I really appreciate Chick-fil-A. From their yummy food, to their strong Christian values and encouragement (my grandkids have been so blessed by their WINSHAPE summer camp), to their fun projects and activities that are great for grandparents and grandchildren, to their care and concern for all their customers including those with special allergy needs, they are a true blessing to each of our communities and families. I had thought this for some time, but even more so this week as I read about various Chick-fil-A restaurants that have been wonderful at encouragement for senior citizens living in assisted care facilities.

Chick-fil-A Concord Commons collected toiletries, bath products, slippers, etc. at Christmas for their local assisted living facility. Other Chick-fil-A's, including one of our favorites, is collecting handmade Valentine greetings cards to give to the residents at local assisted living centers. What a HEART-felt and sweet idea for Valentine's Day. As soon as I heard about it, I knew what my Valentine's Day project with my local grandkids was going to be – AND what fun photos for Sweet Shot Tuesday and Rednesday!

I grabbed a package of my cheap white printer paper

Some old stickers - Valentine's Day AND Christmas Foam Stickers (foamies, for short), along with some other stickers from past projects

And even printed out some of the cute Happy Valentines clipart from Trina and Friends, that I thought might be fun for both pictures and borders - 

Then I turned my grandkids loose on them. Of course, the best laid plans of mice, men and granny nannies. The granddaughter loved the frilly clip art and pictures, but the grandboys went with snowmen and UFOs. Still, they had fun, they were easy crafts for the kids (not to mention the seniors granny nanny helping them  ), the results are cute, and our hearts are happy.

We dropped these off at Chick-Fil-A well before their deadline (for us, the deadline is 2/10) and drove off with a Coke Zero for granny nanny, fries for the boys, and a happy feeling in our hearts. What a great way to spend a Sweet Shot Tuesday and a Lovely Rednesday, full of delightful family memories! How about you? Got any fun Valentine's Day activities for grandparents and grandchildren to share? We'd love to hear.  

Kaye

What do you do when all the grandkids come to visit you at your small apartment for a couple of days, the rain is pouring, and the “natives are getting restless?” We love to head for Chuck E. Cheese.

I’m not going to tell you it’s the cheapest grandkid date in town. McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A are cheaper, and they are high on my list as well!

Chuck E. Cheese, however, combines the climbing fun of a McDonald’s playland and the game-playing fun of an arcade. It even has a hint of the ride fun of Disneyland, all wrapped up into one great mouse-hugging time for grandma and grandkids. And if you compare the cost of a date there to one to the big D (Disneyland), it is quite cheap!

One of the best things about them is their focus on safety. Each person gets their hand stamped with a special matching stamp for their whole group. Now mind you, I still do count heads constantly. That’s just who I am. But I also can sit and nibble carrots from the fresh salad bar, while they have fun playing games and accumulating tickets to buy the extremely cheap, yet immensely satisfying little toys. Not only that, when they run out of tokens, they’ve got an awesome playland-style climbing gym that’s wonderfully free.

Some of my best tips for a fun time there:

• Go Monday – Friday between 10-12 in the morning. It’s usually fairly empty. Even if a day care group or a mom’s group comes, it’s still not that crowded. (When schools are out, that may change a bit. You could call in advance to see if there are a lot of events scheduled.)
  
• If you help with your grandkids’ home schooling program, it’s a great place to go to as a reward for a month of hard work and good behavior; learning something extra-difficult like all their times tables, or maybe even a get-together for the whole home school group to compare notes, plan for the year, and socialize while the kids play.
• Pick a table on the end in the center (I try to get the same one each time) and put something they will easily recognize as yours on it . I always tell them if they can’t find me and need me, go find our table and stand on the seat and wave til I spot them. We’ve only needed that twice but it worked great both times.
• Air Hockey is wonderful for almost all ages . And it really makes the 25 cent tokens last a long time. On the other hand, the games where they just put in a quarter to see if it lands somewhere they want EAT those quarters faster than you can say “Grandma, can I have more tokens!” I’ve started limiting those to just a couple, even if they do pay out in lots of tickets!
• Our Chuck E. Cheese has a fun car ride that takes a picture of them while they ride . Sometimes I stand behind them to get my pix with each of them. It makes a fun addition to the photo album.
• If all your little ones are younger, you’ll be happy to know that they have a semi-enclosed tot’s section as well. Mine includes tables so we can eat right there and keep a closer eye on them.
• One caveat – it is rarely quiet . If noise bothers you, go as close to opening as you can, when it will be about the quietest.
• If you have a grandkid who is scared of larger-than-life dressed up characters, like you often see at Disneyland, be forewarned. A giant mouse by the name of Chuck E. Cheese does wander around. While most of our grandkids will absolutely love him, it’s good to know in advance if you have a shy one.
• If you go to the Chuck E Cheese website , you can sign up to get free email with lots of great token and pizza deals. They also have a variety of token and pizza deals when you get there.

Whatever the age, Chuck E. Cheese is a fun place for the grandkids AND the grandparents . We always have a blast inside, even if it’s raining outside! And the pizza is yummy too!

For more articles about family fun, from more tips for traveling with grandkids to frugal shopping tips for grandkids , visit FamilyFriday at HomemakerBarbi .