Daffodil Crafts and More

The daffodils will soon bloom in Arkansas, and it’s time for the 43rd Annual Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival  (22300 Highway 113, Bigelow, AR). ... read more.

Celebrate Spring

 
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Friday's Fun


by Mary May Larmoyeux

On the side of our house, what recently appeared to be lifeless bushes are now covered with gorgeous roses. God truly gives us a wonderful gift in the seasons, and spring is here!

Spring is a great time to go on a nature walk with our grandkids. Have you ever done that? If so, did you look for any particular things or jot down sounds that you heard or colors that you saw?

If you have grandkids who live nearby, you might want to celebrate spring by going on a nature walk with them around the neighborhood or in a park. You and your grandchild could write a list of what you both see that's "new"—buds on trees, baby birds, spring flowers ...

Also, you may want to print off some spring coloring pages and give them to your grand such as "Color the Critters" from the National Audubon Society. Spring coloring pages would be great to send to long-distance grands. And we can always follow that with a phone call or e-mail.

You may want to ask an older grandchild what is being made new in his/her life ... and share something that's being made new in your life (this can be done in person or by phone/e-mail). For example, if you are experiencing the pinch of tough financial times, you could share how you now have new opportunities to put your trust in God

Have a great weekend celebrating spring!

He is able,
Mary
www.grandconnection.blogspot.com
 
Photo and post  © 2009, 2014 Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Let's Make a Birdhouse

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Friday's Grand Connection Fun

by Mary May Larmoyeux

I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. —Psalm 50:11

Hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed New Year's Day!

A couple of years ago Pops gave our grandkids birdhouses (one for each family) at Christmas. Although we thought that the kids would like them, we were surprised at how excited they were about them.

Now, they weren’t just ordinary birdhouses—they were designed for children to custom decorate with outdoor paints. (I purchased the birdhouse kits, complete with paints, from our local Knowledge Tree.) Our out-of-town grandkids decorated their birdhouse the day after Christmas, and our local grands decorated theirs a day or so later. They were all thrilled with their creations.

You may want to decorate a birdhouse with your local grandchildren on a bleak winter day or mail one to those who live out-of-town. Just looking at a birdhouse reminds us that spring will soon be here.

A birdhouse can also provide a great topic for ongoing conversation with the grands. I plan to checkout some library books about our feathery friends to read with the grands who live nearby.

With out-of-town (and local) grandkids we can google “birds” and find all sorts of information and activities that we could send them by e-mail or snail mail. Here are just a few possibilities:

Just color the critters (National Audubon Society—just for kids)

Birds of America (you can search by state—National Audubon Society)

Wild bird treat (National Geographic for Kids)

Have fun!
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.grandconnection.org

Post and Photo Copyright © 2009, 2014 by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Rainbows everywhere

 
Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

Not too long ago, two of our grandkids were looking out of our den window when they called out, “Come look at the rainbow!”

Pops and I are still talking about what we saw. There wasn’t just one rainbow; there were two. What a beautiful sight – a double reminder of God’s promise in Genesis 9 to never again destroy the earth by a flood.

I googled “rainbow” and found many activities that we can do with our grands such as: bake rainbow cookies, make rainbow streamers, and (my favorite) go on a rainbow walk.

Here’s my interpretation of a rainbow walk: Ask the grands to go on a walk with you, taking some of their favorite crayons and a pad of paper. Help them identify and color some of the things that God made. For example, after a grandchild points out a red rose, he/she can color a spot on the paper with the red crayon and write “rose” below it. Of course, older grands could actually draw pictures of what they see, and younger ones could just scribble the color on the paper without writing any words.

Have a great weekend. Hope you see a rainbow!

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

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 Post and Photo Copyright © 2009 Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Fun with Newspapers and Magazines

Friday's Grand Connection Fun

by Mary May Larmoyeux

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I was looking at some online articles and read one by Doris Schuchard in the Home Education Magazine that had some great ideas. If you’d like to provide hours of fun for the grands with newspapers and magazines, read on as I’ll share a couple of Doris’ ideas:

ABCs—Give each child a page from a newspaper or magazine. Assign them an alphabet letter and see how many words they can circle starting with that letter within a minute. Variation: Can you find a word for each letter of the alphabet?

Pops and I can use this idea with our grands who are just 3 and 4. Although they really don’t know how to spell, they could circle individual letters or highlight each letter of the alphabet.

Okay, here’s one more of Doris’ ideas:

End It – Give your child a short newspaper or magazine story, but cut off the ending. Have her write her own ending and then compare it to the real one. Variations: Give her endings from three different stories; can she choose the correct one? 2. Match headlines with the correct stories.

Although our small grandkids won’t be able to write endings to articles and stories, Pops or I could read them an article about something that would interest them (such as a story about an animal) and let them tell us the ending.

I don’t know about you, but I need to get a few newspapers and magazines out of the recycling bin—for the grandkids.

Have a great weekend
Mary
co-author of The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart
http://www.marymaywrites.com/

Article 2008 © Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Oleg Pidodnya / Dreamstime.com

Giant Paper Dolls and Paper Twins

Friday's Grand Connection Fun

by Mary May Larmoyeux

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Friday's Fun

Last night, while Pops and I babysat for some of our grandchildren, a granddaughter sang an original, one-of-a-kind song to her special baby doll. We both had to force ourselves not to laugh as her tune changed from a lullaby into "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."

I’m so grateful for all of our grands. Each of their individual personalities and creativity continue to amaze me. Our 18-month-old grandson is now “coming of age,” and we are getting a peek into the neat little guy that he is.

Psalm 139 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. And … today, I thought I'd share how to "create" wonderfully made giant paper dolls or paper twins.

When our family went on a weekend getaway together last year, a daughter-in-love asked the children to lie down on large sheets of white paper. She traced each child's body and then cut the shape out. The kids had a great time coloring their paper twins. (We used a roll of white paper, but you could use bulletin board paper from a teacher supply store, brown shipping paper, or even newspaper.)

A similar idea is making giant paper dolls . If you want to get really creative, you could detach the paper arms and legs and reattach with brads. You could also use strands of yarn for hair.

In the February 2009 issue of the magazine Family Fun, Stephanie Pham shared how she traced her child’s body on a large piece of cardboard to make a life-size paper doll. Then she helped her daughter make life-size paper doll clothes. Sounds like fun to me! (For a really special touch, clothes could also be cut out of cloth and attached with Velcro.)

Have you made cut-out shapes or giant paper dolls with your children or grandchildren? We'd love for you to share about it by either posting a comment below or e-mailing mary@marymaywrites.com (I'll post the comment for you).

Whether we make a life-size paper doll or a paper twin with a grandchild, the resulting creation is sure to be one of a kind—just like our legacy.

Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
co-author of The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

© 2009 Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Bumper Sticker Conversation

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Tuesday's Grand Connection Thought

by Mary May Larmoyeux

I was driving to work earlier this week and got stuck in traffic behind a truck with some interesting bumper stickers that included:

· If going to church makes you a Christian, does going into a garage make you a car?

· A Buddha Fish (the fish symbol with BUDDHA inside of it)

After being behind that truck for maybe a minute, I felt like I knew something about its driver. There’s got to be a story behind his bumper stickers!

I wondered if he had been hurt deeply by someone who professed to follow Christ. Does he understand that churches are filled with sinners and that Christians are far from perfect? I wondered if he realizes that most people would agree with his rhetorical question about going to church. Why, if going to church made someone a Christian, then going into a bank would make me rich (at least it would have a year ago).

I wondered why the driver appeared to follow Buddha and whether he had ever been introduced to what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ.

Those bumper stickers got me thinking, and I realized that they can be great conversation starters with our grandkids. When we are in the car with older grands, we may want to ask them to read some bumper stickers aloud and discuss what they mean ... imagine the "stories" behind them.

Here are a just few other bumper stickers that I’ve seen and some ideas about how we can use them to communicate with our grands:

· My child is an honor student.
· The Christian fish
· Tolerance
· Stand up for Decency
· Peace
· Vote for ____
· Abortion stops a beating heart
· My dog is a _________

The bumper stickers about the honor student might prompt discussions about how our grandchildren feel about grades. Are they honor students and grades come easily for them. Or, do they struggle to get homework finished on time and feel panicked when taking a test?

What would it look like to have peace in the world, in the church, in the home? What does the Bible say about peace?

If our grandchildren could have any type of dog, which breed would they choose and why? What have been their favorite pets and why did they like these pets so much?

If you have long-distance grandkids, you could ask them to share their favorite bumper sticker sayings with you through an e-mail or a phone call. And you might share your favorites with your grands.

If you see some interesting bumper stickers this week, please share them by leaving a comment below, or by sending an e-mail to mary@marymaywrites.com, and I’ll post it as a comment for you.

He is able,
Mary
The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

Article 2009 © Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

Time for an Adventure

by Mary May Larmoyeux
Friday's Fun

It's easy for us to take our grandkids on adventures with the help of www.JonathanPark.com. I had never heard of this website or its resources until a couple of days ago. A man in my Toastmasters Club gave a persuasive speech and he tried to convince us that we should order some of its creation resources. Well ... he made a believer of me!

I just went to the Jonathan Park website for the first time and printed off a short story and some fun games—Secret Code, Dinosaur Crossword, Digging for Fossils Word Search, etc. They'll be in the mail later today to Pops and my out-of-town grands. Also, I printed off a set of the activities and story to have at home so I can share them with the local grandkids when they come over in a few days.

I really like the "Creation in the News" link and if I follow-through with my good intentions, I plan to visit it often. And it was a lot of fun looking at the Jonathan Park online store. The book How to Build Treehouses, Huts, and Forts caught my eye, as well as a Forever Flashlight, Spy Pen, and World War II Canteen.

Of course, the greatest adventure that we can lead our legacy on is that of knowing Christ. If you are not familiar with FamilyLife's Resurrection Eggs®, it's an easy way to explain the true story of Easter to children and adults of any age. (I've used them many times myself.) Twelve colorful plastic eggs contain objects that tell the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross and Resurrection. You can order these eggs from FamilyLife or from your local bookstore. I've even seen them at Wal-Mart. FamilyLife's website has a page of testimonials that you might want to read.

Oh, I almost forgot. I just finished the next issue of the free e-zine Encouraging Women with Hearts for their Homes. (You can always find a link to the most recent issue of this e-zine on the homepage of my website.) It's got some encouraging articles, a recipe for Gumbo Zhebes, and one of the most touching poems I've ever read. Rita Goodgame's poem "Homecoming," brought me back to the front porch of my childhood home and wonderful memories of playing under the Magnolia trees—making "Magnolia Perfume."

Well ... I better go. I'll soon be on my way to the Post Office to drop a little "thinking-of-you" package in the mail to some very special kids.

Have a great weekend!

He is able,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com
author of Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to Simplify Life

Photograph © Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

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April Showers

Friday's Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

April is just around the corner, and as the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers."

A fun thing that we could do with our grands—regardless of their ages—is to buy each of them a new spring umbrella.

For a grandchild who lives nearby, we may even want to have a special outing that not only includes shopping, but also lunch or a visit to a local park. We might even decide to buy matching umbrellas!

Of course, we could mail a long-distance grand a new umbrella with a special note. If we do this, we could ask our grandchildren to e-mail/mail us a picture when they actually are "walking in the rain."

Here’s a cute song that young children will enjoy that I found on the Internet:

April Showers Song
(to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")

Pitter patter rain drops (wiggle fingers to imitate rain)
Falling from the sky (wiggle fingers downward)
Here's my umbrella (action of opening an umbrella)
Hold it high! (hands over head)
When the rain is over (bring hands down slowly)
and the sun begins to glow (make sun with arms)
Little flowers start to bud (Kneel down)
then grow, grow, grow!!! (slowly stand up)

Have a great weekend!

He is able,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com
author of Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to Simplify Life

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Crayon Candles

Friday's Fun by Mary May Larmoyeux

Hope that you’ve had a good week!

You may remember my mentioning in The Grand Connection that one of our grandkids is afraid of the dark. Well, she learned a Hillsong Kids' song at church last Sunday called "Let Your Light Shine" that's helping her overcome this fear.

The lyrics begin "Creep, creep, creep in the dark fear comes to blow our all your lights. It doesn’t want you telling everybody that Jesus rules, all right … "

"Let Your Light Shine" is a cute song with a great message—"giant fears are really small when all you see is God."

Since Pops and I have been talking with this particular grandchild about the light of the Lord, I think it would be fun to make a crayon candle with her. You may have seen one of these candles—it looks kind of like Swiss cheese because ice used in making it causes the wax to harden around it.

If you do a search for "crayon candle" on the Internet, you’ll find lots of links. The following are two that I found. (I liked the suggestion of using a taper candle in place of a candle wick. It seems like this would make the craft much easier to make.)

About.com: Family Crafts

Kaboose

If you have any suggestions about making these candles, please send an e-mail(mary@marymaywrites.com)or leave a comment below. Thank so much.

Let your light shine!

He is able,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com
author of Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to Simplify Life

Photo Credit: © Olga Sapegina/dreamstime.com

Valentine Fun!

Friday's Fun

Valentine’s Day is almost here, with its endless opportunities to make crafts, cards, recipes, etc. with the grands.

I searched the web and here are some of my favorite ideas:

Play Clay Hearts This is a fun craft project. The online description says, “You’ll love this two-in-one project: a highly original valentine that moonlights as a usable ball of clay.”

Raspberry Tarts (I might just have to make these for Pops!)
Delicious heart-shaped cookies

Cupid's Coupons The online description says, “Cupid's Coupons, redeemable for extra-nice favors." You'll even find ideas for blank Love Checks to help you "write your own tickets to niceness.”

Creative Valentine Ideas

Kids Valentine Hat

Animal Heart Facts The heart of a blue whale is as big as a … (a) car; (b) gallon of milk; (c) tire. If you said “a,” you were right! Read 10 Animal Heart Facts for Valentine’s Day

Cut-out frog card to make for Valentine’s Day (or any day) – This is cute!

Discuss the history of Valentine’s Day

Here are a couple of final ideas:

Read 1 Corinthians 13 and discuss its meaning with the grands (and/or Grandpa). Pray that your family will be filled with the love of God.

Go to biblegateway.com with your grand (in person, together online, etc.) Then do a search for Bible verses that have the word “love” in them. Select several and discuss them.

Have fun preparing for Valentine’s Day!

He is able,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com
author of Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to Simplify Life


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Going to the White House ... Internet Style

Friday's Fun

With Inauguration Day just around the corner, this is a great time to help the grandkids learn about various U.S. Presidents. www.whitehouse.gov has some wonderful information and activities for everyone.

Here's just a sampling of what's available:

Info. about various Presidents—click on their pictures

Quizzes and games for the kids

Presidential biographies

White House Pets

Ask the White House (an online interactive forum)

Coloring Pages (of Presidents)

Videotapes of Presidential pets – here’s one about Barney at Christmas

I had no idea that all of the above, and much more, is available on the Internet. There’s something for everyone—even panoramic views of rooms in the White House!

We can visit this website with our local grandkids. For long-distance grands, we can connect by phone, both log on to this website at the same time, and then visit various links together.

Have a great weekend!

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

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The Beauty of an Amaryllis

Friday's Fun

What could be more beautiful on a dreary winter day than a gorgeous flowering Amaryllis?

About a week ago Pops helped one of our grandchildren plant an Amaryllis bulb; it is now sitting on a shelf near a kitchen window. The stalk is really popping up! According to what I’ve read on the Internet, there should be a flower in about 7-10 weeks ... hopefully by Valentine’s Day.

I took a picture of a granddaughter holding the bulb before it was planted and again when it was in the pot. I think we'll measure the height of the stalk once a week and jot this down on the calendar. We may even have a little guessing game to see who can guess when the Amaryllis will bloom.

To add a spiritual dimension, as I watch the development of the Amaryllis with my grandchildren, we'll talk about how God made everything. Waiting for the flower to bloom will be a good exercise in patience for them ... and me. It makes me think of the saying, “All things come to he who waits," and Psalm 33:20, “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”

There’s still time for you and your grand to enjoy the beauty of an Amaryllis in your home this winter—if you plant one soon. You can get them from your local nursery or on the Internet.

Speaking of Internet, I just read that an Amaryllis will flower again if you cut the old flowers from the stem after they bloom, and when the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb. I’m going to try this.

Happy planting!

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

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Let's Make a Gingerbread House

Friday’s Fun

For almost two decades, our family has made gingerbread houses during the Christmas holidays. We have a great time doing this!

I use the following recipe, adapted from one printed years ago in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Basic Corn Syrup Gingerbread Dough

9 cups unsifted flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind (optional)
One and one-half tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups light corn syrup
One and one-half cups light brown sugar firmly packed
One and one-fourth cups butter or margarine

Combine flour, lemon rind, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Stir together corn syrup, brown sugar and butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and ingredients are well mixed. Pour liquid mixture into flour mixture and stir until blended.

Form dough into a ball and knead until smooth and pliable. Roll out dough and cut into 1/4" thickness, using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut out desired shapes for houses and gingerbread men. We cut out a cardboard pattern with three shapes (cut two of each shape):

roof—5 1/4" x 3 1/2"

side—4 1/4" x 3 1/2"

and peaked side 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" with triangle on top. The peak of the triangle is 4 1/2" from the base of the rectangle it sits on.

You can make the houses as large or small as you like. The above recipe will make two small gingerbread houses and a few gingerbread men (use cookie cutters for them).

Put shapes on cookie sheets that have been sprayed or greased lightly with Crisco (or something similar). Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until shapes are firm and lightly browned. Cool shapes completely on racks before assembling.

Snow Frosting

3 egg whites (if possible, at room temperature)
1 pound box confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Place the above ingredients in a large bowl and beat at medium or high speed until stiff (approximately 5 minutes). Cover with damp cloth.

Makes about 2 cups.

Use this to glue houses together, attach decorations and make icicles. After building house, allow frosting to dry at least one hour before decorating. I allow the houses to dry overnight. To see more pictures of the gingerbread house assembly, visit www.marymaywrites.com.

It’s so fun for Pops and me to watch the grandkids make gingerbread houses now—brings back great memories while making some new ones.

Hope that you and your family will be able to make a gingerbread house together.

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

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Simmering Holiday Potpourri (non-edible)

Friday's Fun

With the day after Thanksgiving comes thoughts of Christmas. Last night our grandkids actually decorated gingerbread houses and had a great time! Next week's Friday's Fun will have this recipe and pictures.

But for today, I thought we could be reminded of Helen Austin's fun recipe for non- edible potpourri. It was in the last issue of Encouraging Women with Hearts for their Homes. In case you missed it, or like me thought ... I'll make that a little later, here's it is.

Helen wrote:

Here's a recipe for a simmering potpourri you can use right on the stove top. Just keep the saucepan handle turned away from little hands and paws and your kitchen will smell like you've been baking for days!

HOLIDAY SIMMERING POTPOURRI

3 or 4 pieces of dried orange peel (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon cinnamon chunks (available in bulk at Whole Foods Market)
OR 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/4-1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 or 3 pieces of star anise (also available at Whole Foods)
1/4-1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries (optional)

NOTE: To dry orange peel, score an orange in quarters, then remove peel and as much of white pith as possible. (Add orange sections to a fruit salad.) Place on flat surface, such as the kitchen counter, for several days.

This is not edible. Don't even use it to season cider or wine. If using cinnamon sticks, break up into 3 or 4 pieces. Then place contents in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover loosely (vent top of saucepan slightly). Add water as needed; don't let mixture dry out. Be sure to turn off the heat before you leave the house. The fragrance will remain for awhile.

Making Christmas potpourri with an older grand would be a fun activity. If your grandchild lives out of town, you could mail their parents the recipe and talk on the cell phone with your older grand while he/she makes it.

Have a great weekend!

He is able,

Mary
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com

Photo Credit: © Nicolás Batista/Dreamstime.com

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Thanksgiving Placecards

Friday’s Fun

Here’s one more Thanksgiving activity that you can do with your grandkids: make Thanksgiving placecards.

Our four-year-old granddaughter and I made our placecards tonight. I cut one 8 ½ x 11 piece of card stock into quarters. Then each quarter was folded in half and decorated with fall leaves.

I’ll write names on the placecards after the leaves have dried overnight. And, yes, the placecards will be on our Thanksgiving
table.

Here are some more creative ideas for special placecards.

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


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Let's Make a Thanksgiving Tree

Everyone who submits a comment (or e-mail) from October 21-December 5 will be entered into a drawing. The winner will receive a copy of While They Were Sleeping: 12 Character Traits for Moms [Grandmoms] to Pray and “What God Wants for Christmas.” I’ll draw a name on December 6 and will announce the winner’s name in the December 8 blog.

Friday Fun

We have something new at our house this year—a Thanksgiving tree. Well, it’s not a real tree. It’s a small plastic “cheese” tree … originally designed for cubes of cheese to cover its branches.

But instead of cheese, this year the little tree is covered with small notes of thanks to God for what He has done during the year. Jim and I and the grandkids have been periodically jotting down things we’re thankful for and attaching them to the tree. (We use various types of clips to attach the notes.) We’ll read all of the notes on Thanksgiving Day.

Our little granddaughter is especially excited about the Thanksgiving tree. She tells me what she’s thankful for and I write it on her card. Then she colors the card. I love the fact that she asks me over and over to write, “I thank God for Mommy and Daddy.”

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


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Let's Make Napkin Rings

Friday’s Fun

Here’s something fun and easy we can to do with the grandkids—make napkin rings. Two year olds can even put together the simple ones pictured here. To make them, just cut some toilet paper rolls in half (I actually folded the rolls in half and cut them), cover them with foil, and added a sticker. What could be simpler?

Instead of using foil, older grands could paint them and add decorative drawings. Of course, holiday themes could be added such as stickers of turkeys and Christmas trees. Or, shapes such as stars and bells that have been cut out of cardboard, painted, and decorated with glitter could be glued to the napkin rings.

I’m going to help our nearby grands make some holiday napkin rings and will be mailing our long-distance grands some stickers and sheets of foil along with a copy of this post and a letter from Nana. (Their mom will have plenty of toilet paper tubes.)

You can google other napkin rings ideas. I liked these do-it-yourself napkin rings.

Have fun!

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


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A Crafty Weekend

Friday’s Fun

Two of our grands will soon be spending the weekend with Pops and me (ages 3 ½ and 1 ½). The three year old and I are going to make leaf placemats and also decorate plastic cups to go with the placemats. If you’ve ever painted plastic cups and have any tips, I’d really appreciate your comment about this.

Speaking of crafts, a friend recently returned from visiting her out-of-town nieces and nephew. She shared that she took them all to a craft store one day and let them each purchase one item. Then she helped them begin making their crafts before she left to return home. She said she's their favorite aunt. I wonder why?

Now, if you have an out-of-town grand and don’t plan to visit soon, you could mail them a craft. Either mail them one as a surprise or call/e-mail and ask the grands what they would like.

If your grandchildren surf the net, ask them to log onto a particular online craft site and help them select an item that they would like to make. You could even talk with them on the phone while both you and your grand are looking at the same website. You may want to purchase an identical craft, and you and your grand could compare your progress via the phone or e-mail. If you're into pictures on the cell phone, you could share your craft progress even though you lives miles from one another.

Have fun!

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

How about a Handshake?

Friday's Thought

What grandchild (or any of us, for that matter) couldn’t use a few more manners? With a little imagination, teaching kids about manners can be a lot of fun!

In the July/August/September issue of the e-zine Encouraging Women with Hearts for their Homes, June Moore's column shared about the correct way to shake someone’s hand. After reading June's article, you may want to have a little fun with your grand.

If you have a young grandchild, he/she could dress up and you could practice shaking one another's hand—the correct way. My guess is that you'll share a few laughs, too.

Here's an example: Your grand could dress up as a principal, doctor, or a parent. And you could play the role of a teacher (meeting the principal), nurse (greeting the doctor), or an adult friend (meeting the parent). After shaking hands, switch roles.

Older grands, especially those wanting to start part-time jobs, may be eager to learn this social grace.

FYI, June's new book is called Manners Made Easy for the Family. She has written many others including You Can Raise a Well-Mannered Child.

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