grandma's chuckles - Eight-Year-Olds' View of Grandparents

A few years ago I saw a post about how eight-year olds describe grandparents. I do not know where it originally came from, but today I thought I'd share just a few of the quotes with you - get ready to laugh!

A Trip to the Museum!

Summertime provides a wonderful opportunity to do things with our grandchildren - go to parks, swim, hike, explore, camp (although I prefer "camping" at the local Hampton!) There are so many things to do together - many of which get us outside - which is an excellent thing.

However; sometimes it rains or is just too hot to enjoy the outside and it is just such times when a trip to your local museum is the perfect way to spend some great time together!

My local museum - the Grand Rapids Public Museum - sent me tickets for my family to visit, and today I'm happy to share with you what we discovered on our trip to the museum.

Helping my Grandsons Learn to Pray the Scriptures!

My husband and I are praying through the Book of Psalms for our grandsons - and our daughter, son and daughter-in-law. We are using my book - Deeper In 4 Grandparents & Parents, Too! Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love - Psalms Edition. Each week we pray through a different passage, which is broken into seven smaller portions for focused daily prayer.

I am working on a "version" of this book for children where they will be able to pray through the same Scriptures as their grandparents - or parents - are praying each day. So, I've started having my grandsons give it a try! 

Fun Giveaway in Three Days!

In just three days - on July 1, 2017, my grandsons have holding a drawing on their blog  - mineralbros.blogspot.com - for an amazing book on rocks - Rocks, Minerals & Gems. The drawing is on July 1, 2017, so you still have time to enter! You'll find all the details at this link.

Ideas for Summer Fun which Pass on Faith

What are your favorite things to do with your grandchildren in the Summer? Check these fun ideas from the Legacy Coalition.

Fireflies & Tadpoles

This past weekend my grandsons had a sleepover on Friday night. Before they went to bed, they looked outside and saw hundreds of fireflies . . . much to their absolute delight! The boys spent quite some time just watching the fireflies light up and fly around my yard - it was the most fun watching their reaction!

Freebies from Shutterfly!

This morning when I checked my email I had a wonderful offer from Shutterfly, which I thought I'd share with you. It is one of their "freebie" offers!

You may choose from the following - but must place your order by Sunday night - June 25, 2017 and use the code GETFREE . . . 

Reading God's Word Together!

For the past few months I've been giving my grandsons

specific Bible verses to read each day which their poppa and I are also reading. I believe there is much to be gained from reading God's Word and when we as grandparents are able to do it with our grandchildren, on a daily basis no matter where we all live, it is a truly wonderful thing!

I've been emailing my grandsons the daily Bible verse, along with what I think about the verse and often a fun website for them to check out as well. 

The other day my oldest grandson said he would like to be the one who emails the daily Bible verse to his poppa and I. It sounded like a good idea - worth trying - so he is not emailing a verse to me each day . . . or most days! If he misses a day, he sends me two verses the following day.

Saving a Baby Elephant & Passing On Our Faith

The other day I saw a report on the news about a little baby elephant in a zoo in Seoul, Korea. The baby was walking along a water feature in it's area when it fell in. The water was deep and the baby was at risk of drowning. 

Happily, the baby was not alone. It's mother and aunt were with it and they ran - or charged would not be too small a word to describe what they did - to the side of the baby. They were not able to lift the baby out of the deep water, so they got around it and pushed the baby to shallow water.

I Have a Winner & Don't Forget A Special Giveaway in Nine Days!

I'm happy to announce Mary Beth Dawson is the winner of World Pizza - you will find my full review at this link. Thank you Mary Beth for reading grandma's cookie jar - please email me (lyndagcj@gmail.com) your address by June 27, 2017, so I can have the book sent to you, and thank you Sterling Children's Books for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

Book Giveaway on Mineral Bros!

My grandsons' have posted their first giveaway on their blog - mineral bros - mineralbros.blogspot.com! They are giving away the wonderful book -Rocks, Minerals & Gems . . . you will find all the details for entering this giveaway at the following link.

Please check it out and enter - someone will win - could be you!

Summer Plans!

Hello! Yes, I am still here! Since starting this blog, I have never gone three days without posting, but Summer has begun and this Summer, my grandsons will be spending time at my house, so when they are here, I do not use my computer. I want them to have my attention and time.

I do expect to be able to post most days - after they go home or when they go to bed on sleepovers, but while they are here, it will not be the typical thing for me to post as I will be spending my time with them. We will be reading books (Caleb just finished Kindergarten and is a reading person!), cooking, baking, playing board games, snuggling, laughing, go rock hunting, work on their blogs, swim, have water gun "wars" and tomorrow we are going to go out and see what types of photos we might take of nature - I expect this to be fun for sure! We will have fun!

Rocks, Minerals & Gems - My Grandsons Are Giving One Away!

This Summer, my grandsons are writing their own blog about rocks. My eight-year-old grandson designed and created the blog and the logo, by himself and he and his brothers (five and three years old) will write about rocks, review books and rocks and make videos about books and rocks, too. It should be educational and will be fun!

Scholastic Books sent them the first book they are reviewing, Rocks, Minerals & Gems - and an additional copy for them to give away on their blog! They will be reviewing it this weekend - and announcing the details for their giveaway as well. So, today I want to share my review of this book with you as well.

Grandma - You DO Make a Significant Difference!

I'm writing a new book for grandparents and in one chapter I share some of the history of Fanny Crosby - today I'm sharing a bit of it with you. 

When Fanny was six months old, her dad died - she was raised by her mother and her grandmother. At the age of three she was officially diagnosed with permanent blindness. Her grandmother, Eunice Crosby, taught her about God and His Word - she told her she could trust God and all they had, good and bad, came through His hand to them.

When Fanny was ten her grandmother helped her memorize five chapters of the Bible each week. Since Fanny could not see to read, this meant her grandmother had to read and, sentence by sentence, help Fanny with this memorization.

grandma's library - World Pizza - I'm Giving One Away!

I was recently invited to review and giveaway a new book - the idea for the book sounded fun, so I said I'd be happy to take a look at it. Today I'm sharing with you my thoughts about the book - World Pizza.

Do You Have any Rocks/Stones to Share?

I have posted a couple times about how my grandsons are writing their own blog about rocks this summer. They have received a book from Scholastic Books about rocks, minerals and gems (it is a beautiful book with amazing photos and great info) and will be reviewing it in a few days . . . as well as announcing a giveaway for another one as well!

They have some fun rocks to write about and plan to search for more over the summer! You will find their blog at mineralbros.blogspot.com it will be a fun place to learn about rocks.

So, with this in mind, if you have some interesting stones/rocks which you would be willing to give to these boys to research and write about on their blog, please send them to me -

Trust God, Experience His Peace & Pass it On!

I grew up in a time when each Sunday in church we sang the old hymns; It Is Well With My Soul, The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, Just As I Am - old songs where the lyrics were sound and they challenged and encouraged us in our walk with God. I loved these songs then - and still love them today.

I also love the newer praise songs, but today I want to share one of my favorite hymns with you, and some thoughts about how these lyrics encourage grandparents; but first some background on the author – Frances Havergal. She lived in the mid to late 1800's and wrote a number of hymns. In 1876 she became quite ill; many thought she would die, but she was not upset or afraid. Instead she had great peace and wrote the song, "Like a River Glorious" - one of my favorites!

Look at the first verse –

Finding Garnets!

One of my brothers works for a company where they make counter tops out of marble and other stones. This past weekend his son graduated from High School and at his Open House, we were talking about how my grandsons LOVE rocks! My brother showed me a counter top scrap he had which was made from mica and garnets. He told me if you hit it with a hammer, the mica would turn to powder and you'd find garnets - then he gave me a piece for my grandsons to give it a try.

I Have a Winner!

I'm happy to say Mary Carmen is the winner of the wonderful fleece photo blanket from Shutterfly! You will find my full review at this link.

Thank you Mary for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email me by June 14, 2017 at lyndagcj@gmail.com to arrange for you to order your own custom, beautiful blanket.)

And thank you Shutterfly for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

Second-Chance Giveaway on June 12, 2017

We just enjoyed my annual month of birthday giveaways - otherwise known as the month of May! Many of you won prizes - and I'm happy to say, they have all finally been mailed! If you have not received your prize yet, it should arrive next week!

But, one person who won a prize did not contact me with their info in the stated time frame, so I could get their prize to them, so we are having a second-chance giveaway on June 12, 2017 to find a new winner for the wonderful fleece photo blanket from Shutterfly! You will find my full review at this link.

Children's Day - Yes, It Is Real!

This Sunday - June 11, 2017 - is Children's Day! Yes, it is a real holiday . . . (If you look it up on Google, it says the USA celebrates Children's Day on the second Sunday in June - this has been the official date since the 1800's - I really did not make this holiday up!!!) :-) 

Let Them Hear & Read God's Word, Too!

I have personally read through the Bible many times in my life – as you have likely done as well, however; I recently came across a verse which I'm sure I must have read before, but just truly "noticed" . . . .

Summertime Plans & Fun

School for my grandsons is almost over for this school year! They just have five more days to go, and then . . . Summer vacation!!! Hooray!

I love Summer vacation with my grandsons, because it means I will be able to see them more and spend more time with them! Most weekends throughout the school year, the boys spend Friday night at my house for a sleep-over, but in the Summer we add in an extra sleep-over during the week - and a few special days of fun mid-Summer as well!

Praising God for Answers to Prayer!

When it comes to praying for your grandchildren, what do you pray about and for? Clearly our specific prayers are often driven by whatever is happening in the lives of our family, but beyond these things, what do you pray about and for?

I pray about a few very specific things in pretty much every prayer I pray for my grandsons; they include the following -

Rocks, Fun & More!

For quite a few years now, my grandsons have enjoyed the show - Phineas & Ferb. For any of you who do not have grandchildren who watch this show, it is about two brothers and all the experiments they work on and adventures they go on over Summer vacation. They build time machines and roller-coasters, travel to Mars, build robots and so much more. My grandsons enjoy this show.

This Summer my grandsons have a project they will be working on. As I wrote about yesterday, they have set up their own blog - Mineral Bros - and plan to write about geology. They will do book reviews, make videos about rocks and may even hold a give-away or two!

Check Out This New Site By & For Kids . . . & Grown-ups, Too!

My grandsons are over today for a sleepover - we had some fun new rocks for them as all three of them find rocks interesting. As we talked, my oldest grandson decided he would like to start a blog for kids about rocks - and my second grandson will help from time to time!

So, today I'm very happy to invite you to check out the mineral bros blog at this link - written by kids for kids (and parents and grandparents, too)! From time to time they will review books - or other rock things - and even hold giveaways!

It will be a fun and safe place for children - so please share it with the children - parents and grandparents you know!

It Is Donut Day!

Today is National Donut Day! While I rarely eat these wonderful treats, I do think every day should be a donut day! And, what is a better way to celebrate than with a free donut!!! Visit your local Krispy Kreme and you will receive a free donut - worth celebrating for sure!

If you live near your grandchildren, grab them and go get a donut! After all, National Donut Day is only one day a year!

Enjoy!

What Do You Want Your Grandchildren to Know?

Today is June 1st and it is the day those of us using Generations Quest to be intentional about passing on faith to our grandchildren will begin a study in the life of King Josiah and learn about what it means to love God's Word. It will be a great month of learning and important faith conversations for sure!

If you have not made the decision yet to use Generations Quest with your family, consider the following . . . 

I Have a Winner!

I'm happy to say Tracy Taylor is the winner of one Out Of The Dark by Mandisa - you'll find my full review at this link.  Thank you Tracy for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email me your address - lyndagcj@gmail.com - by June 1, 2017, so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Propeller Consulting, LLC for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away.