I don't have to convince grandparents that grandkids are adorable, fascinating, lovable, and tons of fun to be with. From the birth of each one, grandchildren rise to the top of our priority list and stay there. Permanently. But how can we show they are a BIG deal to us? How do we plug into the lives of these precious gifts? Have you considered how you're going to connect with your grandkids in 2021? Connecting with...
If you live near your grandchildren, connections may simply happen on the spur of the moment. If you live far apart, connections may depend on health, weather, travel, etc. Either way, it's obvious that planning makes connections happen. May I offer a few goals to consider as our calendars change to 2021? Jot down what resonates with you and then schedule them into your new 2021 calendar. Be intentional. Just do it.
Intentionality makes connections happen!
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Look what you can do with solo cups! Build a Christmas tree!
Use 6 cups with preschoolers. 10 or 14 cups with elementary age. 18 or more with teens. Red or Green. Start with a stack of cups and see how many times you can stack and unstack them to make a tree in a minute. It's a great competition and not too hard. Grandma and Grandpa might even want to try! ..that you can make a gingerbread house out of a box of Pop Tarts? ha. I didn't. But then I've been out of the classroom for 10 years and my last experience making gingerbread houses was using frosting to stick graham crackers to a milk carton and adding candies for decoration. Try doing that with 25 kids! Lest you be too impressed, the secret is to you do 4 children at a time while the rest have other activities.
We make gingerbread houses from scratch, or we can make them using a gingerbread house cookie mold, or we can simply buy kits with parts and decorations read to assemble. My daughter-in-law sent me a link using Pop Tarts. Yes. It's true. Finally! A practical use for Pop Tarts. Pop Tart Gingerbread House. My far away grandkids have been Zoom meeting with Grandpa and me on Saturdays. We've made simple ornaments, played goofy games, and connected. This Saturday was our last Project Party and we decorated gingerbread houses. Meanwhile, there's still time for you to get in on the fun. Grocery stores, dollar stores, drugstores all have stuff to make your own Pop Tart Gingerbread House. Click to get details! compliments of Gluesticksblog.com Some of our grandchildren (actually, teens) live 3 hours away. Some live 3 days away. Amidst Covid concerns, we're not going to be together this Christmas. Sigh. So...how to celebrate? For starters, we connected on Zoom last Saturday for a Project Party!
A month ago, I searched for silly ornaments to make. Then I mailed them across the state and across the country. I coordinated schedules and we found an hour to meet on Saturdays. These precious people are busy! We wore Ugly/Pretty Christmas sweaters and my patient grandchildren humored me as we made two of these quick cuties. I suggested they keep one ornament and give one away. Mine went to our new neighbor. We're doing it again this Saturday. Back on Zoom. New theme. New ornament. Singing a carol. Adding a game. It's an early gift just to see their smiling faces and to listen to their voices. Amazon. Costco. Walmart. Kohls. Facebook. Instagram. Newspaper ads. TV.
It's that time of year. Retailers are pulling out all the stops to attract our attention and give us ideas on how to spend our money. Grandparents (and even parents) can be particularly vulnerable this time of year...especially if one of our love languages is giving gifts. The year of Coronavirus may make us a bit more susceptible to indulging children because they've had a rough year too. But maybe - just maybe - our gifts can be more memorable because we're giving with guidelines. Did you know Pinterest is filled with Rules for Gift Giving? Rules? Wait. Rules at Christmas? Sounds like the Grinch is stealing Christmas!? But WAIT! There are intriguing ideas in these lists. The concept behind rules about gifts is to simplify giving. Simply pick 3-4 categories to focus shopping this year and stick with those categories for each grandchild.
Personally, I picked 3 categories this year, but I can't tell you which ones right now because my grandkids read my blog! Maybe after Christmas... Spend wisely. Spend well. Happy shopping. Happy kids. |
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