About.com Grandparents

Please Your Palate With a Full Pallete on Your Plate

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:27:38 +0000

If you've been feeling virtuous because you've been eating your green vegetables, you need to broaden your spectrum. One way to achieve better nutrition without crunching a lot of numbers is to munch on vegetables and fruits in a variety of colors.

Fruits and vegetables actually come in five color categories: green, red, white, blue/purple and yellow/orange. Each color category is distinguished by a tendency to be higher in certain naturally occurring chemicals that are beneficial to health. These phytonutrients or phytochemicals are believed to act as antioxidants and to boost the immune system. This year in particular we could all use stronger immune systems to fend off the H1N1 flu, the seasonal flu and ordinary coughs and colds.

Filling your plate with a full palette of colors is palate-pleasing as well. Imagine blueberries with your breakfast cereal, avocado and tomato on your lunch-time sandwich, yellow squash sauteed with onions with dinner. You'll enjoy food more, boost your nutrition and model good eating habits for your grandchildren. Go ahead. Add some color to that plate!

Please Your Palate With a Full Pallete on Your Plate originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 13:27:38.

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Thrifty Thursday: Check for Senior Discount on Groceries

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:39 +0000

I've had November 4 on my calendar for a while, ever since my daughter told me that the first Wednesday of each month is Senior Citizen Day at Kroger, and I can get a 10% discount on my whole bill, not including tobacco, alcohol or gift cards. Yesterday I spent an hour or so going through my e-coupons and paper coupons and matching them to the store ads before heading to the store.

At Kroger, the service desk employee quickly upgraded my Kroger card to a Kroger senior citizen card. There was only one catch: the upgrade would take 24 hours to become effective. I wouldn't be getting the senior discount after all.

I did my shopping anyway, and saved 45% on my bill with coupons and my Kroger card. Now I'm looking forward to December 2.

At some Kroger stores, the discount is only 5%, and the qualifying age may vary also. If you're interested, you'll need to check with your local Kroger, or call your favorite store and see if they are matching Kroger's deal. Just be sure to ask for all of the details. It's hard to win at the grocery game if you don't know all the rules.

See more Thrifty Thursday hints:

More Thrifty Thursday Blogs From Your Guide to Grandparents

Start Early to Save on Holiday Gifts

Hand-Me-Downs for Teens Are Trendy

Save With Toy Store Price Matching

Throw a House Party to Get Free Goodies

Inexpensive Preterm Labor Teaching Tools

Thrifty Thursday: Check for Senior Discount on Groceries originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 05:00:39.

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Wordless Wednesday November 4

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:33:52 +0000

Moonwalks and inflatable slides are great fun for the grandkids. We usually rent one for Thanksgiving, but they are also good for family reunions, combined birthday parties and a host of other celebrations. Photo � Susan Adcox

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Wordless Wednesday November 4 originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 08:33:52.

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More Scrutiny of End-of-Life Issues

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:40:39 +0000

Recently I wrote about the need for families to discuss end-of-life issues, mentioning that most people say they want to die at home, but around half die in a hospital. A new study shows that patients in the United States are five times more likely to have spent some of their last days in an intensive care unit (ICU) than patients in England. When patients were over 85, U.S. patients were more than eight times more likely to have been in ICU. In the midst of our national debate about health care, it's worth pondering the implications of this information.

In a news release, lead author Dr. Hannah Wunsch summarized the study as being about "[w]hether less intensive care for very elderly patients who are dying is a form of rationing, or is actually better recognition of what constitutes appropriate care at the end of life," saying that the issue "warrants further research."

As grandparents, we should be devoting some thought to our own mortality. Many children have their first experience with death when a grandparent dies. Some grandparents will die suddenly, in circumstances beyond their control. Others, however, can have input into how their last days are spent. It's worth spending some time thinking about what your wishes will be if you happen to fall into that second group. It could make a difference to those who are left behind.

Read more about preparing for and dealing with a grandparent death.

More Scrutiny of End-of-Life Issues originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 08:40:39.

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Halloween Candy Has a Mysterious Pull

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:39:48 +0000

I've always lived in neighborhoods blessed with hordes of trick-or-treaters, those neighborhoods where houses are close together and there's a dearth of scary dogs. I've never minded giving out tons of candy. It has always seemed like a proper payoff for getting to see the kiddies' costumes. In my neighborhoods, the main thing to be feared on Halloween was running out of candy. I can remember that when I was a kid, my mom sometimes raided the fridge for small apples when she ran out of candy--anything to keep from having to turn out the porch light, which seemed like a failure of sorts.

Hubby and I bought our Halloween candy early this year, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I emptied the sacks into a big bowl, which I tucked away around the corner in the dining room, thinking "Out of sight, out of mind." No such luck.

If you've played video games with your grandchildren, you've probably encountered tractor beams, those force fields that suck up everything that gets too close. My Halloween candy is equipped with tractor beams. Everyone who has entered my house for the past two weeks has unerringly found their way to the candy bowl. I'll admit that I've succumbed to the Kit-Kats a few times myself. As a result, I find myself needing to make another trip to the store. I have some great ideas for last minute costumes, but I have no idea how to make more Halloween candy materialize out of thin air!

Halloween Candy Has a Mysterious Pull originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 13:39:48.

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Itzbeen a While Since I've Seen Such a Clever Baby Product

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:15:44 +0000

If you're a grandmother-to-be, I've just learned about a new product that some parents-to-be will really love. ItzBeen is a baby care timer. There are buttons to push when the baby is fed, changed or put down for a nap, plus a miscellaneous button that's good for remembering medication. There's even a slide that helps breastfeeding mothers remember which side to nurse on.

It's been a while since I had a newborn, but I remember that brain-fogging exhaustion that goes with infant care. Itzbeen would have been really useful to me because numbers tend to slide right out of my brain. Itzbeen is also really helpful when more than one person is taking care of a baby. When the next shift comes on, the caregiver doesn't have to ask how long it's been since a feeding, diaper change, nap or the last dose of Baby Tylenol.

Itzbeen is a product that will be most useful during those earliest days of parenting, so it makes an ideal baby shower present. I'm adding it to my mental list of things I wish I had had as a young parent, along with disposable diapers and baby monitors. As for baby wipe warmers, I think I made it just fine without.

Read a review of Itzbeen or compare prices.

Itzbeen a While Since I've Seen Such a Clever Baby Product originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 08:15:44.

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Thrifty Thursday: Visit Your Library Online

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:05 +0000

I am addicted to audio books. They entertain me while I do things that I hate, such as cleaning and driving. Feeding an audio book habit can be expensive, however. Audio books tend to be expensive new and not readily available used. Back in May I wrote about downloading free classics from Librivox, but once in a while I want something more modern than Jane Austen. I was thrilled to learn that my local library now offers audio books for online download. I downloaded my first one last night--a Ruth Rendell mystery. It took a little time, but I was able to put it on my iPod, and today I'm happily listening as I do the laundry. I didn't have to drive to the library, and I don't have to worry about late fees.

Audio books, videos and eBooks are all offered by my local library. Check your library to see what's available. Probably I should change that to libraries. I actually have three library cards: one from my city, one from the county and one from the larger city nearby. I could get access to the local community college library as well, but there is such a thing as an embarrassment of riches!

See more Thrifty Thursday tips:

More Thrifty Thursday Blogs From Your Guide to Grandparents

Make a Free Candy Bag for Halloween

Always Ask for a Discount

Free Breastfeeding Resources

Save Money By Combining Holiday Gifts

Recession Payback Game from ConAgra Foods

Special Offers and Coupons from Fisher-Price and Playskool

Fix-It-Yourself Manual

Decorate with Neighbors!

Thrifty Thursday: Visit Your Library Online originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 05:00:05.

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Wordless Wednesday October 28

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:44:36 +0000

Fall festivals mean roasted corn, face painting and days in the crisp October air. Soon it will be time for holiday outings and shopping. In the meantime, enjoy one more funnel cake with the grandchildren! Photo � Susan Adcox

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Wordless Wednesday October 28 originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 09:44:36.

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This Grandmother Doesn't Bring Gifts From the Grocery

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:06:06 +0000

I was with a grandmother friend the other day when she received a call from her daughter-in-law. "I have to go," she said, "the kids are out of diapers and wipes." She grumbled a bit about having to leave, but didn't question why she had to be the one to go to the store. Different grandparents, it seems, have different grandparenting styles and different expectations about their roles.

I've always had the attitude that it is the parents' job to supply their children with the necessities of life. I am the buyer of books, ice cream, special outfits and movie tickets. I don't buy diapers and wipes. I don't buy breakfast cereal or underpants. I have been known to give or lend my children money when times are hard, but the parents have to insure a steady supply of food, clean clothes and other essentials. I'm not exactly sure why I have this attitude, whereas some of my friends always visit their children loaded down with everything from toothpaste to toilet paper. I guess I feel somehow that I would be impugning my kids' ability to parent if I came bearing gift bags from Kroger.

What do you think? If you are a grandparent, do you pick up supplies for your grandchildren on a regular basis? If you are a parent and receive such largess, how do you feel about it? Leave a comment below.

This Grandmother Doesn't Bring Gifts From the Grocery originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 08:06:06.

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H1N1 May Peak Before Vaccine Becomes Readily Available

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:38:05 +0000

October may be going out with a roar as far as the H1N1 virus is concerned.

In a paper published in the European journal Eurosurveillance, a group of Purdue scientists predicted that the disease would peak between Weeks 39 and 43, too late for the vaccine to do much good. We are now in Week 43.

Another flu controversy surfaced last week. On Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the results of a survey showing that one out of five American children had suffered a "flu-like illness" during the first 11 days of October. Most of those cases were probably pandemic H1N1 influenza, the CDC reportedly said. On Friday CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said that the media had misinterpreted the survey. The majority of the sick kids probably just had minor infections, he said. Frieden did concede that in hard-hit areas, one in five kids could have H1N1.

The good news for grandparents is that older people continue to be largely spared from the virus, for several reasons, including some that I discussed in an earlier post. The bad news is that our grandchildren are vulnerable. There's not much grandparents can do about that, although like everyone we need to stay informed. You might want to read Parents' Guide to Swine Flu, put together by our Guide to Child Parenting, Katherine Lee . Also check for updates from our Guide to Pediatrics, Vincent Ianelli, M.D. With delivery of the vaccine lagging, knowledge may be the only protection most of us have from this nasty virus.

H1N1 May Peak Before Vaccine Becomes Readily Available originally appeared on About.com Grandparents on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 08:38:05.

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