We are on day 3 of this three-part series of music and Bible songs for grandkids and grandparents to enjoy together. Here are the rest of the shower songs my grandkids and I love to sing:

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus – the lyrics and the tune are also at Timeless Truths.

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
   I have decided to follow Jesus;
   I have decided to follow Jesus;
   No turning back, no turning back.
2. Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   No turning back, no turning back.
3. The world behind me, the cross before me;
   The world behind me, the cross before me;
   The world behind me, the cross before me;
   No turning back, no turning back.
4. Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   No turning back, no turning back.
5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   No turning back, no turning back.

Trust and Obey – I only sing the chorus to this public domain song. You can find the complete lyrics and the music at HymnSite. For just the chorus:

Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way

to be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

I Surrender All – This is another one where I just sing the chorus to them.

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

For all the lyrics and the tune, go to HymnSite. Type “I Surrender All” into the search box on the left, and then select the song when it pops up.

Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace Whose Mind Is Stayed on Thee – I couldn’t find this one online. My grandkids and I only sing the chorus which is based on Isaiah 26:3. I couldn’t find the tune anywhere either. If any of you can point us in the right direction, do let us know via the comments at the bottom or a quick email to Kaye@SandwichINK.com :

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee,

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee,

because he trusteth in Thee, O Lord, because he trusteth in Thee.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.

Rejoice in the Lord Always, And Again I Say Rejoice – This song is under copyright. The lyrics can be found at Higher Praise . For the tune, if you have iTunes, you can go to the iTunes store, type in “Rejoice in the Lord Always.” Several versions will show up and you can click on them to hear a sample. The top three I got were all the basic chorus I sing to them and you could hear the whole chorus. My grandkids and I have fun singing this with the echo. I’ll sing the verse and they’ll echo rejoice and vice versa.

Have I Not Commanded You Be Strong & Courageous…For the Lord Your God Will Be With You Wherever You May Go. Based on Joshua 1:9, this is one of my favorite songs for them and me. I learned it when my children were little and we listened to GT and The Halo Express kids’ tapes. They now have them available on audiocassette or cds (no dvds, sadly). This particular song should be on the cd titled, Winning the Great Race of Faith; How to Overcome Adversity . I highly recommend it as it will be an encouragement to both your little ones and you! I sing it often to my grandkids and they love it!

God is Faithful – Finally, my own little song:

God Is Faithful, God is True, God is Love, God loves you.

God Is Faithful, God is True, God is Love, God loves you

(Sung to the tune, Frere Jacques.)

Well, there you have it. My top 12 music and Bible songs to sing to our grandkids while giving them a shower – and other times as well . They’re catchy little tunes, so don’t be surprised if you occasionally find them in your head for your shower as well. And what a wonderful thing that is!

For more music and Bible songs, be sure to read Song Memories for Grandkids and Song Memories for Grandkids, The Sequel.

Do you like free? Do you like classical music? Do you like sharing with your grandkids, kids, and/or senior family members/friends? For that matter, would you enjoy a bit of a “Sandwich Break” listening to some great music? Then I have a deal for you! Well actually, a company called Munchkin has a deal for you – along with some great products for babies and toddlers. If you click on free classical music for caregivers, you will wind up on a page where they are offering free downloads of two classical “Music Soup” albums. The Mozart Wombsong collection includes about 33 pieces while the Mozart for Toddlers collection has 24.

The albums are geared towards grandkids who are babies and toddlers and songs are selected around their wake up times, play times, and sleepy times. This being said, I listened to the first album and found them quite delightful for anybody at any time. There was only one song I noticed that would be considered a child’s song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

This is also a wonderful resource for any of your grandkids involved in a home schooling program. For that matter, listening to classical music while doing any kind of homework is supposed to help a child’s brain work better.

If you’re wondering how I discovered this, I subscribe to a great ezine called About.Com Freebies and it’s written by Lee Seats. Definitely worth a look.

I think you’ll find this music a pleasure for young, old and in-between. As a member of the Baby Boomer Generation, I can certainly testify to the in-between.    On top of that, we’ve both discovered a new resource for grandbaby supplies and gifts. Enjoy!

The worship music at my church is one of the highlights for me each Sunday. I love singing to praise God and am so blessed as I do it. I hope and pray I am a blessing to Him as well! Fortunately, as most of us know well, the Psalms say to make a joyful noise – I can handle that! My rhythm is a bit off, so I can’t sing and clap at the same time. But that’s ok. I just sway and tap my toes and praise my Holy God with great joy!

I love hymns and I love contemporary praise and worship. Being a bit on the hyper side, I have a decided preference for songs with a happy lilt to them.

Today we were blessed by Chris Tomlin’s song “Everlasting God.” The song is based on Isaiah 40:28-31. As a caregiver, I have many times read and reread this passage:

Do you not know?

       Have you not heard?

       The LORD is the everlasting God,

       the Creator of the ends of the earth.

       He will not grow tired or weary,

       and his understanding no one can fathom.

 He gives strength to the weary

       and increases the power of the weak.

 Even youths grow tired and weary,

       and young men stumble and fall;

 but those who hope in the LORD

       will renew their strength.

       They will soar on wings like eagles;

       they will run and not grow weary,

       they will walk and not be faint.

It is such a blessing to me to know that I can keep entrusting myself to God and He will keep me going, when I am exhausted, when I have too much to do, and even on those days when I feel like running away.

I am so grateful to God for the gift of His Word and for the gift of music to remind me of His Word! How about you? What are some of your favorite praise and worship songs that encourage you as you bless others with your gift of caring for them?

Many of us in the Sandwich Generation are racking up major mileage on our cars, taking both young and old to a wide variety of appointments such as doctor, haircut, therapy, grocery shopping, etc. We may also be toting our crew around to gymnastics, basketball, soccer, bridge, and mall-walking. Many of these trips may combine both generations at one time. Sometimes that works well. Sometimes that works poorly. Most of the time, it’s just an extra layer of juggling. The noise level of the happy, bubbly (sometimes squabbly) younger generation can sometimes collide with the older generations’ tendency to jump at too much noise.

Granted these are generalizations but I’m sure many of you recognize yourselves in those descriptions. Is there any help to be found? I have a few suggestions.

Music soothes the savage beast and often the raucous toddler. Classical music is a great brain stimulate for all ages, something the grandparents often enjoy, and even the younger set like it. Christian praise and worship is my personal favorite, though my parents lean more towards the older hymns. My grandkids enjoy both of those so that is great. Kids’ Bible songs are fun for all ages. Many cars allow you to adjust the music to play primarily in the back and I often use that when traveling with all.

Audio stories capture the imagination of all, promote excellent language and speaking skills, and even assist in a child’s learning to read, or improving their reading. Depending on the stories, the grandparents might enjoy listening as well and remembering reading the stories when they were children, or they might prefer to have the sound be in the back so they can quietly chat with you.

Educational CDs can be a big help for your grandkids or kids as they learn by listening to math facts set to music (we are having fun with several different multiplication sets right now).  You can also purchase a set of cds called Schoolhouse Rock! These were short TV segments produced in the late 70’s through early 80’s that introduce kids to different subjects including grammar, history, and more. Conjunction Junction has been a favorite in our family for over 20 years now.

Then there is my favorite – a DVD player for the back seats. I got one a few years ago and have been so grateful for it time after time. I have a wide variety of Bible story DVDs, Christian videos (we LOVE Hermie and his friends), educational videos like Leap Frog, and more. I pop one of those in, my grandkids start learning, and peace and quiet reigns in the front for the grownups. You might even keep a couple of old movies or TV shows that your elders might remember and enjoy sharing with the younger bunch. Did you know you can buy DVDs of many of the old TV shows such as Father Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriet, and Leave it To Beaver?

You can purchase a portable set with one or two screens for under $200 but research those carefully. Many of them are a bit on the delicate side. I would recommend an extended warranty and purchasing from a store you trust. If you are at a point where you are looking to purchase another vehicle, you might want to consider adding a built-in DVD player. It is more expensive but it will most likely last longer which should even out the cost. While this may seem like an unnecessary luxury, it can be a tremendous blessing to the multigenerational travelers – for both short and long trips.

Traveling together can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a bit noisy, and sometimes stressful. These ideas can all help to bring families together to learn or sing or just have fun in a relaxing atmosphere.

P.S. Many of the above items are available for free or very inexpensive fees at your local library. You can find many of them used at thrift stores, used book stores, and online sites such as Half.com and Amazon.com’s used options. I like to purchase them so we can use them over and over and I don’t have to worry if we get a scratch on them. Amazon.com is my favorite resource because of their great prices and fast shipping. If that’s your choice as well, you can click on these links to go there post-haste:  

Father Knows Best and other Oldie Goldies Schoolhouse Rock . Hermie and Friends Leapfrog