8 reasons grandparents should not resist a rest

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8 reasons grandparents should not resist a rest

Once you're old enough to be a grandparent, a good night's sleep is hard to come by. Chalk it up to hormones, hot flashes, medications, and more. Considering the causes can be exhausting in itself.

Despite our continual quest to quench our desire for downtime, we grandparents often flat-out refuse to rest our weary heads when we're with our grandchildren. Whether it's because we feel guilty or we simply want to "get stuff done," resisting a rest can be detrimental to our health and happiness. Detrimental to the health and happiness of our grandchildren, too—especially when they're in our care.

Here's why:

sleeping woman and dog 

NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP...

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GRAND greeting! Plus GRAND Social No. 161 link party for grandparents

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GRAND greeting

Saturday was my birthday, and I received many kind and happy greetings from family, friends and loved ones. (You Facebook friends? Sheesh...! You guys are awesome! And appreciated!)

I must say, though, that of all the birthday greetings I received, this was the most grand of all:

 

Megan told me that video was the...

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A seventh birthday and the ages he's been

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"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."   ~Madeleine L'Engle

June is a busy birthday month for my family.  June 1 was Mac's birthday. Yesterday was Jak's birthday. Tomorrow is Bubby's. PawDad and I had the pleasure of celebrating all three birthdays with the boys when we visited them in May.

In recognition of his for-real special day, happy seventh birthday to dear Bubby, my grandson No. 1!

seventh birthday 

I'm so blessed to have seen all Bubby's...

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A grand ONE! Plus GRAND Social No. 159 link party for grandparents

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A grand ONE!

Seems not that long ago that I announced my third grandson had arrived. Yet it was long ago—a full year tomorrow, to be exact.

Tomorrow, Baby Jak will be one year old! Not so much a baby anymore.

first birthday 

Happy first birthday to silly—and strong-headed—Jak! Gramma...

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On swings, rainbows, and indigo endings

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On swings, rainbows, and indigo endings

On the upper level of my home, we have a three-season porch. It's fashioned after the porches popular in Colorado Springs in the late 1800s, peaceful spots where tuberculosis patients rested on beds while soaking up the fresh, restorative mountain air.

Ours is a three-season porch, with no insulation protecting the space from cold. Meaning, we don't access the room in the winter. Come spring, though, the porch door is opened—and our indoor swing firmly attached in the doorway.

indoor swing on three-season porch

My grandsons and other young-at-heart visitors...

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Saturday movie review: Life's A Breeze

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LIFE'S A BREEZE is a cautionary tale from Lance Daly, director of THE COMMITMENTS (a favorite of mine). What might viewers be cautioned against? Throwing out your elderly mother's household goods without checking with her first.

Life's A Breeze dvd

The 2013 Irish comedy stars Fionnula Flanagan as Nan, the elderly matriarch of...

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Saturday movie review: The Face of Love

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I watch so many movies that I go through periods where I have a tough time finding a good one to review that I've not already seen. So I scan and search and sample. And sometimes I stumble upon an enjoyable flick I'd previously overlooked.

That's the case with THE FACE OF LOVE. I actually started—and stopped—four other films this week, stinkers one and all. This fifth one, this little gem some of you may have already seen, saved this week's Saturday movie review.

the face of love movie

THE FACE OF LOVE, a romantic drama filmed in 2012 and released in U.S. theaters in 2014, stars...

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Here and Now: March 12, 2015

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Today. Here. Now.

clock and book 

On my mind...

Does anyone else ever "save" articles and posts on Facebook (via the little "save" option in the upper right corner of each post) planning to read it later only to realize your saved articles list has reached an overwhelming length? You, too?

I won't "archive" the articles, though, for I just know...

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