February 17, 2015

How to be a GRAND babysitter

February 17, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

PawDad masters being the most GRAND babysitter ever.

Kids just want to have fun, especially when spending time with a babysitter. Parents primarily want their kids to be safe. And therein lies the challenge for grandparents who have secured the babysitting gig: finding the perfect balance between delighting grandchildren while pleasing their parents.

Master the challenge—and be the best babysitter ever—by considering the following tips from seasoned babysitting grandmas.

1. Pack your bag of tricks

Every grandparent needs a Grandma (or Grandpa) Bag, a tote filled with goodies that comes out at special times for play, creativity, and entertainment. For long-distance grandparents like myself, that means when I’m visiting the kiddos. (It's the favored piece of luggage each of my grandsons can't wait to open.) For local parents, that may be when on regular babysitting duty.

Grandma or Grandpa Bags include...

Click to continue reading my article—with input from Grandma Kc—on Grandparents.com...

February 12, 2015

Picture books to share with pint-size valentines

February 12, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Share your love this Valentine's Day by snuggling with your favorite pint-size valentine to share these these sweet (and sometimes silly) picture books. No nearby kiddo to snuggle? These fun and colorful books are short and engaging, making them ideal for sharing over a Skype or FaceTime session, as well.

♥

February 10, 2015

10 life lessons grandchildren help us remember

February 10, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

With all that we do for our grandchildren, they do for us so very much more. Things such as reminding us of important lessons we've learned yet often forget to put into practice. Things such as these.

grandchildren quotes

February 04, 2015

Compassion and the boy I've failed to tell you about

February 04, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Not long after our youngest daughter had settled into the college life, Jim and I decided to add another youngster to the family. As females dominated our family for years (even our two cats were females), we decided to go with a little boy.

compassion child

So ten years ago, years before there were grandsons—heck, before we even had our first son-in-law—Jim and I adopted Erick. The

January 15, 2015

Laughing Baby... and laughing babies

January 15, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

As a little girl, Megan — my middle daughter and mother to my grandsons — had a baby doll named Laughing Baby. Throughout most of her third year, Megan kept Laughing Baby in her arms or cuddled up close to her wherever she went, whatever she was doing.

toddler and baby doll

Laughing Baby was named such because she laughed and laughed when her...

December 03, 2014

29 holiday jokes for kids

December 03, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

'Tis the season of joy, and there's no more joyful sound than that of children's laughter. Share these jokes with your favorite kiddos to elicit some of that joyful noise this merry time of year.

holiday jokes for kids

Where do snowmen keep their money?
In a snow bank.

What do you call a...

November 12, 2014

Baby talk

November 12, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

A sign hung in a prominent spot in my home during the full-nest years. It looked like this:

thou shalt not whine

It was that sign, in fact, which now hangs in a...

October 29, 2014

Middle child of my middle child

October 29, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

The Middle Child
Even though you're not the oldest,
or the youngest, you see,
Being in the middle is a really neat place to be!
The middle of a sandwich
is the most important part,
And in the middle of your body,
you will find your heart.
The engine in the middle
is what runs a good machine;
And our family wouldn't be the same
without you in between.
~Unknown