Category Archives: Grandmas & Grandpas

Love Story…Theo and Beau

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Theo and Beau

In November, we introduced you to Theo and Beau, a diminutive duo, that subsequently stole the Internet’s heart. As a holiday gift to everyone, the magic continues on blogger Jessica Shyba’s Instagram account.

via 22 New Chapters In The Most Adorable Naptime Love Story Ever.

 

If you have not seen this photo stream of Theo and Beau, you are missing a delightful experience!

Jessica Shyba has captured the innocence of a child and his dog…both of whom are attached to each other and are each other’s soul-mate at nap time.

For the holidays…if you are looking into getting a dog…please consider going to your local ASPCA or Animal Shelter and rescue a puppy or an older dog that needs a home. Mixed breeds make wonderful family members.

Pets are known to actually lower your blood pressure and make you more relaxed…they help people especially those who are older, stay healthier because they live on a schedule of eating and exercising…they are also less lonely.

Make a pet choice carefully, the shelters will help you to understand the responsibilities of pet ownership and make an appropriate choice.

Happy Holidays!

Weekend…Christmas, Kids, Consumerism

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Chicago Xmas State Street

Christmas and Holidays can pose a dilemma especially for those of us with children. What is meant to be a time of joy and giving can become a time of stress and “gimme, gimme”.

So, I was overjoyed to see this post and thought I would share it with those of you who want to share some of these points with your own children….or grandchildren.

So it got me thinking – what do I want my kids to really know about Christmas?  And because I started thinking that led to me making a list for my kids. Which I’m sharing with you today.

via finding joy: 25 Things I Want My Kids to Know About Christmas..

 

 

In keeping with my consumerism theme this week, I am posting a link to one of my favorite bloggers and writers, Annie Urban.

She makes an excellent effort to “quell” consumerism in her home with her own children. This, mind you, is no easy task and it is certainly made easier if you have all the family together in support…especially the grandparents, aunts and uncles and all who dote on your kids.

But then the Christmas commercials started. Not in December, not in late November, but back in October or maybe even September. And that is when the chorus began. It didn’t matter what type of plastic crap was being advertised, they wanted it, they needed it, it was the best thing ever.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday Again…Kids and Safety

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Car Seat Safety for Kids

To me, there are few things more important than car seat safety since kids spend and enormous amount of time in cars.

Here is a must see video for new parents and seasoned parents as well as grandparents and any child caregiver.

car seats, safety first My go to person for car seat information is “The CarSeat Lady“. She is in my opinion the best information source for parents when they are choosing a carseat and when they want information in its proper installation and use.

“Naughty Nana”…A Beautiful Kid’s Book for the Holidays

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naughty nana

Naughty Nana

Guest Blog

By Saralyn Richard, Author of Naughty Nana

Naughty Nana is available from the website:  https://www.palmcirclepress.com.  

 

NAUGHTY NANA is a children’s book based on the real-life interactions of our grandchildren with Nana, our Old English sheepdog.  Writing it was a truly joyful experience.

Observing childhood through a grandmother’s lens has given me fresh insights, as I watched my grandchildren’s willingness to connect fully with animals.

Now, I realize how vital it is for children to experience positive messages while forming relationships, which are trusting and supportive with both people and pets.

Nana, the puppy, speaks for herself.

Her exasperating antics are not as amusing to Grammy and Papa as they are to Jason and Gaby, who recognize that Nana is child-like in her desire to “just have fun”.  The children’s visit with their grandparents and with Nana creates a dynamic in which everyone learns and grows.

Naughty Nana is available from the website:  https://www.palmcirclepress.com.

“Playing” or “Fighting” with Baby…

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This video shows a dad “fighting” with his baby. To me this borders on child abuse. I know that dad is trying to be funny but at the baby’s expense…therefore …NOT FUNNY.

Just like teasing this kind of “baby rough housing” seems over the top especially when you make a video of it and you are able to see the baby’s facial and physical reactions to the actions of his dad.

What do you think?

To me, making a You-tube video, “Fighting with Baby“, actually encourages other parents to rough house with the babies in their lives.

This is just not funny…

Babies are learning trust especially in their caregivers; here we see the baby’s father literally throwing him onto the bed…twisting him around his arm and tickling him silly. The baby then tries to defend himself by “hitting” dad in the face only to be thwarted in his self-defending efforts.

I love social media and baby/kid videos but this video makes me sick as I watch it. I would like to see it taken down and a statement from the dad apologizing for using his son to publicize his own career. I would also like him to say that this activity could be emotionally and physically harmful.

Some people think that baby’s are “things” and have very few needs since they seem to just eat, sleep and cry. This is simply not so.

baby

Babies are developing  emotionally and physically at a very fast rate during their first year of life…parents and caregivers have a major role in this development. “Fighting” with baby is something we should not ever consider during this time.

At the very least: This video should come with a disclaimer.

Do Homework Before Holiday Shopping for Kids

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Toys

Thanksgiving is tomorrow so I have been hearing and reading a lot about Black Friday and shopping for kids.

When it comes to our children and grandchildren careful thought will go into Holiday gift choices.

I know that screens for kids are somewhat controversial. Let’s face it, eventually your kids will be exposed to the iPad and various other tablets both adult and child friendly. It seems important to know about the various available tablets.

So here is the link to Consumer Reports’ info on tablets specifically for children.

The market for kids’ tablets is growing dramatically. Just two years ago, only 8 percent of children had access to a tablet at home. Today, it’s 40 percent!

Consumer Reports tested six tablets especially designed for children costing between 70 and 230.

You never expect toys to harm your child or grandchild but we know they can… so here is a list of toys that you might want to avoid as they pose a safety hazard to some children.

 

November 26, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — As the holiday shopping season begins, the Illinois Public Interest Research Group is out with its annual list of dangerous toys that parents should avoid.

Illinois PIRG: Trouble in Toyland Report

Shoppers hitting the stores this holiday season should look out for toys that can be harmful to children.

Children with special needs and parents get help with toy choices from aToys R Us website. Thank you Toys R Us.

 

Toys R Us toy guide for differently-abled kids makes it easier to find the right toys for a child with a disability. The prices range from $5 – $100.

The toy guide is available at all Toys R Us stores and can also be found online:

http://www.toysrus.com/differentlyabled

 

Help for Holiday Photography

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This is a sponsored post by LightScoop. I was given a Lightscoop for my personal use.

It is holiday time.

Thanksgiving is here and most of us will be taking photographs indoors which require the use of flash.

When you introduce flash the quality of your photos can be affected and not in a positive way.

Enter Lightscoop, which will change the quality of your indoor photographs with you DSLR camera.

Click on the Lightscoop link on flickr to see the quality of the Lightscoop photos. http://www.flickr.com/groups/lightscoop_user/pool/

 

Lightscoop® is a smart low-tech device that creates soft, flattering light by redirecting your camera’s built-in flash to a ceiling or wall.

 

Don’t let your convenient little built-in flash flash ruin your photos with evil red eye, ugly shadows, hot spots, bleached out faces, underexposed colors, and blurry movement that exist only in your photographs, not in the real world.

 

Slip a Lightscoop® on your camera and never miss out on another fabulous picture! Lightscoop creates soft, natural light and lets you capture the scene the way you see it.

 

I cannot wait to use my Lightscoop at Thanksgiving and will post my photos afterwards.

In the meantime, take a look at Lightscoop’s website and get one for your holiday and everyday  indoor photos.

What saying NO really means to kids.

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Gingerbread Fun!

Gingerbread Fun!

Interesting findings here with only 30+ children observed.

Kids gravitate to the things we as parents say NO to.

Now most of us realize this even though it may be on a subconscious level. The NO word only increases the risk that our kids and grandkids with go for the forbidden.

The important finding here is that if we say NO to certain foods our kids will only want those foods more…so in order to keep them away from non-nutritious foods we should decrease the opportunities where we have to say NO. Example being …not to have candy laying around the house and therefore we won’t have to say, “No, that is not good for you.”

Now good luck with the Holiday Season that is upon us…when we all have lots of treats around our homes. Now is a good time to begin to keep them at a minimum not just for our kids’ sake but our own as well.

 

For those of you who are familiar with the evidence base on parental feeding patterns it won’t come as a surprise to you that just saying “No” (restriction) isn’t a wise plan – yet there are many who feel that the ability of parents to “just say no” is a viable defense against our current food environment.

Kiss Goodbye to Holiday Stress

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Christmas Window

Kids and the Stress of the Holidays…

I know, what stress is it when you are a kid and looking forward to gifts and toys and all kinds of stuff that comes along with Christmas and Hanukah and other gift giving holidays?

The best way I think we can go about figuring out what might bother our particular children is to look at what bothers us and look back at what we “hated” about the holidays when we were their age.

Looking back with empathy…

Here are some of my memories…

  • I hated leaving my own house on Christmas Day to visit relatives…Christmas Eve was okay but leave me alone with my gifts and my grandmother’s, who lived with us  food on Christmas.
  • Now my parents were divorced so it was somewhat contentious when I did not want to go visiting on Christmas. I was made to feel guilty for not wanting to dress up and go to my father’s family.
  • I hated some of the awful presents that I received year after year from relatives who will remain nameless. Usually they were “regifts” like gloves that were too big and other awful stuff.
  • I also hated having to kiss and hug various relatives that I hardly ever saw except for the Holidays.

Now granted I am a grandmother and I imposed some of my family rituals on my own kids but not many …we always had Christmas at home.

However, Christmas Eve was another story…we spent many Christmas Eves with a family that has adopted us since our own family is across the country.

Here are some holiday simplifying suggestions from our Montessori school, for you and your children…the kids may actually thank-you with their good behavior.

  • Keep your television off as much as possible- your house will be quieter and the advertising will be less. Hopefully it will decrease how much you here these words…”I want…”
  • Try to simplfy your own holiday expectations which might lighten your mood which is a wonderful gift to yourself and your family.
  • Consider saying the word “No” more often when it comes to traveling…going to other homes for Christmas Day…no, to too many parties, decorations, too much food, too many presents. If there is something that you don’t like…try saying, “NO”.
  • Consider being more “Green” when it comes to wrapping paper, cards and food. It is a good thing to teach your children and it is a way to limit some of the “stuff” that is just not important and that may just be driving you crazy.
  • Gifts take on a life of their own during the Holidays…try asking for gifts to your children’s college fund instead of a gift that your child does not really need.
  • Family traditions…you might want to begin some of your own traditions…you do not have repeat the traditions that you grew up with and those that your partner grew up with…how crazy does that get? Develop some of your own traditions that can combine what you both like best and that your kids like.
  • Now about those holiday hugs and kisses…your child should not have to hug and kiss all relatives and friends that he does not even know or remember. What is this telling him…it is telling him this, when he is uncomfortable with certain people touching him…it is okay for him to just say hello and nothing else. Consider the message that we are teaching our kids and then leave the hugging and kissing up to them.