Checklist: Prepare Your Home For an Elderly Parent

Sandwich Generation

It’s a fact, as we get older so do our parents, and along with our aging parents can come some problems. I recently did a book review on siblings and caring for aging parents. More and more Baby Boomers are facing tough choices with our aging parents regarding their living arrangements.  Some adult children choose to send our parent(s) to a nursing home or assisted living facility where they’ll get around the clock care; others decide to hire help that can come to the parents’ home; while still others may decide to bring the parent to live with them.

My independent grandmother lived alone in senior citizen housing until she was 95.  As her conservator, I arranged for her to have certain medical alert systems in place.  For example, a service checked in on her every day by phone.  My grandmother also  had a medical alert button that she wore around her neck in the event she fell.

Alternatively, my late mother-in-law lived for many years with my husband’s sister.  As mom grew older, adaptations were made in the house so that she could remain ambulatory.

If you’re considering tucking your parent under your own roof, and that parent is disabled, there’s many things you need to do to prepare your home for their safety.  This isn’t an exhaustive list, but rather a starting point in helping you figure out just what you need to do in order to make your home ready.

With a clipboard in hand, take a tour of your house from the front entrance to all interior spaces and take notes.

Entrance -
Check to see if the walkway is even for ease of walking, that the steps are not too steep, and that the handrail is adequate.  Does the door open easily and is the whole area well lit?  If your parent is in a wheelchair, the walkway needs to be wide enough to accommodate it and you may need to install a ramp.

Kitchen -
Take a look at the electrical outlets and make sure there are several within easy reach.  Keep dishes and utensils within easy reach too.  Pull-out shelves in the bottom cabinetry make for easier access.  Buy small appliances that are made for people with arthritis as they are easier to use.  Are all the bigger appliances accessible?  Can your parent reach the microwave and the controls on the oven?  A fire extinguisher is a must for the kitchen, whether your parent is living with you or not.

Bath -
Make sure your water heater is not set too high as this could cause potential scalding. A single lever faucet may be a better choice to allow them control over the water temperature.  You should install grab bars around the toilet area and shower/tub.  Consider adding a seat in the shower as well.  Put a non-stick surface in the shower/tub and make sure the bathroom flooring won’t get slick and slippery when wet.  Everything they need should be within easy reach.  If your parent is in a wheelchair, create knee space under the sink and insulate the hot water pipe to prevent burns.  Have a nightlight that turns on automatically at night.

Bedroom -
You can install grab bars wherever they are needed.  Consider getting a hospital-type bed if they need some help getting to a sitting position.  Make sure there is adequate lighting and no exposed cords or drapery to trip on. Are the bedroom and closet doors easy to open?  Keep the path to the bathroom well lit and clear of stuff at night.

The decision to have your parent move into your house isn’t an easy one.  Take the time to make your home as accommodating by researching medical alert products and as safe as you can before you lay out the welcome mat.

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Organic Batter Blaster: Making Breakfast Easy With Kids

Keep Cooking Simple

Cooking Teaches Kids Life Skills

Many families never plan menus. They go to the grocery store with no idea in mind or what it is they want to buy. Is it any wonder that there’s often nothing in the house to eat?

Menu planning isn’t a difficult task. It seems to take a lot of valuable time, but in the end it actually saves time in unnecessary trips to the store, and the nightly indecision of what the kids are going to have for breakfast in the morning.

When my kids were little, their favorite breakfast before heading out to school was chocolate chip pancakes and waffles.  I didn’t mind making them when I worked part-time.  I worked out of the home 3 days per week until they got older; so it was easy for me to do.

But on those days when I did have to rush out the door, I felt guilty about not making their favorite breakfast food, as preparation time is required.

I like to try something new occasionally, and my husband, who likes to poke through grocery stores,  brought home Organic Batter Blaster Pancake Mix!

On the days that I have to babysit ‘Lil Moomette and her brother, I can easily make pancakes for the grandkids and know that they’re starting off the day with a good breakfast! We pressed a few chocolate chips into the batter as it was cooking in the pan, and presto! It tasted just as good as if made from scratch!

Kids love to help when it comes to cooking. Getting them involved early is a good way for them to learn responsibility and a skill they can use in life.

Cooking with kids can also be a time of bonding for child and parent. Kids can help in various ways; age appropriate tasks are best. Your younger children can just point and blast the pancake mix into the pan!

Showing kids simple things they can do will make them feel important. It’s a way of having fun with your children, and the fun thing about cooking with your kids is that they’re learning a new skill, they just don’t realize it!

Cooking with your kids and as a family is a great way to connect with your children. Keeping them involved in activities such as finding new recipes and cooking lets them know you think they’re special.

Organic Batter Blaster has been featured on the Food Network and CBS, and is available in BJ’s and local grocery stores.

For More Information Visit: Batter Blaster

Note:  This is not a compensated post.

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Bean Appetit: Childrens Cookbook Review and Giveaway

Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food

Bring Kookiness to the Kitchen

As any grandmom knows, kids learn through emulation – watching and imitating the actions of others.  That’s why it’s a good thing to always strive to be a good example.

For me, I learned to cook by watching my mom and aunts who passed down many of the traditional Polish recipes that I learned to love as a child.  I’ve since passed down those traditions to my own girls.

Recently I had the opportunity to review a new cookbook – Bean Appetit:  Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing) which was recently featured on Martha Stewart Radio.

The authors, Shannon Payette Seip and Kelly Parthen are co-owners of  Bean Sprouts Café and Cooking School.  They offer cooking classes for toddlers and grade school children.  The school lets the kids have fun with food while exploring new ingredients.  The authors are also currently developing a kids’ cooking show.

Bean Sprouts, a hip and healthy kids’ cafe, opened to much anticipation near Madison, WI in 2007. Bean Sprouts has drawn great media attention for providing a place for families that is both healthy and fun. Under the guidance of a child nutritionist, Bean Sprouts built its menu with the help and enthusiasm of Gale Gand–renowned chef, author, and Food Network star, who believes in Bean Sprouts’ mission.

One of my favorite chapters in the book was the breakfast chapter.  The meal that both of my grandkids, ‘Lil Moomette and Slugger, enjoy best is breakfast.  Soon they’ll be spending their first overnight with my husband and I, so I paid particular attention to finding recipes that would start their day off right!

Pancakes is a favorite of both grandkids, and “Stick Stacks” incorporates yummy fruit and skewers in an eye-appealing manner.

A great rule of thumb when it comes to cooking with children is keep it simple silly. Foremost, most children have relatively short attention spans. While they want to learn and help mommy out, they also don’t want to have enough time to get bored with the details. Use simple recipes when cooking with children and your chances for success will be much greater than with overly complicated or ingredient intense recipes.

The book is full of whimsical presentations, as well as food-themed games, crafts and activities.

Bean Appetit would like you to help them taste-test some recipes.  You can test online recipes for Bean-GO (a healthy twist on Bingo that gets kids to try to new tastes) found in the book. Feedback Form

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Moomette’s Magnificents  is hosting a Giveaway Contest! For a chance to win, there will be one (1) winner of the book, Bean Appetit.

Please include a way of contacting you. Should you be the contest winner, this information may be shared with the contest sponsor in order to send your prize.

Main Rule:   (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
a) Sign up for my free Newsletter Updates to my blog through my e-mail Feedblitz link (on the top of my right column or let me know if you already are, in a separate comment) AND

b) Visit Bean Sprouts and leave a comment about what you like best about their site and why you’d like to win this book.

This contest will run until March 15, 2010 at 11:00 pm. EST

For Additional Entries, check out my Contest Entry Rules.

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American Heroes #3 Children’s Music CD

Educational Songs

It’s never too early for kids to start learning about American History!

When I was in high school, American History was a required subject in our junior year in order to graduate.  I passed the first time around – however, I do know some who had to repeat the course a second time.

I’ve had the opportunity to review Jonathan Sprout’s newest CD, AMERICAN HEROES #3. Jonathan Sprout is being touted by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for his album and had been nominated for the GRAMMY Awards in the “Best Children’s Album” category.  He’s done over 6,000 performances for children across the country, as well as received numerous national parenting awards.

The CD features upbeat songs about historical figures such as:

• Jane Addams
• George Washington Carver
• Jonas Salk
• Pocohontas
• Cesar Chavez
• Milton Hershey
• Thomas Jefferson
• Wilma Rudolph

I played the CD for the grandkids, who are 1 and 3.  ‘Lil Moomette really enjoyed listening to the story of Pocohontas.  While my grandchildren are pre-schoolers, I think that it’s a wonderful way to introduce older children who are at least school-age to history through music.

Sprout serves up children’s music and a history lesson, all rolled into one!  Why not educate our kids while entertaining them too?

Home school Moms – this CD would be a terrific way to introduce the kids to some American Heroes that they may not be familiar with!

Available on Amazon

UPDATE – Giveaway Cancelled as CD has been damaged.

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Clorox & Danny Gokey Team Up – I Don’t Want to Miss …

I Don’t Want to Miss …

Balancing schoolwork with sports practice, play rehearsal, and club meetings complicates any youngster, pre-teen and teen’s life enough without the added burden of getting sick. The dual risk of the seasonal flu as well as the 2009 H1N1 virus, makes this year’s flu season especially complicated.

For millions of parents around the world, the day does not end with the school bell. There are still pictures to be painted, songs to be sung and games to be played. This all adds up to keeping children happy, safe and out of trouble. But, parents have to steer away from going overboard.  My own girls were actively involved in after-school activities such as Brownies, dance lessons, religious classes, and sports.  Parents should keep in mind that in order to keep your children healthy, everything should be in moderation:

After school is not baby-sitting
After school activities thrive only if it is backed by sufficient parental involvement. What would a soccer match be without parents cheering their little heroes from the sidelines?.

Research and choose
Instead of convenience being the decisive factor, find out things that will interest your child. Once you select a program, get the fine print and find out what you have to contribute.

Free time
Many children attend piano classes, followed by ballet and squeeze in some time for play dates in between just before they rush home in time for bed. This rigor is too much for a child. So, go slow.

When to quit
Often, parents enroll their child in an activity to discover that he may not be the prodigy they thought he would be. This is the time to let go. Your child may not become the next wonder-kid. But, let him cultivate an interest that he enjoys. Remember, happiness and fulfillment are all that matter.

To help spread the word about flu prevention, former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey has paired up with The Clorox Company to launch I Don’t Want to Miss…, a national campaign designed to get kids and their teachers involved in flu prevention.

Now in its second year, the program features a contest that invites school musical groups, like glee clubs, show choirs, etc.  to develop a video performance of a song written by Berklee College of Music student Will Wells on what they don’t want to miss out on if they were home sick and why prevention is important. The winning school will win a music class led by former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey!

For each entry submitted, The Clorox Company will donate $100 (up to $10,000) to the Sophia’s Heart Foundation, a charity founded by Gokey in honor of his late wife, Sophia, and dedicated to helping children achieve academic success via musical training and restoring musical dreams in children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that children and teens over 6 months and up to age 18 get flu vaccinations. In addition to vaccination, the most important step in flu prevention, disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and washing hands often play an important role in prevention.

Visit the Clorox page on Facebook to learn more about this creative and informational challenge. For the first 100 groups to submit, the teacher will receive a wellness care package from The Clorox Company.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox and received $20 thank-you gift certificate.

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Triaminic Thin Strips – Coupon

Sick Day Guideline

Cold and Flu Symptoms in Children

When my daughters were younger both were enrolled in family daycare while I worked. My daycare provider was a mom of grown children, and had plenty of experience in recognizing when my girls weren’t feeling quite up to par.

As any new parent or parent will learn, children are very susceptible to illnesses, in part because their immune systems aren’t quite fully mature.

Breastfeeding is a recommended way of providing some immunity to common illnesses, however with so many moms returning to the workforce, most children are weaned by the time they’re 1 year old.

Children also have a habit of exploring the world around them with their mouths and their hands. Anything that comes into contact with their mouth and hands can potentially cause an illness.

The good news is that the more your child is exposed the stronger their immune systems will become, and their ability to fight off infection in the future.

This past fall we’ve all heard about the H1N1 virus.

Now that winter is here, as parents and grandparents we also must recognize symptoms of illness in our children, and know when to take action.

Colds/Cough – Cold and coughs are usually caused by viral infections, thus must be spread by person to person contact, not through the weather alone. Common symptoms of a cold include a stuffy nose, cough, possible sore throat and occasionally a temperature. Colds can become more severe and result in bronchitis, pneumonia and ear infections. Signs that a cold is becoming worse and may need medical treatment include green or yellow nasal discharge, fever lasting more than one day or a persistent and wheezy cough.

Flu – The flu is characterized by headaches, chills, muscle aches and a high fever. Respiratory symptoms may also develop, and a feeling of fatigue which may last for several weeks after initial symptoms. The flu is also spread from person to person contact usually with respiratory secretions of someone who is sick. Antibiotics can’t treat the flu.

Recently I heard through Debbie at We Speak Media about how Triaminic, a leader in children’s over-the-counter cold and flu symptom medication, has put together an online Cold & Flu Symptom Tracker, based on data from SDI Fan® (a source used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  I checked for my state, and Hartford, Connecticut is currently experiencing moderate cases right now.

Triaminic offers a downloadable sick day guideline which can help parents whether to send their child to daycare or school, or whether to keep them at home.

When dispensing medication to children, remember to always read and follow medicine labels exactly, to ensure that the child receives the right dosage. Single-use products like Triaminic Thin Strips® provides a pre-measured dose of medicine that dissolves quickly on the tongue, so parents know their children are receiving the recommended amount for their age.

You can download a free coupon for $1.50 off TriamincThin strips, an easy way to administer cough and cold medicine to your child.

Visit Triaminic.com and to find out the level of cold/flu activity in the city nearest to you.

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Toilet Training in Your Future? Ferdinand Uses the Potty – Book Review

Make Potty Training Fun

An Empowering Toilet Training Tale

My grandson, Slugger, is my second grandchild. He’s 17 months old and tries to keep up with his older sister, ‘Lil Moomette who is 3.

As with any second child, Slugger inherited quite a few of his sister’s toys and books, which he enjoys – most of the time.

When I had an opportunity to review Ferdinand uses the Potty, I was delighted.  I think this is just the right book for him to get introduced to potty training.

Most of my readers know I have two grown daughters, and of course, ‘Lil Moomette.  Helping to potty train Slugger will send me into unexplored territory – I don’t have the faintest idea how to potty train a boy.

Fortunately, a short interview with the author, Jay Tucker, explains why this book is a must-have for parents (and grandparents alike!):

Our journey with our son inspired me to write a potty training book called, “Ferdinand Uses the Potty.” The story is about a young frog named Ferdinand who wakes up one morning in a wet bed. He has no idea what caused it, but fortunately, he has a supportive friend who has been there before to offer him encouragement and advice. “Ferdinand Uses the Potty,” is written in rhyme so that children and adults will enjoy one of life’s earliest lessons. The book is illustrated by award winning artist, D.E. West.

The book, part of the Growing With Love Series, is colorful and beautifully illustrated.

Other books from the series include:

• Billy Had to Move

• The “O, My” in Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy – How to Prepare Your Child for Surgery

Put this delightful, humorous book on your list of  “must reads” or as a gift for any mom-to-be, daughter, daughter-in-law, daycare provider, homeschooling mom or friend who will be going through the challenge of potty training in the future!

Publisher: Loving Healing Press
Paperback
Author: Jay Tucker
ISBN: 978-11-932690-82-8
MSP: $13.95

For More Information Visit: Ferdinand the Frog

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• Toilet Training in Your Future? Ferdinand Uses the Potty – Book Review
• Disney: Winnie the Pooh A Valentine For You – Special Edition DVD

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Tags: adult children, assistedliving, Baby Boom Generation, baby boomer, elderly, family, health, lifestyle, multi-generations, Nursing home, parenting, Safety, sandwich generation

Life in New England – Does That Mean I Need a Live Christmas Tree?

December 19, 2009 by Moomette's Magnificents (Admin)  
Filed under Veranda Chit Chat, baby boomer, children, family, fashion, grandparenting, leisure, lifestyle, parenting, shopping

16 Comments

Real Simple

Turning a New Leaf

What have we done?

Here I am, the blogging Baby Boomer Grandmom from New England.  NEW ENGLAND!

Land of four seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall and … Winter!

Winter – which in most people’s minds, means, snow, cold, more snow, more cold; ice, more snow and ice, slush ….  and real Christmas Trees!  You get the picture.

Having been married for over 35 years, nine of which were sans kids – we’ve always had a r.e.a.l. tree.  Right – REAL, as in not artificial.  Nope, not us.

Hubster and I had been trudging through the woods (and Christmas Tree farms) here in Connecticut, in all kinds of weather (see above, and add rain) to cut down (with a saw), a real – live – Christmas tree.

Over the years, we’ve had some that barely fit through the door.  Actually, the first year we were married and in an apartment (where no live trees were allowed), we ever so silently dragged our real.live.tree up the stairs and through the hallway and set it up in our living room.  Until, oh, maybe February?

When it was dry as a bone, we then opened the living room window and shoved it out from the 2nd floor to the ground, where it landed – not a needle on it!

So what makes this year different than all those others?

Now that the kiddos are grown and launched, I am simplifying my life and wanted an artificial tree.  Mostly because they come pre-lighted, and I don’t want the hassle of having to string the lights by myself since nobody else will help me.

We drove for about 5 hours looking everywhere – Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Home Depot again, and gave up trying to find one that looked like a real.live.tree.  Not to be one to give up, I finally called brother-in-law (he & sister-in-law with the straight out of  Martha Stewart Living beautifully decorated home) and asked where they got their tree.

So off to Vinnys we went.  They had such a beautiful selection and even the Hubster is happy!  Only thing missing was the real.live.tree smell.  Nothing that a Mistletoe Yankee Candle couldn’t fix.

And of course, to go with my beautiful tree – I found the most gorgeous vintage Battenburg Lace white Christmas tree skirt on eBay!

So here it is, in all it’s splendor, and my very favorite Christmas ornaments adorning it for the very first time.

Do you have a real.live.tree or have you gone the artificial route? Link up here!

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Tags: adult children, assistedliving, Baby Boom Generation, baby boomer, elderly, family, health, lifestyle, multi-generations, Nursing home, parenting, Safety, sandwich generation

In Memory of Bryson Ross – Candles in the Wind

December 16, 2009 by Moomette's Magnificents (Admin)  
Filed under Veranda Chit Chat, blog resources, children, family, kids, parenting, social networking, toddlers, twitter

5 Comments

The Angels Were Listening

In Memoriam of Bryson Ross – December 14, 2009

Visit MomDot or A Cowboy’s Wife for more photos In Memory of Bryson.

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Tags: adult children, assistedliving, Baby Boom Generation, baby boomer, elderly, family, health, lifestyle, multi-generations, Nursing home, parenting, Safety, sandwich generation

Advice to Help Our Daughters Build Self-Esteem: Dove Campaign for Real Beauty & Giveaway

December 10, 2009 by Moomette's Magnificents (Admin)  
Filed under Veranda Chit Chat, baby boomer, beauty, children, education, family, giveaways, grandparenting, health, kids, leisure, lifestyle, parenting, shopping, womens health

103 Comments

Evolution

Thank You for Making a Difference

Earlier this year I passed on a bit of  beauty advice from “Mom” to daughters  in my post Beauty Tips You Can Use – With Love – From Mom.

Now, I’d like to share with you more important information regarding self esteem, and how it’s especially important for moms with young tweens, pre-teens or teenage daughters, as well as grandmoms with granddaughters.

Too many girls and young women develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks and consequently fail to reach their full potential in later life. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty.  The DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010.  It has already reached 2 million young women.

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a global effort designed to widen today’s stereotypical view of beauty.  In the U.S., the DSEF supports the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA to help build confidence in girls 8-17 with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources.  In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Fund supports Body Talk, an educational program about body image and self-esteem in schools.  Since 2006, the Dove brand has conducted nearly 2,700 self-esteem rel=”nofollow”educational workshops around the world.

The Dove mission is to reach 5 million girls with self esteem programming by 2010. Since 2005, the brand has reached over 3.5 million girls globally. In fact, every time you buy Dove beauty care products your purchase supports the Dove Self Esteem Fund. This fall Dove launched the “Thank you for Making a Difference” program to thank supporters for building girl’s self esteem and to invite everyone to share their stories about making a difference in self esteem.

Dove will donate $1,000 to a national charity that supports self-esteem around the Holidays, on behalf of all our self esteem supporters to say “Thank You for Making a Difference”.

For More Information Visit: Dove Self Esteem Home Page

Moomette’s Magnificents  is hosting a Giveaway Contest! For a chance to win, there will be two (2) winners of a Dove Package, featuring:

- 1 Plush Dove Spa Bathrobe
- 2 Dove products
- 2 Dove True You workbooks

Please include a way of contacting you. Should you be the contest winner, this information may be shared with the contest sponsor in order to send your prize.

Main Rule:   (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
a) Sign up for my free Newsletter Updates to my blog through my e-mail Feedblitz link (on the top of my right column or let me know if you already are, in a separate comment) AND

b) Visit the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty site and leave a comment about what you like best about their site and how you found it helpful.

This contest will run until December 22, 2009 at 11:00 pm.

For Additional Entries, check out my Contest Entry Rules.

Open to USA & Canada

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Tags: adult children, assistedliving, Baby Boom Generation, baby boomer, elderly, family, health, lifestyle, multi-generations, Nursing home, parenting, Safety, sandwich generation

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