickling me. He was famous for his tickle attacks …”

When she completed a stack of “memory” cards, she put them inside one of her father’s old suitcases and tied a card on the outside handle that said, “A Day with Grampy Rick.” Yes, she attached a favorite picture of her dad.

Shelly explains in her article that whenever she opens the suitcase with her children for a “Day with Grampy Rick,” she shows them the pictures and reads the accompanying memories—and then they do some of the activities. Example: After she reads “Tickle Torture” and the memories, she tickles the kids.

Isn’t this a great idea! We could expand this to “A Day with Great-Grandma and Great-Granddad,” “A Day with the Jones Family,” or “A Day on the Family Farm, etc.”

Have fun!

He is able,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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© Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Ideas for long-distance grandparenting

Although long-distance grandparenting is easier in today's electronic world, it's still hard when our legacy lives hundreds or thousands of miles away. E-mails and web cameras are great, but there's nothing like one-on-one visiting with those we love.

I've thought about long-distance grandparenting since I read the comments to last week's Tuesday's Thought , "The Babysitting Investment." So today, I thought we'd focus today on ideas to enrich those so important long-distance relationship!

Let's begin with a comment that Rita made about "The Babysitting Investment" :

"With seventeen grandchildren, we were busy all year remembering birthdays and holidays. Often, we’d send photos of them taken on our last visit or a drawing with a made up story.

Thanks, Rita! Those are some great ideas! Now, let's have a little fun with them:

Take pictures with the grandkids when you visit them or when they visit you. Then mail (or e-mail) the grands the pictures. For an extra touch, you or I could send the pictures with a letter reminiscing about our time with the grands. Or, we could put the pictures in a magnetic frame (that can be displayed on the refrigerator) before dropping them in the mail. We may also want to have a matching photo displayed on our fridge.

Draw a picture of something we did with our grandchild when he/she visited. For the artistically challenged, like me, we could have fun with the drawing by asking our grandchild (over the phone) to answer questions about it until he/she correctly guesses what the picture represents.

It might be fun to ask our grands to also write stories about their visit and compare their stories to to ours.

We could record a made-up story for our grandchild—using his/her name and places that we visited together. For very young children, we could ring a bell at the end of each page.

Here's another idea:

Pizza's on Pops Once Pops and I ordered pizza for our son and his kids who lived what seemed like millions of miles from us. We paid for the pizzas with a credit card and had them delivered to their house. Our children and grandkids thought that was a really special treat.

What are some things that you do to connect with your long-distance grandkids?

Have a great weekend!

He is able,
Mary
http://www.marymaywrites.com/
http://grandconnection.com/

© Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

The Babysitting Investment

Tuesday's Grand Connection Thought
by Mary May Larmoyeux

I was visiting with a good friend today who happens to be a grandmother. And guess what she's been doing for the last 8+ hours. If you said babysitting (probably with a smile), you were right.

Before I had grandchildren I used to think that it was a lame excuse if someone said they wouldn't be coming to a party or participate in a meeting because they were "babysitting for the grandkids." I thought, "Surely your kids can find someone else to watch their children."

But after Pops and I had grandchildren, I finally understood.

I now think that babysitting for the grands is right up there with finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But why?

Maybe it's because I think of Pops' and my children as I watch the grands play with toys that once belonged to their parents. Maybe it's because I now understand that time does not stand still and that life is very short. Or maybe it's because I realize that babysitting for the grandkids is a way to invest in my legacy—a way to sow spiritual seeds today for future generations.

The values we model for our grands, the faith that we share, and the family stories we tell when babysitting ... all weave a connection to generations we will never see.

As Proverbs 13:22a says, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children."

To me, babysitting for the grands is much more than just watching the kids. It's building an inheritance filled with memories, and family stories, and hugs.

So, what do you think about babysitting for your grandkids?

He is able
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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© Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Praying for the Grandkids

Tuesday's Grand Connection Thought
by Mary May Larmoyeux

When I look at the world today, I realize how important it is to regularly pray for our grandchildren. Only God knows the challenges they will face tomorrow.

About a year ago I started praying through a wonderful book While They Were Sleeping: 12 Character Traits for Moms to Pray. It gives specific verses to pray for the following character traits: kindness, humility, teachability, forgiveness, obedience, discernment, purity, responsibility, courage, servanthood, contentment, endurance.

Since Pops and I have five grandchildren, I have five of these books—yes, one for each grand. I emphasize prayer for one grand on one day a week, and when I pray for him/her I write the date (and sometimes a note) inside While They Were Sleeping.

I've also done a great Bible study by Sammy Tippet, Praying for Your Family. Sammy gives specific ways to pray and shares how God answered prayers for his entire family. It's really encouraging!

What a privilege it is to pray for our grands. It’s a gift that money can’t buy. One that will affect not only their lives today, but also their future.

He is able
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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Birthday Letters

Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

"If you could go to lunch with anyone, who would it be?" That question was asked at a Toastmasters meeting I attended this week, and most people said their grandparents. When asked "Why," the common response was "I never really knew them."

Did you know all of your grandparents? I only knew two. Thinking about this has reminded me of the importance of writing our grandkids letters.

A couple of years ago Pops and I started a new tradition with the grands—writing each of them a birthday letter. I read this idea somewhere—I think in the Littauers’ book Making the Blueplate Special. I thought it was a great, very doable idea.

It’s been fun for Pops and me to share in our letters memories of the actual “birth day.” We’ve also included memories during the year and a Bible verse that reminds us of the particular child or a Bible verse that we’ll be praying for that child.

Although some may want to handwrite birthday letters, I type ours on the computer. I include special pictures in the body of the letter, and print the letter in color.

Pops and I not only give each grandchild his/her birthday letter, but also keep a copy into a notebook that we’ll give the grandchild when he/she is 18 or 21. (How I wish I could open up a notebook and read 18 or 21 letters from my grandparents.)

What do you do to make special memories on your grandchildren’s birthdays? How did your grandparents remember your birthday?

He is able
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com

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© Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.