When is a granddog not really a granddog? When it's the dog (or other pet) of a senior parent in your Sandwich Generation family, requiring care when the senior parent is ill – at home or in the hospital. Since they require my care, I just call them all my granddogs.

The cute little dogs love to be near their elderly owners but may be too exuberant, especially if it is a younger pup. And lest you think most seniors will only have older pups, not so. One of my dear senior friends lost her beloved dog a year or so ago. Recently, an opportunity came up for a new dog – a puppy – and she grabbed it. They're doing fine right now, but what if she were to get ill? 

I was helping a younger family member recently with her puppy, as she recuperated from a nasty flu bug. For a few days, she was so weak it was very difficult for her to hold her sweet, enthusiastic puppy. He is very wonderfully crate-trained in his roomy, yet cozy dog crate from PetSmart…

…but we wanted to keep that separate from a play area for her puppy. Together, we came up with some good solutions that I realized could help our aging parents as well. 

1. Dog / baby gates for the home. This gave her puppy the freedom to move around the house but it also gave us the ability to limit his freedom to protect her. Her dog is growing though, so we discovered that there are dog gates and extra TALL dog gates. Very handy, I must say. PetSmart and Walmart were great resources – both in the pet section and in the baby section.

If we had needed to be able to go through that door opening more easily, we could have bought a walk-through pet gate that has a "door" that swings open. Check it carefully, though, if you prefer that type. Some are easier to open than others. That's especially important when caring for elderly parents! If I have a hard time opening a gate, i know my senior parents will have a harder time!

2. Dog exercise pens. Even with the gates up, the puppy was still moping a bit for his new owner, and the new owner was moping for her puppy. But when she would lay on the couch, the exuberant puppy would bound over and try to jump on his "mommy" or want to "teethe" on her. Of course, she is working carefully to train the pup NOT to do these actions, but when you are sick, and granddog is young, that can be a bit difficult. For the time being, we opted for an extra help in the situation.

We found a flexible and tall dog exercise pen with a door that her sweet pup can play in safely. Then we placed it right next to her on the couch so she can pet her dog without the pup jumping all over her. It's not a perfect solution. He is a puppy and he is still in the teething stage, but it has helped quite a bit. He doesn't love it the way he does his crate but he is doing better in it every day.

For those of us who are dealing with both granddogs AND very young grandkids, we would probably prefer something like this gate – a Superyard XT.

It works equally well for a cute granddog OR an adorable young grandchild. It doesn't have the door that opens but it's very lightweight, also quite flexible, and can even be used to block off areas by separating the ends to make it straight. We've used it in the house, out of the house, and even in front of a garden to block off a dangerous area from the grandkiddies. In fact, I noticed today that we may have to get one for the granddog for the same reason – as there are electric wires too easily accessible to a pup who is in the chewing stage! Very handy, and you can even buy extensions to make it slightly larger – or just buy two and make it double large. 

Both the dog / baby gates for the home and the dog exercise pens were a big help for the immediate illness AND have gone on to be a big help in other situations. We especially appreciate the fact that either of the dog exercise pen options can be easily configured in a wide variety of shapes or folded up to pop into the back of a car or truck and take with you when traveling.

One nice thing about the Sandwich Generation is that many of the solutions to one set of issues, such as granny nanny tools like the gate Superyard XT, come in quite handy for other needs including babysitting a granddog at your own home if an elderly parent has to be hospitalized.

Kaye

When we are dealing with the Sandwich Generation issues of life, our circumstances can be more fluid than we've ever before experienced. Instead of dealing just with our own issues, or perhaps our immediate family issues, we are often juggling all of those as well as caring for our elderly parents, our in-laws, and sometimes even extended family and/or friends – not to mention a granddog or a grandcat…. It's a busy season of life with one constant – CHANGE! I am so grateful, though, that there is one other constant that is much much better and more powerful. Our awesome GOD! 

Before the mountains were born

Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting,

You are God. 

And for all those adorable grand-princes and grand-princesses in our family, I love how the Message puts Psalm 90:2:

 Long before the mountains were born,

long before You brought earth itself to birth,

from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come" –

You are God.

This is definitely one of those powerful and encouraging Bible verses to bless us all. From our senior parents to our youngest grandchild, and especially all of us Baby Boomers dealing with the Sandwich Generation issues of life! For more uplifting Bible verses to encourage you on this Word-Filled Wednesday, be sure to visit Internet Cafe Devotions.

Kaye

It's been one of the heavy-duty Sandwich Generation big issues kind of years for us this year! On top of my 5th metatarsal fracture and the nearby grandkids having various and sundry illnesses, the long distance grandkids have been battling one cold after another. It's not been all hard, of course. We were thrilled to welcome a brand new grandbaby into the long distance fold. It was a tough nine months but sweet grand-bambino is doing great and the darling of all his siblings, not to mention parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles…  

One thing that was especially tough, particularly for my senior mom, was that she required surgery recently. It was "just" out-patient, so we were happy about that. But no surgery is ever easy, particularly for our aging parents, and this was no exception. We did make some good discoveries for future reference for ourselves and to share with you, though, so that was nice. As the old proverb goes, "every cloud has a silver lining. "

1. For elderly parents, you might want to consider investing in one of the light transport / travel wheelchairs before the surgery. If they don't need it, the wheelchair will probably still be useful eventually in your Sandwich Generation family. And if you do need it, you'll be SOOO glad you have it. We already had the transport / travel wheelchair from my foot injury, and we did use it a couple of times for her. It was definitely a help! And now, it's back in the garage, folded up neatly, waiting for the next time we need it. 

2. My senior mom asked me to also pick up one of the lightweight walkers for seniors a couple of days before the surgery, just in case. I checked with Walmart and was delighted to find they had a great one in stock – online and off. We bought the Carex Explorer folding travel walker. It is very nice, easy to pop together, and reasonably priced, with wheels in the front, and even a great little carry bag she's put to good use. The walker was WONDERFUL for helping her during the first two days especially! It continued to come in handy, off and on, for several days after, whenever she would feel too many twinges or a bit weak.  

3. Try to do these bigger purchases of a wheelchair and/or walker early on in the process and check with your insurance company to see if they might be covered as "durable medical equipment." We didn't know to do that with my father's rollator, so we purchased it outright. Later we found out the insurance would have covered it! Ah well, our error can be a blessing for you.

4. It can also be wise to invest in a raised toilet seat unless you already have a tall toilet. It's a lot easier when you're not moving very well due to pain, stitches, etc. We didn't think to get one of those, and she commented that for future, we would definitely be picking one up. I'll probably get this Carex EZ lock raised toilet seat with adjustable and removable arms. It is supposed to work on all sizes and shapes of toilets and the lock makes it a bit more secure. 

5. If possible, call the doctor's office and get a list of any medications or foods the doctor might require after the surgery. Anything you can do before the surgery is a WONDERFUL THING. It always surprises me when a medical office doesn't think to tell us these things til AFTER the surgery, when you don't want to leave the patient alone. Even if they say you probably don't need anything, you might want to stock up on some chicken and beef broth and jello. These are always good staples to have on hand for the tummy flu, and they are also good for queasy stomachs after anesthesia.

6. If you don't already have plenty, be sure to stock up on some of those wonderful hot and cold gel packs that can be frozen but stay soft OR go in the microwave to make a heat pack. We use these, off and on, all year long for a variety of things such as aches and pains for my senior mom after a day of gardening! But they're not just good for seniors! My grandkids' owww-ies have appreciated them as well.

7. Before the surgery, put big notes all around the house at every sink and on the fridge to help them remember  - nothing to eat or drink before the surgery, usually including medicine but not always – so do doublecheck that with your doctor. (And lest you think I'm practicing age-ism, I do that for myself now, after forgetting and taking an ibuprophen before a sigmoidoscopy a few years ago. They let me do it anyway, but I definitely learned my lesson.  )

8. And here's an important tip for all of us baby boomers, who will be sitting in the waiting room. Make SURE you take cash with you. It's not JUST for after hours either. Over the years of helping various relatives and friends, we've discovered that not all hospital cafeterias accept credit cards! 

My senior mom is doing well, though still having a bit of pain. But many of these items have helped ease the process for her and we're thrilled with that. If more thoughts crop up as she continues to convalesce, you know we'll be sharing them with you. Also, if you have any pre or post-surgery suggestions, for any age, do share them with us in the comments. We'd love more tips and ideas for the Sandwich Generation issues of hospitalization! 

Kaye

I have set the Lord continually before me;

BECAUSE HE is at my right hand, I will not be shaken…

You will make known to me the path of life;

In YOUR presence is fullness of joy; 

In YOUR right hand there are pleasures forever.

Ps. 16: 8, 11

(Of course, if you'd rather have a traditional book to hold in your hand, Amazon has that for you. Just  click here for the original version. Or, if you'd prefer an updated version, you can click here.)

There are many praise and worship songs I enjoyed then and that I enjoy now, that reflect the truth in these comforting and encouraging Bible verses. One I wanted to share with you today is a long-time favorite of mine. On Christ, the Solid Rock, I Stand, sung by Avalon, from their album Double Take: Faith: A Hymns Collection.

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I pray that this lovely praise and worship music will soak your heart and mind in God's power, His presence, and His love. And that His comforting presence will envelope you in His peace as you read these Bible verses over, write them on paper and in your heart, and engrave them in your mind. Have a blessed day! And remember, you can find more encouraging Bible verses along with many lovely praise and worship hymn songs at Spiritual Sunday.

It's been such a fun weekend of country kitchen roosters and enjoying site-seeing such lovely rooster collectibles from dinnerware dishes to ceramic roosters and even our Webkinz Rooster and the cute rooster clipart like my little friend above. And if you've popped over from the delightful "Show Me Your Roosters" blog party being held by Barb at Bella Vista, just click here to see my country rooster kitchen decor and Christmas tree ornament, among other goodies.

Even in the midst of all the fun though, it's also been a difficult week for several of my friends – both online and off. Two have been given sad news at the doctor's office, others are struggling with health issues from Alzheimer's Disease to cancer. Still others range from being hit with one illness after another and not able come up for air in between to missing loved ones who have recently gone to be with the Lord. For all of them, I've spent much time in prayer, with my own heart grieving for and with them.

I remember when my beloved husband died. He loved the Lord and I rested in God's perfect timing, clinging mightily to "…my times are in Thy hand." But I remember thinking so often the first few weeks, "How can the world go on like normal when we are in the middle of this?" And now, my world is going on normally, while so many of my beloveds are in the middle of a crisis. But, as Paul reminds me often, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

One thing that so blessed me then, that I now love to share with others, is God's Word – written and sung. That's the reason for this Comforting and Encouraging Bible Verses series at SandwichINK. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything better instantly. But I can't. And I suspect that when we are in heaven, we'll discover some wonderful reasons why that wasn't the right approach. In fact, as I've studied Romans 5 this week, verses 3 and 4 reminded me that we truly are blessed through our trials and tribulations, hard though it may be. And one of the many blessings that comes from them is that problems drive us to God's Word where we can find such comfort and solace.

Isaiah is a favorite book of mine and Isaiah 41:10 is one of my favorite comforting and encouraging Bible verses in that book, though there are many I love. I particularly appreciate Isaiah 41: 10 in the New American Standard Version:

'Do not fear, for I AM with you;

Do not anxiously look about you,

for I AM your God.

I WILL strengthen you,

SURELY

I WILL help you,

SURELY

I WILL uphold you

with MY righteous right hand.'

I LOVE all those SURELY's! The King James Version uses YEA, which is good but not as strong as SURELY. For some reason, the NIV leaves them out entirely. But oh, what a blessing those SURELYs have been to me down through the years. I pray they will be a blessing to you as well!

I also found some wonderful praise and worship music for this encouraging Bible verse. Erica Lane sings Isaiah 41:10 which is from her album, Beautiful City, Revisited. It is very soft and sweet and perfect when everything is crazy around you and you are in need of some quiet peace and encouragement. Here it is in a  Smilebox eCard.

I hope and pray this lovely praise and worship music and the comforting Bible verses incorporated in the song have been a blessing to you today and will be in the future. The Sandwich Generation issues of caring for elderly parents as well as helping with grandchildren pretty much guarantee we will need comfort off and on throughout our lives. For that matter, life in general pretty much guarantees that. What a blessing that we have an even better guarantee in all the wonderful promises of our precious Lord God in the Bible!

And for more Bible verses and words of encouragement, as well as lovely praise and worship hymn songs, to brighten the heart of the Baby Boomer Generation and their beloved seniors, do visit Spiritual Sunday. Also…

I have to tell you, this Sandwich Generation grandmother is SO happy today! It's almost the end of July! I've seen "Christmas in July" blog posts, chatter about Halloween and Harvest items in the stores, have started to shop for cute new pumpkin and autumn leaves clipart, AND my grandchildren's school schedules are starting to show up. I am SO happy because all of that means that AUTUMN – my VERY FAVORITE SEASON, is getting closer. I'm actually hoping that, since summer started early and HOT, maybe, just maybe, AUTUMN will come early too!!!

Of course, with autumn and school getting closer, so is our Awana Bible Memory verses program for the grand children. Thus it's a good thing we're getting close to the end of our Love Is – 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 and 13 summer Bible memorization activities for grandparents and their grandchildren! Only a few more weeks to go and this week's is VERY short!

Love never fails.

1 Corinthains 13: 8a

How cute!!! But, while the photo of these scrunched little critters may be adorable, this is definitely one of those inspirational Bible verses that is VERY serious, VERY short and yet, VERY full!

Full of God's love for us that, truly, never fails! Full of the need for us to remember that – no matter how frustrated we may feel, how difficult the Sandwich Generation issues of life may be, or how scrunched we may feel – we need to rest in our Lord and ask HIM to fill US with a love that never fails. Full of the need to set that example for all our beloveds in our lives – especially those sweet little grandkids who are watching us!   NOT easy, yet SO worthwhile!

For more encouraging Bible verses and lovely photos to encourage and inspire all of us in the never-aging Baby Boomers Generation, caring for elderly parents and granny nanny-ing and pappy-ing grandchildren, be sure to visit Internet Cafe Devotions for Word-Filled Wednesday. Also be sure to check out the sweet stories and examples of love in our families at OneSoBlessed.

And…

I chose this photo for today's verse, because my grandsons love snakes AND because snakes are so well-known as the animal the devil used to get to Adam and Eve. That is such a perfect example of "delighting in evil." It gives us a good opportunity, then, for a serious talk as part of our Bible memory verses activities for grandparents and their grandchildren. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

1 Corinthians 13: 6

God created snakes, just the same as He created all the other animals – from the cute penguin to a big green FROG to the King of the Beasts to the irritating mosquito. They each have their own reputation, be it good, bad, or indifferent. It's important to teach our grandkids how important "building a good reputation" is, and this is an especially good animal to help with that. This can work especially well in conjunction with yesterday's photo of their Webkinz tiger snake. Two different snakes – two different reputations. Our "behavior" really does make a vital difference! That gives us a double layer of meaning for the Bible memory verses for our grand children for this week.

For more inspirational Bible verses for the Sandwich Generation issues of caring for elderly parents and granny nanny and pappy-ing grandkids, be sure to visit Internet Cafe Devotions for Word-Filled Wednesday. 

P.S. If you're interested in getting a Webkinz Tiger Snake for your grandchildren or yourself, you'll need to hurry. It's been retired which means you can only buy it for a limited time, until they run out of them. There's a great price on them at Amazon. If you'd like to check it out, click here.

We've been enjoying such fun with our Webkinz stuffed animals and our Bible memory verses activities for grandparents and their grandchildren. Here's the rest of our fun photos from Friday's post, Bible Memory Verses Fun From Stuffed Alligator to Webkinz Panda, complete with verses:

We figured this cute Webkinz tie dye frog, being somewhat cold-blooded, probably doesn't get angry too quickly. 

This cute Webkinz tiger snake has a much better reputation than the real live "icky" snakes!

Last, but not least, this Webkinz lion reminds us of Aslan in the The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. He is such a wonderful "picture" of Jesus, Whose awesome love NEVER fails.  (It's a wonderful book series to read to the grandkids over the summer! )

The summer can be such a fun time making great family memories for the Sandwich Generation dealing with the issues of caring for elderly parents. From senior gardening to Bible memory verses activities for grandparents and their grandchildren to bike riding – on two or three wheel bicycles, the photos we take with our easy to use digital camera will help those memories stay vivid for years to come. These fun memories are being shared at Sweet Shot Tuesday. Come join us, won't you?

P.S. Are you looking for an easy to use digital camera to help you take great photos and save your special family memories? I love my Canon Powershot a1100is. It is small, easy to hold and sooo easy to use. You can easily purchase it at a great price from Amazon.com by clicking here.  

Kaye

We all know the reputation the elephant has for never forgetting. That's why I thought he could help us with our Bible memory verses activities for grandparents and their grandchildren this week. I'm going to share with the grandkids that, like the elephant, there are plenty of things TO remember: like 911, important phone numbers and addresses, where your glasses are (oops, that's for this granny nanny when I'm having one of those never-admit-to-aging Baby Boomers Generation moments! ).

BUT, there is something we want to NOT remember.

Love…it keeps no record of wrongs.

1 Corinthians 13: 5b

That means, we forgive. Then we trust God and do our best to FORGET it ever happened. Yet another great example from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 and 13 of God's love for us and the love He wants us to show to others.

For more inspirational Bible verses for the Sandwich Generation granny nannies and pappies out there who are also caring for elderly parents, and for all their sweet grandchildren and senior parents, be sure to visit Word-Filled Wednesday at Internet Cafe Devotions.

I was reading a blog recently (and can't for the life of me remember where it was – one of the never-admit-to-aging Baby Boomers Generation moments!). It was about an elderly relative being so healthy for so long and then unexpectedly having a stroke. Leaving my comment about a similar situation in my life, I was reminded again of the importance for those of us in the Sandwich Generation who are caring for elderly parents to be sure they and other beloved seniors have some kind of backup protection when they are home alone.

As I've shared before, and as I mentioned in that comment, this is an area that is especially close to my heart. A dear elderly friend who lived alone had an unexpected stroke in her bathroom. It was three days before she was found and taken to the hospital. She died a few months later.

Up til then, she had been one of the healthiest people I knew – of any age! I can't help but think that if she had been using one of the Jitterbug cell phones for senior citizens like my senior mom or a personal emergency response system with an emergency pendant or wristwatch similar to another dear elderly friend, she might still be going strong today, clipping her roses and petting her sweet cat!

How about your senior parents? Is today a good day to help them be proactive in order to be prepared…just in case? about the Jitterbug cell phone.

Kaye