Brain fog, head games and Cranium Crunches

I always admired my mother-in-law's determination to keep her mind functioning as well as possible. She did crossword puzzles every single day and regularly engaged in new activities to help keep the wheels of her aging brain turning.

I used to enjoy crossword puzzles but I've done only a handful in the past decade or so. I did start taking piano lessons in my forties in hopes of increasing the dendrites in my brain, those little networking cables that make the mind move better the more you have. Unfortunately, though, I had to eliminate piano lessons when money got tight. My determination to keep up the practicing sans lessons pooped out soon after, as well as my dendrite production.

My mind and memory have apparently pooped out, too. A recent lunch with a friend I'd not seen in more than five years made me all too aware of my egregious lack of recall. As my friend and I and her daughter dined and discussed getting together with our husbands for a game night, I told my friend that although I don't know her husband, he must be a pretty good guy if she's married to him. To which she responded that I have indeed met him, have actually had him and her over to our house for a barbecue several years ago.

I didn't remember. At all. And felt pretty stupid about it. I couldn't even blame it on having a few too many beers during that forgotten BBQ because it wasn't that kind of a gathering, considering her then-adolescent kids had attended and enjoyed hanging out in our hot tub. Which I didn't recall either. At all.

Again, I felt pretty stupid. I wanted to blame the brain fog on having MS, to say, "Oh, I must have a sclerosis smack dab on top of that specific memory." But that would be even more stupid. And surely a lie.

Truth is, my brain fog, my memory, my total (or even partial) recall has been getting worse and worse and worse as I age. And I'm not really all that aged. But I find myself more often than before forgetting what I was going to say in certain circumstances, and I've become pretty bad at brainiac things I was once good at, like word play and matching games and puzzles.

I've found help, though. It's free, it's fun, it makes a difference, and it can be enjoyed by anyone at any age. It's called Cranium Crunches.

Cranium Crunches is the brain child (yes, pun intended; I can still throw together a pun now and then) of Ruth Curran. Curran, who is degreed in psychology and has extensive research experience, hatched the idea for the site after witnessing dementia issues with her parents—attributable to cancer and chemo in her mother's case, Parkinson's disease in her father—and the difference puzzles and games made in restoring their cognitive ability and their confidence.

"I set out to create a series of photo based puzzles that remind us of our lives," Curran says, "a set of brain exercises with cross generational appeal that provide a safe place to practice those skills that might be slipping, work on/hone some skills, improve focus, or just look at some cool photos and tell stories. It had to be free, require no subscription, no plan, no commitment—just come and play."

Which is exactly what Cranium Crunches provides, as well as a page on what games will help you most. The selection of photo-based games and puzzles include Memory Match, Find the Difference, One of These Things is Not Like the Others and more. All the games are quite fun and engaging, but my favorite so far has been Find the Difference, mostly because I'm determined to find them all before my time is up (which I've not yet been successful at). With increasing degrees of difficulty, it's easy to choose one you like and get better and better and better at it, all the while exercising that cranium and achieving an ageless brain in tip-top shape.

Ageless and tip-top shape is my goal for my brain. I've got quite a ways to go, though, according to the scores I've earned so far in my Cranium Crunches game play. But it's a start. And it's fun. And it's something I plan to incorporate into my daily routine—just like my mother-in-law used to do with her crossword puzzles.

photo: stock.xchng

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in a campaign by BOOMboxNetwork.com on behalf of Cranium Crunches and received payment for my participation. All opinions stated within are my own.

Today's question:

What do you like to do to keep your mind challenged and exercised?

The Saturday Post: Get outside and play edition

Unbelievably, this weekend (already!) serves as the official kick-off to summer. Time to fire up the grill and enjoy some fun in the sun.

If your options for outdoor fun are lacking, especially when it comes to things to do with the kids—grand or otherwise—check out these cool and creative ideas from the Toy Industry Association:

My favorite has to be the 3-D sidewalk chalk. I'll be picking up some of that, for sure, before Bubby and Baby Mac visit Gramma's in a couple weeks. Maybe the mega bubble blower, too.

For more toy ideas—including prices on the items mentioned in the video—visit ToyInfo.org.

May your Memorial Day Weekend be loads of fun—and warmer than it appears to have been for the women in that video!

Today's question:

What's your favorite way to have fun in the sun, with or without kids?

The Saturday Post: "Friends" edition

It's been a rather serious week here on Grandma's Briefs, what with stories of guilt and attacks and serious safety hazards.

I say it's time for a change of pace, time to lighten the mood.

In other words, it's time for my favorite funny fellas, the masters of all things silly: Flight of the Conchords.

Happy Saturday to you, my friends. ♪ La, la, la, la! ♪

Friday field trip: Children's Museum of Phoenix

On the final day of my recent stay with Bubby and Baby Mac, we went to the Children's Museum of Phoenix. The museum is located less than 10 minutes from the airport, so it was a great way to end the visit—and gave us a spot to play in case my flight was delayed.

The Children's Museum of Phoenix is three floors of fun and one of Bubby's favorite places to play. It was Baby Mac's first time there, and he found plenty of fun himself.

We started on the top floor, with the plan to work our way down. The "Noodle Forest" is the highlight there and something Bubby couldn't wait to show Gramma. Right outside the forest is a paint-with-water activity that proved Baby Mac to be a passionate artist.

It was just the beginning of my last few delight-filled hours with my grandsons:

 

Other exhibits on the third floor include a shopping market, ice cream cart, a "Texture Cafe" for making meals with various materials, a "Grand Ballroom" where you can see the chain reaction from beginning to end, make-believe pickle and pencil cars, and much, much more. It's easy to see why the third floor is Bubby's floor of choice.

The second floor features a "Building Big" room for making forts of all shapes and sizes, a trike wash, and an art studio with ongoing projects (Bubby made a pretty butterfly and helped paint a purple rocket).

On the first (atrium) floor, the main attraction is the Schuff-Perini Climber, a climbing gym like you've never seen before. It's visible from all floors, and I climbed with Bubby all the way to the top...in a dress and thankful it was a rather slow day so Gramma could take her time. The first floor also has a Whoosh! machine of connected tubes where kids can feed nylon scarves through and watch them fly—one of Baby Mac's favorite exhibits, along with the many "Baby Zone" play areas throughout the museum.

The atrium wall is lined with a stunning display of CDs hanging from top to bottom. A museum worker told me children from around the area, including a school for homeless children, wrote wishes on the CDs to be hung on the wall at the museum's opening about four years ago. She said the wishes are touching and sometimes heartbreaking to read, everything from "I want an iPod" to "I want my daddy to come home."

Our visit to the museum was exhilerating—and exhausting. Bubby and Baby Mac were sound asleep in their car seats by the time we made it to the airport, just minutes after leaving the museum. When Megan dropped me off at the departure curb, I opened Bubby's door to give him a farewell kiss; with eyes still closed, he mumbled, "I love you...send me mail." Totally zonked-out Baby Mac got a kiss, Megan got a hug, and Gramma headed for home.

The Children's Museum of Phoenix was a great way to end my visit to the desert. We just might have to make pre-flight visits there a farewell tradition.

Interested in taking a similar field trip? Find details here:

Children's Museum of Phoenix • 215 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034 • (602) 253-0501

(If you want to see the full pictures from our visit or see them more slowly, feel free to take a look in my Brag Book.)

Today's question:

If you were asked to write a wish on a CD like those in the stunning display at the Children's Museum of Phoenix, what would today's wish be?

The Saturday Post: Granny O'Grimm edition

Forget Julia Roberts in Mirror, Mirror and Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman, this is a fairy tale for the grandma gang.

I love the line, "She'd show them how it is to feel old and constantly sleepy." Oh, yeah!

Today's question:

What was your favorite fairy tale as a child—or now?

Boys and girl's toys

Yes, the apostrophe use—and non use—in the title above is correct, for today's post is about two boys and their discovery of one girl's toys.

You see, Megan has agreed to babysit a 16-month-old little girl a couple of days a week. Her first day on the job was Monday, while I was still visiting.

Daisy* arrived with all the basic supplies plus a big bundle of her favorite toys. A smart inclusion, those playthings, considering Megan's house is inhabited by little boys, with nary a girl toy in sight.

Bubby and Baby Mac are used to cars, trucks, trains and noisy toys of all sorts, all in big, bold, primary—and boy-like—colors. They had never seen such pink and feminine fanciness before. 

Pink cell phone, pink makeup case, pink purse and more. The boys were completely enthralled by the mysterious selection of girlee goodies.

Funny thing is, Daisy seemed to be just as enthralled by the boy toys. The very first toy she chose to play with? A fake sword.

Like I told Megan and Preston: I now have a better idea of what to get the boys for their birthdays in June.

*Daisy is not her real name, as her mother has no idea the boys have a blogging grandma who shares things online. No biggie, as the names I use here for the boys aren't their real names either. Unlike the boys, though, the cute little girl's face was obviously blurred in the photo above because, again, her mother has no idea there was a blogger in the midst and granted no permission.

Today's question:

What are your thoughts on gender-specific toys? For example, should little boys get to play with dolls and little girls with pirate playthings?

The Saturday Post: Hocus pocus edition

I'm a huge fan of magic. I love the illusions of Houdini and David Blaine and even Criss Angel (the early stuff from Blaine and Angel, though, before they went commercial and stupid).

Because of my love for magic, one of the most enjoyable ways Bubby has matured since I last saw him is that he now likes to entertain me with magic tricks. His wizardry usually involves making another chair, bike, or toy appear seemingly out of nowhere. At this point, his sleight of hand is preceded by him saying, "Okay, Gramma, now you have to close your eyes until I tell you to open them" followed by "Abracadabra! Okay! You can open them now!" then endless exclamations and handclaps from Gramma.

One day, though, I imagine Bubby's prestidigitation will reach the level of what illusionist Marco Tempest shares here:

Considering the amazing (supernatural?) progression of technology, it's likely Bubby the Magician's acts will eventually surpass those of Marco Tempest. I can wait. For the time-being, the razzle and dazzle he conjures while Gramma keeps her eyes closed are magical moments I wouldn't trade for even the most spell-binding of illusions from the most masterful of magicians.

Today's question:

Who is your favorite magician/illusionist?