Entertaining grandkids: 3 sure things

Entertaining grandkids: 3 sure things

As a long-distance grandma with visits being few and far between, I feel obligated to provide memorable merriment for my three grandsons each time I see them. I put careful consideration into packing my grandma bag with goodies and games and crafty ideas galore.

Sometimes the magical makings I lug 800 miles to my grandsons' door elicit exactly the enjoyment I'd hoped. Sometimes they fail. Especially if picking a Pinterest activity to try together without trying it first myself.

When I visited Bubby, Mac, and Jak last month, I failed at more than a few things. On the other hand, there were a few that surpassed my expectations in terms of the enjoyment factor for the boys. Three in particular were a huge success, and these will likely have a spot in my grandma bag each visit going forward.

Following are those three sure things because if they entertain my grandkids, I'm willing to bet they'll entertain most. Consider them as go-to options for your grandma bag — or to have on hand if you're one of those fortunate grandmas whose grandkiddos live nearby.

FREAKY FACES APPLE SNACK

Now, this one didn't require me packing much in my grandma bag, just a quick trip to the grocery store upon my arrival for the fixings: apples, strawberries, chocolate chips, and peanut butter, plus anything not stocked in Megan's pantry that I needed for this recipe for the freaky eyes (which needs to be made at least 24 hours before snack assembly as the eyes need to dry).

freaky face apple snacks

They're pretty simple: Just quarter an apple; remove...

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Grandma salutes Shinedown

shinedown in Colorado Springs

One of my earliest articles published — in a newspaper, not on a blog — was in the early '90s and was titled Mosh-pit Mom. My husband and I used to go to a lot of concerts back then, most of them the rockin' kind with moshpits on the floor, all of them during the years I was a mom with three fairly young daughters.

It's been a few decades since I've had to protect myself from flailing feet on a concert floor, quite a few years since I've marveled at the moxie of the moshers from afar. Due to lack of funds as well as lack of touring bands we were willing to shell out our pennies to see, my husband and I have...

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Multigenerational travel: My 5 fantasy vacations at Walt Disney World resorts

Grandparents treating grandchildren. Parents inviting their parents. Mother/daughter, father/son trips together as adults — no youngsters allowed.

Multigenerational travel is the way to go for baby boomers and beyond. In fact, about 36 percent of families are planning such a trip for and with their beloveds in the next 12 months.

I recently had my first taste of multigenerational travel when Disney invited me for a Disney Grand Adventure to Walt Disney World, and my daughter and two of her sons (my grandsons!) joined me for the fun. It was indeed fun. And fabulous. And memorable. And it led me to consider other multigenerational vacations I'd be delighted to pursue.

walt disney world resorts

I had the grand opportunity to tour several Walt Disney World resorts on my Disney Grand Adventure. So, naturally, when considering future trips with various generations of my family...

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Play it again, Gram: 28 Valentine's Day jokes for kids

Here we are, mere days away from Valentine's Day and I've not yet shared my post of corny jokes for the lovey dovey day! How can that be?

Time to remedy that! So here they are, straight from the archives!

Share a chuckle and groan with the ones you love this Valentine's Day. And if you have a Valentine's Day joke or two of your own, please share in the comments.

valentine's day jokes for kids

Why is Valentine's Day the best day for a celebration?
Because you can party hearty.

How can you tell the calendar...

Click to read the original post with the original jokes...