A good way to record these memories is with a fill-in gift book that ask questions about a grandparent’s life. This makes a very special keepsake.

You can also create one of your own.  If you need help getting a jump start on good questions to ask, there is an ezine article called “Write Your Family History – 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die” that is a good guide on what questions to ask your grandparents.

You could print out the questions and answers (or have your grandparents fill in the answers.  Seeing them in their own handwriting adds a special touch), then make a scrapbook of the answers along with photos and other family memorabilia.

If you haven’t already done this – don’t hesitate! As Grandpa will tell you, he’s not getting any younger!

What is the difference between Organic and Non-Organic Foods? Nutrition is the #1 answer!  According to studies, organic food has a higher nutritional value than ordinary produce.  For example, organic foods contained 40% more antioxidants than non-organic foods.   Another difference is organic foods tend to taste better.  Because they are not treated with pesticides and other chemicals, you’re able to enjoy the unaltered taste of your fruits and vegetables, as nature intended.

Is it much more expensive to eat organic? If you go to your local supermarket, then you probably will pay more for organic food, as they want to make a bigger profit. Large retail chains usually make a big deal out of the fact that they offer organic foods and they think you will pay more for it. On the other hand, if you go to a local farmers market, a small grocer or a local farm shop, then you will undoubtedly find a fair price for your organic food.  The other way to get organic food at a cheaper price is to grow it yourself. Then you know it is really organic and you don’t even have to pay for packaging, transportation, and other companies’ profits.

Local farm shops have great ranges of organic food, but you must make sure it is organic. In the US, stores that sell organic will have a USDA stamp of approval on their goods and so should the farmers.

Dining Out

There are few occasions that aren’t made more special by enjoying a meal together in a favorite restaurant or diner.  Whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, dining out can provide everyone a good meal, wonderful company, the perfect gift for grandparents and an opportunity to say “we love you” and “thanks for all that you do.”

Arts and Crafts

For grandparents and kids that enjoy a little bit of creative activity, arts and crafts can be an excellent way for all to have some fun together doing something that is not overly physically demanding, but does provide for an excellent shared memory.  Consider a project like paint your own pottery, outdoor paintings, or even choose to take in a live play, so you can enjoy other people’s creative abilities.  Be creative in thought and be creative in action, so you can make the grandparents feel honored and special on their day this year.

Fall Fun

Grandparent’s Day was made an official national holiday by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.  The date to choose was obviously a consideration.  Because grandparents are considered to be in the “autumn” years of life, it was decided that Grandparent’s Day would take place in the fall.  So, each first Sunday after Labor Day, we honor the elder generation of our families.  Because, this date hits during autumn, there are many fall-friendly activities that might be chosen to spend some time with grandparents.

Some ideas might include visiting a pumpkin farm to pick your own pumpkins, taste some delicious fall treats, and maybe even get a picture with a giant pumpkin-headed scarecrow.  Carving Jack O’Lanterns can also be an excellent group activity that will lead to wonderful memories and photo-taking possibilities.  Finally, if none of that sounds appealing, you might instead consider a fall walk to take in the colors, smells, and feel of autumn.

Moving Outdoors

With a date early enough in fall to still be enjoying some nice weather, so perhaps the very best way to enjoy Grandparent’s Day is with a day outdoors.  Light the grill, pound out the patties, mix up the greens and prepare for a barbecue in the backyard.  Set up at a picnic table or spread out on a large blanket, a picnic can be a great way to share some delicious grandparent’s day treats, fun stories, and to make some new memories.

Follow up the delicious meal with some fun outdoor games that could make use of the backyard.  Some of those games might be bocce ball, ring toss, ladder ball, kickball, or croquet.  Try to choose activities that all members of the family are able to participate, to ensure that this Grandparent’s Day is extra special for all involved.

We have gifts for every occasion – new baby, get well, birthday, anniversary and more!

Our Iced Cookie Gifts are made from bakery-fresh butter creme cookies, which we hand decorate with royal icing. Our bouquets are arranged on sticks in beautiful bouquet for your recipient to enjoy. Cookies are individually sealed and shipped direct for maximum freshness. Each design is about 4-5″ in diameter.

Many of our cookie gifts can per personalized with your own message on one more more cookies.  Imagine their surprise when they open this delicious gift and it has their name right on the cookie!

This great deal won’t last, so send a gift today!

Check out our selection of sympathy book gift baskets.  An appropriate book selection, like a Footprints In The Sand  flip book containing inspirational quotes for each day, is surrounded by items to help soothe the grieving soul.

If your favorite bookworm is celebrating a birthday, we have a birthday book gift for them!  Many of our baskets give you a choice of popular best sellers to include along with delicious snacks like butter toffee popcorn, cookies, pretzels and more!

It’s never to early to start Baby’s own library!  We carry a large variety of baby gift book baskets for the new arrival!  Many of our baskets also include other essentials for baby like toys and plush animals.  The parents will appreciate a gift that enhances “together” time!

Best of all, we carry a variety of book baskets that can cover any occasion – even no occasion!

You might think that your child is not interested in reading, but there are several ways to spark their interest with a little patience and injection of fun into the process. If kids feel like they are being forced to read, then they will dislike it. But if you start the process at an early age, reading can become second nature to your children.

Make sure you are aware of your child’s interest, and choose books accordingly. A field trip to the library is a great idea, then they can choose their own books. You may be surprised to find what your child wants to learn about!

Praise and compliment your child’s reading abilities, to build their confidence level and increase their enjoyment of reading. If reading makes your child feel good, they will continue to do it!

One of the most successful techniques for teaching your child to read is the show and read technique. This is where you read to your child while pointing at each word as you read so that your child can see the words and repeat them. Doing this on a daily basis will not only help your child learn to recognize words, but it helps with their memory skills as well!

When a child sees a word and hears it being pronounced at the same time, they will in time learn to recognize the word, how it is said, what it means and how to use it in a sentence. This can take many repetitions, but they will get there.

Remember – reading is one of the best gifts you can give your child, because that skill will help them develop into a successful student and adult!

Scented Kool-Aid Play Dough

Supplies:

2 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Salt
2 packages of Kool-Aid®
2 C. Boiling Water
1/4 C. Oil

Directions:

1. Mix together the flour, salt, and Kool-aid®
2. Boil 2 Cups of Water
3. At the same time, mix the boiling water and oil into the dry mix.
4. Kneed the dough until it becomes the consistency you desire. (Lots of kneeding!)

Store in a zip-lock baggie.

—————————————————————————————————————

Cornstarch Clay

Supplies:

1 cup salt
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Food coloring or tempera paints (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the salt and 1/3 cup of water over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. (An adult should prepare this mixture, which gets quite hot and bubbly.)
2. Remove from heat and add the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. The mixture should now look like thick mashed potatoes; stir until it thickens.
3. Let cool for a few minutes before kneading. If the dough feels too sticky at first, work in some extra cornstarch as you knead.
4. Add food coloring, if desired.

Great to make small bowls, a lasting impression of your child’s hand, or Christmas ornaments. Dries within 1-4 days (depending on size of item). Cornstarch Clay will keep unrefrigerated for up to 2 weeks when stored with a small bit of wet sponge in a plastic bag or sealed container.

Ultimate Bubble Mixture

2 cups Joy® dish detergent
6 cups water
3/4 cups Karo® syrup

Combine all ingredients and let settle for 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator to extend suds life. Warm to room temperature before using.

Rainbow Crayons

Broken crayon pieces
Muffin Tin

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Remove paper from broken crayons and place pieces in a muffin tin.
3. Place tin in preheated oven until crayons are melted.
*Do not move pan too much when removing, or colors will become muddy*
4. When slightly cooled, place in freezer until crayon becomes easy to remove.
5. Enjoy some rainbow coloring fun!

Finger Paints

1/2 Cup boiling water.
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
6 Tablespoons Cold Water

Dissolve starch in cold water in a cup. Add this mixture to boiling water, stirring occasionally. Heat until it thickens and becomes glossy. Color water with food coloring. Store in air tight container. Use freezer paper as paper to paint on.

*Fall and winter are the seasons when the most popcorn is consumed. This timing coincides perfectly with the annual popcorn harvest in the Midwest. In fact, October is officially National Popcorn Poppin’ Month.

*Not surprisingly, the U.S. is the largest agricultural grower of popcorn in the world – mostly in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. There are many midwest cities that claim to be the popcorn capital of the world.

*According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest popcorn ball was unveiled in September 2006 in Lake Forest, Illinois. It weighed a whopping 3,423 pounds and measured 8 feet in diameter. The total circumference of the popcorn ball was 24.5 feet. It took employees of a local popcorn tin company 2 days to make the giant-sized snack.

*Popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks you can eat with only 31 calories per air-popped cup or only 55 calories per oil-popped cup. It contains no sodium and is naturally sugar free and high in fiber.

*Popcorn is a member of the maize/corn family, but it is the only one of the 6 types that pops. This is because it has a thicker hull than other types of corn. This hull allows pressure to build inside the kernel enabling it to pop.

*Want to do a fun little experiment the next time you are popping corn? Leave the lid off then just stand back and watch because popcorn is said to be able to pop up to 3 feet up in the air.

Each kernel of popcorn contains a small drop of water stored inside a circle of soft starch which is surrounded by the kernel’s hard outer surface. Unlike most other types of grain, this hard outer surface is resistant to moisture. For the corn to be ‘popcorn’, it needs to contain at 13.5 to 14% moisture inside the hard outer surface.

As the kernel heats up, the water begins to expand turning it into superheated pressurized steam. The pressure builds against the hard hull until it gives way, causing the popcorn to explode. The hull rupture usually occurs at about 135 psi and a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.

As it explodes, the soft starch inside the popcorn becomes inflated and bursts into an airy foam, turning the kernel inside out. As the foam cools, the starch and protein polymers set yielding the crispy popcorn puff that we all know and love.

Those unpopped kernels of corn that are left at the bottom of popcorn bowls are generally the result of either kernels that don’t have the proper moisture content or they have a cracked outer hull which means that the expanding steam can’t build enough pressure to cause the kernel to pop.