Once again, Twitter has some excellent links specifically of interest for senior home care givers and grandparents, as well as general info for all of us in the Sandwich Generation.

SENIOR HOME CARE:

Caregiver tips for easy outings with senior parents.

According to the U.S. News and World Reports, “Dementia is increasing among the ‘Oldest Old.’ A new study finds that those over 90 have the highest rate.”

Here’s a good reminder to cherish our moments with our aging parents.

The Forgetting – Portrait of Alzheimer’s - A PBS special scheduled for Sunday, August 3, 2008, at 9 pm ET on most PBS stations.  Check your local listings to verify date and time.

10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Senior Home Care Provider

GRANDMA AND GRANDPA:

Insurance tips for your kids or grandkids who are learning to drive.

Any grand-twins in your family? TwinHappy is a website dedicated to all things twin. As you may remember, I enjoyed participating in their May Twin Blog Carnival with Grand Summer Fun for Grandma & Grandkids. I even won her book, Two Snowflakes, which is a fun read for you and the grandkids, whether twins or not. Now TwinHappy has a new blog carnival, TwinStock, coming up in August. Keep watching for more details.

Here’s a Cartoon Channel and Crayola road trip and giveaway that you and your grandkids might enjoy.

SANDWICH GENERATION:

Experts are always telling those of us in the Baby Boomer Generation to eat more fruit and vegetables. Here are some deliciously exotic specimens to spice up your diet. You have got to see these pictures!

Enjoy an interview with Jo Maeder, Sandwich Generation author of  “When I Married My Mother.” The discussion centers on her book which highlights the growing trend of the inter-generational household we know so well.

Is a slow computer making you late for caregiving appointments? Here are 99 ways to make your computer blazingly fast.

An interesting article for all of us in the Baby Boomer Generation who are working to lower cholesterol.

Encouragement – The joy of the Lord is your strength.

The Public Library of Law looks like an excellent resource for the wide variety of Sandwich Generation needs!

Finally, for all of you having fun doing your cooking in the great outdoors, with grandkids and senior parents keeping you company, here’s Cooking Chicken Outdoors: How to Smoke a Chicken.

Summer vacation and grandkids just seem to go together like a horse and carriage, not to mention love and marriage. I’m looking forward to seeing my long distance grandkids later this summer, and my close up grandkids just got to visit with their long distance grandma. When I see my little cutie pies, we will eat a lot of meals at their house, but I’m also planning on treating them out a couple of times. It’s my way of saying thank you for their sweet hospitality, give my daughter and son a treat, and enjoy the Mongolian BBQ we don’t have locally. Fortunately, they love it too. It’s not a super cheap money saver, but sooooo worth it.

They live in a small town, so there’s not a huge amount of choices. However, thanks to a great article at MSN’s Delish page, I’m going to get to save money on another night. That’s because I discovered that Applebee’s has Monday Night Family Nights where kids eat free, 1 kid per adult. And if you have more than the three adults that will be going in my group (and we do ), extra kids are only a buck apiece. SWEET! Of course, I also made sure I read the small print that warns this money saver deal is good only at participating locations. I’m just hoping that will include my future location! I know the grandkids will be thrilled. They already love Applebee’s for their balloons. This grandma loves Applebee’s because of their delicious brownie desserts. Throw in  the free kids’ meals and I’m going to be an extra happy camper!

Whether the grandkids come to visit you, you go to visit the grandkids, or y’all decide to take a multi-generational family vacation, the odds are good you will all be eating out together at least once or twice this summer. So head on over to MSN’s Delish site to read Where Kids Eat Free from A-Z.     You’ll find 25 money saver restaurants, along with links to directions, reviews, and even some great recipes to cook at home! And Happy Eatin’ to you as well.

For more great Family Friday ideas, be sure to pop over to HomemakerBarbi’s!

CAREGIVERS:

Caregivers, here’s a great tip to help you take care of yourself. Another way to make sure you get your exercise is to take someone along on a walk with you. No one around? Use your cell phone. I now walk almost every day for 30-60 minutes and barely notice it since I am happily chatting away with kids and grandkids! I stay healthy physically and emotionally!

Deciding between in-home health care and assisted living? Read what other boomers have to say at Seniors for Living.

Check Out Flying With Disability Before Flying with aging parents or others with disabilities.

Those dealing with Alzheimer’s Care: Cognitive tests are the ‘first step’ towards an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Elderly adults being readmitted to the Hospital is a Medicare Issue. One that is becoming more and more common!

Excellent advice from ElderCareRN: Avoid monochromatic color scheme in a seniors home to reduce risk of falling and/or injury. Also, avoid clutter and have good light.

Check out the EldercareABC Blog Carnival for more excellent information to help you provide great elderly assistance to your aging parents.

GRANDPARENTS:

More fun 4th of July activities and printables for your grandkids at your family celebration.

Make some interesting popsicles for your grandkids and be the hit of the neighborhood.

SANDWICH GENERATION/BABY BOOMER GENERATION

With all the high-profile sudden deaths it’s time for an important reminder – are you ready to die? Are you taking care of your health property? Have you planned for your families? Including your elderly parents? Have you made a will or living trust? Most important of all, is your relationship right with God? Death can come at any moment with little or no warning. Don’t put off any of the hugs, kisses, and loving notes til tomorrow that you can do today! 

Good news from Prevention with yummy , healthy, and low-cal BBQ recipes

My home warranty company reminds us to use the dollar bill test on our refrigerators. Close the door on the dollar bill. Try to pull it out. If it pulls through easily, we may need to adjust the door or replace gaskets. Now isn’t that a fun money saver idea!

Moomettes Magnificents has her all new and updated contest and giveaway list up and running. Check it out if you are in the market for some fun and free goodies. 

Very Good News – The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock in Whom I take refuge!

For all of us Baby Boomers – Johnny Depp Wants to do a cameo in the 21 Jump Street Movie.

7 Refreshing Summer Salads at Homemaker Barbi’s. Yummy!

Google has created a new search portal where you can go to find out about community service and volunteer options and events.

The BBC is reporting that there is a strain of the Swine flu that “shows drug resistance” to Tamiflu. With this news and the fact that it isn’t going away as quickly as they hoped, we need to be extra careful as we monitor our aging parents and young grandkids!

Hot diggety dog. There are some great sites for you to check out on Twitter and I’ve got some of them right here:

Check out Penny Raine’s site for her new eBooks including some yummy recipes that are free. One has LOTS of chocolate. She is limiting the amount of free downloads so it would be best to check it out as soon as possible

Oh my, Amazon has five MP3 albums on sale for $5. There were two in particular that I really liked. I love the praise and worship style of the David Crowder Band and their album, Remedy, is on sale. If you prefer classical, you can find Mendelssohn pieces by Anne-Sophie Mutter. It’s important to note that an MP3 album means that you download all the music. You won’t get a CD or other type of physical music media. You should be able to play it on your computer, copy it onto your MP3 player, or burn it to your own cd using something like iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Frugal Business Twip – A lot of Baby Boomers and others in the Sandwich Generation are self-employed. Most of us probably work from home but if you are starting to outgrow the house or various family members (elderly parents, adult children, grandchildren, etc.) have moved in and there’s no longer room for a home office, have you considered sharing/renting space from another company’s offices? This is quite popular with lawyers and I’m sure it would easily work with other businesses as well.

Here’s a fun Friday story from Seniors for Living . Would you believe a 73 year old who is back in college and playing basketball for his school! Wow! No wonder 50 is the new 30. 75 is apparently the new 35! I like that!

For anyone in the US with little or no insurance, Walgreens has a great prescription savings plan for only $20 a year.  @SaraCH writes that she earned back the $20 fee on her first purchase! Now that sounds like a great frugal option.

Good news – Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

If you have a Maytag Refrigerator, many of them are under a recall. You can get the details from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission .

If you are struggling with making your mortgage payment, watch out! News10 in California writes about scam artists who are targeting struggling homeowners.I doubt that it’s only Californians who are dealing with that kind of scam. Make sure you always carefully check out anyone you do business with and keep close tabs on your elderly parents. It’s especially easy for them to fall prey to something like this.

Farmers made a fascinating discovery of a monastery beneath Israeli soil – per CNN , via @NerdNews, two of my favorite sources of news.

If you’re in the mood for a contest, you’ll find a fun one at Our 7 Qtpies , the blog of a fellow Sandwich Generation writer. She is busy raising kids, helping her mom, loving life, and having contests. This one ends March 20 and you’ll learn about a great new product for cleaning the bathroom. Frankly, even if I don’t win, I feel like I did, because I really like the sounds of the cleaner. Great if you have family members with allergy issues!

“I read the Bible everyday and the newspaper everyday. That way I know what both sides are up to!” Zig Ziglar

“DNA proves all the Russian czar’s kids died: One of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century.” Per CNN , via @NerdNews. Does this mean the grandkids won’t want to watch Disney’s Anastasia anymore?

The Grocery Game is a great way to save time AND money at the grocery store.

Great news – In You, O Lord, do I take refuge…For You are my rock and my fortress; and for Your name’s sake You lead me and guide me.

If you use iTunes and find the print is too small, there is an easy solution! Read Rick Broida’s article at PC World and you will find several things you can do to make using iTunes even better including increasing the size of the print. I don’t know about y’all, but it seems like the print on everything is getting smaller and smaller, just as my eyesight is getting worser and worser. It’s nice to be given an option.

Debt-Proof Living has been one of my favorite frugal sites for years. Her current article has some frugal tips including a creative way to make good use of your grandchildren’s works of art. It’s titled “Creative Preservation.”

Here’s some food tips from my favorite foodie site, @Foodimentary. I wish I’d learned this YEARS ago! Cleaning a grater after shredding cheese can be made easy by grating a potato afterward. It clears the gummy cheese out. Also, if you drop an egg on the floor, cover it with salt and leave it for a couple of minutes. Cleaning will be much easier!

Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Well, that’s it for this week. Did you find an idea you  really liked? We’d love it if you’d let us know by leaving a comment.

Here are the latest resources from my Twitter “microblog”. As you may recall, Twitter is a fun site that lets you share very short (140 characters maximum) messages with others. Those messages can range from “how’s the weather where you are” to “here’s a great recipe to try” to disaster information.  It’s been a great resource for senior home care giving resources, grandparenting fun tips, yummy recipes for our Sandwich Generation families, and even emergency information! I found out about the earthquake in Southern California last night 1/2 hour sooner through Twitter than I did from CNN, Drudge Report, or even the LA Times, thanks to Breaking News Online and others on Twitter.

Ways to Save Money on clothes for grandkids:  Target has kids’ clothes on sale for up to 75% off. This can be a good opportunity for grandparents to help their children stock up on clothes for the grandkids. You might also want to buy a few items to keep at your house for clothing accidents during a visit.

Encouragement – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

I have to tell you, I was quite excited to “meet” an author I thoroughly enjoy online at Twitter. Brandilyn Collins has written several series including my two personal favorites, the Chelsea Adams series and the Hidden Faces series. I personally enjoy such TV crime shows as Criminal Minds, and these two series reminded me of a bit of that series, with a Christian mindset.

Ways to Save Money On Games – Battleship is an older game that’s still popular with today’s youth. Because it’s older, it’s easier to find used at yard sales and thrift stores. My grandson and I had a great time playing it this week.

Food~Fact: Some research seems to show that large amounts of garlic can shorten the duration of cold. Thanks to @Foodimentary for that great tip. My senior mom and I have to second that research. When my family started in on colds, I would head straight for the kitchen and make my dad’s Chicken Soup complete with tons of garlic, chili pepper, and red pepper. Just the smell of it made us feel better and the garlic was great at chasing away the germs!

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

Here’s a quick reminder to backup your computers, hard drives, email, etc. Good time, also, to run the defragmenter, virus checker, etc.

Got stanky laundry from messy grandkids? I loved the question and loved the advice even more. I’ll definitely be giving that combo a try!

There was another Salmonella outbreak. To be on the safe side, it’s probably wise to not eat unwashed food; raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat; or raw or unpasteurized milk and dairy for the time being.

Another good tip from Foodimentary: To clean a messy bbq grill, use 1/2 of an onion to scrape off the grease and burnt-on food pieces. Use the onion like a scouring pad. I’m looking forward to giving that a try this spring!

Encouragement - In God’s Word I put my hope.

Real Estate Tweeter, OhioRealtor, had a warning for all renters. In this season of mass bankruptcies and foreclosures, watch out for fake landlords and rental scams! Be sure to pass this info on to your elderly parents if they are looking for a rental.

If you are an online entrepreneur or small business owner, you might find one or more ebooks of interest at Toren Brothers’ List of Top 10 Best EBOOKS for Online Entrepreneurs & Small Biz Owners. Many of them are free.

LookingFit.com has an interesting article discussing a study about Vitamin D being linked to the Alzheimer’s Gene. Thanks to Twitter-er Alzheimers98 for that info.

For all of us writers, Glenn Murray of the Divine Write blog, , tipped us off to 50 of the Best Websites for Writers from EduChoices.

Encouragement – The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble.

If you do decide to give Twitter a try and also want to work on your personal finances, Bible Money Matters has a great list of 125 personal finance Twitterers to follow.

I learned a new Beef Stroganoff recipe to share with your whole family, from aging parents to the little grandkids, thanks to babyboomerdivas for linking to that. I must say, they find such yummy recipes!

Great goals for all senior home care givers, whether providing dementia care or general care for aging parents.

Well, that’s it. I hope you enjoyed the latest Sandwich Generation Senior Home Care Giver and Grandparent Twitter round up. There’s more to come in a week or so.

Are you looking for easy, affordable dinners that can be interspersed with caregiving duties? I know the feeling well. This week I decided to see what recipes were out there for cooking a roast and in the process, discovered some interesting new cooking sites along with a variety of recipes. I thought I’d share some of them with you.

Corduroyorange.com – http://corduroyorange.com/ – is, to quote the author, “The Only Food Blog Written by Jesse Sharrard. Jesse Sharrard is a classically trained chef with an English degree—unless he’s a literary scholar with a culinary arts degree; you decide.” Being an avid reader as well as an avid blogger, and in need of some cooking guidance, this definitely caught my eye. At the point I found this site, I was specifically looking for help in how to Julienne onions, and he had that info for me, complete with pictures. http://corduroyorange.com/?p=31 I enjoyed spending time reading his site. There is a lot of humor mixed in with some great information. I didn’t find a roast recipe, but enjoyed the great “taco debate” at http://budurl.com/CorduroyOrangeTacos . My personal favorite for tacos is corn tortillas,  filled with shredded beef or ground beef, followed by lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and finally the salsa on top.

Continuing with my hunt for a good roast recipe, I discovered Simply Recipes – http://budurl.com/SimplyRecipesRoast . There I found a delicious Tri-Tip Roast recipe (my favorite cut of meat for both roast or steak). Marinated Tri-Tip Roast with Mushrooms and Garlic! Sounds delicious and doesn’t look too hard. Simply Recipes has a variety of recipes on their site. They also go the extra step we caregivers appreciate, and offer an email option so you can have new recipes sent to your email regularly. “Simply Recipes was noted in Time Magazine’s 50 Coolest Websites of 2006 as being a ‘great resource for cooks’” and I have to agree that it is, indeed, an excellent resource.

Returning to my quest, I arrived at Cooks Recipes – http://budurl.com/CooksRecipesRoast . Since I love rosemary, this is another recipe I bookmarked. It looks pretty easy and low maintenance – two more of my favorite cooking requirements.

As easy as these all were, I wanted something with even less work required for this particularly busy day. Ah ha, a crockpot recipe might be the thing. I then discovered About.Com’s Southern Food website where I found an old favorite, Crock Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix. http://budurl.com/SouthernFoodCPRoast . It’s an easy-to-make recipe that you can start in the morning, leave cooking all day, and enjoy whenever you want to eat in the evening. This is especially nice if you have the grandchildren all day. My only concern with this recipe is the high salt content in the onion soup mix. I did use the low salt/low fat Cream of Mushroom soup, but for those of us who like to eat healthier or who have elderly parents with high blood pressure, this still wasn’t a great option in spite of its ease.

There is a good solution for that at my last site for today. Low Sodium Cooking http://budurl.com/LowSodiumOnionSoup has a recipe for a low sodium home-made onion soup mix and it’s quick and easy to make as well. I didn’t get to try it today but it’s on my list to try later this month and I’ll let you know how it tastes. In the meantime, if you give it a try, let us know how you liked it.

One of the fun “jobs” that writing this blog requires is to peruse dozens of different websites, blogs, magazines, etc. to find great information to share with you. One site that I’ve discovered and enjoy is The Lean Green Family, http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/10/five-frugal-meal-planning-tips-for-busy.html . Recently she wrote a post entitled Five Frugal Meal-Planning Tips for Busy People. That definitely includes us caregivers! Her suggestions were great.  I loved her idea for how to save on pizza (perfect for grandkids! ), and she also introduced me, and now you, to another very interesting site -A Year of Crockpotting, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ !

One of her posts,  http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/save-money-by-using-your-crockpot-slow.html , explains how we can save money by using the crockpot more often. Just as important, it’s a wonderful time saver. I can start a meal in the morning, then ignore it until I’m ready to eat at night! So when I’m staying busy running errands, playing tag with grandkids, or working, I can still enjoy a delicious hot meal. I have to confess, I haven’t used a crockpot in quite a while. I’d forgotten how handy they can be. But after looking at her recipes, I’m going to go find it and give some of them a try. I think I’ll start with the Crockpot Bacon-Wrapped Cornish Game Hens. They sound delicious!

Two great sites with lots of time and money saving ideas! Happy cooking!

Are you always on the lookout for a yummy meal that’s cheap, easy, quick and freezes well? Me too! Here’s one of my favorites, just for you:

1 bag of dried tortellini – 16 ounces (I like Trader Joe’s with pesto filling)

1 can of Spaghetti Sauce – 26 ounces (My favorite is Trader Giotti’s Organic Marinara Sauce from Trader Joe’s. It’s low-fat and has no salt added.)

2 cans of artichoke hearts in water – 14 ounces (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

Cook the pesto according to the package directions (mine takes about 16-18 minutes)

If you’re going to eat it right away, heat the sauce and the artichokes. (I usually freeze it and eat it later, so I often skip this step).

Cut up each artichoke into three pieces.

Combine the tortellini, sauce, and artichokes. Serve immediately and/or divide into individual plastic containers. This usually makes 6 servings for me. Pop the ones you are saving into the freezer.

To heat after frozen, I put them into the microwave until they are the right temperature, about 3-5 minutes.

This provides six yummy meals that are quick and easy. You can add a salad to the meal if you have time. If you’re in a real hurry, a cut-up tomato or avocado also works nicely.

What’s your favorite recipe that is easy, quick and freezes well? Just add it to the comments at the bottom of this post or send it in an email to Kaye@SandwichINK.com . The first person to do so will receive a free ebook, 150 Salads, as a thank you.