Copyright
© 2003-2008 The BananaNana Shoppe |
Garden
Fairies Mailbox |
I
love to garden and so I put a mail box down the garden and
painted my grandchild's name on the side. When
ever he comes to visit we go down to see what the Garden
Fairies have left him. He receives little items in
a special box which he replaces in the mail box for next
time. Several times a year I put a book about the
Garden Fairies in the mailbox. The most wonderful
sound is to hear him squeal with delight when he sees the
flag in the up position on the mail box-this means a surprise.
Nendy
L.
|
New
Grandparent Gift Idea |
Note
from Nana Elizabeth: Amanda purchased "Grandma's
Heart" and "Grandpa's Heart" cards and ask
for them to be shipped immediately because she wanted to use
them as a way to tell her parents that they were going to
be grandparents. I followed up with her to see how the
presentation went and this was her response (and a new idea
she said we could share):
"Thank
you for getting the cards out to me. I decided to use them
for Mother's and Father's Day presents since I could not resist
telling them the happy news before the cards arrived. I am
having a 3D ultra sound at 20 weeks and having a local framer
work on matting the cards and ultrasound photos as gifts for
both my Mother and Father! ( Looking forward to purchasing
more for Grandpa and Grandma! )"
Amanda J. |
Photo
Tradition |
Hey!
Thought I'd share a great photo opportunity for grandkids
with you!
As each one of my siblings graduated, my youngest brother
would always end up in a "serious looking" picture
with the grad's cap on. We have a few years of pictures like
this.
Finally, it was his turn. So for his graduation, G-Momma and
G-Poppa (Mom and Dad) took a picture of the two oldest grand-kids
with my brother's grad cap (and another) on. They also took
a picture of the two grand-kids and my brother together. The
saying on the frame is "for all grads, small and tall,
here's to the present and the future."
The tradition continues. Now anytime there's any kind of graduation
and a cap, we continue to take the grandkids pictures with
the caps on.
__________________________________________________________________
It was great navigating through your pages. I'm not sure how
I stumbled upon them, but am glad that I did! I found exactly
what I was looking for! Keep up the great pages!
Shannon McGouirkTry |
Due
Date Countdown |
I
picked up my a-door-nimal last week. The Pajama Bear is adorable!!
Even more than in the picture!! I took it to my childbirth
class... needless to say, I had to pass it around so everyone
could see it. Everyone loved it!! Especially the Moms-to-be.
Since everyone at work asks me "when are you due?"
every now and then, I now have my a-door-nimal at my office
with the "countdown" to my due date.
from
Mom-To-Be Claudia W. |
Favorite
Color Gift |
A
grandmother I know told me when her second grandchild was
born to the same family; she asked the older child what his
favorite color was. He told her "purple," so she
made a basket filled with "purple things" and presented
it to him when the new baby came.
I thought this was a nice idea and wanted to share it with
you.
from
Grammy Jane P. |
Gift
Wrap Idea |
It's
so easy now to print pictures from our PC, so try this idea:
make it easy to sort out gifts at Christmas by printing "picture"
tags. Just print your favorite pictures of your grandkids,
punch a hole (maybe use a Christmas tree shape) and sign your
name on the back. Tie it to your package or bag and
it will be EASY to tell who the gift belongs to! |
Photo
Idea |
Try
this easy trick: before inserting your pictures into
an album, brag bag, coaster or calendar, attach them to your
favorite scrapbook sheet cut to fit the photo opening.
Then you don't have to worry about your picture being the
exact size of the opening. You can even stick on cute
savings or other decorations -- HAVE FUN! |
Cool
Stocking Stuffers |
Anything
to insert a photo into!
Homemade
gifts from grandkids - we can never have too much artwork
on our refrigerators and our offices!
Add
bright stickers "perfectly" arranged on those pictures
for color and flair. |
Special
Welcome & Activities for Grandkids |
Granny
Buena wrote to us asking if we have some ideas to welcome
her grandkids to her home. Here are a few (plus some
other special activities to enjoy with grandkids):
-
Fly
a Camp Grandma house flag to greet them!
-
Hang
an a-door-nimal on their room -- with a personalized message
just for them (then pack it in their suitcase to take
home with them).
-
Add
a stepping stone to your yard that has your grandkids'
names on it.
-
Send
them a Camp Grandma backpack (there's one for a boy and
one for a girl) to make their trip more special.
-
Lay
out one of the Camp Grandma kids' t-shirts on their bed.
-
Serve
yummy cookies in the fun Camp Grandma Cookie Jar (be sure
to write their names on the Cookie Jar with a porcelain
pen).
-
Have
a tea party (check out our Camp Grandma Tea Set)
-
Make
their visit a memorable one filled with lots of activities
from the Camp Grandma Activity Book (it doubles as a memory
book, too).
-
Make
chocolate chip cookies with gooey icing -- don't spread
the icing...it's much more fun to dip the cookie in the
icing (and you get a lot more icing that way).
-
Jump
on the bed.
-
Use
your exercise ball in a brand new way - anchor the ball
against your legs and the couch. Then let the little
ones jump on it. They love it!
|
Perfect
Baby Shower Gift from Mom to Daughter |
Have
some tissues handy when you read the poem, Daughter, Now
That You're A Mother" written by Teri Harrison of
The Grandparent Gift Company. It captures all the emotions
felt by mothers all over the world when their daughter becomes
a mother. It's the PERFECT baby shower gift from Mom
to Daughter! |
Cozy
Cookie Doll Idea |
I
have an 8-year-old who complains that her knees hurt sometimes.
I replaced my old heating pad with one of your Cozy Cookie
Dolls and she is using it nightly and loves it! I also
bought one for my 8-month-old. I thought she could get
used to the smell and warmth - then when I return to work,
she will have something she's familiar with.
from
Carrie L. |
Personalization
Idea |
I
purchased two Camp Grandma Banks and gave them to my grandsons.
I had seen "china" pens, so I went to a craft store
to see if they had anything that would write on ceramics and,
sure enough, they had porcelain pens that worked great!
I wrote each boy's name on the bank, and their parents LOVED
the idea! By the way, this would work great on any of
the Camp Grandma ceramic products -- maybe write each grandchild's
name on the Cookie Jar or the back of the Cookie Plate.
You could add names as needed.
from
Nana Ginny |
Valentine's
Day or any special day! |
Grandchildren
love to receive "love letters" as much as we do!
So, send your grandchild a personalized Valentine (or other
love note), even if you live close to them. |
"We're
Pregnant" Announcement |
Chris
O wrote to us asking if we have some ideas to deliver the
BIG news to parents. Oh, yes, Chris -- do we ever!
Here are a few ways:
-
Present
your parents with any of our great t-shirts and/or caps.
-
Insert
your sonogram picture (or a cute baby drawing) into the
Grandparents Are A Gift From God frame OR any
of our wonderful grandparent cards (especially the photo
cards) OR a brag bag or brag book.
-
We
have a great selection of photo calendars -- including
a Grandkids calendar. So mark the due date on the
calendar...along with a sonogram picture, of course...and
give it to your parents.
-
You
can't go wrong with any of the Camp Grandma gifts.
-
How
about any of our adorable Onesies with cute Grandma and
Grandpa sayings?
-
Give
them an a-door-nimal...we have a great selection...and
write a touching message on the heart.
|
Craft Time
|
I'm still trying to get glitter glue off of my kitchen table
from last Christmas! I finally got smart and bought an inexpensive
white vinyl tablecloth (available almost everywhere) and now
my grandkids can color, glue and paint to their hearts' content
-- even on the tablecloth. Best part is that you can toss
it in the wash with a little bleach and it comes out good
as new. And, no more glitter and glue on the wood!
from Grandma Kathy
|
Suggestions for Activities
|
In Dallas (and there are similar activities elsewhere):
Children's Museum, Heard Museum, see trains at Children's
Medical Center, Imax, different museums at Fair Park, special
parks and playgrounds.
from Mama Gail
|
Great Video
|
There is a great Sesame Street video about firefighters
that my granddaughters love to watch - "Elmo Visits the
Firehouse." The first time we watched it, I thought I
had made a mistake in selecting the video because it was somewhat
scary to my three-year-old granddaughter. In the video, Elmo
is at a lunch counter and they hear the smoke alarm. Of course,
Elmo is quite frightened. But as the video progresses, Elmo
goes to the fire station and gets a wonderful lesson in how
to respond to a fire - he also gets to see a firefighter in
all their "garb" and told not to be afraid if he sees someone
who looks like this. The girls love the video and I think
it has provided valuable information for them.
from Nana Elizabeth
|
Potty Party
|
My granddaughter recently achieved a milestone in her life
(and her parent’s life) when she announced that she was ready
to throw away her diapers. To celebrate, her parents told
her they would take her to Chuck E Cheese Pizza. My husband,
PawPaw Paul, dubbed the party a “Potty Party” - and can you
guess what our gift was? Big girl panties with Strawberry
Shortcake and Care Bears on them! Her mother loved these characters
when she was little, so the present was both practical and
nostalgic!
from Nana Elizabeth
|
Cooking for Grandkids
|
Both of my grandkids, Sarah and Adam, began cooking at my
house when they were about 3. “Cooking” consists of pulling
the stepstool up to the spice cabinet and providing a small
plastic bowl with a little water, some measuring spoons, and
a relaxed attitude. You may want to hide your rare, expensive
spices, but the rest is open game. And, help only when asked!
Let you budding chef create mustard cayenne oregano soup for
Daddy. As they progress, add flour and egg to create cakes
and pies with pepper, bouillon and parsley for Mommy….have
no mercy for the parents (THIS IS A PAYBACK!). Now my grandkids
will try most anything. In fact, Sarah’s favorite part of
Christmas is smoked oysters in her stocking from Santa. Go
figure?
from Grandma Kathy
|
Groovy Grandma Shower
|
Do you have a friend who is about to become a grandma? Wouldn’t
it be fun to throw her a Groovy Grandma shower?! It’s easy.
Invite her friends to join you in “showering” her with advice
and gifts. Create a Grandmas Know Best advice book for her
by asking each guest to write down their best tips on an “Advice
Sheet” - then put it in a beautiful binder for the new grandma
to cherish—and add some clear sheet protectors for her to
keep pictures, articles and other advice she will want to
collect & save. You may want to present her with a gift basket
filled with all the baby basics, like diapers, tub, baby monitor,
baby wash, baby shampoo, and lots more! And, don’t forget
to check out some great gift selections at BananaNana.com.
HAVE FUN—It’s a great way to celebrate with her as she enters
a very special time in her life.
from BananaNana
|
Backward Day
|
Have a “Backward Day” with your grandkids - dress backwards,
say no for yes, everyone sit at a different place at the table,
place silverware in opposite places, etc.
from Mama Gail
|
