Grandma Camp 2012

I proved to myself this year that you don't have to work on preparing Grandma Camp the entire year! It has been a year of big changes for me. My husband retired nine months ago as in he is home everyday! That is a big adjustment to a 30 plus year stay at home wife and mom. It has been one year since my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and already seven months since she moved into our home full time. My youngest adult child moved back home a year ago too. So, my year of transition from being a stay at home wife and empty nester with a full time working husband has evolved into a full nest, added responsibilities in caring for my mother in law, little privacy, little alone time, thermostat challenges, TV remote sacrifices, and probably the hardest hit being far less time for my personal creativity time to bring me the joy that it once did.

Needless to say Grandma Camp was pulled together very differently this year and I did not began my camp with the 100% over the top organization that I usually do. But, guess what? If needed you can pull Grandma Camp together in two days and it seems everyone still has just as much fun!

Sadly, this year four of my grandchildren were unable to attend. Oh, how I missed them. So this year I had just six little campers and all boys! Another big change is that we moved the camp to the mountains this year!  My adult children graciously HELPED me pull grandma camp off this time.  We all (parents and kids) headed to our mountain cabin for the Memorial Day weekend.  We extended our stay to include grandma camp. The kids were okay with mom and dad being there but they were very concerned about where they would be during grandma camp and where they were going to sleep to no intrude on our special time together. Traditionally, it is no parents allowed. Seems to be a tradition the kids really like!

To kick off the camp we all (as in parents and grands) headed into town for a pizza lunch and arcade games.

Following lunch the moms and dads stayed in town for the

day to play and Papa and I loaded up our campers and headed

back to the cabin for Grandma Camp!

We had six campers between the ages of 2-11.

Once we arrived back to the cabin we all worked together

to set up the tables and chairs we needed.

Our first activity was talking about keeping a journal.

I then gave them each a camp journal to

record when and where our camp was, who was there, what we did,

how they felt, and their favorite things about grandma camp.

They were given time following each activity to

write or color in their camp journals.

Next up.... Since slacking grandma didn't get personalized

water bottle labels created before camp the kids made their own.

Each child was given a strip of card stock that would

cover the store bought label with a 1/2" overlap.

Each child decorated their labels using colored pencils

and they wrote their names on them. Papa used clear packing

tape (with the kids help) to attach the labels and to waterproof them

 to their camp issued water bottles.

Funny thing....

No one seemed to notice that Grandma Camp

had been pulled together in just two days!

What's next on the agenda?

Greer or Bust Memories

This is the second post of our family snow outing to Greer, Arizona. If you missed the first post you can check it out here. In the first post there are some ideas for making the most of your family vacation together. Caravanning as a family. two (four way for us) way radios, crafts, snacks, meals, and more.

On our second full day in Greer it was all about eating a hearty breakfast, bundling up in our snow gear, packing our lunches, and getting outside to play in the cold white stuff! The Greer Lodge loaned us all kinds of tubes for sledding. Once all of our vehicles were filled to capacity with the tubes it was a short drive to a great public sledding hill.

The snow was about knee deep and the day was sunny. 

A perfect day for snow play!

Trying a taste.

Snow and sunshine.

Where are your sunglasses buddy?

Three generations.

Cousins taking a break while crunching on snow.

All bundled up.

Learning to snowboard.

Flying down the hill!

Mom and Daughter.

Just before my camera and I were wiped out!

A tube just his size!

I can't wait to see what he captured!

Daddy/Daughter

My oldest granddaughter.

Father and Son.

All by himself!

Papa and Grand #1.

We were everywhere on that hill.

There was eleven more of us slipping and sliding

up and down the hill.

Everyone was having a great time.

The youngest sledder.

The wisest of our bunch!

As our day was coming to an end I was in the car with the wise one so that she could warm up. I watched from afar as our entire clan worked together to link all of the sleds, tubes, cousins, and parents together to create a sledding train. It was so much fun that they did it again and again.

It was a very symbolic way to end our day of family snow play.

Yay, Yay, Yay, it's Today!

My husband and I gave the gift of a three day snowy cabin retreat to our entire family as a Christmas gift. The trip had been pre-scheduled with our adult children to take place three VERY LONG (for our grandchildren) weeks after Christmas.

This gift created a whole lotta' excited anticipation among the cousins. We all worked together during the weeks between Christmas and the actual trip to pull together snow bibs, gloves, boots, jackets, scarves, and snow boots for our entire clan from our outgrown cold weather clothing bins. My oldest grandson was able to wear a snow bib that my own son had worn 20 years ago! Does that make it a vintage snow bib?

My five year old grandson just about drove his parents crazy with the "How many more days?" On the day before the trip he woke up saying "Yay, Yay, only one more day!" The morning of the trip he had crawled into bed with his mommy and daddy sometime during the night. My daughter said when he first opened his eyes upon waking he said; "Yay, Yay, Yay, it's today!"

My husband and I worried as the days ticked closer to the long anticipated trip. Why? Because it had been a very warm and dry three weeks since Christmas in Arizona. The town of Greer (where we were headed) has a webcam that my husband and I had been watching and we knew that the snow cover was melting away each day.

As the trip neared my worries turned to prayers pleading for some pretty detailed blessings. My heartfelt prayers for snow and for my grandchildren to realize their long awaited anticipation of snow play were answered.

The night before our trip the forecast changed from expected rain that would have washed away all of the snow to a 90% chance of snow for the area we were headed to. My husband and I were giving each other high fives and I offered prayers of gratitude for this much appreciated blessing.

We all met the morning of the trip to caravan up together. To help make the trip all that Papa and I had envisioned for our family here are a few of the things we did:

We had given each family a snowman kit for Christmas.

I had created a laminated Greer or Bust sign

for each of the cars. (Creating family unity) 

Each car had a two way radio so that we could communicate,

 play games, and just be silly between our four cars.

(Creating family fun)

I did a roll call using the radios so that everyone

from two to seventy-seven had a chance

to talk in the radios.

(A sense of belonging)

We had a predetermined place that we

we invited all to stop at for lunch. It was completely

optional but we had 100% attendance!

(Family support)

After lunch, we were on the last leg of our drive.

We were not on the road long when we

realized that the lack of snow was not going to be a problem.

The scenery was an absolute treat for us desert dwellers!

The freshly fallen snow had blanketed the pines and the aspen trees.

Beautiful!

(Shared gratitude)

We all got to experience some light snowfall on our drive too.

Our two cabins were ready for our earlier than expected arrival.

Two cabins, warm fireplaces, beds for 28, 6 bathrooms, and big lofts for play

were all just perfect for our stay.

(Togetherness)

Everyone immediately changed into their snow gear and headed outdoors.

(A family that plays together stays together!)

I had prepared projects for any down time for the kids.

A snowflake door hanger project.

(Quality time with grandma)

A snowman scene using a gift tag snowman, stickers,

crayons, and a Chinet plate.

(Shared creativity)

I didn't get a picture of the edible snowmen we made but they were very close to this

one (thank you Pinterest) except we put ours on a stick and we made a beanie cap

using a fruit roll-up and a half of a marshmallow.

(Creating memories among the cousins)

Snowman donuts and hot chocolate were a big

hit following our day in the snow.

(They are way cuter with mouths too but my

hungry and chilled crowd showed up ready for a donut and a 

cup of warm hot chocolate before I got the mouths on!)

How to link here.

Stay tuned for more of our fun in the snow!

The Family BonFire

"In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit."

MARGE KENNEDY

One of our traditions that our entire family helps to create each new year is our family bonfire. This very simple tradition is right up there with Halloween and Christmas for the grands! This year the grands started asking when it would be well before Christmas.

The mom that shuttled six of the cousins home from school on the day of the scheduled bonfire reported that the excitement in the car about the bonfire that night was just crazy!

This loved tradition only requires an evening that works for all of the families, our Christmas trees for burning, a big pot of hot chocolate, a few dozen donuts, our outdoor chairs, matches, and some very watchful adult eyes.

The cousins stopped the cars as they arrived to give 

them handmade tickets that they had made on their own

for everyone attending and they also directed the cars on 

where to drop off their trees and where to park.

Once everyone arrives it is time to light the bonfire.

It is always scary to be reminded just how 

flammable dry Christmas trees are.

With ten cousins in attendance it is a whirlwind of activity

that requires very close adult supervision.

This tradition is mostly just a commitment of time.

The payoff is quite simply the treasured memories that

are shared between the generations!

DIY Snowman Kit

Our family Christmas gift to our adult children and their families is a three day snow retreat to the mountain resort of Greer, AZ.  Twenty-eight beds, six baths, ten cousins, four generations, three days.... it's going to be a blast!

My hubby wrote this poem as part of our Christmas day gift presentation:

Our gift to you this Christmas Day

We hope that you will find

To be a very special gift

Not like any other kind

We want you to take a trip with us

Up where the air is cold

To share a time of fun and play

A gift for young and old

In Greer there are two cabins

To stay in for two nights

We all will stay together

And take in all the sights

We’ll have some time for sledding

For snowmen, food, and fun

We’ll sit down by a roaring fire

Til our time is almost done

Then we’ll pack our stuff up in our cars

and while we’re on the drive

We’ll start the countdown in our heads

For the next Christmas to arrive

Merry Christmas and Love Always,

Grandma and Papa

Also included in the gift package was some gas $$$ and a snowman kit for each family. Between my hubby and I we made our own DIY re-useable Snowman Kit.

I purchased a tote just large enough to fit the hat.

Each tote was personalized for the family.

Snowman Kit

Hat

Gloves

Scarf

Carrot Nose

Eyes

Mouth

Buttons

Storage tote

I added a fun feature to the store bought gloves.

I stuffed them using rounded wire deeply wrapped in 

strips of plastic grocery bags so that the fingers all bend!

For the scarf I purchased 9" of fleece.

Each family got the same polka-dot print

but in different colors to match the gloves.

I cut the ends of the fleece to create a fringe.

The hat was store bought.

My hubby made:

The buttons (3) and eyes (2) were cut from  from 2" dowel @ 1 " thick.

The mouth (5) from 1 1/4 " dowel @ 1" thick.

The carrot nose (1) was cut from an old broom handle 8" long.

My hubby did some old fashioned whittling to round the ends and

to give the stick the shape of a carrot! 

We used black spray paint for the eyes, mouth, and buttons.

Orange acrylic paint for the carrot with waterproofing spray over that.

I packaged all of the parts in zippered bags

with card stock labeled inserts.

These snowman kits were a big hit as is the anticipation

of the shared snow trip.

Just add SNOW

and get ready to have some fun.

I can't wait to see the "snowmen cousins" decked 

out in their coordinating scarfs!