"Whew! Thanksgiving is over! WAIT – Christmas is right around the corner!" Do you think that's what this handsome guy is thinking? I know what the grandkids and I were thinking when we spotted them in the yard! YIKES! What is HE doing HERE! Talk about a fun shock for this Sandwich Generation granny nanny to end the autumn season!  

The calendar still says fall, but the trees bereft of leaves are hollering out WINTER! 

There are a few bright spots in my senior mom's gardening projects – like these lovely reddish autumn flowers.

The rest, though, are frozen and dying.

Except for the Mr Lincoln Rose. Not that there are any flowers, but the leaves are definitely a cheery green! 

Our logs are stacked neatly, with more tucked safely in the garage to stay warm. And the Strike a Fire fire starter matches (sticks?) are right beside our wood stove, just in case! Haven't had to use them the past two years, but we're ready. And with the weather predictors saying La Nina may make for a harsher winter…Our Sandwich Generation family is ready for full-on winter. How about you and yours?  

P.S. Doesn't matter what the season, I love my easy to use digital camera! AND I love Sweet Shot Tuesday. Enjoy  

P.P.S.

Kaye

I love these encouraging and comforting Bible verses from Isaiah 40. They seem especially appropriate for those of us caring for the elderly parents in our families, along with raising children or babysitting grandchildren.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever…

Do you not know ? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

On those days when caregiving duties and concerns leave us feeling exhausted and without strength, meditating on this wonderful news from the Word of God can be such a blessing for all of us boomers and seniors.

Kaye

I want to wish you and your family,

from the teeniest grandkid to the most senior of senor parents,

a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving.

Here’s one of my Smilebox eCards Creations for you to enjoy,

including a wonderful praise and worship song of thanksgiving,

God of Wonders,

by Mac Powell, Cliff and Danielle Young.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Thank you for stopping by at SandwichINK,

your resource for news, information and words of encouragement for 

Sandwich Generation Senior Home Care Givers and Grandparents!

Be sure to say howdy and Happy Thanksgiving in the comments below.

Kaye

Where can you go to find out about great education programs, fun games to play with the grandkids, information about Alzheimer’s Disease, fun contests, and so much more – all geared for the Sandwich Generation? Why, to SandwichINK’s Monday Micro-Blog tips and tweets, of course

But first, I want to begin with a big THANK YOU on this Memorial Day, to all our brave soldiers everywhere, and to all those who have given their life for us and for this nation. THANK YOU for your time, your service, and your protection. We appreciate you more than you will ever know!

Resources for Grandkids – for play and for their homeschool program:

• Gary Olltwit is a former IT teacher, homeschooler and educator who has a wonderful website with over 100 free educational programs . Another great resource for your homeschooling program.
• A great resource for fun activities for home and for your homeschooling program is the Family Friday post at Homemaker Barbi . There you will find fun ideas from Barbi, along with posts from other writers with plenty more ideas. It makes a great resource for grandparents, especially those who are helping with the homeschooling program
• Fun Crayola Fireworks show for you and your grandkids to enjoy
• Check out this Homeschool Freebie From Legos.
• I used to love to spend the whole summer running around barefoot. Arthritis won’t let me do that anymore, but I have some grandkids who love to do it too.Nowadays we need to watch them a little closer when they do, as Mommy Babble explains.
• Encouragement: You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies, for Your words are ever before me.
  
• Finally, here are a couple of cute and educational videos our grandkids might enjoy. Could be a great addition to your family’s homeschooling program!

Here’s the Alphabet ABCs:

And here’s the alphabet by their sounds:

Caregivers:

• Don’t forget, if you have a friend or relative using a walker or rolling walker, SandwichINK is giving away a special WalkerWonder banner for Fathers.
• Encouragement: Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart
• Viki Kind & Suzanne Holman present, “Keeping Sane, Healthy and Professional When Your Parent Has Alzheimers “ , at BlogTalkRadio.
• My Battle With Alzheimers by author Barry Hines, is a very interesting and bittersweet article.
• New Old Age features an article discussing an easier email option for the older generation, Easier E-Mail for the Older Generation.
  
• The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Alzheimer’s Communication Tip — Touching Foreheads was such a sweet article about touch making such a difference in an Alzheimer’s Patient.
• Interesting possibilities for Alzheimer’s Disease . Researchers link cocoa flavanols to improved brain blood flow.
• Traumatic Brain Injury and the Elderly by Seniors For Living.
• Encouragement – The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.

Sandwich Generation Hints, Helps, and Tips

• Fall TV Show Updates
• Did you know that a membership in AARP saves you 10% off most books and and a whopping 35% off selected titles at Borders every day!
• I’ve found that high quality tennis shoes make for more comfortable feet even when you have arthritis in them. Peanut Butter and Smelly’s Dad is giving away a pair of  New Balance Tennies that look like they will work great. I’ve entered to find out. Care to join me? 
• Do you have an iPhone and love country clipart? Trinas Country Clipart has really cute Country iPhone wallpaper.
• Creating a Collage Using Gimp.
• Seniors Tutor Kids Through the Experience Corps – a simple way to stay and feel young at heart!
• Remember the fun sayings like “the cat’s meow” and “the bee’s knees” ? How about “bright as a penny” and “Johnny come lately.” Read more fun Old Time Sayings at Franks Senior News.
• Just a reminder, if you have the grandkids today, Friday’s article was all about Memorial Day Fun With Grandkids

I would like to end this post, on Memorial Day 2009, with another BIG THANK YOU to all our brave service men and women AND their spouses and kids AND their extended family who sacrifice their being close to home in order for them to serve and protect our nation! THANK YOU, too, to those families who have lost a beloved to the sorrows of war for the sake of our nation and its safety!  THANK YOU! GOD BLESS YOU!

After doing some research, I discovered that November is not just Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. It shares the billing with several other health and family issues. I decided to spotlight some of those that seemed most appropriate for us and include a link or two for each.

NOVEMBER IS:

National Adoption Awareness Month – Adoption.com has a list of family activities for each day of the month. If you have one or more adopted children or grandchildren or know someone who does, these would be fun to check out. Many of the suggestions are intended to raise community awareness of adoption and its needs, but some of the ideas are specific for the family, such as creating a family tree that includes everyone. As they point out, “While it is very important to make sure your child knows he or she is an important part of your family, it is sometimes equally important to recognize and acknowledge the members of his or her birth family. When it comes to creating an adoption family tree, using the generic templates available online are often difficult to impossible. One way you can avoid the trappings of a traditional family tree is by creating a Genogram (see their site for a link) . A Genogram is a self-styled diagram of your family, based on relationships and connections, rather than branches which don’t accommodate the uniqueness of adoption. Using a Genogram is as easy as downloading some free software and entering relationships as you know them.” Sounds interesting! You can find more ideas and resources at Adoption.com.

Diabetes Awareness Month – Find excellent information about Diabetes.org. It is a great resource for those who have it or are caregivers to those who have it. I am very familiar with Diabetes as several members of my spread-out family have dealt with it over the years. However, I was very interested to read on their site that, “In August, 2008, the American Diabetes Association conducted an online survey to find out what people really fear most. The survey findings showed that, among a short list of rare occurrences, 16% of respondents feared being in a plane crash, 13% feared snake bites, 5% feared being hit by lightning and 4% feared a shark attack, while only 5% reported a fear of getting an illness/disease.

Additionally, when asked specifically about diseases, 49% reported fear of cancer, and only 3% cited a fear of diabetes. Ironically, one in ten adults reports having been diagnosed with diabetes, while fewer (6%) have been diagnosed with cancer. Further, cancer and diabetes have similar rates of expected new cases each year, suggesting that levels of fear around diabetes are low. While half of adults fear cancer and many fewer fear diabetes, statistics show that in each case over 1 million new cases will be diagnosed annually.” Wow! That is excellent incentive to take this disease very seriously. If any of you have been putting off getting tested, now’s the time to head in for a quick and easy test.

Here’s a great recipe for those of you who have Diabetes, or who just want a yummy recipe for a healthy Chocolate Pudding Pie.

Family Caregiver Month – Did you know there is a National Family Caregivers Association? I’ve been caregiving for decades and never knew that, but there is. And they work to raise awareness for our needs in the month of November!  To quote from their webpage, “The National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers and speaks up for the more than 50 million Americans who care for loved ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age. NFCA reaches across the boundaries of diagnoses, relationships and life stages to help transform family caregivers’ lives by removing barriers to health and well being.” Their website has many useful resources available and is well worth checking out. They also have available the book, A Family Caregiver Speaks Up – “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Hard,” written by Suzanne Mintz, President and Co-Founder of the National Family Caregivers Association.

Hospice & Home Care –As their site explains, “Each November, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) celebrates National Home Care Month, National Hospice Month, and Home Care Aide Week (November 9-15th) to honor caregiving heroes who make a remarkable difference in the lives of patients and the families they serve. The themes for November 2008 are: Home Care: “Preserving Health Independence and Freedom,” “Home Care Aide: “Honoring Those Who Honor Others,” and Hospice: “Love In Action.” If you are currently working with any Home Care staff or Hospice personnel, this is an extra good time to say a huge THANK YOU, or even give them a box of chocolates (yes, I am a confirmed chocoholic!) and a big hug!

Having dealt with Hospice in the past, and seeing a good friend being blessed by them recently, I can attest to their professionalism coupled with wonderful and caring attitudes! We have also been blessed by home health care workers in the past and appreciated their help so much. So I want to take this moment to say THANK YOU personally to all of you who bless so many in this way!

Prematurity Awareness Month – This one also hits close to home for me and I, for one, am so grateful to all the NICU nurses and doctors who blessed us so much! The March of Dimes is well known for their wonderful work in this area and you can learn a lot by visiting their website at. Among other interesting things there, you will find blogs with news for moms, daily pregnancy tips, an ovulation calendar, an email newsletter you can sign up for, and so much more. If your family has been blessed with a preemie, or is anticipating that possibility, I think you’ll find this to be an excellent resource. Also there are some really great books out there on the subject. If you are interested, leave a note in the comments, or send me an email at Kaye@SandwichINK.com and I’ll do a post listing some of my favorites.

General Safety – From Thanksgiving to the end of the year, NSC.org is working hard to help us be extra careful. While this is the season for joy and merriment, it’s also the season when elderly parents may have more underfoot to trip on, and not just adorable but short grandkids. It’s important for all of us to be more aware, extra careful and do our part to safeguard all our beloveds. Pop on over to their site for some great tips. For example, did you know that “more than half of all falls occur at home. In preparation for older guests,” they recommend that you, “arrange furniture to provide open pathways, remove or secure area rugs, and move aside electrical and telephone cords that can cause tripping. Maintain good lighting throughout the house, especially on the stairs, and secure handrails near both indoor and outdoor steps.” They have an excellent article with many falls-proofing tips and offer other information about caring for aging parents.  As they point out, “most falls are preventable. Take precautions to decrease the risk.” You’ll find their information excellent for the holidays and beyond.

Well, that’s it for November – unless you know of some other November Awareness issues you’d like to shine a spotlight on. If so, leave a comment below, or send an email to Kaye@SandwichINK.com .