Hush! Do you hear it? Is it the sound of carols playing softly in the background? Not at the moment. How about snow falling quietly. Nope. Jingle bells. Fraid not. It's actually the sound of me – coughing and sneezing the night away! Oyyyy. Not great timing to have a cold during the holiday season, and even worse for those of us in the Sandwich Generation! Who's got time to be sick when you are busy juggling all the multigenerational issues of caring for elderly parents and babysitting grandchildren! And try as we might, you know SOME of those germs will spread. After all,  how did we usually get sick? Tho this time, it's either a cold with a REALLY LONG incubation period, or I got it from outside our family. Sigh….

I really should make chicken soup. It definitely has good healing properties! But I'm out of chicken and don't want to go to the store. So I'm making do with chicken broth, TV dinners and tacos. But when I'm ready to, I'm going to have to try this free recipe from Gooseberry Patch Homemade Christmas. In addition to plenty of scrumptious recipes, including their Chill Chaser Chicken Soup, they also have more of their cute, and often easy crafts that are as fun for us seniors as our grand kids.

I'm also checking the web periodically to see if anyone has finally come up with the cure for the common cold. Not so far, though. I was happy to see that Weather.com is reporting minimal invasions of the flu – hate to combine the two, don't you? 

From there, I headed to AARP where I discovered they have a handy dandy symptom checker among many other useful health tools. It told me I have, drum roll please, a COLD. Hmmm. I guess I was hoping for something medicine could wipe out in a second. No such luck. But they did remind me to take yogurt and eat chicken soup, among several other great tips.  

WebMD has a nice slide-show with excellent reminders of what to do when you have a cold, including a sweet baby boomer family memory for me – Vicks VapoRub – they suggest dabbing a bit under your nose to clear up the nasal passages. I'll have to ask my mom if she has some. I remember her using that every time I was sick when I was a kid. How about your parents? Come to think of it, my favorite tissue – Puffs Plus – has a Vicks version. I'll have to remember to stock up on those for future bugs! 

Ah well, while colds and flu aren't great news for all of us boomers and seniors they do happen. For the most part, I'll just keep plugging away since all my duties do give me the freedom to just sit quietly a lot if necessary. My poor senior mom, who IS healthy (and I'm praying hard she stays that way) is now taking her walks alone. My grandkids – that's a story for another day (tomorrow, to be exact). And in the meantime, I'm hiding away to keep from sharing TOO many germs for one day anyway. And very grateful I can write this for you without giving you ANY germs at all. Got any advice for me. I'm all ears. And I'm hoping you and your Sandwich Generation family are NOT sharing this particular seasonal issue!

P.S. Would you believe it, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series even has a Chicken Soup recipes book, complete with stories for caregivers and grandparents, and recipes. Fun reading for those of us in the Sandwich Generation who are recouping together.

Kaye

"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

Last month, while enjoying visits from various out-of-town company, one of my grandkids and I enjoyed a trip with one guest to our local pet store where she shopped for a special dog and cat and we enjoyed perusing fun ideas for our own granddog or two. I don't usually give Christmas gifts to the granddogs (though I did buy a couple of cute granddog holiday jingle bell collars and matching hats) but I do like to keep my eyes open for practical granddog helps and tasty doggie treats to ensure that they are happy little campers (not to mention the added bonus that they come fairly quickly when I call them ). 

You should have seen some of the cute gifts and treats at the store! Things I'd never seen before! Many of them would make delightful gifts for the elderly parents' granddog that would put a HUGE smile on our parent's AND granddog's face. And sometimes, that can be the best Christmas gift of all, don't you think?

Check out these cute granddog rawhide candy canes!

Then there were these adorable faux food gift baskets:

Amazon didn't seem to carry those, but they did have these granddog-scrumptious-looking REAL organic homemade dog treats from Heidi – and even the basket holding them is edible. How cool is that!

Of course, as fun as all the above ideas are, I also spotted several practical gift ideas, including dog booties to protect a paw that might have an owwww-ie on it. We had to deal with that earlier this year for one granddog…

and they were so handy! (Footsy?!?!?! )

Many people also use these for their dogs and granddogs when they live in snow areas, complete with salt sprinkled all around. That can help protect the dog, which also helps our senior parents from having to worry or be more active in such a situation. Just be careful to adjust them tight enough to stay on but not so tight you cut off their circulation.

And oh my goodness, check out this adorable dog toy box! Perfect for the granddog who has everything, and then some!

Definitely some cute and fun gift ideas for granddogs near and far. Fun for the senior parents, fun for the grandkids, fun for the granddogs, and fun for us – AND with some very helpful items as well! I must say, that trip to the pet store was definitely interesting for this Sandwich Generation granny nanny! What granddog toys and practical items can you recommend?

Kaye

Encouraging Christmas praise and worship music and Bible verses for all of us, in OR out of the Sandwich Generation! My granddaughter and I were blessed to enjoy Downhere and their lovely Christmas music last year, and I wanted to share their song, Angels from the Realms of Glory, from the album, How Many Kings: Songs For Christmas. Enjoy the latest of my Smilebox eCards Creations.  

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 

Advent blessings to the Sandwich Generation on this third Sunday in Advent.

And…

Kaye

Back in November, I had an interesting Facebook conversation with fellow caregiver, Diane Yuhas. She had written, "What worries you? I worry that my mom is going to pee on my bed because all her incontinence pads are in the wash." I replied, "I've known that feeling with grandkids – the joys of the Sandwich Generation – so much of it is at both ends, isn't it. Praying the wash gets done fast." I then added some important info that I had learned about when my senior dad was in the end stage of Parkinsons Disease and in the hospice program. A couple of days later, a Christmas light bulb went off in my brain and I realized that, even though Diane had already known what I shared, I hadn't until that difficult time in our lives. And perhaps you don't either. So just in case, and with Diane's permission, I decided to share all this with you.

Did you know there are washable AND disposable bed liners to protect the bed from accidents – whether they be from caring for elderly parents, a young grandchild wetting the bed, or anyone dealing with a disease that includes incontinence. For that matter, they are also quite handy for days when you are dealing with a tummy bug patient. They're even great for the family pet, including a granddog or two. In other words, perfect for the Sandwich Generation. Here's just some of the many options:

Chux comes in several Sizes from Small Size 17 x 24 to  Large Size 23 x 36. These are fully disposable and work great on the bed, They are even great for potty-training a granddog. (I saw a couple of people commenting they work better than specific dog pads!)

Reusable Bedpads by Invacare - These can go on the sheet for easy removal. Or you could put it under the sheet, making the bedding a bit more comfy – especially important for aging parents with delicate skin.

Priva Ultra Plus Waterproof Sheet Protector - Another sheet protector that can go on the bedding or under the sheet. 

Prevail Super Absorbent Pads - Another brand of disposable bed pads that got excellent reviews at Amazon. And rather pretty in pink. 

I keep several of the washable pads on hand as you never know when an emergency (or tummy bug) will strike. They are practical and wonderful. And back when my dad was so ill with advanced Parkinsons Disease and we found out that we could buy the Chux at the local drug store, as well as at Amazon, I kept a couple of packages of those on hand as well for quick and easy use if my washable pads were all dirty. They are wonderful. I even read an interesting comment in the reviews that one person uses them to "wrap my antique and auction purchases….so buying in bulk saves. They last a long time…" How handy is that! 

And as I said, Amazon also carries all of these styles and more. For those of us caring for the elderly parents who live a long distance away, that's the kind of news that is very handy to keep in mind. Since I have the Amazon Prime Discount Membership, I can generally get something like this to a sweet senior within a day or two. Again, very useful for emergencies for my Sandwich Generation family. How about yours? 

P.S. Happy Pink Saturday full of pink AND holiday things this month.

P.P.S. Today is the last day of the very interesting Caregiving.com Holiday Progressive Blog Party. Be sure to leave a comment here to be entered in my giveaway, then pop over to say HELLO to Denise Brown and the delightful writers participating at Caregiving to be entered in her HUGE giveaway – full of useful and encouraging goodies to put a smile on the face of all of us – in OR out of the Sandwich Generation. And…

Kaye

November is a very busy month, isn't it? Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and we must not forget, it is also National Diabetes Awareness Month! Now granted, that might not sound as much fun as the rest of the occasions we celebrate in November, but it's definitely of vital importance to so many of us, including boomers and seniors in the Sandwich Generation.

As a matter of fact, according to the Midland Free Press, one of the reasons for getting tested for type 2 Diabetes is – are you ready for this – BEING OVER 40! Yowzer! That's ALL of us in the baby boomer generation and above! Per the WomensHealth.gov, other reasons to be tested include:

• Overweight or obesity
• Family history — having a mother, father, brother, or sister with diabetes
• Race/ethnicity — your family background is African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic-American/Latino, Asian-American/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian
• Having a baby with a birth weight more than 9 pounds
• Having diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
• High blood pressure — 140/90 mmHg or higher. Both numbers are important. If one or both numbers are usually high, you have high blood pressure.
• High cholesterol — total cholesterol over 240 mg/dL
• Inactivity — exercising less than 3 times a week
• Abnormal results in a prior diabetes test
• Having other health conditions that are linked to problems using insulin, like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Having a history of heart disease or stroke

I can see several on that list that would also apply to many of us boomers and seniors, busy battling our changing metabolisms!

For those of us who are diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2, the American Diabetes Association is an excellent resource, including their  "Living With Type 2 Diabetes" one-year free program with tips, tools, and resources to help you get going in the right direction!

If you're looking for good apps for the iPhone to help with controlling it, Seniors For Living has an excellent list of some of the most useful iphone apps they've found for caregivers including one for helping with diabetes.

All in all, some great resources for all of us in the Sandwich Generation, whether we are coping with type 2 Diabetes ourselves, or caring for an elderly parent or other relative who has it. And if you know of more great resources to help, we'd love to have you leave them in the comments below. 

Kaye

Michelle Seitzer, a favorite writer here at SandwichINK, has prepared a new guest post for us that is excellent, addressing several of the aging in place issues my own Sandwich Generation family has dealt with over the years, and I bet yours has also! 

Tips for Supporting Aging in Place

by Michelle Seitzer for 101Mobility.com 

Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, shiny wood floors, custom tiling, new roof: these are among the items frequently found on the modern home buyer’s checklist. 

Decades ago, when the myriad of seniors currently aging in place (AIP) were house-hunting, it’s unlikely that wide doorways, hand/chair rails, expanded hallways, interior/exterior wheelchair ramps, and streamlined one-level living quarters were on their checklists. But that’s what they need now, and that’s what their adult children, many of whom are boomers planning for their own present and future care needs, are struggling to provide. 

Unaware of the options and frustrated by the seeming impossibility of taking the 19th century farmhouse and making it “senior-friendly” (or just trying to keep up with maintenance), adult children often throw their hands up in defeat, encouraging Mom or Dad to ditch the aging abode in favor of something that’s easier to maintain, and safer for maneuvering. But moving out of a home after a lifetime of living within its walls is no easy task, especially for seniors who have paid off the mortgage years ago. The idea of moving elsewhere, especially in this economy, is unnerving and impractical.  

Thankfully, there are solutions.

Enter universal design, an emerging movement that is changing the way homes on the present and future market look as we face the graying of America. Essentially, universal design considers the needs of everyone in the home – and for the long haul – instead of building and remodeling based on a perpetually young, unencumbered, and mobile tenant. 

Industry experts are watching this trend in design and remodeling unfold. In this MSN.com article, The National Association of Home Builders said that 75% of remodelers reported getting more requests for AIP projects from customers ages 45 and up. Of those requests, 75% were planning for future needs, and 53% were living with aging parents. 

Whether you renovate an entire floor of your home, build an addition (i.e. the mother-in-law suite) or complete several home modifications in stages, it is possible to age in place without moving out. 

1. Simplify, simplify, simplify: Decluttering, streamlining, and organizing the home is one of the easiest (and most affordable) means for adapting the home. Those boxes of old National Geographic magazines, that dining room table piled with paperwork and bills, the closet that’s inaccessible because it’s full of old clothes and holiday decorations, and overstuffed shelves, drawers & cabinets are not only unattractive, they’re a fall risk, a hazard, an obstacle to efficiency. It doesn’t have to be spring to do some much need clearing, condensing, and consolidating. And should you or a loved one eventually require a transition to a care facility, the work of downsizing from a multi-bedroom home to a room/apartment will be easier.

2. Ramp it up: Installing wheelchair ramps at the home’s most-used exits/entrances enhances independence and prevents home “imprisonment”. Additionally, stair lifts allow access to a 2nd floor bathroom or bedroom. Learn more about different styles and models of ramps, as well as the installation process, here. 

3. Let there be light: Lighting can make a significant difference when it comes to preventing falls and easing mobility in the home. On one hand, certain lighting fixtures (like floor lamps, for example) can be dangerous if they have long wires that are exposed/in the walking (tripping) path of the homeowner. Installing additional lights (or windows to let in more natural light) in high-traffic areas and frequently-used rooms makes the home safer – and more attractive.

4. Watch where you step: You walk all over it every day but probably don’t give it much thought until your balance or gait is compromised. Flooring in all rooms of the house can easily present a fall risk, as can rugs that are bulky, shift around easily, or have corners that catch on walkers, canes or wheelchairs. For optimal mobility, hard flooring is best.

5. Keep things dry in the water closet: In the bathroom, where the majority of fall-related injuries occur, it’s essential to implement non-skid surfaces. Make sure all surfaces (counters, tubs/shower floors, etc.) stay dry. For examples of bath safety improvements and products, click here.

6. Lend a hand: Chair rails in hallways, grab bars in the bathroom, and other touch points for safe and supported maneuvering can dramatically reduce the risk of falls and promote independence within the home.

An added bonus? After home modifications have been made to accommodate an aging resident, these features, if done well, can certainly be highlighted as a selling point for future homebuyers (i.e. those young adults who are already thinking about taking care of Mom, Grandpa, or another senior relative). Invest wisely; prepare your home now.

Committed to helping people retain their independence and freedom, 101 Mobility is the nation’s leading sales, service and installation provider of a complete line of mobility and accessibility products and equipment that may be customized to suit each individuals’ home care needs. Find out more about 101 Mobility and all their mobility solutions via www.101mobility.com or call 877.350.2755. 

Wasn't that a great article full of excellent and practical suggestions? Many thanks to Michelle Seitzer for another excellent resource for all of us in the Sandwich Generation!

P.S. Happy Pink Saturday. . 

Kaye

Got grandgirls? Got a fun project for them! I was meandering through Walmart the other day with my senior mom. She headed off to the produce section and I went towards the craft department. I wanted some colored construction paper to go with the Valentine stickers I bought a couple of weeks ago. A couple of aisles over, I spotted the "Scrapbooking section." Talk about some cool stuff for projects! They are great for grandkids visits, homeschooling projects, holiday fun, and so much more.

They have all sorts of cheap scrapbook supplies like pads of paper with a wide variety of designs, shades, and shapes – from solids to country cute to geometric cool. They have stickers, pictures, diecuts for every holiday, fun scrapbooking paper cutters, and plenty of other goodies. I'm going back when I have more time, stock up on some of these, set them out on a table with glue sticks, scrappbooking paper cutters and regular scissors, and washable markers, and let my granddaughter and her girlfriend get busy creating some fun designs, pictures and greeting cards for friends, family, and themselves.

While I was meandering around a different way, online this time, I found an interesting Scrapbooking eBook, Lasting Expressions, that I bought and will print out for them to have fun with on this project. It gives them all sorts of scrapbook inspirational sayings, short and snappy verses, and downright funny quotes to write on their notes and greeting cards. Even more fun is that is is also useful for me. Personally I'm going to have fun adding many of these scrapbook inspirational sayings to some of my emails, the greeting cards I send to aging family members who I can't email, and even my Smilbox creations. There's some very cute scrapbooking verses and sayings for all ages including:

• A loving heart brings joy to all
• A friend hugs my heart
• Music is the voice of the angels
• Of course there is such a thing as angels. Only, sometimes they don't have wings and we call them friends.
• My SlumBear Party
• Happiness is a beary big hug
• A dog says "I love you" with his tail
• Udderly adorable
• Meow spoken here
• My mommy nose everything (elephant stickers)
• Say Cheese (mice stickers with photos)

With 123 pages of quotes and ideas for scrapbooking and just plain having fun, it should make for a very creative and entertaining time for us to just play around with AND if I ever get brave and start working on my own photo and scrap book ideas like my daughters keep encouraging me to do, I'll be totally prepared with all these fun sayings!

After I downloaded it, I discovered it also came with several freebies, some more exciting than others. One is a very cool 3D product sampler, Xara3D.  It makes great Scrapbook Titles that worked fine on both a Mac and a PC. Isn't this cute: 

There are also two scrapbooking for beginners guides that I am going to save for that time when I am ready to start in on my boxes of photos. I suspect my senior mom will enjoy looking them over sooner, though, so I'll print out a set for her now.

All of the Scrapbook inspirational sayings and beginners guides eBooks and freeware products except one will work on either Macintosh or PC. The one item that only works on PC is a freeware product that creates paperdoll heads for Jill's PaperDoll World, Sizzix Dolls, or Tracerkins. I've never heard of them so it doesn't matter to me. I did add it to my PC in case my grandkids want to play with them. They could have fun designing boy and girl faces, printing them out and coloring them.  

If you'd like to find out more or even buy your own copy of Lasting Expressions, just Click Here!  And by the way, if you purchase it, send me an email – SandwichINK@SandwichINK.com – if you need any help with saving the headlines from Xara3D. I had no problems and will be glad to send you my simple step-by-step tips for it.  

Speaking of grandboys,  I know they're going to have fun making projects with all these quotes and ideas for scrapbooking as well. I'll get some more rugged designs for them to make fun items for themselves, plus set them to work on projects for others such as Easter greeting cards and Mother's Day gifts. I do love it when I have plenty of craft projects lined up to keep my grandkids and me happy and busy.

How about you? Are you going to be making special greeting cards or projects for the upcoming holidays? Do you already do scrapbooking and have some suggestions or fun scrapbook inspirational sayings for our grandkids or us? Are your grandkids incorporating these kinds of projects in their homeschooling programs? We'd love to hear. And we'd love to have you join us in getting the FREE SandwichINK email with more fun projects for you and your grandkids.

Love covers all transgressions.

Valentine's Day is a great time to remind all of us caring for the elderly parents in our lives along with our grandkids, as part of the Sandwich Generation, of the truth in Proverbs 10:12.

Whether it's a senior parent snapping, due to dementia symptoms;

or a grandchild having a bit of a melt down in the grocery store;

or even ourselves being cranky after too little sleep.

God's love forgives all our transgressions and

enables us to forgive others and love them no matter what.

And that's the best Valentine gift of all!

Be sure to check out All You Have To Get for more inspirational Bible verses to encourage the Sandwich Generation.

The votes have been cast, the public has spoken, and the decision has been made. No, I'm not talking about the Grammies, Oscars, or even American Idol. I'm referring to the SandwichINK first-ever poll. The response to my question of how you feel about the Twitter resource article once a week was, wonderfully, the same as mine. The content was useful but there was, perhaps, a bit too much. So now I will spotlight my favorite one or two links from Twitter each week AND I am experimenting with a Twitter widget on the right side where you can see all my Twitter comments – the good, the bad, the funny. That way, you can easily follow me on Twitter here, as well as at the Twitter site – @SandwichINK. I'll definitely keep twittering and tweeting items of interest for Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents! 

Speaking of the right side, you may have noticed some minor tweaks to how SandwichINK looks. I've moved the primary column to the left to make it easier to read if you are using a smart phone. Also, I've added some book ideas for the Sandwich Generation along with some of my grandkids' and my favorite books, Bibles, and DVDs. I'd love to hear what you think of all the changes  - whether you love them, hate them, or ?

Today's Spotlight On Twitter is from @AgingSuite. They tweeted an interesting article, Ankles Gain as Candidates for Joint Replacement Surgery, from the New York Times Health section. Did you know that "more than 770,000 hip and knee replacements are performed each year in the U.S.!" And now ankle joint replacement surgery is becoming more popular as well. Though, as this article and its comments point out, it's not without its concerns. Definitely an interesting article to read!

Our family has dealt with hip joint replacement surgery and knee joint replacement surgery. I've even had ankle surgery when I broke my ankle. But this was the first I'd heard of "ankle joint replacement surgery!" How about you? Have you or your family had it or considered it? What are your thoughts on the subject – or on the changes here at SandwichINK. We'd love to hear. And don't forget to sign up for the FREE SandwichINK email for more interesting resources from Twitter for the Sandwich Generation.