One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the music. I grew up with the Christmas specials by Bing Crosby, the King Family, Lawrence Welk, Andy Williams, Dean Martin, and so many other wonderful artists. Today I have a huge collection of Christmas music on CDs. Most is packed away in storage, but thanks to iTunes I have several hours of  the songs stored on my computer. I usually add one – two new CDs each year, along with giving Christmas praise and worship music CDs as gifts.

This year I bought with the grandtween in mind, ending up with Santa Claus by Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana), and Joyful Kings by the Jonas Brothers. Last year my focus was more towards my senior mom's taste with In The Swing of Christmas by Barry Manilow along with The Ray Price Christmas Album.

Two of my favorite holiday only songs are The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Kathy Griffith and Two Step Round the Christmas Tree by Suzy Boguss. You should hear my friend and I sing together on the chorus for that one!

As fun as all these songs are, they don't come close to the joy I feel when listening to Christmas praise and worship songs like Mercy Me's Gloria, Third Day's Joy to the World, and Michael W. Smith's Christ the Messiah. I listen to those and God gives me a brief respite in the midst of Sandwich Generation senior home care giving and grandparenting. It's like a tiny taste of what the shepherds experience! Listening to Christmas praise and worship is a wonderful way to bring the joy and peace Christmas should entail into the real world where the peace is so often missing.

Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious! Psalm 66:2

Let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.  Psalm 5:11

Another way we enjoy the sounds of Christmas joy during Advent are by attending Christmas musicals at local churches. This year our new church is offering a contemporary Christian praise and worship night for tweens, teens, and young adults, a kids''' musical two of my grandchildren are taking me to, and a choir presentation of old and new Christmas carols and hymns. You can find times and dates for many of these at the church's website or in the local newspapers.

This is one of the best weeks to enjoy the Sounds of Christmas and it's a delightful way for all the generations to celebrate together. And for those of you who can't get out, or who have senior parents who can't go out, here's a special Christmas praise and worship just for you  – Casting Crowns singing Joy to The World. . You'll be happy to know that Amazon is giving away mp3 downloads of many Christmas songs, including some Christmas praise and worship!  That's definitely one of my favorite holiday ways to save money!  (Be sure to pop in on Christmas Day, too, for another one!  Merry Christmas!)     

Today SandwichINK is guest hosting a great article, Do-It-Yourself Carschooling Activity Book, by Diane Flynn Keith, author of the fun book, Carschooling: Over 350 Entertaining Games & Activities to Turn Travel Time into Learning Time – For Kids Ages 4 to 17. Her website, CarSchooling, is a terrific resource for car activities for Sandwich Generation grandparents and their grandchildren, especially if you spend a lot of time in the car with your grandkids.  Her current newsletter is especially perfect with Thanksgiving coming up so soon! And even if you aren’t traveling in the car with the wee ones, these kids coloring pages, activity worksheets, poems, and mazes would still be fun to print out and take along on your visit. You can have fun working on them with your grandkids during quiet moments.There's even some fun Thanksgiving songs to sing together.

Do-It-Yourself Carschooling Activity Book

Heading to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving? I’ve compiled free, Thanksgiving-themed printable resources so that you can make an assemble-it-yourself carschooling booklet full of fun and educational games. Guaranteed to take the whine out of drive time! Thanksgiving Math Worksheets – These worksheets contain colorful Thanksgiving illustrations along with equations for practicing addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Turkey Dot-to-Dot – Practice counting and numerical order. Then, color in the picture! Thanksgiving Mad Libs – Help kids learn and practice parts of speech by filling in the blanks of the stories with words that are adjectives, nouns, and verbs. Print out 2 different versions:

• Thanksgiving Dinner
• Going To Grandma’s

Thanksgiving Word Searches – Here are 4 fun word search games. Note: When you click on these printables they may be a little fuzzy to see on your computer screen – but when you print them out, they will appear very clear.

• Beginner
• Easy
• Medium
• Hard

Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzles – Have fun solving these 3 crossword puzzles. Note: When you click on these they may appear incomplete on your computer screen – but when you print them out, they will be complete.

• Easy
• Medium
• Hard
• Answer Key for all 3 Puzzles

Thanksgiving Poems and Songs – Print out fun poems and songs about Thanksgiving, Grandma’s House, Turkeys, and more. Thanksgiving Mazes – Kids will have fun solving these 3 mazes:

• Easy – Help the Indian Children Play
• Medium – Help The Mayflower Get to America
• Difficult – Help The Pilgrim Catch the Turkey

Thanksgiving Fun Mini-Packet – A complete booklet of Thanksgiving fun that includes coloring page, dot-to-dot, alphabet letter cards, and “Which Picture is Different?” BONUS! – Enchanted Learning also offers a Free Car Travel Activity Book – not Thanksgiving themed, but sure to bring miles of smiles. And don’t miss the free, printable Vacation Memory Book – your child can use it as a journal to record memories of their trip! Diane Flynn Keith publishes the rave-reviewed Carschooling® ezine with 6,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to have more fun learning with your children while you’re in the car, on the road – get your FREE subscription to Carschooling® now at http://www.Carschooling.com.    

I’m looking forward to printing these out for both sets of grandkids. And if you can’t go to see yours for Thanksgiving this year, think what a fun package this would be for them in their mailbox! These would also be a fun addition to your grandkids’ homeschooling programs for Thanksgiving activities for grandparents and grandchildren. Thank you, Diane, for allowing me to share this with SandwichINK.

P.S. Don't forget to take a look at Diane's great book, Carschooling: Over 350 Entertaining Games & Activities to Turn Travel Time into Learning Time – For Kids Ages 4 to 17, with even more fun ideas and resources – perfect for fun carschooling activities for grandparents and their grandchildren. Check it out by clicking here. 

Kaye

My grandkids and I are well into Autumn and Awanas so this week we’ve been busy memorizing “The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world” and “Great is our Lord and mighty in power,” among other verses.

We’ve also continued reviewing our Fruit of the Spirit songs and verses during the occasional bath times I participate in. That is such a great time to sing verse songs about the Lord combined with plenty of laughter, hugs, and joy!

They got to spend the night last night so this morning we were busy having our shower and song-fest. As I sang to them and with them, I was amazed at how God used their little verses to encourage me and lift my spirits over some of the Sandwich Generation issues I’ve been grappling with!

It has always been a blessing through the years as I taught God’s love and Word, first to my kids and now to my grandkids. He has so richly blessed me with the fruit I see in each of their lives. I love how He also uses my teaching of His Word to nourish and strengthen me as well!

This truly is a gift that keeps on giving – even into the Sandwich Generation and Senior years.

How about you? What ways does God use you to teach your grandkids and yourself? We’d love you to share them!

SENIOR HOME CARE GIVING:

I’ve been so swamped and gotten so little computer time lately, I was really grateful to @carebuzz for reminding me that the brand new and TERRIFIC Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use blog carnival is once again available at SeniorsForLiving. Loads of great info, including two articles by yours truly, as well as articles about special memories, veterans’ aid, choosing a new doctor, and more, so do check it out just as soon as you are done here.

Another interesting blog carnival for caregivers to read is at the EldercareABC Blog Carnival. Along with an article from SandwichINK, you’ll find info about Protection from Financial Elder Abuse, dementia care, macular degeneration, and other interesting topics. Another great site to check out this week!

Speaking of @Seniors4Living, she tipped us off to this interesting statistic as well – the number of people with Alzheimer’s Disease expected to nearly double every 20 yrs to total 65.7 million in 2030. Obviously, that means the need for dementia care will be growing exponentially as well! Being aware now is vital!

A Dementia That Afflicts Younger Population Has Similarities to Alzheimer’s Disease! per @SeniorsResource

GRANDPARENTS & GRANDKIDS:

I want to thank @TwinHappyJen again for nominating SandwichINK for “Best Supporting Twin Blog” and I want to congratulate @Tncountrygal for winning the prize! Loads of fun for all!

Important news for those of us who use garage sales to shop for and/or resell grandkids’ items. A new government policy imposes strict standards on garage sales nationwide.  There are concerns that this will also impact kids’ resale shops – meaning fewer choices for us grandparents and a harder time for the stores to make a profit, which could in turn mean fewer stores for us to even shop at!

SANDWICH GENERATION:

Sometimes it’s your aging parent and their health issues, sometimes it’s your grandchild and their health issues, sometimes it’s both, and sometimes it’s just all the everyday wear and tear of life. Regardless of the reason, life can bring you to your knees often. I loved this story retold by Lynn Mosher about Three Kneelers. I could so relate to all three, at varying times of my life, and for that matter, of my day! How about you?

Very interesting! The 10 most important nutrition stories of the last two decades. Per @twitterbo

For any of you who also use Twitter, I have two questions. First, are you following @SandwichINK! I’d love to see you over there as well as here. Second, be careful! There is yet ANOTHER phishing scam circulating. If you get an unusual link in your DM, best to ask the sender if it is legit. I did that regarding a video and was so glad I did, as it was, indeed, spurious! In fact, be careful when clicking on any link that seems off.

That’s it for today. Have a Twitter-ific rest of the week!

As I mentioned yesterday, Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents don't always get to rest on Labor Day. As a gift to all of you, those who can rest and those who can't, here is a Smilebox with a delightful reminder that Autumn is on its way, with an "Autumn Ballet" as my grandkids and I love to call the swirling leaves, along with a favorite song, Indescribable, by Chris Tomlin from his album, Arriving. Please enjoy it and the few minutes of rest you will get as you do so. If your grandkids or your aging parents are with you, enjoy sharing it with them as well. Y'all might even like to sing together with it. To turn the pages, just click on the little green leaves in the bottom right corner.  

HAPPY LABOR DAY from SANDWICHINK to All of us in the Sandwich Generation!

P.S. Want to use Smilebox to create ecards and other special creations using family photos full of your sweet family summer memories from your easy to use digital camera along with favorite praise and worship hymn songs and music? It's easy to  

Kaye

Sandwich Generation caregivers tend to be in perpetual motion. If we’re not busy with senior home care giving, we’re often playing games with grandkids. If we’re not doing that, you can often find us at the computer. Our grandkids tend to stay pretty busy as well, because that’s what kids do. But our aging parents don’t always keep so busy and, while that’s not necessarily bad, it’s also not good. Staying active, mentally and physically, is good for the body, the mind, and the spirits, helping to stave off depression and unneeded worry. How can a busy caregiver help to encourage more activities for their senior parents?

Just as with grandkids’ activity sites, there are interesting senior citizens’ activity sites. One such resource for us is the Nursing Home Activities Resource. While their primary audience is activity directors for nursing home and assisted living facilities, they have an eye out for us senior home care givers as well. I enjoyed looking around their site and found some interesting ideas to share with others plus some old favorites from years past.

Bridge and other card games have been very popular for many decades. My dad had to quit playing a couple of years after he got Parkinson’s Disease, because of his hand shaking, but many seniors can continue to enjoy playing well into their 80s and beyond. I used to drive a dear senior friend all over our fair city once every two weeks, for her Bridge game. She and her friends had been playing since they had worked at the same high school – over 50 years before!

Crossword puzzles were an old favorite my dad enjoyed til a couple of months before he went to be with the Lord, and is something my senior mom still has fun with. Sudoku is a new variation of this. It can be a bit tough for some, but many seniors have taken to it with a vengeance!

My husband’s grandma and grandpa loved to go their church every Sunday night to sing together with others. No sermon at this particular service, just lots of rousing, happy, wonderful old hymns. I would have loved to join them if we hadn’t lived on the opposite coast. Definitely kept their spirits up just thinking about it through the week!

The website includes group activities, things to do by yourself, musical fun, exercises, party plans, and even interesting ideas for those dealing with dementia care due to Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s, etc.

I especially enjoyed their article on a Luau party, complete with a video of the get-together (with a great song ) as well as another video showing how to make paper leis. Many seniors have enjoyed trips to Hawaii in the past and this would be a nice way to spark good memories and stories for the grandkids. For those involved in the senior ministry at their church, this could be a really fun project.

I have been enjoying their newsletter for awhile and am adding this to my bookmarks as well. How about you? What are some of your senior parents’ favorite activities? We’d love to hear about them.

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.

Yesterday, I wrote about the music and Bible songs I sing my grandchildren as I give them a shower. Using this as a means to hide God’s Word and principles in their hearts musically makes shower time even more special and cleansing.

For any of you who would like to know the lyrics to the Bible songs I listed, here are the lyrics for those songs no long under copyright, or the links for those that are under copyright. One caveat: I usually only sing 1 or 2 verses for each song. I am posting all the verses available, though, for any of those who are better at memorizing than me:

Jesus Loves Me – Probably one of the best known children’s songs ever, it has tons of verses. I usually only sing the first to my grandkids, but here are all the official ones. For even more that others have added, check out DLTK:

Jesus loves me! this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
they are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! loves me still,
‘tho I’m very weak and ill,
that I might from sin be free,
bled and died upon the tree.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died
heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
let His little child come in.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
close beside me all the way.
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me when I’m good.
When I do the things I should.
Jesus loves me when I’m bad,
but it makes him oh so sad.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Joy to the World, The Lord Has Come – Yes, a Christmas song. I am infamous in my family for loving all Christmas songs all year. My grandkids think it’s great, though, so I’m happy. And if you check out the next song, you’ll find I have Easter covered, so really, I’m just working on doctrine.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 – I have to be honest, my version is a bit different. I discovered there are more than two versions of this lovely hymn. I don’t know how, but I managed to mangle all of them into yet another version but it contains the gospel in a nutshell so I typically sing – “Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia; Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia; Who did once upon the cross; Alleluia; Suffer to redeem the lost, Alleluia.” You should hear my grandkids and me belt out those Alleluias! For the purists among you, here is one of the proper versions (You sing Alleluia after each line) Here’s another version:

1. Christ the Lord is risen today,
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heavens, and, earth, reply.

2. Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won.
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er;
Lo, He sets in blood no more.

3. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ has burst the gates of hell.
Death in vain forbids His rise;
Christ has opened Paradise.

4. Lives again our glorious King;
Where, 0 Death, is now thy sting?
Once He died our souls to save;
Where thy victory, O Grave?

5. Soar we now where Christ has led,
Following our exalted Head.
Made like Him, like Him we rise;
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

6. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to Thee by both be given!
Thee we greet triumphant now:
Hail, the Resurrection Thou!

I’ve Been Redeemed (And That’s Not All, I’ve Been Baptized) – This one is under copyright so just find the lyrics to sing to your grandkids here and if you want to know the tune, you’ll enjoy this piano version!

The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock – My grandsons and I really love this song! This site is nice as it has several other children’s Bible songs.

That’s enough music and Bible songs for your grandkids for today. More tomorrow…

Since today is Sunday and it is Alzheimer’s Disease month, I thought I would share some thoughts and links that focus on dementia care and spiritual matters. Christian Life Resources has an interesting article. A pastor discusses how he connects with his wife, who has Alzheimer’s Disease, using God’s Word. Mayo Clinic’s website has several interesting articles on Alzheimer’s Disease. One that is no longer up talked about the importance of how a spiritual ritual can be used in ministering to and communicating with the patient. The article gave several excellent ideas for ways to do this including taking your loved one to church. As they pointed out, “Bringing someone with Alzheimer's to religious services isn't always easy because he or she may be disruptive. Some places of worship, however, have special rooms designed for parents to take noisy children. These areas could also be used for someone with Alzheimer's.”

Another possibility is looking for churches which offer ministries for those with special needs. A couple of the churches I’ve attended in the past had classes specifically for those who could not attend regular church but could attend these classes. I would encourage you to read to your loved one from their favorite version of the Bible. If you have a copy of their own Bible with underlining, those verses would be a great place to start. I would also suggest purchasing a familiar hymnal, if you don’t already have one, and use it to sing familiar songs to/with your loved one.  I have read many encouraging accounts by those who go to care facilities to play worship songs and have seen positive responses from people who have Alzheimer’s Disease. The elderly patients often didn’t know where they were or who they were, but they remembered all the words to old familiar hymns as well as passages from the Bible that they had memorized, such as the Lord’s Prayer.

I’ve also heard of patients responding to children’s nursery songs about Jesus, such as “Jesus Loves Me.” This is another excellent reason for us to seek out and enjoy Bible and memory activities for grandparents and grandchildren that include singing hymns and praise songs together, helping them memorize Bible verses and working to learn the verses along with them. We are helping ourselves as well as them – both for now as some excellent "brain training exercises," and for later to work to stave off memory loss when we join the ranks of the elderly.  God promises us that, “The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12a. He also promises us in Isaiah 55:8-11, “

My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

It doesn’t specify that this is only true for healthy people. It is a promise to all His children, even those with Alzheimer’s Disease. We may not understand or see the response, but I take great comfort and encouragement in the belief that He can and will use it in our lives, no matter the circumstances.

One other important thought specifically for all of us Sandwich Generation caregivers. Our spiritual health is just as vital! I don’t know about you, but if I start missing too many Bible studies or church services, I start “wilting” spiritually! It’s vital for us to seek different ways to spend time in God’s Word daily. If I can’t sit down to do a regular Bible study, I will usually listen to a sermon I’ve saved onto my mp3 player. My mother enjoys listening to our church’s Sunday service which is played on the radio each Sunday afternoon. However you do it, I would encourage you to make it your goal to spend time each day in His Word to help you as you go about your caregiving duties. Also, if your loved one is living with you but is no longer able to go to church with you, ask relatives and friends to stay with your loved one at least once a month so that you can go to church. If there is no one available who can help you with this, call your church office to see if they can suggest anyone who is able to help you. Caring for elderly parents, particularly those with dementia symptoms, is full of stress! One of the best gifts you can give your aging parents is to take good care of yourself as well. Then you'll be able to do a better job taking care of them.

Do you have any suggestions or tips in this area. We would love to hear them. Please leave a comment below. And to keep up-to-date on resources and words of encouragement for the Sandwich Generation caring for elderly parents and helping with their grandchildren…