As you may remember, I recently wrote about Sandra Boynton’s “Blue Moo.” In the process of researching that article, I discovered she had released a couple of other childrens’ audio cd/book combos. As a proud member of the Baby Boomer Generation, who grew up with Big Band-loving parents, Broadway musicals were as much a part of my life as hot apple pie (the movie versions, that is), I grew up on Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Rogers & Hammerstein, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz, to name just a very few of our favorites. I have attended many local live musicals over the years as I have continued with this musical love affair.

Philadelphia Chickens gives me another way to enjoy that musical experience and share it in the car with my grandkids. It’s even one of those CDs that my senior mom will actually enjoy. It’s a childrens’ CD that features kid’s songs with tunes from Broadway Musicals such as A Chorus Line Broadway musical.

If you’ve read Sandra Boynton’s book, Snuggle Puppy, you will recognize and enjoy that song on Philadelphia Chickens. As I understand it, the song came first, and then she wrote a book based on it. I couldn’t figure out how I missed its release, but finally realized I was in the midst of dealing with my dad’s deteriorating health from Parkinson’s Disease, and two grandbabies being born, coupled with bedrest for both my daughters. I guess I was pretty busy that year. Hmmm, come to think of it, I haven’t had a quiet year in over a decade! LOL. Life in the Sandwich Generation is never boring, that’s for sure!

I have to tell you, I am very picky about what I play for my grandkids. If they are going to listen to a song over and over, I want to be sure it is one that is teaching positive things and not negative. There is a very cute song, I Like to Fuss, that starts out saying “Mostly I Am Pleasant, Mostly I am Good,” but then it goes into having a bad day and enjoying it a bit more than I like to hear. It’s a very catchy tune and the words aren’t ones I want to emphasize with my grandkids. That’s when I really appreciate iTunes. I will pop that CD into my computer, add it to iTunes, then save most of the songs to a playlist for the car. But I’m thinking I will be leaving that particular song off. At least until they are old enough to understand it a bit better.

I’m looking forward to introducing them to “The Dinosaur Blues.” Since we love to play dinosaur tag, they will get a special kick out of it! What is dinosaur tag, you ask? I am the “mean” dinosaur, who chases all the other little dinosaurs (who are always much faster and always get away). My youngest grandson always chooses to be the grandbaby dinosaur who gets lots of hugs and wild swings from me. It makes little sense, lots of noise, lots of running, and lots of fun! I just might have to learn to sing the Dinosaur Blues as we are playing that game!

This kids’ music CD features singers such as Meryl Streep, Natasha Richardson, Scott Bakula, and many others and is a fun and delightful treat for young and old alike, making it especially great for those of us in the Sandwich Generation! Our elderly parents will love it, our grandkids will love it, and we will love it!

So, what about you? Do your grandkids already have Philadelphia Chickens? What do you think about it? We’d love to hear your comments on it.

I had to drop off my van at the service center. Again! Since moving cross country as part of my caregiving journey,  it had been in the shop for problems four times in one year! I must confess, I was feeling very down in the mouth about it all.

To add insult to injury, five minutes after I left I realized I had left my parking pass in the glove compartment and had to go back to get it. My bleak mood turned even darker.

I stood waiting at the service manager’s desk as he went to look for it in the car. As I did so, God nudged me to start praising Him for all of this. As I thanked Him for this situation, He gently pointed out that I had remembered it while still close by and not when I was late and needed to hurry. As I continued to praise Him, I could feel myself relaxing. Even my countenance seemed to be lightening up.

The situation hadn’t changed, but my perspective had and it was, indeed, a wonderful thing!

“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 5:19b-20 (NIV)

Now it’s time for a confession. I typed this article, uploaded it to my site, only to discover it wouldn’t format correctly. After fighting with it for 30 minutes, and with no clue why it was acting this way, I gave up and deleted it. Starting over, I pasted the original into a brand new page, uploaded it again, same problem! I’m sure you’re probably thinking, based on what I wrote above, that I was just chirping away happily, praising God.

Sadly, the answer is, nope. I was getting rather frustrated and not too happy. But then (I love those words. God uses them so much in my life ), God AGAIN whispered in my ear. He basically told me to go READ what I’d been writing. You should see the big smile on my face as I type this! AGAIN, He changed my perspective.

Let’s face it, as Sandwich Generation caregivers, life is going to have plenty of problems, bumps, irritations, and frustrating moments. But the Lord has promised to be there with us through all of them. And He’s promised to love us no matter how often we blow it. And He’s promised to bless us when we choose to praise Him and thank Him no matter what the circumstances.

So yes, I blew it, AGAIN. But then I confessed AGAIN. And wonderfully and miraculously, He forgave me AGAIN. And hopefully, I will hang on to His peace long enough to get this posted, and beyond. And if I forget AGAIN, I know He will remind me AGAIN, and we will continue this caregiving journey together always and forever. Now that’s a wonderful perspective!

P.S. After writing that, AND praying, I uploaded it and it all worked wonderfully. Praise God!!!

It’s getting close to Father’s Day! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, where is this year going in such a hurry? It’s already time to start thinking about how to make the day great for all the special men in our lives. I want to encourage you to begin now, enjoy the process, and then enjoy the results when you celebrate the day with your dad, your grandpa, your husband. I say this with great feeling, as all those special men in my life are now in heaven! I can assure you, I’m happy they are safely there, but really miss having them here! So treasure those great guys and have a blessed holiday.  To that end, I am planning on a couple of posts on this subject. Today, I thought I’d start with a couple of frugal Father’s Day gift ideas.

First, FREE is the cheapest way to go, and SandwichINK has a GREAT & FREE gift idea for a special father in your life who uses, or may soon use a walker or rolling walker. WalkerWonder banners are terrific, high-quality Father’s Day gift ideas . We have one to give away that is specifically for Fathers! All you have to do to enter is add your name to the box on the right to receive SandwichINK in your email for free . Then leave a comment below to let me know and you are immediately entered. There’s not many entries so you have a great chance of winning. You’d then have a lovely personalised gift for your special Senior Citizen at no cost to you!

If you don’t have any need for walker decor personally, I’m sure it would be highly appreciated by your church’s senior citizens’ group! 

Personalized gift baskets also make great Father’s Day gift ideas . I like to roam around the Dollar store and pick out a really nice looking basket. I try to find ones that will be useful once the gift is opened. It’s a bit late, but you might check some of the smaller drug stores to see if they have any Easter gift baskets left from Easter. If so, they might be marked down as low as 90%. Fill the basket with some special goodies such as holiday flowers like carnations or roses from your very own garden. Pop in a book or two that you know he will like. My dad loved crossword puzzle books, even when the Parkinson’s Disease made it hard for him to write, and I can buy those fairly inexpensively at most stores. In fact, the Dollar store often carries those. Finish off the basket with something tasty and healthy and he’ll love the gift and be healthier for it.

My mom wanted some bran muffin recipes today as I was working on this and that made me think what a great addition they would make to these lovely custom gifts . If you’d also like some new bran muffin recipes, you can find some tasty-sounding ones at:

POWERFUL BRAN MUFFINS (Please note that some of the ingredients are listed in the directions, NOT in the list of ingredients. I’m not sure why, but when I printed it out for my mom, I added them to the main list and am including that part here for you. Then you just pop over to the site to get the actual directions

• 2 c. flour (whole wheat)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 5 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt (optional)
• 2 c. Bran (either wheat or oat), I use 1/2 of each
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups skim or 1% milk
• ¼ vegetable oil
• OPTIONAL: raisins, cinnamon

BRAN MUFFINS

VARIED BRAN MUFFIN RECIPES

Well, there’s two simple and frugal Father’s Day gift ideas. How about you? Care to share? We’d love to hear your suggestions as well. In the meantime, have a wonderful day!

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!