How to be a GRAND babysitter

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grandfather and grandsons

PawDad masters being the most GRAND babysitter ever.

Kids just want to have fun, especially when spending time with a babysitter. Parents primarily want their kids to be safe. And therein lies the challenge for grandparents who have secured the babysitting gig: finding the perfect balance between delighting grandchildren while pleasing their parents.

Master the challenge—and be the best babysitter ever—by considering the following tips from seasoned babysitting grandmas.

1. Pack your bag of tricks

Every grandparent needs a Grandma (or Grandpa) Bag, a tote filled with goodies that comes out at special times for play, creativity, and entertainment. For long-distance grandparents like myself, that means when I’m visiting the kiddos. (It's the favored piece of luggage each of my grandsons can't wait to open.) For local parents, that may be when on regular babysitting duty.

Grandma or Grandpa Bags include...

Click to continue reading my article—with input from Grandma Kc—on Grandparents.com...

Super simple DIY gift: Coffee Hand Scrub

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Grandmothers and others who regularly deal with those germ-filled critters we call children wash their hands a lot. Even folks who don't interact with kiddos often wash their hands a lot. Or so I hope, considering all the crud out there of late. Crud that the passing along of can be cut down on by washing one's hands. Often.

coffee hand scrub

With all that handwashing going on, we're a nation with dry hands. Mine certainly are. Which is why I love this easy-to-make and...

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Oh so easy: Cloud dough

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Oh so easy: Cloud dough

Though it may seem like summer is winding down, there's still plenty of time to mess around outdoors with some cloud dough and some grandkids. And I do mean mess — which is just one reason this activity is so fun... and the primary reason it's best enjoyed outdoors.

cloud dough 

There are directions all...

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Grandma kicks the can: Old-time games to teach grandchildren

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Grandma kicks the can: Old-time games to teach grandchildren

Remember the long summer days spent outdoors as a child? Riding bikes, exploring the neighborhood, bonding with buddies and doing a whole bunch of nothing — which meant everything at the time? And playing games… Oh, the games!

kids playing outside statue

Today’s kids — meaning our grandkids — likely have...

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8 great reasons to bake with grandchildren

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8 great reasons to bake with grandchildren

My grandsons helped me make cupcakes for our mini-celebration in Mac's honor last week. The fun led me to consider why such a simple — and often messy — activity can be such a great one for grandparents to enjoy with their grandchildren.

8 great reasons to bake with grandchildren

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S'more boys

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It's often impossible to ignore the lure of advertising. I hereby plead guilty to falling for such when packing my grandma bag for this week's desert visit with my grandsons.

s'mores

The siren call I couldn't help but heed? Those current ads running in magazines, online and elsewhere for all the fixin's for s'mores. Yes, I'm talking...

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