The Birthday Stretch

The girls in our family try to do something that we call the birthday STR......ETCH. This means that we try to keep the celebration going in one way or another for as long as possible. My granddaughter who recently turned ten is already mastering the technique. Today, sixteen days after her birthday the celebration continued with Papa and I.

Papa and I had bought her tickets to a play and a promised lunch out with us for her birthday gift. She had been counting the days and she was very excited about our planned outing.

We had a forty-five minute ride to the theatre. I had prepared some coloring pages from the Princess and the Pea for a travel time activity. She and I colored together in the back seat of the car to help pass the time while papa acted as our chauffeur .

We enjoyed the production very much. It was very well performed and the story couldn't have been more cute.


The crowd was mostly little girls. Some were there sharing it with their moms but we didn't see many dads. It appeared that there were many, many  grandma's and grandpa's just like us attending with their grandchildren. GO Grandpas!

After the play we went and had lunch together as promised.

This gift and the one on one time we had today was loved by our granddaughter. Papa and I loved it too!

So, tickets to an event as a birthday gift to be shared with grandma and grandpa is a very good thing!

Big and Fun Coloring Project

"Grandma, I want to do a craft at your house." These were some of the first words I heard on my recent play date with my six year old grandson. I hadn't prepared any crafts so I had to put on my creative thinking cap. I had a little time to think about it while we were in route to my house. I have ample supplies but what could I suggest?

My first suggestion to craft something for Easter was declined and I was asked; "What would I do with that?" Duh Grandma (my words not his)

My second thought was trains. His bedroom is decorated in everything train. I asked if he would like to make a big train station banner for his bedroom. He asked how big can it be and I said as big as the table. He was pretty impressed with that and he instantly jumped on board with the idea.

He engineered the design and he stayed on track with very little help from grandma until the project was complete.

The BIG paper and the TRAIN theme is what made this coloring project the perfect craft project of his CHOO...CHOO...sing!

A Full Afternoon of Fun for just Two Bucks!

I had two of my grandsons who are six and two over yesterday to spend a full day of fun with Papa and I. The oldest of the two is off for spring break. I picked them up from their home at the scheduled time and they were both packed up very ready to GO!

First on my idea list was a stop to do a bit of shopping. The dollar store filled about 45 minutes of our day while we took our time checking out every nook and cranny of the Easter items, the toys, and the crafts sections of the store.

They each picked out two items which required some difficult decision making. Once the final selections had been made the six year old asked if he could pay for our purchase. I gave him the cash and he took care of the entire transaction. He said that was a first for him and he couldn't have been more proud of himself.


They each decided on brightly colored cobra snakes that could be easily wrapped around anything and a coloring book each. The snakes offered an afternoon of outdoor fun once we got home. We went on a walk after lunch. The boys took their snakes and I took my camera.

The boys looked for creative and fun places to pose the snakes or pose with the snakes and I snapped the pictures. They had one great idea after another.


 This unplanned and unexpected activity was so much fun for both the boys and myself.







Once we got back indoors the boys enjoyed a snack and drink while I showed them all of our pictures on the big computer monitor.




I was pretty amazed just how much fun we had with a two dollar purchase.

My first idea on my list for spending a fun day with my grandsons seems to have been a brilliant one!

Grandkid's Rock!

Grandkid's Rock is the theme for the 2010 Grandkid's Camp Out that is scheduled for the last of April. It is going to be everything Rock-n-Roll. I decided on the theme months ago when I found some really fun heavy card stock full size guitars that the kids can customize and "rock out" using markers and stickers for a camp craft. I found the guitars on clearance for 90% off and that is where my "Grandkid's Rock" inspiration began.

Since then I have been on the lookout for other great buys that would fit the Rock-n-Roll theme. I have been very successful in my search. I have never done camp t-shirts before but this year is going to change that. I had a low end price point for quality shirts since eight were needed this year. I really wanted the shirts to have a guitar on them and the words "rock-n-roll" or "rock star" if possible. I didn't find them all at once... but I did find them. I purchased the shirts on four different occasions and months apart!  I found perfect shirts in all of the sizes I needed. Some for big and little boys, and others for big and little girls.  My total cost for the shirts was under my twenty-five dollars budget. (so much fun!!!)

As I find and pick up things for the camp throughout the year they go into a rubbermaid tub labeled "Grandkid's Camp Out" for safe keeping until they are needed.

I came across guitar bubble holders in the WalMart party favor section. I splurged on those and paid full price at a whopping fifty cents each because they were just perfect for the occasion.

I plan to do tie-dyed pillowcases with the kids for a camp craft. Why pillowcases? Well, I think the kids will really like making them and using them after the camp. Another BIG reason is that a couple of years ago I found white pillow cases for just twenty five cents each. My rule is when I find the right number of anything (# of grandkids I have) at a great price I put my thinking cap on and come up with a project to use them. I had no idea they would end up tie-dyed but they are going to make a perfect "rocker" craft.

Other great finds were temporary kid tattoos that I found for 90% off. Some even say "Camp Rock"! I found some more that will work perfectly for my little rockers in the after Valentine's clearance section also at 90% off. I have tattoo's galore and all for under a dollar!

We plan to create a music video for one of our activities which will require some dress up items. I recently found some bandanas and three pairs of rock star gloves at Claires. The items were normally between four and nine dollars each. I found them on clearance for just one dollar each.

I am down to about five weeks before my little campers arrive for their "Rockin" good time with grandma and Papa. I still need to create the invites, come up with food and snack ideas, and prepare for a learning unit on the "ROCKS & minerals" of the Southwest deserts. So, stay tuned. Until then, please know that this frugal event planning grandma is busy doing something she absolutely loves doing!

Party Ideas that are Dog Gone Cute!

My grandson's second birthday was full of really fun and creative party ideas. The birthday boy loves doggies and his mommy went all out to make it the perfect occasion for him and his party guests.

The invitation idea is super simple and super cute. It is created by using a quarter page of construction paper. A printed invite was glued inside under the bottom flaps that create the bottom of the doggie's face. A black sticker creates the nose and holds the bottom flaps in place.

The doggie theme started at the front of the house with spotted doggie balloons tied to the entry gate. Guests were greeted with a banner that read "Kingston's Dog House".

As the children arrived the party moved to the back yard. The little guests were treated to a doggie eared head band and doggie face painting. The party music was a fun mix that was all about dogs.

Party decorations included large window stickers on all of the patio windows of dogs, dog paw print table linens, table centerpieces were small buckets filled with small doggie bone candies and a bouquet of doggie shaped suckers.

Baggies of puppy chow (coco puffs) filled a basket as table decor and then used later for a game. A doggie blowing bubble toy was also available for the kids to play with.

Two very large boxes had been cut with doggie doors and windows to look like dog houses. (The kids loved playing in those.)

Two dogs were also invited as special guests and served as living, running, barking, and tail wagging party decor!

Of course, the lunch menu stayed true to the party! Yummy hot dogs were grilled and served with potato salad, chips, and fresh fruit on doggy theme plates.

Party activities included lots of free time to play in the big back yard. They had a doggie bone hunt. Dozens of doggie bones were cut out of cardboard. The adults hid them around the yard and the kids hunted for them. The prize awarded for the most doggie bones found was some pretend "doggie poop"! I don't remember which lucky mommy went home with that prize in the car.


A puppy relay was a favorite activity. They had to start by jumping through a hula hoop then on all fours run the race which took them through the two cardboard doggie  houses. At the end of the course they had to eat a bowl of the "puppy chow".





The birthday cake was adorable and perfect for the occasion. Party favors were bags filled with everything doggie for the kids.



The adults received a party favor of homemade doggie bone sugar cookies tied with a curly dog paw print ribbon with a thank you that read: "Thanks for coming to my Pawdy"

All of the little party guests had a great time playing doggie for the afternoon.


And the birthday boy.... Well he had a pretty good "dog-gone" time too!

Daddy Daughter Date

Hey Daddy... How about taking your daughters out on a date? Little girls love the idea and there is little more precious than a daddy who is adored by his girls.

My three granddaughters had a really fun time with their daddy recently. Mommy stayed home with baby brother and the three girls and their daddy went to a Phoenix Suns basketball game.

The girls had been to games before but not like this very special occasion. This time it was an official date with their daddy. Daddy had been given tickets to a VIP box and he chose to invite his girls rather than his buddies. The girls were in absolute heaven. The VIP box was catered with unlimited food, snacks, and drinks. The seating was extra comfy and their view of the game was perfect. It appears that the girls enjoyed a trip to the Team Shop too. The picture is one that daddy took on his cell phone and sent home to mommy to show how well the date was going!

What is quite amazing about Daddy Daughter Dates is that they don't have to be something big or expensive. It is more about the feelings that are created between daddy and daughter. A daddy who makes his little girls feel loved, extra special, and adored is a very good thing! A daddy who is adored by his girls is a priceless gift in so many ways.

Pinewood Derby Next Generation

Boy...Oh...Boy has the world of Pinewood Derby's changed for the next generation of racers. My grandson's Cub Scout troop recently hired a professional service to come in to run the races.  I walked in just as they were beginning the event. There was really cool background music playing and an announcer with a booming voice welcoming the race fans.

The hired crew was decked out in matching racing uniforms. The track had five or six lanes. The track was sectioned off with long banners of checkered flags. The announcers table was covered with a black and white checked linen and skirting. The picture above shows the backdrop for the pit crew area. The pit crew area (for the racers only) had  a cubby hole (parking space) for each of the cars in to be parked in between the heats. Between the heats the race fans enjoyed all kinds of fun racing music. So much fun!

The real kicker was that the track was completely computerized. The cars were manually set in place but then a computerized switch sent them down the track. There was a sensor at the end of the track that showed every cars time. The complete rundown with the racers name, the name of the car, and their time appeared (within 1/100th of a second) on a jumbo screen. The computer announced the winner over the sound system. This was cutting edge stuff for our little town.

The whole event was so much fun for the race fans. I can only imagine how cool it was for the boys. The entire Cub Scout troop couldn't have been more proud of their individual Pinewood Derby cars and their smiles couldn't have gotten any bigger.

I loved seeing the boys being supported and cheered on by their families and a big crowd of friends. My grandson designed his own car. It was actually a army green military tank. His daddy who is an engineer told him that his design wouldn't be very fast. My grandson made the final decision to go with the tank. The green military tank may not have won on the track but you would have never known it from his excitement, the pride he took in his craftsmanship, and the excellent sportsmanship he demonstrated. Grandma was very proud!

YUM..... Root Beer floats were the perfect ending for both the uniformed racers and their fans.

A Full Decade of Being a Grandma

My oldest grandchild celebrated her tenth birthday this week and that means that I have been a grandma for a full decade! I have become the grandma to ten amazing grandchildren in those ten years. One year we went from two grandchildren to five. Those three grandchildren arrived just three months after the other. The current ages of my grandchildren are ten, almost nine, three that are six, five, four, almost three, two, and just over two months old. The ability that we have to love and bond with each and every grandchild as they become part of our lives is an absolute gift.

On my tenth anniversary of becoming a grandparent this week I was away caring for my elderly parents who are in their late eighties. They are the grandparents to twenty-two adult grandchildren and the great-grandparents of fifty to date. They have been grandparents for over four decades. Their grandchildren are spread across the United States and they are all busy providing for and raising their own families.

While with my parents I found myself thinking of the next decades of being grandma. I had very mixed emotions. The decades to come are unknown territory and very foreign waters to me. I am not quite sure how I will navigate through the teenage, young adult, and the adult years of my grandchildren.

I can only hope that what I am working to build now as a grandma is enough to keep my grandchildren and I  bonded and connected throughout the years of them growing up and me growing older. I find peace in knowing that becoming a grandma ten years ago was also unknown territory and foreign waters. Treading the foreign waters of being a grandma my first decade seemed to come quite naturally. I don't know that I could have possibly found any more joy in the journey.

So for now, I will continue to enjoy each and every moment with my growing grandchildren. I will continue my mission as a grandma to build strong family bonds, to create traditions,  and share in cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

I can only imagine the joy that my one day adult grandchildren will bring me when they reflect on their childhood memories that I had a part in creating for them. So, chin up Grandma Shelley I am quite sure there is much more joy to be found in every decade of the grandma journey!

A Visit From the Leprechauns

This is a really fun idea that one of my daughters did for her children on  St. Patrick's Day. It has been nearly a year since my grandchildren were visited by the Leprechauns in their home but they vividly remember every detail. They look forward to St. Patrick's Day and they are wondering anxiously what kind of mischief the silly Leprechauns will create this year. This is a really fun childhood memory to create!

(CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST to see how to create a really fun and memorable visit from the Leprechauns)

St. Patricks Day Tic-Tac-Toe

This tic tac toe game was created for a group game but it can also be used for just two players to play the traditional way. For a group game the blocks were numbered. Each numbered block had a matching question that was folded up and placed in a jar. Teams would draw the question and earn the matching square with a correct answer.

The children loved this BIG holiday version of tic-tac-toe. It is a very easy and inexpensive project to make.

You begin with an inexpensive foam poster board (from the dollar store). To create the tic-tac-toe board cut four strips from a sheet of 12"x12" holiday or special occasion scrapbook paper making them
1 1/2"x12".  Attach the strips to create the game board using a glue stick. Use the remaining 6"x12" piece of  scrapbook paper to create a border at the top for the game name. The game name and shamrocks were designed and printed out on a home computer using free online clipart. If you are crafty you can create your own fun design using colored markers.

Shiny shamrock coins in gold and green were used for the  playing pieces by placing a bit of tape on the backs of the coins. Paper shamrocks cut from two colors of construction paper is another idea that could be used.

This game idea can be used for any holiday or occasion. You can even make your poster board do double duty. How about, one side for St. Patricks Day and the other for Easter. A trip to a local scrapbook store would be an endless source of inspiration.

By tweaking the questions and the scrapbook paper the options are endless. Just thinking about it .... my mind is bursting with ideas. How about making one for Valentine's Day, a family Christmas party, a classroom Halloween party, a birthday party, a baby shower, a bridal shower, 4th of July, or even ones for the seasons!

Please share your ideas too. If you create one please send me a pic!

Buddy Burners

It is so much fun seeing the next generation being introduced to the things that my own children loved to do as kids.

Making buddy burners was a regular activity for my kids. They cooked their own lunches many, many times on their do it yourself buddy burners. Hot dogs, soup, grilled cheese, eggs. Even without the best results the food was gobbled up because they had cooked it themselves!

Since fire and hot wax are involved adult supervision is highly recommended.


How to Make a Buddy Burner:

You will need: short sided cans such as tuna cans, cardboard, candles, lighter or matches, and a gallon can.

1. Cut strips of cardboard to match the depth of the can.
2.  Fill the can tightly with the strips of cardboard.
3. Light a candle and hold it above the can. Allow the wax to fill all of the cracks in the cardboard.
4. Light the buddy burner with a match or a lighter.
5. You can roast over the open flame. Hot dogs, marshmallows, or bits of biscuit dough twisted on a stick are a few ideas.
6. To create a stove top, vent a gallon can and place it over the top of the burner.

Tips: Save the gallon, it can be used over and over. Sawdust can be used instead of cardboard. Save those tuna cans!

My Family Ties

 My middle daughter with her husband and children. These three sisters are my only granddaughters. Little brother and daddy are a bit outnumbered but you better believe they don't mind it a bit!

Old Habits...Not Always Bad Ones

When I was raising my family I was lucky enough to be a stay at home mom. I made it my job to be a very smart consumer and to make the most of my husbands income. I shopped the ads, I knew the ins and outs of coupons, and I always shopped for the best price. I was successful at it and it netted our family many blessings. We were never without a savings, we always had a fully stocked pantry and freezer, we ate well, and we never felt like we went without anything. It was a  habit of frugality that I practiced for many, many years,

In  recent years as our income increased and we have had less mouths to feed I have lost a bit of my frugal habits. I have continued to shop the ads and compare prices for the most part but using coupons became more and more rare.

My recently retired husband has become very helpful and an inspiration in reversing the "kicking of the old habit" of getting the most for our families dollar. We are now clipping, filing, and using coupons together. We are shopping the ads and taking advantage of all of the money saving games and gimmicks that the retailers offer.

I think you will find our recent savings quite inspirational yourself. The Frugal Shopper's Stars were perfectly aligned for us today and this is our money saving tale: Within the last couple of weeks my husband needed two prescriptions refilled. We had them transferred with a simple phone call to a local grocery store who was running a coupon for a $30 store credit for every transferred prescription. These two transactions, which we had to do anyway netted us $60 in grocery store credit. My husband had used prescription promotions from the drug companies to get deep discounts on the prescriptions too. One of them was free and they still gave us the $30 credit!

Today being the first Wednesday of the month the store was offering a 10% discount to senior shoppers. You only have to be 55 to be a senior. We (my husband 55, and I  a non qualifying senior at just 54) searched the ads for great prices on the things we use. We pulled and used the coupons we had for the sale items we wanted to purchase.

Our total purchase was valued at $122.58. After shopping the ads and getting our 10% discount it brought the price down to $52.28. A really great value for the items we had purchased. We used the store credit we had been given from transferring our prescriptions. We are still left with a store credit balance of over $7. The real kicker is that they filled our basket (which had not cost us any money)  and then the cashier totaled up our doubled coupon savings with tax and she gave it to us in cash! Bottom line.....we netted a big cart of groceries and they gave us $6.20 for shopping today!  So, don't be fooled... some old habits are not always bad ones".