Making your own Scavenger Hunt

My oldest two grandchildren love an adventure and my daughter has come up with a fun idea that they can do together at home......A Scavenger Hunt.It's pretty basic and pretty easy and I'll share her ideas with you.

• Make it age approriate: The grands are only 5 and 3, so it has to be something that they can read and relate to.
• Keep it simple: Only give them clues that are very specific and easy to figure out.
• Make it silly: Kids love a good laugh, especially if it's at your expense.
• Make it fun: Have a surprise waiting for them at the end.
• Keep it either all indoors or all outdoors.
• Use about 10 clues. Too many can get frustrating and tiring for all parties involved.

You will have just as much fun making the hunt as the kids will have doing the search. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for your Scavenger Hunt.

How to Get the Most out of Your Medical Appointments

As an aging adult, I like most, seem to have a selective memory. It's not that I don't remember things, it's just that there is sooooo much information and my storage capacity is pretty filled up. Which brings me to - Have you ever gone to a doctor appointment, only to leave and forgot to ask questions or forgot what was told to you at your appointment? Well, you're not alone. Most appointments last, (or are scheduled) for only 15 minutes, and you usually have to cram as many questions and receive suggestions, prescriptions and additional information to act upon. Unfortunately, a lot of this is forgotten as soon as you get home. It's not that you've intentionally forgotten it, it's that a lot is done in a short amount of time, and you're not wired to recall that much information. I too have experienced this first-hand; not only after working in a medical office for several years, but as being the child of an aging parent who easily gets facts confused.

I have come up with a list of suggestions to make your appointment easier for both you and your doctor.

Carry a medical notebook with you

On the first section, write down your name, address, phone number, emergency contact information and insurance name. Include illnesses, previous surgeries, and all your prescriptions that you take and any allergies that you have. Make sure you include the milligrams, (strength) and how often you take it. Also note which provider prescribed it for you. Also include a list of vaccinations that you had and the date you had them. Next, include important family history that your doctor should be aware of. Now, make a list of all your providers, including their names, specialty, address and phone numbers.

Make a list of your appointments and who you see

This should resemble the list of chapters in a novel, but you keep adding to it with each appointment.

Keep a separate section for each provider that you see

Write (again) the providers name, address, and phone number at the top of their section. Always write a date and time of appointment for each visit. Keep it in chronological order, just like you would do with a diary. In the provider section, write down any questions and answers that you have when you have an appointment. Make sure you include any changes and tests that have been ordered. Also attach any copies of orders or records that they have given to you that day.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas on what will help you gain the most from your medical appointments for both you and your providers. I know that it's been a big help for both myself and my family members.

What constitutes too many activities?

My grand children are like most typical kids, they love legos, playdough, dinosaurs, playing pretend and screen-time. Yes I said screen-time. In fact, my five-year-old grand son could spend hours upon hours watching lego videos and his three-year old sister would watch Peppa Pig Playdough videos if their parents let them.

Their parents have decided it's time to get them into physical activities. Sure, they like to play outside, and go to the park like most kids, but they need something with structure. After many conversations with the littles, they have decided to try gymnastics. It's only 45-60 minutes, once a week. The kids will get a chance to learn new skills, gain confidence and participate in a group activity.

I think this is a great idea and am all for it. I'm glad they have decided just to try one activity. This will make them accountable that they have a commitment once a week that they will need to keep. I think one extra curricular activity is perfect for their age, which brings me to HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH????

I once worked for a family that had an only child. Her schedule was so rigorous that it was to the point of too much. She had school, choir, swim lessons, public speaking, and piano lessons. Oh, and as she had a disability, she also had physical therapy and occupational therapy thrown in once a week as well.

Did I mention she was only seven years old? She also had taken riding lessons at some point in the mix. I would pick her up from school, bring her home, fix a snack and then she had homework to do. After homework, her parents had her do extra homework from some online sites. She was a bright child, and hardly had a minute of unscheduled time to be just a kid.

I also have friends whose grandchildren are equally as busy. Between two ongoing sports, (which means practices), piano lessons, dance and Girl Scouts, there is hardly a free minute for either the kids or full-time working parents!

How much do you think is too much? I think no matter what the age, a child should not be in more than two activities at a given time. Kids still need time to be kids. While it may seem that you're thinking about your child's best interest, they can get stressed out just like adults. 

Cooking with the Littles

My grandchildren love to help in the kitchen. I try to include them when I bake, as they seem to get a kick out of watching the magic of the oven take place.

One of the first things I let my grandson help me with was making biscuits for Thanksgiving. It wasn't anything exciting, but he was very proud to say that he made the biscuits. He was around 3 ½ years old, too young for cutting and such, but just the perfect age for prepping and finishing up. I'm not sure if he was more excited about placing the biscuits on the cookie sheet, or taking them off and plating them. Either way, it was a fun time and a memory that has already instilled a love of cooking in him.

My suggestions for cooking with the grandchildren 

• Keep it Simple – The easier the better when they're young. They won't know that they haven't cooked a five course meal, but they'll take pride in the smallest of accomplishments.
• Have fun – It doesn't matter if there's flour on the counter, or chocolate on their faces. Keep it fun and light-hearted.
• Instill healthy habits – Make sure they wash their hands and stress that they keep their hands off their faces, away from their nose, etc. Little ones usually have no boundaries on what they touch and where their hands go, but stress the importance of good hygiene when cooking.
• Make them responsible for cleaning up – We know that part of cooking is the cleaning of the dishes. Have them help with the clean up process and explain why it's important as well.

I don't know about you, but it's just as much fun (if not more) for me than it is for them when they help me cook.

What are you thoughts on boys in the Women's locker room?

I've recently joined a local gym that has something for everyone. Not only do they offer a full range of exercise and cardio machines, but they have every group class that you can imagine, swimming pools, a splash pad for the youngsters and babysitting (during specific times of the day), so the parents can exercise, while the kiddos are being watched.

Well, I'm a gramma who likes to take aqua aerobics and group classes. Being a bit older, and out of shape, I tend to sweat quite a bit, (always have anyway), and need to shower when I'm finished with my activity.

This brings me to a dilemma: What age is it appropriate to still bring boys in the women's locker room?

I wasn't given any specifics about this when I first signed up and ran into a situation. I was taking off my wet bathing suit and noticed a young boy nearby. He was with his mother and sister. I kind of looked around, but most people were finished with their bathing/changing. I toweled off, and tried to stay covered as best as possible, but I noticed this little guy looking my way. I felt awkward about the situation, so waited for him to leave before I finished up. I failed to mention that there is a “family changing room” that one can use, if parents don't feel comfortable about letting their children go into the locker room on their own. I'm not sure why this mother didn't use it. Maybe it was occupied and taking too long for someone to come out? Still not sure.

I've also run into this when I babysat a seven-year-old girl and took her to swim lessons. Her mother wanted her showered off after each lesson and there were group showers without curtains. There was a little boy who would practically race to the women's locker room and strip down the jump in the showers first. I would say her was about seven or eight as well. I felt uncomfortable for the little girl that I was watching. She was an only child, and probably not exposed to this type of behavior. There were older girls showering at the same time as well and I just didn't think it was appropriate.

What do you think? Am I just being old-fashioned and a prude, or should there be a cut-off period for this? I personally would never let my husband take our three-year-old grand daughter in the men's locker room, so I think it should go both ways. Please parents, for the comfort of your child and others in the locker room, please use family locker rooms, (even if you have to wait a little while).

Welcome

Welcome to my first post on Gramma and Papa's Corner. I'm the lucky gramma of three adorable grandchildren; two boys and one girl.

My husband and I live in a "granny unit" on the same property as my daughter and her family. I am able to see my "littles" everyday, and enjoy watching them grow and flouish.

My goal with this blog is to share my experience of living in a three-generation house and what works best for us. I also hope to share tips on what we do to keep our lives "separate", yet able to work together. I also will add what I do to keep the kids entertained and crafts and projects that we can do together.

I'm excited that you have decided to be a part of our life, and look forward to any tips and comments that you may contribute.

My first actual post, will be up shortly. Please come back soon and get to know me.