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Although a labor of love, it’s been a lot of work, too. Almost every post was based on an activity I enjoyed with my grandkids. I had to take the photos, write how-to instructions, and prepare a general story line.
After 320 posts, I think the blog has run its course. The grandkids are 10 and 13 now, and they are busy all summer long with sports camps and day camps. They’ve passed the what-shall we-do-now-grandma stage.
Looking Back Over the Years
Looking back, “Call Me Grandma!” captured a slice of life in real time. The impetus for our first summer party was to lift Miss T’s spirits when her school went on lockdown. I was trying to make up for the annual end-of-school party that had been cancelled due to COVID concerns.
The pandemic also motivated me to create the original Camp Grandma over FaceTime. I did it to entertain Miss T when all summer day camps were closed. And I hosted our first remote gingerbread house party to add a little joy and festivity to that bleak Christmas of 2020.
What Now for “Call Me Grandma?”
While I won’t be doing a regular schedule of updates, I plan to keep this site going and I will update it occasionally. I’d love to turn the best posts into a keepsake book for the grandkids, at some point.
In the meantime, to ensure that the grandkids will have access to this content when they get older, I’ve downloaded every post as a PDF onto my laptop. I’ll eventually save it on a thumb drive as well.
Although there won’t be new content weekly, please visit previous posts. The posts are grouped in four categories. Grandma Crafts consists of projects for you to do with or for the grandkids; while Grandma Fun provides fun ways to engage children, including original game ideas. Grandma Food features recipes to make with the grandkids; some are just for you. Grandma Says highlights my thoughts about nurturing children and opens a window into my grandma life.
If your grandkids are little, work backwards through the blog posts because the earlier ones feature my grandkids as babies and toddlers.
Thank you for having followed my grandma journey. Have a good rest of the summer! See you when I see you….
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]]>According to House Beautiful, people who take up grandma hobbies like knitting, gardening, and bird watching (offensive grandma stereotypes?), have better mental health. So, there’s that….
Recently, I was sidelined from blogging for two weeks, due to malware on my site that Blue Host, my infuriating web hosting service, took nine days and a few hundred dollars to fix. Here are some of the Grandma Fun activities that relieved my frustration and stress while I dealt with this problem.
A Novel Kind of Coloring Book
I’m not big on adult coloring books, but I found Monet Coloriages Mystères at the bookshop of the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris a few months ago. Initially, all you see are the small bits of shapes with small, colored circles on each bit. You uncover the Monet masterpiece only as you start filling in the bits with color pencils, guided by the dots, to complete the image. This is mindless entertainment—something to do while watching TV or listening to an audiobook.
Jigsaw Puzzles
The case for jigsaw puzzles to keep your mind sharp is well documented. I’m working on Liberty Leading the People, artwork by Eugène Delacroix. If you do a puzzle featuring art from your local museum, you’ll better appreciate the work when you see it in person. The next time I go to the Louvre, which hopefully is this fall, I’ll be intimately familiar with this masterpiece, which hangs near the Mona Lisa.
Make your puzzle on a foam core board purchased from an art supply store. This board is sturdy, but lightweight. If you need your table for another use, simply remove the board, puzzle and all, without disturbing the pieces.
Construction Kits
Sakura Densya, a book nook kit, nearly destroyed me. Given to me by a son one Christmas, it took me a few years to really get going with it. The way to completion is to follow steps one by one doggedly, and not try to think ahead to keep from becoming overwhelmed.
This bookshelf decoration is an open box that sits between two books. In the box is a charming. 3-D scene of a Japanese electric train (densha) with cherry blossoms over a stream. The scene is wired to light up.
There are other such kits–some may be simpler. Search construction kits for adults for a sampling.
Smartphone Photography
I don’t have the patience to learn real photography techniques, so I’m happy just using my iPhone’s camera. Before the iPhone, Steve was our family photographer; now I’m the one who documents life’s precious moments with the grandkids. I enrolled in a few online courses from iPhone Photo Academy, which were helpful. These courses often go on sale.
If you’re not on Instagram, consider joining to display your photos, With Instagram, I began to see the world differently—everything in my surroundings became a potential picture to post. I started noticing beautiful flowers on my daily walks; the glow of a sunrise outside my window.
I also made Instagram friends as I engaged with others. I started my Instagram account in 2012. After 14 years, now I post in spurts and I don’t comment as much as I used to. If you’ve never tried Instagram, consider how you might use it to see the world with new eyes.
Free Entertainment from your Library
Partnering with local public libraries, Hoopla offers the loan of e-books, audiobooks, and comics, as well as streaming movies and music to iOS, Android and Kindle devices, all for free. Unlike Libby, another good free library service for ebooks and audiobooks, there is no waiting your turn for popular media in high demand. Your selection is always available, ready to download seamlessly to your devices.
Word Puzzles
Like everyone else, I played Wordle every day during its heyday. The daily web browser version remains free.
Now my obsession is Quartiles. Starting with five sets of four tiles, the challenge is to make five words using four tiles each, and to make additional words to score 100 points. Unfortunately it’s only available on Apple News. However, there seems to be similar free versions.
The New York Times word and logic games require a NYT subscription, which we have, but selected games are available for free (with ads).
The free game I play often is Classic Words, available as an app for iOS and Android. It’s a version of solo Scrabble. The ads supporting this game are unobtrusive. However, be prepared for Scrabble words that you might not consider as words, such as “za,” and “jo” from your computer challenger.
Creating Memories for a Lifetime
Kids grow up surprisingly fast so you want to capture their childhood as they’re growing. Why not make an old-fashioned scrapbook chronicling the first year of each grandchild’s birth?
Since most photos are stored on phones, kids don’t get to look back at their baby pictures very often. Scrapbooks are fun to put together and something the grandkids might enjoy looking at, from time to time.
Next I want to make a few books, such as one featuring the various bento lunches I made for the kids through the years.
Whether you craft scrapbooks by gluing down photos and images, or create actual hardcover books using an app as my son does annually for his children, this activity can provide hours of enjoyment as you sift through photos and travel through time.
Other Grandma Fun Projects
Of course, there are still projects I hope to do with the grandkids this summer:
I’ve wanted to try selling items on Poshmark, but I don’t know how to begin and I’m loathe to take the time to learn. To get over the hurdle, I’ve proposed this as a summer project for Miss T. It would involve: 1) doing some research on how Poshmark works, 2) following up with market research about what people sell, at what prices, and how they present their items, 3) photographing the items, and 4) writing “sell” copy.
Miss T as my business partner, will get a percentage of sales, still to be determined, based on her contributions. This project will be like our pretend cookie shop game, brought to real life.
I’m ready to toss the cardboard puppet theater we made three years ago, but N wants to do another puppet play. Maybe this summer, we’ll finally get around to it. He could dictate the script and I could type it out for him so he can get his thoughts down faster.
Then, of course, there’s our summer party for the grandkids. I’m looking for new games and food ideas to refresh this annual event. I bought some small (5 Euro) prizes in Paris that I will supplement with small prizes I can buy at home.
Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
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]]>Summer is a great time for kids to relax and unwind. But long, lazy days can get monotonous, too. When put on the spot, here are some fun summer activities you can suggest that require nominal adult supervision and just few materials.
For a lot more activities, check out Grandma Fun.
Exploring Secret Ways to Communicate
These secret writing ideas come from a card that N made for his dad this past Father’s Day. Kids can try out:
- Mirror writing (you’ll need see-through paper, like tracing paper and a mirror)
- Invisible writing (you’ll need lemon juice, a Q-tip, and a safe heat source)
- Hidden messages (you’ll need red and blue markers)
While we used these ideas to make a greeting card, kids can create secret maps or secret communications for the games they play. We found the lemon juice writing requires cheap, porous paper like printer paper; not dense paper like cardstock. This one will need adult supervision to apply heat to reveal the secret message.
Scavenger Hunt
This fun summer activity is simple. Just make a list of items kids need to find and hand each child a list. Then set them off to see who can find all the item first. Choose things they can gather easily without harm. For example, a black sock, a stone, or a leaf from a specific bush or tree. For safety, hold the scavenger hunt indoors or in your own backyard.
If you do go to a park or playground, kids shouldn’t take the items on the scavenger hunt list; just circle the items found.
This game can also be played remotely. When Miss T was little, sometimes she would FaceTime me out of boredom, I’d give her a list to memorize of things to find in her own house. Then I’d set a timer and have her gather as many items as she could find–and remember–until the buzzer sounded. She’d rush around frantically and it was always great fun.
A variation of a scavenger hunt is a treasure hunt. Here you provide clues to guide kids to hidden treasure.
- Scavenger hunt (you’ll need a bag for each child to gather the items)
- Treasure hunt (you’ll need “treasure,” such as a candy bar or a small toy)
Outdoor “Cooking”
In this fun summer activity, you gather pots, pans, bowls, safe cooking tools, and a pitcher of water. Let kids pour, whisk, measure, and strain to their heart’s content. I used to think this was an activity for just the youngest kids, but Miss T, when she grew older, made some extraordinary appetizers, rolling up leaves and securing with toothpicks, and a lovely flower main course. They were so beautiful, I gave her a silver tray for presentation.
Just be sure kids are working in the shade and if there are flowers and leaves you don’t want the kids to pick, be sure to let them know in advance. For younger kids, you could post signs on the plants that are off-limits.
- Outdoor “cooking” (you’ll need bowls, pots and pans, safe cooking tools, expendable flowers and plants)
Indoor Fishing
Kids can make paper fish and hook them to score points. This is fun indoor entertainment for times when it’s too hot to be outside or if it’s raining.
- Paper fishing (you’ll need a magnet–you can use one from the fridge–yardstick of dowel, yarn or string, paper for fish, and metal paper clips)
Fort Fight
This is one of the best games of all time in our family. You need at least two kids to play, but it’s even more fun if adults join in. We played it for the first time during the pandemic, when we were still masking outdoors.
You can enhance the game play by painting your forts and making shields.
- Fort Fight (you’ll need two large cartons, recycle paper to wad up for ammunition, something to use as a flag for each team to capture, and a bag for each child to hold their paper wads)
Other Fun Summer Activities to Do Together
These are additional activities that will require more adult involvement.
- Take kids to a farmers market and have them make a salad when they get home from your purchases; use only safe plastic knives for cutting.
- Visit a library in your neighborhood when there is a free activity, such as story time or a craft class; enroll kids in a summer reading program–there are usually rewards for completing specific goals.
- Try a new recipe or cooking technique. In cleaning my kitchen drawers, I found a tortilla press that I had used just once. I’d like to invite Miss T to make tortillas with me. Another project I have in mind is making cannoli with my hardly-used cannoli molds
- I’d like to try to sell stuff on Poshmark; Miss T can be my business partner. We have to learn how to market our products. It will be a learning game and Miss T will reap a percentage of sales. This activity will take principles from our pretend cookie shop into real life.
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]]>First, the Party Decorations
Miss T officially became a teenager on this birthday, so I wanted to make it special. A rose gold party decorating package ($11.99) had everything I needed: a happy birthday banner, a few mylar balloons, shimmering curtain backdrop, hanging swirls, and confetti-filled balloons.
But the star of the show was the fascinating candle sand.
What is Candle Sand?
Googling candle sand, I learned it’s a kind of granulated, non-toxic, plant wax that looks like fine sand. When poured over water, the granules float. Simply stick a wick into the candle sand to light it.
When you extinguish the light, the wax around the wick will have melted and hardened. You simply toss the wick and the small puddle of wax around it, then dry the remaining candle sand on parchment paper to use again.
I researched top candle sand brands and bought Foton ($34.99 for 18 ounces) because it was convenient. There are a lot of cheaper options but given it was my first effort, I wanted to ensure a good result. The package came with a generous number of wicks. Plus, the candle sand is reusable so I justified the expense.
How I Made my Candle Sand Centerpiece
I already had two matching tall vases, so that was a good start. I snipped white shrub roses from my garden for my arrangement. Next, I arranged the roses on the bottom of the vase and filled it with water. To my dismay, the roses floated to the top. How to keep the flowers weighted and submerged?
Referring to candle sand centerpiece posts, I found quite a few used clear glass beads to anchor the stems. Conveniently, I had some on hand, but when I tried to lodge the stems, the flowers floated to the top again.
Rummaging in my vase cabinet, I found two small pin frogs 7/8-inch in diameter. The frogs anchored the roses to the bottom of the vase. Then I surrounded each frog with glass beads. (You don’t need to buy mini pin frogs. I have other viable anchoring suggestions below.)
More birthday party ideas.
Finally, I filled the vase with water, leaving enough space to add a 1-inch layer of candle sand on top. I made the arrangement the day before the party to give myself enough time to practice. Concerned the sand might sink if left in the water too long, I didn’t add the sand until the next day. (I’ve learned since that candle sand will stay afloat for days or even weeks.)
I raked the top with a small. offset butter knife to even the sand layer. My candle sand instructions advised having at least 1inch of thickness and a clearance of 2 inches from the edge of the vase. I stuck a whole wick into the center of the candle sand, then snipped off the excess so I had just 1/2 inch of wick protruding, as specified.
Clean Up
Can you leave your candle sand centerpiece in place to enjoy for a few days afterwards? I dismantled my arrangement that evening, concerned that by sitting in water, the flowers might deteriorate, cloud the water, and discolor the precious candle sand. You–or I–will have to experiment to find out.
Other Choices; Other Ideas
So that was my first experiment making a candle sand centerpiece. Here are other ideas I gleaned from my research.
To anchor flowers to the bottom of the vase, one suggestion was to use crumpled plastic sheets. I took two clear plastic page protectors and cut off the margins. Then I crumpled the plastic sheets into the vase and arranged baby’s breath that I had on hand. Not bad.
Another way to anchor flowers is to use ones that have stems that are malleable, such as tulips or mini calla lilies. Gently coil the stems inside of the vase so they are secure.
Try using heavier flowers like peonies, dahlias, regular roses (not shrub roses), or orchids. That’s my next experiment!
My tips: use a chopstick to maneuver the flowers in place, spread open petals under water, or to arrange clear glass beads or stones.
If you spill candle sand while pouring into your vase–especially if your vase is already on a set table–use a small paint brush to brush away excess.
Here are more candle sand centerpiece ideas from my Pinterest board. Better illustrations can be found on Instagram under candle sand ideas.
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]]>For more travel tips, including tips for traveling with kids, road trips, and armchair traveling, check out my previous travel blog posts.
NOTE: My product recommendations are my own–they’re not part of an affiliate program so no financial remuneration is involved.
The Vicissitudes of Weather
Weather reports–even a week before your trip–can be completely unreliable. Based on reports a week out, we expected daytime temperatures in the high 60s, but we were caught in a Paris cold spell. Here’s what you might want to pack:
- A dark trench coat (doesn’t show spills or stains) can serve as your airplane “blanket,” as well as your everyday coat that you can wear with jeans, as well as to go out to dinner.
- Folding umbrella. A Davek mini umbrella is pricey, but lightweight, compact, and durable. I have an AirTag on mine to protect my investment.
- Waterproof shoes. My On no-tie waterproof sneakers that I bought for Japan last year served me well in Paris.
Packing Strategies
As we get older, it gets harder to lug around our luggage. It pays to take a minimalist approach and be disciplined.
- Weigh everything you plan to take on a kitchen scale. You might be able to make lighter weight substitutions. Depending on the fabric, jeans can be one of your heaviest clothing items. Pack your lightest pair.
- I use compression packing cubes and label them for tops, bottoms, and underwear/socks,
- I also keep makeup to the minimum, going with smaller sized, lighter weight cosmetics. A hanging travel toiletry bag can keep everything organized.
- To ensure I don’t get separated from my travel essentials on an airplane, I fill my small, flat purse with my wallet, passport, phone, meds, eyeglasses, jewelry, and my iPad Mini; then I pack the purse in one of my two carry-ons. If my carry-on can’t fit under the seat and the overhead bins are full, I can simply remove my purse before handing the bag over for gate checking.
- To make it easy to find what I need from my backpack, I put everything in a plastic grocery bag first, then put the bag in my backpack. When I need to retrieve something from my backpack, I simply lift the grocery bag from the backpack and rummage through.
- A luggage scale is essential to meet the weight requirements of whatever airline you are flying for both carry-on and checked luggage.
- Take fewer clothes and plan to do some washing. I take laundry sheets and tear off what I need for hand washing.
- I packed a few plastic folding travel hangers to hang wet hand-washed clothes to dry.
Airplane Comfort Strategies
A ten- or eleven-hour flight to Paris or Tokyo is a long haul. Here are some ways to make it more comfortable:
- Noise-cancelling headphones. I’ve always avoided over-ear headphones because of the bulk and weight but I finally succumbed and I found the flight more relaxed and comfortable. Watch for sales.
- Compression socks. As someone who has hobbled off the plane with swollen feet after a long flight, compression socks solved my problem.
- Large plastic unscented garbage bag. I put this over my carry on that goes under my seat and used the carry on as a footrest.
- Watching a movie, playing games, or listening to an audiobook helps to pass the time on a flight. But having enough power to last a flight may be a challenge these days as airlines become more restrictive about power banks. Each airline has its own rules. In the latest restriction, your power bank cannot be used to charge devices while on an aircraft going to and from Japan. Here are some tips to keep your devices charged as long as possible when traveling,
Safety Strategies
We have been to France quite a number of times, and protecting againt thieves is a way of life when traveling. We’ve had a wallet and backpack stolen on two separate trips. Some things to consider:
- A secure handbag. I bought a Travelon crossbody bag, which is slash-resistant, and has zippers that lock.
- We bought Steve a wrist strap for his phone to prevent a thief from snatching it out of his hand when he’s navigating on the street using Google maps. I use a Bandolier crossbody phone case; but most of the time, I kept my phone in my purse or on a wrist strap.
- A retractable cable lock can be used to tether all your bags together. This is especially useful when you’re traveling by car with bags in the trunk, and are making stops along the way. Steve zip-ties each bag shut, then threads the cable lock through the handles of all the bags, making it cumbersome to steal all the bags at once.
Remember to Bring
To keep from forgetting items you wish you had brought, such as a stain remove pen, put a large plastic storage bin in your closet a few months before your trip and start tossing in things you want to take, as you think of them. Such as:
- Washcloth–often French hotels and vacation rentals don’t provide them.
- Many European hotels have stopped offering conditioner so I took a conditioner bar. and next time, I’ll pack a shampoo bar, too.
- If you color your hair, pack a microfiber towel to keep from staining towels when you wash your hair. These towels take hardly any space or weight.
A Touring Strategy
Getting out early, before other tourists means you can view the sights in peace. Know when the morning rush hour starts and get out ahead of it. For example, in Paris, we walked around the Louvre Museum and Notre Dame Cathedral in the early morning quiet. Then we had a leisurely breakfast at a cafe.
Of course, the sights aren’t opened at that time, so you’d. have to come back again to be admitted. .
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The idea was this: N would come up with a list of what he appreciated about his dad. We’d turn each idea into a puzzle that dad would have to solve to get the message. We’d create a small book from these puzzles, which would become N’s Father’s Day card.
While ours was an ambitious project featuring several puzzles, your child could create just one of the puzzles and still have a DIY Father’s Day card to be proud of.
First, Create the Book
For our DIY Father’s Day Card, I used sturdy mixed media paper. Any fairly thick paper like light cardstock or construction paper will do. By folding the sheet into quarters, we ended up with a book 6 inches X 4 1/2 inches. Two sheets gave us 8 pages (or 16 pages if you count each side, back and front).
Use a hole punch to punch two holes in the fold of your book and thread with ribbon to hold the pages together. Use a bamboo skewer to push the ribbon end through the holes and tie the pages together with a bow.
I prepped the book beforehand, but in retrospect, it would be better to keep the pages loose. That way, if the child makes a mistake and wants to start over, it’s easy to toss the page and keep the rest.
Puzzle #1: Red and Blue Hidden Message
Write your message with a blue marker and scribble all over with a red marker. View the message with a strip of red cellophane, clear red building block such as MAGNA-TILES, clear red plastic folder, or even a red plastic pill bottle.
The deciphering object needs to be red and transparent. We made a viewer with a plastic square cut from a red pill bottle, encasing the plastic in a cardboard holder.
Puzzle #2: Invisible Ink Hidden Message
Write your message using a q-tip dipped in lemon juice. It will become invisible when dry. To read, put the message next to a heat source like a candle (handled by dad; not the child) or an incandescent light bulb. Here’s the science behind this phenomenon. Miss T tried this one as a science project one summer. (See aftermath issue below.)
Puzzle #3: Word Search
Create a grid using your computer (insert table). We made our final puzzle 8 blocks wide and 10 blocks long. (Start with more blocks to get the boxes to the size you want, then delete the extra blocks.)
Fill in the child’s message in consecutive blocks–horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. In this case, “Takes me to football.” Print out a copy of the answers! Then, fill in all the remaining blocks with nonsense letters.
Puzzle #4: Mirror Image
To write as a mirror image, write your message on tracing paper or any kind of see-through paper using a soft graphite pencil, such as a 2B sketching pencil. Flip the paper over (now your writing is backward) and position the message on your card.
Trace your writing with a regular pencil. The lines will transfer to your card. Go over the lines with a pen or pencil. To read the message, dad will need to view it in a mirror.
N used this technique before as an art tracing project during a session of Camp Grandma to improve his fine motor skills.
A Picture Page
For a “free” page, we simply used a photo of N–an old photo that I had cut out for a project that never happened–and he wrote a message in a banner above it.
N’s own Creative Idea
I suggested to N that he write a clue on each page to give dad a hint for solving each message. N said he wanted to do it mostly in rhyme. So, here are some of his clues:
- Mirror Image: “A looking glass is all you need, to pass this test with precision and speed.”
- Red and Blue Hidden Message: “Use this hint to find the answer beyond the red tint.”
- Invisible Ink Hidden Message: “Pourquoi Notre Dame était détruit.” (Why was Notre Dame destroyed–N goes to a bilingual French school but I don’t know if his grammar is correct.) The answer would be fire, which would be dad’s hint to seek out a flame.
DIY Father’s Day Card–Work in Progress
Our card is not complete. N still needs to write an introductory message to explain that this card is a book of puzzles and to write a “Happy Father’s Day” message inside. He’ll also want to draw more pictures and add another word game.
I’m thrilled that N rose to the challenge to invest more time, creating a significant keepsake Father’s Day card. Dad will love it!
Aftermath–A Huge Success but with Issues
As expected, dad enjoyed the creativity of his interactive card immensely, which made N proud and happy. However, one message, the secret lemon juice writing, could not be deciphered.
We had no incandescent light bulb and the candle flame (held carefully next to the card), did not reveal the writing. Upon further research, we found other avenues we could try: hair dryer on high, iron without steam, or a toaster. It’s important to move the heat source back and forth so it doesn’t damage the power source, and to keep hands away from the heat. An adult should always supervise. An added note: the writing works best on cheap, porous paper, such as printer paper; not cardstock as we used for this project.
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If you’d like some ideas for Mother’s Day crafts, start with our section called “Grandma Crafts.” There you’ll find all sorts of craft projects to do with the grandkids. I designed some specifically for Mother’s Day. Others were meant for different occasions that also can be used for this observance.
Here are some of our past craft features:
Custom Placemats
We made these sweet placemats for Valentine’s Day by gluing hearts on inexpensive plastic placemats and covering with a layer of clear contact paper.
For Mother’s Day, instead of hearts, kids can decorate a placemat with photos of themselves with mom. For a double gift, set the placemat on a tray and serve mom breakfast in bed.
Pressed Flower Jars
Miss T and I made these decorative pressed flower jars last summer. If you press them yourself, the flowers will take two to four weeks to dry. So you might want to buy some pressed flowers online for this project.
I use my jar to hold makeup brushes. But these jars also make good vases. Or use the jar as a desk caddy to corral pens and pencils, or as a candleholder for a battery-operated tea light.
A Catch-all Container
Turn a cardboard oatmeal container into a storage box for mom. Kids can decorate using decoupage techniques or simply glue on tissue paper strips.
The container can be used for storing spools of thread, a small knitting or embroidery project in progress, home office supplies, or personal electronic equipment like charging cables and power chargers.
Here’s wishing all moms, grandmas, and women who take on the role of mom, a happy Mother’s Day!
“Call Me Grandma!” on Vacation
“Call Me Grandma!” will be on hiatus starting next week, returning May 29.
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Sign up for my email newsletter using the form below. After I return from vacation, every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life. And once you subscribe, I’ll send you a link so you can download your set of quick and easy recipes as my thanks to you.
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So, we don’t do craft projects, cooking projects, or play games, as much as we used to. They’ve moved on, as they should.
This is why it’s so important to start your family traditions when the grandkids are young. Even as they grow up and do fewer things with you, the traditions that are sacrosanct will still keep you connected, year after year.
Our family has developed many traditions over the years, but these are the ones that I expect, will be lasting.
The Weekly Family Dinner Tradition
Since the birth of our first grandchild, we have had a standing date for a weekly family dinner. Initially, dinner was on Friday night. Now, the night depends on the kids’ schedules. This family tradition ensures we get to spend at least one night a week with the grandkids.
When they were little, the grandkids would set the table. We used homemade place cards and the child who set the table had the honor of determining where everyone would sit.
The Annual Summer Party
This is a party we do on our deck that began as a celebration of the end of Camp Grandma, a crafts camp I held for the grandkids most summers.
I started the first Camp Grandma over zoom during the pandemic as a means to stay in touch with my socially distanced grandchild during lockdown. Our first summer party was meant to replicate the annual, end-of-year school party that had been cancelled, like everything else that year.
We decorate with balloons, serve food and drinks, and have various kinds of games and relay races. There are prizes.
The games have gotten more elaborate and competitive as the kids have grown older. But they still delight in the fishing game, where they cast a line to hook prizes. They insist on it.
The Easter Egg Hunt
In addition to Easter baskets (grandma is the Easter Bunny); we have lunch outdoors; crack cascarones, Mexican confetti eggs, over each other’s heads; and hunt for filled plastic eggs.
Since Miss T was taking an international trip with her class during Easter break, we moved up the Easter basket deliveries to before she left, but she was sad to be missing the Easter egg hunt. So that’s another tradition that’s not going away anytime soon.
The Gingerbread House Party
Our first gingerbread house party also was in response to the pandemic. Since the kids couldn’t do any holiday activities, I created a virtual zoom party making gingerbread houses together.
It’s been an ongoing Christmas tradition since. The houses are getting more complex as the kids get older. This past year, we had our party in January, since we couldn’t coordinate busy schedules.
The New Year Dinner
Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese celebrate January 1 as the New Year and we follow the tradition of my ancestors to have a feast on the big day.
While it might not be part of your family tradition, it’s a good way to start the year with a family gathering. For us, it’s a potluck dinner.
Everyone, including 10-year-old N, is assigned a dish to make. The dishes are traditional Japanese or other Asian, in keeping with the heritage of the celebration, but you could feature your own family food customs. Involve the grandkids in preparing the meal.
Thanksgiving Sleepover
Our recent tradition involves Miss T and grandma working together to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. She spends the night.
Miss T learns about cooking and baking and setting a festive table as we prepare the meal together. We’ve done this for three years running, since she was nine, and I hope she’ll want to continue this tradition through college.
Family Christmas at our House
Our ten-foot Christmas tree is a major production and Miss T has been coming over to help decorate it for the past several years. Before she was old enough, she and her brother decorated a children’s tree in the family room.
We bake and decorate Christmas cookies together in my big kitchen. There’s plenty of counter space for folling and cutting dough and for laying out icings and sprinkles.
All the family’s presents go under our tree. The family comes for breakfast Christmas morning and we open presents together.
The rest of the day is spent in leisure–playing the new games the kids received at Christmas, reading our new gift books, and enjoying our new toys. We have dinner together, then the family packs up and heads home.
Making Memories of your Family Traditions
I would like to think that the grandkids will remember these activities fondly one day, when they recall their childhood.
I’m hoping to make a few videos that compile images of these activities. One of my favorite video apps is PicPlayPost. I use the simple basic free app for my Instagram reels. Of course, I also can use iMovie, which is free and preinstalled on my Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
But all that is for another day.
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]]>The post Here’s all the Best News you Can Use Right Now appeared first on Call Me Grandma.
]]>So today’s post features stories that I’ve curated for you on topics I think might be of interest.
Grandparenting News
- Caring for your grandchild might help to keep your brain healthy, research suggests. Greater Good Magazine, 3/17/26.
- Teaching kids to resist modern temptations through willpower may not work as well as we had been led to believe, according to a new look at old research. NPR, 3/9/26.
- What are helicopter grandparents? Are you one? This article helps parents deal with helicopter grandparents gracefully. Parents, 2/21/26.
The Best Lifestyle News
- The first baby boomers are turning 80; always on the leading edge, now they want to create a new paradigm around old age.–The Wall Street Journal, 4/13/26.
- What is Nonnamaxxing? The Italian grandma lifestyle might be the secret to longevity.–Self magazine, 4/10/26.
- I’ve become opsicocious at age 79 and I recommend everyone my age try it.–HuffPost, 3/6/26.
- This little-known trick will make your iPhone (or Android phone) more fun to look at–in just seconds. Grandparents will love this.–HuffPost, 3/5/26.
Finance
- How to freeze your credit in 15 minutes and why every retiree should do so.–Money, 4/14/26.
- A quarterly ‘money date‘ might be the best thing you can do for your retirement–and your marriage.–Money, April 14, 2024.
- Caregiving is now so crazy expensive that it’s financially devastating to most families, according to new research.–MarketWatch, April 14, 2024.
Household
- 9 smells that mice hate that may make your home less enticing.–Southern Living 1/6/26
- 4 home repairs you should always do before retirement.–Southern Living, January 1, 2026
- 7 Household items you should always unplug before bed, according to electricians.–Real Simple, January 25, 2026.
Travel
- 10 Things even frequent travelers forget to do before leaving for a trip, according to experts.–Travel & Leisure, 3/30/2026.
- Your next trip abroad needs a cheat sheet. (Such a smart idea, I’m doing this one, myself.)–USA Today, 4/3/26.
- Experts reveal the most common place travelers pick up bed bugs–and how to kill them fast at home–Travel & Leisure, 3/31/26.
More of the Best News you Can Use
I continually track news stories featuring tips and trends that I hope you’ll find pertinent to your life. Past News You Can Use posts are still relevant:
- “The Best Practical News you Can Use Right Now” featured tips on games and hobbies, estate planning, home and gardening, healthy eating, and family safety.
- “The Best News you Can use Now: Curated Stories” highlighted news on health and wellness, grandparent lifestyles, and food and nutrition.
- “Grandma’s News You Can Use” covered child rearing, food and recipes, health, relationships, and household tips.
Sign Up to Get Grandma’s Favorite Recipes–Free!
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Usually the Easter egg hunt is a lively affair, with the children actively competing to see who can find the most eggs (even if they have to divvy them up equally after the hunt).
So, I decided we’d have a unique Easter egg hunt this year, to keep N more engaged.
The Easter Egg Treasure Hunt
To do a treasure hunt, you’ll need clues that direct the child from one location to another, ending with the “treasure.” The clues go into plastic eggs, with a treat inside for immediate gratification.
We’ve had fun with various kinds of scavenger hunts and treasure hunts in the past, but never an Easter egg hunt. It’s a great way to entertain kids and since a treasure hunt knows no season, you could even do one now.
You’ll find more games and activities to do with the grandkids in Grandma Fun.
How to Write the Clues for the Easter Egg Hunt
To make it more of a challenge, I wrote the clues as rhymes and eliminated the last word so N would have to guess the rhyming word, such as:
I know you’ll use some common sense,
You’ll find an egg around the ____. (fence)
Search very hard if you are able
The egg is sitting on a _____. (table)
Can you find it? It’s in your power
There is an egg by a yellow _____. (flower)
Type up all your clues and number them in the order you want the child to find the eggs. Print the clues in different colors of type and cut them into strips.
How to Hide the Eggs
You need an egg to start the child off with the first clue; set that egg aside. Then, go to the place mentioned in that first clue and hide the second egg in that location.
It can get confusing, so it helps to have the list of clues printed out and numbered on a cheat sheet, with corresponding eggs also numbered.
By numbering the clues and keeping a printout of the numbered clues, you can keep abreast of the hunt, to ensure it’s going according to plan.
Make sure you don’t have ambiguous clues that can refer to more than one hiding place. N found the treasure before the end of the hunt because more than one hiding place qualified as the answer to one of the clues.
Despite finding the treasure before the end of the game, N still had fun completing the entire hunt.
More Easter Egg Hunt Tips
- I put the first clue in a hollowed out, decorated real egg. N had to crack the egg open to get to that first clue. Make this egg as you would cascarones, Mexican confetti eggs, but without the confetti.
- Think about the age of the child when creating the clues. At 10, N could come up with the missing rhyming words instantly. Next time, I’ll have to make the clues more challenging.
For example, here are two versions of a clue for the egg in the hose pot.
EASY: In the garden is many a rose,
Find the pot with a garden ____. (hose)
HARDER: Find the egg, no need to roam,
A snake is resting in in its ___ . (home)
- Wash out the plastic eggs and add some candy, along with the clue, so there’s a reward for finding every egg. I filled the eggs with small chocolate bunnies, hazelnut eggs, Peeps, and Sour Patch Glow Ups (the grandkids love sour candy more than chocolate).
- What to give as the treasure: I’m embarrassed to say I rewarded N with some cash in the last egg. I’d have preferred an actual gift, but I didn’t have an idea what to get, nor the time to shop. The kids are at the stage where it’s hard to find little gifts they’d actually want. Next year I plan to do better.
Our Easter Lunch
It was a glorious spring day, so we had lunch on the deck. I had a basket of chocolate eggs on each table and a plastic egg with a few sweet treats inside, at each place.
Each napkin was a different spring color and each was tied with one of the air-dry clay Easter ornaments I made recently. Here are the directions for how to make them.
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