Grandma Ideas

I recently read some startling statistics about aluminum cans.

• 350,000 aluminum cans are produced every minute.
• During the time it takes to read this sentence, 50,000 12-ounce cans are made.
• There is not limit to the amount of time that an aluminum can can be recycled.
• We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum pop cans every year.
• In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to heat and light 18,000,000 homes.

I also read some startling statistics about paper.

• To produce each week’s Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.
• Recycling one single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees.
• If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25,000,000 trees a year.
• The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years.
• Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S.
• Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees. These 17 trees can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning the same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Did you know that the United States is the number one trash producing country in the world? We produce 1,609 pounds per person per year. That means that 5% of the world’s population creates 40% of the world’s waste.

This Sunday April 22 is Earth Day. I wholeheartedly suggest that you do something with your grandchildren this weekend to support it. While coloring pages or making little crafts with little grandchildren are fine, I think it would be better for the earth — and your grandchildren — if you did something a little bit more significant. Here are some thoughts.

• Find out where you can recycle newspapers in your city. Make sure you and your grandchild’s family take your newspapers there.
• Make up a flyer explaining where local newspaper recycling bins are. Deliver to families in your neighborhood.
• If there aren’t recycling bins, talk to your city council about getting some in your community.
• Evaluate your personal situation and determine what you can do to recycle things and to reduce or eliminate waste products.
• Participate in a community Earth Day or Go Green activity.
• Plant a tree.
• Cancel your newspaper subscription. Read your news online.
• Don’t buy bottled water. Use an aluminum reusable water container instead. (You’ll save money and reduce container waste).
• Ride your bike or take public transportation to work if possible. Walk more often. (Saves money on gas, reduces emissions in the air, and is healthier!).
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Only run the dishwasher or washing machine when its full.
• Turn your thermostat down one or two degrees.
• Turn on your air conditioner only just before you go to sleep to cool things down. Don’t run it all day and night.
• Line dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.

Teach these principles to your grandchildren. Encourage them to form a ‘Green Patrol’ in their home to monitor waste and encourage recycling activities.

*Facts are from “Every Day, Earth Day Free Shred It Event.“

Spring is here.  There are TONS of robins at our house. More than we have ever had in years past.

Since spring is here, that means summer is just around the corner. Wahoo!

The other day, I received a delightful package in the mail. It was a peach-colored beach tote from Simply Bags.

This bag is perfect for a trip to the beach or the swimming pool. It will easily hold my big beach towel, a book or two, an issue or two of my Macworld magazine, sunscreen, a water bottle, flip flops, my Mac Air, and several jump drives. I could even pack a lunch in it with all of my other stuff.

Roomy is the word that best describes this tote!

It has a pocket on the inside for car keys, a hotel key (to a hotel in Tahiti . . .), or lip balm with sunscreen. Or sunglasses. Or cell phone. Or a pen. Or a wallet. Or . .  or . . . more stuff that is smallish in nature.

It has a zipper so it can be zipped shut to keep all of my stuff from falling out. (I foresee that I will definitely carry lots of STUFF in it!)

I love the handles — they are soft rope. Gives the bag a nautical feel. They won’t rub my shoulders raw — especially if I have a sunburn.

Go to Simply Bags and check it out. The bag come in this delightful peachy color, or pink, green, or blue.  You can have your name embroidered on it or three initials.

This bag would be perfect for me to take to Belize, Bali, or the Bahamas.  Don’t you think? I think those places are going to be tops on our list for our winter get away in 2013. (Wait just one minute! Spring is barely here and I’m already thinking about next winter??)

You might want to poke around the Simply Bags site to see some of the other bags they have. I noticed that they had come cute cosmetic bags.  (One for you? Or your granddaughter, maybe?) They also have very stylish diaper bags. And hipster purses. And, oh my! You’ve definitely got to check out the kids bags! Totally delightful.

Disclaimer: I received this bag free of charge. However, that did not influence my opinion of the product.

I try to read all of the Newbery Award winning novels. Alas, I am so far behind. So many books and so little time.

Before I get to the Newbery Honor book that I want to mention, I want to tell you a bit about Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I think this book is fabulous. It is exceptionally well-written. There are many well-turned phrases that please my literary soul.

There is suspense. There is action. There is romance. And it’s all deftly woven into a glittering tapestry of a tale.

This story is based on a forgotten fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It is re-set in central Asia (think Mongolia) and is about a maid and her lady that are shut in a tower for 7 years because the lady refused to marry a man. This man happens to be despicable but nonetheless, her father shuts her up.

The maid struggles to keep them fed and comfortable. Things become bleak. Then, a terrible battle takes place and all hope of rescue is gone. So, the maid finds a way to free themselves from the tower.  They travel to the maid’s home country only to have the maid find herself in a hopeless situation. The plot goes from one hopeless situation after another. There doesn’t seem to be any way out. But the author is so clever and the plot is so well written that everything ends well. (I hope this doesn’t spoil it for anyone!)

To me, the mark of a great young adult novel is that adults like reading the book, too. The only difference from a good adult novel and a good young adult novel should be vocabulary. A young adult book should have a lower vocabulary level than an adult novel but otherwise be just the same — good writing, good plot, good characterization. And this book definitely has it all.

I recommend that grandmothers read this book themselves and also consider giving it as a birthday present or Christmas present or a present to celebrate the 17th of April (or for any other random reason to give a good book to a granddaughter)!

Oh, by the way, this is not a paid endorsement. Sheesh, the author (nor her publisher, book marketer, or best friend from the 6th grade) doesn’t even know I exist. I can’t imagine why . . .

Now on to the Newbery Honor book.

Princess Academy, also by Shannon Hale, won the Newbery Honor book award in 2006. Did you catch that date?  That was only 6 years ago. Like I said, so many books and so little time. (If anybody has a job where I could get paid to sit around and read, I’d love to apply . . .)

The plot of this story is that all of the girls (of a certain age) in a small village on Mount Eskel are commanded by the king to attend a princess academy. At the end of one year, the prince will visit them and select his future bride from those at the academy.

The academy mistress is harsh. The competition between the girls is stiff. And then bandits come to capture the future princess. All of the girls are held hostage. One wrong step and their lives could be snuffed out. How in the world will they survive?

This, too, is a well-written book. (However, Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite of the two.) Hales has such skill and prowess as a writer. I am very impressed with her books.

Now I must make a confession. I do not like reading fantasy books. I have never cared for them. I remember trying to read one in days of yore (a.k.a. in my youth) and just couldn’t get into it. I believe that is the only book that I ever started and never finished.

Oh, wait. I tried reading Ivanhoe when I was about 11 years old and didn’t finish that. But in my defense, it was a tad above my reading level at that time . . .

I think that granddaughters would also enjoy reading Princess Academy. Maybe you could get both of these books for your granddaughters.

Methinks I should read Shannon Hales’ The Goose Girl next.  (Shannon’s books just might change my mind about reading fantasy!)

I have a good friend, Grandma Denise, who is talented, talented, talented. I believe talent is her middle name.

She has clever ideas, does clever crafts, and does clever things with her grandchildren. I believe that clever is her middle name.

Fifteen years ago when she first became a grandmother, she had a neighbor who was also a grandmother and who held a grandma camp for her grandchildren. (The neighbor hired a nanny, a lifeguard, and a 10 passenger van for her week-long grandma camp!)

This neighbor so impressed Grandma Denise, that Grandma Denise decided that she would do a grandma camp for her own grandchildren.

Grandma Denise has held some fabulous grandma camps: a dinosaur dig, cowboy camp, grandma Olympics, pirates, secret agents, actors school, and a wild safari to name a few.

She has become so famous in our neck of the woods that she was on a local TV program.  Here’s a video snippet where she talks about some of her great ideas.

She has created a 109-page book where she describes her camps, gives ideas for invitations, activities, field trips, and even suggests food to fix during the camp. Her booklet has a planning outline and a schedule outline. She even has an emergency and health information document to fill out so that she has necessary medical information in the case of an emergency.

She thinks of everything!

She has a website Grandma Camp where you can check out and order her book. The book costs only $12 (with $4.95 for shipping and handling).

This is the time of year that many grandmothers are thinking of fun activities that they can do with their grandchildren this summer. Holding a grandma camp is an activity that will strengthen your relationship with your grandchildren and build loving memories that will last forever.

So, check out Grandma Camp and check out Grandma Denise’s book called Grandma Camp On a Budget.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail Denise: denisehoops at gmail.com.