"Ricky's Dream Trip" . . . the Perfect Book Series for a Grandfather and a Grandchild to Share on Father's Day

The following is a compensated post for The Motherhood. All opinions expressed are my own.

I spent a great deal of time with my grandfather growing up. I think for many years, I probably spent more time with him than my father. Some (most?) of my fondest memories are of times spent with my grandfather or of stories he used to tell me of his days growing up.

I remember the day he gave me his pocketknife like it was yesterday. It was every bit of a Norman Rockwell moment as any I've ever heard or read about. The hour or so he spent retelling the stories and events of his life that included that beloved pocketknife was one of the most special moments of my life. I’m pretty sure he had it for 70 years before bestowing it to me. The fact that he didn't give it to one of his sons was not lost on me either.  I never had the heart to tell him it ended up at the bottom of Cape Cod Bay just a few days later during some rough seas.

I will always miss my time with my grandfather, the older I get the more I realize how special it was. And this is why I am so excited about the Ricky’s Dream Trip book series by William Stevenson. It's a series of books for kids about Pop Pop and Ricky, a grandfather and his grandson.

The books are very stylized and uniquely drawn. The stories are the dreams of Ricky and his “Pop Pop” traveling through history and other fascinating adventures to places like Ancient Egypt, Colonial America, and even outer space.  What a fun way to celebrate the special relationship kids have with their grandfathers while also teaching them a bit or two about the world around them.

I hope I turn out to be as fun and exciting as Pop Pop or my grandfather Duke was when I become a grandparent!

To learn more about this book series, visit www.rickysdreamtrip.com or Ricky's Dream Trip on YouTube.  Use the Ricky's Dream Trip Facebook app to help you decide which of the 5 books currently available would make the perfect gift for that special grandpa in your life.  You can purchase any of the books in this series in paperback or for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

Making the Decision About Elderly Care for Our Parents

When my grandparents were not able to care for themselves any longer, we moved them to an assisted living community. This arrangement worked out very well until my grandfather passed away. My grandmother was not able to care for herself alone. The only option we had was a senior care facility away from her friends and her home. The home was nice, but unfamiliar and not well received by my grandmother.

At the time, in-home care was uncommon and it simply never occurred to us how much the impact of being away from familiar surroundings would affect her. If presented with the same decision today we would almost certainly have chosen homecare instead.

With the infinite information available on the web today, finding all the information we needed to consider selecting home health care agencies would have been easy. I think if and when it is time for us to think about such things for our own parents, my wife and I will have an easier choice to make.

Photos From Grammy's Family Holiday Party

Last weekend, we were able to visit my in-laws who live about an hour and 45 minutes away. The children were so excited, because they love their Grammy, but also because they knew they would be able to open some Christmas presents early.

All in all, it was a relaxing afternoon and evening. It was nice to catch up with some of my husband's relatives that I have not seen in years.

Some photos from our visit . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Beach Photos From a Visit to Grammy's

Last week, my husband made the 2-hour drive with our three children to visit his Mom. After two cancelled trips due to bad weather, they were all finally able to visit Grammy and head to a nearby beach.

Below are some photos and a video shot by my husband. There were plenty more photos of marine life they had managed to dig up, but I thought these were cuter (and less slimy).

After returning to Grammy's house from the beach, the kids had a blast washing off in the backyard with the sprinkler . . . well, all except our daughter, who wanted no part of it.

Here is a short video of the boys enjoying themselves . . .

The children really had tons of fun, but were wiped out and slept almost the whole ride home. Hopefully they will get in one more visit before the summer ends.

Christmas 2009: Lunch and Gifts at My Sister's & BIL's House

Our first stop on Christmas Day was my sister's and brother-in-law's house. My parents also live in an in-law apartment there, so it was the perfect place to have a little lunch and to exchange gifts.

We had lots of kid-friendly finger foods. Throw in some colorfully wrapped toys and books and we have ourselves a fun afternoon. Everyone was too generous this year. My parents bought us a 17" laptop and my sister and BIL surprised us with a 4-piece luggage set. Now my husband and I are all set for Blogher 2010!

I think the biggest hit was the toy vacuum for Luke. All three children have been fighting over it since it was opened on Christmas Day.

I wanted to steal the cuddly New England Patriots blanket my father received. I don't really watch football, but I might start if I could snuggle up in that!

Weekly Winners (W/E 12-26-09)

Christmas Eve at the In-Law's

Christmas Morning

3 Very Stuffed Stockings

Christmas Dinner at My Cousin's House

Christmas 2009: Christmas Eve at the In-Law's

On Christmas Eve, we made the two-hour drive to my in-law's for presents and an early dinner. The children had a great time, but were all exhausted after a few hours. In fact, we were all exhausted and I have no idea how my dear husband made the long drive home without dosing off.

There were too many gifts. Each child received several rather than just one or two. Needless to say, they were loving it. Luckily they enjoyed giving their gifts to Grammy and Grandpa almost as much as receiving.

Christmas Morning

3 Very Stuffed Stockings

Lunch and Gifts at My Sister's & BIL's House

Christmas Dinner at My Cousin's House

A Thoughtful Free Gift for Grandparent's Day

In honor of National Grandparent's Day(September 13th, 2009), Grandparents.com has teamed up with YourVoice to offer a free service which is designed to give grandparents something to smile about. Simply stated, YourVoice allows your child to record a special voice message and then email that recording to his or her grandparents.

Listen to Jake's Message To His Grandparents
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This service is extremely user-friendly and could not have made it easier to complete the recording. All you need to do is call the phone number, enter the pin number provided to you, and then have your child record a special message to the grandparents. Then you have the opportunity to listen to the recorded message and to decide if you are satisfied with it or would like to record a new one. The site even offers you a few suggestions if you and your child cannot come up with something to say on your own. The message can be brief or it can be as long as a book reading.

After the message has been recorded to your satisfaction, you then enter the email or emails to which you would like it to be sent. You can even write a custom message to go in the notification email. The recipient need only to click on a link to listen to the message. They can listen to it as often as they'd like and can even download it to their own computer.

Overall, this is a very easy process for both the sender and the recipient. It is a free service, but the number to call is not toll free. We do not have to worry about long distance charges because of the type of phone service we use, but please be aware of this potential cost to you before you make the call to record your child's message.



This is one of my favorite photos of my mother with our daughter Makenzie when she was an infant . . .

I received a gift card from BSM Media as a thank you for trying out this free service.