Pearl Harbor Day – December 7 We remember those who fought for our freedoms in World War II, those who gave their lives, those who took several years from their lives, and those at home who carried on when family members were away.  Because of their sacrifices our country remained free. Freedom image: sxc.hu Do your children, do you know about Pearl Harbor?  You may have seen the movie, but do you know what this actually meant and still means to families? This is a good time to learn from older relatives in the family and find our your Pearl Harbor heritage.  My uncle served in the Army Air Corps, and we have some of his letters written to my mom.  We also have a picture album of some of his experiences in the States.  However, he... [Read more]

“He’s always so upbeat.  Such a happy kid,” one of my grandson’s high school teachers remarked to me. This made me realize that we are building attitudes at home.  It’s too easy to be grumpy at home, to air our gripes and disappointments rather than looking for the sunshine.  In our multigenerational home, with its many personalities, it’s sometimes difficult for all of us to be upbeat all the time. Kids smiling image: sxc.hu However, it’s up to us adults to set the tone of the home and help youngsters build their attitudes…hopefully positive and problem solving ones. Do the youngsters in your home see you as an overcomer or as someone who lets life get you down? Do you find solutions to challenges... [Read more]

Grandparents have wonderful holiday memories to share with grandchildren if the middle generation (the children) will encourage this rather than considering it simply, “Grandma’s ramblings.“  Even those with Alzheimer’s can contribute to the memory lore.  Sometimes we might say, “especially those with Alzheimer’s”, because those memories become very vivid for them at certain stages of the illness. Holiday memories image: sxc.hu   Grandparents’ memories, and those of other older relatives, contribute to the family heritage.  Record them, write them down, compile them in scrapbooks.  Those help children realize who they truly are and help form a family bond. If grandchildren can work on Holiday... [Read more]

Youngsters can be inconsiderate when it comes to one another’s names.  Names image: sxc.hu If it’s an unusual name, they might make fun of it.  If an an adult mispronounces it, they may laugh and hurt a tot’s feelings. I heard one principal handle this very well when youngsters were mixing up two students’ names on purpose.  One didn’t mind, but the other was close to tears. She had a discussion and mentioned the importance of a person’s names.  She emphasized that each person’s name is special.  This led to a discussion on where the students’ names originated and what they meant. So they shared whether they were named for a parent, grandparent or other family member.  Was that name a special... [Read more]

With Christmas and other holidays coming up, creating memory projects could be a fun project for your youngsters.  There are several ways they could do this. Chrstmas ornaments image: sxc.hu Keep a journal and record the various holidays activities that are occurring in the family and at school. Take pictures of the various crafts and activities and put these in a slide show on the computer.  So many youngsters are learning how to make slide shows for school projects.  So this could carry over at home Print off pictures and put them in an actual scrapbook. Make holiday collages with pictures from magazines and write about the holidays on this.  These could be lone collages or be compiled into a scrapbook. Find old Christmas cards saved... [Read more]