Resolutions.  Everybody’s making them. Adamantly.  “This year, I AM going to exercise every day!!”  “I AM going to lose weight!!”  “I AM going to get out of debt!!”   “I AM going to de-junk my garage!!”  Resolutions.  Firm resolve in January.  Fizzed out by the end of February like a carbonated drink gone flat. That’s the old way of making resolutions.

Have you noticed that New Year’s Resolutions are usually based on what people feel they OUGHT to do.  Not necessarily what they WANT to do.  This year, do something different.  Instead of making all of those I-oughtta-make-this-resolution-because-it’s-good-for-me-even-though-I-really-don’t-want-to-do-it kinds of resolutions, set FUN ones.  Ones that you WANT to do.  Ones that you will enjoy.  Ones that you eagerly look forward to doing.  That’s the new way of making resolutions.

Here are a two fun resolution ideas that also involve your grandchildren.  After all, that’s what this site is all about.

Resolution:  Party more!  Over the holidays, we played two new card games: Wizzrds and Category 5.  Wizzrds is a game similar to Rook with some Wizard cards and Jester cards thrown in.  In Category 5, you play cards in numerical order while trying to get the least amount of points.  Both games are easy to learn and would be something that tween and teen-aged grandchildren would enjoy playing.  So, invite your older grandchildren over for a card party and some munchies.  (The munchies can be healthy if you really MUST set one of those health resolutions. . .)  Have a Just Because party (just because it’s January 21st or February 2 or whatever date you pick.)  Have a tea party. Have a Ground Hog’s Day party.  A dress up party.  A pizza party.  A night at the movies party.  Just party. You get the idea.  Life is too short to go too long between parties. And of course the parties are to be held with grandchildren.

Resolution: Do something fun with technology that you haven’t done before. Learn how to use Skype (computer to computer phone calls).  Buy a web camera then use it to tell your far away grandchildren bedtime stories or to have a sing-along with them.  Or, take a digital picture of your grandchildren and send it to Big Huge Labs to be turned into a jigsaw puzzle.  Then, invite your grandchildren over to put the puzzle together and to have some munchies.  (Of the healthy kind . . .) Or, using the video mode on your digital camera, make a short movie of you and grandpa singing happy birthday to a grandchild and then e-mail the movie to your grandchild on her birthday.  (And then eat some healthy munchies . . .)  Learn how to do digital scrapbooking and put a scrapbook together with pictures of you and your grandchildren.

Make your resolutions FUN to increase the likelihood that you will do them.  And, if they include activities with your grandchildren, all the better.

Here’s to a prosperous — and FUN — New Year!
Digi-Gram

Grandma Ideas:Grandparents having fun with grandchildren

Will you have the opportunity to spend New Year’s Eve with your grandchildren?  This could be a great opportunity to have lots of FUN!!!

This is a time to break out of your ‘but-grandmothers-don’t-do-that-kind-of-thing’ attitude.  Be zany!  Be creative!  Be outta this world!

Lest you are at a loss for ideas of what to do, here are a few to jump start your thinking.  (And, make sure you have plenty of crepe paper streamers, balloons, noise makers, and confetti).  As always, adapt and modify your activities according to the ages of your grandchildren.

• For young grandchildren, move the clock ahead a couple of hours.  This way, they can celebrate the ringing in of the New Year but still get to bed before midnight (and before they are too tired and cranky).
• Get glow in the dark sticks to wave outside at midnight. (Fun for ANY age!)
• Have a dress up party with fun clothes, hats, tiaras, jewelry, cowboy boots, whatever.  Kids love to dress up and doing it only on Halloween just isn’t quite often enough for their dress-up souls.  Make sure you and Grandpa dress up, too!
• Have a pajama parade at midnight with your grandchildren wearing the new pajamas they got at Christmas.  (If they didn’t get new ones, maybe you could give them some and have all the more reason to parade!)  If you can, find fun masks for them to wear (like the picture above) as they parade around.
• Do the Bubble Wrap Stomp.  Buy sheets of bubble wrap used for packing.  At midnight, put on some lively music, put the bubble wrap on the floor, and stomp away.
• Make your own noise makers by putting dried beans or rice in cans or cardboard tubes or empty pop bottles and decorate the outside of the container.  Shake the containers wildly at midnight.
• Have a Dino-Mite Dance.  Make dinosaur masks for your little mites to wear while doing the Bunny Hop, the Hokey Pokey, the Funky Chicken, The Macarena, the Limbo (how low can Grandma go???).  To get copies of these songs, go to the iTunes store where they cost only 99 cents per song.  Burn them to a CD and then play the songs for your party.  (You can then pull out this CD and dance anytime during the year with your grandchildren!  Yes, Grandpa, even YOU can dance these types of dances with the grandkids!)
• For the granddaughters, have a jewelry making night.  Go to a local craft store and get beads and baubles for them to make bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.
• Have a cheese or chocolate fondue.

Here are some previous activities that I have written about that you could do:

• Play Fox and Geese. This could be a fun challenge if there isn’t much moonlight . . . Wear glow in the dark necklaces made out of the sticks! Then, come in and warm up with hot chocolate and donuts.
• Play Zilch.
• Play Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
• Play the Cup Rythm game.
• Play Panic (a card game).
• Play the Candy Bar game.

Last night we were spontaneous (yes, we are spontaneous on occasions).  We played card games with our neighbors.  They had two games that we hadn’t heard of before:  Catagory and Wizards.  Teen-aged grandchildren would enjoy playing these games.

What ever you do, may you have fun (and be safe) strenghtening your relationship with your grandchildren while playing with them on New Year’s Eve!

Digi-Gram

Grandma Ideas

Snow.  I think that is what is needed for a white Christmas.  Snow.  That’s what we don’t have.

However, if the weather man is correct (and how often does that happen???), we should have a big snowstorm tomorrow.  And several more storms next week.  So hopefully, we will have a white Christmas.

If you live in an area that doesn’t get snow at Christmas time — OR –  if you want to create an indoor blizzard with your grandchildren, you might want to take a look at my directions for cutting a snowflake. I’ve made a movie showing how.  I hope you can follow it because making six-sided snowflakes look so much lacier and delicate.

Let it snow! Let it snow!  Let it snow!
Digi-Gram

Grandma Ideas

Are you having a family Christmas party?  Need some ideas for activities?  Or do you just want some activities to do with a grandchild on a snowy December afternoon?

I’m not very crafty.  It’s just not in my genes.  So, if I ever do some craft projects with my grandchildren, it will have to be REALLY simple and easy.  And, if it’s easy for me, it will be easy for them.  Hopefully.

Here are a few ideas that I recently came across.

Reindeer Pots — These terra cotta pots make cute reindeer.

Candy Cane Mouse – This is an activity that you can do with fairly small grandchildren. You can make them and put them beside the plates at your family Christmas dinner.

Decoupage Candle Holders — Older granddaughters will enjoy making these candle holders which could be given as gifts to other family members.

Holiday Votive Holders — Here are more ideas of decorating glass candle holders. Some are extremely simple and easy. Some are a tad harder. All are beautiful.  (I think even I could make some of these. . .)

Here’s hoping that you have fun making these crafts with your grandchildren!
DigiGram

Grandma Ideas