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grandchildren

13 Things To Help Your Grandchild Succeed At School Whether You Live Near Or Far

Since back to school season is upon us, I’ve been thinking about my grandson who will be entering 4th grade and the two other grandkids who won’t be far behind him! If you are a grandparent you know how much you love those little stinkers and that there is not anything in the world you wouldn’t do for them. Do you know that whether you live near the grandkids or far away that you can help your grandchild succeed at school? And that starts when they are babies – not just when they go to Kindergarten.

So, in honor of “back-to-school” season, I’ve asked my friend and long-time educator, Shelley Merchant to guest post on this topic. Shelley’s blog is A Woman In Her Prime and her mission is to help busy working women improve their lives while managing the multiple demands on their time!

13 Things To Help Your Grandchild Succeed At School

My friends who are grandparents tell me it’s the most wonderful experience ever! A little bundle of pure love that you get to send home to Mommy and Daddy when you’re tired. My own mother used to describe being a grandparent as “joy multiplied, worry divided.”

As a former teacher and administrator, I’ve seen first hand how a grandparent’s influence, skills, perspective, and resources can have a great impact on a child’s education.

Here is my list of 13 Things To Help Your Grandchild Succeed At School

Foster a Love of Reading

A child who loves to read will become a good reader. And a good reader has the foundation to learn anything.

Make story time with your grandchild a priority from the time they are born. @sasmerchant Click To Tweet

Make story time with your grandchild a priority from the time they’re born. From the time they’re old enough to sit on your lap, read books to them. Children learn a lot from this:

How to hold a book.
That the marks on the pages represent words.
How pages are turned.
That pictures add context to the written word.
That reading is an activity which can calm us, excite us, inspire us, teach us, and transport us to new and exciting worlds.

Research shows that children who are read to from an early age approach reading as a desirable activity and are more likely to become life-long readers. If you did nothing else, this is an incredible gift!

Give books as gifts and keep age appropriate books at your house.
Take them to the library or the bookstore. While there you can:

Point out that there are many different kinds of stories. Explain that different people enjoy different genres and that all have value.
Introduce them to a wide variety of magazines that are published and let them peruse some that are written for children their age.

Play Games and Put Together Puzzles Together

Play Cards and Board Games – Games like Old Maid, Go Fish and Checkers help your grandchild master and refine skills while they are having fun. Games help children learn to count, recognize shapes, colors, and symbols.
Put Together Puzzles – Puzzles teach kids to look at the big picture while also focusing on minute details.

Playing games and putting together puzzles help children learn:

How to take turns.
How to work and play cooperatively with others.
How to pay attention.
How to focus effort and energy.

All of these are skills that a child needs to learn and that can have a major impact on their readiness for school and their ability to interact successfully with the school environment.

Be Present

How much you are able to be present is largely affected by how close you live to your grandchild, but as you are able:

Attend events at school – Open House, special programs and sporting events.
Have lunch at school with your grandchild.
Volunteer at their school.

Throughout their lives

Tell your grandkids how you have used something you learned in school. @sasmerchant Click To Tweet

Talk about the importance of education. Give specific examples of how you used something you learned in school. This helps children understand that even if they don’t think a subject or concept is important right now, it may be in the future.
Take your grandchild to an event at your alma mater or nearby college. Something like attending a football game is exciting and very likely to make the prospect of attending college appealing.
Continue to model reading! Talk to your grandchild about what type of books and/or magazines you like to read. Let them see you reading the newspaper, your Kindle, or articles on the computer.
Talk about your occupation. Why did you choose the career path you did? How did it fit with your natural skills and interests? If you were choosing today, would you make the same choices?
Contribute to their college fund! Money set aside will grow right along with the child. This sets the expectation that education beyond high school, be it college, trade or technical training is a good thing.

You’re a bigger influence than you realize

It’s easy to think that parents are the only ones who will shape a child’s attitudes when it comes to learning. But grandparents have more of an influence than you might think.

A listening ear or encouraging word when they are frustrated or discouraged can be just the thing your grandchild needs to keep trying.

8 Things All Kids Need To Hear About Learning

Whether you live near a grandchild or far away, your support and participation will have a lasting impact on your grandchild’s love of learning!

More from Shelley:

10 Quick Tips For A Great School Year

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August 1, 2017 18 comments

Family

The New Mommy Care Kit – 25 Essential Items

One of the best parts of being a midlife woman on this side of 50 is the arrival of grandchildren! I spent last week with my younger daughter and her new baby. There’s nothing better than the smell of a newborn baby! This is grandbaby #3 for us. After the birth of each baby in our family, I put together a special gift bag for the new mommies. I call this my New Mommy Care Kit and it is filled with items to aid in their recovery and pamper them during the first few weeks post-partum.

Pamper the new mommy in your life with the New Mommy Care Kit. #newmom #postpartum Click To Tweet

The New Mommy Care Kit – 25 Essential Items

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase a product through my link, I may receive a small commission. I so appreciate every click-through and purchase! Every little bit helps to keep My Side of 50 up and running!

Big Panties to hold the phone book sized pads you have to wear after having a baby.

Since these panties will likely get stained, I purchased some inexpensive boy shorts .

Or for those who have had a C-section and don’t want anything rubbing against their incision some good, old-fashioned cotton briefs.

New moms, especially those who are nursing, tend to get dehydrated. To encourage her to drink plenty of water, get this Healthy Human Water Bottle that keeps her water cold up to 24 hours OR hot drinks warm up to 12 hours.

For dry skin, this Burt’s Bees Tips & Toes Kit with a variety of hand creams, foot creams and lip balm is great!
Moisturizing Body Wash

Post Partum Care for a Sore Bottom

Sitz Bath
Inflatable Donut Cushion
Perineal Irrigation Bottle
These great products by Earth Mama Angel:

New Mama Bottom Spray

Mama Bottom Balm

Post-Partum Bath Herbs

Items for Padsicles (frozen pads with witch hazel, aloe vera and lavender oil – very soothing). Here’s what you need and how to make them.

Include these in your New Mommy Care Kit for the Nursing Mom

Earth Angel Mama Natural Nipple Butter

Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads and Lanisoh Disposable Nursing Pads

Organic Milkmaid Tea to help with milk production.

- Breastfeeding moms need to consume lots of calories, but don’t always have time to stop and eat. Having snacks on hand that support breastfeeding like the Boobie Bar can be very helpful.

- Nursing gowns

Bump in the Night Nursing Nightgown and Robe

Comfortable Nursing Sleep Bras

Motherhood Maternity Nursing Wrap Sleep Bra

Nursing Camis – These are great to wear around the house all day. Then when guests arrive, you just throw a blouse over them.

Jessica Simpson Nursing Cami

Nice to have items for New Moms

A month’s subscription to a Grocery Delivery Service such as Peapod, Safeway, Vons or Shipt (My daughters and I live in Texas and we LOVE Shipt!)
Extra set of sheets and an extra mattress pad. Many people don’t keep extra sheets and mattress pads on hand. They just wash them and re-make the bed. Those first few days post-partum, mom will likely need to change the bed several times and won’t want to have to wait for the bedding to get washed and dried before getting back in bed. Having extras on hand is just the little luxury that makes all the difference when you are sore and sleep-deprived!
Personalized Thank You Cards

Radiant Moon Mist Folded Cards

Personalized Thank You Cards from Casserolis Note Cards

Whether you go all out and fill up a bag with ALL of these items or choose just a few, the new mommy in your family will love each and every one! Pamper her today!

Shopping for a new mommy? Get your printable shopping list here.

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Leaving A Legacy For Your Children And Grandchildren

February 21, 2017 28 comments

10 Tips For "Sharing" Your Adult Children On The Holidays by Guest Blogger Joan Stamen, the author behind Gramcrackercrumbs.com

Family

10 Tips To Ease The Stress Of “Sharing” Your Adult Children On Holidays

Here we are at the end of October with Thanksgiving just 4 weeks away! No doubt, if you are a midlife woman and have and have adult children, the conversations of who will be where and at what time have begun. If your kids are married or have significant others, you will likely be in the position to have to consider their “in-laws” plans when you make your schedule. And in the case of blended families, we have a whole slew of parents, grandparents, and steps. Why can’t everybody just go home to their family of origin and meet up after the holidays?

Today, Joan Stommen, the mom and grandma behind the blog, GramcrackerCrumbs offers her perspective based on 20 years experience with all of this holiday “sharing”. Joan has 2 kids and 5 grandchildren who call her, what else? Gramcraker!

Adult Children and The Holidays – 10 Tips to Ease the Stress of Sharing

Many of you have probably started shopping for gifts, made travel reservations or are busy unpacking decorations for the coming winter holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hannukah will soon be here. Have you thought about the actual day of celebration? If your adult children are married or living with significant others; whether you have grandchildren near or far….there are bound to be some question marks about where, when and with whom. After years of familiar routine, change rears its head when our kids grow up. For the past twenty years, my holidays were unpredictable and seemingly different every year. As needs arose and life interfered, I found some solutions that worked for us. Hopefully, you’ll find some soothing memory making ideas here.

Remind yourself that it comes under the heading of letting go.

We send them off to college, help with wedding preparations and applaud their home and job choices. Welcoming another family member is how the empty nest begins to fill again. Our son was the first to marry and we loved the bonus of another daughter; but they married and settled in Michigan; several states away from us in Georgia. I think there was only time for a sigh of relief before it hit me…things would be different now.

Sharing your adult children on holidays is part of letting go. Click To Tweet

Respect that the newlyweds may want to host a big holiday themselves.

They married in late September and had an autumn honeymoon. The next thing we knew, they wanted to host Thanksgiving. My husband and daughter and I drove north, caught up in the excitement of the newlyweds hosting their first holiday. Having Thanksgiving dinner prepared by someone else and spending time with the other parents was a treat. But being invited back for Christmas was much harder. I didn’t like it and may have whined to my son, “please come to us, we always cut down a tree, decorate it, go to Christmas Eve Mass, get up at the crack of dawn tooogetherrrrr.” Her parents were not able to go, so my son’s pleading that their first Christmas was a really big deal touched my heart. Imagine my delight discovering he followed our same traditions; leaving milk and cookies for Santa, opening a gift on Christmas Eve, making us wait in the hallway Christmas morning until he turned on the lights and exclaimed, “SANTA WAS HERE!”

When it’s your turn to host a family gathering, invite the son or daughter-in-law’s parents.

After our daughter married and bought a home nearby, my husband and I mostly hosted holiday dinners. Our son-in-law’s parents lived out of state, so when they were in town, we included them as well. I never realized in those early years that the other parents would soon become lifelong friends.

When it's your turn to host the holiday gathering, invite the son or daughter-in-law's parents. Click To Tweet

Accept when you’re invited to their homes. Plans and places can change, but you’ll all be together and the kids will be all right.

Sharing a Thanksgiving with my daughter-in-law’s blended family; another with my son-in-law’s extended family….so many that a big hall was rented….were two of the best times we ever had. Your children will beam as they watch the connection of their families grow. Thirteen years ago on a lovely, snowy evening, the young couple invited their moms out for drinks after a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. As the four of us relaxed, his mom and I blurted out at the same time, “when are we getting a grandchild?” We’d held our tongues for three years so we felt entitled. I loved us being on the same page; this favorite friend I now call my “grandmother-in-law.”

Discuss your preferences as soon as possible before the holiday.

Whether it’s religious purposes, enough space to hold everyone, who really wants to cook, travel or medical considerations; early planning will make it easier for everyone. Letters and conversations throughout the year will make the ’planners’ more comfortable in expressing their wishes. Getting to know the other family members not only makes holiday preparations easier but builds a camaraderie that can only strengthen your kids’ bond in all aspects of marriage.

If you find you’ll be on your own some Thanksgiving, Christmas or other event…take off!

Don’t stay home and fume or fret; take a road trip, make reservations for holiday dinner at a nice restaurant, head to the Bahamas. There will be years when all your kids go to their in-laws or have plans with pals. My husband and I traveled to San Antonio, Texas one Christmas Day, ate dinner at a Howard Johnson and toured the Alamo. The rest of the week we took day trips and enjoyed the Riverwalk events at night. It tickled us knowing we could have a blast and never missed Christmas with the kids at all!

If you find that you will be alone on a holiday, don't stay home - take off and have an adventure! Click To Tweet

When the grandkids finally come along!

Always respect the new mother’s wishes first….especially the first year. Use common sense and again, discuss it well ahead of time. My son and daughter-in-law moved south to be near us when their first daughter was born. I felt great peace and contentment to do the holidays “my way” again; envisioning my daughter and the new little family all under our roof. But the new mom wanted Thanksgiving; hosting us and her parents from out of town. We hadn’t seen them since the wedding four years earlier and we had lots to catch up on about this new baby girl. Since we got to see our first grandchild frequently, we didn’t mind her other grandparents taking over the feeding, holding and rocking for a few days.

Stagger the holidays by years if all parties are acceptable.

As time goes by, let your kids decide what works for them. They not only have in-laws to celebrate with but will want to host themselves some years. Some families only want Thanksgiving or Easter; others like to switch off. Open communication and flexibility is the key. Believe me….the day will come when going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house becomes the best for everyone!

If everyone lives close enough, stagger the times for opening holiday presents.

The whole magical scene will still be there later that afternoon, the next morning or even the next week. Eighteen years ago when our first grandchild came along, I insisted Santa would come down our chimney too…and fill stockings for everyone! Needless to say, he came down every year after and I had four more stockings embroidered with each grandchild’s name. I don’t recommend this; not only can it be costly, but potentially awkward too. It was a bit sticky for my daughter initially. She and her husband wanted their own Christmas morning ritual with their children and liked having Christmas Dinner at the other grandparents’ house. We agreed to wait until the following morning to open the gifts around our tree. Seeing the delight on little faces as they ran in the door made it all worthwhile. One year we spent Christmas morning with our California family; flew home that evening and had Christmas again the next morning with our Georgia family. (You know Santa, the Easter Bunny, and Leprechauns come even if you’re not home, right?)

If you’re a long distant grandparent unable to join the celebration, you can still be present.

Just make sure you follow the parent’s suggestions first, then your grandchild’s request and lastly your own surprises. If you’ll miss a Thanksgiving or Easter Dinner, send things that can be included such as a candle or special prayer, inexpensive decorations, stickers or a new shirt or dress for the occasion. When I lived on the other side of the country from my older grandkids; I’d wrap and send gifts to go under their tree; then after Christmas, I’d send anything Santa had left under mine, including the filled stockings! Needless to say, we spoiled the kids and kept UPS and FedEx in business.

Now that I’m a widow and the grandkids are getting older, it amuses me that my son and daughter now want to ‘share’ mom! The first Christmas on my own, I went to my son’s, the next year to my daughter’s. Now he’s moved nearby and would like me to join in their holiday festivities. But I don’t see my daughter’s family as often, so it’d be worth a plane ticket to their house or….I may decide to spend my holidays doing something completely different. After years of appreciating their parents’ flexibility, I’m confident they’ll both be fine with whatever I decide.

What are your tips for peacefully “sharing” your kids and grandkids during the holidays?

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Adult Children And The Holidays – New Perspectives on Sharing, Part 1

Adult Children And the Holidays

The holidays are approaching and those of us who fall into the “midlife women” category likely have adult children who are married or have significant others. Some of us even have grandchildren. All that means is there are now other families within our sphere with whom we have to share our kids and grandkids!

Do you have to share your kids and grandkids with the in-laws over the holidays? Click To Tweet

I don’t know about you, but the first year I was faced with this, it was tough. And it had nothing to do with the in-laws or the actual logistics where my kids were on a given holiday. I think it was just one of those “letting go of” moments that I wasn’t emotionally prepared for.

Today’s post is from author and blogger Doreen Mcgettigan. Doreen and her husband have 5 grown children and 13 grandchildren. Here is how their holidays and Doreen’s perspective have grown and changed since those first holidays after her daughters married.

Stress-Free Holidays – Sharing Your Adult Children

I admit to being 100% selfish when it came to the holidays after my daughters got married. Of course, they would be home for each and every holiday with me and their siblings. We lived close by and saw each other nearly every day, but the holidays were different. The attendance of my adult children was a must.

We decided Christmas Eve would be spent at our house and Christmas Day they were free to visit with the in-laws. For Thanksgiving, they would have dinner with us and dessert with the in-laws.

Once my two oldest daughters had babies things started to change. My oldest daughter decided she wanted to have the holidays at her house so she could invite us and her in-laws. She’s the great compromiser. The other daughter’s in-laws were invited too.

We all chipped in by providing side dishes and drinks. I was upset at first but quickly realized how stress-free it was to get dressed, go to her house, enjoy the meal, the babies and then go home to my nice clean kitchen.

It worked out so well that she became the hostess for every single holiday for years.

Then my son got married and it all changed. My daughter-in-law wanted to be with her mother and her siblings for every holiday. Her family had their big celebration on Christmas Eve too. I was in trouble. Not only were holidays different, it was different with their babies too. My daughters called me several times a day while they were expecting. My daughter-in-law called her mother. I was so hurt at first but realized it’s different with daughters. I had to accept her closeness with her mother and realized how my daughter’s mothers-in-laws must have felt over the years. I felt so guilty. I conceded that we would take turns and simply make sure no one in our family was alone for any holiday.

Just to complicate our family more, I remarried and became step-mother to a young man. He often wanted to spend holidays with his mother and his step-sister. I told my husband we would just have him over as often as he could visit and it didn’t make any difference if it was a holiday or not.

What I won’t give up is the one- week family beach vacation we take every year. All the kids, their spouses and the grandchildren are invited. I encourage them all to at least come for a few days if they can’t spend the entire week. The cousins love the opportunity to play together all week. I live for and plan that week all year.

My stepson is still single. I’m sure he will eventually marry and have children and that will be another learning experience for me. We will be sharing him with his mother and his in-laws. I am so grateful his mother and I get along. That makes a big difference. I am again resigned to be happy with whatever time we do spend together and consciously choose to make that time as comfortable as possible so they want to spend time with us.

For me, it’s become all about the memories. With 13 grandchildren it is so important to make the time during the year to make each one of them feel special like they are our favorite. We enjoy coming up with just the right activity for each child. There are opportunities to create those beautiful memories anytime. We simply have to want to and then we must do the work needed to make it possible. We also have to make the time.

This year I want to work on spending more one on one time with my grown children. It’s been all about the grandchildren for so long now, I’m missing the closeness with my kids.

I am not willing to cause strife over attendance at a holiday meal. I am more interested in being part of a family that can get together anytime and make it a memorable holiday.

I am not willing to cause strife over attendance at a holiday meal. - Doreen Mcgettigan Click To Tweet

How do you work out the “sharing” of your kids and grandkids over the holidays? Share in the comments below.

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10 Tips For Sharing Your Adult Kids On Holidays

Leaving A Legacy for Your Children and Grandchildren

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October 19, 2016 41 comments

Family

Legacy

There is nothing like a funeral to get your attention. Actually, it was a Memorial Service for Tish, my friend Cyndi’s mother that I attended on Saturday. Cyndi is a good friend and was a neighbor for many years. Our daughters were childhood friends. I did not know Tish well, but always enjoyed being around her at family gatherings or school events for the kids. Her death was sudden and unexpected.

There is nothing like a funeral to get your attention. Click To Tweet

One word I think of when I think of Tish is that she was ENGAGED. Her children did not move far from the community from which they were raised, so Tish took every opportunity to be engaged in the lives of her children and grandchildren. She talked to her daughters on the phone every day.

And Tish was LIVELY. Not the stand out demanding to be the center of attention kind of lively. But a high energy, attentive woman who always had a twinkle in her eye. At the service, it was said that she did not want her funeral to be LONG or BORING. My sentiments exactly! Family – do you hear me?

Tish’s memorial started with some congregational singing of some of the old timeless hymns that she loved. Boy, how that moved me. The hymns of my childhood make me feel comforted, loved and reminded of the Truth.

The old hymns make me feel comfort, loved and reminded of the Truth. Click To Tweet

The past 30 years or so, our churches have been filled with contemporary worship songs, which I love, but when times get tough, I want a hymn. Since I don’t think my kids will know many hymns, I am asking right now that all of my peers come and sing hymns at my funeral. Now I won’t be there to hear them, but doggone it, I want you to sing hymns anyway since I’m sure those are the only songs that Jesus really likes.

Back to Tish – Those who spoke of Tish, spoke of her faith in Jesus Christ. And that no matter how fabulous we all thought she was – a great mom, a great church member and a great friend, she knew she was a sinner just like all of us and needed a Savior. Her Savior was Jesus and I know that she wanted all of us to know Jesus as our Savior too.

Her husband of 53 years, Chico, got up and spoke at the end. Husband of 53 years – that in and of itself speaks volumes. I don’t know a thing about their marriage, but in 53 years there were likely disagreements, heartache and the maybe the temptation to give up. But they held on to their faith and each other. They were steadfast – a word we don’t hear often in our culture of disposable everything – relationships included.

Chico said that the word “suddenly” took on a whole new meaning for him that week when the love of his life SUDDENLY died. He told us to make peace now with anyone with whom we had a conflict. That we are not guaranteed another breath and whatever it is that comes between us and another is just not worth holding on to. Not worth a lifetime of regret at not getting it settled, resolved and forgiven. We KNOW we aren’t promised tomorrow. But why do we always act like we have forever?

We KNOW we aren’t promised tomorrow. But why do we always act like we have forever? Click To Tweet

At the end of the service as Tish’s family walked out – heartbroken husband, daughters, sons-in-laws, grown grandchildren and their spouses. When I saw them, all I could think of was LEGACY. Tish left a lasting legacy. She prayed for her children and grandchildren every day. She called them out with an appropriate word or just that look that only a grandmother can get away with. She supported and encouraged them. She led by example. And today, the hardest of days, they were together – remembering Tish. Loving and supporting each other.

I’ve thought about Tish and Chico all weekend and the lessons I was reminded of at that service.

The things that bother me most of the time aren’t worth the time and energy it takes to get upset about them.
The things that are important are important enough to talk about and to resolve.
There are expressions of love and affirmation that need to be said and to not wait to say them.
To always remember that my children and grandchildren are watching me.
To be more intentional in my prayers for them.
To lead by example. Just like Tish did.
To not be careless with my words because they carry weight and will be remembered.

Thank you Tish. You were an inspiration and example to more people than you probably ever knew.

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Pretzel Rod Sparklers – A 4th Of July Treat

Looking for an easy and quick treat to make for your 4th of July celebration? Try these Pretzel Rod Sparklers from frostingandsmile.com. Grandson, Parker and I made these together.

Pretzel Rod Sparklers. Fun treat for the kids to make this 4th of July. Click To Tweet

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase a product through my link, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I so appreciate every click-through and purchase! Every little bit helps to keep My Side of 50 up and running!

Pretzel Rod Sparklers

Ingredients:

Pretzel Rods
10 oz. package of white candy melts
Red, White and Blue Sprinkles ( I used Wilton Sparkling Sugar)

Method:

Make a row of each color of sprinkles on wax paper. They should be 1 – 1 1/2″ wide and touching.

Melt the candy melts. Dip about 1/2 of the pretzel rod into the melted candy. Shake off as much excess as you can. As you can see, this is very serious business, so please make sure all involved appreciate the gravity of this step. 🙂

Roll coated pretzel rod in sprinkles and place on a cooling rack to dry.

Admire your masterpiece!

Share with your sister.

Hope you are enjoying a great 4th of July weekend with family and friends!

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July 3, 2016 43 comments

4 Reasons You Need to Know CPR | CPR Training | American Heart Association | CPR Instructions | CPR Certification

Health & Wellness

Four Reasons You Need To Know CPR

Do you know CPR? Have you ever had to perform CPR on someone? Have you taken a class a long time ago, but need a refresher?

Last week, I attended my local American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women luncheon. This year, some friends of mine were honored for their great work with the AHA. During my friend’s speech, she recounted a time 20 years ago when her father went into cardiac arrest and then died in her arms at the hospital an hour later. She has learned a lot in her years working with AHA. My friend often wonders, “If I knew then what I know now, would the outcome have been different?”

Reasons everyone should be trained in CPR

4 Reasons You Need to Know CPR

4 Reasons You Need To Know CPR

Did you know?

Cardiac arrest is caused when the heart suddenly stops, usually due to an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat and disrupts blood flow through the body.
Over 326,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually. NINETY PERCENT of these victims DO NOT SURVIVE.
Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

Effective bystander #CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can triple a victim’s chance of survival. Click To Tweet

I took a CPR course many years ago, and “back in the day” we were trained to use a combination of breaths and chest compressions. The AHA has done extensive research and found that in adults, hands only CPR (chest compressions only), performed at the rate of 100 chest compressions per minute is just as effective. If you want to know how to measure 100 compressions per minute, just compress to the beat of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive”.

One of the highlights of the luncheon for me was getting some hands-on training in from members of our local fire department. They had dummies on which to practice that showed how hard you actually need to press when doing chest compressions. They said if you break a rib during chest compressions, that is a good thing! That means you are pressing hard enough. Who knew?

So why learn CPR?

I learned that 70% of out of hospital cardiac arrests occur in homes or residential settings.
Chances are, if you are called on to perform CPR, you’ll be doing it on someone you love – a spouse, child, parent or friend.
For every minute a person is “down” without getting CPR, their chances of survival DECREASE by 7-10%. That’s why it is important to know what to do and to do it quickly.
I learned that CPR is not hard. I could do it now, based on a few minutes of training, but I want to do more. I am going to sign up for a CPR course.

For every minute a person is “down” without getting #CPR, their chances of survival DECREASE by 7-10% Click To Tweet

If immediately starting CPR would increase a person’s chance of survival and it is something I can learn to do, why wouldn’t I do it?

So join me, will you?

Find a training near you.

Dipped Easter Egg Treats

Ever since my 8-year-old grandson, Parker, was old enough to help “cook”, we have made some kind of treat together for every holiday. And now that his sister, Madeline, is almost 3, we included her in the fun. This year we made Dipped Easter Egg Treats from momluck.com

Dipped Easter Egg Treats

Ingredients:

3 TBS. butter
1 – 10 oz. bag of miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies
Large plastic Easter Eggs
White Almond Bark
Solid Vegetable Shortening

Method:

Wash and dry your plastic eggs. I used large eggs like this.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter.

Add marshmallows and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.

Add the Rice Krispies to the marshmallow mixture and mix well, making sure all the cereal is coated.

Spray the inside of the eggs with cooking spray. Press cereal mixture firmly into each side of the egg and close. Make sure you don’t over-fill the eggs or they will pop open and not be the right shape.

Let the eggs sit for a few hours until firm. Carefully remove eggs and set aside. This recipe yielded 9 large eggs.

I did all of this the night before so that the eggs would be ready to dip and decorate when the kids arrived.

When you are ready to decorate:

Microwave 4 blocks of almond bark. Heat up in 15-second intervals and stir until smooth. Don’t overheat or it will seize up and you won’t be able to use it.
Add 1 TBS. of shortening and stir until smooth. If needed, add more shortening to get the consistency you want.

I set up the table with the almond bark and three toppings for the kids.

Dip the end of your egg in the almond bark and swirl around.

Shake off excess.

Dip in the topping.

Admire your work.

Let dry. The cooling rack that I use for baking was the perfect “drying rack” for this!

Let sister try.

Taste your creation

Take a picture with Gaga.

Do you cook with our kids or grandkids? What are some of your favorites to make together?

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Midlife Women

Trying Something New

Welcome to my “something new” – the first blog post on MySideof 50!

My name is Cathy Lawdanski and I am a 50 something wife, mother of 2 grown daughters and a “Gaga” to precious grandkids, Parker and Madeline.

I have been a teacher, stay-at-home mom, volunteer and for the past 20 years, a non-profit executive.

In 2015, I experienced some pretty dramatic life changes. Here’s the short version:

In January, my 82-year-old mother had a stroke that resulted in her passing in February. My 90-year-old father was still living on his own, but was becoming increasingly frail and in need of more assistance. In June, I quit my job in the non-profit arena to help care for him. A month later, he broke his hip and passed away in September. Whew….to say that was a tough nine months is an understatement.

Since Dad died, I’ve spent the last few months discovering the true meaning of rest and recovery. For me, that has been catching up on sleep, watching lots of TV and just focusing on my health. I’ve been cooking and eating good food, enjoying the tough workouts and friends at my Crossfit Box, running and taking yoga classes.

I had decided to give myself until the first of the year to grieve and rest, then go back to work at a non-profit. But in the midst of all this rest and self-care, I realized that I had been given the gift of time – time to reflect and think. I came to the realization that as much as I loved working for a non-profit and the people who work in that field, I didn’t really want to pursue that career path anymore.

So I decided to go in a completely different direction. I decided to be a BLOGGER. Something I had never done and didn’t have a clue about. Something creative. I’ve been working on this for several months. There’s a lot more to it than I thought.

It’s scary. Putting yourself out there and trying something new is kind of uncomfortable. The technical side of this is totally out of my wheelhouse. In fact, when this is posted, everything on the blog will probably not be in working order just yet. That’s another whole new thing for me – putting something out there that is not completely READY.

But on this side of 50, I am ready to just go for it. Create. Try something new. Be willing to do something that is not perfect. BE BRAVE.

So, I hope you’ll join me on this journey. I’m excited to learn how to be a better writer, how to create and manage a blog and how to take some great pictures. I’m going to share my life with you – new experiences, recipes I try, random thoughts and pictures of my grandchildren, because what’s the use of having a blog if you can’t post pictures of your grandchildren?

Friends have asked me – can you make money blogging? I know there are people who do. I hope to have a great blog that people value and that will result in compensation. But for me, that is not the point.

The point is conversation with you – the reader. Sharing our lives, experiences and information that is helpful. Things that inspire us. Wisdom we have gained. Maybe a chuckle or two.

So welcome. Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll share MySideof50 with your friends.

In the days to come, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with me in a number of ways. For now, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

Here’s to trying something new!

December 1, 2015 9 comments