Grandkids are the Best!
/One of my favorite things in life is spending time with our grandkids! This past weekend, I got to spend time with this little cutie! We crafted, watched movies, went to church, and made a special treat for her to share with her family. Being Grandma Les to my littles is the payoff for surviving the difficult years of parenthood! I love every single one of our ten grandchildren, and I especially love it when they come to stay and play!
We started the weekend reading a Junie B. Jones book and then after she made a list, we took a trip to Hobby Lobby for her to pick out the things she wanted to put in the assigned diorama for her book report.
She wrote the list all by herself and chose all the things she wanted to include.
She designed the entire project from start to finish and I’ve never seen a nine-year-old wield a glue gun like she did! Not one burn or unexpected dribble of glue! I helped her measure the papers she chose to cover the outside and inside of the shoe box according to the outline she prepared while we read the book together.
She also learned how to use a paper cutter with my help. Nothing made my grandma heart happier than to hear her squeal with excitement as she placed each finished item inside the diorama.
We needed a little extra room and so added another small box on top of the main shoe box. She learned the proper way to wrap a gift in the process of covering the outside the of the box. I showed her how it was done, and she took it from there.
She even had me print off the little pine tree air freshener that she made to hang above the baby’s crib, because in the book it specifically talked about that.
Her attention to detail was impressive, and nothing thrills me more than to see my grandkids discovering their talents and skills!
She even made her own Junie B. Jones and Junie’s baby brother out of clay!
She also made a clay bowl with individual stewed tomatoes just like in the book.
In between working on this weekend long project, which she poured her heart and soul into, we watched all our favorite movies! “Ella Enchanted” with Anne Hathaway was played four times! She decided she likes Anne Hathaway so much that she wondered what other movies she has been in. I told her about “Princess Diaries 1 and 2” and she was all in. She loved them both, but the second one was her favorite. We watched both of those in addition to the old and new “Parent Trap” movies. She liked both of these as well, but the second one was her favorite on this one too.
She worked so hard on her book report diorama, that we only had time to do two more crafts and make a yummy treat before it was time for her to go home. From Friday to Sunday night we worked hard, played hard, stayed up late, ate all her favorite food including homemade strawberry banana milk shakes, and enjoyed going to church together. I teach Primary, which is the kids portion of our church services. She came in with my class, and we all had a great time singing our favorite Primary songs and then talking about trusting God and letting Him prevail in our lives during our class time.
The recipe we used for our treats was a variation of rice Krispie treats. This is the recipe we used.
1 – 11 oz bag of unwrapped Kraft caramels
½ Cup unsalted butter
1 – 16 oz bag of marshmallows
¼ tsp sea salt
7 cups “Food Nanny Kamut-ees Cereal” instead of Rice Krispies. The Food Nanny Kamut-ee Cereal is made from Kamut wheat flour with great nutritional value, and they are tasty! Grandpa Ronnie likes eating them right out of the bag as a healthy treat.
To make this you need to spray a 9 x 12 Pyrex baking dish with PAM cooking spray and set it aside. Measure out seven cups of “Food Nanny Kamut-ees Cereal” in a mixing bowl and set aside. This is available in store or online. Then melt the butter and caramels together in a saucepan. Add the marshmallows and stir until melted and mixed thoroughly with the caramel and butter. Then add the salt. Once this is mixed, pour into a mixing bowl with the pre-measured seven cups of “Food Nanny Kamut-ees Cereal.” You have to stir quickly, and it helps to have two people working on this – one to hold the pan, and the other to stir everything together in the bowl. When it’s all mixed you quickly scoop it into the baking dish and smooth it out to fill the dish. That’s it! It’s an ooey-gooey yummy treat, and the Kamut-ees are actually healthy for you! I’m not so sure all the butter, caramel, and marshmallows are though. 😊 Next time, I’m going to use “Peter’s Caramel” from “Orson Gygi” in Salt Lake City instead of the little squares of Kraft caramels. Also, the Peter’s Caramel is currently on sale right now at Gygi’s!
Family time is something we need to plan for and make happen. Life can get so crazy, it’s easy to lose sight of the important things! Having the grandkids over is a lot of work, but it’s happy work because it’s so worth it! The memories we make will last forever. I hope our grandkids cherish these times as much as we do. We hope they know how much we love them and enjoy having them come hang out with us! I hold them in my heart and pray for them daily as they navigate the often-tricky path of life. It’s our hope that our grandkids feel safe and happy in our home knowing it is always open to them anytime day or night. We love having them come.
My wish for you this week is to visit your grandparents if they are still alive. No matter how old you are, you’re never too old for a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. If you have kids still at home, encourage them to call their grandparents and plan a sleepover of their own. Not only will it give them some one-on-one time with Grandma and Grandpa, it will give you a night out to revive and rejuvenate. You’ll look forward to the kids coming home as the house feels empty without them. If none of these things work for your family dynamics, choose an older couple in your neighborhood and drop off a plate of treats! I know they will be happy knowing they were thought of and remembered. Have a great week!
Love Ya, Les 😊