Donut Dates

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Friday’s Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

A fun thing that Pops and I have done with our grands is to take them on a “donut date”—right to the donut factory itself, so to speak—Krispy Kreme.

There’s a Krispy Kreme not too far from where we used to live. I think that the grandkids and I enjoyed watching the donuts being made even more than eating them. Well … almost.

What could be better than a piping hot glazed donut—especially one with all of the calories removed? Of course, there are not just plain donuts. There’s a counter-display filled with donuts of different sizes and shapes—chocolate covered with sprinkles, strawberry filled, cinnamon apple ...

When we took some of our grands to get donuts one fall, did they just want glazed donuts? No, they wanted pumpkin donuts. Guess what? They got pumpkin donuts.

Pops and I have brought the camera with us for our "donut date with the grands." We've snapped some great pictures and captured some great memories. Recently, our oldest granddaughter and I  made an out-of-town trip to see my mom. Guess where we ate breakfast? Dunkin Donuts!

Perhaps one day, when Pops and I are no longer on this earth, our grands will be eating donuts with their kids and they’ll say, “I remember when our grandparents took us to the donut shop.” And later they might even take out a tattered scrapbook and point to an old picture—a picture of us enjoying a Saturday morning with our legacy. Yep, eating pumpkin donuts.

Do you take your grands on donut dates?

If they live out of town, you could mail them a gift card to a donut store. And you could ask the grandkids' parents to snap a picture of them eating donuts and e-mail it to you. You might respond by e-mail with your own memories of eating donuts.

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

Article and Photo © 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.

How were you told that you would be a grandparent?

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Tuesday's Grand Connection Thought
by Mary May Larmoyeux

I was visiting with a friend recently who had just found out that she’ll be a first-time grandma. As she told her exciting news, one big smile covered her face.

Her son and his wife had given her a present—a wrapped Willow figure of a grandparent and grandchild. When she opened it, she got the message.

Another friend shared how she and her husband were invited to a picnic by their daughter and son-in-law. When they saw their granddaughter at the park, she had on a T-shirt that said, “I’m going to be a big sister.” That meant ...

One of our sons and his wife gave us a CD with some family pictures on it. In the middle of the CD was a very special picture—of an ultrasound. We were thrilled because we knew another grandbaby was on the way!

How did you learn that you were going to be a grandparent?

Have a great week,
Mary
http://www.marymaywrites.com/
https://grandconnection.blogspot.com/

© Mary May Larmoyeux. All Rights Reserved
Photo © Denys Dolnikov / Dreamstime.com

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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Giving Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
—Psalm 107:1

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving will be here in a couple of days. Our sons and their families will be with us and we’re really looking forward to some good family time! My hope is that you, too, will be with your loved ones.

Sometimes I overestimate what I can do for the holidays—wanting to make them extra special for everyone. I’m really trying to do better at knowing my limits. Can you identify? I wanted to use pretty china for Thanksgiving this year, but the more Jim and I talked about it, the more impractical it seemed—with five grandkids from 1 – 6 years of age.

It will be great for young and old to share blessings with one another around our Thanksgiving table. The branches of our little Thanksgiving tree are filled with reminders of God’s goodness during this past year.

Although I’m very grateful to God for His many blessings, I’m also very aware that we’re not in heaven yet. Our society wants to breathe the fairy dust of perfection on the holidays, but there’s no perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas. And there’s sure no perfect Nana or Pops.

After our Thanksgiving feast and time of remembering, we’ll enjoy a family tradition—making gingerbread houses for Christmas. (I’ll share the recipe in one of the Friday's Fun columns.) We’ve done that since our sons were little boys. It seems unreal that their children are now making the gingerbread houses.

Happy Thanksgiving!

He is able,
Mary
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.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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November 4—Election Day

Tuesday's Thought

Soon we will know who will be the next President of the United States.

I remember going with Mom and Dad to vote as a child. We waited in line at an elementary school near our house. Somehow I realized that voting was a privilege not to be taken lightly.

If you have older grandchildren, today’s a great time to talk with them about the cost of freedom—the men and women who gave their lives so that we can be a free country ... and vote.

It’s a great time to share memories of voting. Did you go to the polls with your parents? How has the voting process changed in your lifetime? We could share these memories with a stroke of the pen, a phone call, or e-mail.

And it’s a great time to write grandchildren a letter reminding them that regardless of the outcome of any election, God is sovereign.

As Psalm 103:19 tells us: The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”

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

Paper Hand-Print Wreath

Friday's Fun

With a little help, the grandkids can have a one-of-a-kind Thanksgiving wreath.

· Cut a wreath ring out of poster board or cardboard and set this aside.

· Trace each grandchild’s hands on colored construction paper (choose fall colors).

. Repeat this several times.

· Help the grandkids write something they are thankful for on each leaf. (Of course, older grandchildren could do this by themselves.)

· Now, randomly layer/glue the hands around the wreath until it is covered.

· You may want to decorate the leaves with some pumpkin or turkey stickers.

Here are some examples of various autumn hand-print wreaths:

Handprint Thanksgiving Wreath

Autumn Handprint Wreath “a”

Autumn Handprint Wreath “b”

Thanksgiving Handprint Craft

Have fun!

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

*Photo © Margaret Thompson. Used with permission.

Stuck in Traffic

Friday Fun

Have you ever been grateful for waiting in long lines of traffic? I don’t know that I have.

Tina Miller shares a really good idea in her book In the Light of the Dark:

Most car licenses have three letters on them. As you are sitting in traffic or driving about, think about words that describe God or extol Him. My own car tabs [license plate] have GSL, and I’ve chosen Gracious Sovereign Lord. It could just as easily be God, our Savior and Lord or Giver and Supplier of Love. The possibilities are endless. Here are some more:

· HPP: Holy Protector Provider
· DSH: Deliver Savior Helper
· JRF: Jehovah Redeems Faithfully

What a great idea! It could help you and me and our grands exercise our spiritual and mental muscles.

Of course, we could use this same idea to do a little work on those grammar skills. Older grands could name nouns, verbs, or adjectives that begin with the first three letters on license plates:

· HPP: holly, popcorn, pumpkin (nouns)
· DSH: dash, sit, hop (verbs)
· JRF: juicy, red, funny (adjectives)

Hope that you and your grands have a little fun next time you are stuck in traffic together.

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

Does God Sleep?

Tuesday’s Thought

One of our grands is trying to stop sucking her thumb ... trying. The other day I said: “Did you ask God to help you?”

“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 the Bible says about God sleeping," I said and looked up "sleep" in the index of my Bible. I turned to Psalm 121:36 and read out loud: “He who watches over you will not slumber [sleep].”

“Honey, does God sleep?”

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

Somehow her words struck me as quite profound: I wasn’t listening. I wonder how many times God speaks to me and I'm not listening.

Psalm 81:13a says, “If my people would but listen to me. (NIV)" 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. Really listen.

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

Made with Love

Tuesday’s Thought
Our 3-year-old granddaughter and her 1½-year-old brother spent this past weekend with Pops and me. One of the things that we did together was make a cake.When the kids’ parents came over for lunch, they remarked that the cake was especially good.

The three year old cocked her head. “Know why?” she asked.

“Why?” her dad answered.

“I poured the cake mix in with all of my love,” she said. “The goodness you taste is my love.”

Out of the mouths of babes! She captured the real reason why she wanted to help make the cake. And, she expressed why caring grandparent do what we do. We cook meals, baby-sit, go to football games, pray, and read goodnight stories not out of obligation—but out of love.

Love—there’s nothing better, is there?

I’m reminded of 1 Corinthians 13:13,“And now these three remains: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

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