How to Babysit a Grandma, delightful read, 5/5 stars

How to Babysit a Grandma    by Jean Reagan

 

As a young babysitter you know that grandmas need special care and attention, especially when there are sleepovers involved.  You’ve got to keep them busy!  First, you need to include all of the not-to-be-missed things to do at the park.  Later, you will want to let your grandma choose some of the grandma-friendly crafts.  Dinner can be tricky.  Look for tips in this book on making the meal appetizing and delicious.  Once your grandma is all tuckered out, help her choose the best spot to sleep.  Don’t forget to make her feel at home with a super-fun secret bedtime routine!

Adults, Reagan’s delightful book captures the heart of family and encourages intergenerational relationship building.  I recommend sharing “How to Babysit a Grandma” and the companion volume, “How to Babysit a Grandpa“, with every young babysitter you know.

Related articles

• How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan (neverwearmatchingsox.wordpress.com)
• The Evolution of Grandmas and Grandaughters (rebeccahaynes.wordpress.com)
• The Utah Southern Idaho SCBWI Inside Story (SherryMeidell’sTeetertotterTales)

Happy Mother’s Day to all women

Happy Mother’s Day to every woman in every stage of life. We all mother, nurture and mentor someone. We all build community within our spheres of influence. This way of living and being is what we honor today. Happy Mother’s Day to all women!

The WordPress Family Award

WordPress Family Award

A message from Shaun, the creator of this award:

This is an award for everyone who is part of the “WordPress Family” I started this award on the basis that the WordPress family has taken me in, and showed me love and a caring side only WordPress can. The way people take a second to be nice, to answer a question and not make things a competition amazes me here. I know I have been given many awards, but I wanted to leave my own legacy on here by creating my own award, as many have done before. This represents “Family” we never meet, but are there for us as family. It is my honour to start this award. Thank you, Shaun @ http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com/

 

Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.

2. Link back to the person who nominated you.

3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.

4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.

5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.

Here are my 10 Nominations:

1.  Jessica: http://gravatar.com/jdoyle84

2. Chiquita: http://simplybecome.org/

3. Melissa: http://melissaslifeworthliving.wordpress.com/

4. Aprille: http://beautifulinhistime.com/

5. Heather: http://www.livinghomefree.com/

6. http://shardsofdubois.wordpress.com/

7. Adeline: http://adelineohvelarde.wordpress.com/

8. Iris: http://www.irisparr.com/

9. Tanya: http://typicaltanya.com/

10. Claire: http://onepassiononedevotion.wordpress.com/

I’m relatively new to WordPress so this award is perfect.  Those I’ve nominated have made me feel welcome and at home on this new WordPress adventure.  Most of you, my WordPress friends, have encouraged me through Five Minute Friday (FMF) comments and a few through National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).  Thanks so much for making me feel a part of your blogosphere.

Please accept this award and pass it on to 10 people who are family you may never meet and mean as much to you as your own.

Shaun: http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com/ nominated me.

Blessings,

Kimberly

 

Matzo Man

I enjoyed reading about your family’s traditions. Thanks for sharing!

A Map of California

Matz-o, matz-o man, I want to be a matzo man . . .

I remember my mother dancing in the kitchen while we sang Passover lyrics of our own invention to the tune of the Village People’s “Macho Man.”

Matzah, the crunchy, unleavened cracker that we eat during Passover, gets a bad rap. We make fun of “Pesakh bread,” we gripe and moan about having to eat it for eight days, about it causing us to gain weight, about ending up constipated.

But when it counts, matzah does get the respect that it deserves. The English word “Passover” refers to the tenth and final plague that the Lord visited upon Pharaoh, king of Egypt, when he repeatedly reneged on his promise to emancipate the Jewish people from slavery. While every Egyptian household had its dead, we were spared when the plague “passed over” Jewish homes. In Hebrew, however, the…

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365 Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ to Your Kids by Jay Payleitner

365 Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ to Your Kids by Jay Payleitner

365 WAYS TO SAY “I LOVE YOU” TO YOUR KIDS by Jay Payleitner is a treasure-trove of wit and wisdom. This book is like a bowl of grapes. Open to any page, grab one and go. The result will be a sweet moment between parent and child. There are sections that pertain to various ages and stages of life but most of the 365 ways can be applied across the lifespan of the relationship. At this moment, perhaps because of the ages of my sons, I like #280 the most. It says, “Decide now how you will respond to a phone call every parent dreads. `I wrecked the car.’ `I’m flunking out.’ `I’m at the police station.’ `I’m pregnant.’ `My girlfriend is pregnant.’ Recommended response: `I love you. It’ll be okay. We’ll work through this together.'” Perfect! Every parent should own this book.

NOTE: I requested and received a copy of this title via NetGalley.com but made no commitment to review it.

My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife: A One-Year Experiment…and Its Surprising Results by Sara Horn

My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife: A One-Year Experiment…and Its Surprising Results by Sara Horn

Proverbs 31 has long been upheld as the standard for the Christian wife. It has also been the source of much fear and trepidation among women who want to be good wives but do not think they have a chance when Proverbs 31 is the plumb line. Sara Horn puts these fears to rest. In My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife, Horn tackles each phrase of Proverbs 31 and provides an interpretation suitable for 2011.

Readers will be relieved to find that this is not another book of rules to live by but rather a humorous account of Horn’s day-to-day life as she attempts to apply Proverbs 31 to her living one day and one concept at a time. Balancing family, work and personal goals can be challenging. Readers will laugh as they discover that Horn’s struggles are their struggles too. They may also find that they are closer to being a Proverbs 31 wife than they ever thought was possible. Through My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife Horn provides a much needed breath of fresh air.

NOTE: I requested and received a copy of this title via NetGalley.com but made no commitment to review it.

Uncompromising: A Heart Claimed by a Radical Love by Hannah Farver

In “Uncompromising: A Heart Claimed By a Radical Love,” Hannah Farver offers a fresh voice on what it means to be a young women of modesty, purity, and femininity. Her style is conversational and unassuming. The reader gets no sense of a finger-pointing admonishment to live a pure and holy life from a perfect person. Rather, Farver opens herself to her readers with all her faults, fears, concerns, doubts and questions as a fellow traveler on the road to a life well-lived. Her focus is not on `thou shalt nots’ but rather on guiding her readers to find the Cause who is able to fulfil their inner desire to be wholly and unconditionally loved.

Farver opens with an acknowledgement that passion is good and hard-wired into our DNA. We are designed to be passionate about a cause. The world dangles all sorts of causes in front of our eyes to lure us away from the one Cause that can deeply satisfy the desires of our hearts. These worldly causes include the desire to be considered beautiful, popular, famous, and loved. The problem, Farver contends, is that all of these causes are fleeting and leave the seeker wholly unsatisfied. Rather, she challenges, we can live for the one Cause that claims our hearts with a radical love and provides a fully satisfying life. This doesn’t mean she wants to remain single all of her life but that she is willing to seek a relationship with God and allow Him to prepare her heart for relationship with the man He has chosen for her.

The book closes with a modesty checklist and an unofficial checklist to help young women determine if they are ready for marriage. The author begs, however, that readers don’t take either of these resources as the final word on either topic. A study guide is also included.

I enjoyed this book. It was thought-provoking and encouraged self-reflection. Even as Farver advises young teens to seek out older, more mature “Titus 2 women” I sensed a subtle shift, seemingly unknown to the author, of her becoming just such a woman for the younger teens in her audience. I would recommend this book for 12+ teens.

NOTE: I requested and received a copy of this title via NetGalley.com but made no commitment to review it.